Information requests received by MCHC

Donna Hammond Lane

stormy_skies100(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

P.O. Box 151101

Austin, Texas 78715-1101

512-56eight-10seven0

Hello, we are going to host a Pruett Family Reunion in Rockdale, Texas on September 1st 2014. The

location is yet to be determined. Henry T. Pruett (1822-1912) is my 3rd Great Grandfather. My 2nd Great

Grandfather is William Harvey Pruett (1848-1934). The family came to Texas from Alabama via Mississippi in the

1850's on a covered wagon train. To my knowledge this is the first family reunion we have had since 1955. Henry

T. Pruett had 9 children, James, William, Daniel (Thomas), Henry, John, Sarah (Sally) Simmons, Elaine (Ella)

Simmons, Mary Jane Moses, and we believe the youngest to be named Thomas also. The boys spread out to different

parts of Texas. My cousin, Thomas Pruett in Centralia, IL (618-339-6478) and I (Donna Hammond Lane, 512-568-

1070) would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. We have a Reunion Facebook page that is

public (https://www.facebook.com/PruettReunion2014). There are family trees on Ancestry.com that are available

(you have to have a profile, but you do not have to pay for an account in order to look at the family trees. We

would love to have a member(s) of the society join us for this event. Thank you!

Donna Hammond Lane, daughter of Dorothy Pruett Hammond

*****

Reply: This email has been forwarded to MCHC members and to a classmate of mine: John Pruett. I have also

posted it on Facebook and sent it to the Rockdale Reporter.

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2014-04-18

John Bible

bible_j(AT)live(DOT)com

103 Davis Dr

Columbia, Tennessee 38401

931-79seven-8four25

I am looking for John A.Bible - he was in Milam Co. When he passed away in 1850 - and his wife too.

Thanks You, John Bible

*****

REPLY: This email has been forwarded to MCHC members and to Linda Wharton - MC Genealogical Society. "170 years

of Cemetery Records in Milam County, TX" has no record of any burial for the Bible name.

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2014-04-21

Mary Mumford

marbear1028(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

1101 FM1460, Georgetown, TX 78626

312-eight28-94eight5

I have been researching the Taylor/Mumford Cemetery for over 15 years. I have pics I can send. I know

the owners of land and am getting access to property. I have lots of info on Jesse who is my GGG-GF. I'm not

sure but don't we as family have rights to the grave site? The last time I went out there I could not find the

graves. I hope I am wrong and they were not destroyed. I now know someone that can get me permission. How do

I send pics?

*****

REPLY:

If you have the pictures in digital format (on your computer) you can email them to me at

jcaywood(AT)austin(DOT)rr(DOT)com

We would love to have them - I will put them online. If you have actual pictures you can mail them to me, I

can scan them and return them if you wish.

My mailing address is: Jerry Caywood, 215 Piney Ridge Drive, Bastrop, TX 78602.

State law does reserve the right to visit a cemetery, even on private property.

"Section 711.041 of the Health and Safety Code states that any person who wishes to visit a cemetery that has

no public ingress or egress shall have the rights for visitation during reasonable hours and for purposes

associated with cemetery visits. The owner of the lands surrounding the cemetery may designate the routes for

reasonable access. Section 711.0521 further states that interference with ingress and egress is a Class C

misdemeanor.

Health and Safety Code section 711.012(b) provides the Texas Funeral Services Commission the authority to write

rules to support section 711.041 of the Health and Safety Code. These rules present a course of action that may

be undertaken in cases where access to a cemetery is refused. See Title 22, Part 10, Rule §205.2 of the Texas

Administrative Code.

The court decision in the case of Davis v. May, 135 S.W.3d 747 (Tex.App.–San Antonio 2003, pet. denied),

affirmed the trail court’s judgment granting descendants the right of ingress and egress to a private family

cemetery surrounded by a single landowner. '

http://www.thc.state.tx.us/preserve/projects-and-programs/cemetery-preservation/cemetery-laws

Jerry Caywood

(this email was forwarded to all MCHC members)

*****

Reply: 2014-04-23

Jack Brooks

I visited Dr. Richter at his home/office in Rogers this morning. He couldn't have been ant nicer and more

accommodating if he had tried. We discussed the cemetery and its very poor condition . He said that the road on

his property and into the cemetery is also badly overgrown. He wanted to show me how to get in there, but

didn't want my car to get scratched up from the overgrown trees. He said unless a veterinary issue comes up,

I'm to meet him at 4 PM, back at his office. We'll be taking his truck. I'm going to take my chain saw and trim

some of the worst areas so that we may make future visits via car. He agreed to allow me to borrow his key,

whenever access is needed, and escort any visitors in as long as I return the key when we are finished. It

sounds like the cemetery will be another overgrown issue by itself. I hope everything continues to go so

smoothly.

*****

Reply: 2014-05-01

Jack Brooks

The Mumford cemetery was visited 04/29/2014. The property owner escorted this visitor to the badly

overgrown/neglected cemetery. He was greatly inconvenienced while assisting access to this site and I am very

appreciative of his kindness. The cemetery appears to be toward the middle/ rear of the adjacent +/- 350 acres.

A four wheel drive truck is recommended/required to transit the private entry road via locked gate. The

cemetery was completely obscured on arrival to the heavily wooded, brushy site. Heavy pruning is required to

safely gain access to the internal cemetery grounds. Many headstones have fallen and are broken.

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2014-05-05

Bryan Maurantonio

bmaurantonio(AT)gmail(DOT)com

3901 Oakhurst Ln

McKinney, Texas 75070

46nine-two47-2one32

I am looking for my grandmother's Birth and Marriage certificates. Her name was Sallie Henderson Hammons,

She was born 04/23/1886 in Lilac, Milam Co. TX. She married Emmett "Henry" Gamble on Aug.9, 1903. I'm trying

to understand, among other things, the correct spelling of her maiden name. Her death certificate lists it as

"Hammons". The spelling given for her immediate relatives is "Hamman" and Hammans.

I live in N. Texas, but it's difficult for me to get to the Milam County Courthouse. I spoke to the county

clerk, she told me that birth certificates were not required in that period, so the records may not even exist.

Any help is greatly appreciated

*****

Reply:

This email has been forwarded to MCHC members and to Linda Wharton - MC Genealogical Society. "170 years of

Cemetery Records in Milam County, TX" shows Sallie Gamble - w/o Henry -1886-1978 is buried in the Locklin

Cemetery (San Gabriel area). No burial shown for Emmett or Henry Gamble. I could find no 'Hammons', 'Hamman's,

nor 'Hammons' listed.

*****

Date: 2014-05-06

Thank you for your note.

Bryan Maurantonio bmaurantonio(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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2014-05-09

Jason McReynolds

mcreynoldsj40(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Houston, TX 77095

Phone: 8three2-two02-337one

I'm looking for any information about a property off of CR 251. My grandfather bought it in the 1970's. The

road used to go all the way to the property but hasn't been maintained in well over 30 years. I'm trying to

find out when the house was built, cistern and well dug, and by who. I can give a more detailed description of

its location.

*****

2014-05-09

REPLY: I asked Mr McReynolds to supply all the info he had on location, names, etc.

*****

2014-05-09

The property is still in the family. My grandfather was Dale McReynolds. The property id is 19089 and

geographic id is A058-082-020-00. The legal description is A05808 SMITH, NILES F., 15.0 ACRES. Lat. 30.968

Lon. -96.807. Unfortunately this all I know.

*****

2014-05-09

I sent email to MCHC members for their help or suggestions.

*****

2014-09-13

Mr. McReynolds, Regarding your inquiry dealing with your grandfathers property, I'm able to provide some

generalized information, but not as specific as you had requested.

The property was visited on 09/08/2014. It is possible to drive up to the property via CR 251 and then north

along the old road R/W(see attachment # 1& 2). I personally hiked it, not knowing of the automobile-accessible

road conditions.

I had the good fortune to meet a Mr. Ronald Henderson who lives a short distance from said property. Having

spent a fair amount of his youth in the community (Crossroads) and now retired there, he shared a great deal of

information about the community and his family heritage. His mother, Mrs. Edna Henderson (91 yrs. of age), who

also lives in the community, further enlightened me via a telephone conversation.

If you will note attachment #3, which is a 1925 Milam County property ownership map, You will see where I have

circled A. (Albert) Weise, 15 ac.. That was your grandfathers property, but also Mrs. Henderson's grandfather's

property during that time (1925). She was unable to remember when the home was built, since activity there

preceded her birth (1923).

Regarding the cistern, Mr. Henderson said that many of the late 1800's to mid 1900's homes in the community had

cisterns. The reason for that, he said, was due to the fact that the shallow wells in the vicinity were heavily

mineralized and not suitable as potable drinking water. A short distance away, on what is now CR 259, was an

artesian well. He recalled riding with his grandfather, in a wagon, to that well so that they could fill jugs

with water (I would surmise, if the cistern went dry from lack of rain).

If you will note attachment # 4, this is the current Milam County Appraisal District map, with subject property

circled. Now, if you'll take note of the earlier 1925 map again, you'll see that subject property is partially

surrounded with numerous Sneed properties. In one of the many Joseph P. Sneed Milam County Texas internet

searches that I made, it stated that Joseph P. Sneed once owned 1500 acres in that community in the mid to late

1800's before it was gradually sold off (he died in 1881). That might explain why, in 1925, that some of the

parcels of the original 1500 ac., still in Sneed family hands, surrounded said property???. Without a time

consuming property search, we may only "guesstimate" that your grandfather's property may have once been part

of Joseph P. Sneed's 1500 acres. An item that always complicates pre-1874 property searches, is that the Milam

County Courthouse burned in 1874., and all courthouse recorded property deeds were lost (FYI: Sneed cabin circa

1849). I understand that some local title company's were some salvation in that regard (Botts Co.).

Should the above Sneed article interest you, I would further refer you to Sneed Chapel Cemetery Milam County

Texas searches and also Joseph P. Sneed cabin, Milam County Texas. One more is

www.milamcountyhistoricalcommission.org and under special articles in the tool bar see Sneed cabin ( 1849). The

cabin has been moved from the original Sneed property and is now adjacent to the Milam County Historic Jail

located just off the courthouse square in Cameron. Should you be interested, it is open for tour via the Milam

County Historic Museum, located on the square.

I realize that I've "jumped off track" on Joseph P. Sneed, but find the early pioneering circuit riding

ministers very interesting and hope that you find them as well. The Crossroads/Baileyville communities in which

you're inquiring were Joseph's "stomping ground" and family homestead.

Respectfully, Jack Brooks

*****

2014-09-15

Thank you for all of the information. You have told me more than I had hoped for. I will be sure to check out

the cabin and museum. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this.

Thank you, Jason McReynolds

*****

2014-09-20

Mr. McReynolds,

Your inquiry has provided me with an opportunity to pursue/purchase some additional reference material from the

Texas General land Office(GLO) in Austin. Title Agents often use the term "chasing a property to dirt". I

recently learned from Joy Graham, a local historian, that that meant back to the original survey. In this

instance, it was the Niles F. Smith survey dated Dec. 30th, 1834 and was located in Book 14, pg.105 and Volume

A, pg. 97 & 245 (see attachment #1). Attachment #2 is an overview of northern Milam County surveys in addition

to separately deeded properties. Said survey is just to the left of the b in Robertson County located near the

right Milam County/ Robertson County line. After studying this GAO 1918 Milam County historical map of the

early surveys, I found that a majority of them were completed between 1832 and 1835, when what we now know as

Texas was still a part of Mexico. If I recall correctly, it was then called the Municipality of Viesca. This

still doesn't tell you when the house was built or who dug the cistern, but still fascinating stuff on the

ground underneath it just the same, huh?. The MCHC inquiries, such as yours, are always a learning experience.

Thanks for helping educate me as well.

Respectfully, John Brooks - bjohnr2010(AT)hotmail(DOT)com

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