T H E  W I D D E R  D Y C H E S   Page

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Arlee Claud Gowen , son of Claud Franklin Gowen  and Ora Ethel Cox Gowen , was born November 24, 1922 at Lamesa, Texas.  He attended McCarty community school and Lamesa public schools, graduating from Lamesa High School in May 1939.  For two years prior to graduation he was employed by "Lamesa Reporter," weekly newspaper on which he worked as a "printer's devil."

 

In September 1939 he enrolled in Texas Technological College .  During his undergraduate days he was employed as a printer at Wood Printing Company and Texas Tech Press.  Later he was a sportswriter on the "Lubbock Avalanche-Journal."  He was graduated in June 1943 with a BA degree in journalism.

 

On October 27, 1942 he volunteered into the U. S. Naval Reserve as an aviation cadet and, prior to reporting for active duty, was employed on the flightline by Breedlove Aerial Service, flight training contractor for U.S. Army Air Corps.  His naval train­ing began at University of Texas where his physical training officer was "the meanest man that ever walked the face of the earth," Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, who was later one of the winningest coaches in college football at Texas A&M Univer­sity and Univer­sity of Alabama.  After additional training at Great Lakes Naval Train­ing Station and the University of Notre Dame he was commissioned an ensign at South Bend, Indiana.  Additional duty assignments took him to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Newport, Rhode Island and Newport News, Virginia.

 

He was assigned to the USS Randolph  as its construction was being completed. As a "plank owner" on the new aircraft carrier he was aboard on its shake-down cruise to Trinidad.  Following refitting and renovation the USS Randolph joined the Fifth Fleet operating in the Pacific theatre, arriving on station there via the Panama Ca­nal, San Francisco and Hawaii.

 

The USS Randolph joined the fleet in the island anchorage of Ulithi atoll and partici­pated in the war against Japan until its conclusion, taking part in the Bat­tles of Bonin Islands, Iwo Jima, Io Shima, Okinawa and air strikes on Tokyo, Kyushu, Minami Dai­ta Jima and the Nansei Shoto, operating with the Fifth Fleet, the Third Fleet, Task Force 58 and Task Force 38.  After the signing of the peace treaty with Japan in Tokyo Bay in August 1945 the ship returned to Baltimore, Maryland October 27, 1945 for a Navy Day victory celebration.  He was awarded four battle stars and six campaign rib­bons for service in the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic and Mediterranean theaters.  He was cited for "conspicuous gallantry" by Admiral Mark Mitscher in an attack by enemy air­craft at Ulithi when his ship was hit and severely damaged by Kamikazi aircraft.

 

Later the USS Randolph made shuttle trips to Naples, Italy to deliver Italian war pri­soners and to return to the United States groups of U.S. Army nurses.

 

In December 1945 Lt.Arlee Claud Gowen  received a transfer to Naval Air Transport Service and was stationed successively in Norfolk, Virginia; Patuxent River, Maryland; Olathe, Kansas and Amarillo, Texas. 

 

On February 16, 1946 he was married to May Belle "Bonnie" Bonner , daughter of Joseph Drew Bonner  and Alice Belle Hestand Bonner  in Crane, Texas by Eddie E. Myers, minister of the gospel, according to Ector County, Texas Marriage Book 5, page 246.  May Belle "Bonnie" Bonner Gowen  had graduated from Texas Tech­nological College in June 1945 and was a teacher in Phillips, Texas High School at the time of their marriage.  After a honeymoon in New Mexico the couple lived at Pantex, Texas near Amarillo Army Air Base where he was stationed. He was separated from naval service June 6, 1946 at Galveston, Texas, and they moved immediately to Lubbock where they had met in college.

 

In 1946 Arlee Claud Gowen  assisted in the organizing and founding of "South- western Crop and Stock," a farm magazine.  He was named editor of the publi­cation which printed its first edition in January 1947.  May Belle "Bonnie" Bonner Gowen  was a teacher at Hutchinson Junior High School in Lubbock at that time.  In 1955 he became a deacon and a bible school teacher at Broadway Church of Christ.

 

In August 1956 he assisted in the organization of High Plains Credit Corporation and was named executive vice-president of organization while continuing in the publish­ing business.  In 1959 he established a wholesale electronic supply which became known as Electros, Inc.  In 1961 he purchased a farm in Bailey County, Texas. In April 1965 the couple applied for a distributorship with Amway Corporation and in November of that year became direct distributors with that organization.

 

He had become interested in family history research in 1941 and continued to pursue that interest for many years.  In September 1986 he entered a manuscript, "The Widder Dyches" in the Texas Sesquicentennial competition.  It was adjudged first place winner and was displayed in the Hall of State at the State Fair of Texas alongside the origi­nal Texas Declaration of Independence.  In March 1987 he was named to the board of di­rectors of the South Plains Genealogical Society.

 

Having sold their publishing, finance and electronics interests the couple in June 1987 lived in Lubbock where they continued to operate their Amway distributorship from their home at 5708 Gary Avenue.

 

Children born to Arlee Claud Gowen  and May Belle "Bonnie" Gowen  in­clude:

 

        Bonnie Lee Gowen                 born December 16, 1951

        Connie Louise Gowen            born July 3, 1954

 

Bonnie Lee Gowen , daughter of Arlee Claud Gowen  and May Belle "Bon­nie" Gowen , was born December 16, 1951 in Lubbock, according to Texas BVS File 207127.  Her first home was at 3107 30th Street in Lubbock, her second was at 3413 20th street, and in 1970 her family removed to 5708 Gary Avenue.

 

After attending Lubbock Christian School and Lubbock public schools she was gradu­ated from Lubbock High School in 1970.  Following two years at Texas Tech University she transferred to North Texas State University at Denton, Texas where she was grad­uated with a BS degree in May 1975.  Following graduate work there in chemistry and computer science she was married June 16, 1979 to David Michael Hill , son of David Hill and Betty Hill of Plano, Texas.

 

David Michael Hill , a graduate of North Texas State University and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of Viet Nam, was employed in the university's computer complex where they met.  In June 1979 she was employed by Mostek Corporation, A, Tex­as, as a computer engineer, and two years later she was employed by Phillips Coal Di­vision, Phillips Petroleum Company, Richardson, Texas as a systems analyst. 

 

In November 1984 they made their home at Lewisville where he was employed as a satellite communications engineer with Bell of Canada in nearby Richardson  At that time she was employed by Cray Research Corporation, a supercomputer manufacturer as a systems analyst.  In April 1985 she was employed by Convex Corporation, a computer manufacturer in Richardson.  In May 1985 they purchased a home at 2405 Golden Oaks, Garland, Texas.

 

Connie Louise Gowen , daughter of Arlee Claud Gowen  and May Belle "Bonnie" Bonner Gowen , was born July 3, 1954 in Lubbock, Texas, according to BVS File No. 118566.  She attended Lubbock Christian School and Lubbock public schools and was graduated from Monterey High School in 1973.  During her undergradu­ate days she worked for the City of Lubbock in its Parks & Recreation Department, for Globe De­partment Store and as a waitress for International House of Pancakes, Ramada Inn and Big Texan Steak House.  She was graduated from Texas Tech University with a BS degree in 1976 and from University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Texas in June 1979 with an M.D. degree.

 

In July 1979 she began a surgery residency at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, Ha­waii.  In July 1981 she began a period of residency at Veterans Administration Hospi­tal, Johnson City, Tennessee.

 

She was married there June 25, 1983 to Darryl William Hiers ), son of Dr. Don­ald Grover Hiers  and Gypsy Lee Whitten Hiers .  In July 1983 she be­gan the practice of plastic surgery in Chattanooga, Tennessee at Erlanger Hospital in association with the University of Tennessee.  He was graduated there from the Univer­sity of Tennessee with a B.S. degree May 6, 1985.

 

In July 1985 she established a plastic surgery practice at Jonesboro, Arkansas, and they purchased a home there at 601 Arrowhead Drive, within 100 yards of the original homestead of James Gowen  who settled there before 1870!

 

In January 1987 she was inducted into "Who's Who of American Women."

 

Willie Elmer Cox , son of James Madison Cox  and Amanda Lucinda "Cindy" McCall Cox , was born September 30, 1896 at Leander, Texas.  He ap­eared as a three-year-old in the 1900 census of Williamson County, living in his fath­er's household.  His family removed to Albany, Texas in 1906 and to Young County in 1908, to Round Timbers, Texas in 1909 and to Altus, Oklahoma in 1911.  His father mov­ed the family to Weed, New Mexico in 1915.  He registered his cattle brand "JC" with the State of New Mexico May 23, 1917.

 

When his father was killed by gunshot there the following year at a sawmill the 20-year-old Willie Elmer Cox  rode onto the scene with his pistol ready to avenge his father's death.  He raced his pony around and around the sawmill trying to get a shot at his father's adversary without providing a stationary target him­self. Calmer heads finally prevailed upon him to leave justice to the law.

 

Willie Elmer Cox  and his mother returned to Texas in 1920, locating on a farm in Stonewall County, and was married at Swenson, Texas January 16, 1921 to Effie Elmo Ramsey  who was born March 25, 1903 in Stonewall County.  In 1924 he be­gan farming in the Klondike community of Dawson County and in 1930 bought the commun­ity grocery store there.  He died of peritonitis following an ap­pendectomy February 16, 1936, at age 39, and was buried in Lamesa Cemetery.

 

In 1939 Effie Elmo Ramsey Cox  and her son lived in Seagraves, Texas.  Later she returned to Lamesa.  She died April 18, 1956 and was buried beside her hus­band.

 

One son was born to Willie Elmer Cox  and Effie Elmo Ramsey Cox .

 

        Dorman Elmer Cox                born June 11, 1924

 

Dorman Elmer Cox , son of Willie Elmer Cox  and Effie Elmo Ramsey Cox , was born June 11, 1924 in Dawson County.  He was inducted November 13, 1942 at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma in the U.S. Army Corps and received his basic training at Shep­herd Field, Wichita Falls, Texas.  He was married January 24, 1943 in Waresboro, Geor­gia to Meddie Rilla Chauncey , who was born in Waycross, Georgia January 24, 1923.  She was one of 13 children of William Sylvester Chauncey  and Emma Rib­erton Chauncey .  Shortly afterward he was stationed in India and served in the C.B.I. theatre during World War II.  He was discharged from the Air Corps November 2, 1945 at Ft. McPherson, Atlanta, Georgia.

 

Following a short residency in Georgia he returned to Lamesa where he was employed in carpentry.  After a brief period the family returned to Waycross where they were living October 25, 1946.  After a short employment on a chicken farm in Callahan, Florida he brought his family back to Lamesa where he was employed as a carpenter.  In 1955 they lived briefly in Odessa, Texas and then moved to Lubbock where he was employed as a Dr. Pepper route salesman.

 

Later he was employed in the printing department of "Southwestern Crop & Stock."  Afterwards he was em­ployed as a "glassblower" and lathe operator in the cathode ray tube plant of Elec­tros, Inc.

 

Meddie Rilla Chauncey Cox  contracted cancer about 1956, and the family removed to Jacksonville, Florida in 1959 so she could be near her family.  She died there March 16, 1960 and was buried in the Chauncey family cemetery in Telmore, Georgia.  The fam­ily returned to Lubbock and resumed his association with Electros, Inc.

 

Dorman Elmer Cox  was remarried September 7, 1962 to Ollie Maurice Green Ram­sey .  Shortly afterward she was graduated from Lubbock School of Voca­tional Nurses.  In 1966 the removed to Ft. Worth, Texas where he was employed as a printer for Manney Co.  She was a nurse at John Peter Smith Hospital.  Later she was director of nurses at Fireside Nursing Home.

 

Ollie Maurice Green Ramsey Cox  died October 30, 1975 of a heart condition. He was remarried January 8, 1976 to "her best friend," Mildred Louise Nickens Becker , a nurse who was employed with her and a mother of four.  She was born Novem­ber 30, 1923 in St. Louis, Missouri.

 

In September 1983 he continued to live in Ft. Worth where he was employed as a super-intendent for a construction company.  Later he was a partner in C&R Con­struction Co. He was incapacitated for a time in a construction accident in December 1984 in which his right leg was fractured in six places.  In November 1987 he continued in Ft. Worth in retirement.

 

Children born to Dorman Elmer Cox  and Meddie Rilla Chauncey Cox  in­clude:

Kenneth Dorman Cox     born September 3, 1944

Linda Dardanella Cox     born October 25, 1946

Gary Allen Cox                born February 9, 1951

 Stephen Elmer Cox         born January 28, 1956

 

No children were born to Dorman Elmer Cox  and Ollie Maurice Green Ramsey Cox , but they adopted a daughter and assumed foster parenthood of another:

 

 Doyla Letta Cox             born October 21, 1967

Theresa Ann Lairmore     born December 1, 1969

 

Kenneth Dorman Cox , son of Dorman Elmer Cox  and Meddie Rilla Chaun­cey Cox , was born September 3, 1944 in Waycross.  He attended school in Lame­sa, Odessa and Lubbock and was graduated there in 1963 from Monterey High School.  Following graduation he was employed by Hemphill-Wells Company and Elec­tros, Inc.  In August 1963 he enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps and received a medi­cal dis­charge from the corps in December 1963.  Later he was a student at Uni­versity of Florida.

 

He was married August 15, 1970 to Mary Virginia Allencia .  They were di­vor­ced in 1972 in Houston.  He was remarried November 20, 1972 to Chloe Lou Schumach­er  in Ft. Worth.  They were divorced shortly afterward.  He was re­married April 28, 1984 to Peggy Ann Threat, a mother of three.  In 1985 he, a con­struction super­visor, lived in Ft. Worth.

 

Children born to Kenneth Dorman Cox  and Mary Virginia Allencia Cox  include: Rilla Theresa Cox born March 22, 1972

 

No children were born to Kenneth Dorman Cox , Chloe Lou Schumacher Cox  and Peggy Ann Threat Cox.

 

Linda Dardanella Cox , daughter of Dorman Elmer Cox  and Meddie Rilla Chauncey Cox , was born October 25, 1946 in Waycross.  She was gradu­ated from Monterey High School in 1965.  Following graduation she was enrolled in Lubbock School of Vocational Nurses where she was elected president of her class and was graduated with honors.  She took her state board examinations in May 1967 and was employed by John Peter Smith Hospital.  In an 18-year tenure there she has risen to supervisory capacity.

 

She was married February 14, 1977 to Jeffery Lynn Becker , son of her step-mother, Mildred Louise Nickens Becker Cox and William Becker .  No children had been born to them in February 1985.

 

Gary Allen Cox , son of Dorman Elmer Cox  and Meddie Rilla Chauncey Cox , was born February 9, 1951 in Lamesa.  He attended public school in Lub­bock and Ft. Worth and enrolled in the latter city in Tarrant County Junior Col­lege.

 

He was married September 20, 1971 in Ft. Worth to Donna Lee "Jingles" Peters   In 1972 they lived in Beckley, West Virginia.  They were divorced in 1974 in Oklahoma.  In 1978 he was remarried to Rita Darlene Gilpin , daughter of Wil­liam Franklin Gilpin  and Lela Irene Lampp Gilpin  of Ft. Worth. In February 1985 he was supervisor of construction and maintenance at John Peter Smith Hospital and lived at River Oaks, Texas.

 

Children born to Gary Allen Cox and Donna Lee "Jingles" Peters Cox  include:

 

Larry Allen Cox      born March 22, 1972

 

Children born to Gary Allen Cox  and Rita Darlene Gilpin Cox  in-clude:

 

Misty Amber Cox            born January 21, 1980

Stephen William Cox       born July 24, 1982

 

Stephen Elmer Cox , son of Dorman Elmer Cox  and Meddie Rilla Chaun­cey Cox , was born January 28, 1956 in Lubbock.  He attended public school in Lubbock and Ft. Worth.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy April 17, 1975 and re­ceived his basic training in Orlando, Florida.  Later he attended a naval elec­tronics school in Chicago, Illinois.  He was discharged September 17, 1976. 

 

He was married November 24, 1978 to Karen Dawn Stanfill  in Ft. Worth.  They were divorced in 1980.  He was married June 9, 1984 in Las Vegas, Nevada to Rhonda Karen Richard Chasteen , daughter of Norman Richard  and Sondra Sher Richard .

 

In 1985 he, the owner of Creative Wood Crafts, continued to live in Ft. Worth.  No children were born to Stephen Elmer Cox , Karen Dawn Stanfill Cox  and Rhonda Karen Richard Chasteen Cox .

 

Doyla Letta Cox , adopted daughter of Dorman Elmer Cox  and Ollie Maurice Green Ramsey Cox , was born October 21, 1967 in Ft. Worth.  In 1985 she continued in the home of her parents.  She was involved in an automobile acci­dent June 16, 1985 and continued in a coma for several weeks.  She survived and was living in a Ft. Worth nursing home in November 1987.

 

Theresa Ann Lairmore-Cox , foster daughter of Dorman Elmer Cox  and Ollie Maurice Green Ramsey Cox , was born December 1, 1969 in California.  In 1970 she came into their home.

 

She died February 15, 1985 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to her temple.  She had a history of epileptic seizures and had recently been gripped by the debilitat­ing mal­ady.  Her organs were donated to transplant patients, and she was buried in Azleland Memorial Park.

 

Dan Malone, staff writer for "Ft. Worth Star-Telegram," wrote an article around the suicide note which she left for her family:

 

"The two-page note that Theresa Ann Lairmore-Cox left her family on Valentine's

Day was full of love.  But when her father reads it now, it brings tears to his

eyes and a tremor to his voice.

 

Theresa, a 15-year-old freshman at Boswell High School, wrote her farewell

Thursday morning, moments before squeezing the trigger of the pistol she had

placed to her head.  She died Friday at John Peter Smith Hospital.

 

Theresa's father, Dorman E. Cox, says he does not know why his daughter killed

herself.  Her note did not explain it, although she expressed concerns about her epilepsy and anxiety about her health, he said.

 

"She had been having epileptic seizures, but hadn't been bothered for some time.  Here this last week she had two.  She had a real strong one on Monday, which seemed to bother her a lot, then she had another one on Tuesday," Cox said Saturday evening, "She was worried about going back and having these seizures."

 

On Thursday morning Cox woke Theresa up for school, then drove his wife Mildred to work.  When he returned about 30 minutes later, at about 8 a.m, he found Theresa's note, and a moment later, her lifeless body in her bed.  He also found his .22-caliber revolver in her bed with one discharged shell.  What he didn't find was a wound or blood.

 

She was taken to JPS, where doctors found a small wound in her temple, Cox said.  The teen-ager was kept on life-support systems until Friday, Cox said.  Cox said Theresa had never attempted to take her life before and gave no indication that she was upset before her death.

 

On Wednesday night she talked to  Doyla Letta and one of my sons,

Gary.  They were over here talking, laughing, cutting up as usual,' he said.  'One of her girlfriends had been down for a little bit, and they been out for a while.  I think they walked down to the store.'

 

On the back of Theresa's photograph, printed at right, she had written message to her brother and sister-in-law, 'To Gary and Darlene Cox & kids,' she wrote, 'Look now cause this will be the last time you'll see me in a picture.  Love ya, Theresa.'

 

Cox said he believed that his daughter's words reflected her dissatisfaction with how the picture turned out, rather than a warning of her troubled mind.  He said she accepted life on its own terms, 'She didn't expect much out of life--she was pretty content with what she had and got.'

 

Cox is not Theresa's father, though he is the only father figure she ever knew.

Her father died of cancer when she was an infant.  After her father's death

Theresa was left in her grandfather's care until arrangements were made to place her in Cox's custody.  Cox, a relative of Theresa's through a previous marriage, became her legal guardian.

 

Cox asked that the note that Theresa left not be published, but he offers a general description.  She left word of her love for her family and a plea to understand what she did--if not why, 'It was just her way of saying goodbye and God bless you.'

 

Theresa will be buried at Azleland Memorial Park on Monday--the day that she was supposed to see her doctor about the latest round of seizures."

 

James Alvia Cox , son of James Madison Cox  and Amanda Lucinda "Cin­da" McCall Cox , was born August 12, 1898 in Williamson County.  In 1901 his family lived in Menard, Texas and in the same year moved to Nolan County, Texas, re­turned to Williamson County in 1905, moved to Albany in 1906, farmed in Young County, Texas in 1908, moved to Round Timbers, Texas in 1909 and to Altus, Ok­lahoma in 1911.  In 1915, while living in Throckmorton County, Texas, his father was influenced to move to Weed, New Mexico to homestead land there.

 

James Alvia Cox  was married September 1, 1919 at Cloudcroft, New Mexico to Mary Margaret "Maggie" Drennan , his third cousin, once-removed, who was born in January 1901.  They were not aware of their relationship until his sister, Mary Al­nora "Nora" Cox Drennan  began to research the family history about 1958. Mary Margaret "Maggie" Drennan  was the daughter of Thomas Braxton "Brack" Drennan and Mary Ann Britt Drennan .

 

In 1920 James Alvia Cox  and Mary Margaret "Maggie" Drennan Cox  liv­ed in Breckenridge, Texas.  In 1923 they lived in Ajo, California, and in 1924 in Comp­ton, California.  He wrote his mother at that time that he was earning $1 an hour as a concrete finisher.  In 1925 they returned to Texas.  He was operating a service sta­tion in the Klondike community of Dawson County across the intersection from the gro­cery later owned by his brother.  He was shot and killed there February 6, 1929 by W. E. Duke.

 

A newspaper story regarding the shooting appeared in the February 7 edition of "The Lubbock Journal:"

 

LAMESA, Feb. 7--J. A. Cox, filling station operator of the Klondyke community, fifteen miles southwest of here, was shot and instantly killed late last night.  W. E. Duke, pastor of the Midway Baptist Church, near Lamesa, surrendered to officers shortly after the shooting.

 

Both Cox and Duke are from prominent Dawson County families.  In addition to his ministry, the Rev. Duke is owner and operator of a store at Klondyke, where he and his family live.  The shooting occurred in front of the Duke store.  The Rev. Mr. Duke has been pastor there for the past five years.

 

The Rev. Mr. Duke would make no statement this morning concerning the tragedy following a conference with Judge J. E. Garland.  County Attorney A. W. Gibson announced that an examining trial would be held today.  No cause for the shoot­ing could be advanced today by Sheriff Joe L. Ray or Deputy A. M. Bennett of Dawson County.

 

Mr. Cox is survived by his widow, four children, one brother and other rela­tives.  The body is being held in a local undertaking establishment awaiting arrival of relatives."

 

He was buried in Lamesa Cemetery.

 

Mary Margaret "Maggie" Drennan Cox  was remarried about 1932 to Calvin Ship­ley  and continued to live in Lamesa where they operated a taxi service. Later they removed to Seminole, Texas and continued to operate a taxi service.  She died there in 1982.

 

Children born to James Alvia Cox  and Mary Margaret "Maggie" Drennan Cox  include:

 

        James Carlton "Pete" Cox                born July 18, 1920

        Desmond Ray Cox                            born September 1, 1921

        Margaret DeMelba Cox                    born July 31, 1923

        James Alvia Cox, Jr.                         born December 1, 1925

 

Children born to Calvin Shipley  and Mary Margaret "Maggie" Drennan Cox Ship­ley  include:

 

        Billie Kasteen Shipley                 born June 2, 1933

        Jerry Mack Shipley                      born October 10, 1934

        Gary Paul Shipley                       born October 12, 1941

 

James Carlton "Pete" Cox , son of James Alvia Cox  and Mary Mar­garet "Maggie" Drennan Cox , was born July 18, 1920 at Breckenridge, Texas.  During World War II he served as a hospital corpsman stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas near El Paso.  He was married there about 1941 to Dorothy Faye Hitchcock .

 

Following military service he became a doctor of chiropractic and developed his prac­tice in El Paso where he continued in November 1987.

 

Children born to James Carlton "Pete" Cox  and Dorothy Faye Hitchcock Cox  include:

 

        James Carlton Cox, Jr.         born September 1, 1942

        Phillip Curtis Cox                born February 25, 1944

 

Desmond Ray Cox , son of James Alvia Cox  and Mary Margaret "Maggie" Drennan Cox , was born September 1, 1921.  Following U.S. Army ser­vice during World War II he was married to Agnes Kay Way Kidd , a widow with two daugh­ters.  They resided in Ft. Worth where he was employed as a metal­smith.  No children were born to Desmond Ray Cox  and Agnes Kay Way Kidd Cox .

 

Margaret DeMelba Cox , daughter of James Alvia Cox  and Mary Mar­garet "Maggie" Drennan Cox , was born July 31, 1923 in Ajo, California.  Her family returned to Dawson County shortly afterwards.  She was married about 1941 to Elton Lee Gossett .  In 1985 they removed to Brady, Texas where he died soon after.

 

Children born to Elton Lee Gossett  and Margaret DeMelba Cox Gossett  in­clude:

 

        Margaret Lee Gossett            born December 14, 1943

        Ronnie Keith Gossett            born December 17, 1946

        Elton Lee Gossett, Jr.            born February 26, 1953

        Samuel David Gossett           born June 22, 1956

 

Margaret Lee Gossett , daughter of Elton Lee Gossett  and Margaret DeMelba Cox Gossett , was born December 14, 1943.  She was married about 1960 to Wayland McCulloch .  In 1987 they continued to live in Seminole.

 

Children born to them include:

 

Greg McCulloch born in 1962

Shannon McCulloch born in 1965

 

Greg McCulloch , son of Wayland McCulloch  and Margaret Lee Gossett McCulloch , was born in Seminole in 1962.  In 1985 he lived in Brownfield, Texas.

 

Shannon McCulloch , daughter of Wayland McCulloch and Margaret Lee Gossett McCulloch , was born in Seminole in 1965.  In 1985 she was a student at Texas Tech University.

 

James Alvia Cox, Jr. , son of James Alvia Cox  and Mary Margaret "Maggie" Drennan Cox , was born in Dawson County December 1, 1925.  He was married about 1946 to Josephine Rachel "Bill" Carter

 

He became an oil products distributor in Bridgeport, Texas.  In 1983 they lived in Decatur, Texas.  Following a divorce he removed to Runaway Bay, Texas.

 

Children born to James Alvia Cox, Jr.  and Josephine Rachel "Bill" Carter Cox, include:

 

          Alvia Cox                                                 born about 1948

          Patsy Jean Cox                                          born about 1950

          Cary Cox                                                   born about 1953

 

Alvia Cox son of James Alvia Cox, Jr. and Josephine Rachel "Bill" Carter Cox, was born about 1948.

 

Patsy Jean Cox , daughter of James Alvia Cox, Jr.  and Josephine Ra­chel "Bill" Carter Cox , was born about 1950.  She was married about 1969, husband's name Craig.

 

Cary Cox son of James Alvia Cox, Jr. and Josephine Rachel "Bill" Carter Cox, was born about 1953.

 

Billie Kasteen Shipley, daughter of Calvin Shipley and Mary Mar­garet "Maggie" Drennan Cox Shipley, was born June 2,1933 at Lamesa.  She was mar­ried about 1952 to Thomas Ray .Later she was remarried to Glenn Sullivan .  Her third marriage was to Olen Locker L1/1.1).  In 1987 they lived at Brady.

 

Children born to Thomas Ray  and Billie Kasteen Shipley Ray  in­clude:

 

           Bill Ray                                           born about 1955

           Gary Don Ray                                 born about 1958

 

Jerry Mack Shipley, son of Calvin Shipley Mary Margaret "Maggie" Drennan Cox Shipley, was born October 10, 1934 in Lamesa.  He was married about 1955 to Anita Joyce Kaker .

 

Children born to them include:

 

           Mike Shipley                                             born about 1957

           Debbie Shipley                                         born about 1959

           Brenda Shipley                                         born about 1962

 

Gary Paul Shipley son of Calvin Shipley Mary Margaret "Maggie" Drennan Cox Shipley, was born October 12, 1938 in Lamesa.  He was married about 1959 to Glenda Burnett.

 

Children born to them include:

 

           Shelly Shipley                                           born about 1961

           Sherry Shipley                                          born about 1964

 

Mary Alnora "Nora" Cox, daughter of James Madison Cox and Amanda Lucinda "Cindy" McCall Cox , was born December 24, 1900 in Williamson County. Her family removed to Nolan County in 1901, back to Williamson County in 1905, to Al­bany in 1906, to Young County in 1908, to Round Timbers in 1909, to Altus, Ok­lahoma in 1911, to Throckmorton County in 1912 and to Weed, New Mexico in 1915.  She was married there in Cloudcroft August 20, 1919 to Thomas Calvin Drennan.  He was a bro­ther to Mary Margaret "Maggie" Drennan and a son of Thomas Braxton "Brack" Drennan and Mary Ann Britt Drennan, born August 19, 1899.

 

They were third cousins, once-removed, but were not aware of the relationship until Mary Alnora "Nora" Cox Drennan began to research the family history about 1958.

 

In 1920 Thomas Calvin Drennan moved his family to Stonewall County, Texas where he operated a farm.  In the fall of 1925 they moved to Dawson County where he continued farming.  In 1955 they moved to Lubbock where he was employ­ed by JOT, Inc, owned by his nephew Stanley Olgee "Jot" Gowen.

 

Later they lived in Denton, where his son-in-law Charles Edwin "Doc" Davis operated a Chevrolet dealership.  Following this period they lived in Ft. Worth and Winnsboro, Texas where they operated a stock farm with their son Thelbert Roy "Jack" Drennan.  In 1977 they retired and returned to Aspermont, Texas pur­chasing a home from Ella Rash Parker, a nurse who was later to become their daugh­ter-in-law.  In November 1987 Mary Alnora "Nora" Cox Drennan lived in Gibson Memorial Home there.  Thomas Calvin Drennan died in Aspermont in 1992 and was buried in Aspermont Cemetery.  Mary Alnora "Nora" Cox Drennan died February 9, 1996 at age 95 and was buried beside her husband.

 

Children born to Thomas Calvin Drennan  and Mary Alnora "Nora" Cox Drennan  include:

 

          Thelbert Roy "Jack" Drennan          born June 20, 1920

          Joyce Arlene Drennan                     born January 4, 1922

          Ora Aladine "Deanie" Drennan       born December 13, 1923

          Calvin Osborn "Ozzie" Drennan     born January 2, 1926

 

Thelbert Roy "Jack" Drennan, son of Thomas Calvin Drennan and Mary Alnora "Nora" Cox Drennan, was born June 20, 1920 at Weed.  He was married December 24, 1943 at Lamesa to Bernadine Marie "Jean" Ten Cate Taylor, daughter of Henry Ten Cate and Helena Jantina Scaap Ten Cate.  She was a widow with one child, Patricia Ann Taylor.  They were divorced about 1946, and he moved to Ft. Worth to affili­ate with the fire de­partment.  Bernadine Marie "Jean" Ten Cate Taylor Drennan  died in Los Ange­les in 1970.

 

He retired from the department in 1977 as a captain.  He maintained his home on his farm at Winnsboro with his parents until 1979 when he removed to Aspermont.  He was remarried there July 17, 1979 to Mrs. Ella Rash Parker .

 

Children born to Thelbert Roy "Jack" Drennan  and Bernardine Marie "Jean" Ten Cate Taylor Drennan  include:

 

           Patricia Ann Taylor Drennan         born September 7, 1941

           Teri Rae Drennan                            born December 22, 1944

 

Patricia Ann Taylor Drennan , daughter of Jean Ten Cate Taylor , was born September 7, 1941 in Los Angeles and was adopted by Thelbert Roy "Jack" Drennan  after his marriage to her mother.  In 1983 she was employed on a horse farm in Wisconsin, and in 1987 she lived near San Francisco following a fourth divorce.

 

Teri Rae Drennan, daughter of Thelbert Roy "Jack" Drennan and Jean Ten Cate Taylor Drennan, was born in Lamesa December 22, 1944.  She was mar­ried about 1964 to Carl Buckley Mahaney.  In 1970 they lived at Denton where they owned a farm and a shoe store.  Later they were divorced. After receiv­ing a Ph.D in education she began teaching.  In 1983 she was teaching in Anchor­age, Alaska.

 

Joyce Arlene Drennan , daughter of Thomas Calvin Drennan  and Mary Alnora "Nora" Cox Drennan , was born January 4, 1922 in Stonewall County.  Later her parents moved to Dawson County where she grew up and was graduated from high school in 1939.  She was married in 1945 in Lamesa to Carl Hugh Weaks .  Later the couple was divorced, and she was remarried in Lamesa June 17, 1955 to Audie Lee Richey , son of Hurley Lee Richey and Alice Bradford Richey .  In 1970 they lived on a farm near Winnsboro, and she was employed by Gen­eral Telephone Company in Sulphur Springs, Texas.  In 1983 they removed to Aspermont, Texas.

 

One daughter was born to Carl Hugh Weaks  and Joyce Arlene Drennan Weaks :

 

        Carla Joyce Weaks              born March 11, 1946

 

Carla Joyce Weaks , daughter of Carl Hugh Weaks  and Joyce Arlene Drennan Weaks , was born March 11, 1946 in Lamesa.  She was married January 27, 1967 to Stanley Stafford  in Lubbock.  In 1970 they lived in Houston.  In 1983 they lived in Sulphur Springs where he was employed by De­witt Trucking Company, and she was a nurse.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Tonya Michelle Stafford        born September 30, 1968

 

Tonya Michelle Stafford, daughter of Stanley Stafford  and Carla Joyce Weaks Stafford, was born in Lubbock September 30, 1968.

 

Ora Aladine "Deanie" Drennan, daughter of Thomas Calvin Drennan  and Mary Alnora "Nora" Cox Drennan , was born December 13, 1923 in Stonewall County.  Her parents removed to Dawson County about 1925 where she at­tended school and was graduated from high school.  Following graduation she was em­ployed by General Tel­ephone Company there and in a short time became chief operator.