Wood County, 1850-1900 Page: 57
201 p. : ill., ports. ; 29 cm.View a full description of this book.
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use talking to him, he is stone deaf." The shine boy
closely observed the 300 pound governor and said, "He
sho is a big son-of-a-gun, ain't he?"
For several years Mineola had health-giving
mineral water flowing from a well in the center of
Broad and Johnson Streets. Henry L. Beard drilled the
first well. The townspeople brought containers to be
filled, and the T & P Railroad crew stopped the train
long enough to get a supply of water. Country people
drove for miles to fill their jugs for "health's sake."
Dr. O. A. Fitts, an aristocratic gentleman who had
come to the Hawkins area in 1856, was accustomed to
wearing a silk stovepipe hat. This disturbed the com-
munity so much they appointed a committee to call on
Dr. Fitts requesting that he refrain from the practice,
which he agreed to do. However, in 1878, County At-
torney James Stephen Hogg was holding court in the
back of a saloon known as "The Groggery" in Hawkins
when Dr. Fitts walked in wearing his stovepipe hat.
Hogg promptly ordered him to remove it. The doctor
informed him that he was there to get a drink and not
to attend court. Hogg, always a strong believer in law
enforcement, took matters into his own hands. In the
skirmish the hat was knocked off but promptly
replaced. A descendant, telling of the incident, was not
certain who the victor was but reported the two men
later became good friends.
In the early days Wood County residents did their
trading either in Jefferson or Nacogdoches, but as the
county grew "Trade with Jefferson" was the slogan and
by 1860 the business had grown to such an extent that
many had entered the enterprise and competition was
keen between ox wagon freighters. An old timer at Yan-
tis who had entered the business commented that "you
had to be on your toes and give good service to hold
your business because gradually folks were getting the
habit of speed."
When Wood County became dry through local op-
tion, Franklin County remained wet. An enterprising
saloon-keeper in Winnsboro solved the problem by
moving his saloon into Franklin County and operating
a hack to haul his customers over the county line. He
called his new saloon "Glory" and proudly flew a flag
on his hack proclaiming a "Free Ride to Glory."
Forest Hill school was once known as "Ratscuffle"
because of the large number of rats that scampered
over the floor when the Saturday night spelling
matches were held every other Saturday night.
Early settler Gaines Greer's favorite cough remedy
may be concocted by taking equal quantities ofRockhound Bone Set and Sutterfly Root and one half
gallon of water, boil down to a quart. Strain well and
add as much honey as there is liquid; simmer over aslow fire until water is gone, then add a half pint of
Codelia and bottle for future use. As an afterthought,
Mr. Greer added a notation, "Take as much as you can
bear without vomiting three times a day."
J. W. (Wash) Bogan, who lived to be ninety nine,
claimed to have bought the first mowing machine and
baled the first bale of hay in the county. He
remembered, too, that he hunted deer behind the pre-
sent post office in Mineola.
The principal means of livelihood of the first
settlers was killing deer for the hides and hams. These
were hauled by ox wagon to Jefferson or Shreveport
and bartered for food and ammunition. The ammuni-
tion consisted of bar, lead, powder and flint. The hams
were sold for fifty to seventy-five cents, and the hides,
fifty cents to a dollar.
Source: A descendant of an early settler
In 1862, Wood County was issuing bank notes in
the amount of one, three and five dollars, also fifty cent
notes. Notation on the dollar notes was as follows: "I
will pay the bearer in Confederate notes when sums of
fifty dollars are presented at my office in Quitman,
Texas. A. Fitzgerald, Clerk of Wood County."
In 1885, J. H. Ray of the Center Community, later
called Fouke, paid one dollar for eight yards of cotton
material, $1.25 for a pair of shoes, and seventy-five
cents for a No. 1 washtub. But in 1879, money was
scarce indeed. Mr. Ray paid forty-five cents on his ac-
count to B. F. Read, a merchant in Mineola.
In 1886, the Wm. Howard Estate owed sixty-three
cents tax on 43 acres of land in the George W. Bruner
Survey. The court sold the property to the highest
bidder, Frank Mabry, for $5.93 and $5.25 court costs.
T. E. Conger was tax collector.
A Civil War prisoner was to be executed at present
Crow on a hill-top belonging to A. J. Jaco. Obeying
orders, the prisoner dug his grave and was awaiting ex-
ecution when two of the men became involved in a
heated argument over what was said to be a horse
trade. During the altercation, the prisoner escaped but
Jaco was killed and buried in the newly dug grave.
Source: Mrs. Ozzie Jaco Shields57
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Wood County, 1850-1900 (Book)
This text gives an overview of Wood County, Texas from roughly 1850 to 1900. It includes historical sketches of various aspects of life in the county as well as anecdotes. Genealogical information and documentation are also included for pioneer families in the area.
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Wood County Historical Society. Wood County, 1850-1900, book, 1976; Quitman, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth91051/m1/65/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .