Monday, December 5, 2011

Movers and Shakers, 1895


Kerr County Confederate Veterans, 1895

Since childhood I've been fascinated with old photos. I love pouring over old black and white images, sometimes with a jeweler's loop, to learn more about the people and times shown.  The older the photo, the more it interests me.  In my teens, my aunt Anna Belle, then the family historian, shared her own collection of photos with me and that is when I first saw this picture.

This is one of two photos in Anna Belle's collection that I considered "mystery photos."  When I asked what the photo was she said she wasn't sure but that both of her grandfathers were in the photo.  In all fairness to Anna Belle, the photo was taken 12 years before she was born and five years before her parents were married.  She most likely inherited the image from a grandparent, with no explanation.  When A.B. knew the history of a photo, she was really good about labeling the back of the image and identifying anyone she could.

The bottom of the photo says "Kerrville Camp UCV No. 699, at Barbecue Given October 26, 1895 at Kerrville" and names Albert Glock as the photographer.  I recognized my great grandfather in the photo, along with P.M. and Richard Steagall (PM was Anna Belle's grandfather and I had photos of both him and his brother, Richard handy for comparison.)  I assumed "UCV" was a lodge, like Woodmen of the World or Odd Fellows.

It wasn't until 2 years ago when I was looking for an obituary in the October 13, 1938 issue of the Kerrville Mountain Sun that I realized what this photo was.  Right above the obituary was this photo.  The Mountain Sun published the photo, identified it as a gathering of Kerr County Confederate Veterans with a few of the people in the photo identified.  The Sun offered an award to the person who could identify the most people in the photo.

In the October 30, 1938 the winner was announced. It was A.P. Brown, the son of Joshua Brown, founder of Kerrville. "Mr. Brown, with the aid if a reading glass, was able to identify 45 persons, including those named in last week's paper."  A.P. Brown was awarded a year's subscription to the Mountain Sun. Unfortunately, the names of the men and women in the photo that Mr. Brown supplied were given in no particular order. For the last two years I've been working on correctly identifying the people in this photo.

This photo shows more than a gathering of Confederate Veterans, it is also photographic record of many of the significant figures in Kerr County history and gives the viewer a good idea of what the citizenry of Kerr County was like in 1895.  Below is a run-down of the individuals I've been able to identify so far, and a brief history of each person.  It is my hope that by publishing this photo here with my findings, others will be able to add names to those unidentified and correct me if I have any of the names wrong.  (Also, if anyone would like a high resolution - 600 dpi - copy of this photo without my identification marks added, just shoot me an e-mail and I'll be happy to share.)

Among those pictured are:



Albert Glock, Photographer  (1838 - 1923)
Mr. Glock was born in Germany and came to Texas in 1852.  At a time when most German immigrants in Central Texas were either Union sympathizers or took a pacifist role, refusing to fight, Mr. Glock served in Company C of the 1st Texas Calvary, Green's Brigade, Trans Mississippi Army. I have not been able to find much out about Mr. Glock, other than he was a professional photographer who worked mostly in Kerrville and Fredericksburg in the late 1800s. I would love to know more about this man because I imagine his story to be a fascinating one.  He was admitted to the Texas Confederate Home in Austin on March 17, 1917 and is buried at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. 





T.M. Bradwell (1836 - 1920)
Thomas Marion Bradwell served in the 1st Gordon  Squadron, 2nd Calvary  (State Guards) and 1st (Ramsey's) Infantry, Georgia.   I have not been able to find out much about Mr. Bradwell, other than he lived on Water Street and was a farmer . He also gave several testimonies in the Mountain Sun between 1916 and 1920 about the benefits of Doan's Liver Pills and credited the medicine with curing severe back aches that kept him from sleeping at night.  His daughter, Daisy (pictured at right) was a 1901 Graduate of Tivy High School.  In 1902 she opened a school in the Turtle Creek Community and later taught high school at both Brenham and Goliad.   Mr. Bradwell is buried in the "Confederate Row" of Glen Rest Cemetery, Kerrville.

PM Steagall (1838 - 1911)
Pleasant M. Steagall served in the 23rd Infantry (Martin's Regiment), Tennessee.  P.M. and his wife Josephine came to Kerrville in 1886 from Rutherford County, TN.  They owned and operated the Steagall House Hotel near the intersection of Clay and Main Streets.  Josephine was the sister of W.V. Gregory, the original owner of the Pampell's building in Kerrville.  P.M. and Josephine are buried in Glen Rest Cemetery.  P.M's brother, Richard, must have been visiting Kerrville during the time of the veteran's reunion - he visited Kerrville often, but his home was always in Rockvale, Tennessee. Descendants of Richard still live on the Steagall homestead in Tennessee.




Hance Burney (1826-1915)
Hance McCain Burney came to Kerrville in 1852.  While I couldn't immediately find information on his service during the Civil War, he and members of his family were important figures in Kerr County history.  Mr. Burney was Kerrville's first Postmaster and served as Kerr County Judge.  He also served as president of the First National Bank of Center Point and was instrumental in establishing more than one sawmill in Kerr County.  His brother, W.D.C. Burney, was the first sherriff of Kerrville.  Hance's oldest son, Robert, served two terms as Texas senator and 22 years as district judge.  Hance Burney is buried in the Center Point Cemetery.


Note:  A.P. Brown said that another member of the Burney family, Dewitt Burney, is also in this photo but there is no indication of where he is in the photo.

William D'Estridge "Buck" Council (1846-1908)
"Buck" Council was my great grandfather.  He was born in Chatham County, North Carolina.  He served in the 35th Regiment, North Carolina.  He was injured in the shoulder at the Battle of Plymouth and had to leave service due to the injury. It was an injury that plagued him throughout his life.  After the Civil War he and his wife, Roxanna, relocated to Mississippi and eventually moved his family to Kerr County in 1890.  He purchased Sherman's Mill, between Ingram and Hunt, from the Sherman family and the family operated the mill until 1915.   Buck and Roxanna are buried at Glen Rest Cemetery in Kerrville.

 Note:  There are some WEIRD names in my family - mine included - and I sure would love to know where the name "D'Estridge" came from!!


P.A. Crenshaw
(1850 - 1935)
According to Footnote.com, Pleasant Anthony Crenshaw served in the Texas Mounted Rifles during the Civil War.  He and his two brothers, Dock and Carey, came to Texas in the 1860s.  After coming to Texas, P.A. joined up with Captain Ivery's Troop.  The troop had the task of tracking down Jayhawkers, Army deserters who were stealing from and killing settlers.  He eventually settled in Kerrville in 1869, on the banks of Bear Creek.  Another record in Footnote shows that P.A. Crenshaw served in the "Indian Wars" between 1874 and 1877.  PA Crenshaw is buried in Nichols Cemetery in Ingram.

Steve McElroy (1846 - 1938)
Stephen "Uncle Steve" McElroy was born in Weakley County, Tennessee and served for two years during the Civil War.  He arrived in Kerrville on Christmas day of 1866. He was a Texas Ranger who served with Capt. Neal Coldwell, a Chisholm Trail cattle driver, wagon freighter, and farmer - A true renaissance man! He helped to build a flour mill  on the Guadalupe near the Methodist Encampment area and helped build another mill on the Medina River.  He is buried in the Center Point cemetery.








George W. Colvin (left) (1842 - 1906) and
Richard H. Colvin (1840 - 1933)

Richard Howison Colvin and George Washington Colvin were born in Virginia.  They both served in Company. A. 4th Virginia Cavalry (a.k.a.the Prince William Company).  George served as a scout under J.E.B. Stewart and was briefly held as a prisoner of war in the Old Capital Prison in Washington, DC.  They arrived in Kerr County in the 1870s.  Richard purchased land in Blanco County in 1885 and then relocated to Cochise Co, Arizona in 1911, where he is buried.  George stayed in Kerr County and lived on what is now Sidney Baker Street.  Later, he and his wife, Mollie, operated a hotel in Ingram.  George is buried in Nichols Cemetery.


Frank Moore (1833 - 1909)
In the late 1850's Francis M. "Frank" Moore came from Weakley, Tennessee to Center Point.  Frank served in the 36th Regiment Texas Cavalry, Company B (Wood's Regiment). In 1874 he enlisted with the Texas Rangers for  "duty against raiding parties of Indians."

In 1877 Captain Moore returned to his ranch in Kerr County and in 1882 he was elected Kerr County Sheriff.  He was a charter member of Rising Star Masonic Lodge No.429 in Center Point, Cattlemen's Association and the Ex-Confederate Veterans. Frank Moore is buried in the Center Point Cemetery. He was a "confirmed batchelor" who never married or had children.

David Newton Wharton (1846 -1938)
"Uncle Dave" Wharton was born in McNary County, Tennessee. In 1857, at the age of 11, he came to Kerr County and lived on the same property for the next 81 years.  He lived near Camp Verde and grew up watching the camels coming and going from the fort.  He became a freighter for the Army during the Civil War and also  served as a Frontier Ranger.  After the war he farmed his ranch in Camp Verde.  In 1936 he was placed on the Centennial Honor Roll by the Ft. Worth Star Telegram as the last living person to have seen a camel at Camp Verde.  He was also the last Kerr County citizen to receive a pension for his service during the Civil War.  Dave Wharton is buried at Wharton Cemetery.




E.A. "Doc" Steel (1838 - 1912)
Elisha Asbury Steel was born in North Carolina.  His family moved to Wilson County, Texas when he was a boy. In 1861 Doc joined the Confederate Army and served in the Frontier, Texas Regiment. He was discharged from service In 1866 and moved to Kerr County.  Where he lived in the homes of Joshua Brown and Spence Goss.  He married Matilda Skinner in 1869 and settled four miles west of Center Point, later he moved to Town Creek north of Kerrville.  Doc was elected to the office of hide and animal inspector for Kerr County in 1880 and served in the position for close to 20 years. He is buried in the Center Point Cemetery.

His daughter, Lea Steele, was the oldest of his children, born in 1877. She married late in life, moved to Midland and had no children.  She died in 1956.


James Hudspeth (1842 - 1920)
James Ayers Hudspeth was born in Neshoba, Mississippi and at some point moved to Drew County, Arkansas.  In 1861 he joined in Company B of the 2nd Arkansas Regiment.  He was discharged from service in 1863 due to "hemorhage of the lungs." He married Ann Elizabeth Smith in 1864.  They moved to Lavaca County, Texas in 1865, to Bandera County in 1872  where he served as County Treasurer and then to Kerr County in 1895.  I have not been able to find much information about his life after moving to Kerr County.  He is buried in Glen Rest Cemetery.






Others in the photo:

There are four young women in the photo that have been identified, Georgia Jones, Mary Walker, Maggie Vann and Dallas Love.  I believe these women to be the daughters of "Water Wagon" Jones,  S.G. Walker, W.W. Vann, and Jim Love - men who are reported to be in the photo but I have yet to be able to identify or research.

Others who may be in the photo (according to AP Brown)  include Pres Taylor, Sam Wellborn, Doc Norwood, DC Robinson, Jim Pruitt, Jim Horn, Joe Hollomon, HH Marshall, Steve Wray, WC Peterson, WW Wells, Wylie Hyatt, Jones Glenn, SJ Jennings, John Clark, Pete Yost, Dewitt Burney, Tom Farmer, JM Webb, WW Howell, and George Baldwin. 

If you recognize a relative in this photo, would like me to e-mail a copy to you or have information to add to anything I've gathered above, please  contact me!!







8 comments:

  1. This is one of the coolest things I have read on the internet in months. Thank you very much for the hard work, and for posting it!

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  2. I see that Pres Taylor was once named as one of the veterans in this picture. Any chance he was a Colonel? -Dana

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  3. Hi Dana,
    I have no idea. I'd have to do some research on him to find out.

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  4. Hi Lanza, I am so delighted to find your blog and this wonderful Photo of the ucv camp 699. My Great Great Great Grandfather was Benjamin Holland Norwood who was 3rd cousin to "uncle Doc" Norwood who was 1st leut. of camp 699 in 1895. His actual name was Andrew Jackson Norwood and he and Benjamin "Holly"Norwood as he was often called served together in Company E. 41st Mississippi infantry volunteers.They mustered in at Verona Mississippi on Feb 13,th 1862 , and paroled at Bentonville North Carolina on April 26th, 1865. They served all 4 years in the Army of the Tennessee, enduring 5 major battles of the civil war including Chicamuagua,Missionary Ridge, defense of Atlanta, Battle of Franklin and Nashville, Tenn. Finally battle of Bentonville whereafter they surrendered when General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered his army to General Sherman. Uncle Doc got his name by nursing his brothers and other men back to health while encamped at Bentonville after the parole so they could make the journey home. After the war The two along with thier sister and brothers families and some slave families travelled together from Choctaw county mississippi to turtle creek in Kerr county where they farmed and ranched until the end of their lives. Uncle doc is buried in the Turtle creek cemetary along with other members of the Norwood family. The slave families settled in near by centerpoint, Texas. I would like to speak with you further perhaps on the phone or email. It is possible that Benjamin Holland Norwood is also in the photo. Thanks again for your blog. We share a common interest.

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  6. George Washington and Richard Howison Colvin are featured in this image. I wrote a lengthy profile on these two and their journey from VA and what happened afterwards. If you'd like a copy, let me know. I would also point out that, the visual impact of this image and the inferences to be drawn from it are diminished when one annotates it, as you have. It better to use the annotations on the bottom, rather than mar the image with identifiers. Kind Regards, A. Colvin, author, The Colvin Study.

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    1. Mr. Colvin,
      Thank you so much for your comments and I would love to know more about your Colvin ancestors. E-mail me at lanza_t@yahoo.com and I'll also be happy to send you a high resoultion, un-marked copy of the veterans' photo.

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  7. Hance Burney is my Great Great Great Great Gma's Brother...Thanks so much for sharing!!

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