The Hamilton Herald-News (Hamilton, Tex.), Vol. 83, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 3, 1958 Page: 67 of 72
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thing at all was raised in these
years. The Leon and Cowhouse
were also dry during the period
according to Mr. Chrisman.
It was in the face of such dif-
ficulties that the early settlers
entered Hamilton County. Yet
these obstacles did hot impede
the men who came into the area
to start a new life. It took men
of the caliber of Captain Gentry
and Mr. Carter to settle Hamilton
County, and a short account of
their lives are worthy of the ut-
most consideration.
Captain Fredeick Brown Gen-
try was born in Williamson
County, Tennessee, on January
10, 1810. Mr. Gentry’s father was
Nicholas Gentry. Mr. Gentry’s
mother died when he was only
two years old, she left four child-
ren; Elizabeth, George, Caroline,
and Frederick. Mr. Gentry was
14 years of age when his father
married Polly Nunn, and they
had several children.
In December, 1835, Captain
Gentry left his native state of
Tennessee and went to New Or-
leans. Later he came to Texas
and arrived at the mouth of the
Brazos River. He located with
James Swisher near Indepen-
dence, and remained at this site
until March 1, 1836. It was on
this date that Captain Gentry
joined Sam Houston’s army. He
belonged to a company which
was formed by Captain W. W.
Hill at Independence.
Following the defeat of Santa
Anna, Captain Genary was dis-
charged from the service, and
returned to Washington County,
Texas, on June 1, 1836. He then
served for a short time as a
scout among the Indians at Nash-
ville, Texas, on the Brazas. He
was soon discharged from this
duty and returned to Washington
County. In the fall of 1837, Cap-
tain Genary returned to his na-
tive state of Tennessee, and re-
mained until September, 1838.
Once again he returned to Wash-
ington County, Texas, and re-
mained there ten years. He ac-
tively participated in many en-
gagements with the Indians dur-
ing his residence here.
On October 28, 1840, Captain
Gentry married Miss Rebecca
Patton Barnett, also a native of
Tennessee. Miss Barnett’s father
was an active participant in In-
dian wars, and took part in the
capture of San Antonio. Miss
Barnett’s father was also one of
the signers of the Texas Declar-
ation of Independence. Captain
Gentry and his wife were blessed
with three children, Elizabeth,
George, Nicholas, and Emily Eli-
za. Gentry moved to Gonzales
County, Texas, and bought 200
acres of land. He farmed and
raised stock in Gonzales County.
It was in the spring of 1856
that Gentry came to Hamilton
County, and brought his family
the next fall. He was the owner
for our early settlers, and as we
commemorate the birth of our
county, our thoughts dwell on
these men, men who are truly,
| “profiles of courage.”
of 337 head of stock when he
came to Hamilton County. The
government granted Gentry 640
acres of land on the Leon River
for services rendered as a sol-
dier of the Texas forces.
Gentry was appointed Captain
by Governor Sam Houston in
the 1850’s and Gentry organized
a company of 50 men to fight
the Indians. Following the Civil
War, Captain Gentry was reap-
pointed to this duty by President
Johnson.
Captain Gentry moved into the
town of Hamilton in 1874, and
later purchased a tract of 320
acres on Warren’s Creek, estab-
lishing his residence here. He
erected a mill in this locality
which was run by water power,
and later added a circular saw
and a gin.
Perhaps one reason Captain
Gentry’s active participation
against the Indians can be traced
to the fact that at one count, he
had lost approximately ten thou-
sand dollars worth of horses and
various other stock from Indian
raids. Captain Gentry contribut-
ed more than his share toward
the protection of the early set-
tlers when the hostile Indians
were a force to be reckoned with
constantly. One biographjer of
Captain Gentry very aptly des-
cribes his achievements. The
biographer states that Captain
Gentry “valiantly fought for the
liberty of Texas, and well deserv-
es a prominent place among
honored and representative citi-
(By Chas. Patterson)
As we celebrate the centennial
of Hamilton County, perhaps we
should all pause in our festivi-
ties and utter a silent prayer
for men with courage. The early
settlers who arrived in Hamilton
County certainly possessed and
exhibited the qualities of courage
as they fought the savage Indian
and defied the various elements
of nature in a new region. It is
only right and fitting that at this
time of commemoration we
should remember the pioneers
of Hamilton County who were
faced with constant danger.
Two men who certainly pos-
sessed the trait of courage were
Captain Frederick Brown Gentry
and Henry Jones Carter. Little
can we realize the hardships
these men faced as we enjoy the
modern conveniences which we
may now possess. If we could for
just a moment imagine ourselves
in circumstances which our early
pioneers faced, perhaps we may
realize in some way the extrem-
ities which faced the early pio-
neers in Hamilton County. Pic-
ture yourself standing in snow
several feet deep fighting sav-
age Indians with little food and
shelter. We would be inclined to
say that this story is the story
of George Washington and his
soldiers at Valley Forge, but this
was an actual experience of
Hamilton County. Such hardships
were frequent and were endured
by these men who forgot self
and went on in their unquench-
ing desire to see the land made
safe for posterity.
Perhaps before considering a
short account of the lives of
Captain Frederick Gentry and
Henry Jones Carter, we should
study some of the difficulties
which were to face them. In the
Archives of the University of
Texas, the reminiscences of one
John H Chrisman are recorded.
Mr. Chrisman was an early mail
carrier from Gatesville to Cora,
before and during the early days
of Hamilton County. Cora was
formerly the county seat of Co-
manche County. On Mr. Chris-
man’s mail route, he traveled
through the area which became
Hamilton County in 1885, and
his reminiscences provide an in-
sight into the area which became
Hamilton County. Mr. Chrisman
was a resident of Gatesville, and
served as a Texas Ranger and
Confederate soldier during his
lifetime. He was one of the men
who helped build the town of
Gatesville.
Mr. Chrisman began his mail
route approximately two years
before Hamilton County was cre-
ated. He remembers this area as
a howling wilderness, and re-
counts that he saw no houses on
his route from the time he left
Gatesville until he neared Cora.
No trails guided Mr. Chrisman as
he traveled through the area
which was to become Hamilton
County, and blood thirsty Indains
were numerous and roamed the
area at will. Mr. Chrisman stated
that any person who traveled was
in constant danger of being mur-
dered.
In his reminiscence, Mr. Chris-
man made a statement which I
believe could just as easily have
come from the lips of Captain
Frederick Gentry and Mr. Henry
Carter. Mr. Chrisman stated:
“We were trying to live in an
Indian country and if some of
us did not risk our lives in beat-
ing the Indians back and open-
ing up the country to civilization,
we would all have to take the
back track and let the Indian
have the country.” I am sure this
was also the attitude of Captain
Gentry and Mr. Carter, as well
as the other early settlers of
Hamilton County. Only with such
a noble attitude of our pioneers
was our own Hamilton County
created.
Mr. Chrisman also remembers
the years of 1856 through 1859 as
years of terrible drought in the
area. He stated that little or no-
Hamilton's First Passenger Train — The
Stephenville North and South Texas Rail-
road ran their first passenger train into
Hamilton on Christina^ Day, 1907. The
whistle blew before the train reached
town and everyone made a rush to hitch
the horse to the buggy and make it to the
depot.
go*
1
The real name of George Sand,
the writer, was Mme. Dudevant.
iSlij
zens.” We the people of Hamil-
ton County should be grateful
for pioneers possessing the sterl-
ing qualities Captain Fredrick
Brown Gentry exhibited.
Henry Jones Carter was
other of the early settlers in the
area of present Hamilton County,
and as with Captain Gentry, we
find the same qualities of cour-
age and endurance exhibited.
Mr. Carter was born in Monroe
County, East Tennessee, on Sept.
4, 1826. He moved to the western
part of the state in 1839, with his
parents, Wesley and Sophia Car-
ter. In the year 1858, Mr. Carter’s
mother died. Mr. Wesley Carter,
Henry’s father, went to Missouri
during the process of the Civil
War, and nothing was heard oi
Henry’s father after this trip.
On May 14, 1848, Mr. Carter
married Miss Mary Caroline
Preston of Tennessee. Mr. Carter
left Tennessee in March, 1849,
with Texas being his destination.
He went by water to New Or-
leans, and then up the Red
River, landing at Shreveport, La.
Mi-. Carter then proceeded to
Harrison County, Texas, and he
later went to Smith County,
where he rented land until 1856.
On September 15, 1856, Mr.
Carter became the first settler
on Cowhouse Creek. James Rice
and. Henry Standefer, two more
of Hamilton County’s early set-
tlers, were Mr. Carter’s neigh-
bors. Mr. Rice and Mr. Standefer
were the first settlers on the
Leon River. Although they lived
I J"'
-.r
Above Is the Replica of Log Cabin in which John M.
Glover was born in 1847. It was located in Dallas, and
at that time there were only a few log cabins and black-
smith shops there. His brother, Will, was the first white
man born in Dallas County. John Glover came to Hamil-
ton County in 1876 and bought land near West Point,
where he lived until his death in 1925^ He was the father
of Mrs. W. B. Hurley.
Trials and Tribulations at Our Early Settlers
12 miles distant from Mr. Car-
ter, they were considered neigh-
bors in the sparsely populated
area.
Mr. Carter was also an active
participant in the many skir-
mishes with the Indians, and he
was a participant in the famous
Dove Creek Indian fight. In 1873,
Mr. Carter pre-empted 160 acres
of land. Times were trying in-
deed in these early years, and Mr.
Carter had the misfortune of
losing approximately five hund-
red dollars in the cattle busi-
ness, a large amount in those
days. It took men with strong
characters and a fierce deter-
mination to succeed, to improve
the area for future generations.
I’m sure they said many times
the words Thomas Paine at one
time uttered: “These are the
times that try men’s souls.”
Mr. Carter owned approxima-
tely 3400 acres of land in the
area of Hamilton County in the
1890’s. 500 of these acres were
in a high state of cultivation and
well unproved. This property
had been accumulated through
Mr. Carter’s untiring energy, and
his integrity and conduct in his
business affairs. We owe our re-
spect and thanks for men like
Henry Jones Carter.
The short account of these two
early settler’s lives is not in-
tended to be a deserving bio-
graphical sketch of their life.
The purpose however, was that
through a short consideration of
some of their experiences, we
may in some small way realize
the courage of these early set-
tlers who helped to make Ham-
ilton County what it is today.
Hamilton County is a county
with much broken country, and
this fact afforded the Indians ex-
cellent hiding places. It was .very
easy for them to hide in some .of
" the rough mountains and depre-
1 _ 1 11 .. 1 .., . ,
Sources of Information:
Chrisman, John H., Reminis-
cences, 1854 - 1865. On file in
the Archives, University of
Texas.
Cross, F. M., A short Sketch
History from Personal Reminis-
censes of Early Days in Central
Texas, Greenwood Printing Co.
Brownwood, 1910.
History of Texas. With Bio-
graphies of Central Texas Fam-
ilies. The Lewis Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1896.
McCannell, Joseph Carroll. The
West Texas Frontier, Gazette
Print, Jacksboro, 1933.
date on the settlers without be-
ing discovered.
F. M. Cross, a resident in
various parts of Central Texas
during the early days, stated in
his reminiscences that parts of
Hamilton County suffered as
much from Indian depredations
as any community in the state.
As we enjoy the splendid
farms of our community, the
comfortable dwellings, the fine
churches, and our modern school
buildings, we should guide our
thoughts to the past. These are
moments to the men of the past.,
men whose perserverance and
labors made these things pos-
sible. These brave men, of the
type of Captain Gentry and Mr.
Carter, endured the daily trials
of the pioneer life in order that
they might develop the wonder-
ful and varied resources preval-
ent in the region. They establish-
ed a pleasant community which
future generations would love
and enjoy.
These early settlers, many of
them far from friends and rela-
tives, did not shrink or cower
in the face of adversity. They
buttoned their coats, and with
a religious fervor, forged fear-
lessly and steadfastly ahead with
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Billingslea, W. F. The Hamilton Herald-News (Hamilton, Tex.), Vol. 83, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 3, 1958, newspaper, July 3, 1958; Hamilton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1313712/m1/67/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Private Collection of Mary Newton Maxwell.