FOOTE
(West of McKinney in the area of Stonebridge)
ON THE WING
Weekly Democrat Gazette, August 22, 1912
Personal Mention of People You
Know by Our Field Man.
After a lay-off for
several days on account of rain and bad roads, buckskin became frisky and
anxious to renew the battle and the first victim to lose his pate to give us a
job was L. B. Brakebill, who is a native of Tennessee and a Texan since 1875. In
1869 he was married to Miss A. M. Long and their union brought into this world
seven children, two of whom are girls and all except James, the youngest,
married and have families of their own. Stopping in Dallas four years and
becoming dissatisfied, he removed to Missouri where, at the end of another four
year term, he decided to return to Texas and settled in Collin county where he
has since resided and acquired over four hundred acres of black land. His
immense grain crop now threshed and stored in a large grainary: large fields of
corn whose ears have something up their sleeve for the gluttony hog that grinds
hominy, for soon, forsooth, he will go to the packery and with the juice pressed
from his sides and a plunge into a bath of liquid smoke, he'll go on the market
labeled "country cured bacon." Other fields on whose fertile soils are growing
acres of the fleecy staple will soon be "white unto the harvest" and be another
means of inflating his bank roll. We hesitated to cause a "depression" in his
finance, but we acquired the habit years ago and nothing short of a subscription
to the Daily Courier-Gazette would avert a panic to avoid a smash he "subbed."
Mrs. W. M. Duncan is
one of the most loyal and enthusiastic readers of the Democrat-Gazette the field
man has found. No other paper need come to her with that old sterotype brand
"just as good" for she will accept no substitute. She was formerly known as Miss
Margaret Ashlock born within a mile of her present home and was married to W. M.
Duncan thirty-seven years ago and the proud parents of eleven children seven of
whom are married. They own six hundred and fifty acres of black land in Collin
county. He threshed over six thousand bushels of wheat this season and all, with
the exception of a few bushels exceeding the capacity of his granary, is being
held for better prices. Mrs. Duncann's father, Meredith Ashlock, and Dr. Foote
came to Collin county about the same time and were neighbors for many years.
contd
FOOTE COMMUNITY JOTTINGS
Daily Courier Gazette, March 1,
1938
by Mrs. O. S. Scott
We have the pleasure
of a recent visit to Mrs. J. E. Smith, who is Correspondent of the daily
Courier-Gazette and Weekly Democrat-Gazette for the Foote community, about seven
miles west of McKinney. At the time of our call, Mr. Smith was busy in the
field, sowing his spring oats, while his good wife was industriously engaged in
looking after her household duties. She has been the Foote reporter for our
papers for some six or seven years or longer. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have a modern
farm home with built-in kitchen fixtures, natural gas piped in our service equal
to any city home. They also now have the rural electric line surveyed along in
front of their door and therefore expect soon to have electric service as well
as gas, just like city homes. Their place is located on a pike, connecting their
community with McKinney and points west. The writer was very much interested in
beautiful candlewick drapes and rugs dexterously made by the man of the home,
which is an unusual art for men to practice or have knowledge of. Miss Mary
Blanche, the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, is a Sophomore in the North Texas
State Teachers College at Denton. She received her high school education and
graduated from the Boyd High of McKinney. Mr. Smith is a native of this county,
being one of the several sons of the late County Commissioner Mack Smith, who
served in that capacity for several years in Precinct No. 1 of this county and
was during his lifetime one of the most influential citizens and farmers of West
Collin.
Foote has an active
Baptist Church with regular preaching and Sunday School each Lord's Day. Its
average attendance is around forty-five during the winter months. Troy E. Scalf
is the Superintendent and Rev. D. W. Grigg of McKinney is serving as pastor at
the present time. His preaching appointments are on each First and Third Sundays
of the month. The Church is also equipped with a large commodious tabernacle
nearby suited for services in warm weather. However, both the tabernacle and the
churches are equipped with natural gas heating facilities and both are being
wired for electric lighting Rural Electrification lines are already being
strung, starting at the Denton County line and coming toward McKinney. This
utility is being obtained by many country homes, churches and schools in recent
months as a result of the wise fostering policies of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt's administration, which has given more benefits to the farming class
throughout the nation in more different ways than was ever hoped for from the
Federal Government until our great President moved into the White House five
years ago Rural life is being robbed of much of its drudgery and drawbacks in
this modern day of hardtop all weather highways and pikes, autos, trucks,
electricity and in some communities like Foote even natural gas for fuel and
lights.
Foote takes its name
from the late L. A. Foote and brother the late Ed Foote, sons of the late Dr. G.
A. Foote, a pioneer McKinney physician and extensive property owner, who was
President of the Collin County National Bank when he died, many years ago. The
Foote Ranch, consisting of several hundred acres, was run as a cattle ranch for
many years by the Foote brothers. In later years it was acquired by the late
Jesse Atkinson, who owned it at the time of his death. This is a fine community,
around which were located some of West Collin's most widely known and successful
early day farmers such as the late William Duncan, Capt. Grundy Lewis, J. P.
Turner, Frans. Jim P. and Isaac Griffin. One of the older and More successful
farmers still in this community is F. M. Griffin. Another widely known Foote
community farmer is Marshall J. Carter, who is usually in charge of the
Agricultural exhibit at the Annual Collin County Fair, held in McKinney every
fall. There are a number of excellent farmers and splendid farm homes to be
found in the Foote community.
Prairie Grove
Schoolhouse is located northwest of Foote. It is taught this year by Mrs. R. A.
Crank of Prosper. This is her first year in charge of this school, and she seems
to be giving perfect satisfaction to both pupils and patrons. Mrs. Crank is an
intelligent cultured and public-spirited lady, who is now Daily Courier-Gazette
and Weekly Democrat-Gazette correspondent at Prosper and vicinity. The Board of
Trustees of her school that she is teaching this year is composed of J. E.
Smith, J. J. Nash and W. H. Washburn.
E. H. Chandler and
wife have owned and operated the general merchantile store at Foote for the past
eight years. Their home and store, both have natural gas piped into them for
heating purposes. They consider themselves fortunate in being situated on the
new rural electric line that is being built from Denton eastward towards
McKinney. They are quite well pleased at the early prospects of having electric
lights and other conveniences in the home made possible by equipping it with
electricity. Mr. and Mrs. Chandler have one of the best deep wells of water in
this section of the county. Mr. Chandler, who enjoys the sport of fishing is
looking forward with pleasure to May 1 when the season will officially open.
However, Mrs. Chandler informed us that eager fishermen of their community as
well as elsewhere over the county, had been fishing, more or less, all this
winter in Lake Dallas when weather was at all favorable for the sport. Mrs.
Chandler says she often hears some wonderful fish stories from her husband and
friends upon their return from the lake. The Chandler Store is a favorite resort
for the men of the community to gather at on rainy days to while away the time
and visit with each other.
As this newspaper
representative slowly motored through the Foote section we observed several
farmers busy in their fields sowing oats and doing other early spring work.
These farmers seem to be alert and pushing their work rather than letting it
push them. The Foote community is populated by a thrifty, industrious,
intelligent, wideawake citizenship. We enjoyed meeting several of its
inhabitants and hope to repeat our visit in this community at some distant date
again in the future.
Communities Index
- Recommended
citation:
"Foote - 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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