Bosque County: Land and People (A History of Bosque County, Texas) Page: 227
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On April 17, 1948, he married Mary
Christine Bergman. Mary was raised in the
Norse community on the family farm of her
parents, Milton and Clarice Bergman. She
went to the Norse School and graduated from
Clifton High School in 1943. She was em-
ployed at Standefer Chevrolet Company in
Clifton.
In 1955 Victor went to work for Walls
Industries, Inc. in Clifton as plant manager.
In 1970 he became vice president of produc-
tion of the entire company, retiring in
December, 1979.
The Conrads live on a farm west of Clifton.
They are active members of Zion United
Church of Christ, where he has held various
offices. Victor is a director of InterFirst Bank,
Clifton, and a director of Bosque County
Farm Bureau. He has been active in Clifton
Chamber of Commerce work, being a charter
director.
On August 5, 1950, a son, Mikel Louis, was
born to the family. A daughter, Vickie
Christine, was born Nov. 9, 1953, and another
daughter, Melissa Ann, on May 15, 1962.
Mikel married Sharon Maddox of Pampa,
and they have two children, Brian Louis and
Kimberly Christine. They live in Cleburne,
Texas.
Vickie married Kenny Martinez of Fort
Worth; they have two children, Kristen Lee
and Kyle Joseph. They live in Arlington,
Texas.
Melissa married Tom G. Parks, Jr. They
live on Parks Ranch west of Clifton.
As a family, being together with children
and grandchildren and serving church and
community mean the most.
by Victor Conrad
CONRAD, WILLIAM F.
F234
William Frederick Conrad (1882) was born
at Chase, Texas, to Louis and Pauline
(Wenzel) Conrad. He grew up on the farm,
attending Garnersville School. His parents
were born in Germany. They moved to
Brenham but later came to Chase in Bosque
County, in 1883. They rented land from Bob
Foster four years, and lived in a log house. He
purchased 100 acres. Chase was nine miles
northeast of Clifton. They were active in
church, civic, and school affairs. At his death
in 1911 he owned 100 acres of land, which his
wife divided among the nine living children.
Bill, as everyone called him, rented land from
his sister, Mrs. Theo Pfundt. His own land
had no improvements. He later bought the
Pfundt land.
I, Josie Rhodes Conrad, was born in 1896
at Chase, to T.J. and Mattie (Prather)
Rhodes. My father owned a general store, gin,
and blacksmith shop. I grew up in a devoted
home. I attended Garnersville School where
there were 90 to 100 children. At first there
was one long building, with one teacher, but
was later made into a two teacher school. We
had good teachers and plenty of activity. I
joined the Baptist Church at Womack at age
13. We would go with the Tyler Hill's to
church, a wagon load.
Bill and I grew up in the same community
but went our separate ways until in 1912 we
went to parties and soon started going
together. We were married in 1914 in the
home of my parents. We moved to his placein 1915. We had to build a house and all out
buildings. We farmed and raised live stock,
chickens, turkeys. I knew nothing about
farming, but soon learned that it wasn't easy.
We had a good orchard and garden. We sold
as many as 40 dozen eggs a week.
We had a tornado in 1924, which took
everything. We were safe in the cellar, but
only the inside walls of the house were left.
It killed three cows in the cow shed, 165
chickens, 88 turkeys. Fifteen sheep with
planks driven through them had to be killed.
One old turkey had only a few wing and tail
feathers, not a feather on its body. Our close
neighbors had injuries and damage too. A
fuller account of this tornado may be found
in the county archives. We had to start from
the bottom again. With the help of good
neighbors, kin folks, and my parents, we did
it.
Rev. Theo Pfundt was pastor of Zion
United Church of Christ for 20 years. As they
preached in German, I couldn't understand
a word. I stayed a Baptist. I belonged to First
Baptist Church in Clifton.
In 1944, Rev. and Mrs. Otto Schulze
returned to Womack to preach at Zion United
Church of Christ. Rev. Schulze had preached
at Chase before the church was moved to
Womack. At that time he received his mail
at my father's post office. They visited in our
home when I was a small child. He would tell
us children Bible stories. We loved them.
When his wife died, he left. When he returned
he had remarried and was soon coming to our
house again. Services were all in English
them. Bill and I joined together. Twelve
joined that morning. Bill had been baptized
as an infant, and confirmed, but had never
joined. We loved our church and were regular
every Sunday until Bill's health failed.
We had two children: Mildred in 1915,
married Geo. Wise in 1933; Thomas Louis,
(1919), married Elvera Kliene in 1941. We
have seven grandchildren, 15 great grand-
children, and two great-great grandchildren.
Mildred and George have four children: Geo.
Jr., Patricia, Rebecca, and Larry William.
Thomas and Elvera have three daughters:
Norma Jean, Cathey Jo, and Donna. Thomas
is in maintenance of Meridian Schools.
George and Mildred have lived on the
McCullough Ranch where he is foreman for
35 years, at Rhome, Texas. All are married
and established in business. Rebecca had
twin girls, Julie and James.
We lived on our farm 59 years but two and
half years after Daddy died in 1941, we moved
to the Rhodes Ranch and took care of Mama.
She died in 1943. The Rhodes Ranch was sold
to Dr. Kirby of Waco, and we moved back
home in 1943.
We sold our place to Melvin Bottlinger in
1973. He gave us the right to live there as long
as we wanted. We had to sell our cows and
sheep. Bill died in 1973. I bought a home in
Meridian in 1974, to be close to my son and
his wife. I am a Democrat and have voted
every year since I became 21 years old. I have
belonged to the Home Demonstration Club
over 50 years. I have a 50 Year Certificate.
The club was educational, helpful, and
enjoyable. I crochet, have a small garden, and
keep busy.
by Josie Rhodes ConradCOOK, LULA BELLE
F235
L
Lula Belle Oswald Cook and son, Timothy
Lula Belle Oswald, oldest child of Samuel
Martin and Robbie Oswald, was born in 1934
at the Center Hill home of her maternal
grandparents, Durward and Annie Newsom.
Lula Belle was delivered by Dr. T.C. Coston.
Lula Belle was named for her grandmothers,
Annie Lula Newsom and Lillie Belle Oswald.
In 1935, the Sam Oswald family moved to
Odessa, Texas and in 1940, they moved to
Lubbock where Lula Belle started to school.
During the fall of 1942, the family returned
to Clifton to live on Sam's old home place.
Lula Belle attended Clifton Public Schools
until graduating in 1952. While in school,
Lula Belle played in the high school band. In
the fall of 1952, Lula Belle enrolled in Abilene
Chirstian College and played in the college
band for one year.
In 1953, Lula Belle went to work for Texas
Farm Bureau Insurance Company in Waco.
She left Farm Bureau in 1956 and attended
Airline School in Kansas City. She later
worked in Communications and Radio for
Continental Airlines at Dallas Love Field. In
1958, Lula Belle returned to work at Texas
Farm Bureau and remained there until 1963.
She married Clifford Cook in 1961 in Waco.
Clifford and Lula Belle had one child,
Timothy Shawn (1963).
In 1964, the Cook family moved to Hurst,
Texas where Lula Belle worked for the Lone
Star Gas Company until 1967. That year Lula
Belle and Tim returned to Bosque County
where they now live on the Oswald Home
Place on the bank of Clear Branch.
After returning to Bosque County, Lula
Belle went back to work at Farm Bureau
where she has now worked a total of 22 years.
Tim attended Clifton Public Schools until
graduating in May, 1982. Tim then attended
Texas State Technical Institute in Waco. He
majored in machine shop (Industrial Engi-
neering) and received his degree in 1983.
by Lula Belle Cook
COOPER, ALONZO
F236
Alonzo (Lon) Cooper (1846-1902) (son of
Charles Cooper) was born in Mississippi and
grew up in Brenham, Texas In 1876 he moved
to Bosque County, where he established a
ranch and a number of tenant farms. His land
began at Clifton and ran along the Bosque
River for five miles to the north where his
227
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Bosque County History Book Committee. Bosque County: Land and People (A History of Bosque County, Texas), book, 1985; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth91038/m1/243/?q=campbell: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Denton Public Library.