Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1880-05-14
WASHINGTON COUNTY.
Some Interesting Incidents Concern
I, ing her Early History.
~ col. JOHN NJ. swIsnFR.


in the east, were receiving heavy immigaa-
tons, and notwithstanding the La Bahia
road, the main throughlare between the
wesi and the east, ran almost centrally
through the country, crossing the Brazos
about a mile below where the town Of
Washington was afterward located, so that
they could not plead ignorance Of this
beautiful section, it remained unsettled un-
I'll d comparatively recent date; in fact, it IS
believed that there was never Mexican set
Element in all this section until after Aus
tins colony was established, when Mex
lean garrison was located at Tenoxtitlan..
This is probably. attributable 10 the fact
thai the Mexicans were not an agricultural
people, and the rich farming lands Of
Washington county offered them no attrac-
lions. ~ -
Previous TO the revolution in 1855, this
territory was but sparsely inhabited. About
1895, Captain John w. Hall came TO the
Brazos and established ferry at La Bahia
crossing. Among his neighbors were Andy
Robinson and Amos Gates. At a later
day, Major Ephraim Roddy. Captain ]. ?.
Lynch, James X. Cook, !. X. franklin
and others moved into the neighborhood.
Late il The year 1884 or early in 1885, the
town Of Washington was founded by Cap
tain John W. Hall and others. Among the
early merchants were Martin, Glow & Co.,
Robert 7. Glow is still living, and is clerk
in the Comptroller oficel, Bailey, Gay &
Hoxie and Hood & Steele. The town set
ted up very rapidly, and on the iirst Of
March the convention that declared the In
dependence of Texas assembled, At this
place. AT this late day, it is almost i'm
possible to give the dates Of settlements of
all the different neighborhoods. So it
must suffice TO say, that previous. TO 1855,
Captain Reynolds and few neighbors,
among whom were Captain ]. B. Chance,
Moses Cummings and the Clampetts, were
settled near Hidalgo. A little further west
were Shubeal Marsh, his brothers-in-law,
Lew and John Pitts, ihe.Sewards,i the Dali
Eases, etc. Then c.Eme Coles settlement,
composed Of the whitesides, DR.. Asa
Hoxie, Capt. John Dix, Plnkard, and 9TH
trs. The next place settled TO the west
ward was Hickory Point. where were the
Gays, DR.. James b. Miller, McCrocllin.
and Others. Captain Horatio Chriesman
settled the next point above. He came to
the country along with the first Of the orig
inai .three hundred" He was one of the
most noted Of the early settlers; was CHIEF
Surveyor Of Austin's colony, and was uni
versally beloved by ali who knew him.
He kept an open house TO the travelling
public, and If ever he charged for a meal
of victuals, the writer never head Of it,
and he was one Of CHEESEMAN'S nearest
neiehbors for anumber Of years.; Captain
Chnesman and his brothers-in-law, Pros
per, Adnlphus and Richard Hope, per-
formed their full duties as soldiers. They
were engaged in the campaignat San An
tonic in 1885. and the Hopes were in the
hattie Of San Jaeinto. Richard Hope has
raised large family, and lives Two miles
below Washington. Among the settlers
in Observation-Disclosures, were Ashley
K. Stevens. iwho was killed at San Jacintol
J. 6. Wilkinson, 1sham C. Belcher, Sam
uel Brown, the Hawkins and Hills, s..
K. Roberts, X. NJ. Williamson, DR.. George
w. Barnett, i. B. Gentry and others. The
next settlement 10. the westward OF Chries-
mans, was in the neighborhood of what's
now known as Long Point, II was settled
first by Robert Cloakey, with James Cox
as his nelghbor. This place from the ear
lest days was noted stand for the travel
ing public. At an early day, Cloakey sold
ont 10 Asa Mitchell. Mitchell sold to Cap
hiain Maison, who was Z afer-
wards killed by Mitchell. Captain
Fuller married The widow. and there are
but Few Of die old settlers who have not
stayed all night at Fuller's and received the
very best for man and beast that the coun-
Try affortled- To Che westward OF this, was
the Kerr settlement, now Union Hill, conf
posed Of several families, among them
Sampson Council. (who was Houston's
wagon master during the San Jacinto CAM
Paign), Coleman, Button, AMI perhaps one
or two others, David Ayres settled two
other families south Of Fuller's. Near him
resided Rev. John w. Kinney, celebrated
Methodist preacher in those days. The
settlement at Tiger Point was composed of
Captain Phil H. Coo, the Henseleys, G. w.
Petty, who was at San Jacinto, and few
others. On mill creek, Colonel William
Pettus, fannilliary called "Uncle Buck Pet
tus," NJ. Fordtrand, J. P. Shelborne, and
others resided. There was quite settle
ment along New Years creek to the mouth.
Among them are remembered the names Of
James and DAVID Clark, old man Alcofn
and bis sons Elliot, James and jefferson
Sanders, Walker, Uriah Saunders, the
iHarbors, Pankeys, the Earleys, McLin
Bracy, Foster, Hall, etc.
In the fall Of 1884, my father took up his
residence at Gay Hill, in the Chnesman
neighborhood. Here found companion
in Richard Hope, a lad some five years my
senior. He lived at Capt. CHEESEMAN'S,
only mile distant, and we were nearly al
ways together. In. fact / was about as
much at home at CHEESEMAN'S as al fathers
house. Many Jolly hunt we had togeth-
er, especially in the spring-time- We
conhdents, and told each other all our little
love affairs. He was IN love with my cous-,
IN, and l in love with his sister-both pref
ty girls fullsof life ard fun. We were too
modest TO tel our. love and courtcd by,
proxy; he courted his sister for me, and
my cousin for HIM. But our wooing did
not thrive, for both girls married other fel-
flows ;and came 10 the conclusion then,
that one must do his own counting to sue
coed. Alas. like our love, they exist only
in memory. Both have been dead for
many years.
My lady-ioye was quaint genius and
said some very comicai things. | remem-
Der one occasion. 1t was al a grammar
school, which gentleman had opened in
the neighborhood, and which we both at.
tended. We were parsing from "Pope's
Universal Prayer" the lines:
This teach me more than hell TO shun
That more than heaven pursue,
She brought us all down by parsinp heay.
en- thus "Heaven is a common noun
third person, singular number, objective
case and connected TO he'll by the coniunc-
ton than"
Returning 10 Dick Hope, remember
one spring morning when he.
Jackson Hill and myself started out ON a
cattle hunt. They both were riding fine
horses while was mounted on a clumsy
animal which had borrowed from neieh.
Dor. We had not Travelled more than two
or three miles, when some one proposed
race, Ehich5w instantly made up. The
road ran down a long gentle slope and up
slight ascent beyond. We allihree start
ed abreast, alta break neck speed. nv
clumsy horse talJng the lead and keepine
il till he .reachelihe lowest ground at the
bottom OF the slant, when he stumbled and
iell turninga double somersaull, throwing
me ten or 6ueen feet over his head and
falling on my leg. l was severely bruised
and unable 10 walk without limpinu for two
or three weeks. The fall broke the horses
shoulder and we had to leave him on The
ground, where he afterwards died. This
was terrible mishap, and we were afraid
10 60 home and tell that the accident had
occurred in running a race. So we, unlike
General Washington who could not tell a
lie, concocted story for home consumption
each one plsdging himselfto stick to ii.
The story was TO the following effect: We
were riding gently along the road, when
we discovered a wolf crossing it. We i'm
mediately gave chase with the intention of
running itdown and roping il; but we had
not gone far when my horse stumbled and
fell, breaking his own shoulder and nearly
killing me. We all held to this story faith
fully. Indeed, | am satisfied that | am
giving the true version of the accident for
the first time that ii has ever been heard
For my own part, told the lie so frequen-
ty, that doubt the wolf-story's being a
myth after all. AT all events, never think
Of the accidentthat the imaginary yolfdoes