Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 180 of 1,110
vii, 9-1011 p. incl. ill., ports. : ports. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
same room with the family. There was no
house of several rooms and a stairs; it was
all one room. Of course the men folks would
leave the room while the women went to bed..
You would go up to a man's house and he
would ask you to have your horse hobbled or
staked. There were no stables to put them
in. I have struck many a place where they
didn't have a bite to eat, but after people had
been here a year or two you generally found
them with plenty to eat. The early settlers
lived on game, which was plentiful, and they
got bread the best they could. We had no
use for money much, because what the
country couldn't get and didn't have money
wouldn't buy, no matter how much a fellow
had of it. In those days we had for money
the 'Texas red-back.' It was money of the
Republic, and it was something like the old
Continental money. Then after that we had
the Republic exchequer bill. Now many
people will tell you that Texas was annexed
to the Union in 1845, but it was not annexed
until 1846 , the 19th day of February, when
J. Pinkney Henderson was sworn in as governor
and Anson Jones retired as president
of the Republic. The convention met in
July, 1841, and framed a constitution which
was submitted to a vote of the people, who
ratified it the first Tuesday in November,
1845. After the meeting of the House of
Representatives the constitution adopted by
the people of Texas was sent to the Congress
of the United States, and it did not get back
to Texas until February, 1846, when the
change of government was made. I voted
against annexation at a voting box whereOak Cliff now, stands. I was a member of
Colonel Tom I. Smith's company of rangers;
six of our company voted against it and five
for it. I opposed it because I wanted the
Republic to continue."
Mr. W. H. Beeman, while a quiet and
retired old gentleman, was one of the most
interesting of-the old pioneers attending the
reunion at Garland. He came to Texas from
Illinois with his father in 1840, and settled
in what is now Dallas county in 1842. Mr.
Beeman was the first to break the sod for
agricultural pursuits in the county, in the
spring of 1842. It was a plat of seven or
eight acres about four miles east of the city
of Dallas. At the same time he erected the
second house built in Dallas county, the
first being a log structure put up by John
Neely Bryan, the founder of Dallas, a few
weeks before, whose cabin stood, Mr. Beeman
says, at the foot of Main street. Speaking of
early life in Dallas county, Mr. Beeman said
to a News reporter: "We lived very hard at
first. We had wild meats and bread. I
dressed the buckskins and made my moccasins
and clothes, except shirts, for three years.
We finger-picked cotton which the women
used in weaving clothes and shirts for the
men. For two years we beat our meal for
bread on a mortar or ground it in a hand
mill. We had to buy corn in Fannin county.
I rode in the first wagon and cut the road as
we went into Dallas. We came in after cedar
timber, which we cut to build a fence around
Ham Rattan's grave. Rattan, who was a
brother-in-law of Governor Throckmorton,
was killed by the Indians on Elm Fork while
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Lewis Publishing Company. Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas., book, 1892; Chicago, Illinois. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth20932/m1/180/?rotate=90: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library.