Hopkins County Genealogical Society Monthly Meeting Notes: March 15, 2018
The Hopkins County Genealogical Society met on March 15, 2018 in the library at 611 N. Davis Street. President John Sellers called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and welcomed everyone.
President Sellers asked if everyone had read over the minutes. There were no questions. The minutes were approved as prepared. Copies of the financial report were temporarily unavailable for distribution, so they will be made available at the next meeting.
With the business portion of the meeting concluded, 1 st Vice President Rhonda Bechhold introduced the speaker, Paul Ridenour, of Dallas, Texas. He is an active researcher of several organizations and is the current president of the Texas Society of the War of 1812.
Mr. Ridenour began by mentioning two sisters, Essie and Adelle Smith, who had a Sulphur Springs connection. Charles Augustus Smith and Emma Leola Glausier Smith came to Texas from Georgia and Alabama. She was a mean lady. She once shot a man and killed a man who was foaming at the mouth while wandering in her back yard. Their first daughter was Mamie Pearl Smith Whaley, who was Mr. Ridenour’s great grandmother. Their 6th and 8th children were Ora Bernice Smith and Adelle Smith. The Smiths were a very poor family. Essie was adopted out of the family in 1916 when she was 6 years old. She was later returned to her family. Adelle was adopted out at 4 years old in 1916 by John R. Hughes and Addie Smoke Hughes. Essie and Adelle never saw each other again. When Essie was about 21 years old, she was walking to church one evening with her sister, Ora, when her boyfriend came along in his new pickup truck. He was showing off for the girls when he accidentally struck Essie. She died in the hospital two days later.
Adelle did not know about her sister’s death. In the 1980s, she was still trying to locate Essie. Essie had been dead since 1931. Adelle died in 1988. Her daughter and the grandchildren all know about it now. Mr. Ridenour is in contact now with all of the living family members. They are all cousins. They get together with each other from time to time.
Next Mr. Ridenour began the second part of his presentation about three Creek sisters who owned plantations in the Jefferson area. He rediscovered the old Mt. Tabor Indian Cemetery in 2005 after searching for it for two years. It is located between Laird Hill and Leverett’s Chapel in Rusk County on the old homeplace of John Bell, Jr. Mr. Ridenour thinks there are 30 to 50 graves there. All the markers are gone. The cemetery was destroyed by oilmen in the 1950s – ‘60s. Mt. Tabor was an old Cherokee Indian community. Buried in the cemetery are mostly Cherokees, some Choctaws, some Chickasaws, and some Creeks.
Rebecca McIntosh Hawkins Hagerty was born in 1815 in the Lower Creek Indian nation in Georgia. She was the daughter of William M. McIntosh, half-Scottish Chief of the Lower Division of Creeks, and his second wife, Susannah Ree, who was a full-blooded Creek. When Rebecca was 10 years old, her father agreed to sell a large part of the Creek lands in Georgia in exchange for a “permanent” home west of the Mississippi. He was murdered by a band from the Upper Creek Nation who resented the loss of the tribal lands and their own forced removal. The following year, Rebecca’s older half-brother, Chillicothe McIntosh, led the Creeks out of Georgia to the Indian Nation to the west. Her father's half-brother, Roley McIntosh, later assumed the role of Chief of the Lower Creeks until his retirement in 1859.
In 1831 Rebecca married Benjamin Hawkins of the Western Creek Nation. Hawkins was the half-Indian son of a Creek woman and Colonel Benjamin Hawkins, Sr., a former United States Congressman. Their first child, Louisa was born December 27, 1831, at Fort Gibson, Indian territory. There Ben became acquainted with Sam Houston, and in 1833 the family migrated to East Texas where Hawkins acquired a headright on 3700 acres in Marion County, and slaves to work it. A second child, Anna, was born in Nacogdoches in 1834. Here Hawkins and his friend Houston
engaged in some land transactions and other dealings together, and Hawkins was reportedly involved in an attempt to purchase land for the settlement of "a large body of Indians from the United States", the rumor of which raised the fear and anger of the Anglo-American citizenry. Sometime in 1836, he was murdered, probably at Nacogdoches and perhaps as a result of ongoing conflict between the Indians and other settlers. Rebecca and their two daughters inherited his property.
In 1838, Rebecca married Spire M. Hagerty, who held land and slaves in Harrison County. They had two children who survived to maturity, Frances and Spire, Jr., born at the Phoenix Plantation near Marshall in 1848 and 1849. The marriage was very troubled due to Hagerty’s drunkenness. They divorced in either 1848 or 1849. In the 1840s, Rebecca’s two sisters, Delilah and Catherine Hettie McIntosh, had married William Drew and James Willison, and settled on part of the Hawkins land near Rebecca's home north of Jefferson in Marion County. In 1849, Spire M. Hagerty, Sr., died in Montgomery, Alabama. There were several legal disputes in the Hagerty family over his
estate. Finally, in 1853, the Texas Supreme Court partitioned the estate, giving Spire M. Hagerty, Jr. 3/8 of the property, and Frances retained 5/8. From the date of her final separation from Spire Hagerty, probably in 1848, Rebecca managed the plantations; the Refuge in Marion County and the Phoenix, in Harrison County, as well as the
household. The principal cash crop was cotton, worked by a slave force that numbered 102 in 1860. The Phoenix plantation was later bought by Thomas Jefferson Taylor, father of Lady Bird Johnson. There are no structures still standing on the Refuge plantation, although there are numerous artifacts from the house. The house was built in 1849 and was completely collapsed by the 1920s. Rebecca died circa 1886 in the Indian Territory and is buried there. Spire Hagerty, Jr. died in Jefferson in 1886 of tuberculosis. None of the McIntosh-Hawkins- Hagerty clan remained living at Refuge or Phoenix plantations by the mid-1890s.
The presentation sparked much discussion and was interesting and educational. Those in attendance included John Sellers, Maggie Mae Sherrow, Jan Stovall, Sue Tittle, Jean Bell, Jerry Gregg, Don Fausett, W. B. White, Jr., Paul Ridenour, Ella Brown, Charles A. Steger, Carrol Gregg, Billy Lucas, Rhonda Buchhold, Marcille Tucker, Donna Moore, CarolAnn Dixon, Ronny Glossup, Phyllis Brown, Anita Glossup, Pat Chase, Doris White, and Marilyn Smith.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:58 PM.
Significant Weather Advisory for Eastern Hopkins County Until 10:30 p.m.
A strong thunderstorm over Como at 9:54 p.m. has prompted a significant weather advisory until 10:30 p.m. for Eastern Hopkins County. The storm is moving northeast at 40 mph. Dime size hail and winds up to 40 mph possible with this storm. This storm may intensify, so closely monitor if you are in Eastern Hopkins County.
A & M-Commerce Associate Professor Received Grant for Rural Special Education Study
COMMERCE, TX— Dr. Brittany Hott, Associate Professor of Special Education, received a grant in the amount of $3,559. The award from the American Educational Research Association’s Education Research Service Projects (ERSP) Initiative will fund the study of rural special education programs. It will also identify the needs in their Individual Education Plan (IEP) procedures.
The ERSP initiative was launched in 2013 as a way of connecting education research to educational needs that exist in local communities. Dr. Hott’s team developed the project, “Supporting Quality Individual Education Program Development and Implementation in Rural East Texas.”
Dr. Hott noted that the project will support the development of data-based professional development plans for special education teachers and administrators.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with Lamar County Shared Services Agreement Schools (LCSSA), and the opportunities for A&M-Commerce STRIDE Lab student researchers to begin working in districts that they will serve in the future,” said Dr. Hott. The Strategic Implementation and Dissemination of Evidence-based Practices (STRIDE) Lab develops interventions for students with exceptionalities (sic).
SSISD Sports Summer Camps Set
Sulphur Springs ISD Athletic Director Greg Owens released the schedule for athletic sports camps coming up this summer on Friday. Camps begin the first full week of June with softball and baseball camps.
Lady Cats Softball Coach David Carrillo’s Softball Camp is June 4-6 and the Wildcats Baseball Coach Jerrod Hammack’s Baseball Hitting Camp is June 5-7.
The following week Lady Cats Basketball Coach Jeff Chapman will have his Girls’ Basketball Camp June 11-13.
Wildcats Soccer Coach Nicky Wiggins and Lady Cats Soccer Joel Bailey will have their evening Boys and Girls Soccer Camp on June 25-29.
That same week, Lady Cats Volleyball Coach Justin Maness will have his Girls’ Volleyball Camp June 26-28.
After a week off during July the 4th week, Wildcats Basketball Coach Clark Cipoletta will have his Boys’ Basketball Camp July 9-12.
In late July and early August, Wildcats Tennis Coach Tony Martinez will have his Tennis Camp July 30 through August 2.
Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens will have his Wildcat Football Camp and Freshman Football Camp July 31 through August 2.
For more information or for camp forms, go to the SSISD website at www.ssisd.net or parents may also sign up kids on the first camp day at the camp site.
A & M-Commerce Chorale Performs at Cathedral Shrine
COMMERCE, TX— The A&M-Commerce Chorale will perform an a cappella concert at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Dallas on April 22. The performance will include a selection of music by composers such as Palestrina, Roger T. Petrich, Hyun Kook, Daniel Elder, Hyo-Won Woo, and Herbert Howells.
The University Chorale is the premier choral ensemble selected by audition from undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Music and the campus at large.
“The Chorale will be performing some of the most beautiful a cappella music written for choir,” said Dr. Randall Hooper, DMA, Associate Professor and Director of Choirs and Vocal Activities. “The literature ranges from ‘Light of Clear Blue Morning’ by Dolly Parton arranged for choir by Palestrina, to Herbert Howells, to spirituals.”
Choirs under Dr. Hooper’s leadership have performed in Carnegie Hall, been invited to the International Anthony Burgess Foundation Symposium in Liverpool, England and toured Germany, Austria, England and France. In 2016, the A&M-Commerce Chorale was invited to perform at the Festival Internacional de Música de Campina Grande in Brazil.
“The Department of Music is working to perform more in the Dallas area to increase our presence,” said Dr. Hooper.
The concert starts at 7:00 p.m. and is free to the public. The cathedral is located at 2215 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas.
Rain Causes Postponement of Wildcat Baseball, Lady Cat Softball; Games Reset
Mother nature wins again. The Wildcats’ baseball game and the Lady Cats’ softball game, both scheduled for Friday at Texas High were postponed by rain.
The schedule now calls for the Wildcats’ baseball team to play Texas High Saturday at 5 p.m. Before that there will be a JV contest at Texas High at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Wildcats freshman team will play a doubleheader,against Texas High, instead of Van, beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday at Wildcat Park. The Wildcats’ varsity is 7-1 in district play. They are one game behind Hallsville but several games ahead of Texas High after Marshall upset the Tigers last Monday.
Meanwhile the Lady Cats’ softball team and Texas High will now play a varsity only game on Monday beginning at 5 p.m. in Texarkana. The Lady Cats are 9-1 in district play and they are in first place. Lady Cats Softball Coach David Carrillo says his team still controls their own destiny adding if the Lady Cats win their last two district games, they will win the district championship.
Significant Storm Advisory for Northwestern Hopkins County
A significant weather advisory for Northwestern Hopkins County, Eastern Hunt County and Southwestern Delta County has been issued until 1:30 p.m. Doppler radar is tracking a strong thunderstorm near Campbell moving Northeast at 55 mph. Dime sized hail is possible in the storm. Cumby, Tira, and Cooper Lake Park South Sulphur are included in the advisory.
Brown Clarifies Statement
Marty and Tamara Brown, owners of Double Insanity Investments, LLC and property at 206 Main Street in Sulphur Springs visited KSST Studios Friday morning to point out that he did not say the information regarding a Sulphur Springs city council member had been told to him by a candidate for the city council but that he had read the information on a Facebook post. Mr. Brown could not readily remember whose Facebook post had provided the information.
His clarification was in response to a city council story posted April 5, 2018, on ksstradio.com.
The Pulpwood Queen Visits Sulphur Springs, Adopts Local BookClub Chapter
KSST’s Enola Gay with Kathy L. Murphy, The Pulpwood Queen
I have finally met the tiara-wearing, book-sharing Pulpwood Queen, and now I see why she is so well-known and so well-loved! She and sidekick assistant Tiajuana came to my book club on April 10, 2018. Kathy L. Patrick Murphy, the Texas-born Pulpwood Queen and creator of the world-wide “Beauty and the Book” Club, visited the Literary Ladies Book Club in Sulphur Springs during it’s April meeting at the home of John and Sharon Feldt. Murphy was so impressed with the ladies that she “adopted” the existing club and made it the newest among 500-plus clubs in the world. She will hold her Pulpwood Queen “Girlfriend Weekend”event in Nacodoches, Texas during January 17-19, 2019 where hundreds of book-readers wearing tiaras and boas will gather for fun workshops as well as serious talk sessions. Kathy L. Murphy is an interesting and charismatic individual with a strong background in national book sales and well-known to New York publishing houses. Industry changes in 1999 caused her personal re-invention as The Pulpwood Queen. As Kathy Patrick, she wrote her first book in 2008 from her beauty shop/bookstore in Jefferson, Texas, which is pulpwood country, and titled it The Pulpwood Queen’s Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life. Read on to find out more about her!
Members of the Literary Ladies Book Club meet April 10 at the home of Sharon Feldt,, pictured in center with black hat.
While attending college—a total of seven universities, including Emporia State University and Texas A&M University—Patrick worked as a hairdresser, later landing work in the publishing industry. She opened Beauty and the Book in 1999 after losing her job as a book sales representative. Oxford American magazine sent author Carol Dawson to the shop to cover the grand opening, dubbed “Perms and Prose.” The resulting article, titled “Hairdresser to the Authors,” put Patrick’s salon and book store on the map. In 2008, she wrote her first nonfiction book, The Pulpwood Queen’s Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life.
In 2011, Random House announced it was planning a 12-episode season for an online book club talk show, featuring interviews with Random House authors. The company spokesman said the show was created “in response to increased demand for digital content from book clubs.”
Kathy Patrick Murphy appeared on Good Morning America’s “Recipe Show” with her chicken shish kabob recipe. She also appeared on radio on the Kacey Kowars Show in January 2008. For one season, she hosted her own talk show, Beauty and the Book, which debuted on HGTV in March 2009, and was listed in HGTV’s Top 10. Texas Monthly magazine featured Patrick in its January 2008 issue, after the release of her book. And the next month, she was interviewed for a feature article in The Debutante’s Ball, a blog about debut authors. She was runner-up in 2010 of MediaBistro’s Dancing with the Stars reader vote after it launched “Should Authors Dance?” for a writer to be cast on the popular reality show.
Patrick was a panelist at the Texas Book Festival in October 2010, and at the 2009 AJC Decatur Book Festival in Georgia. Also in 2009, she was a speaker at the Louisiana Book Festival as well as a speaker at the Author! Author! Book Festival in Shreveport, Louisiana, in June 2009. She has appeared on “Good Morning, America!” three times and was on an Oxygen Network episode of “Oprah!” filmed in Dallas about women breaking barriers. She shared that show with Beyonce and others breaking into their respective industries. She has appeared on television with Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson numerous times. She “picks” best books monthly, based on readership of her club members worldwide, and seven of her picks have been made into movies, including “Eat, Pray, Love” (2010) “The Help”(2011), and “Same Kind of Different As Me” (2017). Find out more at pulpwoodqueen.com.
Front row: Tijuana and Kathy (the Pulpwood Queen) Back row: Enola Gay, Sharon Feldt and Pat Lawrence
