"Between the Creeks" Page: 282
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Stories reported in 1991 stirred many memories 12-29-91
This old year is almost history. At times, we have felt that the world was a raging
bull, and we could barely hang on to its tail as we were dragged from one cuckleburr
patch to another and thought all the muck and mire of the barn lot and pig pen. We feel
torn and bruised, and more than a little dingy.
We have celebrated the 200th year of the Bill of Rights with a flaunting of the
First Amendment. It is my personal opinion that we should also have the right to not
know, if we wish. I prefer, as a helpless spectator, that my news of war be filtered and
not be experienced first hand. Also, there are some things that are not discussed in polite
company. As a small-town moralist, I just as soon not know what the rest of the world is
up to.
You're right if you think this gives me a lop-sided view of history. I disagree
with Shakespeare, that what the good men do is interred with their bones, and only the
evil is remembered. We have had some good people in this town in the past who have
done much to make this a fine community. This is what I choose to remember. Certainly
I have turned up some dirt in my research but I have no wish to embarrass my friends.
We will let it remain buried.
Now that I have gotten that off my chest, let's discuss the history that we have
told in the last year. For most of the year, we have focused our attention to the east of
Allen. We began with the story of Mary Frances Compton Hunter and the remarkable
family she and her husband, John Wilson Hunter, produced.
We reprised the article on Ebenezer Allen, secretary of state of the Republic of
Texas and attorney general of Texas after statehood, for whom the town of Allen was
named. We told again the story of Oliver Loving and his connection to the television
series, Lonesome Dove. All of our attention during that time was turned to the war. The
column on patriotic songs was very well received as we remembered when we learned to
cope with war by singing.
After we got back to our regular subjects, we wrote about old Hog Waller-
Faulkner School, and stirred up the memories of many. Another column, one about Allen
School in 1911 caused quite a bit of comment. We answered a query about the Parker
family and the town before South Fork.
I was obviously vamping for time in April with a story about bluebonnets, for the
next week was the beginning of the series for which we had been researching for months.
I use the plural we, not the editorial we, for many people contributed to this series. The
Fitzhugh family story had taken a year to tell in part. We have not yet discussed their
contribution to the Confederacy during the Civil War.
The tale of the Fitzhughs, their numerous kin and their descendents extended to
several communities to the east of Allen- Lucas, Orchard Gap, Fitzhugh Mills, Forest
Grove and Lick Springs. We have rehashed the Mexican War, Texas Rangers and Indian
fighting. D.C. and I had a memorable experience searching for old Fort Fitzhugh at
Gainesville in Cooke County.
In between the Fitzhugh's series, we discussed doctors, preachers, just church
folk, and other matters; for as regular readers of this column know, our series do not run
consecutively.282
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[Name Index to Gwen Pettit Articles] (Text)
Spreadsheet index of personal and family names found in the compiled transcriptions of newspaper articles written by Gwen Pettit about the local history of Allen, Texas.
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Pettit, Gwen. "Between the Creeks", book, July 2006; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth752794/m1/287/?q=Lamar+University: accessed July 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .