Researching my family geneaology, we learned the Powell family came to Oklahoma from Giles County, Tenneseee. My cousin, Kathy Brown Frusher (THS Class of '67) is a member of the Giles County Historical Society. She sent this letter from the society's files, which indicates several Temple families have roots in Tennessee, particularly Giles County.
The letter to The Pulaski (Tenn.) Citizen, was originally published Sept. 12, 1907, and signed by a Mrs. A.B. Henderson, Whitt, Texas. The inside address is Temple, Okla., Aug. 20, 1907, Mr. J.H. Burrow, Lynnville, Tenn.
Kind Sir:
You once knew me. I was then living near Campbell Station where my husband, J.H.F. Henderson died in the year 1884. I have your write up of his sickness and death, also a very comforting personal letter from you telling of the fast friendship and similarity between yourselves. Among other things you spoke of the probability of you, as well as he, having pulmonary trouble. I am glad to see you have withstood it.
My daughter and myself are visiting M.L.Henderson of Temple, Oklahoma.
You know something of his hospitable home, how good cheer and freedom reign. On Sunday, Aug. 18, at this home, some one sprung this question, "How many first saw the light of day in old Giles county?" Not one in the circle numbering eight but claimed it as their native county. It seems a little unusual that not another person was seated among us but the ones mentioned. Below I will give the names:
Mr. and Mrs M.L. Henderson former of Lynnville, Mr. and Mrs. Luther
Woodard of Buford, James Cameron of Lynnville, Mrs. Tom Caruthers of
Campbellsville, (the names of the ones above now live at Temple, Oklahoma), Holland Thompson of Lynnville, now of Whitesboro, Texas, Mrs. A.B. Henderson of Fountain Creek, but now of Mutt, Texas.
If none of your readers have ever left their own native land, they cannot realize how pleasant this meeting was. So they all voted we should write you of the pleasant occasion, and how our minds ran back to you all, and to many dear ones who rest in the city of the dead.
In mentioning the incident you would probably interest many who knew us there. We will thank both you and the "Citizen" for the printing of the article.
Joe Knox of Lynnville also lives near Temple, as well as many other Tennesseans.
Yours,
Mrs. A.B. Henderson
Whitt, Texas
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Harold,
ReplyDeleteMost of my great grandparents migrated from middle Tennessee to north central Texas between 1890 and 1900. They settled around Decatur, Ringgold, and Mineral Wells. Perhaps a history buff knows the reason that so many people moved west at this time. I suspect that as economic and social conditions in the south went into a tailspin after the Civil War, many were anxious to escape to a new part of the country. Texas provided a new place to plant cotton and the land was cheap. Within a few years, most of my ancestors discovered that drought-stricken Texas was no paradise either and they moved to Sugden and Hastings in Indian Territory in the first decade of the 20th century. The government was in the process of confiscating or purchasing for next to nothing the indian's land and encouraging white settlers to move in. This decision would come back to bite them in the form of the dust bowl which blew some of my relatives all the way to California where most became relatively prosperous during the post-WW II industrial boom.
Carroll Newberry