Bosque County: Land and People (A History of Bosque County, Texas) Page: 46
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material on a large hand loom. Early clothing
was all made by hand. Years later some
families got a foot treddle machine. Women
were kept busy making clothing, cooking, and
caring for large families. All the bedding was
hand quilted after piecing little scraps of
material. Even the cotton batting was corded
by hand. The men were always busy clearing
land, chopping wood, planting and harves-
ting the crops or hunting deer, wild turkeys,
rabbits, squirrels and wild hogs to eat. Once
or twice a year the men would go to the mill
and buy supplies. They had to go as far as
Waco or Hico. It was a happy wife who got
a bolt of white material for making baby
clothes, petticoats and drawers. Sometimes
there was a bolt of blue for making shirts,
blouses, skirts and pants. The whole family
would get a dress or shirt from the same bolt
of material.
When wash came, the wagon was loaded
with the wash pot for boiling the clothes;
some barrels for water to be brought home;
quilts for the small children to nap on and a
picnic basket. The team was hitched to the
wagon and away to the creek to do the
laundry. A fire was started to heat the water
and to cool whatever was in the Dutch kettle
for lunch.
The older children waded in shallow places
and hunted pretty pebbles while the clothes
were boiled and rinsed in the clear running
water, then hung on the bushes to dry. While
the clothes dried, everyone got a bath and
shampoo with lye soap. From history of the
Ellington Family was a recipe for a washing
fluid: "Chlorate of ammonia 5 cents worth,
saltpeter - 5 cents worth, 1 can lye. Dissolve
all this in 1 gallon of water. Put in a large jug.
Use one cup of mixture to 5 gallons of water
for a snow white wash." Every family made
their own lye soap. This was made in the wash
pot full with lye and grease. When it hard-
ened it was cut into bars and left in the sun
to dry. Lye soap was used for washing clothes,
scrubbing floors and was known to keep lice
out of hair. It also left hair with a beautiful
shine.
Another interesting mixture was for a
liniment. "Spirit of turpentine, 10 cents
worth, 10 cents worth of gum camphor, 1 cup
kerosene oil, 1 cup vinegar, three eggs well
beaten. This was used for rubbing sore and
aching muscles.
In 1884 it cost $100 to build a house. You
could get a coffin built for $1.50. In the 1860's
a cord of wood was 50 cents. By 1885 a cord
of wood cost $2.50. In 1984 a cord of wood is
$85-90 in the country. In the cities it is $125-
150 per cord. Shoes cost from $1.00-$2.50.
More families began to settle close by. A
school was needed. A one room building was
built near the cemetery for a school and a
church.
Elsie Coston told about her grandmother
Ford telling how they would load the kitchenstove in the wagon along with a chicken coop
full of chickens-some laying eggs-some for
stewing. Bedding was piled high in the wagon
along with boxes of food supplies. All the
family was loaded into the wagon for the
journey to the camp meeting. Behind the
wagon trailed the milk cow, so they could
have milk and butter. The meeting would last
about a week. This was a happy time to visit
with neighbors. Fellowship was shared as
they refreshed their minds and spirits.
Indian raids were commonplace. One of the
Forts' little girls, Emma, was snatched fromher mother's side and taken screaming into
the hills by Indians. Mr. Fort and some of his
neighbors found the chief and bargained for
her release. It was agreed they would release
her for a large number of quilts. Neighbors
and friends helped make quilts. The child
was released unharmed after several months.
In the early 1870's more families began to
move close by. Christian Hansen had arrived
from Denmark in 1844. He came to Bosque
County by covered wagon in 1866. He
married Johanna Christens at the Rock
Church in 1871. It is assumed they moved to
their one room rock house on property on the
east of the Robert Fort land around 1871-
1872. They had a family of six children: Issac
Oliver, one of the sons, was the father of Mrs.
Guy Wilson of Cliton. She said her parents
lived on the mountain above his parents and
she remembers riding her pony down the
mountain to see her grandmother. Another
grandaughter, Annie, taught school at
"Boggy" in 1918-1920.
Mrs. Wilson remembered the tiny rock
house she visited as a child. When asked
about it, Carl Bakke said, "Yes, it had a
wooden building on the side that he had
taken off to use as a barn." When the
Hollingsworths bought the property, they
tore the barn down as it was of little use due
to its construction with low doors and odd
rooms. Later they learned it was part of the
original house. They regretted tearing it
down as they have restored the tiny rock
house and filled it with antiques found on the
farm.
Carl Mangus Bakke, Sr., arrived from
Norway in 1869. He landed in Galveston,
where he worked as a bar tender to earn
enough money to come to Bosque County. He
married Agnette Finstad. They bought land
next to the Christian Hansen property, built
their home and started their family. Their
children were: Ole Sanders, Carl M., and
Alma G. (twins), Clara and John A. The
oldest daughter Mollie married Chris Han-
sen. Mollie is the mother of Walter Hansen
and Hattie Tyssen.
On the Bakke land you can still see the
walls of a rock house. Some say it was used
for a school at one time. It was the home of
Ole Finstad for a time. He brought his bride,
Elizabeth, there in 1885. Later Ole and
Elizabeth bought land near Cranfills Gap.
Near this rock house was a frame school
called "Shell Rock." Tilden Pederson re-
members the school being moved down the
road to Mr. Fort's pasture. It is not known
why whey decided to saw the building in half.
Martin Johnson pulled each half with a steam
engine. The trustees, John Peterson, Robert
F. Fort, William K. Pendleton, Charly El-
lington and Pete Pierson erected the build-
ing. By this time about thirty-five children
were of school age. The name was changed
from "Shell Rock" to "Boggy". The oldwooden benches were replaced with double
desks with ink wells and a new pot belly stove
warmed the building in winter. Some of the
known teachers of the early schools were
Willis McAdams, Annie Hanson, a Mr.
Wilson, Mr. McCoy, George Amnions and
Oris Pierson. Teachers taught the 3Rs,
"Reading, Riting and Rithmetic." Even
though books and supplies were short, chil-
dren were taught with love and strict disci-
pline. The schools taught first grade through
the ninth.
Tilden Pederson is the youngest son ofJohn and Martha Pederson. He lives with his
wife in the old home place where he was born.
John Pederson came to America in 1875 from
Norway. He settled near the Alfie farm
several miles above the present home. He
married Martha Alfie in 1869. They lived
with her family and worked to save enough
money to buy 80 acres of land. In 1891-1892
they built the big house. They already had
two sons, Ed and Sam. Tilden was born later.
Still they bought more land including the old
Grimland place with the rock house. Ed and
his family lived there for years. Their chil-
dren all went to the Boggy School.
The rock house is in excellent condition
today and is used for a home by two men.
Sam Pederson served his country in World
War I.
Another family from Norway looking for a
home was Christopher Hansen Lund. He
came from Loiten Hedemarken, Norway, in
1845. He married Gunda Finstad in 1884 in
Bosque County. They settled on the north
side of the road from the Fort property. They
had two sons, John and Oscar. John, the right
age when World War I began, served his
country overseas. Two other children were
Gina, who married Homer Pendleton and
Anna who married August Rierson. They
made their home in this community.
Elling and Mary Lee Colwick were married
in Waco, 1891. They loaded their personal
things in a wagon for the long journey to
Bosque County. Elling Colwick purchased a
farm joining the Pederson property. They
moved into a small house where four of the
children were born: Elmer Jurgen (1892-
1960), Dora Elida (1893-1965), Belford Con-
rad (1895-1976) and Olaf Ali (1898-1947).
In the early 1900's the old homes were
being replaced with lovely two story homes.
Mr. Colwick had his home ready for four
more children: Ennis Marion (1900-1981),
Lee Arnel (1905-1982), Calvin Purcell (1907-
1964), and Jurdiss Marie (1909-1928). In 1910
Elling and Mary left the Boggy Community
and moved to a new place at Norse. Mrs. Phil
(Jennie) Gilliam now owns the home where
the last child, Marguerite Pearl (1913-1963)
was born.
The family of Lilin Grimland lived and
farmed property joining the Pederson farm
on the east. Mr. Grimland's home was rock,
and is still in use as a dwelling today.
Peter J. Pierson (1874) came to the com-
munity with his wife, Anna Swenson (1876)
in 1896. His farm was bordered by Mr. Lund's
on the west. Their children were Ina (1897),
Oris (1899), Adeline (1906), and Johnnie
(1912).
Another family came to make their home
in the 1890's. Berent Olson married Dorthea
Hagenson in 1890 in Bosque County. They
had Betty, Sam, O.J. (Cotton), Selmer and
Casper.
Other families settled near the Olsons.They were the Alfred Andersons, Martin
Larsons, Iven Olsons, Martin Dahls and
William H. Coxs. Also Tobias Schultz and
wife settled north of the Lunds. The Schultz
children were Camilla, Selma and another
daughter, three sons, Adolph (he married
Camilla Olson-Ivers Olson's daughter), and
Bruno.
In the early 1900's the community took on
a new look. The log cabins and rock houses
were being replaced with two story wooden
homes to accommodate the large families.
Jim Nelson and family lived near the Pierson46
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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/m1/62/?q=campbell&rotate=90: accessed April 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Denton Public Library.