Texas Highways, Volume 52 Number 10, October 2005 Page: 9
80 p.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
SoeaknIIIIII of
HISTORY, FOLKLORE, AND
BILLY ANSON
For centuries, the law of primogeniture in England and other countries
meant that the first-born son inherited the bulk-land, home, and titles-
of a noble family's estate. Later-born sons had to seek a life of their own-
sometimes in a new country. Thus it was that 18-year-old William "Billy"
Anson, the seventh son of the 2nd Earl of Lichfield, ventured from Englandto the Lone Star State in
1891. He followed in
the footsteps of his
brothers Claude and
Frank (the earl's
fifth and sixth
sons, respective-
ly), who raised
horses near Va-
lera, in Cole-
man County.
When the F
Boer War be-
gan in South
Africa in 1899,
Billy contract-
ed through his
uncle, British
Cabinet member
Lord Lansdowne,
to supply horses to
his countrymen at
war. Billy bought the
horses, and his brother
Frank handled the financing.
Through newspaper ads and hand-
bills, the brothers announced purchas-
ing days in towns like Brady, Mason,
Lampasas, and Goldthwaite
When horses arrived at the rented
livery-stable pens on the appcinted day,
Billy evaluated the animals as to size,
age, color (they had to be dark, to be
less noticeable at night), breathing
capacity, blemishes, and responsiveness
to the rein. Once a trainload passed
muster, the Anson brothers shipped the
horses to the Texas coast. From there,
the animals endured the long voyage to
Cape Town, at the southern tip of
Africa, where Englishmen rode them
into battle.
PHOTO COURTESY EDITH ANSON BOULWARE AND THE AMON CARTER MUSEUMEnglish-born Billy Anson (1872-
1926), who raised Quarter
Horses on his ranch near
Christoval, traced the
breed to colonial times
and helped preserve
its history and pedi-
grees. He is hon-
ored in Amarillo's
American Quarter
Horse Hall of
Fame. During the
Boer War, Billy
evaluated more
than 100,000
Texas horses,
and sent more
than 20,000 of
them to the
British in South
Africa.The Boer War
ended in 1902.
The next year, Billy
Anson left Coleman
County after purchas-
ing the Head-of-the-River
Ranch, on the South Concho
River. At his home near Christoval,
he bred and trained Quarter Horses.
By keeping meticulous records on
these horses, he helped preserve the
history and pedigrees of the Quarter
Horse breed in its early years, and
thereby helped establish a basis for
a registry.
Anson enjoyed polo, a game he
played from Texas to New York. He
and friends are believed to have played
the first horse polo match ever held in
Fort Worth.
Claude and Frank Anson eventual-
ly returned to their homeland, but
Billy received his U.S. citizenship inFASCINATING FACTS
1896 and served as a captain in the
U.S. Army during World War I. He
married in 1917, but ill health
plagued him. He returned to England
a sick man and died there in 1926.
-Barbara Barton, Knickerbocker
THE GOAT MAN OF BIG SANDY
large tombstone-with a
goat's head carved to the
right and a revolver to the
left-marks the resting place of John
"Overland Jack" Rose in Chilton
Cemetery in Big Sandy. Centered
above his name, a small oval holds a
picture of John, his wagon, and his
goat team.
John, born in Virginia in 1888, fell
beneath the wheels of a freight train
and lost both of his legs at age nine.
By means of hand-walking props that
he made himself, he was able to
remain ambulatory and complete his
education. At age 20, he began travel-
ing the country, driving a small
wagon drawn by goats. He eventual-
ly settled in Big Sandy, built a home
beside Everman Lake, and, refusing
public aid or charity, supported him-
self and his goats by doing small
repair jobs on watches, eyeglasses,
guns, and antique clocks. Each year
in early spring, "The Goat Man," as
townspeople affectionately called
him, would set out from Big Sandy,
making about 10 miles a day, stop-
ping to sell postcards of himself for a
dime, and doing repair work whenev-
er he could find it. By the time auto-
mobiles made the roads too danger-
ous and ended his travels, he had
toured 19 states and covered some
30,000 miles.
Overland Jack died in 1962. His
personal property was auctioned, and
his goat cart donated to Tyler's Cald-
well Zoo. One of his postcards is in
the archives of the Historic Upshur
Museum (903/843-5483) in Gilmer.
-Gay Ingram, Big SandyOctober 2005 TEXAS HIGHWAYS 9
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas. Department of Transportation. Texas Highways, Volume 52 Number 10, October 2005, periodical, October 2005; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth839133/m1/11/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.