The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-06-03

Imagine his surprise on returning
home to find instead of four children
left there by him there were six, a
pair of twins having been born after
his departure and of which he had
never heard. He found that he had
suffered as other C~onfederates on his
returning home, stock all gone,
fences used for camp fires for troops
CO teamste-s, and a helpless family
dependent upon him without even
bread for the morrow. But he went
to work ploughing during the day,
repairing wagons and utensils at
night, and planted a crop. This yield
ed him wherewith to subsist for a
while.
Being solicited to become a candi-
date for the legislature he c%anvassed
the county and was elected, taking
the oath as a member of the Eleventh
legislature on the 9Th of August, 1866.
During the session the Indians made
a raid through the country, passing
near his house. When the news of
the raid reached him he was on the
eve of resigning, but his wife, with
her heroism which had actuateG her
during the long separation, would not
consent that he should leave his post
of duty until the close of the session.
Returning, he moved his family to a
farm near Pilot Point for safety from
the Indians. There be again COM
menced farming, and his lands being
rich and fertile his family were
soon above want. By taking build
ing contracts he made money rapidly,
and in the summer of 1858 he was
appointed to the management of the
government mills in Wise county,
and engaged in getting out lumber
with which to build Fort Richardson
at Jacksonboro. In connection with
this he opened a small suffers store
and visions of wealth began to loom
up in the distance. Receiving intel
ligence of his wife's' serious illness
he placed his affairs hurriedly in the
hands of an acquaintance, who prov
ed recreant of his trust, and in his
absence collected what he could make
way with.
His wife died. This last calamity
was the elimination of all his mis-
fortunes. For three years he was
both father and mother to his chill
dren, and realizing his utter unfit
ness for so responsible a trust, and
feeling the desolation of home, he
again married. His second wife was
Mrs. J. W. Ware, a widowed daugh-
ter of Joe Rogers of Collin county,
Tex. They had no children, but she
applied herself with heroic devotion
to the task of training the little chill
dren left him, by. his first wife, four
of whom were girls. He has been
blessed in seeing those daughters
happily married and having children
of their own, anu they are taught, as
their mothers learned, to love their
grandmother as they call her, almost
to ido]atry.
Capt. Kendall was a member Of the
eleventh legislature and through the
stormy sessions of that memorable
body was recognized as a safe and
trusted leader.
He was reelected to the Seven
teenth and Eighteenth legislatures,
and was instrumental in shaping pol
icies of great benefit to the State. He
was author of the bill changing the
publication of the Texas reports from
st. Louis to Texas, hereby giving aid
and encouragement to home enter
prise, and was also author Of a bill
for investigating land frauds. The
last mentioned bill probably did more
to clear the State of land frauds and
to bring guilty parties to punishment
than any other bill of the kind ever
enacted in the State, and had the
captain never performed another
public service he would have deserv-
ed we'll of his countrymen. He was
appointed by Governor Ross superin-
tendent of the deaf and dumb asylum
and assumed the duties of the office
February 1, 1887. He was reappoint-
ed by Gov. Ross in 1889.
The many honorable positions fill
ed by Capt. Kendall gave him a wide
circle of friends who watched with
satisfaction his management Of the
high duties imposed upon him, and
were more than gratiied at the good
ACCOMPLISHED by him. Capt. Kendall