San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-04-20
RecollectIons Of Uncle Billy Pitts.


[The following paper was prepared by
Mr.. Pitts, by request Of friends, and 10y ono
of them handed to us for publication in the
San Marcos FREE PRrss, We give place TO
it with pleasure, and should be glad TO re
ceive similar favors from the pens of our
other pioneer citizens,
The year of ls47, the 9th day of April,
came to the place for the town of San Mar
cos, Hays CO., in company with John ID.
Pitts, Mr.. Bagley, and our families. On
our getting here, we found Capt II. L.
McCulloch and part of his company of Ran
gers stationed on the river, also think five
families, to wit = N. Session., u. A. Young,
S. Noon, James Moore, W. Eater, DIR.
lMerimon, @. Erhard, all in town. Thomas
McGehee, three miles below town, on San
Antonio crossing. Capt. Cheatham, on the
Rio Blanco, two miles from town, Mr..
Colebreath, on the Blanco three miles from
town, Mr.. Williams, on York's creek, 8
miles from town, old man Colebreath near
IHeGehees, think was all.
The town was organized and called Hays,
after the noted Jack Hays. Plenty of In
dian camps all up and down the river, but
no Indians; plenty of game, such rs bear,
deer turkey and wild cattle plenty of fine
fish, buffalo, trout and catfish. Corn from
the Colorado at SOC per bushel, -four from
3 to 3tc per h., pork from p to Sc per h..
No use for corn only for bread, plenty of
fine grass for stock. Well, we had an cleo
ton, @. Erhard and myself ran for county
clerk, after the voting was over, the MANA
gers carried the box down under the bluff
and counted the votes, and there was one
vote they could not make out very well, and
they sent on the hill for man to help make
out the name, and they gave it Cation Heard,
so he beat me one vote, and he said 30 py
george dose Billy Pitts NIT de San Marcos
water" 1 saw man call for n quart to
treat his friends he put some in cup and
tasted it, put the cup down, then drank the
whole quart he told O. E. to FIJI it again,
there was not good dram in the whole
quart. We had fine dinner on the third
of July, which was ON Saturday, as Sunday
was the fourth we put a Liberty pole up
and raised the old Stars and Stripes shot one
ball canon. The old veteran Gen. Ed. Bur-
Lesson was Marshall of the day. We had q
great time, several speeches and a good
many toasts. That morning, Lindsay Bag
ley was born, in a log house near what is
now the N. E. corner public square +; the
same year Jennie Young, the daughter of
U. A.. Young was born, the first baby born
in San Marcos, who became the wife of
Doc Day. After the county was organized,
Mr.. Jineweber got the first Marriage lii
cense, to Miss Colebreath by u A. Young,
j. P, the same year, my Oldest daughter
was married to Mr.. Wilson Randle, of Sc
guin, by Rev. Yell. Mr.. J. M. Swisher,
was the first man that sold. goods in this
place, then William Owens, except Mr..
Erhard his transportation wagon was. his
several months. We put up school house
just above Gen. Bureson's mill. had preach
ing in it until we put up the court house on
the lot in front of Maj. Hutchison's dwell
ing which done fotss church, court house
and school house. There were no roads to
this place, trail to Austin, one to Seguin,
one to Bastrop, and one to New Braunfels.
The old San Antonio road was miles below
the place. No house from here to Austin,
no house. but one from here to Bastrop, none
to New Braunfels, none to Seguin, but one
to Gonzales. The first election here showed
159 votes piece between two men, Now
we have some twelve or fourteen hundred
voters, and are building court house cost
ing $27, 474,O0.