ROLAND
(northwest of McKinney, south of Weston)
INDIANS KILLED SON OF PIONEER
WHO NAMED ROLAND
A stranger to Collin
County might drive along the black-top road from the county seat to Weston and
never be aware of the fact that the bustling little village of Roland was once
located at the turn of the road, on top of the hill, as you head down toward the
creek about seven miles northwest of McKinney.
All that's left of
Roland now is the name and the several houses that dot the countryside but it
hasn't been too many years ago that Roland was a center of activity for folks
from miles around
The community took
its name from the Roland family who settled there many years ago-so many, in
fact that one of the sons of the elder Roland was killed and scalped by Indians
in the neighborhood.
The first store at
Roland was built and operated by J. W. Cox who, with his five brothers, played a
prominent part in the section. Mr. Cox started his first store in the 1890's. It
was a one-story building that was later moved to the back of the lot and a new,
two-story structure erected. It was here, in June of 1901, that the famed W. O.
W. Lodge of Roland was organized. Later the original store building was moved up
near the new one and a connecting roof built so that the old store could be used
for a warehouse. Mr. Cox, years later, passed the old store to T. L. Parmer and
J. W. Weaver. Buddy Wilmeth based the business in 1933. Wilmeth later sold the
stock to Mrs. Everett Hamm and her sons. Other owners have included Otto Carter,
W. Gidney and Karl House. Mr. House ran the business until a few years back when
the building was old and town down.
The W. O. W. Lodge
that was organized the building in 1901 grew to a membership of 150 and was
known far and wide. They still have some forty-two members, however, have not
held regular meetings for some time due to a lack of a lodge hall.
Among the charter
members of the lodge were J. F. Carter, C. N. Webb, J. W. Wilmeth, and the Cox
brothers, J. W., R. O., A. C., Charlie and Benjamin Cox.
An interesting
sidelight on the history of the lodge was the occasion when a county-wide W. O.
W. rally was held in McKinney in 1908 and the Roland Lodge won a silver cup for
showing the greatest percentage of increase in membership, having been doubled
in size during an intensive campaign. A parade featured the rally and J. F.
Carter and Sam Harris, the latter of Farmersville, led the procession riding
small mules. Mr. Carter weighed 487 pounds and Mr. Harris tipped the beam at an
even 500 pounds.
J. F. Carter came to
Roland from near Fayetteville, Ark., in the 1890's and later married Miss Ona E.
Stibbens, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. Stibbens of McKinney. Mrs. Carter and a
son, Chester A. Carter, reside on Josephine Street in McKinney now. The elder
Carter was killed when struck by an automobile in McKinney in 1922. The Carters
were the parents of seven sons, six of whom are still living. Houston Carter
passed away at the age of three years. Chester A. Carter resides in McKinney,
Clarence (Nick) lives in Kansas, J. Frank farm at Climax, H. M. and R. G. live
in Dallas, and Grady F. Carter makes his home at the old homeplace at Roland.
The first postoffice
in the neighborhood was a Liberty. Mrs. Lava Cox was the postmistress. When J.
F. Cox opened his store at Roland, however, a post office was established there
and he became the postmaster. The office was discontinued in 1916 and Roland
folks have gotten their mail on a rural route out of McKinney since then. Feeden
Franklin of McKinney was the first rural carrier out that way and stayed on the
route until his retirement.
In 1899 Dr. Meritt
and T. G. Brown built a small store on the north side of the road at Roland. Dr.
Merritt sold drugs and medicines and Mr. Brown put in a stock of groceries. In
1901 J. F. Carter bought out Dr. Merritt and later T. G. Brown, who is a
carpenter by trade, closed out his part of the business and Mr. Cox bought the
Brown half of the building and put the groceries and other merchandise. Before
that he had leased his old building-the original one-story affair-to the
aforementioned Parmer and Weaver.
Mr. Carter was in
business at Roland for twenty-one years before his death and Mr. Cox was a
merchant there for some fifty years.
J. W. Cox also built
and operated a cotton gin at Roland.
Half a mile west of
Roland, at Liberty, there was a Methodist church which was organized by Sam
Harris of Chambersville and ? Er of Melissa, E. S. Birge and members of the
Watkins, Coggins, Hernon and Rivers families. Along about 1904 a tabernacle was
built at Oak Grove on land given for the purpose by Tom Wilson and the edifice
proved to be the scene of many big revival meetings in the years that followed.
A few years ago the
Rev. Earl J. Rogers organized a church at Roland, in the old store building.
The nearest school
was at Ash Grove but that was consolidated with Chambersville in 1930. Later in
1935, the schools at Helm and at Lone Elm joined the consolidation.
During the period of
time around 1911 the community boasted a fine band that played for many public
gatherings.
In addition to those
already named, a list of prominent pioneer Roland families include those of R.
W. Robinson who was a charter member of the Roland Odd Fellows Lodge, D. L.
Taylor, R. L. Curry, J. W. Wilmeth and others.
ON
THE WING
Daily Courier Gazette, April 13,
1913
T. L. Webb was
suffering with cancer, but anxious to subscribe for a good county paper, so he
let us send him the Democrat-Gazette. He has lived in this county since 1867 and
two years later was married to Miss Obitha Morris. Their group of six children
would be an honor to any couple, three of whom are teachers, Misses Bain, Maud
and Prof. T. T. Webb. Miss Bain is one of the teachers of the high school at
Princeton. Miss Maud holds a similar position at Anna, and their brother is
principal of the Lavon school. Mr. Webb owns 122 acres of land within one mile
of the gin and store and for only one dollar we are going to send him the
Democrat-Gazette for one year.
Thirty-five years
ago J. L. Lanier set his foot in this community and ten years later was married
to Miss Delia Brown, daughter of T. G. Brown, one of the pioneer settlers of
this section. Owns 53 acres of good land and the father of six children-five
boys and only one girl, the latter now the wife of Bailey Hunter. Loyal members
of the M. E. church South and rank..... of Roland. We thank Mr. Lanier for
subscription to the Daily Courier-Gazette.
J. S. Robinson was
born in Missouri some time during the 19th century and we had to show him not
only the merits of the Democrat-Gazette, but its leading features as well.
Twenty-one years since he became a benedict and Miss Lizzie Crigger accompanied
him across the Rubicon. They have only one child, but the farm of his father
recently purchased with every dollar planked down soon as the deed was signed,
will keep him in school while filling his cranium with knowledge that will
enable him to fight life's battles. The farm lies on the east bank of East Fork,
above overflow and will produce any crop that is adapted to this soil and
climate. When his plans mature, will build a residence and barn which will give
it a value almost fabulous. For only one dollar he'll read a good paper, one
that J. F. Carter says is the best weekly in Texas, the Democrat-Gazette.
In conversation with
Chas. Webb he informed us that he could not afford to be without the Daily
Courier-Gazette as it invariable arrived each day in time for dinner.
Mrs. Clyde Burge is
our latest addition in that community and we enrolled her for one year's
subscription. She was Miss Addie Wakefield whose father, G. H. Wakefield, first
settled the present site of Melissa, where she was born and reared. She married
in 1900, and only one child, a boy of twelve years of age, is the home's
brightest jewel. her husband cultivates a large portion of his father's farm.
Thanks, Mrs. Burge.
contd
JOTTINGS BY THE WAY
Daily
Courier Gazette, February 2, 1938
Mrs. O. S. Scott
Monday accompanied
by Mrs. Berlyn Scott, we drove out to the Roland and Lone Elm communities.
Our first stop was
at the home of Mrs. Iva Brown, our faithful reporter from the former community.
Not finding her at home, we followed the winding road on South until we reached
the beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. Bailey Hunter. We found Mrs. Hunter alone.
Her husband and eldest son, J. B. were busy out on the farm. The other two
children, Miss Claudia and Jewett both attend McKinney schools, where the former
is a senior and Jewett a Junior. The Bailey home is one of the most modern farm
residences to be found in this section of our county. It is heated by the new
fuel Butane similar to natural gas, and wired for electricity, ready and waiting
for the rural line to be built soon. The house contains every convenience in the
way of closets, built-in cabinets in the kitchen and an up-to-date bath room.
They hope to have the convenience of electricity in a short time, after the
installation of which they will enjoy every convenience available to city homes.
Mrs. Hunter raises
the Buff Leghorn chickens, selling the eggs for hatching purposes. They own one
of the best black land farms in the county, growing diversified crops in which
Mr. Bailey uses a Farmall in cultivating the farm which they own.
We regretted to
learn that Mrs. C. A. Cox had been confined to her bed the past two weeks being
critically ill of influenza. She is now slowly improving. Her son, Avner and her
daughter, Mrs. Grace Lovell, resides with her and care for her.
We then visited the
home of Mrs. J. H. Massey, where we found Mrs. Brown, her daughter, visiting.
Her son, George Massey, who resides with here, is slowly recovering from an
attack of flu. Mrs. Massey stated that they always enjoy the news from the
Altoga and Ardath communities, their former home, as it appears in the columns
of these papers from time to time.
We went to Roland,
stopping at the general Merchandise store owned and operated by Dow Wilmeth and
found him reading the Daily Courier-Gazette. Mr. and Mrs. Wilmeth and little
son, reside in an attractive little cottage just across the road from their
store. Mrs. Wilmeth was the former Miss Cecilian Webb, daughter of Mr. And Mrs.
C. N. Webb also of Roland. Mr. Wilmeth informed us that the store building,
formerly the John Carter store, has been fitted with seats and has electric
lights, and is now called the Full Gospel church where services are held
regularly each Sunday. R. O. Cox is superintendent of the Sunday School and Rev.
Kenneth Hagia is the pastor. Services are also held each Thursday night.
We found Mrs. Margie
Thompson Miller, our new correspondent from Lone Elm, and her mother Mrs. Floyd
Thompson, both quite busy quilting, so we didn't tarry long to hinder them. We
appreciate greatly Mrs. Miller's fine cooperation.
Other visits in the
Chambersville neighborhood included stops at the homes of Mrs. A. P. Dickerson
and Mrs. J. S. Dodson. Guests in the Dickerson home were Mrs. A. Miller, and
daughter, Mrs. L. M. Barnes, both of Dallas. Mrs. Dickerson has returned home
with them for an extended visit. A. P. Dickerson had us enroll him on our list
of readers for the Weekly Democrat-Gazette for the coming year and also the
Dallas Semi-Weekly Farm News, getting both papers at clubbing rate - each a
dollar paper, where taken together for only $1.50.
We enjoyed a visit
with Mrs. C. D. Wray, who live just across Honey Creek, north of McKinney. They
are regular readers of the Daily Courier-Gazette. They have one son, Woodrow
Wray, who holds a responsible position in Houston as cashier of the Swift
Packing Company. A guest in the Wray home while we were there was Mrs. Wray's
nephew, Samuel Campbell of Campbellesville, Ky. Mrs. Wray was nursing
thirty-five baby chicks during the past cold rainy spell. Mr. Wray was able to
be out after being confined to his home for about three weeks with a spell of
sciatic rheumatism. We are glad to inform our readers of his improvement in
health.
Communities Index
- Recommended
citation:
-
"Roland
- 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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