A Memorial and Biographical History of McLennan, Falls, Bell and Coryell Counties, Texas. Page: 198

                                
HISTORY OF MCLENNAN, FALLS,

Bank of Marlin, of which B. C. Clark was
president. In its present form it was organ-
ized on April 4, 1892, with the following direc-
tors: President, A. E. Watson; vice-president,
J. I. Davis; cashier, B. C. Clark, J. W. Robert-
son and J. A. Martin. Its capital stock is
$100,000, all paid up.
Perhaps we are justified in giving here a
biographical sketch of Mr. Watson.
ARMBTEAD E. WATsON.-It has been very truly
said that history of a country is best contained
in the lives of its people. Certain it is that the
life of the sturdy citizen whose name is presented
at the head of his sketch and the history of Falls
county are so closely identified that one would
be incomplete without the other. He is a na-
tive of Virginia, where he was born January
28, 1834, in Prince Edward county, a county
that has been the birth place of so many of our
country's distinguished and valuable citizens,
not the least of whom is the subject of this
notice. He is the seventh of ten children whose
parents were Joseph A. and Jane (Bruce) Wat-
son, who also were natives of Virginia. Joseph
was a son of Colonel Jesse Watson who served
with rank of Captain in the war of the Revolu-
tion and subsequently was appointed Colonel of
the State. He was also born in Prince Edward
county and was a son of John Watson, who was
a native of Virginia and of Scotch ancestry, and
was among the early settlers in the colonies.
The worthy mother of Mr. Watson was the
daughter of Alex. Bruce, and was born in Lun-
enburg county, Virginia, as was her father
Alexander. His ancestors were from Scotland.
Armstead E. Watson was reared on a planta-
tion, having secured his education in the prin-
cipal schools of that day, which were of superior
order. In 1856, he decided to leave the old
commonwealth and parental roof for countries

new. His course lay through Montgomery,
Mobile, Alabama, by rail, thence by steam to
Galveston, Texas, via New Orleans. From Gal-
veston he went to Washington county, where he
purchased a tract of land on which settled. His
slaves came by land, and were about three
months on the way. There admist those scenes
he commenced the building up of new home for
himself, and to do his part in developing the
grand resources of his adopted State.  But he
was not long to remain in those pursuits. An
ominous war cloud was soon seen hovering
over this fair land; it broke and war was pre-
cipitated. Mr. Watson felt that it was his duty
to take a part, and accordingly he offered his
services to the Confederacy. He enlisted in
Company   G, Fourth Texas Infantry, com-
manded by Colonel Hood, afterward General.
He took part in many of the greatest battles of
the war, was a gallant soldier and always found
where duty called him and where the fight was
the hardest. Among the battles where he took
part may be mentioned, Gaines' Mills, the seven
days' battle around Richmond, and Malvern
Hill.
At the end of two years, occupied in almost
continuous fighting, he was released from ser-
vice on account of failing health and returned
home to Texas, and again resumed his agricult-
ural pursuits, which he followed until January,
1868, when he removed to Galveston and en-
gaged in business as a cotton buyer. In 1870
he made another change, going to Falls county,
where he engaged in the commission business
at Marlin, and also resumed planting, subse-
quently he became engaged in raising and deal-
ing in stock, acquiring from time to time
land interests. In the spring of 1892, he as-
sisted in the organization, and became pres-
ident of the First National Bank of Marlin.

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