T H E  W H I T M I R E  M A N U S C R I P T   Page                                            .

Henry Whitmire, son of Jesse Whitmire and Nancy Durden Whitmire, was born about 1823 in Washington Parish, Louisiana.  He was married Decem­ber 5, 1839 at age 16 in Angelina County, Texas to Amanda M. Fish, daughter of Joseph Martin Fish and Nancy "Ann" Dyches Fish.  She was born in 1825 in Louisiana, probably Washington Parish and was 14 years old.

 

He had received a Third Class 320-acre land grant December 5, 1839, his wedding day, according to Jefferson County records.  He appeared as a tax­payer in 1840 in Jasper County, Texas.  His land grant, located in Jas­per County, was confirmed to him January 1, 1844.  Newton County was organized from Jasper County in 1846 and Henry Whitmire  found himself in the new county.  He assigned the land grant to J. N. Brown November 8, 1849 who assigned it to Gardner Wilbanks February 22, 1856.  On August 30, 1860 Gov. Sam Houston directed that the grant be patented in Ellis County, Texas on a site located 16.5 miles west of Waxahachie, according to Patri­cia Ann "Patty" Bennett McGinty. 

 

On January 11, 1847 he appeared on a jury list along with Joseph Martin Fish, Joshua Hickman and James Hickman.  He appeared among the veniremen in Newton County again January 1, 1850.  His father-in-law had received "a league and a labor" land grant in Williamson County in 1846, and it is believed that Henry Whitmire made trips with him to the new area to prepare homes for their families.  It is be­lieved that their families were moved to Williamson County in the fall of 1848, and the men continued to commute between east and central Texas.

 

Henry Whitmire died in Williamson County, Texas October 17, 1853, according to the research of Lynda Dorene Whitmire Wright.  Mary Alnora "Nora" Cox Drennan stated that he died "away from home under unknown circumstances" be­fore the birth of his last child in 1854.  It is possible that he died or was killed while commuting between Newton and Williamson counties.

 

Amanda M. Fish Whitmire received a deed May 9, 1855 "for love and affection and $1" from her father to 250 acres of his headright "including the farm and houses in the possession of Amanda M. Whitmire on the south side of North San Gabriel River," according to Williamson County Deed Book 6, page 105.  She sold the property to Wil­liam Dark January 18, 1858 for $200, according to Williamson County Deed Book 7, page 294.

 

She registered her brand "AW" in Williamson County January 25, 1866.

 

Amanda M. Fish Whitmire was enumerated as the head of Household 93-93, ad­joining that of her mother, in the 1870 census of Williamson County.  The family was listed as:

 

        "Whitmire,  Amanda    44, born in Louisiana, keeping house, $150

                                                     personal property

                            Acy            25, born in Texas, farmer, $50 personal

                                                     property

                            Canzada     24, born in Texas, illiterate

                            William     20, born in Texas, $50 personal property

                             Isaac          18, born in Texas, illiterate, idiotic

                             Nancy        16, born in Texas, illiterate"

 

Also adjoining was the household of her son-in-law Michael Rape:

 

        "Rape, Mical          33, born in Ireland, laborer, $50 personal

                                              property

               Cruchina         22, born in Texas, keeping house"

 

Amanda M. Fish Whitmire received a deed from J. M. Bristol Octo­ber 23, 1878 to 53 acres for $80 in the Gravis League, according to Wil­liamson County Deed Book 30, page 56.  She sold 26.5 acres of the prop­erty October 22, 1878 to William Davidson, according to Williamson County Deed Book 20, page 494.

 

She reappeared June 14, 1880 in the federal census as the head of House­hold 167 in precinct 4, adjoining the household of her son-in-law, Oliver Hazard Perry McCall:

 

       "Whitmire, Amanda     55, born in Louisiana, father born in

                                                    France,

                                                    mother born in South Carolina

                  Chrischana        30, born in Texas, father born in Missis-

                                                   sippi, mother born in Louisiana, married,

                                                   epilepsy, insane

                   Isaac A.            26, born in Texas, father born in Missis-

                                                  sippi, mother born in Louisiana, single

          Fish,   Nancy            79, born in South Carolina, [parents'

                                                  places of birth blank], widow, lame"

 

Amanda M. Fish Whitmire died prior to May 6, 1901, according to a letter written on that date by Fannie Alice McCall, a granddaugh­ter.  She was buried in Chalk Ridge Cemetery, "halfway between Florence and Georgetown," according to Dren­nan research which reported that there were "11 or 12 people buried there, close to Rattlesnake Hill."  She men­tioned that there was a school located on the land of Asa C. "Ace" Whit­mire which she attended in 1904.  The cemetery was visited in May 1985 by Ora Ethel Cox Gowen and Arlee Claud Gowen who found all the graves but one marked with only fieldstones.  The one excep­tion was that of Oliver Hazard Perry McCall whose stone had been toppled over by cattle grazing on the ranch.

 

Apparently the heirs discovered that they did not have a deed to her prop­erty.  On January 23, 1903 a confirmation deed was made by J. M. Bristol to 50 acres in the "southwest corner of the Gravis League to Amanda M. Whitmire, A. C. Whitmire and P. M. Call," according to Williamson County Deed Book 105, page 135.

 

On December 6, 1905 "A. C. Whitmire, Nancy McCall, Cansada Shed, J. Shed and Ike Whit­mire" deeded jointly owned property to John Ward Bowlin, according to Wil­liamson County Deed Book 118, page 26.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire             born April 3, 1844 [1845]

        Jack Whitmire                            born about 1845

        Canzada "Can" Whitmire           born in 1846

        Christianna "Roach" Whitmire  born about 1848

        William Whitmire                      born in 1850

        Isaac A. Whitmire                       born in 1852

        Nancy Almeda Whitmire            born November 15, 1854

 

Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire, son of Henry Whitmire and Amanda M. Fish Whitmire, was born April 3, 1844 in Williamson County.  He was married Jan­uary 11, 1872  to Clarissa Abigail Shedd who was born December 9, 1851, ac­cording to her tombstone.  She was born in Georgia in January 1856, according to her 1900 census enumeration.  He op­erated a freight service using ox-drawn wagons.

 

Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire received a deed from John Thomas Coffee and W. C. Dal­rymple July 10, 1872 to 100 acres on Cowan Branch of Berry's Creek for $121.50, ac­cording to Williamson County Deed Book 13, page 749.  Leroy Boyce Lord wit­nessed the transaction.  He sold the property January 8, 1875 to Sarah J. Collins for $300, according to Williamson County Deed Book 16, page 712.

 

On June 12, 1880 he appeared as the head of Household 165-165, Williamson County, Enu­meration District 130, page 22, Precinct 4, in an adjacent lo­cation with his mother's household.  The family was rendered as:

 

        "Whitmire, Ace C.       35, born in Texas, father born in

                                                    Louisiana,

                                                   mother born [unknown], farmer, illit-

                                                   erate

                          Clarissa     29, born in Georgia, father born in Geor-

                                                  gia, mother born in Georgia, wife

                         William H.  6, born in Texas, father born in Texas,

                                                  mother born in Georgia, son

                          Idar Bell     5, born in Texas, father born in Texas,

                                                 mother born in Georgia, daughter

                         Melona A.   4, born in Texas, father born in Texas,

                                                mother born in Georgia, daughter

                        Alfred H.     2, born in Texas, father born in Texas,

                                                 mother born in Georgia, son

                   (no name)  2/12, born in April in Texas, father born in

                                               Texas, mother born in Georgia, son"

 

Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire received a deed August 17, 1885 from his cousins Isaac Franklin Fish and Susan Ann Osteen High Fish, according to Wil­liamson County Deed Book 37, page 575.

 

Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire and Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire deeded land November 10, 1886 to R. W. McLendon, according to Wil­liamson County Deed Book 41, page 462.  He received a release January 23, 1897 from R. S. Hyer on 60 acres of land purchased from him, according to Williamson County Deed Book 97, page 81.

 

He appeared as the head of Household 380-387 in the 1900 census of Wil­liamson County, Enumeration District 130, page 22, which was recorded as:

 

        "Whitmire, Asa   54, born April 1846 in Texas, father born in ------                                                            -                                         Texas mother born in Texas, married 29 years,

                    Clarissa A.  44, born January 1856 in Georgia, father born

                                              in Georgia, mother born in Georgia, 13

                                              children; 11 living, wife

                   Boss            28, born April 1872 in Texas, father born in

                                             Texas, mother born in Georgia

                   Ona             27, born April 1873 in Texas, father born in

                                            Texas, mother born in Georgia

                   Mandy        19, born April 1881 in Texas, father born in

                                            Texas, mother born in Georgia

                   Becky        17, born June 1883 in Texas, father born in

                                           Texas, mother born in Georgia

                   Jennie       15, born December 1884 in Texas, father born in

                                           Texas, mother born in Georgia

                   Johnnie      13, born January 1887 in Texas, father born in

                                            Texas, mother born in Georgia

                   Jessie        11, born June 1888 in Texas, father born in

                                           Texas, mother born in Georgia

                   Dinkie        9, born February 1891 in Texas, father born in

                                          Texas, mother born in Georgia

                   Otho          6, born March 1894 in Texas, father born in

                                         Texas, mother born in Georgia, son"

 

Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire conveyed property in the J.A.F. Gravis Sur­vey to R. W. McLendon, according to Williamson County Deed Book 41, page 462.  On August 18, 1905 he sold five parcels of land in the Gravis League to I. M. Williams for $2,500, ac­cording to Williamson County Deed Book 110, page 578.  Included were plots of 50 acres, 2.48 acres, 3.152 acres, 26 acres and 60 acres.

 

"A. C. Whitmire, Nancy McCall, J. Shed and Cansada Shed and Ike Whitmire" deed land believed to be their inheritance to their brother-in-law John Ward Bowlin De­cember 6, 1905, according to Williamson County Deed Book 118, page 26.

 

He removed to Coryell County about 1906, locating seven miles north of Copperas Cove and appeared as the head of a household in the 1910 census there.  He suffered a stroke about 1919 and lived bedfast as a paralytic for four years.  They deeded half interest in 433 acres in the Manning Survey to their son-in-law Albert B. Sherwood for $1,000 May 3, 1920, ac­cording to Coryell County Deed Book 83, page 485. 

 

John Louis Whitmire bought his parents' farm from the other heirs, and he and his family cared for them until their deaths.  She died of cancer September 22, 1921, according to Coryell County Death Book B, page 288.  and he died January 21, 1923, ac­cording to Texas BVS File 703.  Opal Lavenia Hartsell Whitmire retained a re­ceipt issued to John Louis Whitmire January 24, 1923 acknowledging payment of $75 for his father's casket.  She was buried in Shouse Cemetery adjoining their farm.  In 1939 the government bought the land for Ft. Hood and moved the cemetery to Gates­ville, Texas.  He was buried in Lacen Prairie Cemetery.

 

Children born to Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire and Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire include:

 

        William Henry "Boss" Whitmire       born March 13, 1874

        Ida Bell Whitmire                               born August 21, 1875

        Melona A. Whitmire                           born April 8, 1877

        Alfred H. Whitmire                              born November 18, 1878

         (son)                                                     born in April 1880

        Amanda Whitmire                               born June 20, 1881

        Rebecca Vera Whitmire                        born June 5, 1883

        Jenny Minerva Catherine Whitmire     born December 14, 1884

        John Louis Whitmire                            born February 17, 1886

        Jesse James Whitmire                           born June 19, 1888

        Ruth "Dinkie" Whitmire                       born in February 21, 1891

        Otho Walter Whitmire                          born in March 1895

 

William Henry "Boss" Whitmire, son of Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire and Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire, was born March 13, 1874 in Williamson County.  He was married August 7, 1900 to Sarah Josephine "Josie" Mullen, niece of Francis Marion "Buddy" Mullen.  She was born March 5, 1881.

 

William Henry "Boss" Whitmire joined his brother Alfred H. Whit­mire September 17, 1899 in purchasing 152 acres of land on Berry's Creek from W. J. B. Salyer for $200, according to Williamson County Deed Book 95, page 621.  They paid off the property and received a release October 10, 1905, according to Williamson County Deed Book 104, page 572.  He received a deed from W. T. Humble to land in Coryell County March 13, 1907, according to Coryell County Deed Book 46, page 164. 

 

He appeared as the head of a household in the 1910 census of Coryell County.  He sold his interest in the family inheritance to John Louis Whitmire November 21, 1923 for $300, according to Coryell County Deed Book 191, page 125.  He died December 21, 1932 in Bailey County, Texas, according to Texas BVS File 49493.  She died Decem­ber 30, 1967.  In 1969 his children lived in Lamb County, Texas, according to Opal Lavenia Hartsell Whitmire.

 

Children born to William Henry "Boss" Whitmire and Sarah Josephine "Josie" Mullen Whitmire include:

 

        Lonnie R. Whitmire                 born June 19, 1901

        Elmer Loyl Whitmire              born October 18, 1903

        Mabel Whitmire                       born November 16, 1905

        Ernest Whitmire                      born in 1906

        Cleo Cleveland Whitmire       born April 18, 1914

        Modine Whitmire                    born April 6, 1916

 

Lonnie R. Whitmire (W2/1.1), son of William Henry "Boss" Whitmire (W3/1.1) and Sarah Josephine "Josie" Mullen Whitmire (M2/1.1), was born June 19, 1901.  He appeared in the 1910 census of his father's household.  He was married May 27, 1923 to Minnie Vi­ola Turner (T2/1.1).  In 1969 he lived in Odessa, Texas.  In 1984 he lived at Proctor, Texas.

 

Children born to Lonnie R. Whitmire (W2/1.1) and Minnie Viola Turner Whit­mire (T2/1.1) include:

 

        Mattie Yvette Whitmire  (W1/1.1)        born May 28, 1927

        Cletus Ray Whitmire     (W1/1.2)        born January 31, 1931

 

Mattie Yvette Whitmire (W1/1.1), daughter of Lonnie R. Whitmire (W2/1.1) and Minnie Viola Turner Whitmire (T2/1.1), was born May 28. 1927.  She died August 21, 1931.

 

Cletus Ray Whitmire (W1/1.2), son of Lonnie R. Whitmire (W2/3.1) and Min­nie Viola Turner Whitmire (T2/1.1), was born January 31, 1931, according to Coryell County Birth Certificate 549.  He was married November 21, 1973 to Mrs. Evelyn Thompson Massingill (T1/1.1).  Children born to Cletus Ray Whitmire (W1/1.2) and Evelyn Thompson Mas­singill Whit­mire (T1/1.1) are un­known.

 

Elmer Loyl Whitmire (W2/1.2), son of William Henry "Boss" Whitmire (W3/1.1) and Sarah Josephine "Josie" Mullen Whitmire (M2/1.1), was born October 18, 1903.  He appeared as a six-year-old in the 1910 census of his father's household.  He was married December 25, 1927 to Olin Votaw (V2/1.1).  He died July 11, 1981.

 

Children born to Elmer Loyl Whitmire (W2/1.2) and Olin Votaw Whitmire (V2/1.1) in­clude:

 

        Loyl Don Whitmire       (W1/2.1)        born September 18, 1932

        Wanda Jean Whitmire     (W1/2.2)        born May 26, 1934

        Myrna Loy Whitmire      (W1/2.3)        born July 7, 1937

 

Loyl Don Whitmire (W1/2.1), son of Elmer Loyl Whitmire (W2/1.2) and Olin Votaw Whit­mire (V2/1.1), was born September 18, 1932.

 

Wanda Jean Whitmire (W1/2.2), daughter of Elmer Loyl Whitmire (W2/1.2) and Olin Votaw Whitmire (V2/1.1), was born May 26, 1934.  She was married about 1954 to Lewis Wayne Shaffer (S1/1.1).  Three children were born to them.

 

Myrna Loy Whitmire (W1/2.3), daughter of Elmer Loyl Whitmire (W2/1.2) and Olin Votaw Whitmire (V2/1.1), was born July 7, 1937.  She was married about 1957 to Bennie Robin­son (R1/1.1).  Three children were born to them.

 

Mabel Whitmire (W2/1.3), daughter of William Henry "Boss" Whitmire (W3/1.1) and Sarah Josephine "Josie" Mullen Whitmire (M2/1.1), was born November 16, 1905.  She was mar­ried November 21, 1926 to Charles Wiseman (W2/1.1).  In 1984 they lived in Hereford, Texas.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Thomas Charnel Wiseman  (W1/1.1)        born January 10, 1928

        Thomas Charnel Wiseman  (W1/1.2)        born April 18, 1929

        Buddy Joe Wiseman       (W1/1.3)        born January 10, 1932

        Charlene Wiseman        (W1/1.4)        born June 18, 1934

        Paula Wiseman           (W1/1.5)        born March 31, 1937

        Ola Frances Wiseman     (W1/1.6)        born February 14, 1945

 

Thomas Charnel Wiseman (W1/1.1), son of Charles Wiseman (W2/1.1) and Mabel Whitmire Wiseman (W2/3.3), was born January 10, 1928.  He died February 10, 1928.

 

Thomas Charnel Wiseman (W1/1.2), son of Charles Wiseman (W2/1.1) and Mabel Whitmire Wiseman (W2/3.3), was born April 18, 1929.

 

Ernest Whitmire (W2/1.4), son of William Henry "Boss Whitmire (W3/1.1) and Sarah Jo­sephine "Josie" Mullen Whitmire (M2/1.1), was born in 1906.  He appeared in the 1910 census of his father's household as a four-year-old.  It is believed that he died in childhood.

 

Cleo Cleveland Whitmire (W2/1.5), son of William Henry "Boss" Whitmire (W3/1.1) and Sarah Josephine "Josie" Mullen Whitmire (M2/1.1), was born April 18, 1914, according to Coryell County Birth Book 2, page 86 and De­layed Birth Book 7, page 286.  He was married May 11, 1941 to Billie West (W2/1.1).  In 1984 they lived in Sudan, Texas.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Anita Kay Whitmire      (W1/5.1)        born April 3, 1944

 

Anita Kay Whitmire (W1/5.1), daughter of Cleo Cleveland Whitmire (W2/1.5) and Billie West Whitmire (W2/1.1), was born April 3, 1944.  She was mar­ried about 1964 to Durwood White (W1/1.1).  Three children were born to them.

 

Modine Whitmire (W2/1.6), daughter of William Henry "Boss" Whitmire (W3/1.1) and Sarah Josephine "Josie" Mullen Whitmire (M2/1.1), was born April 6, 1916.  She was married May 2, 1937 to Lester Elmore (E2/1.1).  She died September 19, 1983.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Arnetha Ann Elmore      (E1/1.1)        born December 13, 1938

        Julia Mae Elmore        (E1/1.2)        born July 27, 1945

        James Darrel Elmore     (E1/1.3)        born December 8, 1946

 

Ida Belle Whitmire (W3/1.2), daughter of Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire (W4/7.1) and Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire (W4/7.1), was born August 21, 1875 in Williamson County.  She was married December 18, 1892 to John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1), according to Williamson County Marriage Book 8, page 10.  Opal Lavenia Hartsell Whitmire (H2/1.2) shows the date as December 28, 1892.  They were first cousins.  He was born February 28, 1868, according to the research of Opal Lavenia Hartsell Whitmire (H2/1.2), however his cen­sus enumeration shows 1869.

 

He appeared as the head of Household 381-388 in the 1900 census of Williamson County, Enumeration District 130, page 22.  The family was ren­dered as:

 

        "Bowlin, John W.        31, born February 1869 in Texas, father born in

                                    Texas, mother born in Texas, married eight

                                    years, farm renter

                 Ider           25, born August 1874 in Texas, father born in

                                    Texas, mother born in Georgia, 3 chil­dren

                                    wife

                 Rufus           6, born January 1894 in Texas, father born in

                                    Texas, mother born in Georgia, son

                 Hardy           5, born March 1895 in Texas, father born in

                                    Texas, mother born in Georgia, son

                 Horace          2, born April 1898 in Texas, father born in

                                    Texas, mother born in Georgia, son

 

John Ward Bowlin purchased her mother's property from the other heirs De­cember 6, 1905, according to Williamson County Deed Book 118, page 26.

 

John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1) died February 23, 1945, and she died November 10, 1950 near Brownfield, Texas.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Rufus Bowlin            (B2/1.1)        born in January 1894

        Hardy Bowlin            (B2/1.2)        born in March 1895

        Horace Bowlin           (B2/1.3)        born in April 1898

        Alta Mae Bowlin         (B2/1.4)        born January 16, 1902

        B. D. Bowlin            (B2/1.5)        born September 13, 1903

        Docie Bowlin            (B2/1.6)        born about 1907

        Johnny Bowlin           (B2/1.7)        born September 28, 1910

        Vergie Bowlin           (B2/1.8)        born about 1912

 

Rufus Bowlin (B2/1.1), son of John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1) and Ida Belle Whitmire Bowlin (W3/1.2) was born in January 1894 in Williamson County.  He appeared as a six-year-old in the 1900 census of his father's house­hold.  He was married about 1918 to Mattie Kitchen (K2/1.1).  No children were born to them.

 

Hardy Bowlin (B2/1.2), son of John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1) and Ida Belle Whitmire Bowlin (W3/1.2), was born in March 1895.  He appeared as a five-year-old in the 1900 census of his father's household.  He was married about 1930 to Addie Lee Wiggley (W2/1.1) and lived at San Angelo, Texas.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Bobbie Gene Bowlin      (B1/2.1)        born June 19, 1937

        Acena Bowlin            (B1/2.2)        born about 1939

        Virginia Bowlin         (B1/2.3)        born about 1942

        Glenda Bowlin           (B1/2.4)        born about 1946

 

Bobbie Gene Bowlin (B1/2.1), son of Hardy Bowlin (B2/1.2) and Addie Lee Wiggley Bowlin (W2/1.1), was born June 19, 1937.  He died August 19, 1968.

 

Horace Bowlin (B2/1.3), son of John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1) and Ida Belle Whitmire Bowlin (W3/1.2), was born in April 1898.  He died May 1, 1901 af­ter being "bitten twice by a rattlesnake" and was buried in Chalk Ridge Cemetery.

 

Alta Mae Bowlin (B2/1.4), daughter of John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1) and Ida Belle Whitmire Bowlin (W3/1.2), was born January 16, 1902.  She was mar­ried in 1920 to Percy Little­field (L2/1.1).  She died October 19, 1966.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Dorothy Littlefield     (L1/1.1)        born about 1922

        J. B. Littlefield       (L1/1.2)        born about 1925

 

Dorothy Littlefield (L1/1.1), daughter of Percy Littlefield (L2/1.1) and Alta Mae Bowlin Littlefield (B2/1.4), was born about 1922.  She was mar­ried about 1946, hus­band's name Bond.

 

J. B. Littlefield (L1/1.2), son of Percy Littlefield (L2/1.1) and Alta Mae Bowlin Lit­tlefield (B2/1.4), was born about 1925.

 

B. D. Bowlin (B2/1.5), son of John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1) and Ida Belle Whitmire Bowlin (W3/1.2), was born September 13, 1903.  He was married about 1923, wife's name Margie.  He died May 4, 1959.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Terrel L. Bowlin        (B1/5.1)        born about 1924

        Nelda Bowlin            (B1/5.2)        born about 1926

        Linda Jo Bowlin         (B1/5.3)        born about 1929

        Dixie Ruth Bowlin       (B1/5.4)        born about 1932

 

Docie Bowlin (B2/1.6), daughter of John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1) and Ida Belle Whitmire Bowlin (W3/1.2), was born about 1907.  She died unmarried in 1979.

 

Johnny Bowlin (B2/1.7), son of John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1) and Ida Belle Whitmire Bowlin (W3/1.2), was born September 28, 1910.  He was married about 1932 to Lenora Lee (L2/­1.1).  Lenora Lee Bowlin (L2/1.1) died with the birth of their first child. He was re­married in 1940 to Odessa Godwin (G2/1.1).  She was later a patient in a mental hos­pital in Big Spring, Texas.  In 1969 he lived at Brownfield.

 

Children born to Johnny Bowlin (B2/1.7) and his first wife include:

 

        Patsy Bowlin            (B1/7.1)        born about 1934

 

Vergie Bowlin (B2/1.8), daughter of John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1) and Ida Belle Whitmire Bowlin (W3/1.2), was born about 1912.  She was married about 1930 to Lonnie Goings (G2/1.1).

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Sheila Goings           (G1/1.1)        born about 1932

 

Melona A. Whitmire (W3/1.3), daughter of Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire (W4/7.1) and Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire (W4/7.1), was born April 8, 1877 in Williamson County.  She was married about 1895 to Albert Sherwood (S3/1.1) who was born August 18, 1878. They liv­ed in Copperas Cove.  "Ona Sherwood et al" filed suit against her brother John Louis Whitmire (W3/1.9) in con­nection with their parents' estate. according to Coryell Coun­ty Deed book 102, page 449.   He died January 5, 1944, and she died June 7, 1952.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Herman W. Sherwood      (S2/1.1)        born about 1898

 

Herman W. Sherwood (S2/1.1), son of Albert Sherwood (S3/1.1) and Malona A. Whitmire Sherwood (W3/1.3), was born about 1898.  He was married January 8, 1927 to Ocie Wright (W2/1.1) who was born October 6, 1906.  He died January 1, 1982.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        La Neva Sherwood        (S1/1.1)        born April 28, 1932

 

La Neva Sherwood (S1/1.1), daughter of Herman W. Sherwood (S2/1.1) and Ocie Wright Sherwood (W2/1.1), was born April 28, 1932.  She was married about 1947 to Elmer Franks (F1/1.1).

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Onita Franks            (F-1/1.1)       born May 7, 1949

        Brenda Kay Franks       (F-1/1.2)       born July 12, 1953

        Wayne Franks            (F-1/1.3)       born December 13, 1955

 

Alfred H. Whitmire (W3/1.4), son of Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire (W4/7.1) and Clarissa Abi­gail Shedd Whitmire (S4/1.1), was born November 18, 1878 in Williamson County, in con­trast to his 1900 census enumeration which is be­lieved to be an error.  He joined his brother William Henry "Boss" Whit­mire (W3/1.1) in the purchase of a farm on Berry's Creek in 1897.

 

He was married about 1900 to Della I. Vickers (V3/1.1), daughter of John Vickers (V4/1.1) and Sarah J. Ashabranner Vickers (A4/1.1).  John Vickers (V4/1.1) had died about 1885 in a ranch accident, according to Lola Vickers who lived in Liberty Hill, Texas in 1987.  Another daughter, Elizabeth Vickers (V3/1.2) was burned to death in a motel fire in Dallas about 1940. 

 

He appeared in the 1900 census of Williamson County, Enumeration District 130, page 22, Precinct 5, as the head of a household located adjacent to his parents.  The fam­ily was rendered as:

 

        "Whitmire, Alfred H.    22, born March 1878 in Texas, father born in

                                    Texas, mother born in Texas

                   Della I.     21, born in May 1879 in Texas, one child, wife

                   Della C.   1/12, born in May 1900 in Texas, father born in

                                    Texas, mother born in Texas, daughter

          Vickers, Sara J.      40, born in January 1860 in Texas, father born

                                    in Texas, mother born in Georgia, 2 child-

                                    ren, both living, nurse, mother-in-law"

 

Later they lived in Killeen, Texas.  He was enumerated as the head of a household in the 1910 census of Coryell County, Enumeration District 38, page 7:

 

        "Whitmire, Alfred       31, born in Texas in 1879

                   Della        29, born in Texas in 1881

                   Cordie        9, born in Texas in 1900, daughter

                   Lillian       4, born in Texas in 1906, daughter"

 

Alfred H. Whitmire (W3/1.4) received a warranty deed to land in the Hallmark Survey May 4, 1917 from Louis Dewald, according to the Coryell County Deed Book 75, page 613.  He gave a transfer of land in the Edmiston Survey to Paul Kindler January 13, 1919, according to Coryell County Deed Book 84, page 577. 

 

An "infant of A. H. Whitmire died June 15, 1918" in Coryell County, ac­cording to Texas BVS death records. 

 

They sold 160 acres December 3, 1919 to Louis Dewald for $1,800, according to Coryell County Deed Book 55, page 559.  They deeded a lot in Whitsitt Addition in Copperas Cove, Texas to Mrs. Ludie Roedler November 23, 1920, ac­cording to Coryell County Deed Book 94, page 121.  They deeded land in the Friend Sur­vey December 8, 1920, according to Coryell County Deed Book 94, page 142.  On February 21 1921, he sold 103 acres to Mrs. O. C. Swinney for $1,500, according to Coryell County Deed Book 96, page 76.

 

In 1923 Alfred H. Whitmire (W3/1.4) "of Bell County" gave a quit claim deed to his brother, John Louis Whitmire (W3/1.9) to his interest in 49.5 acres which was in the estate of their parents, according to Coryell County Deed Book 102, page 335.

 

In 1959, at age 82, he lived in California.  He died May 4, 1970 at Oxnard, California. 

 

Children born to Alfred H. Whitmire (W3/1.4) and Della I. Vickers Whitmire (V3/1.1) include:

 

        Della Cordelia Whitmire  (W2/4.1)       born June 23, 1900

        Lillian Whitmire         (W2/4.2)       born June 27, 1905

         (son)                   (W2/4.3)       born in 1918

 

Della Cordelia Whitmire (W2/4.1), daughter of Alfred H. Whitmire (W3/1.4) and Della I. Vickers Whitmire (V3/1.1), was born June 23, 1900.  She died May 8, 1965.

 

Lillian Whitmire (W2/6.1), daughter of Alfred H. Whitmire (W3/1.4) and Della I. Vick­ers Whitmire (V3/1.1), was born June 17, 1905.  She appeared in her father's household in the 1910 census.

 

A son, (W2/6.3), was stillborn to Alfred H. Whitmire (W3/1.4) and Della I. Vickers Whitmire (V3/1.1) in 1918.  He died June 15, 1918 in Coryell County, according to BVS File 24038.

 

A son, (W3/1.5), was born to Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire (W4/7.1) and Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire (W4/1.1) in April 1880.  It is believed that he died in infancy.

 

Amanda Whitmire (W3/1.6), daughter of Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire (W4/7.1) and Clarissa Abi­gail Shedd Whitmire (S4/1.1), was born June 20, 1881 in Williamson County.  Her 1900 census enumeration incorrectly shows her date of birth as "April 1881."  She was mar­ried about 1900 to Sid Browning (B3/1.1).  In 1969 she lived in a nursing home in Clute, Texas.  She died there December 1, 1971.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Lola Browning           (B2/1.1)        born about 1902

        Bertie Browning         (B2/1.2)        born about 1904

        Orville Floyd Browning  (B2/1.3)        born about 1907

        Harley Dee Browning     (B2/1.4)        born August 31, 1911

 

Lola Browning (B2/1.1), daughter of Sid Browning (B3/1.1) and Amanda Whit­mire Browning (W3/1.6), was born about 1902.  She was married about 1920 to W. J. Warren (W2/1.1).  She was remarried, husband's name Struel.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Clifton Warren          (W1/1.1)        born about 1922

        Lennis Warren           (W1/1.2)        born about 1925

 

Bertie Browning (B2/1.2), daughter of Sid Browning (B3/1.1) and Amanda Whitmire Brown­ing (W3/1.6), was born about 1904.  She was married about 1922, husband's name Net­tles.  She was remarried about 1928 to Abe Peters (P2/1.1) who died in 1962.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        A. J. Nettles           (N1/1.1)        born about 1924

        Delmon Peters           (P1/1.1)        born about 1930

        L. A. Peters            (P1/1.2)        born about 1932

        La Juan Peters          (P1/1.3)        born about 1934

        La Neil Peters          (P1/1.4)        born about 1936

        Christine Peters        (P1/1.5)        born about 1939

 

Orville Floyd Browning (B2/1.3), son of Sid Browning (B3/1.1) and Amanda Whitmire Browning (W3/1.6), was born about 1907.  He was married about 1930, wife's name Gertrude.  She died in 1982.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Henry Floyd Browning    (B1/3.1)        born about 1932

        Luther Elvis Browning   (B1/3.2)        born about 1934

        Thomas Ray Browning     (B1/3.3)        born about 1936

        Weldon James Browning   (B1/3.4)        born about 1938

        Gilda Fay Browning      (B1/3.5)        born about 1941

 

Harley Dee Browning (B2/1.4), son of Sid Browning (B3/1.1) and Amanda Whitmire Brown­ing (W3/1.6), was born August 31, 1911.  He was married about 1932, wife's name Ruth.  At one time they lived at Hereford, later at Clute.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Lennie Jean Browning    (B1/4.1)        born about 1934

        Lola Mae Browning       (B1/4.2)        born about 1936

        Peggie LaNell Browning  (B1/4.3)        born about 1938

        Norman D. Browning      (B1/4.4)        born about 1941

        Annie Marie Browning    (B1/4.5)        born about 1944

 

Rebecca Vera Whitmire (W3/1.7), daughter of Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire (W4/7.1) and Cla­rissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire (S4/1.1), was born June 5, 1883.  In 1909 she, a sin­gle girl, came to visit her Cox relatives in Throckmorton County, Texas.  She appeared in her father's household in the 1910 census of Coryell County.    She was married there December 16, 1912 to Morgan J. Allen (A3/1.1), according to Bell County Marriage Book T, page 298. He was born February 17, 1886.  They continued to live in Coryell County.  He died January 8, 1955, and she died November 29, 1959.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Mary Opal Allen         (A2/1.1)        born August 8, 1914

        Morgan Lloyd Allen      (A2/1.2)        born July 4, 1918

        Floyd D. Allen          (A2/1.3)        born March 21, 1920

 

Mary Opal Allen (A2/1.1), daughter of Morgan J. Allen (A3/1.1) and Rebecca Vera Whit­mire Allen (W3/1.7), was born August 8, 1914.  She was married December 19, 1936 to S. T. Taffender (T2/1.1) who was born June 12, 1915.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Sam Allen Taffender     (T1/1.1)        born May 24, 1941

 

Sam Allen Taffender (T1/1.1), son of S. T. Taffender (T2/1.1) and Mary Opal Allen Taffender (A2/1.1), was born May 24, 1941.  He was married September 8, 1962 to Janice Vahrenkamp (V1/1.1).  In 1969 they lived in Lovington, New Mexico.

 

Children born to Sam Allen Taffender (T1/1.1) and Janice Vahrenkamp Taffender (V1/1.1) include:

 

        Glen Gregory Taffender  (T-1/1.1)       born November 16, 1965

        Monica Denee Taffender  (T-1/1.2)       born March 19, 1969

        Thomas Carl Taffender   (T-1/1.3)       born December 1, 1970

 

Morgan Lloyd Allen (A2/1.2), son of Morgan J. Allen (A3/1.1) and Rebecca Vera Whitmire Allen (W3/1.7), was born July 4, 1918.  He was married November 28, 1938 to Katheryn Kirk (K2/1.1).

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Donald Kirk Allen       (A1/2.1)        born April 21, 1941

        Charles Richard Allen   (A1/2.2)        born September 15, 1943

        Linda Kay Allen         (A1/2.3)        born July 18, 1950

 

Floyd D. Allen (A2/1.3), son of Morgan J. Allen (A3/1.1) and Rebecca Vera Whitmire Allen (W3/1.7), was born March 21, 1920.  He was married December 1, 1956 to Mrs. Vir­ginia Hatter Berry (H2/1.1) who was born May 23, 1920.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Floy Karen Allen        (A1/3.1)        born December 8, 1957

 

Jenny Minerva Catherine Whitmire (W3/1.8), daughter of Asa C. "Ace" Whit­mire (W4/7.1) and Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire (S4/1.1), was born in December 14, 1883 in Wil­liamson County.  Her 1900 census enumeration erro­neously reported her date of birth as December 1887.  She was married about 1906 to John Blankenship (B3/1.1) who was born January 28, 1885.  He died September 6, 1960, and she died June 14, 1962.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Jewel Faye Blankenship  (B2/1.1)        born March 27, 1909

        E. C. Blankenship       (B2/1.2)        born September 29, 1911

        Floy Blankenship        (B2/1.3)        born January 13, 1917

 

Jewel Faye Blankenship (B2/1.1), daughter of John Blankenship (B3/1.1) and Jenny Min­erva Catherine Whitmire Blankenship (W3/1.8), was born March 27,1909.  She was married about 1937 to Herbert Kielman (K2/1.1) who was born April 7, 1909.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Henry Gail Kielman      (K1/1.1)        born June 9, 1941

        Barbara Kielman         (K1/1.2)        born December 9, 1945

        Margie Kielman          (K1/1.3)        born February 13, 1948

 

E. C. Blankenship (B2/1.2), son of John Blankenship (B3/1.1) and Jenny Minerva Cather­ine Whitmire Blankenship (W3/1.8), was born September 29, 1911.  He died December 14, 1914.

 

Floy Blankenship (B2/1.3), daughter of John Blankenship (B3/1.1) and Jenny Minerva Catherine Whitmire Blankenship (W3/1.8), was born January 13, 1917.  She was married about 1935 to Woodrow Byrd (B2/1.1) who was born December 28, 1913.  He died in Jan­uary 1972.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Ronnie Roe Byrd         (B1/1.1)        born August 15, 1939

        Lanae Byrd              (B1/1.2)        born July 9, 1942

 

John Louis "Little John" Whitmire (W3/1.9), son of Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire (W4/7.1) and Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire (S4/1.1), was born February 17, 1886 in Williamson County.  According to Coryell County Marriage Book 7, page 455 he was married June 14, 1908 to Clara Jewel Morris (M3/1.1) who was born October 13, 1893.  He purchased the farm of his parents in Coryell County about 1924.  He gave a warranty deed in the Ed­miston Survey November 12, 1924 to Joe Allison, according to Coryell County Deed Book 102, page 581.  He received a deed for the interest of "W. H. Whitmire"in the farm of their parents September 10, 1924, according to Coryell County Deed Book 99, page 315.  He received a trustee's deed from "A.H. Whitmire, bankrupt" for $135 for his interest in the 136.5 acre farm of their par­ents, according to Coryell County Deed Book 101, page 122.

 

Later they removed to Bailey County.  She died March 24, 1944, and he was remarried August 17, 1946 to Zona Brashear (B3/1.1) and lived at San An­gelo, Texas where he op­erated a sheep ranch.  He died July 24, 1947.  No children were born to John Louis "Little John" Whitmire (W3/1.9) and Zona Brashear Whitmire (B3/1.1).

 

Children born to John Louis Whitmire (W3/1.9) and Clara Jewel Morris Whit­mire (M3/1.1) include:

 

        Ethel Etoile Whitmire     (W2/9.1)       born January 3, 1910

        Anthony Clifton Whitmire  (W2/9.2)       born May 31, 1912

        Myrtle Onetta Whitmire    (W2/9.3)       born October 13, 1914

        J. L. Whitmire            (W2/9.6)       born November 30, 1923

 

Two other children born to them died in infancy.

 

Ethel Etoile Whitmire (W2/9.1), daughter of John Louis Whitmire (W3/1.9) and Clara Jewel Morris Whitmire (M3/1.1), was born January 3, 1910, ac­cording to Coryell County Birth Book 1, page 208.  According to Coryell County Marriage Book 10, page 167 she was married October 12, 1924 to Samuel Wesley Cox (C2/1.1).  He was born February 14, 1906, according to Coryell County Delayed Birth Book 3, page 623.  He was a son of Samuel (George?) Cox (C3/1.1) and Myrtle Johnson Cox (J3/1.1) and a brother to Thomas Cox (C2/1.2).  Samuel Cox (C3/1.1) was born in Texas in 1872, and Myrtle Johnson Cox (J3/1.1) was born in 1879.

 

Later they were divorced.  Ethel Etoile Whitmire Cox (W2/8.1) was remar­ried to "Blackie" Newton (N2/1.1) October 31, 1968.  In 1984 she lived in Lampasas County, Texas.

 

Children born to Samuel Wesley Cox (C2/1.1) and Ethel Etoile Whitmire Cox (W2/9.1) in­clude:

 

        Alta Mae Cox            (C1/1.1)        born October 11, 1926

        Wanda Fay Cox           (C1/1.2)        born December 2, 1929

        John Samuel Cox         (C1/1.3)        born January 3, 1935

        Arnetha Anice Cox       (C1/1.4)        born March 21, 1940

        Samuel Wesley Cox, Jr.  (C1/1.5)        born June 11, 1948

 

Alta Mae Cox (C1/1.1), daughter of Samuel Wesley Cox (C2/1.1) and Ethel Etoile Whit­mire Cox (W2/9.1), was born October 11, 1926.  She was married about 1946 to Gail Ed­wards (E1/1.1).

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Douglas Edwards         (E-1/1.1)       born about 1948

        Gayla Fay Edwards       (E-1/1.2)       born about 1951

        Michael Edwards         (E-1/1.3)       born about 1954

 

Wanda Fay Cox (C1/1.2), daughter of Samuel Wesley Cox (C2/1.1) and Ethel Etoile Whit­mire Cox (W2/9.1), was born December 2, 1929.  She died Febru­ary 4, 1946.

 

John Samuel Cox (C1/1.3), son of Samuel Wesley Cox (C2/1.1) and Ethel Etoile Whitmire Cox (W2/9.1), was born January 3, 1936, according to Coryell County Birth Book A, page 1940.  He died January 12, 1947.

 

Arnetha Anice Cox (C1/1.4), daughter of Samuel Wesley Cox (C2/1.1) and Ethel Etoile Whitmire Cox (W2/9.1), was born March 21, 1940, according to Coryell County Birth Cer­tificate 3510.  In 1985 she remained unmarried.

 

Samuel Wesley Cox, Jr. (C1/1.5), son of Samuel Wesley Cox (C2/1.1) and Ethel Etoile Whitmire Cox (W2/9.1), was born June 11, 1948 at Mound, Texas, according to Lampasas County Birth Book 8, page 256. 

 

Children born to Samuel Wesley Cox, Jr. (C1/1.5) include:

 

        Bryan Wayne Cox         (C-1/5.1)       born about 1963

        Samuel Wesley Cox III   (C-1/5.2)       born about 1965

        Leslie Cox              (C-1/5.3)       born about 1967

        Brenda Kay Cox          (C-1/5.4)       born about 1968

        Kyle Cox                (C-1/5.5)       born about 1971

 

Anthony Clifton Whitmire (W2/9.2), son of John Louis Whitmire (W3/1.9) and Clara Jewel Morris Whitmire (M3/1.1), was born May 31, 1912, according to Coryell County Delayed Birth Book 3, page 544.  He was married August 15, 1940 at Sweetwater, Texas to Opal Lavenia Hartsell (H2/1.1) who was born about 1915 at Chico, Texas.  In 1969 he was a farmer, and she was a schoolteacher at Kress, Texas.  They continued there in 1986.

 

Opal Lavenia Hartsell Whitmire (H2/1.2), an accomplished genealogist, has made a de­tailed study of the Whitmire family.  Through her kindness much of the data in this section came from her research.

 

Children born to Anthony Clifton Whitmire (W2/9.2) and Opal Lavenia Hart­sell Whitmire (H2/1.2) include:

 

        Alan Charles Whitmire     (W1/2.1)        born June 30, 1943

        Clifteen Ranell Whitmire  (W1/2.2)        born July 4, 1946

 

Alan Charles Whitmire (W1/2.1), son of Anthony Clifton Whitmire (W2/9.2) and Opal Lavenia Hartsell Whitmire (H2/1.2), was born June 30, 1943.  He was married August 20, 1965 to Ann Blackerby (B1/1.1).  In 1984 they lived in Wichita Falls, Texas.

 

Children born to Alan Charles Whitmire (W1/2.1) and Ann Blackerby Whitmire (B1/1.1) include:

 

        Anthony Charles Whitmire        (W-1/1.1)       born August 3, 1971

        Elizabeth Ann Whitmire          (W-1/1.2)       born December 28, 1974

 

Clifteen Ranell Whitmire (W1/2.2), daughter of Anthony Clifton Whitmire (W2/9.2) and Opal Lavenia Hartsell Whitmire (H2/1.2), was born July 4, 1946.  She was married March 19, 1968 to Joseph W. White (W1/1.1).  In 1984 they lived at Happy, Texas.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Joseph Lee White        (W-1/1.1)       born June 26, 1969

        Kristi Ranell White     (W-1/1.2)       born November 22, 1972

 

Myrtle Onetta Whitmire (W2/9.3), daughter of John Louis Whitmire (W3/1.9) and Clara Jewel Morris Whitmire (M3/1.1), was born October 13, 1914.  She was married January 3, 1933 to Ed Stevenson (S2/1.1).  Following their di­vorce she was remarried in October 1945 to Preston Stewart (S2/1.1).  He died January 4, 1946, and she was remarried June 9, 1947 to Clifford C. Smethers (S2/1.1).  He died in 1980.  In 1984 she lived in Min­eral Wells, Texas.

 

Children born to Ed Stevenson (S2/1.1) and Myrtle Onetta Whitmire Steven­son (W2/9.3) include:

 

        Von L. Stevenson           (S1/1.1)        born September 8, 1935

        James Thaddeus Stevenson   (S1/1.2)        born June 12, 1937

 

Von L. Stevenson (S1/1.1), son of Ed Stevenson (S2/1.1) and Myrtle Onetta Whitmire Stevenson (W2/11.3), was born September 8, 1935.  He was married June 1, 1953 to Gera­lene Ruby Courtney (C1/1.1).  Following a divorce he was remarried November 27, 1978 to Stephanie Downing (D1/1.1).  He retired as a master sergeant in U.S. Army intelli­gence and died May 6, 1984.

 

James Thaddeus Stevenson (S1/1.2), son of Ed Stevenson (S2/1.1) and Myrtle Onetta Whitmire Stevenson (W2/11.3), was born June 12, 1937.  He was mar­ried May 24, 1957 to Patsy Ann Harris (H1/1.1).  In 1984 they lived at Watauga, Texas.

 

J. L. Whitmire (W2/9.6), son of John Louis Whitmire (W3/1.9) and Clara Jewel Morris Whitmire (M3/1.1), was born November 30, 1923, according to Coryell County Delayed Birth Book 2, page 328.  He was married December 7, 1947 to Mildred Damron (D2/1.1).  In 1984 they lived at Tulia, Texas.

 

Children born to J. L. Whitmire (W2/9.6) and Mildred Damron Whitmire (D2/1.1) include:

 

        Vicki Jayleen Whitmire    (W1/6.1)      born October 2, 1953

        Dianne Whitmire           (W1/6.2)      born March 18, 1959

 

Vicki Jayleen Whitmire (W1/6.1), daughter of J. L. Whitmire (W2/9.6) and Mildred Dam­ron Whitmire (D2/1.1), was born October 2, 1953.  She was mar­ried November 3, 1972 to Gary Wilfong (W1/1.1).  In 1984 they lived at Tu­lia.

 

Dianne Whitmire (W1/6.2), daughter of J. L. Whitmire (W2/6.4) and Mildred Damron Whit­mire (D2/1.1), was born March 18, 1959.  In 1984 she remained unmarried and was em­ployed by Southwestern Public Service Company in Amar­illo, Texas.

 

Jesse James Whitmire, son of Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire and Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire, was born in June 19, 1888 in Williamson County.  He appeared in the household of his brother William Henry "Boss" Whitmire in the 1910 census of Coryell County.  He was married June 4, 1911 to Lela Belle Lee, according to Throck­morton County Marriage Book 1, page 212.  She was born to James Harvey Lee and Mary A. Elizabeth "Lizzie" Hawkins Lee October 1, 1893 and was a niece to Claud Franklin Gowen.  Lela Belle Lee was the oldest of 10 children.  They received a visit from Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire in Throckmorton County about 1915.  He died January 14, 1919 in the influenza epidemic and was buried at Woodson, Texas.  She was remarried there to Martin Gardner, a widower whose wife Nora Ellis Gardner had died leaving a son and a daughter.

 

Martin Gardner died at Corona, New Mexico in 1963.  She followed him in death one day later.  Sixty-five descendants attended the double funeral.  Eula Mae Lee Stubblefield Chambers reported in an interview that Lela Belle Lee Whitmire died April 8, 1965.

 

Children born to Jesse James Whitmire and Lela Belle Lee Whitmire include:

 

          James Otho Whitmire            born March 25, 1912

          Leonard Noble Whitmire      born October 21, 1913

          Melvin Elbert Whitmire        born August 22, 1915

 

James Otho Whitmire, son of Jesse James Whitmire and Lela Belle Lee Whitmire, was born March 25, 1912.  He was married in March 1938 to Bon­nie Barrett.  He died August 22, 1941 in Deming, New Mexico.

 

Children born to James Otho Whitmire and Bonnie Barrett Whitmire include:

 

          Jesse Whitmire                       born about 1940

          Wanda Whitmire born  about 1941

 

Wanda Whitmire, daughter of James Otho Whitmire and Bonnie Barrett Whitmire, was born about 1941.  She was married about 1960 to H. D. Bowen.

 

Leonard Noble Whitmire, son of Jesse James Whitmire and Lela Belle Lee Whitmire, was born October 21, 1913.  He was married about 1937 to Jose­phine Sherill who was born August 22, 1912.  In 1969 they lived in Deming, New Mexico.

 

Children born to them include:

 

          James Henry Whitmire born October 22, 1939

          John Lee Whitmire                born December 15, 1940

 

James Henry Whitmire, son of Leonard Noble Whitmire  and Josephine Sherill Whitmire, was born October 22, 1939 in Deming, New Mexico.

 

Children born to him include:

 

          John Whitmire [adopted]       born April 30, 1959

          Pamela Hope Whitmire                   born November 7, 1962

 

John Lee Whitmire, son of Leonard Noble Whitmire and Josephine Sherill Whitmire, was born December 15, 1940 in Odessa, Texas. 

 

Children born to him include:

 

          Marcella Jo Whitmire  born December 8, 1960

          Richard Lee Whitmire  born April 26, 1964

          Ronald Paul Whitmire born June 6, 1966

 

Melvin Elbert Whitmire, son of Jesse James Whitmire and Lela Belle Lee Whitmire, was born August 22, 1915.  He was married November 3, 1946 to Ruth Spain who was born July 11, 1924.  In 1969 they lived in Deming.

 

Children born to Melvin Elbert Whitmire and Ruth Spain Whitmire in­clude:

 

          Bettie Ruth Whitmire            born September 16, 1947

          Robert Wayne Whitmire        born May 30, 1950

          Alma Louise Whitmire                   born December 26, 1953

          Kenneth Edwin Whitmire      born January 22, 1961

 

Bettie Ruth Whitmire, daughter of Melvin Elbert Whitmire and Ruth Spain Whitmire, was born September 16, 1947.

 

Robert Wayne Whitmire, son of Melvin Elbert Whitmire and Ruth Spain Whitmire, was born May 30, 1950.

 

Alma Louise Whitmire, daughter of Melvin Elbert Whitmire and Ruth Spain Whitmire, was born December 26, 1953.  She died October 2, 1959.

 

Kenneth Edwin Whitmire, son of Melvin Elbert Whitmire and Ruth Spain Whitmire, was born January 22, 1961.  He died November 17, 1962.

 

Ruth "Dinkie" Whitmire (W3/1.11), daughter of Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire (W4/7.1) and Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire (S4/1.1), was born February 2, 1891 in Williamson County.  She was married in Throckmorton County [one report shows Coryell County] February 3, 1910 to Joseph G. Allison (A3/1.1) who was born December 23, 1887.  He died March 1, 1964.  In 1969 she lived in Redmond, Oregon.  She died July 16, 1975.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Theodore R. Allison       (A2/1.1)        born November 7, 1911

        Aultice Allison           (A2/1.2)        born October 26, 1913

        Pauline Allison           (A2/1.3)        born September 2, 1915

        Joe Dawson "Buck" Allison (A2/1.4)        born February 14, 1921

 

Theodore R. Allison (A2/1.1), son of Joseph G. Allison (A3/1.1) and Ruth "Dinkie" Whitmire Allison (W3/1.11), was born November 7, 1911.  He was married October 31, 1945 to Lora Lee Titus (T2/1.1).

 

Aultice Allison (A2/1.2), daughter of Joseph G. Allison (A3/1.1) and Ruth "Dinkie" Whitmire Allison (W3/1.11), was born October 26, 1913.  She was married July 27, 1936 to Daniel H. Hiereman (H2/1.1).  In 1985 he was a realtor in Redmond.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Daniel H. Hiereman, Jr.   (H1/1.1)      born February 6, 1941

 

Pauline Allison (A2/1.3), daughter of Joseph G. Allison (A3/1.1) and Ruth "Dinkie" Whitmire Allison (W3/1.11), was born September 2, 1915 and died January 1, 1918 in the influenza epidemic.

 

Joe Dawson "Buck" Allison (A2/1.4), son of Joseph G. Allison (A3/1.1) and Ruth "Dinkie" Whitmire Allison (W3/1.11), was born February 14, 1921.  He was married February 8, 1941 to Opal Ruth Roberts (R2/1.1).  In 1969 they lived at Rogue River, Oregon.

 

Children born to them include:

 

        Joe Denny Allison       (A1/4.1)        born February 22, 1942

        Jeanne Barbara Allison  (A1/4.2)        born December 6, 1944

        Beverly Gail Allison    (A1/4.3)        born December 7, 1946

 

Joe Denny Allison (A1/4.1), son of Joe Dawson "Buck" Allison (S2/1.4) and Opal Ruth Roberts Allison (R2/1.1), was born February 22, 1942.

 

Jeanne Barbara Allison (A1/4.2), daughter of Joe Dawson "Buck" Allison (S2/1.4) and Opal Ruth Roberts Allison (R2/1.1), was born December 6, 1944.  She was married about 1964 to John Fawcett (F1/1.1).

 

Beverly Gail Allison (A1/4.3), daughter of Joe Dawson "Buck" Allison (S2/1.4) and Opal Ruth Roberts Allison (R2/1.1), was born December 7, 1946.  She was married about 1966 to Richard Rensfield (R1/1.1).

 

Otho Walter Whitmire (C3/1.14), son of Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire (W4/7.1) and Clarissa Abigail Shedd Whitmire (S4/1.1), was born in March 1895 in Williamson County.  For $1,000 he gave a warranty deed to Albert Sherwood (W3/1.1) May 6, 1913 to land which he had purchased August 3, 1912 from John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1), his brother-in-law, according to Coryell County Deed Book 81, page 276.  He received another deed from the Bowlins to land in the Walling Survey located 16.5 miles southwest of Gatesville for $1,200, according to Coryell County Deed Book 87, page 402.  He purchased land in the Edmiston Survey from J. L. Fowler and wife, M. E. Fowler Jan­uary 3, 1920, "same con­veyed to J. L. Fowler by. W. H. Whitmire and wife Josie Whitmire by deed dated Febru­ary 11, 1918."  Consideration was $4,250, according to Coryell County Deed Book 81, page 377.  He was mar­ried in October 1918 to Ada Hufstetler (H3/1.1), according to Coryell County Marriage Book 9, page 255.  "He received a deed from the Carrie R. Shouse Estate to 162 acres in the Shouse Survey for $1,200 February 2, 1921, according to Coryell County Deed Book 96, page 110. 

 

"Otho Whitmire et ux Ada Whitmire of Lampasas County" conveyed their in­terest in his parents' farmland to John Louis Whitmire (W3/1.9) for $300, according to Coryell County Deed Book 101, page 124.  They had returned to Coryell County by January 8, 1924.  On that date they sold five tracts of land in the Shouse Survey to the First State Bank of Copperas Cove for $8,000, according to Coryell County Deed Book 101, page 372.  They ap­peared in the 1926 tax list of Concho County, according to "History of Concho County, Texas."  He died in 1957, and she was deceased by 1969.

 

Jack Whitmire (W4/7.2), son of Henry Whitmire (W5/3.7) and Amanda M. Fish Whitmire (F5/1.2), was born about 1845 in Jasper County.  He was killed, about age 18, in a Civil War massacre in Bandera County July 25, 1863 along with his cousin, Jacob Kyle (K5/1.2).  "One Hundred Years in Ban­dera." carried an account of the massacre.  The report reads:

 

"In 1863 a party of men who, not caring to take sides in the great struggle that was being waged between the North and South, left their homes in Wil­liamson County and started to Mexico.  They were well provided with good mounts, heavily armed, had several hundred dollars in cash and were fully equipped for the long journey.

 

This party of eight men and a boy reached Bandera and stopped to rest their horses and buy supplies.  They made no secret of their destination or the rea­son for their trip, but openly stated that they were going to Mexico to avoid conscription.

 

At the time there was stationed at Camp Verde, 12 miles north of Bandera a com­pany of Confederate cavalry.  When it was learned that the party was en route to Mexico a detachment of 25 cavalrymen un­der the command of a Major Alexander was dispatched to apprehend them.  When the detachment reached Bandera the men had gone, but they were overtaken on Squirrel Creek and were promised a fair trial by court martial if they would surrender.

 

The men agreed, gave up their arms and started back to Camp Verde escorted by the cavalry, little dreaming that they would never see another sunrise.  When the party reached Julian, two miles east of Bandera, later in the afternoon a camp was made for the night.  Af­ter supper some of the men suggested that they should hang the men on the spot.  Major Alexander seems to have given tacit consent, and the prisoners were hanged, one at a time, on a liveoak tree.  One of the prisoners requested that he be shot, and the troopers complied--he was shot thru with a full charge.  The ramrod was left in the muzzle and penetrated his body like an arrow.

 

Joe Poor, who lived on the Middle Verde, was camped nearby, but did not hear the disturbance.  When he went out to look for his horses the next morning he came upon the bodies.  Seeing the ramrod pro­truding from one of the victims, he surmised an Indian attack and rode a full speed to Bandera to spread the alarm.  A party of men composed of O. B. Miles, George Hay, John Pyka, Robert Ballan­tine, Amasa Clark and others accompanied Poor back to the scene and found the bodies.  The eight bodies were wrapped in blankets and buried on the spot in a common grave.  Stones were stacked for a marker.

 

An inquest was held and a verdict rendered attaching blame to the major and his party.  The boy in the party was spared in the mas­sacre and was taken away by the murderers, according to one version of the report.

 

After the war was over and the courts functioning again the men re­sponsible for the crime were indicted by the Bandera County grand jury, but all had disap­peared.  They were never brought to trial although the case was continued from term to term.

 

In later years a monument was erected over the grave of the vic­tims, and it stands there today in an out-of-the-way place in the pasture formerly owned by Frank Pyka. Presently the property is owned by J. H. Corneilison.  Inscribed on the monument is:

 

        C. J. Sawyer    W. M. Sawyer    George Thayre   William Shumake

        Jake Kyle       Jack Whitmire   John Smart      Mr. Van Winkle

 

                              Died 25 July, 1963

 

In its edition of January 29, 1922 the "San Antonio Express" carried an article about the mass murders:

 

"SENTINEL OAK AND LONELY GRAVE

MARK GRIM TRAGEDY OF BANDERA HILLS

 

During the days of the Civil War Bandera County was the scene of several tra­gedies, the most prominent of which was the execution of eight men one night in the summer of 1863, on Julian Creek, four miles east of this town.  There are no living witnesses to this tragedy--at least, if they are living they have kept silent for many, many years.  But living in Bandera County today are two or three men who remember the circumstances, and who assisted in giv­ing the victims a decent burial, and it is from these men that I got the information from which to weave the story of a crime for which the perpetrators were never brought to justice.

 

When Texas seceded from the Union old Camp Verde, 12 miles north of Bandera, was occupied by the Confederate forces.  First a frontier battalion was orga­nized to protection against the Indians, and this was direction from Camp Ver­de.  Later Confederate soldiers were stationed at this well known post where Gen. Robert E. Lee, Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston and other notables had at pre­vious times been in command

 

In 1863 it became known that a small party of supposed bushwhackers were pass­ing through the country en route to Mexico to avoid con­scription.  There were eight men a one boy in the party, and it be­came known that they were from Flo­rence, Williamson County, Texas.  A troop of 25 men under command of Maj. W. J. Alexander immediately started in pursuit.  In the pursuing party were a number of men who were well known to the early settlers of Bandera County, but after the close of the war, they all disappeared, some making haste to get out of the country.

 

The small band of nine men passed through Bandera several days be­fore the sol­diers took up their pursuit.  They were well mounted, well armed and well pro­visioned and made no secret of their desti­nation saying that they were leaving the country because they did not care to become involved in the strife between the states and when it was over they expected to return and take up their resi­dence in Williamson County again, where some of them had families and homes.  They seemed quiet and peaceable and paid for everything they secured in Ban­dera, and went on their way.

 

Several days afterward Maj. Alexander and his men came through Ban­dera on the trail of the men, and went from there to Hondo.  Pick­ing up the trail there, they followed it to Squirrel Creek, some 10 miles beyond Hondo, where they dis­covered the men they were seeking in camp.  They had finished their noonday meal, and were quietly resting, some lounging around and talking, others at­tending to the stock, not suspecting that they were being pursued and at that very moment in danger of being captured.  Approaching under cover to within a very short distance of where the men were camped, Maj.. Alexander stepped out into an opening and swinging his saber over his head called upon them to sur­render, telling them he had them surrounded and there was no chance for escape, and if they would quietly submit he would pledge his word that they should have a fair trial by court-martial at Camp Verde.

 

The little party of nine promptly yielded up their arms, and were then forced to saddle their horses and immediately start back to­ward Camp Verde.  All went evenly enough until the second night on the return trip when while in camp on the Julian some of Alexan­der's men wanted to hang the prisoners.

 

Some of the party refused to have anything to do with the execu­tion, but some were determined to put the prisoners out of the way, and accordingly marched them out some distance from camp and hung them one by one.  A hair rope was used in hanging these men, and each one died by strangulation, being drawn up until choked to death.  When life was extinct the victim was let down, and the rope cut, leaving the noose still about his neck.  Bill Sawyer, one of the vic­tims, begged to be shot, saying he preferred that manner of death to being hung.  His wish was granted, and someone in the party fired a rifle at him which only produced a flesh wound on his arm.  Sawyer fell, but when it was found that he had not been fa­tally shot, another man placed the muzzle of his gun against the fallen man and shot him through the body with a full charge leaving the ramrod in the gun, which went through him and into the ground.  He was thus found the next day.  The boy in the party, a lad of about 16, is sup­posed to have escaped, but he, too, may have been murdered, as he was never heard of again.

 

After completing their work, the men who had participated in this crime (some refused to have a hand in it having passed on) came to Bandera the next morning and proceeded on to Camp Verde without de­lay, some of the party hinting to cit­izens that they had rid the country of some more bushwhackers.  Alexander's men had their vic­tims' horses, saddles,bedding, clothing and shoes.

 

Joseph H. Poor, who lived on the West Verde, was camped near the place of exe­cution, and the next morning he went out to look for his horses and came upon the bodies just as Alexander's men left them.  He hastened to Bandera and noti­fied the authorities and Jus­tice of the Peace O. B. Miles, Robert Ballentyne, George Hay, Amos Clark, John Pyka and a number of others went down there to investi­gate.  They found seven of the men had been hanged until dead, and the eighth had been shot through with a ramrod, as stated.  George Hay says he pulled the ramrod out of the body.  An inquest was held, and the verdict ren­dered as follows: 'We, the jury, find that these men [named] were killed by Maj. W. J. Alexander's company.'  A grave was opened, and the bodies were rolled into it and covered up.  Many years later, a tombstone was erected over the grave, and on this tombstone appear the names of the men who were murdered while prisoners, who had been given a sacred pledge that they would be given just treatment if they surrendered.

 

How do we know these things?  There were men in Maj. Alexander's party who re­fused to countenance the execution of helpless prison­ers and months afterward they talked freely of the occurrence, telling all particulars, and even giving the names of the men who participated.  After the war ended and while E. J. Davis was gover­nor of Texas, district judges all over the state were instructed to charge their respective grand juries to investigate wartime lawless activi­ties.  When Judge G. H. Noonan convened his Bandera County grand jury to inves­tigate the massacre in 1866 there was a hasty departure of those involved in the murders. 

 

The grand jury indicted 'W. J. Alexander et al' for murder and highway robbery, and for want of service the case was continued on the docket from term to term so the records show.  Maj. Alexander had disappeared.  Not one of the men charged in the indictment was ever arrested.  One of them, Dan Malone, was killed at New Braun­fels by officers while resisting arrest. The court records may re­veal the other names if a search is made of the grand jury records of 1866."

 

In its December 22, 1968 edition the "San Antonio Express-News" carried excerpts from the 1922 article.

 

Mary Alnora "Nora" Cox Drennan (C2/10.4) placed a query in the magazine "Old West" re­questing additional information about the individuals in­volved in the massacre and re­ceived the following replies as a result:

 

                                                 "Lenorah, Texas, 79749

                                                         April 12, 1970

Dear Mrs. Drennan:

 

In reply to your inquiry in "Trails Grown Dim" section of "Old West" magazine, about the massacre of several men from Georgetown during a war, I will tell you what I can. One of the victims of this massacre was my great-grandfather, W. M. Sawyer, from George­town.  He left a wife and four children on the ranch 8 miles west of Georgetown on the North San Gabriel River.

 

The oldest of these children was my grandfather, George, aged 6 years.  There are several versions of the reason the men were on this trip from Williamson County.  The story my family tells is that they were on a hunting trip while on furlough from the Civil War.  They stopped in Bandera for supplies and got started gambling with local men and soldiers stationed near Bandera.  After winning considerable money they rode out a few miles and camped for the night.

 

An army officer, a Major Alexander and a company of Confederate soldiers came to camp and told the men they were wanted in Bandera for questioning on some charge of which my g-grandfather and his party knew they were innocent of.  Af­ter the soldiers had disarmed the party the soldiers hung each man with a horsehair rope with the exception of my g-grandfather.  He asked to be shot in­stead of hung.  They shot him with the ramrod in the gun.  There was a 16-year-old boy from Florence in the party who was released after the massacre.

 

After thinking over releasing him they changed their minds and tried in vain to recapture him.  He made his way to friendly people and told his story.

 

The men killed were W. M. Sawyer; C. J. Sawyer, brother of W. M; George Thayre, brother-in-law of W. M; William Shumate, Jack Whit­mire; Jake Kyle; John Smart and Van Winkle (no given name known.)

 

The massacre occurred July 25, 1863.  My family has erected a stone with the above names on it at the grave.  Also we have built a fence around the common grave.  The grave is located in the Frank Pyka pasture, southeast of Bandera.

 

None of the murderers were ever brought to trial.  One committed suicide when an officer tried to arrest him.  My grandfather and his brothers tried to find some of the men in later years, but were unsuccessful.

 

There is a picture and a one-page story about this tragedy in "The Album of a Gunfighter" by Warren Hunter.  In this version it ap­pears that the men killed were deserting the army, but letters in my family's possession do not lead me to think he was not a de­serter.

 

I cannot trace my family back farther than this great-grandfather.  If you ever run across any lead I would like to hear from you.

 

                                                Sincerely,

                                                Jimmy G. Sawyer"

 

A second letter was received from another great-grandson of W. M. Sawyer:

 

                                                     "April 8, 1970

                                                      Star Route

                                                      Lenorah, Texas, 79749

Dear Mrs. Drennan,

 

I received your most interesting letter today.  I was born in Williamson County in 1932 and left in 1949.  W. M. Sawyer was my great-grandfather.  The old Sawyer place was sold in 1950 after be­ing owned by his descendants for about 100 years.

 

The other Sawyer killed in the massacre was my great-grandfather's brother.  I don't know if he had a family or was single.

 

I have a copy of a letter written by my great-grandfather at Colum­bus, Texas about three months before he was killed.  He was in a hospital at the time and in the Confederate Army.  I haven't been able to find out if he or any other men were deserters or not.

 

                                                George D. Sawyer"

 

Canzada "Can" Whitmire (W4/7.3), daughter of Henry Whitmire (W5/3.7) and Amanda M. Fish Whitmire (F5/1.3), was born in 1846.  She became known in the community as an ex­pert fiddle player.  She appeared in the 1870 census of her mother's household as "age, 24, illiterate."  She was married Octo­ber 26, 1871 to Jim Shedd (S4/1.2), ac­cording to Williamson County Mar­riage Book 3, page 165.  He is believed to be a brother to Clarissa Abi­gail Shedd (S4/1.1).  He was from a family of about 16 chil­dren, according to Mrs. Daniel C. Mott of Georgetown.

 

"Mrs. Cansada Shed, joined by her husband J. Shed, and Isaac Whitmire, a single man, all of Lavaca County, Texas and Nancy McCall, feme sole of Williamson County"  deeded two tracts of inherited land to John Ward Bowlin (B3/1.1) January 23, 1903 for $75, according to Williamson County Deed Book 118, page 26.  The first tract was for 50 acres received October 8, 1882 from J. M. Bristol, and the second was for 53 acres re­ceived from him October 23, 1878.  Oliver Elijah McCall (M3/3.6) signed for his mother who was perhaps indisposed.

 

She joined her brothers and sisters December 6, 1905 in deeding additional inherited land to John Ward Bowlin (W3/1.1), according to Williamson County Deed Book 118, page 26.  She died of skin cancer and was buried in Chalk Ridge Cemetery.  Children born to them are unknown.

 

Christianna "Roach" Whitmire (W4/7.4), daughter of Henry Whitmire (W5/3.7) and Amanda M. Fish Whitmire (F5/1.3), was born in Williamson County in 1850.  She appeared in the 1880 census of her mother's household as "Chrischana, age 30, married, epilepsy, in­sane."  Charles Augustus Lord (L4/1.4) wrote in 1941 that she was married to Mike Rape (R4/1.1) and had no children.

 

They appeared in the 1880 census of Williamson County adjoining her mother's house­hold:

 

        "Rape, Mical            33, born in Ireland, laborer, $50 personal

                                    property

               Cruchina         22, born in Texas"

 

She died before 1900 and was buried in Chalk Ridge Cemetery.

 

William Whitmire (W4/7.5), son of Henry Whitmire (W5/3.7) and Amanda M. Fish Whitmire (F5/1.3), was born in 1850 in Williamson County.  He ap­peared as a 20-year-old in the household of his mother in the 1870 census of Williamson County.  He was killed before 1900 "on his way to the war" [Spanish-American War?], according to family legend.

 

Isaac A. Whitmire (W4/7.6), son of Henry Whitmire (W5/3.7) and Amanda M. Fish Whitmire (F5/1.2), was born in 1851 in Williamson County.  He ap­peared in the 1870 census of his mother's household as "illiterate, idi­otic."  He reappeared in the 1880 census of her household as "single, idi­otic".  In 1903 he was living in Lavaca County with a sister.  Later he lived with his brother, Asa C. "Ace" Whitmire (W4/7.1), and for a time he lived with his nephew, George H. Holley (H3/1.1) in Dawson County, Texas.  He was a expert watch repairman.  He died February 4, 1927 at Abilene, Texas in a mental hospital, according to Texas BVS File 6865.  He was buried in Abilene.

 

====================================================

Arlee Gowen             806/795-8758 or 806/795-9694

5708 Gary Avenue

Lubbock, Texas, 79413         WHITMIMS.010, 08/07/87

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