MELISSA
ON THE WING
Weekly Democrat Gazette March 4, 1901
Roland, March 4
Editor Democrat:
Owing to
circumstances over which I had no control, the committee having in charge the
inaugural ceremonies at Washington today failed to send me an invitation in time
to witness the pomp and splendor of making over a tried and careworn president.
While at Melissa
last week I called on Prof. Erwin, principal of the High School. He is so well
known to the people of Collin county as an educator that it's useless to make
mention of anything but the school and its work. It was while teaching here that
the Professor received the nomination for county superintendent and later on a
unanimous call to that high office. This is the largest school that I have
visited so far-135 enrolled with an average attendance of 120. Miss Ollie
Plemmons of McKinney is his co-laborer and together they are teaching one of the
best schools in the county. One young lady, a Miss Gibson, of this grand
institution of learning will take a degree at Baylor nest year. We are stocked
with good teachers, but few equal and none surpass our own Prof. Erwin.
Traveling westward I
visited another school but the industrious teacher was so busy with his classes
that I failed to get any items.
contd
ON
THE WING
Weekly
Democrat-Gazette
May 11, 1913
contd.
Wood Dale
F. F.
Duff, one of our best citizens, who first saw the peep o' day in Ohio and moved
over into Indiana because there was more room for expansion, and twenty-five
years ago landed in Texas where he could eke out an easy living, and where,
three years later he was married to Miss Lizzie Craft, who was reared in Squeeze
Penny, subscribed for The Weekly Democrat-Gazette. There are two children to
this union, and both girls, Misses Iva and Gladys. The former is proficient in
music, having taught last year in connection with the public school in Altoga.
Mr. Duff owns a good farm and with his own hands, erected a very neat,
substantial and and comfortable residence and spacious barn. He is a practical
gin man operating the Plano Gin Co's plant each season in his home town. For
only 75 cents more he gets one of our $1.50 Collin County Maps.
North
and east of Melissa the wheat and oat crops are more promissing thatn in some
fields we saw fringing the west side of East fork, and our friend, W. R. Wallis
has fifty acres of wheat sown on the farm of Grandma Miller one mile south of
town that is very fine.
Miss
Henrietta Anderhub of Wylie spent last week with the family of her cousin, W. R.
Wallis returning to her home last Saturday morning.
D. W.
Leigh
McKinney, Texas, May 11
ON
THE WING
July 25, 1912
Melissa.
J. R. Aycock,
hardware, furniture, groceries and undertakers supplies. Left his farm at Verona
and came to this town, opening his business May 1911, and from a small beginning
has steadily grown until now it is assuming mammoth proportions. In 1897 he
married Miss Murel Stewart, daughter of J. S. Stewart, the merchant of Verona
and five children are justly the pride of the Aycock home. We had the pleasure
of spending last Monday night with Mr. and Mrs. Aycock whom we knew long long
before their marriage. It is almost needless to add that the Democrat-Gazette
and Daily Courier-Gazette are their favorite papers.
W. R. Wallis and
Miss Ida Boyer formed a partnership for the transaction of domestic affairs in
1907 and only four times has the stork unloaded at their domicile and with the
exception of the first time left a boy. Will is nursing a felon on one of his
fingers and the only consolation he's getting out of it is that another has to
pump old Pide. We spent a pleasant night with these two friends and they are
real boosters of the Democrat-Gazette for it has been their paper ever since
marriage.
J. H. Jordan was
doing the washing act last Wednesday. Mr. Jordan being sick and unable to do it.
Has a small patch of milo maize which is maturing rapidly and will turn out a
big lot of feed. His favorite paper is, of course, the Democrat-Gazette.
MELISSA JOTTINGS
Daily Courier Gazette,
January 29, 1938
by Mrs. O. S. Scott
It
was out privilege to recently visit the E. W. Killian Nursery plant, at Melissa.
While the business was established only a few months ago, yet it already carries
quite a variety of flowers and shrubs in stock. They also have some unusual
specimens at this time, growing for next year's landscaping. It was interesting
to look into their propagating house, their slat house, cutting beds and cold
frames. Many cacti specimens for rock gardens are carried in stock. They are
thoroughly informed and enthused in their plant and nursery business, which we
predict will steadily grow and flourish under their skilled industry and
foresight in a business way. The deserve every encouragement form the
patronizing public of this county.
Mrs. Killian is a
descent of the Fitzhughs, one of the most noted pioneer family names of Collin
County and this section of North Texas. William Fitzhugh was born in London, in
1650, and came to America from that great city at the age of twenty. He settled
in Westmoreland County, Virginia immediately upon his arrival, and was married
to a Miss Tucker of that county, three years later in 1673. This original
American William Fitzhugh died in 1701, at the age of only fifty-one. He and his
young wife became the parents of five sons - William Jr., George, Henry, Thomas,
and John. From these five sons descended all the families of Fitzhughs in
Virginia, Maryland and Western New York. The original William Fitzhugh, who was
born in London in 1650 was the son of a noted lawyer of the world's largest
city. Other members of the family were also officials of more or less renown in
England, where they originated. Peter Fitzhugh went from Virginia, where he also
came, to Kentucky, in the early part of the eighteenth century. He married Nancy
Dawson of the latter state. To this union were born four sons: George W.
Fitzhugh, John H., Gabriel and Solomon. Gabriel Fitzhugh was the grandfather of
Mrs. E. W. Killian. George Fitzhugh married Elizabeth Rountree of Kentucky. To
them were born nine children. They were: Martha Richardson, Gabriel H., Dudley
Rountree, Nancy Dawson, Mary Elizabeth, Sarah Jane, Eliza Frances, Solomon and
Susan Theresa. In 1837, Martha Richardson Fitzhugh became the bride of J. W.
Kerby of Tennessee. George Fitzhugh immigrated to Texas, in 1845. Their son,
Gabriel H. Fitzhugh was born in Logan County, Kentucky, February 12, 1812. He
was the son of George and Elizabeth Fitzhugh. He came to Texas with his parents,
in 1845. They settled in what was then known as the Fannin District in the last
year of the Texas Republic. Where they settled is now known as Collin County.
His location for a home was six miles southeast of McKinney, in the year 1846,
which was the year that Collin County was created, organized and came into
existence, ninety-two years ago. He enlisted in Capt. Montague's Company in the
Mexican War, which company was in Gen. Zachery Taylor's army. After the victory
over the Mexicans, he returned to civil life and went to California in 1849 in
the Gold Rush, where he followed gold digging for several years. In 1857 he
enlisted in the Texas Rangers as a Lieutenant and was stationed at Fort
Maderisky and Fort Johnson. He was one of the original members of St. John's
Masonic Lodge, No. 51, at McKinney, which he joined in 1852. As stated, he
married Miss Lucy Abston in Collin County, near Lavon, in 1860. In 1861 he threw
his fortune with the Confederates and enlisted for the Civil War. He was placed
in the Sixteenth Regiment of Dismounted Cavalry in Company H. Col. Bill
Fitzhugh's Regiment, Walker's Division. He was later made Captain when his
brother, Capt. William Fitzhugh, was advanced to the Colonelcy. Gabriel H.
Fitzhugh made a voyage to South America about 1850. He started to sail around
Cape Horn but became sick and returned home. In those days such a journey was
called "around the Horn." He remained only a short while in Central America. At
one time he carried the United States Mail on the star route from Wylie to
McKinney, in which position he contracted pneumonia and died November 11, 1888.
Mr. and Mrs. Killian
have a gold nugget from the gold fields of California, obtained in 1849. Mr.
Fitzhugh brought all of his sisters rings made of virgin gold, but he gave this
nugget to his mother. It is still in the natural state and, of course, is highly
prized in the possession of Mrs. Killian, his granddaughter.
MELISSA COLORED POPULATION HAVE
MUCH CIVIC PRIDE
Daily Courier Gazette, May 16,
1938
Shown In Manner They Beautify
School And Church Grounds.
(Ethel Bridgefarmer)
About two years ago,
the late Gene Baldwin, highway maintenance foreman, furnished some eight or nine
National Youth's Association workers for constructing flower beds for our
section of the highway for beautification purposes.
One of these beds
that they made was placed on the corner of the negro school grounds at the south
entrance of the town of Melissa. This later led to plans for further
beautification along the colored people's grounds. Their church and its grounds
join their school campus, giving them about 200 feet front on the Highway.
A year ago, your
Melissa correspondent being Chairman of Highway Beautification committee for
this section of Highway 75, met with the colored people at their church here and
helped plan an all-day working and planting on their church and school ground.
Some twenty of the colored people came with spades, forks, plow and team, hoes,
etc. and did a fine day's work. They made a bed four feet wide, across the
200-foot frontage. A large triangular bed was made at the northeastern corner
near the bridge leading onto their grounds. In this last named bed was planted,
Star of Bethlehem, chrysanthemum, pink verbena and a few blue bonnet flowers.
In the large bed on
the south was planted, "Butter and Eggs," hollyhocks, a nice ornamental
pomegranate and althea with chrysanthemums. Other plants were added later.
In the long bed
running all the way across the two lots were placed at the back, 100 red
japonicas; in front, about eighty feet apart were placed nice yucca; between
these were planted chrysanthemums, daisies and other plants.
This spring we again
planned a day and work at replacing last year plant that had died and some that
had been destroyed by careless trespassers.
The plants for this
very worthwhile project were all donated. Mrs. Russell Lawson gave quite a few
plants and assisted your correspondent materially. The japonicas were gotten
from the yard at the S. H. Parris homeplace, while still other plants were
donated by the colored people, the school children bringing quite a few plants
and helping with their work. Their efficient teacher, Quilla Johnson, helped
very considerably during the day's work.
The colored folks,
who helped either last year or this, with this most commendable project in which
we have started what is so far as we know, something not to be found elsewhere
on the Highway, a japonica hedge, are as follows: Martha Hawkins, Henry Sanders
and wife, Ben Daliels and wife, Scott Thomas and wife, Cook Morgan, Dick Ray,
Willis Sanders and wife, Charlie Crockett, General Thornton and wife, Ed Perry,
Ann Perry, Aquilla Johnson and some ten or twelve of the latter's Melissa school
pupils.
These Melissa
colored people plan to further beautify their church property and also to
arrange a rose garden in the front of the church lawn. Our Melissa colored
population are worthy examples for their race to model after when it comes to
industry, honesty and civic pride. They deserve commendation for their
leadership and influence in these respects.
Highland Cemetery
Melissa Cemetery
Melissa Christian Church
Melissa First Baptist Church
Melissa School
St. Paul Baptist Cemetery
St. Paul Baptist Church
Communities Index
- Recommended
citation:
"Melissa - 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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