WHITE'S GROVE JOTTINGS
Daily Courier Gazette, March 3, 1938
by Mrs. O. S. Scott
It was our
pleasure to be a guest in the home of Mr. and Mrs. V. H. Grogan, a leading
farm couple of the White's Grove community. This good lady has a large flock
of Rhode Island Red and the White Leghorn chickens, from which she gathers
many eggs. She also has a promising lot of baby chicks, which she is
raising. This worthy couple have five children: Turner Grogan, a clerk with
Lane's Grocery, at McKinney; Charley Grogan, who is connected with the
Fairview Grocery, three miles south of McKinney; Mrs. Wallace Williams of
Dallas; Miss Lena Belle and V. H. Grogan Jr., both at home. At the time of
our call Miss Lena Belle, was visiting friends in Dallas.
White's Grove
has a two-teacher school with Miss Margaret Duckworth and Mrs. Weeks as
teachers. The former has been teaching at White's Grove for three years.
Both of these teachers are efficient and well liked. However, Miss
Duckworth, who lives in McKinney, has just resigned her position to accept a
place on the faculty of the Celina High School. Mrs. George Weeks is
principal of the White's Grove School. Mrs. Pauline Slater has been chosen
to succeed Miss Duckworth as the other teacher.
The White's
Grove Methodist Church has preaching every Third Sunday by the pastor, Rev.
Mr. Webb of Allen. Sunday School is held every Sunday morning with an
average attendance of forty or fifty during the winter months. Wilfred
Williams is the faithful Superintendent.
This Daily
Courier-Gazette and Weekly Democrat-Gazette scribe also enjoyed a visit for
a few minutes with Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Hinsley. We regretted to find that Mr.
Hinsley was ill in bed. Mrs. Hinsley is our faithful reporter at White's
Grove for the Daily Courier-Gazette and Weekly Democrat-Gazette. She also
sometimes acts as correspondent for the Mount Olive Church community, which
is located not so far from White's Grove. The Mount Olive Church is a
Baptist organization with an old burying ground adjacent.
The people of
the Mount Olive and White's Grove communities usually attend services at
both churches. Sometimes, they go as a body to attend preaching from one
church to the other. This is certainly a fine example to set of genuine
Christian fraternity between the denominations. It reflects very creditably
upon the broad minded spirit and brotherly love existing between the people
of these two communities.
The home of Mr.
and Mrs. A. W. Hinsley is located off the highway, some little distance,
surrounded by beautiful native grass pasture with papershell pecan trees
growing over it for shade. These trees are also set along the driveway,
leading to the home. The trees are enclosed in wirenetting pens with iron
posts to hold them and to prevent damage to the young trees from the stock
as they are grazing on the pasture. This fine couple have reared two lovely
daughters, both now married. One of them, Mrs. Melvin Gant, and her husband
live on their farm near Blythe's Chapel. They are the parents of two
children, Melvin Jr. (Sonny Boy) and Shirley Ann. The other daughter is Mrs.
Ernest Massey, whose husband Rev. Ernest Massey is a busy young school
teacher and Baptist minister, who lives at Hamlin in West Texas. Rev. Mr.
Massey's parents live at McKinney. Mr. and Mrs. Hinsley have a right to be
proud of their children and grandchildren.
We also had the
privilege of stopping in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Rayle, who live
near the Mount Olive Baptist Church, some distance west of White's Grove.
They told us of the good attendance and interest at Sunday School each
Sunday, where Prof. Bean is the Superintendent and Rev. John R. Hilson of
Greenville is pastor of the church.
The Mount Olive
Church and Williams graveyard, adjoining are in the community where Grafton
Williams settled and headrighted a large body of land in the very beginning
of Collin County history. He reared a large family of children. One of his
sons, Will Williams, is still living in this community. Vernon Williams and
sister, Miss Lottie Williams, are grandchildren of Grafton Williams, who
live in their pretty big two-story farm residence located on the
McKinney-Frisco pike.
White's Grove
takes its name from the late George White, another pioneer settler, who died
many years ago, on his farm in this community. He was a farmer, stockman,
land surveyor, successful business man and civic leader of ? ? and
usefulness in his day previous to the Civil War and in the seventies and
eighties following that strife. One of his daughters, Mrs. Dr. W. T. Hoard,
still lives in McKinney. George White was a benefactor of his day. The
White's Grove School and church are monuments to his name. Another one of
his benefactions was the donation of a part of beautiful McKinney High
School and L. A. Scott Junior High School campus in McKinney.
Two other
citizens of the White's Grove community of outstanding prominence in the
life of McKinney and Collin County were the late Gen. E. W. Kirkpatrick and
the late John H. Ferguson. The former was a nationally known nurseryman,
originator of new varieties of fruit and nuts, especially of pecans, who was
State Commander of the Confederate Veterans when he died some years ago.
John H. Ferguson was a successful farmer and extensive farm owner and
manager, who for several years, was President of the big McKinney Cotton
Mill and a business and civic leader in McKinney for a third of a century
before his death, which occurred just a few years ago.
Communities
Index
- Recommended citation:
"White's Grove- 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 ].
