Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 477 of 1,110

hISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY. 4_37

Mr. Smith is a-prominent Mason, and has
held high official positions in the lodge. In
his religions views he subscribes to the doctrines
of the Presbyterian Church. Politically
he is an ardent Democrat. When Oak Cliff
was incorporated he was chosen Marshal,
and has been twice selected to fill that office.
He has been Assessor and Tax Collector of
this suburb of Dallas, and has aided very
materially in the growth and improvement of
the place. He is a man of attractive personality,
and is very popular with all classes of
citizens. Frank and out-spoken, true to his
friends, exact and honorable in all his business
transactions, his name is worthy of
preservation in the records of his county.
SOBERT J. MILLS, as a farmer and
stock-raiser, has been identified with
the interests of Dallas county, Texas,
since 1873.
Mr. Mills was born in Daviess county,
Kentucky, September 30, 1849, son of William
Holmes Mills and Sally Ann (Estes)
Mills, his wife, both natives of Kentucky
and of English ancestry. Robert J. was
reared on a farm and received his early education
in the common schools, finishing with
a course of study at the Baptist Institute,
at Owensboro, Kentucky. He made his
home with his parents until he was twenty-two
years old. Then for two years he taught in
the schools of his native State. In the spring
of 1873 he came to Texas, and for one season
was engaged in herding cattle. After that
he engaged in farming near Dallas, renting
land on shares for two years with Mr. Bumpas.
September 27, 1874, Mr. Mills married
Miss Elfleda Ellis Coombes, a native of Dallas
county, Texas, and a daughter of' Isaac
Nelson Coomtbes, of whomn mention is made
elsewhere in this volume. After his marriage
Mr. Mills settled on his present farm
of 159 acres, which he has improved and on
which he has since been engaged in agricultural
pursuits. Six children have been born
to them, namely: Allen, Ruby, Annie
Holmes, Henry, Lilian Ivy (who died at the
age of one year), and Lou Ellen. Mr. and
Mrs. Mills are both active and earnest neinbers
of the Christian Church, and in politics
he affiliates with the Democratic party.
K. WRIGHT AND SON, contractors
and builders of Dallas, have erected
some of the principal buildings of this
city, among which may be mentioned the
Third Ward School, three churches, the Jones
building, Ryan building, and many others.
They also erected the Dilley residence' of
Maple avenue. They employ on an average
ten or fifteen men the year around, and do an
extensive business.
N. K. Wright was born in Franklin county,
Vermont, in 1833, a son of Benjamin and
Phoebe (Whitney) Wright, natives also of
Vermont. The father moved to Minnesota
in 1866, where he died ten years later. Our
subject left home in 1852 and went to St.
Paul, Minneapolis, where he worked at his
trade. In 1861 he enlisted in the First Minneapolis
Regiment for three months, and at
the expiration of that time he returned to St,
Paul, in 1862 went to Peoria, Illinois, and
engaged in contracting and building, and in
1876 came to Dallas. Mr. Wright was married
in St. Paul, in 1855, to Mary E. Hunter,
a native of Indiana, and daughter of William
F. Hunter, who went to Minnesota in 1852,
and remained there until his death in 1873;