Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 882 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.
John T. Corcoran received only a limited
education, never going to school after he was
ten years old. His father dying when he
was quite young, John was bound out at the
age of twelve to a Mr. Draper to learn the
tailor's trade. He worked at that trade for
many years in various portions of the Western
States. In 1851 he came from Kentucky to
Dallas county and settled in the neighborhood
of where Garland is now located. After renting
land three years he pre-empted 160 acres
of fine black land-the place on which he still
resides. This he obtained at a cost of fiftytwo
cents per acre. There were no fences in
this part of the country and the settlers were
few. He made the trip here from Kentucky
with horse teams, and was only six weeks on
the way, that being the shortest time in which
the journey could be made in those days by
wagon. In guarding against the Indians and
in developing his frontier farm, Mr. Corcoran
experienced many difficulties. His only possessions
when he arrived here were his tean,
wife and four babies. At the time the war
broke out he had forty acres under cultivation
and a comfortable log house. In 1862 he
joined the Southern army, and during his
service participated in many important engagements;
was home on a furlough at the
time of the surrender. When he left home
he liad 380 head of cattle and a number of
horses, and when he returned he could find
only thirty cattle and horses. For some
years after the war times were hard; but he
went to work with renewed energy, and his
present prosperous condition is the result.
Mr. Corcoran was first married in 1843,
to Elizabeth Daniel, daughter of Joln and
Mary Daniel, of Monroe county, Kentucky,
and by her had five children, namely: Mary
K., deceased; Manerva W., wife of Amos
Nanney, of Johnson county, Texas; ThomasE., deceased; Malinda C., wife of Joseph
Key, of Rockwall county, Texas; Margaret
A., wife of James Irby, of Johnson county,
Texas. The mother of these children died
in 1853, the second year after coming to
Texas.
In 1857 Mr. Corcoran was united in marriage
with Virginia Cherry, daughter of
Lemuel and Malinda (Marshall) Cherry, natives
of Tennessee. Her father died when
she was quite young. To Mr. Corcoran and
his present companion seven children have
been born: William E., a resident of Johnson
county, this State; John H. deceased;
Eliza, wife of Robert Baird, of the Nation;
Robert L.; Lucy B., deceased; Mary B. and
Thomas J.
Previous to the war Mr. Corcoran served
as Constable four years. He is a member of
the Grange, and holds the office of Master.
Both he and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Some of.his
children belong to this church and others to
the Baptist and Christian Churches.
I R. ALVA W. CARNES, one of the
most successful physicians of Dallas
county, Texas, and a self-made man in
every sense of that much abused term, was
born il Tennessee in 1856, to the marriage
of Alexander C. and N. F. (Word)Carnes,
natives also of that State, the father born in
1829, and the mother in 1835. Alexander
C. Carnes moved to Weston, Collin county,
Texas, in 1853, and thence to Lancaster, Dallas
county, where he was engaged in teaching
for thirty-five years. He graduated from
the East Tennessee University in 1847, and
began teaching, continuing this until 1888,
with the exception of two years, when he was
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/m1/882/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library.