Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 354 of 1,110

HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

energies to improving, at the time of his
death having it all fenced and 400 acres
under cultivation. He died April 29, 1881,
at the age of fifty-six years. Following are
their children: Sarah, wife of W. M.Humphreys;
James C.; Manerva F., wife of ]M.
M. Bennett; John W.; George F.; Mollie
R., wife of George B. Goode; Alice, wife of
L. B. Thompson; Nora, wife of John T.
Lynch; and Robert G.
James C. was married, February 22, 1877,
to Miss Mollie Rugel, who was born July 5,
1847. For her family history see the sketch
of J. (. Rugel. which will be found on another
page of this work. Mr. and Mrs.
Chapman have five children, viz.: Ora,
born July 18, 1878; Rupert F. November
22, 1880; Claud C., September 30,
1882; Lora E., November 1, 1889; and
Omer, July 8, 1888. Both he and his wife
are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church.
ATTHEW ERWIN, a farmer of
Dallas county, was born in Maury
county, Tennessee, March 15, 1825,
a son of David Erwin, who was born in
Abbeville district, South Carolina, in 1783,
and died in 1855, at the age of seventy-two
years. He was a farmer by occupation, and
left South Carolina at the age of twenty-five
years, going to Tennessee, where he served in
the war of 1812, under General Jackson, and
took part in the battle of New Orleans. His
father, Jolin Erwin, was born in South Carolina,
in 1755, and served seven years and six
months in the Revolutionary war. He had
two brothers, Alexander and William, who
also served in the war. William was wounded
by the British at the battle of Sisters' ferry,

on the Savannah river, South Carolina. David
Erwin had three brothers: John, William
and Matthew. John gave the pistols to
Stewart, who captured the Jesse James of
Tennessee, John A. Murrell, the great highway
robber of that day. He helped decoy
the latter to his house for the purpose of
capturing him. David Erwin was married
at the age of twenty-five years to Mary Baird,
a native of South Carolina. She was twenty
years of age at her marriage, and lived to the
age of sixty-five years. They reared a family
of twelve children and lived to see all married
except two daughters, who died unmarried.
The names of the children are as follows:
John; James; Robert; Elizabeth, who died
unmarried; William; Joab, who died in the
war; Matthew, our subject; David, who died
in the war with Mexico; Milton L.; L. B.;
Pauline B., wife of John Burgess; Mary A.,
who died unmarried.
The subject of this sketch left home at the
age of eighteen years, going first to Mississippi,
where he learned the carpenter's and
millwright's trades, after which he began contracting
for himself. He worked at his trade
for thirty years, and in 1862 enlisted in the
First Alabama Battalion P. Rangers, which
consolidated with the Thirteenth Regiment,
and afterward made the Fifity-sixth Regiment.
Mr. Erwin served in many engagements,
and was under fire eleven days at one
time, and also participated in the battles of
Guntown and Vicksburg. He served until
the close of the war, after which he returned
home and in the fall of 1870 moved to Texas.
He rented a farm the first year, and the second
year bought 110 acres where he now
lives, which he has since improved.
Mr. Erwin was married February 14,1855,
to Miss Mary A. Stevenson, who was born in
Alabama, December 25, 1835, a daughter of