History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. Page: 632
[7], iv-vii, [2], 10-826, [2] p., [56] leaves of plates : ill., ports. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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county, Alabama. At about six years of age
he entered a country school, where two years
were spent learning to read, write and spell.
After this, three months ill the summer of
each year, when the crops were laid by, until
he was grown to manhood, afforded his
early educational advant -ges. The benefit of
the three months and meager training were
nearly lost in the other nine, so that no great
progress could be made. His fondness for
reading was 'developed at an early age, with
very limited means for its gratification. A
weekly paper, a history of the United States,
Plutarch's Lives, and such books as could be
bad at a neighborhood library, made up the
supply in reach, and these had to ble read by
pine-torch light. Lamps and candles were
luxuries not to be thought of. A neighborhood
debating society for boys and young
men, iln which he took a lively interest, more
than anything else served to direct his reading
and awaken thought. He early aspired
to engage in public life as a lawyer or politician.
Political campaign discussions, in
which lie took great interest, were to him a
valuable educational factor. From all these
sources, limited as they were, and an effort
to study such school branches, as English
grammar, and so forth, at home, were gathered
the golden grains of knowledge that became
the seeds of a perpetual harvest from
which all along in after life lie made large
and valuable distributions from the pulpit,
the press, and the social circle.
The boyhood life of young Stribling was
greatly stirred by the exciting events of the
Seminole war. The gathering of squads,
companies and regiments around his native
home in Alabama, the news of the massacres,
atrocities and battles in Florida b)y the Indians
fired the whole country with martiall
spirit that aroused the boys as weli as themen. About the same time the independence
of Texas had been declared and the glowing
descriptions of this new found, paradise
were attracting much attention. This became,
after a while, the news of the day,
and the theme of the family circle at night.
By 1840 the father, mother and James, the
eldest of the twelve children, had become so
interested in Texas that a removal was determined
on, and in the following year they
turned their steps toward the Lone Star Republic.
Their destination was Washington
county, the garden spot of the country. In
September, 1842, James entered the Texas
army to repel the Mexican invasion of that
year, and remained till January, 1843. After
a three years' residence in Washington county
the family moved to Lavaca county, where
they settled, and the father died seven or
eight years later. James remained and
taught school for a few months in Washington
county. Early religious impressions,
which were renewed and deepened from time
to time by the piety and life of a Christian
father and mother, Bible readings, preaching
and revivals, culminated during this year
(1843) in a determination on his part to devote
his life to the ministry. In September
he was baptized by the Rev. W. M. Tryon,
and united with the Providence Baptist
Church in Washington county. About a
year after this he was licensed and began to
preach. The need of more education was
constantly impressed on his mind, and in
May, 1846, his name was enrolled among the
first twenty-four students that entered Baylor
University. He remained in school till December,
1849, when he was ordained to the
ministry. He spent the year 1850 as a missionary
west of the Colorado river in southwest
Texas. In January, 1851, he began his
first pastorate with the Baptist Church atI~ r
062
HITOY P EXS
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History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. (Book)
Book containing a brief overview of the state of Texas and more specific focus on six specific counties, with extensive biographical sketches about persons related to the history of those places. An alphabetical index of persons who are included follows the table of contents at the front of the book.
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Lewis Publishing Company. History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties., book, 1893; Chicago, Illinois. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth29785/m1/680/?rotate=90: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.