Requests for Information on Milam County

received 2013-03-03

I am searching for any information about the Walker family, particularly William Henry Walker, who

lived in Milam county in the mid-1800s. He and his family lived in Cameron.

Sheila Pensotti

slpensotti(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Coppell, TX

*****

(email forwarded to all MCHC members - JC)

*****

(response from Mary Ann Eanes (kittenmae@sbcglobal.net):

William Henry Walker received a land grant in 1834. He had selected land

that was drained by the creek. He was a ranger and representative for Milam County to the Republic of Texas

and later served as a judge. He is buried in the Salem Cemetery. Walkers Creek formerly known as Allen

Springs was named for William Henry Walker.)

*****

(response from James Walker (james@jamesdavidwalker.com):

William Henry Walker may have been the son of Joel Walker and wife Rebecca Gilbert. There is a sketch about

William Henry Walker in Matchless Milam at p. 257. He and some of his descendants are buried in Milam County

at Salem Cemetery. He may connect to my Walker line, but if so the connection is very distant - back many

generations to Virginia.

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received 2013-02-27

My name is Jeff Krueger and I am an organizer of a social group that schedules events for our

members. Our mission is to bring like-minded individuals together through the many social events we plan

each year. Our hope is to give people from all across Texas an opportunity to experience the exciting field

of ghost hunting and paranormal investigating.

We recently held a fundraiser at the Gonzalez Old Jail Museum where we were able to raise over $150 for the

preservation of the jail! I noticed that the Milam County Historical Commission is dedicted to preserving

the past as well and think there might be an oppotunity for us to work together to raise money for sites in

need of funds.

Please email me back if this is something the Milam County Historical Commission is interested in more

information on and we can setup a time to talk over the phone.

Sincerely,

Jeff Krueger - Organizer/Owner - Spirits Paranormal Meetup & Ghost Tours

jeff.krueger@spiritsghosttours.com

Austin, Texas

512-401-1454

(I forwarded a copy to all MCHC members - JC)

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received 2013-02-20

RE: Forbes Building, Thorndale

Hello, My name is Justin Forbes Hagendorf and I am working on a genealogy project for my family. My mother

has explained that my great-uncle once owned and operated the Forbes Grocery Store and Mercantile. I was

wondering if you possibly could offer some help by providing us with a picture of the building. I have tried

many internet searches but I am coming up short. If you can offer any assistance I would sure appreciate it.

Thank you so much for your help. If you have any questions please let me know. Thank you again.

Justin Forbes Hagendorf

justin.hagendorf(AT)houstontx(DOT)gov

4918 Otter Peak

Kingwood, Texas 77345

936-662-7911

*****

Replies:

Yes, the Downtown Cafe was the C. A. Forbes grocery store. The Thorndale Area Chamber of Commerce building

next door was the Forbes Dry Goods store. Upstairs at the cafe was the Forbes furniture store. Behind the

the cafe was the feed store and butcher area. I don't have any photos.

However, my husband began as a butcher at the grocery store when he was 14 years old. He is now 68. Our

oldest daughter began as a checker at the grocery store when she was 16. She is now 47. Our daughter also

worked for Mr. Forbes' granddaughter, Paulette Kelm Morton, at her real estate business and also helped her

with the chamber business, which Paulette took care of out of her real estate business.

Thanks! Darleen Tucker

*****

As most know; C. A. "Speck" Forbes was my Great-Grandfather. The Downtown Cafe is housed in the C. A. Forbes

Grocery store building, which was the North half of the property. The South half of the property; which was

the Dry Goods business location; is occupied by the Thorndale Area Chamber of Commerce now. The West 5 lots

of his property, which were directly behind the grocery store across the alley, had a feed mill, a slaughter

house and meat processing facility, a hardware store, and his trucking company. These lots are now vacant

and owned by a private individual.

My family has some pictures of the old store building. However, we do not have them in electronic/digital

form, they are old school photos. We would be very happy to help Justin in any way we can, and offer him any

of the photos we have to copy.

Thanks;

Paul "Brian" Morton, President

Thorndale Area Chamber of Commerce

pbm650(AT)gmail(DOT)com

*****

Mr. Morton,

It is good to hear from you. As you might know, I'm your distant relative working on a genealogy project for

my family. My mother's name is Cassy Forbes and my Aunt, her sister's name is JB Forbes. I believe they are

second cousins to your mom, Polly. Their father, my grandfather was named JB 'Pete' Forbes and I believe

'Speck' was his uncle.

Well I am interested in the Forbes Grocery Store and possibly receiving pictures of the old store front.

My mother wrote a letter to Beverly, I believe she is your aunt, inquiring about pictures. If it is

possible, could you please send pictures in the mail? My mother's address is 5514 Olympia Fields, Houston Tx

and my address is 4918 Otter Peak Dr. Kingwood, Tx 77345. You only have to send them to one of us.

We sure do appreciate your help. If you have any questions please let me know. Thank you so much for your

assistance.

I hope you have a great day. Respectfully,

Justin Hagendorf -

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received 2013-02-18

Comments : Hi...I found that my great grandmother is buried there...her name is Dosha Ann Arthur died in

1887...but can't find my great grandfather...he was James Richard Arthur and he died Aug 2 1906...do

you show anything for him there...I would think he was buried next to his wife...I hope you can help me

out...thanks

Michael Arthur

marthur1957(AT)gmail(DOT)com

655 Enterprise Dr. #102

Rohnert Park, Calif 94928

707-584-1863

*****

Replies:

thanks for checking...Benjamin was the brother of my great grandfather James R Arthur they all had moved

from Tennessee...now my grand parents had to kids that died that are buried at Murray cemetery...my grand

parents were John A and Eula H Arthur they had a son Charles that died in 1904 and a daughter Maud May she

died in 1905...maybe the state would had a record on where they buried my great grandfather....so thanks for

the help checking for me...

Michael Arthur

*****

In the Old City Cemetery in Rockdale I do find D. A. Arthur - w/o J.R. - 1845-1887. The only other Arthur

in that cemetery is Benjamin F.Arthur, CSA - Tennessee - 1842-1928. There are quite a few other Arthurs in

other Milam County cemeteries but no James Richard or J. R. Arthur.

It is possible that over the years a tombstone could be knocked down and moved or removed for whatever

reason. Of course there may not be records of any of those. And it's not unheard of for there to be no

tombstone ever placed on the grave. If he died in 1906 that is 19 years later.

Jerry Caywood

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received 2013-02-12

RE: History of Milam County place names

My name is Emily Stehr. I currently live in Rhineland, Germany. My husband works for the US Federal

Government. I am researching a book on interesting place names. I am interested in the history of Ben

Arnold and Elevation in Milam County, TX. My book’s focus is on the stories behind place names. Any

information you could provide on these place name births would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to

forward this email to anyone who can assist me in my research. Thx!

Emily Stehr

emilystehr(AT)hotmail.com

My mailing address is CMR 469 Box 1504, APO, AE 09227

*****

Replies:

(I sent email to MCHC members)

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received 2013-02-06

RE: Info sought on Thomas A. Graves, Jr. family

I am following up on the information on Thomas Augustus Graves. It appears that he had one son, Thomas

Augustus Graves, Jr., b.c. 1841 in Texas. His mother Celete Bailey married Irby Jasper Kidd on 22 Sept.

1849 in Post Oak Island, Williamson, TX. Thomas A. Graves Jr. was recorded on the 1850 census in Milam &

Williamson, Milam Co., TX as THOMAS E. KIDD. I can think of only two situations where Celete would have

married in 1849: 1) her first husband was dead or 2) they divorced. Thomas Jr was still recorded as a 'Kidd'

in 1860, but by 1870 had moved with his family to Calif.

Do you have copies of his probate record in Washington Co., TX?

Regarding his age, if he were born on 11 Dec. 1812, that conflicts with his brother, b. 22 Feb. 1813. And

if 11 Dec. 1821 is correct, then he was only 15 when he was married! Yikes!

Please - I need help with this guy. Thanks,

Judith Atkinson

judith.atkinson46(AT)gmail(DOT)com

100 Metacomet St., Wrentham, MA. 02093

Phone: 508-38four-36zero7

*****

Replies:

From the book,"GRAVES", Twelve Generations Some Descendants and Kin. Louise Graves, Compiler, 4501

Roland, Apt. A, Dallas, Texas.

I find this:

THOMAS AUGUSTUS GRAVES. Born Dec. 11, 1821 in Caswell Co., N.C. Died 1861, unmarried at the home of his

brother, Dr. John H. Graves in Independence, TX and buried in Independence.

Dr. John Herndon (graves) was a dentist out here at Lilac and is buried in the Lilac Cemetery. Hope this

helps a bit.

Owen Rachel Graves

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Email rec'd 02/06/2013

RE: Morgan House, Spruce Street, Rockdale

Could you tell me what information you have on Arthur Morgan's home that is located on Spruce street. I read

in one of your articles that it is still standing. I was wondering if it is still owned by the Morgan family

and whether or not it is occupied. Let me know what other information you may need from me. Arthur Morgan

and Eva (Floyd) Morgan were my great great grandparents. We are actually hosting our next family reunion

there this summer and I hope to be able to visit the house and see some other exciting history. We used to

visit all the time when I was a kid so all I have are foggy memories. Thank you.

Christina Morgan Reid

cxijs(AT)cox(DOT)net

11129 S DATE ST, JENKS, OK 74037

918-4two8-881zero

*****

Replies:

I visited the Morgan house - it is in really poor shape and the renters were not enthusiastic about having

visitors - they peeked out a small opening of the door and were not friendly at all. (condensed)

Jerry Caywood

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received 2013-01-22

RE: Sneed Plantation

I am trying to locate the owners of the Sneed Plantation property. My family lived there for many years

and we are trying to plan a trip to visit the place if we have permission to do so. Please send me any

information you may have on that property and who I may contact for more information.

Thanks so much!

Sonia Browder

208 Quartz Lane, Elgin, TX 78621

51two-350-three861

sonia(AT)enyecreative(DOT)com

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received 2013-01-07

I Loved the articles Susie Piper wrote on Black History.

I would like to know If you have any pictures of one of my ancestors listed in one of the articles. Her name

is Area Nelson, she is the only sister of my Great-grandfather Isiah Vinters I only know she was born

Irene Vinters not sure why her name changed over the years.

Also, another relative mentioned in another article was Doris (Moore) Hardeman daughter of Area Nelson.

If you have any pictures of these women I would appreciate having it for my mother.

Carla Halloway

challow89(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

1323 Burnside Ave, East Hartford, CT, 06108

860-three28-9three96

*****

Thank you for your message. I have forwarded your email to Ms Sansom-Piper and she will be contacting you.

Her direct email is missuep@aol.com

*****

Ms Sansom-Piper, Here is an email rec'd via the website. The lady is complimenting you for the articles and

is asking if you have any info on a couple of other people. The name Area Nelson rings a bell with me but I

have no idea why.j Probably goes back the days when I worked at Rockdale State Bank. Please contact her with

any info you may have.

Jerry Caywood

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Received 2012-12-13

RE: History of Cameron, TX

I am a kindergarten teacher in Cameron. My class is learning about the community. Since I am not a Cameron

native I know very little about the history of Cameron. Where can I go to find out a little about how

Cameron was founded and a timeline of major events in its history?

Alicia Dohnalik

adohnalik(AT)@cameronisd(DOT)net

2001 Sun Circle

Rogers, TX 76569

*****

Replies: I sent email to MCHC members

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Received: 2012-12-06

RE: Ad Hall school

Thank you for the information on this site. I am trying to replace a lost photograph of the students of the

Ad Hall School. The year would be approximately 1918-21. My father, Edward Ladis Pavelek was in the picture.

If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it.

George Pavelek

geopavelek(AT)verizon(DOT)net

4508 Jim Mitchell Trail East

Colleyville, Texas 76034

940-three91-nine401

Replies:

(I advised that request for info was posted on site - Jerry Caywood)

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Received: 2012-12-04

RE: Mumford Cemetery

Trying to find information on burials at Mumford Cemetery. I know my grandfather and uncle were buried there

but they have no markers. How would I research this information? They both died in 1935. Their names were

Emeterio and Pabalo Castillo.

Thank you for hopefully pointing me in the right direction to obtain this information.

James Castillo

jcred.4343(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

150 Parish Ln #717

Roanoke, TX 76262

8one7-907-94nine9

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Received: 2012-12-04

I am interested in purchasing a sidewalk stone, if possible. As you can see by my address, I'm a few

miles away. Can anyone help me?

Steve Batte

lvgone99(AT)@gmail(DOT)com

68-010 Apuhihi Street

Waialua, Hawaii 96791

808-two82-3four96

(I sent order form to Mr Batte - Jerry Caywood)

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Received:2012-12-03

Hi, I'm currently collecting information on a family that originated from the Rockdale area and based on the

information found on your remarkable and well preserved website, I think Ms. Susie Sansom-Piper could be

of great assistance to me. I would love to speak to her at her earliest convenience. Thanks for your time

and attention to this matter.

Elizabeth Akers

elizabeth(AT)@citadelis(DOT)org

P.O. Box 3133

McKinney, Texas 75070

719-2seven1-28five1

(I sent email to Ms Piper and forwarded her email address to Ms Akers)

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Received:2012-10-31

RE: Francisco Vasquez

Hi, I would like to know who can I contact to check for any records of my great grandfather and any

documentation of Apache Indian decent. He married his wife in Milam, Co. Texas on March 08, 1924.

His information is as follows:

Francisco Vasquez DOB: 1895 however used 1900

Bride: Cleofas Rodriguez

indexing project (batch) number: M75251-2

system origin: Texas-VR

source film number: 1481550

reference number: 2:3XZVTKF

Arthur Poore

arthur.poore(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

8843 Gallaudet Place

San Antonio, TX 78250

210-5one9-8one67

Replies:

(I suggested he post on Milam Cy Rootsweb and posted here)

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Received via website 2012-10-29

I have been browsing your web site. It is interesting! I am researching the Isaacs side of my family. I

have not known much about our Isaacs family history until recently. I would like to know if you have much

information and photography on Leonard M. Isaacs and his wife Annie Letcher King Isaacs lived

in Rockdale starting in 1880. I am also interesting in locating any art work that might be on display that

was done by Annie. I have been able to find a very small amount of information on them in my mother's

family files and on the web along with several of Annie's oil paintings, but not to the depth that I would

like to have. As a child, I used to receive letters from my relatives in Rockdale but family history is

lacking. My mother's dementia is not to the point that she can no longer clearly remember her summers in

Rockdale with her grandparents. I found a photo of a house on your web site that is tagged as the "Isaacs"

house that is now a law office. Can you tell me more about this photo? Did this house belong to Leonard

and Annie? I have several photos that have a house in the background that has a porch that appears to be

similar to the porch on this house but there is not enough information in the photo to make a determination.

My wife and I are discussing the possibility of spending a weekend in Rockdale to try to find some more

information on Leonard and Annie for my ancestry area on my personal website. (http://www.clarksons.org)

Wiley Clarkson

wiley(AT)clarksons(DOT)org

549 CR 2700

Walnut Springs, TX 76690

254-seven97-two000

Replies:

(I have numerous conversations with Mr Clarkson and Cliff Simms for reference) Jerry Caywood

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Received: 2012-09-07

I am looking for church records (baptisms and burials) for the August & Anna Seelig family--they lived

in Cameron between the mid-1880s and 1910. I know that some of their children were buried at St. Paul's

Lutheran Cemetery in Thorndale. Is that the church they would have attended? If not, do you know what

Lutheran church Cameron residents would have attended at that time?

Thank you for your help! I look forward to your reply!

Sincerely,

Marissa Gardner

russiangenealogy(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Riverton, Utah 84096

801-79two-80five7

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