History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. Page: 814

HISTORY OF TEXAS.

against the ordinance of secession. When
the convention met the excitement was intenseb,and,
after different views had been expressed,
Mr. Hughes obtained the floor, and
made a spirited appeal, taking the ground,
first: "That the State had come into the
Union with the sisterhood of States by a
vote of the people, and the people of the
State should have a vote on this question, as
to whether it should or should not go out of
the Union. Second, if this convention delegates
the power to itself to force the State
out of the Union, we will bring on a war at
once here in the State, for the people are
greatly divided on this question. We can
only have a harmony either way, by getting
the consent of a majority of the Texan
people." The Judge was followed by Hon.
John Wharton, another member of the Convention,
who said: "The gentleman who has
preceded me is Unionist, but I am not. I
am a Secessionist, and I would rather be a
Secessionist than an angel in Heaven."
After making a spirited appeal, and showing
the many differences between his ideas and
those of the gentleman who had preceded
him, he quietly remarked that though they
differed in many things, they agreed in this
way, that the ordinance which had passed the
convention should go to a vote of the people
and so it did.
During the late war, Judge Hughes enlisted
in Company A, Charles Morgan's
Battalion, and served as a private until
the close of the struggle. He served in
the Western Department, under Generals
Green, Price and Marmaduke, and served in
Arkansas most of the time. On account of
declining health he returned home a short
time before the close. He afterward resumed
the practice of law in Georgetown,
which he continued until 1890. In 1866

Mr. Hughes was elected District Judge, but
was removed from that office during the reconstruction
period. In 1872 he was elected
District Attorney of the counties of Williamson,
Burnet, Llano, San Saba, Brown and
Lampasas, holding that position three and a
half years.
Judge Hughes was first married in November,
1856, to Miss Susan Doxey, a daughter
of John and Rebecca Doxey, of Missouri.
To that union were born three children; Martha
R., wife of Professor C. C. Cody, of the
Southwestern University, and they have three
children, Claude Cody, Thomas Hughes and
Dorrel; John D., engaged in the cattle business
in Georgetown; and Louretta, wife of
A. A. Booty, a merchant of this city. The
wife and mother died in June, 1871. She
was a member of the Methodist Church.
November 22, 1877, our subject was married
at the residence of Mrs. William Short, at
Louisville, Kentucky, by Rev. M. Conn, of
the Presbyterian Church, to Miss Jennie
Lowrie Duncan, a daughter of David and
Henrietta (Spence) Duncan, natives of lllinois.
The mother was the youngest daughter
of Dr. Andrew Spence, of Philadelphia. He
had the following children: Dr. James, who
was born in Philadelphia, graduated at Edinburg
University, served twenty years in the
British army, and was never married; Andrew
B., deceased, married-Miss Alice Hurry,
of Philadelphia; Helen, wife of Dr. Henry
Dewar, of Lassodi, Scotland; and Mrs. Duncan.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Spence had four
children; Andrew, Mary, Alice and Helen.
Mr. and Mrs. Dewar had three children:
John, Henry and Mary (wife of Dr. Gilman
Kimball). Mrs. Duncan's parents died at an
early age, and she was sent to Scotland at the
age of five years, receiving her education at
Edinburg. After returning to Philadelphia,

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