Samuel Raymond Burroughs, physician, surgeon and banker, of Buffalo, Texas, was born in Tuskaloosa County, Alabama on October 3. 1842, the son of Benjamin F. and Louisa Fair (Burton) Burroughs.

Both his parents of Scottish, Irish, French and English came to America from England before the revolutionary war. His ancestors first settled in Maryland. Sam's father served as Captain of the 18th Regiment of the 5th Brigade, 2nd division of the Alabama state Militia. He studied medicine and civil engineering.

In 1845 Sam moved to Texas when tne family first settled in Sabine County where his dad obtained a prominent position as a planter. The family then moved to Palestine where his dad served as county surveyor.

Sam attended school at Melrose, Nacogdoches County, and then at the Palestine High School and Mound Prairie Institute, eight miles northeast of Palestine, in preparation of the medical field to be a doctor. Sam was to graduate at the end of the term in 1861. In 1861 the head of the Mound Prairie Institute was thought to be a northern sympathizer, and the academy was closed.

The call of duty in the confederacy army took priority in Sam's life. He enlisted in March of 1861 leaving the graduation and his medical career at a stand still. He joined the Co. G First Texas Regiment of General Hoods Brigade, the Army of Virginia. The marching to Virginia was brutal; Sam with one shirt, one pair of pants and no shoes, suffered from blisters, frost bite, hunger, dysentery, chills, fevers, and the flux.

His fighting days came to an end when he was captured by General McCook's bodyguard. He remained in prison under guard until he was released from the war.

In 1863, the family moved to Raymond, Leon County, Texas. Upon his release he was given transportation to Texas. However, he had to walk from Shreveport to where he had left his family.

He was graduated from Galveston Medical College, at which he later held the chair of chemistry, toxicology and medical jurisprudence for four years. He was married, in Leon County, Texas, May 9, 1867, to Rebecca Antoinette Henry. They had four children, Elie May, Robert Edgar. Core Lee and Mary Louella.

He engaged in the practice of medicine in Houston for two years. His health failed and he returned to Raymond, Leon County, where he recovered his health. He practiced medicine and was engaged in the mercantile and ginning business.

He then resided in Buffalo after 1896 and engaged in the practice of medicine and banking business.

He was President and stockholder Buffalo State Bank; director and stockholder in Amicable Life Insurance Company; stockholder in Texas Loan and Surety Company, First State Bank of Oakwood, Western Casualty and Guarantee Company, Texas Loan and Guarantee Company, and Houston Continental Trust Company.

He served as chairman of the Democratic representative district; chairman Democratic senatorial district; member State Democratic Executive Committee; president Texas State Board of Medical Examiners. Ex-president Texas State Medical Association ; member of county, state and national medical associations. Missionary Baptist; Democrat; Royal Arch Mason; Elk.

Source: The Buffalo Express May 7, 2003 taken from "The Flo News" written by Norma Moore
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Mary Kate Hunter, suffragist, poet, and historian, daughter of Nathaniel Wyche and Jane Armistend (Beeson) Hunter, was born at Brushy Creek near Palestine on November 8, 1866. She attended Palestine Female Academy, several other private schools, and Sam Houston State Teachers College (now Sam Houston State University) in Huntsville; she later studied music in Boston, Chicago, and Berlin. After a short stint teaching in the public schools of Palestine and Mexia, she returned to music and taught piano in Palestine until her retirement in 1941. She never married.

In 1894 she went as a delegate of the Palestine Self Culture Club, which she had helped to found, to the meeting of the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. At that meeting the federation adopted the project of founding free public libraries in Texas cities. The Palestine Carnegie Library, now the Palestine Public Library, resulted from her efforts. She was a founder and the first president of the Palestine Equal Suffrage Association and was vice president of the Texas Equal Suffrage Associationqv in 1915-16. In the latter role she made a tour of Texas organizing and lecturing for suffrage. After women were enfranchised she held classes to teach them voting procedures and methods of evaluating the candidates. She also turned her attention to civic affairs and chaired the Good Citizenship League, which obtained paved streets in residential areas and improved county roads.

In 1921 Hunter went to Washington, D.C., where she was selected to organize a local unit of the Woman's National Foundation. The unit was started at her home on November 15, 1921, with fifty-two charter members. The group's emphasis was the study of local history. The foundation amassed a file of early Anderson County newspapers and started a museum of historical relics in the Carnegie Library. In 1927 she organized the Fort Houston chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. The group started a collection of rare Texas history books and donated it to the Palestine Carnegie Library. Hunter did much research for a history of Anderson County, but the work was unfinished at her death.

She served on the Texas State Library and Historical Commission (now the Texas State Library and Archives Commissionqv) from October 31, 1919, until October 16, 1927. Through her efforts the State Library acquired the diary of Adolphus Sterne, which recounts life in East Texas from 1838 to 1851.

Kate Hunter published poetry in several well-known newspapers and magazines and was elected poet laureate of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. A volume of her poetry, Vision, was published in 1936. She also was society editor in 1897-98 for the Palestine Sunday Daily Advocate. During this time she began an eight-page society and current events review known as The Observer. She was active in the Poetry Society of Texas and the Texas State Historical Association. At the time of her death on April 14, 1945, she was coordinating plans for the Palestine centennial celebration. The celebration, held the following year, was dedicated to her.

Manuscript Collection at Texas Woman's University
Musician, poet, local historian, and dedicated suffrage and civic worker. Served as Vice President of the Texas Suffrage Association. Resident of Palestine, Texas. Includes correspondence, biographical material, family history, music instruction files, photographs, newsclippings, publications and historical research files pertaining to Texas and Palestine, and Anderson County in 1921.

Source: The Handbook of Texas Online
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Thomas Benton Greenwood, attorney and state Supreme Court justice, the son of Thomas Benton and Lucy H. (Gee) Greenwood, of Palestine, Texas, was born on July 2, 1872, in Louisburg, North Carolina.

After graduation from the Palestine public schools he attended the University of Texas from approximately 1888 to 1890. Thereafter he read law in his father's office, was licensed in 1893, and practiced with his father until the senior partner's death in 1900. After 1900 he practiced alone, although he was often associated with his younger brother, A. G. Greenwood.

In 1908 he married Mary Ezell of Palestine; they had no children. Greenwood was a member of the Southern Presbyterian Church. He died in Austin on March 26, 1946, and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery.

From 1907 to 1911 he served as a regent of the University of Texas. His statewide prominence began with a celebrated law case, Anderson County v. I&GN Railway Company (1912-18), in which he helped block removal of the railway company's shops and general offices from Palestine to Houston.

On April 1, 1918, Greenwood was appointed associate justice of the Supreme Court of Texas; thereafter he was elected and continuously reelected without opposition until he relinquished his office on December 31, 1934. He returned to law practice, this time at Austin in association with former governor Daniel J. Moodyqv and J. B. Robertson. That association continued until Greenwood's death.

Greenwood's judicial opinions in the relatively new and developing field of oil and gas law constitute much of today's decisional law in the same area. He was a member of the Texas Bar Association, its successor, the State Bar of Texas,qv and the American Bar Association; his committee work for these organizations contributed notably to modernizing the administration of justice. He held an honorary LL.D. degree from Austin College at Sherman.

Source: The Handbook of Texas Online
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He was the son of Henry Bascom & Edwina Nelms (Reagan) Fowler and was born in Palestine. He received his name from Captain James Rees, a business associate of his father who operated four steamboats on the Trinity River.

He had two illustrious grandfathers, Andrew Jackson Fowler and the Honorable John Henninger Reagan. Godfrey Rees' parents died when he was a very young boy and he and his sister, Edwina Reagan Fowler were reared by his father's sister, Glen Dora and her husband James J. Arthur.

He graduated from Palestine High School in 1891, from Texas A&M in 1894 with a degree in Civil Engineering then a law degree from the University of Texas in 1897. Years later he received his Master's degree and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

In 1897, G.R. Fowler began his law practice in Palestine, but this was short-lived because of the Spanish American War. He became a Captain of Company F, Thirty-third Infantry Regiment and remained in the Philippines until 1901.

He returned to Palestine and his law practice, and served in the Texas Legislature in 1903-04. He joined the Army in 1909 in Nicaragua and was made a General. When the Nicaraguan Army of Liberation succeeded in its task in 1910, he returned to Palestine. He served in France during World War I and at the time of his retirement in 1934, he held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Godfrey Rees Fowler was married to Ella Sue McReynolds, daughter of Judge Zachariah Aycock McReynolds and Ella Sue Anderson, in Palestine, On December 18, 1910. Colonel Fowler and his wife lived in her old home place at 921 North Perry Street after he retired from military service. They traveled in the United States and Mexico, spending time studying, writing, and gardening when they were at home. They only had one son, Godfrey Arthur Fowler.

As per a pamphlet from Palestine Chamber of Commerce, written by Drew Franklin Davis, Chairman, Palestine Historical Preservation Commission, Unknown Date: The home that they owned at 921 North Perry Street was originally built by Judge Alexander E. McClure, one of the area's most prominent lawyers, in 1849. The house was sold in 1884 to Zachariah Aycock McReynolds (1846-1928), father of Ella Sue McReynolds, who married Colonel Fowler. The couple retired to the home in 1934 after Zachariah Aycock McReynolds death. The house is still in the McReynolds Family.

Source: Pioneer Families of Anderson County Prior to 1900
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In 1908, Thomas Benton Greenwood married Mary Ezell of Palestine; they had no children. The Greenwoods were members of the Southern Presbyterian Church. She was buried in the Texas State Cemetery.

Source: The Handbook of Texas Online
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Miss Mary Rees, a retired employee of the Palestine Water Dept., died in a local hospital Thursday afternoon following a lengthily illness.

Funeral service are to be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Bailey Memorial chapel with DR. R.L. Badgett, pastor of First Christian Church, officiating. Burial will follow in the East Hill Cemetary.

Miss Rees was born in Palestine August 14, 1889, a daughter of the late Clement and Rebecca Jane Brown Rees.

A life long member of the First Christian Church, she had lived all her life at the family home at 609 North Sycamore....

Survivors include two nieces, Mrs. Donavan Moore of Palestine and Mrs Byron McFarland of Del Rio and several great nieces and nephews.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 12-25-1969
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Miss Maude Sammons, a former longtime employee in the Anderson County Courthouse died Saturday evening in Memorial Hospital at the age of 87.

Funeral services were scheduled for 2:30 P.M. today in the Bailey Memorial Chapel with the Rev. W.S. Blanton, Jr., officiating. Burial will be in the New Addition Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be the following nephews: Charles Pleasant, Wallace Brunson, Edward Shandera, Jack McDonald, George Pleasant, and Leslie Sammons, Jr.

A native of Palestine, Miss Sammons was a daughter of the late J.W. and Eula Langham Sammons. She had worked at the courthouse here for a number of years before moving to Houston, where she worked for the Gulf Oil Corporation. Following her retirement, she returned to Palestine and had made her home here for the past 16 years.

Miss Sammons was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Palestine and a 50 year member of the Palestine Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star.

Survivors include a brother, Leslie L. Sammons of Houma, Louisiana; three sisters, Mrs. Grace S. (C.L.) McDonald of Marshall, Mrs. Bonnie (Floyd) Ousley of Harlingen, and Mrs. Edna Mae (Joe) Jenkins of Longview, and several nieces and nephews.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 03-04-1973
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Funeral services for Frank C. Wiley, who died early Friday at his home in Jacksonville, will be held at 2 p.m. today in the Bailey Memorial Chapel here with the Rev. Don Meador officiating. Burial will follow in The New Addition Cemetery. There will be a Masonic service at graveside.

A native of Palestine, Mr. Wiley was born April 17, 1890, a son of the late Thomas Andrew Wiley and Mrs. Ella Bailey Wiley. He was 81.

He had made his home in Jacksonville for some 16 years, having retired as a machinist with Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1947 after some 35 years service

A member of the Methodist Church, Mr. Wiley was also a Mason and was a veteran of World War I. He was preceded in death by his son, Frank Wiley, Jr., in 1957.

Survivors include his widow, the former Miss Nancy Ann Atkisson; One daughter, Mrs. John Grant of Chicago, Ill; A daughter-in-law, Mrs. Virginia Franklin; and two grandchildren.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 03-25-1972
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James Vossler worked for the Southern Pacific R. R. and traveled extensively for them. On one business trip to New Orleans he suffered a stroke in his hotel room on December 16, 1950. The client he was meeting discovered the body when he went to his hotel to check on "Mr. Vossler who was never late to a meeting."

He was born in Palestine August 11, 1892, a son of John William and Rena Priscilla Mears Vossler.

The Vossler family, James and younger sister, Alma Vossler, lived in Palestine at 814 Magnolia St. at the 1900 census. The census reports that James's father, John, is a stenographer and that they own their home. Also living there is Mary E. Mears, John's mother-in-law who is 52 years old, born in July 1847 in Texas and Kate Mears, his sister-in-law, 23 years old, born in October 1876 in Texas.

In the 1910 census we see John Vossler, 46 years old, born in Missouri, living in Palestine, Texas. He is working for the railroad as a clerk. Both his parents were born in Germany. His wife, Rena, is 42 years old, born in Texas of a father born in Missouri and a mother born in North Carolina. They have been married 19 years and have 2 children. Their son, James M. Vossler is 18 and does not yet have an occupation. Their daughter Alma is 15.

James received an engineering degree from Texas A&M University in College Station before he was married in January 1916. He was also a cadet in their military program.

James was married to Miriam Genevieve McCleary on January 18, 1916 in Houston. Miriam was the daughter of John McCleary and Mary Theresa Frank. She was born ca. 1895.

There were five children from the marriage. A son John Joseph Vossler born 26 Feb. 1918. Daughter Mary Helen Vossler born 12 Oct. 1920. Daughter Frances Louise Vossler born 18 June 1924. Daughter Dorothy Ann Vossler born 2 May 1927. Son Lawrence Jerome Vossler born 4 Aug. 1930.

The Houston City Directory of 1917 lists James M. Vossler, a salesman at Thos Goggan & Bro, residing at 2806 Chenevert.

The 1920 census shows James Vossler, 27, in Houston. James is an electrical engineer at a tool company. Living with him are his wife Miriam, 25, and a son John J., 1 year 10 months. Miriam's parents and siblings are living next door. Her father was born in Ireland and her mother in Texas. They are living at 1614 Elgin.

The 1929-30 Houston City Directory shows Miriam and her husband living at 1614 Elgin Ave. He is a welder for Southern Pacific Lines.

James M. Vossler and his family are found in the 1930 census living at 1614 Elgin in Houston. They are renting for $35/month and have a radio. James, 37, is a welder for the railroad. He was not a war veteran. Also living there are their children: John J, Mary Helen, Frances L., and Dorothy A. Miriam's parents and sisters Loretta and Helen are living next door.

The 1935 Houston City Directory lists James M. Vossler, welding instructor for Southern Pacific RR Lines. There are separate listings for his son John Joseph and also for his mother Rena, at the same address.

The 1943-44 Houston City Directory shows James M. Vossler, supervisor of welding at Southern Pacific RR Lines (with wife Miriam and 3 children), living at the same address, and a separate listing for daughter Mary, employee at F.B.D.G. Co.

His son John Joseph was killed in World War II during the Normandy invasion and was buried in Cambridge, England on 26 April 1945. He was a radioman on a B-24 plane and had the rank of Tech. Sgt. He was in a 706 bomber, in the 446th Bomber Group. There is a monument in Cambridge. He received the Air Metal and additional Army metals.

Source: AOL Hometown Erven T. Thoma
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Roderick Random Allen, an army officer who served in three wars, the son of Jefferson Buffington and Emma (Albers) Allen, was born on January 29, 1894, in Marshall, Texas, and spent his youth in Palestine, Texas.

He graduated from Texas A&M in 1915 with a bachelor of science degree in agriculture. In 1946 A&M granted him an honorary LL.D. degree. On April 25, 1917, he married Maydelle Campbell, daughter of Texas Governor 1907-1911; the couple reared Nancy Campbell Allen and Gail Random Allen.

Allen was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, Sixteenth Cavalry on November 29, 1916, and subsequently a First Lieutenant. He was stationed at Mercedes, Texas, on the Mexican border. He was transferred to the Third Cavalry in June 1917, was promoted to Captain on October 17, and served with the regiment in France in the American Expeditionary Force. His troop and squadron were on remount duty at six locations. From November 1917 to January 1918 Allen was an aerial observer, First Observation Squadron, Aviation Section, Signal Corps, in World War I.

During the spring of 1919 he attended the University of Toulouse in France. In July 1919 he returned with the Third Cavalry to Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont. In 1919-21 and 1923 he rode 300-mile endurance tests in the United States Mounted Service. In 1920 Allen was an instructor, Texas National Guard, Dallas. In February 1921 he transferred to the Sixteenth Cavalry, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, and in October he moved to the Fourth Cavalry. He was a member of the Cavalry Engineer Rifle Team from 1921 to 1923.

Beginning in the 1920s Allen graduated from several advanced military schools. He attended the Cavalry School and was assigned (1923) to command Company A, Seventh Cavalry, Fort Bliss, and served as regimental adjutant. He graduated from the Command and General Staff School (1928), was promoted to Major on June 20, and was ordered to the Personnel Section (of which he became chief in 1930), Office of Chief of Cavalry, in Washington, D.C.

In 1929 he was Captain of the Cavalry Rifle and Pistol Team. He was an instructor at the Command and General Staff School (1932-34). He graduated from the Chemical Warfare School (1934), the Army War College (1935), and the Naval War College (1936). Allen was a staff officer, Plans and Training Division, War Department, from 1936 to 1940. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on August 1, 1938.

During World War II he commanded various armored units. In July 1940 he was operations officer, First Armored Regiment, Fort Knox, Kentucky. In April he was transferred to the Third Armored Division, Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. He was promoted to Colonel on October 14, 1941, and took command of the Thirty-second Armored Regiment. Allen became chief of staff, Sixth Armored Division, in January 1942 and was promoted to Brigadier General on May 23. He commanded Combat Command A, Fourth Armored, and participated in maneuvers in Tennessee (1942) and California (1942-43).

From October 1943 to September 1944 he commanded the Twentieth Armored Division at Camp Campbell, Kentucky. He was promoted to Major General on February 23, 1944. He commanded the Twelfth Armored Division in Europe from September 1944 to August 1945. The division was attached to the Seventh Army (in France), detached to the First French Army, then to the Third Army to spearhead the Twentieth Corps drive from Trier to the Rhine. His division accompanied the Twenty-first Corps into Austria.

From August 1945 to February 1946 he commanded the First Armored in Germany, then was director of operations, plans, and training at European Theater headquarters. He was promoted to Colonel, regular army, on November 1, 1945, and to Brigadier General on January 24, 1948.

In the United States he served from October 1947 to April 1948 as director of intelligence, Army Ground Forces, Fort Monroe, Virginia. He was promoted to Major General on May 27, 1949. He commanded the Third Armored, Fort Knox, from 1948 to 1950.

In July 1950, at the outbreak of the Korean War, he reported to Douglas MacArthur's headquarters, Far East Command, Tokyo, Japan. He was designated deputy chief of staff, Far East Command, deputy chief of staff, United Nations Command, and chief of staff, Korean Operations. From April 1951 to February 1952 Allen commanded the Sixteenth Corps, headquartered at Sendai, Japan.

After being reassigned to the states, he commanded the Ninth Infantry Division, Fort Dix, from February to July 1952. At Dix, Allen briefly made national news when a House subcommittee on appropriations criticized his expenditures for kennels and dog runs for his fancy dogs (Samoyeds). His last assignment was as Commanding General, New England Sub-area, Boston Army Base, Fort Devens, Massachusetts.

He retired from the Army on May 31, 1954, and resided in Washington, D.C., until his death, on February 1, 1970. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Allen received the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Army Command Ribbon, Distinguished Marksman award, Officer Legion of Honor award, Croix de Guerre with Palm (French), Order of the White Lion and Victory, and War Cross (Czechoslovakia).

Source: Arlington National Cemetery
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Funeral services for Mrs. Maybell Elizabeth Wilkie Broughton, 90, of Palestine, will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday in the Bailey Funeral Home Memorial Chapel with the Rev. W.S. Blanton and Dan Manuel officiating. Burial will be in Pleasant Springs Cemetery.

Mrs. Broughton died Wednesday in Anderson County Memorial Hospital.

She was born April 17, 1890 in Leadville, Colorado.

She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, XYZ Club, Pleasant Springs Home Demonstration Club and the Elkhart Quilting Club. She was the first president of the Golden Age Club. She had been a teacher in the Pleasant Springs and Elmwood Schools.

Mrs. Broughton was preceded in death by her husband Oscar O. Broughton Sr. and a son, Guy Broughton.

Survivors include two sons, Oscar Broughton of Houston and Ted Broughton of Palestine; two daughters, Mrs. Rubye Trigg of Palestine and Mrs. Helen Wilkinson of Bloomington, Ill.; one sister, Mrs. Lois Snyder of Grass Valley, Calif.; 11 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Pleasant Springs Cemetery Fund.

Condolence calls will be received at the Trigg residence, or the Ted Broughton residence on South Sycamore Road.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 04-24-1980
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Services for Mrs. Luella Gardner Kolstad, 91, will be Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Bailey Memorial Chapel with Rev. Juan Trevino officiating. Burial will be in the East Hill Cemetery.

Mrs. Kolstad died Friday evening in the Palestine Nursing Center.

She was born in Palestine on November 13, 1893, a daughter of B.H. and Carrie Bonner Gardner.

A graduate of the Palestine Public School system, she attended the University of Texas as a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Palestine. Mrs. Kolstad also belonged to the Pioneer Garden Club, the Acorn Club and the Three Arts Club. She was a member and patron of the Harvey Womens Club and was an early member and supporter of the Texas Dogwood Trails.

Survivors include a son, Dr. P.A. Kolstad Jr. of Palestine; a daughter, Mrs. Howard Hanks of Houston; a sister, Mrs. W.M. (Mattie Cad) Keller of Palestine; five grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

Condolence calls will be recieved at the Dr. P.A. Kolstad Jr. residence at 15 Anderson Drive.

Pallbearers are Dr. Ronald Stevener, Dr. C.L. Kolstad III, J. Christopher Kolstad, J.D. Walker, Gardner S. Thornton, Peter K. Thornton and Owen F. Thornton

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 08-09-1985
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Services for Dr. Peter Andrew Kolstad Sr., 91, will be Saturday at 2 p.m. in Bailey Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Juan Trevino and the Rev. Harold Paulsen officiating. Burial will be in East Hill Cemetery. Mr. Kolstad died today in Anderson County Memorial Hospital.

The long time optometrist, businessman and rancher, was known by many as "Mr. Drew".

He was born January 21, 1894 and attended schools in Palestine. He attended Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia before earning his doctor of optometry degree from Needles Institute in Kansas.

He was an owner and partner in Kolstad Jewlers for many years and was an accomplished clockmaker and engraver. The jewelry business, founded by Dr. Kolstad's grandfather, Soren Kolstad, is the oldest store in Texas continually operated by the same family, and one of the oldest family establishments west of the Mississippi River.

In 1935 he was named to the board of directors of First National Bank, a position he held until his death. For many years, he served on the board of the Trinity River Improvement Authority.

Farming and ranching were always a large part of his life and for many years, he was active in the Santa Gertrudis Breeders Association and other groups involved with livestock. He was a member of the Palestine Masonic Lodge and the Rotary Club and was an elder at First Presbyterian Church.

Survivors include his wife, Luella Gardner Kolstad; a son, Dr. P.A. Kolstad Jr. of Palestine; a daughter, Mrs. Howard Kolstad Hanks of Houston; five grandchilfen and 12 great grandchildren.

Pallbearers are J. Christopher Kolstad, Dr. Ronald Stevener, Owen F. Thornton, Gardner K. Thornton, Jeff D. Walker and Dr. C.L. Kolstad III.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 04-26-1985
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Burial Here For Library Benefactor
Lt. Col. William John Blackshear, who would have turned 80 on February 11, died January 4, in a Santa Barbara, California hospital where he long had been a patient.

The decorated World War 1 hero, who had been an Episcopal rector in New York and Austin and in later years operated a rare book shop in Santa Barbara, several months ago donated his private collection of books and memorabilia to the Palestine Carnegie Library.

Born February 11, 1893, in Palestine, Col. Blackshear lived a full and colorful life.

The funeral will be held Monday at 3 p.m. in St. Philips Episcopal Church, with the Rev. Joe Routh officiating. Burial will be in Palestine's Old Cemetery beside the grave of Col. Blackshear's father, with Masonic graveside rites.

Member of an old distinguished family of plantation owners, William J. Blackshear was the son of Nathaniel Witherspoon Blackshear and Mamie Elizabeth Rollins Blackshear.

Members of the Blackshear family had two plantations in Leon County, where William spent part of his boyhood. He also lived for a while as a boy with kinsmen in New York who included a cousin whom he called "Big Sister". She is Mrs. Zuleika Hicks, now of Carmel, California.

He graduated from Palestine High School in 1912 and after World War I graduated from the University of Texas in 1920 with a Bachelor of Literature degree.

His seminary training for the Episcopal priesthood was at Virginia Theological Seminary, from which he received his BD degree in 1924; in 1938, he received his Master of Arts from the University of North Carolina. He received an honorary degree from Daniel Baker College and did graduate work in Harvard University, Oxford in England and Yale University.

He attended the First Officers Training Camp at Leon Springs in May, 1917, receiving his lieutenant's commission before having finished the training period.

During the war in Europe that followed, Blackshear advanced rapidly to first lieutenant to captain; he had been commissioned in the Infantry.

In 1918, as the war approached its climax, Blackshear on two occasions distinguished himself for bravery beyond the call of duty to such an extent that each time he won the Silver Star Medal, second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor, which in that war only Alvin York and a handful of others lived to wear.

Justly proud of his military career of an unusually varied and active life, Blackshear closed out his war record by promotion to the duties of aide de damp to Gen. U.G. McAlexander, one of the AEF's great brigade commanders. He retired from military service with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Returning to his native land, Blackshear, a handsome and extremely charming young man - turned to the Episcopal priesthood after receiving his University of Texas degree.

By his own confession, he did not consider himself a fit spiritual leader. He left that position and moved to California, where he pursued his latter-day role as a bookman. He owned and operated a rare books shop in Santa Barbara for a number of years, adding to his personal collection, which ranged the gamut of literature.

The residue of that unique collection he willed to the Palestine Carnegie Library in a personal and intimate document which was officially accepted and executed by California authorities while he remained a patient in the Santa Barbara hospital.

It bestowed thousands of books, papers, and many pictures to the library, along with a great double door, ostensibly a fabulous relic from a ducal palace in Spain. Col. Blackshear requested that if ever a public art museum is created in Palestine, the ducal palace doors - a gift to him by a close friend from New York - be installed in that museum as his contribution.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 01-12-1973
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Graveside services for Annie McFarlane Higby, 91, of Yantis, were scheduled for 2 p.m. today at East Hill Cemetery with the Rev. Mance Coker officiating. Local arrangements are by Hassell & Foster Funeral Home.

Mrs. Higby died Monday in the Wood County Central Hospital at Quitman.

She was born in Palestine January 9, 1894, a daughter of Robert and Addie Bush McFarlane.

For the past eight years she had lived in Yantis, but had spent most of her life in the Baytown-LaPorte area, where she retired as a teacher in the Baytown Independent School District after 62 years of service. A Methodist, she was a member of the Rebekah Lodge and the Order or the Eastern Star Chapter in LaPorte.

Her husband, Charles Anderson Higby, preceded her in death in 1961.

Survivors include a daughter, Frances Coker of Yantis, a son, Charles Anderson Higby Jr. of Bremmerton, Wash.; two sisters, Dollie Gibbs of Dallas and Jessie Dunnington of Houston; 10 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren and one great great grandchild.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 04-29-1985
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Theodore S. Maffitt, Sr., 63, well known architect, died at 9:45 P.M. Tuesday at Memorial Hospital.

Funeral services will be held at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the First Presbyterian Church with the Rev. John McLean and the Rev. Robert Badgett officiating. Burial will be in New Addition Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Dan O'Connell of Houston, Charles Woodridge, James C. Oehler of Dallas, George Fox, Guy Robinson, Henri Thomas, Drew Kolstad, Seymour Stafford, Ben Walker, Bob Marshman, A.M. Burns, Dale Smith, Harry Herrington, A.E. Sutton and W. T. Sims.

All officers, deacons and elders of the first Presbyterian Church will be honorary pallbearers.

A Palestine native and graduate of the University of Texas, Maffitt was a veteran of two World Wars and a leader in Texas architectural circles.

He opened an office here after his return in 1919 from service as an ensign in the Navy and closed it only for an interval during World War II while he served as a major in the Army Engineering Corps.

At the time of his death, he was associated with his son and actively engaged in his profession, serving a wide area of Texas.

He was one of the founders of A.I.A. in Texas and had served as vice-president of the Dallas chapter. He was a past president of the Lions Club, and a past chairman of the board of deacons of First Presbyterian Church. He was serving as a deacon at the time of his death, and was a member of the Palestine Masonic Lodge and the Order of Knights Templar. He was a member of the Rotary Club until recently.

Survivors are his widow, Anna Josephine Helm Maffitt; a son, T.S. Maffitt, Jr., and three grandchildren all of Palestine; three brothers. J.U. Maffitt of Palestine, George Maffitt of Cathedral City, California and Will Phifer of Houston; and two sisters, Mrs. Grayson Hardgrave, and Mrs. C. C. Cocking, both of Palestine.

The body will be at Bailey Funeral Home until time for the service.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 10-22-1958

From the Alexander Architectural Archive, The General Libaries, The University of Texas at Austin

Theo S. (born Theodore Stuart) Maffitt was born April 6, 1895 in Palestine, Texas, the city whose architecture he was later greatly to affect. Educated at the University of Texas School of Architecture from 1913-1916, he subsequently studied navigation at the University of California prior to entering the Navy's Officers Material School where he was an ensign. While there he worked as a draftsman for Neff and Thompson of Norfolk, Virginia. After the end of World War I he returned to Palestine and established his first firm, Maffitt and Price, Architects in 1919. Two years later he continued practice on his own as Theo S. Maffitt, Architect, concentrating on projects in Anderson County, Texas, and especially the town of Palestine. He was active in the community, serving as director of the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce for four decades and as chairman of several city planning committees. During World War II he was a major in the U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers from 1942-1945. He was a member of the Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and served as its Vice President in 1950. His son, Theodore (Ted) S. Maffitt, Jr. joined his practice, renamed Theo S. Maffitt and Theodore S. Maffitt, Jr., in 1948.

Source: Biographical Sketch of Theo S. Maffitt (1895-1958)
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Alma Vossler Austin died March 1, 1975 in Macon, Illinois. She was buried in New Salem Cemetery near Couch, Missouri close to her husband of 36 years, Amory Earl Austin Sr.

She was born in Palestine October 2, 1894, a daughter of John William and Rena Priscilla Mears Vossler.

The Vossler family, Alma and older brother, James Mears Vossler, lived in Palestine at 814 Magnolia St. at the 1900 census. The census also reports that Alma's father, John, is a stenographer and that they own their home.

The 1910 census repoarts that Alma's mother Rena is 42 years old, born in Texas of parents born in Missouri and North Carolina. Alma's father is 46 years old, born in Missouri with parents born in Germany. He is a clerk for the railroad and owns his house. Rena and her husband had only two children and have been married 19 years. Alma is 15, born in Texas. Her brother, James M. is 18, born in Texas.

The 1917 Houston Texas City Directory lists John W. Vossler, stationer for I. & G.N. residing at 1603 Crawford in Houston, Texas. Alma Vossler is boarding there.

The 1920 census shows Alma's mother, Rena Vossler, 51 years old, as a roomer in the home of Mattie McBride on East Rusk (#203) in Marshall, Texas. With them is Rena's husband, John W. Vossler 55 years old, who is an agent at a railroad station. Also there is Alma Vossler who is 25 years old. Rena's sister Kate and her mother Mary and son James are no longer living with them. James is living elsewhere [He had married and had a son in 1918].

Alma married Amory Earl Austin on November 22, 1921 in Houston, Texas. A son, Amory Earl Austin Jr. was born September 9, 1922 in Dallas.

The 1930 census shows the family living at 4149 McKinney Ave. in Dallas. They are renting at $25/month and own a radio set. Amory is 34 years old, married at 26, born in Missouri of a father born in Illinois and a mother born in Missouri. He was working for an oil company. He was a veteran of WW1. Their son, Amory Jr., is 7 years old.

After several years they moved to Chicago, Il. Later (perhaps when Amory retired before 1958) they moved to Mountain View, Mo.

Her husband died on July 3, 1958 in St. Francis Hospital, Mountain View, Mo. and was buried next to his father in New Salem Cemetery near Couch, Mo. At the time of his death he had two granddaughters, a cousin, and a son.

Alma continued to live in Mountain View, Mo. for a while after the death of her husband.

In the Spring of 1964 she went to as meeting of the St. Clair chapter of Easter Star. Her first cousin Cecilia Mueller was being awarded a 50-year pin for her service in the Easter Star. A newspaper article reported this event. At the time Alma was living in Mountain View, Mo.

She applied for a Social Security number in 1965 when she was living in Macon, Macon County, Il, just south of Decatur. She was living at the Eastern Star home there.

Source: AOL Hometown Erven T. Thoma
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As per info from the book Pioneer Families of Anderson County Prior to 1900, She was the daughter of William Walter Brice & Sallie Belle (Bonner) Robinson.

Source: Anderson County Genealogical Society, Pioneer Families of Anderson County Prior to 1900 (Palestine, Texas, 1984)
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The death of Mr. E. O. Williamson, aged 26, occurred yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock at the family home in Strickland Park, death resulting after a prolonged illness following his being severely gassed while serving in the American army in France during the World War.

It is with much sorrow that the many friends of Mr. Williamson learn of his death, for he was a fine young man. He is survived by his mother and father (Edwin Arnold and Susie May Lyne Williamson), one brother (Woodrow Clark Williamson), and three sisters(Gertrude Williamson, Vallie Bessie Williamson, Blossom Elizabeth Williamson).

Funeral services will be in charge of Dr. Keevil and Rev. Dr. Linebaugh this afternoon at 4 o'clock, interment in the New Addition cemetery.

Source: Palestine Daily Herald 03-31-1924
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Funeral services for J. U. "Shorty" Maffitt, 86, of Palestine will be at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Bailey Memorial Chapel, the Rev. Joe Routh officiating. Burial will be in the New Addition Cemetery.

Mr. Maffitt died Friday morning in the Palestine Nursing Center. He was born in Palestine, a son of C. S. Maffitt and Georgia Meaders Maffitt. After attending Austin College in Sherman and Rice Institute in Houston, he returned to Palestine to open Maffitt's Man's Shop.

Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Marjory Kingsbury Maffitt of Palestine; a daughter, Mrs. William J. (Marjory) Jones, of Stillwater, Oklahoma; sister, Mrs. J. G. Hardgraves of Palestine and two grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be John Logan, D Bell, Dana Pennybacker, Bob Marshman, Lawrence Selden, Spence Carnathan, Johnson Cone, Oscar Duff, Milford Graves, Bob Knight, Pascal Grizzle, Benson Davis and Harold Carnathan.

Condolence calls will be received at the Johnson Cone residence.

Source: Palestine Herald Press
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Eugene Davis Dobbs, 71, of Dallas, a native of Palestine, died Tuesday night while visiting in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Graveside services will be held Friday at 2:30 p.m. at the graveside in New Addition Cemetery with the Rev. Lloyd Giles officiating.

Mr. Dobbs was born 3 November 1899 in Palestine to Charles E. Dobbs and Mrs. Myrtle Davis Dobbs. He was a veteran of World War 1 and retired three years ago as district manager for Gray Rock Asbestos Brake Lining Company of Evanston, Ill. He was a graduate of Palestine High School and attended University Of Texas at Austin, He was a lifetime member of the Methodist Church.

Survivors include his widow, Mrs. Jessie Mae Dobbs of Dallas; one son, Dr. Charles Eugene Dobbs of Houston; two Brothers, Marcus Dobbs of Salem, Ore., and Charles W. Dobbs of Houston ; one sister, Mrs. John M. ( Natalie) Elrod of Palestine; three grandchildren and two great grandchildren...

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 10-12-1972
(This is an abbreviated copy from the East Texas Genealogical Society)
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Services for Mary Hypatia Link, 85, of Palestine will be Thursday at 10 a.m. in the First Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Juan Trevino officiating. Burial will be in East Hill Cemetery under the direction of Bailey & Foster Funeral Home.

Miss Link died Tuesday in Anderson County Memorial Hospital following a brief illness.

She was born in Palestine September 26, 1900, a daughter of the late Dr. E.W. Link and Mary Manning Link.

A lifelong Palestine resident, she also was a lifetime member of First Presbyterian Church and attended Mary Baldwin College in Virginia.

Survivors include a sister, Lib Fish of Palestine and a brother, Henry H. Link of Weslaco.

Condolence calls will be received at the residence of Mrs. Fish. Pallbearers are Henry R. Link, Ed Link, Henry R. Link Jr., Ted Welty, Bob Burroughs and H. Carnathan.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 10-22-1985
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Funeral services were held Monday at Hassell and Foster Chapel for Roy Caswell Reagan, 50, who died Sunday morning in a Palestine Hospital after a lengthy illness. The Rev. Otis Feltman conducted the services.

Mr. Reagan was born October 26, 1898 in Anderson County to Dave Caswell and Flora Smith Reagan. John H. Reagan was the first of their family to move to Texas in 1839.

Roy Reagan graduated from Palestine High School in 1918 and attended Texas A&M University. He served as City Fire Marshall of Palestine for seven years and also farmed.

Mr. Reagan is survived by his wife, Blanche Harding Reagan; two step-sons, Jack Roy and Thomas H. Roy of Palestine; three step-daughters, Mrs. Margie Bernard, Mrs. Barbara Jean Novak and Miss Maurine Roy, all of Palestine.

Pallbearers were Dr. R.D. Black, Harry Crawford, Terry Harper, Kenmore Hunter, Ed Wiggington, John Word, Wilburn Smith and Lonnie Gatewood.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 07-05-1949
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Services for John Wagnon, 86, of Palestine will be at 11 a.m. in Bailey & Foster Funeral chapel with the Rev. Charles Kincaid officiating. Burial will be in Roselawn Park.

Mr. Wagnon died Saturday in Plano General Hospital after a lengthy illness.

He was the oldest member of First Christian Church where he had been a lifelong member.

He was born in Anderson County on December 11, 1900, a son of Frank and Mary A. Oldham Wagnon. He was employed as a clerk in the storeroom mechanical department of Missouri Pacific Railroad for more than 50 years.

Survivors include his wife, Helen Hammer Wagnon of Palestine; a daughter, Mrs. Walter (Betty) Newman of Dallas; a son, Bob Wagnon of Chicago, Ill.; one granddaughter and one great-grandson.

Pallbearers will be Red Williams, Clinton Crass, Judge Bascom Bentley, Roy Ward, Neual M. Braly, and Stanley Walton.

Condolence calls will be received from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 03-25-1987
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Sykes Ballew, better known as Smith Ballew, singer, actor, and bandleader, the son of May and William Y. Ballew, was born in Palestine, Texas, on January 21, 1902. He was the youngest of five children and all were students at Palestine High School. W. Virgil 1910 grad, Margie 1911, Mary 1914, and Charles R. 1916. After attending Sherman High School in Sherman, Ballew attended Austin College and the University of Texas from 1920 to 1922. At the University of Texas he organized a jazz combo, Jimmie's Joys, in which he first played banjo and later became the vocalist. He left the university after the fall 1922 semester and continued with the combo until forming the Texajazzers in March 1925.

By then primarily a vocalist, Ballew accepted work with a number of noted bandleaders, including Ted Weems, Hal Kemp, and Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. In 1929 he organized the Smith Ballew Orchestra, which highlighted his singing and which included associations with jazzmen such as Glenn Miller and Bunny Berigan. In the same year he signed his first recording contract, with Okeh Records of Chicago. Ballew's recording career as vocalist and bandleader spanned some twenty years, during which he cut records for more than thirty labels, including Okeh, Victor, Brunswick, Columbia, and Decca.

From 1936 to 1950 he mixed an acting career with singing. In 1936, after moving his family to Hollywood and landing a contract with Paramount Pictures, Ballew made his acting debut in the motion picture Palm Springs. He appeared in twenty-four films, primarily Westerns. Among his pictures were Racing Lady (1937), Western Gold (1937), Roll Along Cowboy (1937), Under Arizona Skies (1946), Panamint's Bad Man (1938), Hawaiian Buckeroos (1938), and The Red Badge of Courage (1951).

During World War II, as his singing and film career waned, and until his retirement in 1967, Ballew worked in the aircraft industry in public relations, including stints at Northrup and at Convair (which later became part of General Dynamics). In 1952, after living in California and Arizona, Ballew settled in Fort Worth.

He was married twice, first in 1924 to Justine Vera, with whom he had a daughter. Justine died in 1960, and that same year Ballew married Mary Ruth Clark, who died in 1972. Ballew died in Longview, Texas, on May 2, 1984, and was buried in Fort Worth at Laurel Land Memorial Park.

Source: The Handbook of Texas Online
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Services for Harold C. "Buddy" Biggs, 85, of 900 Lamar Street, Palestine, will be at 11 A.M. Saturday in First Christian Church, the Rev. Charles Kincaid officiating. Burial will be in Roselawn Park under direction of Bailey & Foster Funeral Home.

Mr. Biggs died Thursday in a local hospital after a brief illness.

He was born in Palestine on February 2, 1901, a son of Robert Jauris and Carrie Reese Biggs. He was an elder of First Christian Church and secretary of the Men's Bible Class. He worked for the Max Garrett Ford Agency for 16 years, The Gerald Joyce Agency for 6 years and retired in 1983 from East Texas Auto Supply Store after 40 years as salesman and manager.

Survivors include his wife, Margaret Biggs of Palestine; sister, Mrs. G. A. (Carrie) Ritch of Palestine, and several nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers will be Mike Pell, Ronald Higginbotham, Joe Chaffin, Jack Owen, Forest Mock, L. E. Westbrook, David Dial and Roy Ward.

Condolence calls will be received from 6 to 8 P.M. today at the funeral home.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 11-29-1986
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Source: Friends
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Services for Ethell Reed, 95, of Palestine will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church with Dr. Jeff Cover officiating. Burial will follow in East Hill Cemetery under the direction of Bailey & Foster Funeral Home, Palestine.

Miss Reed died Saturday night in a Palestine healthcare facility.

Miss Reed was born June 15, 1902, in Wilson County. She graduated from Palestine High School in 1919 and attended the University of Texas.

Miss Reed worked as a secretary in the Palestine Independent School District's office for more than 50 years. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Palestine.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Lucile Reed Eubanks; and three brothers, Freddie L. Reed, Joel M. Reed, and James A. Reed.

She is survived by a sister, Mary Pearl Reed Pinckney of Llano; a brother, Perry Reed of Palestine; ten nephews; and seven nieces.

Nephews will serve as pallbearers.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 04-13-1998
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