Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 357 of 1,110
vii, 9-1011 p. incl. ill., ports. : ports. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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' I n
HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY. .)
Humphrey Stevenson, who was born in Kentucky
in 1809,.married Mary A. Gordon, and
died at the age of forty-five years. He was
the father of four children, but Mrs. Erwin
is the only one now living. Mr. and Mrs.
Erwin have had five children, viz.: Lucy C.,
wife of D. R. W. Erwin; May N., now Mrs.
Dr. K. H. Embree; Mattie E., wife of J. M.
Spaulding; Pauline B., wife of L. B. Ruyle;
David S. The family are members of the
Christian Church, and the father is a member
of the Masonic order, Duck Creek Lodge,
No. 441.
LISHA MoCOMMAS.-Elder Amon
McCommas was born in Kentucky.
' In early life he removed to Ohio, and
married Mary Brunfield, successively lived
in Ohio, Illinois, and from 1836 to 1844 in
Wright county, Missouri. In the latter year
he settled near Dallas, Texas, and died May
20, 1877-his wife, June 27, the same
year. He was a preacher of the Christian
Church. He preached the first sermon ever
delivered in the then village of Dallas. In
1847 his brother, John C. and Burke, son of
Stephen B., Sr., and also his sons, John and
Stephen B., Jr., were soldiers in the Mexican
war. Stephen B., Jr., died in the city of
Mexico, December 24, 1847, and Burke
within a day or two of the same time. The
other children of Elder Amon McCommas,
were, Janes B., Elisha, Win. M., Amon,
Jr., Rosa (Mrs. Jesse Cox), Armilda (Mrs.
Benjamin F. Fleaman), and Mary E. (Mrs.
John W. Herndon.)
Elisha McCommas, the subject of this
sketch, was born in Lawrence county, Ohio,
in 1830, the fourth in a family of eight children,
and hence was fourteen years old when
his father settled in Dallas county, and aided
24in opening up his father's farm, and acquired
an education chiefly by his own personal
exertions. In August, 1849, he was one of a
company of eighty men, on a gold hunting
expedition to the Wichita mountains. From
a camp on Red river, he was one of a scolt
of twenty sent across toward those mountains,
on an exploring and scouting expedition.
When about sixty miles out, they
discovered Indians herding horses. A detail
of four men, being sent to reconnoitre, found
that the Indians were painted and supposed
they were hostile. The Indians, seeing them,
immediately drove their herd toward a
neighboring village. When on a ridge affording
a view of the village, they left three
men for observation, and moved on out of
sight, but very soon these three men discovered
about 100 warriors approaclhing.
Young McCommas was sent by
the other two to inform Lieutenant Wright
of the fact, that he might prepare for defense.
H-le started for timber about two miles distant.
The Indians turned their course as if
to cut them off. Two pack horses stampeded
when two Indians drove them back to the
whites, and returned to their band, who had
huddled together on a high point, almost
within rifle shot, but showed no other signs
of hostility; on the contrary, some of then
came out from the party, giving signs of
friendship, calling out, I-Iow do!" and making
friendly gestures. This led to an interview
by some old hunters in the party, in
which they were informed of the Indians
being friendly and that there was then in
their village a party of fifteen traders from
Fort Washita. The party then proceeded
with them to the village, where they found a
young Indian woman who had been a prisoner
.and partly reared in an American family, and
became their willing interpreter. This was
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Lewis Publishing Company. Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas., book, 1892; Chicago, Illinois. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth20932/m1/357/: accessed April 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library.