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Local History
& Genealogical Society
COOPERATING WITH THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY
Volume 1 SEPTEMBER 15, 1955 Number 6
OUR CREED: "What you have inherited from your fathers, you must earn for yourself, before you can call it yours."-Goethe.
EARLY DAYS IN DALLAS
COUNTY
(Part II of the story of the life of the late Mrs.
Alice West Floyd in Dallas County, as told to
her daughter, Miss Willie Floyd.)
"Many delicacies were brought with
supplies which the wagons brought from
Shreveport. The flour, meat and such
other supplies as we produced on our
farm were added to the loads and
freighted West to supply the govern-
ment forts with food for soldiers and
horses. Father had the contract for
supplying Fort Cooper, Belknap, Gra-
ham. Phantom, and others. Mr. Tom
Chenoweth was employed to be in
charge of the supply train on the trips
to the forts. A son of this man, Mr. C.
C. Chenoweth, now lives in Abilene. Mr.
Tom Chenoweth married Hannah Kee-
non, who had gone to school to my
mother in 1845.
"The cooking was done in a kitchen
separate from the house and was brought
to the house by the negro cook or her
helper. Aunt Jane was our negro mam-
my and did the cooking as well as tak-
ing care of us.
"As a child, I went out and gathered
passion flowers and hung them from the
top of the windows over the white cur-
tains. The shades were made of braided
grass.
"At evening time when the hands came
by with the oxen, they put a bell on
each and turned them loose. The toll -of
the bell at each step as they placidly
walked to the pool for a drink eciiueU
and re-echoed with a beautiful sound.
We were always entranced by this scene
of pastoral serenity. But the prettiest
view was this same pool when the mi-
grating birds stopped in the fall as they
went South: long legged cranes, geese,
ducks and black, white, red birds, many
of which I never knew. For many years
these birds came every spring and fall.
"Bedsteads were made of oak. They
had four posts, sides fitted in and ropes
used to lace them together. The under-
bed tick was made of cloth filled with
hay, then the featherbed placed on top
of that. The outside cover for the bed
had a duffle that reached the floor, then
a counterpane hung over the ruffles, and
last a bolster trimmed to match the
counterpane at the head of the bed and
pillows on top of that. Beds were high
enough to accomodate a trundle bed un-
derneath. The beds were so high we
had to use stools to get on the bed.
Some people had high old-fashioned
four-posters with curtains.
"The chairs were made with 'rawhide'
bottoms with the hair left on the hide.
We had a big cherry chest and a small
table used only for the Bible. The book-
case was built from the floor to the
ceiling, covering half of one wall of a
sixteen-foot room. The chimney was
made of rock, the floors were oak. We
had no rugs.
"Mr. Keenan's family lived about one
miles west of us, Mr. Cochran's family
about the same distance southwest. Dr.
Gilbert lived about one-half mile south
of us. Mr. Isaac Webb lived about a
mile south and the Marsh family lived
a mile east of Mr. Webb, and Tom
Marsh lived a miles east of his father,
and Ed Hunter lived a mile north of
Tom Harsh. Noah Good lived east of
Ed Hunter, and east of Mr. Good was
the Fyke land then White Rock Creek.
Mr. Cook lived north of us one mile.
There were no other houses on the north
side of us for three miles, then came the
homes of the Nix family, the Chenoweth
family and Hamp Witt. Other families
more distant whom we knew were Rev.
James A. Smith, and in the English Col-
ony were the Jacksons, Morgans, Fur-
neaux, Simpsons, Warners, Stanleys, and
the Winns."
(To be continued in next issue.)
FORMAL LIBRARY OPENING
SEPTEMBER 29
Formal opening ceremonies for the
new Dallas Public Library will be held
Sunday afternoon, September 25. Mrs.
Margaret Pratt, department librarian,
has issued a cordial invitation to mem-
bers of the Society and their friends to
make this particular day one in which to
tour the building and enjoy the festivi-
ties. Visitors to Mrs. Pratt's department
will be pleased to find controlled light-
ing, wide picture windows, blonde con-
temporary furniture, and material ar-
ranged for easy accessibility. Two new-
model microfilm projectors, a new-model
micro-card projector, and a rental type-
writer have beeen provided to make re-
search more comfortable. New glass
of literature, history, biography, and
cases display the fine Texas Collection
other phases of Texas life and culture.
The staff assistants will include Mrs.
Watkins, Miss Hunter, and Miss Peter-
BOOKS OF INTEREST
Mrs. Margaret Pratt, the librarian for
the Texas, Local History & Genealogy
Department of the Dallas Public Library,
announces that the following books of
interest are available for research:
David Nelson Family - The Nelson
family of Pennsylvania and Ohio, in
manuscript book, including Nelson's
career. Also donated by Mrs. Thos. M.
Eldridge and Mrs. A. E. Kucera. (.Ask
at desk for it.)
Compiled by Leon deValinger, Jr.,
Delaware State Archivist - Calendar of
Kent County, Delaware, Probate Rec-
ords, 1680-1800. Donated by the Daugh-
ters of Founders and Patriots of Amer-
ica, in honor of Miss Mary Ethyl Wal-
ter.
Morton, Frederic - The Story of Win-
chester in Virginia.
Caldwell, J. W. - Bench and Bar of
Tennessee. Published in 1898, biograph-
ical data.
Cyclopedia of Eminent and Represen-
tative Men of the Carolinas, Nineteenth
Century, in two volumes. Written by
various authors in 1892, covers both
North and South Carolina biographies.
Compiled by H. P. Yoshpe and Philip
P. Brower - Preliminary Inventory of
the Land-Entry Papers of the General
Land Office, Preliminary Inventory No.
22, The U. S. National Archives, 1949.
Donated by the Texas Society of Daugh-
ters of American Colonists.
Compiled by L. H. Pendeil and Eliza-
beth Bethel - Preliminary Inventory
of the Adjutant General's Office, Pre-
liminary Inventory No. 17, 1949, The U.
S. National Archives. Also donated by
the Texas Society of Daughters of Amer-
ican Colonists.
Bodge, G. M. - Soldiers in King Phil-
ip's War. Published in 1896, has con-
siderable data on New England soldiers
particularly. Donated by Mrs. Geo. W.
DuBrul.
Mississippi Genealogical Society -
Cemetery and Bible Records, Volume 1,
1954.
Clement, M. C. - History of Pittsyl-
vania County, Virginia, 1929.
Oldham, B. M. - Tennessee and Ten-
son-who already welcoming numerous
patrons into the comfortable, air-condi-
tioned quarters.