FARMERSVILLE
Dallas News, 1928
SETTLING OLD FARMERSVILLE
by W. S. Adair
My father, Walter Yeary,
native of Tenn. and who had served as a Capt. in the Army of the United States,
settled near the present site of Honey Grove in Fannin Co. in 1839, two years
before John Neely Bryan, raised his Ebinezer in the shape of a Log Cabin, at the
forks of the Trinity, so said W. B. Yeary, 3113 Live Oak St.
There were seven families in
the Party with which father came. The Settlement which they established was one
of those extreme outposts of civilization, which seemed to have such siren
charms for the hardy pioneers. It would take too long to detail what befell the
Settlement, therefore, let a single incident be a sample of the whole lot.
One morning nine Indians,
catching my grandfather at work with a hoe in the garden, cut him off, all
unarmed as he was, from the cabin, but rising equal to the occasion, he reversed
the idea of converting the sword into a plow share, and turning his hoe into a
weapon of War, put up such a bristling front that the Indians retired before
him. All the time my grandmother was trying to slip his gun to him. In the fight
both of my grandparents were wounded with Arrows.
In 1845, father and my
grandfather, Moses Jones, and some other members of the Settlement moved to
Collin County. Father set up as a merchant. The Frontier merchant in those days,
carried nothing but powder and lead, sugar, coffee and whiskey. Father ordered
his goods from Jefferson, and it seemed that a hogshead of sugar was delivered
several days before the wagons carrying the rest of his stock arrived, in the
meantime he had nothing to sell but sugar, from that circumstance, the store
took on the name of Sugar Hill. Sugar Hill continued as a trading point of the
Community until the town of Farmersville, two and a half miles away was
established some years later.
Dr. Gunn’s Celebrated
Treatise.
The Settlements in North Texas were few and far between, and next to no land at
all was in cultivation, because there was no market for farm products, and it
was easy fro the pioneer to make a living with out much labor. The country was
open in every direction and the traveler could for days and days pursue a
straight course toward any point of the Compass without having to detour on
account of a fence.
My grandfather, Moses Jones, was the Doctor and the Baptist minister of the
Sugar Hill Settlement. I am sure that he did not take any regular course in a
Medical College in this country nor in Europe, as a preparation for the practice
of his Profession. His guides were his natural sagacity and the Book of Old Dr.
Gunn. This Book which I still have in my possession, in my library, describes
the medicinal plants and herbs and tells how to use them and make them grow, and
how to extract the active principles from them, then it lays out a map of the
ordinary diseases and tells in each case which of the medicines to give, in fact
the Book is bequeathed to the World as an exhaustive treatise on Medicine.
Grandfather cultivated in his garden, all of the plants he needed in his
practice. He had to buy nothing but calomel and blue mass, quinine had not yet
come into general use, at least, it had not found its way out to the Frontier.
The death rate from natural causes was extremely low among us, and Dr. Jones has
gone down in History as a successful physician.
First Grist Mill
Preaching and practicing
Medicine did not afford sufficient scope for the prodigious energies of my
grandfather, Moses Jones. He busied himself about many other things. He built,
owned and operated the first Mill erected in the community. It was a treadmill
worked by oxen. It ground both corn and wheat, and grandfather took his pay in
toll, that is, he reserved from himself a certain part of all grist brought to
the mill. The mill separated the worked up wheat into four classes, 1st grade
flour, 2nd grade flour, shorts and bran, those who came to mill took home with
them flour of both grades, and enough of the shorts to furnish the women
material for making starch, and left the bran as worthless at the mill for
grandfather to dispose of at his own expense. The shorts left behind by his
patrons was more than sufficient to feed the sluggish steers which grandfather
employed to make the mill go. The flour and meal into which he had converted the
grain he had taken as toll, he sold at the mill or sent it to Jefferson or
Shreveport, where he exchanged these products for sugar, coffee, and whiskey.
I was eight years old when I
pulled on my first shoes. They were made by John Frank, hunter, farmer,
saddlemaker and shoemaker. He had no shoe leather in stock when he took my
measure, but he did not let that hinder him, he used harness leather. I tied the
shoes on my feet with strips of buckskin for strings, up to that time I had gone
barefooted. My favorite sport when a small boy was to trap quails and prairie
chicken, when the snow was on the ground. I kept a piece of board heating before
the fire to stand on while I was taking the birds from the trap, and setting and
re-baiting it for the next comers. Every night we children would grease our feet
with mutton suet and bake them before the fire, but in spite of this precaution,
my feet often would crack open and bleed. We had a lot in which we penned the
cows at night and the calves in day time. It was my business to drive up the
cows in the evening and the calves in the morning. The tall grass was often wet
and drenched with dew in the morning, and I got wringing wet and chilled to the
marrow, but my lot was not harder than that of the rest of the children in the
Settlement. It seems that something of the old idea of exposing children still
lingered on in my generation.
Never Did Get The Trunk
The first money that I ever
had I made it raising peanuts, father got the seed from a neighbor who had come
from Georgia, father put the peanuts that I had raised on sale in his store, and
they brought three dollars. After long pondering I decided to buy me a trunk
with my money, accordingly, I gave the money to my brother who was starting on a
wagon trip to Jefferson, on the way his wagon broke down and he had to use my
three dollars to get it repaired as he had no money of his own. People had no
money in those days they did not need it. Not to let my story tail off. I never
got my money back, and I do not know but it was a good thing for I was going to
invest it foolishly, for I had nothing in the world to put in the trunk.
The first horse wagon that rolled into our community was a sensation. The owner
of it had brought a load of apples all the way from Springfield, Missouri. The
wagon was loudly painted all over with garlands of flowers on the sides and end
of the bed. Father bought the wagon and the harness, people came from far and
near to marvel at the wonder. We cut quite a swell when the family went to
church in the new turnout, when everybody else was walking, riding horseback or
in Ox wagons.
About 1870, I cannot be quite
sure of the year, Father, on a visit to New Orleans, came across a sewing
machine, the first he had ever seen or heard of. He brought it home, men and
women all over the country laid down their work to come and look at it, when the
novelty had a little worn off, the women began to bring their sewing and the
machine was kept busy going night and day. Our house was the scene of a
continuous sewing bee.
Howard Crawford was the first
man to plant cotton in our section of Collin Co. He brought the seed with him
when he moved from Alabama to Texas. As an experiment, he planted nine acres in
1870, it turned out 10 bales at a Gin which John Haven made by overhauling an
old tread grist mill run by oxen. He hauled the cotton to Jefferson. Crawford
distributed the seed of the crop among the neighbors, several of whom tried
cotton planting the following year, with the most encouraging results, after
that the acreage of cotton was increased annually. In the early seventies Cotton
was sold at an average of twenty cents, but it was not until after 1880 that any
considerable part of the land in this part of the country was put under
cultivation. In 1880, B. R. and E. Houghton of Farmersville, bought 200 bales of
cotton on account and hauled it to Terrell. I drove one of the wagons, at that
time there were only eight houses on the road from Farmersville to Terrell, a
distance of thirty five miles. Wild cattle still ranged over the open country,
and a fierce bull who had set himself up as a monarch of the plains, bellowed,
pawed up the earth and disputed the way with the forward wagon in our train. The
men got down and flayed him wit their long ox whips, and he retired in
confusion.
Down to 1880, such a procedure as giving a Mortgage on a growing crop was
unheard of among the Settlers, and the first Mortgage of the kind was signed by
candle light in the back room of a store at Farmersville, as with disagreeable
things generally, it was considered appropriate to go through the formalities in
the dark.
RECOLLECTIONS OF AN
OLD TIMER.
McKinney Weekly Democrat, May
16, 1901
The
first election that was ever held in east Collin, was held on the old Patton
Honaker place and the name of the place was Sugar Hill. A man by the name of
Bailey ran a sort of a store there. He married Miss Cassie Year, a relative of
the Yeary's whose offsprings are living at Farmersville today. The voting
precinct included the entire territory from Millwood to the Fannin county line
and from pilot creek to the east. The line between Collin and Hunt counties had
not been established and the law as to where a citizen should vote was not as
painfully strictly enforced as it is today. At that election just 17 votes were
cast, and the 17 tickets were all alike that is every man voted just as the
balance did. Jim Throckmorton, who became later governor, run that time for the
legislature and was elected. He got 17 votes at Sugar Hill. Those days
Throckmorton was not dreaming of governorship but he was practicing medicine
about three miles from McKinney. There were then two stores at McKinney one of
them run by Newsome. There was two stores at Greenville and none at
Farmersville. Of of 17 men who voted at the first election on Sugar Hill, two
are alive yet. One of them is Josh Gotcher, living about three miles west of
Farmersville now, and the other is Hugh Woody living about four miles north from
Farmersville, close to the old Franklin place. All others have passed over the
great divide. Old man Woody lived then in a cabin of Henry Rollin's on Cedar.
His nearest neighbor to the north was Bill Boren who lived close to the Manning
prairie near Pike. To the south a man had settled on Cedar, the old Coffey trail
ran by his cabin and there was not another cabin between his own and the Boyart
place north of McKinney. He dragged the high grass down between Cedar and Sugar
Hill and established a route. Old man Woody is hale and hearty: only yesterday
he was hard at work fixing his fence. He has in his possession yet a pair of
scissors, that were bought from Bailey on Sugar Hill. We tried to get some big
Indian stories out of him, but he wont yarn. No Indian, he said, but plenty
grass, lots of game, any amount of elbow room and not so blamed much style as we
have now days.
Merit
Mirror
HISTORY OF
FARMERSVILLE
Examiner, June
21, 195?
by Rhode
Hartman
The Baptist
Church was organized in May 1865, and held services in the lower rooms of the
old Masonic building until 1877 when they built a frame structure which was
later replaced by the beautiful building which now stands. The charter
membership of fifteen included the names of W. D. Chapman, E. F. Tatum, G. B.
Robinson and John Turner. Rev. John Averett was the first pastor.
The Presbyterian
U. S. A. was organized June 14, 1868 by Rev. S. M. Wilkins. The number of
members at the time were only thirteen. Joseph Aston and James F. Thompson were
ordained as elders. W. A. Williams, Berry Spence, F. M. Proctor and J. M. Brooks
were among the early pastors. The church was built in 1887.
The Christian
Church was organized in 1874 with a membership of six and held their meetings in
the Baptist Church until 1884 when the present church was built.
The first school
of any importance was conducted in the "White Hall," or Masonic Hall, and Rev.
W. A. Edwards was the teacher. Later a school was conducted on the present site
of the Farmersville School, which was deeded to the city for a public school by
the late Dr. A. H. Neathery and wife. This school was conducted by Messrs.
Looney and Dowlan, assisted by Miss Sallie Hardin. This was later replaced by a
brick building which soon became inadequate in size to accommodate the children
of scholastic age, and the present building was erected.
The I. O. O. F.
Pride Lodge Number 238, was organized in 1875 with the following charter
members: A. H. Neathery, J. A. Aston, C. T. Tatum., I. D. Kitchens, L. H.
Marble, and Thomas Glass.
A number of
other secret orders have been organized. Two women's clubs, the Ingleside,
organized in 1894, and the Culture Club in 1912. For years a Civic League
flourished, doing much effective work and giving to the town the small park
which is situated at the intersection of the two railroads. Farmersville has a
chapter of Daughters of the Confederacy, which placed the monument in the center
of this park. These clubs and organizations are factors for good in the
community.
Rike's Drug
Store, which is one of the oldest business institutions of its kind in the
state, was established in 1865.
For many years,
Farmersville had an annual event which was the onion Festival. Onion buyers
would come from all over the United States to attend this gala festival. People
would come from miles around and the festivities would go on for several days.
About 1888 the
Santa Fe Railroad was built through Farmersville. Before this railroad was built
the only railroad that ran through the town was the "Narrow Gauge" Railroad,
which was very crooked and its rails were very close together. The Katy Lines
later bought the "Narrow Gauge" Railroad and made a standard size railroad out
of it.
In the early
days, there were two distinct brands of Democrats in Collin County. There were
the Ringtails and the Mugwumps, the old line Democracy and the reformers, who
called themselves the Collin County Democracy. The split was caused because a
bunch of practical politicians had suckled the public teat for a quarter of a
century and you just couldn't prize them loose. They kept on running and kept on
being elected.
In the first
election held, they elected their County Judge, Tax Assessor, and District
Clerk. In the next election they lost all of their county candidates and that
spelled the death of the Collin County Democracy. Then they organized the
People's Party and run Nugent for Governor. It soon fizzled out and now is only
a dream.
Since the
earliest days of Farmersville's history, progress has seemed to be the keynote,
as a steady process of activity, growth and development has been the order of
the day until at the present one needs only to visit this thriving little city
to realize that it is one of the most progressive and wide-awake towns in this
entire section of the country.
Its steady
growth from the historical day it was founded in 1854 to its present tabulation
of about 2000 population is ample proof of the progress made by the whole
hearted co-operation of those loyal citizens who have been instrumental in the
building a community to which we can all point with pride as our very own.
Historical
marker, 1973.
FARMERSVILLE
ORIGINATED 1849 AS A SETTLEMENT ON THE JEFFERSON-
McKINNEY ROAD, AND NEAR REPUBLIC OF TEXAS NATIONAL
ROAD. NAMED BY PIONEERS FOR THEIR CHIEF OCCUPATION.
AFTER 1854, THE YEARS AND THEIR NEIGHBORS OF SUGAR
HILL (2 MI. NE) BEGAN RELOCATING HERE. DR. H. M. MARKHAM,
PRACTICING HERE BY 1855, IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN COLLIN
COUNTY’S EARLIEST PHYSICIAN. THE FIRST METHODIST
CHURCH WAS ORGANIZED IN 1856. WILLIAM GOTCHER ON
MARCH 4, 1859, DONATED LAND FOR THE PUBLIC SQUARE. A
SCHOOL WAS OPERATING AS EARLY AS THE 1860S. THE FIRST
BAPTIST CHURCH WAS ORGANIZED ON MAY 14, 1865.
TOWN WAS INCORPORATED ON JUNE 2, 1873. FIRST MAYOR:
JOHN S. RICK. ALDERMEN: JAMES, CHURCH, BEN KING, JOHN
MURCHISON, TOM TATUM, JOHN P. UTT. MARSHALL: JEFF HINES.
INSTITUTIONS OF 1880S STILL IN OPERATION INCLUDE
FARMERSVILLE “TIMES” AND THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK.
AS TOWN BECAME A TRACE CENTER, AGRICULTURE KEPT
PACE. FARMERSVILLE IN 1930S WAS KNOWN AS THE “ONION
CAPITAL OF NORTH TEXAS”, ANNUALLY SHIPPING OVER 1,000
CARLOADS OF ONIONS. ALONG WITH SOME SMALL INDUSTRY,
CATTLE, COTTON, AND MAIZE CROPS REMAIN IMPORTANT.
AUDIE MURPHY, THE MOST DECORATED AMERICAN HERO OF
WORLD WAR II, HAD BEEN A RESIDENT OF FARMERSVILLE
BEFORE HE ENTERED THE UNITED STATES ARMY.
Farmersville Cemetery
First Baptist Church of Farmersville
First Methodist
Church of Farmersville
First National Bank of Farmersville
Communities Index
- Recommended
citation:
"Farmersville
- Collin County Communities," Collin County,
Texas History and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries,
Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13 13:37:28 US/Central 2004 ].
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