Bosque County: Land and People (A History of Bosque County, Texas) Page: 116
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There their son, Athan Christopher, was
born, February 10, 1876.
In 1877 Will and Sallie moved back to the
Tudor Community near his parents. There
September 20, 1879, Joseph Flanary (J), was
born.
In 1884, Will sold his Eastland County
property and bought a farm five miles east of
Morgan on Steele Creek. The family was
living there when Sallie died, October 7, 1894.
Will took her body in a wagon, while fifteen-
year-old J, and eighteen-year-old Athan rode
horseback to the Flanary family cemetery at
Flag Branch north of Iredell for burial. She
was buried near her father, who had died
August 13, 1885.
Will was a good farmer and manager. He
was good to his boys. He not only saw to their
public schooling, but he gave them music
lessons as well. Both boys later taught band
music; J taught all his life. Will loved music.
He was a good singer. After he began making
his home with his sons, he babysat with J's
and Annie's small children when they were
away playing for a picnic, or other such public
event that called for a band. Will entertained
the children by singing. Sometimes he sang
hymns, often using Sol Fa Mi syllables, or he
sang songs that were popular when he was
growing up.
When son J was away from home teaching
bands, Will helped his sons in the field,
teaching and encouraging them. He also
helped Annie by minding the younger chil-
dren while she did her housework. He is well
remembered for his wood chopping. He kept
his own pasture land cleared of unwanted
trees and brush, when the family lived on his
farm, and he did the same if they lived on J's
farm.
Often Will rode his horse, Jim, or had Jim
pull him in his buggy to visit Will and Winnie
Hanshew at Flag Branch. Winnie was Sallie's
niece and lived near the cemetery where he
had buried his beloved Sallie.
In 1924, Will had a paralytic stroke after
a morning of wood cutting. The doctor
predicted that he would never walk again.
But by his strong determination, he not only
walked with the use of a cane and a chair and
dragging his right foot, but he still tried to cut
stove wood with his left hand.
Will died at the home of his son, Athan, at
Hull, Texas, January 1, 1927. Athan's family,
including his wife, Laura Alice White Allen,
and children, Curtis C., Clara Ellen Cain
Pitchman, Florence Edge Durham, Mary
Allene Watson, William Benjamin, Johnson
Butler, and Minnie Lee Campbell, saw to the
erection of a gravestone at his grave. Also his
admiring grandson, Vernon Allen, erected a
memorial stone by his wife's grave in the
Flanary Cemetery.
by Lucille A. HughesALSUP FAMILY
F20
Samuel Alsup was born in 1788 in North
Carolina and married Susan in 1808. They
moved to Big Sandy, Denton County, Ten-
nessee, the same year. Samuel and Susan had
seven children: Hugh (1808-1885), Elija
(1810-1868), James (1816-1885), Drucilla
(1814-1899), Joseph (1821-1884), Mary Ann
(1824-1846), and David (1827-1897). Samuel
died in 1855 and was buried at Big Sandy,
116Tennessee. James and his fourth wife,
Martha B. Bush, came to Bosque County
between 1855 and 1867.
Samuel's seventh child, David, was born at
Big Sandy and married Caroline L. Graham
in 1848. They had eight children: William J.
(1850-1926), Mary Ann (1852-1893), Angel-
ine (1854-?), Margaratte (1856-?), Arrene
(1859-?), Barbara (1860-?) and Eliza Ann
(1864-?). David died in 1897 and is buried at
Big Sandy.
The first child, William J. Alsup, married
Elsie Raspberry in 1871 at Big Sandy. He had
only one sister, Lisa, who married a Davis and
she is buried at Big Sandy. William J.'s wife,
Elsie, was born in 1851 at Big Sandy. She had
several brothers: Bill Raspberry-buried at
Comanche, Richard-buried at Iredell, Jack-
buried at Iredell, Bob-buried at Forth Worth,
Paul-buried at Indian Creek (Hico/Stephen-
ville); sisters: Emma-buried in Washington
State, and Rebecca-buried (?). William J.
and Elsie had one daughter, Mollie (Waddle),
born in 1872 at Big Sandy and buried in 1956
at Kopperl.
Their relatives, Hugh, Burrell, and James
Alsup, had made successful moves to Bosque
County in 1857; so William J. and Elsie left
Big Sandy, eleven miles from Nashville, in
1873 in a covered wagon bound for Bosque
County to join their relatives. They had
$400.00 when they left Mississippi and Elsie
kept it in a pillow case, sitting on it all day
and sleep-on it at night during the entire
three weeks trip. When they arrived at Loder
Springs (between Meridian and Iredell) near
the Bosque River, they bought two hundred
acres of land for fifty cents an acre and
immediately built a log cabin in which to live.
While living here they had four more chil-
dren: Beatrice (Sanders) (1874-1952) buried
at Kopperl, Leonard (1876-1960) buried at
Kopperl, Dave (1878-1947) buried at
Kopperl, and John (1879-?) buried at Mu-
leshoe, Texas. They lived at Loder Springs
for almost seven years and farmed the land.
In late 1879 they moved to Kimball, Texas,
near the Brazos River crossing of the Chish-
olm Trail where the large cattle drives were
taking place. They bought 300 acres of land
for $1.50 an acre. This land was good for
farming and cattle raising. The town of
Kimball was near and growing in size. While
living at Kimball, William J. and Elsie Alsup
had seven more children: Jennie (1879-1902)
buried at Kimball, Elmer "Elmo" (1883-
1908) buried at Kopperl, Emma Frances
(Lillard) (1885-1941) buried at Kopperl, Ella
Louise (1887-1913) buried at Kopperl, infant
Guy (4-27-1891-6-12-1891) buried at Kim-
ball, Robert E. "Bud" (1892-?) buried at
Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Erna (1893-
1981) buried at Kopperl.
The move to Kimball from Loder Springs
required them to build another log cabin
where they lived until they could build a
larger house. They had to dig a well for water;however, they were unable to find water near
the new home. They suffered many hardships
with their large family.
A rock school was built near the cattle trail
in Kimball not far from the Alsup house.
Some of the walls of the school are still
standing today. One of their sons, Dave,
attended school there around 1885 and, later,
went on to attend Hill's Business College in
Waco. The railroad which was built in 1882,
by-passed the tiny town of Kimball and this
meant a sharp decline in business. Instead,it passed through the nearby town of
Kopperl. As a young businessman Dave
decided to go into business at Kopperl.
Father and son opened a general mercantile
store in 1904 by the name of "W.J. Alsup &
Son". Dave rode a horse named "Bronc" for
a year from Kimball to Kopperl in order to
operate the store. In 1905 they moved from
the farm at Kimball to Kopperl. They bought
and sold groceries, dry goods, hardware, farm
implements, coal, grain, cotton, produce, and
caskets. Dave married Janie Harkcom in 1914
and his father gave up the partnership of the
store and kept the farms they had acquired.
Dave and Janie had seven children: Ara
(1915), Woodrow (1917), Cecil (1918), Wil-
liam J. (1920), Maedell (1921), Jack (1922-
deceased), and infant (1923-deceased). Dave
operated the store until 1932, became public
weigher, and later retired. He died in 1947,
and Janie died 1966. Both are buried in
Kopperl.
William J., Dave's fourth child, served in
the armed services, World War II, and the
Korean War 1941-1952. He married Anne
Dorothy Helton from Clifton whose family
dates back to the original establishment of
Bosque County in 1854. Her great grandfath-
er was Judge John Knowles Helton, County
Judge of Bosque County (1866-1876); and
charter members of Masonic Lodge No. 268,
Meridian. William J. had been a member of
this same Lodge since 1945. He and his wife
have one son, William J., Jr., born 1950;
exactly 100 years after his great grandfather,
the first William J. Alsup was born.
by William J. Alsup
AMUNDSON FAMILY
F21
In 1877, three young men-Ole (1851-1934),
Andrew (1847-1907), and John Amundson
(1854-1921)-sailed from their home in Loten,
Norway to the United States. Their destina-
tion was Bosque County, Texas.
On Sept. 23, 1885, Ole bought 160 acres
from Evan Erickson on Bee Creek about five
miles southwest of Meridian. The farm grew
to 473 acres over the years. Ole's brothers,
Andrew and John, owned land near by.
In 1886, Ole and Helen Oglesby were
married in Meridian. They lived in Fort
Worth until Helen died in 1888. He worked
for Bewley Mills. This marriage was blessed
with one daughter, Olive. One son died in
infancy. After Helen's death, Ole returned to
his farm in Bosque County. Olive lived with
the Lemmick Huse family for a period of
time.
In 1892, Ole married Syverine Heckne in
Waco. She left her native Norway and worked
nine years for a family named Curtis in Waco.
I have no family background on Syverine. Shehelped Ole pay for the farm. Two sons died
in infancy. In 1898, Selma Oline was born on
their farm.
While tending his horses, Ole was kicked
on his knee; his leg had to be amputated in
1895, and he used crutches and an artificial
leg for many years.
In 1906 Olive married Alfred Thompson.
There was a big celebration on the farm
following the wedding. They lived on a farm
joining Ole's on the west mountain. Ole
received five grandchildren from this
marriage: Percy, who married Gladys Golden;
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Bosque County History Book Committee. Bosque County: Land and People (A History of Bosque County, Texas), book, 1985; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth91038/m1/132/?q=campbell&rotate=90: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Denton Public Library.