Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas Page: 760 of 894

                                
INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

653

S. A. EASLEY,
CIRCLEVILLE,

Came to Texas in 1852. He was born about seven
miles from Greenville, S. C., just over the county
line, in Pickens County, August 26, 1826. His
parents were John and Elizabeth (King) Easley.
His mother was of Spartanburg, S. C. His father
was born in Virginia, where his grandfather, Robert,
was born, and lived until removing to South Carolina,
just prior to the close of the Revolutionary war. The
Easley family is a family of planters and Col. S. A.
Easley was reared to that pursuit, acquainting himself
thoroughly with all of its details. He married,
in 1848, Miss Elizabeth Sloan. His parents were
people of property; but, of a proud and independent
spirit, the idea of receiving their aid was distasteful
to him, and he and his young wife, who was
in full accord with him, moved to Texas, expecting
to locate in Kaufman County. They visited Kaufman
and, hearing that a fine tract of land on the
San Gabriel river in Williamson County was for
sale at a bargain, he visited the spot and purchased
the property, buying it from William Ashworth, a
mulatto free negro who had fought in the Texas
army, and by a special act of the Texas Congress,
had been made owner of the land as a reward for
his services. Col. Easley paid $1.50 per acre for
this league of as fine land as there is in the State.
It was uninclosed and stock roamed at will over
that entire section of the country.
Col. Easley commenced farming, however, raising
wheat, corn and cotton and some stock. He
built on his farm the second cotton gin in the
county, and fenced, improved and developed one of

the finest farming properties in that part of the
State.
A man of broad intelligence and information,
he was elected to represent his district in the
Legislature during Governor Coke's administration.
Aside from this service he never aspired to or filled
a political office. He has practically retired from
active business life to his elegant home, where he is
pleasantly spending his remaining years in the
society of his beloved wife and surrounded by their
six living children, all of whom are grown and comfortably
settled in life. The children are: Mamie,
now Mrs. Daniel Wilcox, of Georgetown; Samuel,
whose farm adjoins the old homestead; Nannie,
now Mrs. Bonnell, of Taylor; Lizzie, now Mrs.
Fred. Turner, of Austin; Southie, now Mrs. J. L.
Root, of Williamson County; and Florence, now
Mrs. Harry Derrett, of Wichita Falls.. During the
war between the States Col. Easley served in the
Confederate army as Captain of a company of cavalry
in Mann's Regiment for two years in the Department
of the Gulf.
In 1861, by order of the Governor, all men over
eighteen and under forty-five in Williamson County
were organized into a regiment and Col. Easley
was elected Colonel of the same, hence his title of
Colonel.
His soldierly bearing greatly endeared him to his
comrades in arms and his sterling traits of character
and useful and honorable career have won for him
a wide-spread popularity among his fellow-citizens
of Texas.

CHARLES KLEMME,
HASTINGS,

One of the early settlers of Kendall County, was
born in Germany in 1822, learned the brick and
stone mason's trade in his native land; came from
Germany to San Antonio, Texas, in 1848, via Galveston,
Indianola and Victoria, and there worked at
his trade for a time. Mr. Klemme located on his
present home in 1872, and has developed one of the

best farms in Kendall County. He was married to
Miss Johanna Michel, a daughter of Thomas Michel,
at New Braunfels, in 1853. She was born in Saxony.
Mr. and Mrs. Klemme have seven children,
Adeline, now Mrs. Christian Anderson; Texanna,
now Mrs. Tobias Freilweh; Laura, John, Edward,
Amelia, and Caroline. The Klemme ranch is beau