Category Archives: Thoughts and Ramblings

Bradley Johnson

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Sometimes, you spend years thinking about some historical event or process in a certain way, until a fact comes along that changes the whole scenario, or at least part of it. Some people tend to dismiss this. However, “History is written by the victors” is a quote that most need to know because it is true—history changes based on who writes it. This phenomenon applies to both major and minor historical knowledge, as well as the views of certain historical accounts. Humans tend to be human, and occasionally they do not check their facts. We are all guilty of this, whether we acknowledge it or not.

My first encounter with this problem occurred when I was researching Catherina Jeanette Stengle. On a cold Saturday morning in 2012, I was walking in Magnolia Cemetery photographing headstones of veterans with a couple of friends. That day, I was told that Catherina was a seamstress who saved all her money and purchased the twelve grave plots along with the mausoleum and the Saint Katherine of the Wheel statue. It wasn’t long before my research told a different story. If you’re interested in reading Stengle’s story, I have a link at the bottom of this blog.

In this case, the storyteller wasn’t a historian; he just repeated a story he had learned and didn’t check whether it was correct. I did. However, on a few occasions, I also did not check. Regarding this, I want to get into one story that was brought up in one of our Jefferson County Historical Commission meetings.

A member brought up the story of a shootout in Nederland in the early 1900s, and another member mentioned the story of a similar shootout in Sabine Pass that involved someone named Bradley Johnson. I’d heard the Johnson story before and thought I knew who was involved. I was certain there were a few articles written about it, but my Sunday morning research told me otherwise. I reached out to a couple of people who knew the story and might have written articles on it, but I found nothing. The only information I got was that William D. Quick mentioned it to them. This made sense because he was the authority on Sabine Pass history. I did go through Bill’s papers at the Sam Center in Liberty, where they are kept. “Maybe I saw an article about it there,” I thought, but it had been ten years. Someone who knew the story and was with me ten years ago sifting through Bill’s papers reminded me that he had a file on ALL the families and people of interest in Sabine Pass. So, it looks like my near future holds a trip to the Sam Center!

I found the original article from The Beaumont Enterprise about the confrontation in Sabine Pass, and I will tell you what I learned; I will also add photos of the article for you to read on the blog. There are also some odd details missing from this historical event, which I want to get into.

If you research the history of Jefferson County online, you will frequently find the name “Bradley Johnson of Sabine Pass” because there was a Bradley Johnson who fought in the Civil War. That Bradley Johnson was the uncle of the person in question. The Bradley Johnson we are talking about was Benjamin Johnson, the county commissioner’s son. The phrases “according to” and “as legend has it” both work in this case. It’s a bit complicated.

Brad Johnson was well liked in Sabine Pass, and he was a bit of a Robinhood when it came to cattle. Back then, families who owned cattle let them graze unsupervised. Most families had a brand, and that allowed them to identify their animals when it came to rounding up the herd. Apparently, though, cows went missing. Brad Johnson never owned cattle, but he had a pen with cattle in it. As legend has it, a group from the sheriff’s office went to investigate, and as soon as the lead officer tried to open the pen’s gate, a shot rang out, missing the officer’s finger. I have no idea who shot a bullet from a rifle at an officer because someone had a pen of cows belonging to others.

Apparently, some families (four) that won’t be named here (but might be named in the articles) possibly hired a guy to take out Brad Johnson. As you can read in the article, the two men knew each other, but Tom Long was not from here. He had only spent a couple of years in SETX. In the end, though, he knew to get “the hell out of Dodge!” This is a weird story that I can’t document, but it is true, even though there are facts missing.

Bradley Johnson’s story is nowhere to be found in Ancestry, Find A Grave, and Mildred Wright’s cemetery books. Then, I found a link on MyKindred that named his wife and six kids. This allowed me to do at least a little research on Ancestry, but it ended there. I wasn’t looking for whole paragraphs on him, but I thought there might be a little bit of information online since he was liked by fellow Sabine Passers. Nada! I haven’t gone down the rabbit hole regarding Tom Long, but I imagine he is also a ghost online. Who knows? And I’m sure that the families who might have paid for Long’s train ticket did not mention this event.

As far as I’m concerned, there’s now a blog on this story, with facts from a newspaper source. Until next time, don’t go around stealing people’s cattle! And if I can digress a bit, I discovered that bulls are okay with someone on a riding mower sprinting by, but as soon as you start up a line trimmer, they freak out. I never saw a bull hide behind a truck until this Monday. I’ve since named the bull in question Shirley. And yes, I’m serious!

Jeanette Catherina Stengle:

Tales from Hallowed Ground: Catherina Jeanette Stengele

Thoughts and Ramblings: 51st Annual Galveston Historic Homes Tour is One Week Away; George Ball House; Pear Orchard Cemetery Marker Dedication; My Olive Loaf Addiction

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We are less than a week away from the 51st Annual Galveston Historic Homes Tour, and I, for one, am ready. To heck with my sciatic nerve, which made me miss Wings Over Houston last year. We are a go! Here, I should quote Kate Dorman and “Damn it to the nether regions,” but that would be a whole other issue. I’ll pass, but I’ll leave a link to Kate’s feisty confrontation with the federals for taking her horse and cart during their visit to Sabine Pass in 1862, at the time of the Civil War. She was not happy! They returned it, though. Word to all: never mess with a 4 ft 11 in woman of Irish descent—I digress.

The homes on the tour lineup look good, and I can’t wait for my annual visit to City Cemetery for the wildflower photos. Who knows, I may find Beaumont’s first mayor, Alexander Calder (c. 1806 – August 23, 1853). He is interred there, but the exact spot is a mystery. We have a photo of the broken headstone, but it was lying on the ground and may have been covered by the foliage. I mention this because a friend and fellow researcher has been trying to find all the mayors of Beaumont. I have no problem spending a bit more time walking through the Indian paintbrushes and black-eyed Susans. Trust me, the site is worth the visit, and please bring your camera with you.

I’m sure that most of you who are interested in this tour will have heard about the George Ball House fire. It is devastating for Galveston’s history. Even worse, someone died from the injuries they sustained in this tragedy. I won’t get into this more because there is an ongoing investigation, as there should be. I didn’t know the owners and hadn’t visited the house. All the same, here is a bit of history about the George Ball House.

The George Ball House was constructed in 1857 by the prominent Galveston businessman and philanthropist George Ball (1817–1884). Originally located at the northwest corner of 23rd and Sealy Streets, the house was built using sturdy pine timbers shipped from Maine, reflecting Ball’s wealth and the ambitions of mid-19th-century Galveston. In 1902, to accommodate the construction of the Rosenberg Library, the house was relocated six blocks south to its current site on 24th Street, in the Silk Stocking historic district. During the move, the house was divided. The rear section became a separate residence at 1401 24th Street; by 1903, a third house was added at 1411 24th Street, forming a remarkable architectural trio. The George Ball House was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1962 and featured in the Galveston Historical Foundation’s Homes Tour in 1977.

Under a bright spring sky on Saturday, members of the community gathered to witness the unveiling of a new marker designating Pear Orchard as a historic cemetery. During the ceremony, speakers also highlighted the recent discovery of six Buffalo Soldiers buried at the site — one from the 9th Cavalry, four from the 24th Infantry, and another from the 25th Infantry. The event served as both a celebration of local heritage and a solemn recognition of the individuals who served with honor.

The dedication ceremony was the result of ongoing research and planning by Historic Sacred Spaces, a nonprofit organization “dedicated to preserving, protecting, and honoring Military Veteran and historic resting spaces and graveyards, both marked and unmarked,” according to their Facebook page. Their efforts not only bring attention to Pear Orchard Cemetery, but also to Nona, Blanchette, and Haven of Rest cemeteries. If you would like to join, volunteer, donate, or learn more about Historic Sacred Spaces, I have included a link at the bottom of this blog.

Now, I’m going to get into something that has nothing to do with Southeast Texas history. It’s something that irritates me more than when Hormel discontinued Little Sizzlers. I want to talk about Oscar Myer’s discontinuation of Olive and Pickle Loaf. I damn them to the nether regions (I’m channeling Kate Dorman here). Yes, this is a big problem for me because I’m not a torta-de-jamón person. Ham and cheese sandwiches are not my go-to. Ask my doctor! She would just tell you I’m a lost case.

Like a junkie, I get my fix from an undisclosed source (we’ll call him Henry Butt, though I call him Harry because I’m nine)—not the Eckerd over-the-counter type, but the Usinger’s brand from the deli. I accumulate Olive and Pickle Loaves like I accumulate Bitcoins or gold. It is an addiction. I’ve always been addicted to olives. It’s probably my 24 percent Spanish heritage—I have never understood what Spaniards eat besides olives.

I will have a blog on Friday about what to do on the Galveston Historic Homes Tour. It will be about the dos and don’ts of the tour. Until next week.

Galveston Historic Homes Tour:

Galveston Historic Homes Tour

Kate Dorman:

http://www.wtblock.com/catherin.htm

George Ball House:

The Silk Stocking Historic District and The 1857 George Ball House

Historic Sacred Spaces:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569514327368

Thoughts and Ramblings: Whereabouts Unknown Forgotten Cemeteries

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For centuries, those who traveled to and resided along the Neches River eventually expired, and their offspring laid them to rest, usually on a bluff because it was the highest land they could find, and it was safe from flooding. The original residents—the Atakapa, Karankawa, and Nacazils—made their homes on bluffs, along what is now the Port Neches area. During the 1,500 years of history that these tribes lived here (archaeological records go back between 10 and 12 thousand years), six burial mounds were built along the bluffs. According to a W. T. Block article, these burial mounds were 60 feet (18 m) wide, 20 feet (6.1 m) tall, and 100 yards (91 m) long.

When Joseph Grigsby arrived in 1827 (we’ll talk about Grigsby Cemetery later), he tore down one mound to build slave quarters and other structures on his farm. According to W. T. Block, “between 1841 and 1901, all six of the mounds disappeared due to human actions.” At least two of the clam-and-sea-shell burial mounds ended up on the muddy Beaumont streets. There is no mention of where the seven-foot Indians they pulled out of the mounds were reinterred (because they weren’t). Good or bad, history is messy.

One note: The Native tribes of our area take me to the writings of Mrs. Bruce Reid, as Florence Stratton would introduce her. Bessie Reid from Port Arthur was a birder who wrote extensively on Native American tribes. She was the primary researcher on Florence’s last book, When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends. Bessie also wrote the legendary story of Kisselpoo, which was published on July 1, 1923, in The Port Arthur News. This story was a compilation of what you can find in the abovementioned book, with a twist. Reid took many tales and myths from around Texas and used them to create one of her own. This story, or legend, lived for many decades, but fact and fiction tend to become fuzzy after many years, and history gets lost in time—until someone points it out (I digress).

Over the years, I’ve discussed several stories of cemeteries that have reached the “whereabouts unknown” status, but once you start delving into an area’s history, you find more questions than answers. God help those at the state level (I’m referring to you, Texas Historical Commission!), but I’m at the county level (the Jefferson County Historical Commission) or, actually, at the multicounty level, so I may be of help in some ways. Free of charge, by the way. You’re welcome! No taxpayer dollars were spent or harmed during my research. It’s called volunteering.

For the past 18 months, the Texas Historical Commission has been updating its Texas Historical Sites Atlas and reaching out to all county historical commissions and the public for help. This is needed especially when it comes to cemetery sites. Luckily, in Jefferson County, we had a trooper who compiled a lot of information on the county’s cemeteries and put them in three books, which you can download for free on the website of the Jefferson County Historical Commission. I’ll leave a link at the bottom of this blog.

The trooper in question was Mildred Wright, who was known as the Cemetery Lady because of her years of hard work researching on the county’s cemeteries as cemetery chair on the commission. Her work gives those who came after her a head start, but still not all the answers. I’ll reference Lewis Cemetery here, which is in Mildred’s books. We have a general idea of where it was located—between 19th Street and 23rd Street in Beaumont. I also know this cemetery because I went through the files of the historian Bill Quick, which are kept at the Sam Houston Center in Liberty, Texas. Quick had an article from the 1930s about a cemetery located on the Lewis tract, around 200 yards from the end of Calder Avenue. At the time, Calder Avenue ended on 11th Street (remember, there was no interstate back then!).

Here in Mid-Jefferson County, along the Neches River, there are a few modern, uncharted cemeteries that have been forgotten or just blatantly desecrated. I say “modern,” but the time frame is 200+ years. Joseph Grigsby died in September of 1841, and he is supposedly buried at the end of Grigsby Avenue, where his house was. In terms of research, this is hearsay and legend. We can’t confirm where he is buried, but we do know that many pioneers were interred along the banks of the Neches River.

The headstone of Sebron Berry is the only one located at Sunoco Partners Marketing and Terminals, but there are other possible burials in the vicinity. The company reached out to the Jefferson County Historical Commission before running a pipeline through this unknown area. Thanks to those on this project for caring and taking the time to tell us, as well as for moving their project away from a cemetery. There are many other stories with no happy endings like this one.

Remly-Hillebrandt Cemetery is a site W. T. Block wrote about. I’ll link his article at the bottom of this blog. When you read it, you can tell that he was ticked off. The cemetery, located on the southeast corner of the Dearing and Rachford Streets intersection, was bulldozed and concreted in the 1940s. W. T. discovered this after he returned from serving in the army during World War II.

Another Port Neches cemetery that is lost is the original Block Cemetery. It may have also been called the Block-Merriman Cemetery because—I believe—the Merriman family purchased the land. W. T. mentions that his grandfather and his uncle Earnest died the same year and were buried there in 1893. The cemetery was located somewhere between Llano and Merriman Streets, which run parallel to each other. I’ve added a map to show where this cemetery would have been, or might still be, because in 1905, when the Merriman family “began building streets and surveying their property into town lots, Dad and Uncle Martin (fearing the original Block Cemetery would not survive) had Grandpa Albert’s and Uncle Earnest’s bodies disinterred and re-buried in the new Block Cemetery, now Oak Bluff.”

That quote was from W. T.’s autobiography. I’m glad he mentioned his uncle Martin because I have a spiritual connection to him. As I’ve said before, I live under the oaks on Ye Olde Block Farm, where Martin was the first farmer. I thank him for planting these beloved live oaks before 1908. I love these trees!

Hoppy Easter to those who celebrate! Until next time . . .

Bessie Reid and the Story of Kisselpoo:

Bessie Reid and the story of Kisselpoo; Sorry for ruining your childhood stories; Iron Eyes Cody was Italian; Gremlins in the courthouse; Old Roy

THC Texas Historic Sites Atlas:

https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Map

History of Jefferson County – Cemeteries: Mildred Wright

https://jeffersoncountytx.gov/Historical_Commission/Jeffco_History_Cemeteries.html

Southeast Texas Indian Homeland:

The Burial Mounds of Old Port Neches

http://www.wtblock.com/wtblockjr/indian.htm

History of the Neches River Bluffs in Jefferson County:

http://www.wtblock.com/smith.htm

W.T. Block Autobiography:

http://www.wtblock.com/AutoBiography.htm

Thoughts and Ramblings: Cemetery Preservation Workshop; Florence Stratton Research Findings, and Mistakes; Battleship Texas May Have a New Home

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On Wednesday, February 12, I attended the Cemetery Preservation Workshop and African American History Harvest, where I enjoyed the presentations by Carlyn Copeland Hammons, Jenny McWilliams, and Alan Garcia from the Texas Historical Commission. I also want to give a shout-out to the Jefferson County Historical Commission (JCHC) and the Tyrrell Historical Library for organizing this event and making it free to the public.

I loved seeing a few friends and fellow historical researchers that I hadn’t seen in a while. This was a plus, especially during the cemetery inventory talk, which took place after lunch. During this talk, we had some questions answered, and we received a couple of new assignments that I need to research. One topic that was discussed was multiple headstones, or headstones that were thrown away because the family bought a new one. This is definitely a thing. Every year, the JCHC gets a few calls asking whether there is a grave on properties in the county. Ninety percent of the time, the headstone was discarded from a cemetery because the family bought a new one. An attendee also brought up the subject of Anthony Cemetery. It seems that there are some headstones in a wooded area off Gill Street, which I need to investigate. If you have any information on Anthony Cemetery that you would like to share, please email me at rediscoveringsetx@gmail.com.

It rained while we did the walk-through at Pear Orchard Cemetery, but all in all, I think the event was a success! Hopefully, we can have a practical workshop at the cemetery to teach how to repair a headstone.

Finally, I want to give a shout-out to Chuck’s Sandwich Shop at 493 Pearl St. in downtown Beaumont. A friend recommended this place for lunch, and I WILL BE BACK! Support local businesses, especially if they are as excellent as Chuck’s Sandwich Shop!

Last weekend, a colleague brought to my attention a possible abandoned cemetery about 300 yards from Sarah Jane Bridge in Groves. He was told by someone that when they camped in the woods years ago, there were a couple of vaults near the waterline of the swamp in the area. This was before Jefferson Chemical (now Indorama) purchased the land in question. My colleague was also told that the vaults may now be under water. To be continued.

Also, last Saturday, I was out of town attending a wedding in Crosby. The venue was beautiful and surrounded by cows. Everything was perfect (except for the rain). The only thing I would suggest is knowing your clients. Play the right music when no one is dancing, and you keep edging them on. Both sides of the family were pro-Los Tucanes de Tijuana and didn’t want to listen to “Brown Eyed Girl”—I digress. “La Chona” it is!

Sunday was a good day for digging into my Florence Stratton files for someone who is writing an article on her for their newsletter. Once it’s out, I’ll share the link. On Monday, I was the Uber driver for some members of our family who took a cruise; I brought them to George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Of course, I gave them lots of information on Galveston’s history. I’m not Kathleen Maca, but after 14 years of visiting and volunteering there, I can pretty much fake it. And yes, I did drive through Old City Cemetery. I also want to give a shout-out to our lunch stop, Taco Mezquite at 422 Aldine Bender Road in Houston. Five stars!

When I began my research on Florence Stratton, a.k.a. Susie Spindletop, in 2012, I knew nothing about her. After more than 12 years, you’d think that I’m an expert on the subject. I would say yes and no. Every time I look into something, I find more information to file. This doesn’t include all of Florence’s family members and friends, who are relevant to telling her story. It’s a massive undertaking. My research on her is ongoing. I will keep the lines open for more info about her to come in. Her story will be told. Also, when I find an error in my research, I change what I’ve said. Unfortunately, some errors come from past information found by other researchers, but some are my fault. We’ll deal with two of my mistakes first.

On Wednesday, I was still trying to understand why Florence had taught at Miss Anne’s Private School around 1903. I found this detail in one of her obituaries from The Beaumont Enterprise, which was published on January 29, 1938. My copy from the relevant microfilm is mostly illegible. I visited the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty to get a scanned copy of the obituary, and the one I got is better than my microfilm copy, but it’s not perfect. I also checked the Beaumont directories from 1903 and 1904, and there was no Miss Anne’s Private School. Basically, what happened was that I misread the obit—I thought it said “Miss Anne’s Private School” when it was actually “Miss Austin’s Private School.” This changes everything because we know that Florence also taught at Bell Austin’s Private School around that time. So, I can say for sure that Miss Anne’s was, in fact, Bell Austin’s.

My second mistake is not due to an error of mine but to the possible misnaming of a high school or a nickname used for it. In a few places, it is stated that Florence taught English at Central High School, but as we all know, this school did not exist in 1904. In an article from The Beaumont Enterprise dated September 2, 1903, we learn that Florence taught Grade 6 in North End (at the Millard School). Another article, dated September 19, 1904, states that Florence was teaching grammar at the high school. This article also mentions teachers from the other four Beaumont schools, the two in North End (one for Whites and one for Blacks both part of the Millard School) and the two in South End (one for Whites and one for Blacks). I’m 90 percent certain that Central High School was Beaumont High, but you never know what will suddenly appear and prove you wrong.

Well, I believe that the battleship Texas has found a home. It appears that BB-35 will be moored at Pier 15 near the Royal Caribbean International Terminal. I’ll leave it to the followers of the Battleship Texas Foundation’s Facebook page to decide whether this is a good or bad site because I have a life—I don’t have time for this jibber-jabber.

Until next time, my forecast has no cows, weddings, or family taxi services this weekend. “La Chona” it is!

Battleship Texas Foundation: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/450347275643485/user/61555563144973

La Chona:  https://youtu.be/4gA5iaZ11lU?si=xgldfuR9UC3E4kIV

Thoughts and Ramblings

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I hope everyone survived the “Snow Cone of Uncertainty” this week. I saw that Doomsayer, Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel, was in Houston. I guess he’s slipping because nothing says #Armageddon ice and tragedy like Interstate 10, especially East Bound through Louisiana, but gumbo fixes all bad weather. I think all of I-10 was closed from Lake Charles to the Mississippi border. Of course, Houston gave him a show, and Beaumont was no better Tuesday evening.

We fared well Under the Oakes on Ye Olde Block Farm. I believe the count is around three inches of snow near the street but around eight inches around my trailer, my work truck, and between the garages and fences. Apparently, snow drift loves my trailer and the back of my trucks.

While I was at Magnolia Cemetery this week, the name C. C. Caswell, along with a few other ex-mayors of Beaumont, came up in conversation. Christopher Columbus “C. C.” Caswell was mayor of Beaumont from April 1882 to August 1883. I found a separate story connected to him in 2012 while working for Oiltanking on Amoco Road. Someone had pointed out a grave in a field about 100 yards from Highway 347. Of course, this got my attention! It turns out the grave belonged to Elisha Brewer.

Elisha Brewer was the grandson of Christian Hillebrandt, a cattle baron, after whom Hillebrandt Bayou was named. His wife Mary was the granddaughter of John Sparks, the first settler and founder of the Sparks settlement (Aurora), which was the precursor to the city of Port Arthur.

It is unclear why Elisha O. Brewer had been buried in what would have been his backyard. I’ve heard several theories, but most likely, the decision was made out of convenience for the family. Whatever the reason, we can assume from the words on his gravestone that he was deeply missed:

Since thou canst no longer stay

To cheer me thy love

I hope to meet with thee again

In yon bright world above.

Elisha O. Brewer

February 2, 1852 – August 5, 1883

I found a W. T. Block article, to which I will leave a link at the bottom of this blog, telling the story of Elisha O. Brewer. After visiting the deathly ill mayor of Beaumont, C. C. Caswell, Elisha had been unharnessing his wagon when his horse had kicked him in the groin. Elisha died a short time later. He was 31.

C.C. is buried on the hill at Magnolia Cemetery near Robert Kidd. The life of Mr. Kidd is another interesting story Judy Linsley shares during our Annual Cemetery Tour in October. Robert lived to be 116 years old, and family tradition states that he had farmed his land by himself until he was nearly 100.

I guess the “convenience” of Mary Brewer burying her husband on their land isn’t the only recorded history of that area. Sebron Berry was also buried on what was his land, at Smith Bluff near the Neches River, which is now Sunoco. However, his grave may have been part of a bigger cemetery, compared to the lone grave of Mr. Brewer. Yet another cemetery in this area, the Sparks Cemetery, was located on Dupont land. The 30 graves were moved in the 1950s to Forest Lawn Cemetery in Beaumont before Dupont built its refinery. I know this because I researched this cemetery back in 2013.

2013 was the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Sabine Pass, and a big event commemorated the battle. Knowing the story of Kate Dorman and the two Sarahs, I of course wanted to find the two Sarahs. I know where Kate is. She’s in Sabine Pass, and I did find Sarah Ann King Court, who was buried in Sparks Cemetery but is now in Forest Lawn. I never found out where Sarah Vosburg is because I think she had left the area. If you’ve never heard of Kate Dorman and the two Sarahs, I’ll leave a few links to the works of W. T. Block. The three women had turned Kate’s hotel into a makeshift hospital to treat those with yellow fever during the Civil War.

Well, that’s it for this week, but be sure to stay tuned to the Facebook page. On the 28th, I’ll be sharing a special post on Susie Spindletop.

Until next time.

http://www.wtblock.com/lone_grave.htm

http://www.wtblock.com/catherin.htm

Thoughts and Ramblings

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I won’t research a family just for fun, especially if I’m not interested. Throughout my studies, I have mostly investigated individuals, not whole families. Wait a moment—that’s a lie! I have looked into the Kishi, Kondo, Rowley, and Norvell families because of what I found in terms of history. I’d say that the Rowley family research is second to the Stratton family research, which I will present to you below, as a result of many triggers. Gene was the initial spark. I went down many rabbit holes to trace her short life history. Then, it was her father’s untimely demise. Thanks to a family member, I found out about the story of Vera (Dido) and her brother Jerry, who were local musicians. They made George Jones, the “Possum,” write about them in his autobiography.

Last week, while searching for more information about Louise Stratton, I came across a census from 1880 that contained all the Stratton family members: Asa (the father), Louisa (the mother), Emily (the oldest sibling), Berta (the middle sibling), and Louise, who was three years younger than Berta. I may have seen this mentioned once in my more than twelve years of research on Florence Stratton, but I’ve never found the smoking gun to make my historical work accurate. To digress a bit, I never met the historian Bill Quick, but he is definitely in my head when I’m studying something, and everything I find is analyzed based on his rule. You must have at least three sources to paint an accurate picture of what is happening. I believe it wasn’t a coincidence that I attended my first Jefferson County Historical Commission meeting in 2012, a year from the day he passed. Mr. Quick had a plan to be accurate in his research, and if I’m bringing up the rear in his absence, then that’s what I will do!

My research on Florence Stratton has shifted from her to her mother and father. In her father’s newspaper archives, I still haven’t found substantial information on Louisa, but I did discover more on Berta, including census pages and city directories concerning where she lived. Unfortunately, Berta was invalid (like Louise), and she died in 1902. As far as I know, Florence did not speak about her or Louise in Susie Spindletop’s Weekly Letter, which was published in The Beaumont Enterprise from February 28, 1926, to January 23, 1938. This is an epic find, but further research on the family is required.

Regarding Florence’s story, a master researcher—we’ll call her Kate H.—found a map of railroad stops in Texas from 1908. This haunts me a bit, but I was glad to learn that Florence’s niece, Eunice Stephens, was right when she said that a town had been named after her aunt in an interview in the 1980s. It wasn’t really a town, though; it was a railroad stop. Still, Florence Switch did exist. It had nothing to do with Florence in Texas, north of Austin. I’ll give Eunice kudos for this.

I wasn’t going to get into this, but since my whole feed has been yelling about the upcoming snow/ice/freeze/rainmageddon, I want to put my tinfoil hat on and rile you up even more. Forget that the government is releasing something via the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program and that there are drones in Orange County peeking into people’s rear windows. I want to talk about the fact that recently, every time it has snowed, we’ve had a hurricane. Actually, we’ve had one before and after the snow, so I have no idea what the future holds.

Growing up, there were a few times when it snowed, but they only closed the school because the heater wasn’t working. I’m not going to give a shout-out to the nuns or any other Peace Corps teacher at St. James because I hated that school. The only time I enjoyed being there was when I was in first grade and we had to sit in the hallway with the seventh graders. Bad weather ensued, and the seventh graders were crying that their homes had been destroyed by a tornado. Nothing major happened that day, and I made fun of those seventh graders. Yes, I was probably an a-hole, but I was in first grade!

I remember when it snowed on Christmas Eve, 2004. The cat was elated, but he wasn’t that happy when we evacuated on September 22, 2005. He lived through Rita, and when I came back, he had a girlfriend and kittens. I couldn’t catch him when we evacuated, but he found an alternative home for his family.

I also remember when it snowed in December of 2008. I remember this because I laid sod at an undisclosed government facility (we’ll call it MARAD). Of course, no one watered it, but we did get a considerable amount of snow around that time, which did the job. Thank you, mother nature, and not the government! On a side note, this week, during the US National Weather Service briefing for Lake Charles, Louisiana, I saw someone post that we are in the “snow cone of uncertainty!” Sometimes, I watch the briefings just for the comments.

I found out more about the spring cemetery tour this week, and there will be alcohol. So, stay tuned!

Stay safe this week. I hope that the snow cone of uncertainty doesn’t do too much damage.

Until next week, I yearn for Mr. Heat Miser to bless us again because his brother, Mr. Snow Miser, sucks!

Thoughts and Ramblings: Cemetery Edition

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I hope everyone is thawing out from last week’s arctic blast. Thankfully, it was a non-event here, but it was pretty nasty from the Texas panhandle to North Carolina. As I said before, I’d take a hurricane over any storm with ice or snow in it. To me, jacket weather is anything under 67 degrees, so take that as you will.

One positive side to the cold weather (besides the white beans and tamales smelling up the house) was my ability to finish digitizing a year’s worth of research, and boy, was it a mixture of both Southeast-Texas and World-War-II history. I also had a lot of entries from Find a Grave and Ancestry.com of people that I had to struggle to find why I was looking them up in the first place. This happens when someone contacts the Jefferson County Historical Commission (JCHC) because they saw a headstone on their new property or they drove by a property they’ve driven by for years and thought they were passing a cemetery, and then someone moved all the stones into a pile. These inquiries are taken seriously, and we get a couple of them yearly.

Most of the time, some headstones are discarded because the family has purchased another for their plots. This, at least, has usually been the case while I have been Cemetery Chair at the JCHC. I don’t know the etiquette of how to discard an old headstone, but a few years back, Magnolia Cemetery had an erosion problem around Babyland (a section for buried infants), so they used some of the discarded stones to help stop the erosion. This is a great idea to me, but if you are not in the know, and have no idea what is happening and are concerned you usually contact 12NewsNow instead of inquiring if there is a problem at the cemetery. “Of course, the graves are falling in Brakes Bayou. Film at 10.” Shout out to Gene Tuck! A blast from the past. I wonder if he still rides dirt bikes, but I digress.

We had someone contact the JCHC early last year about a possible incident of cemetery desecration on Moore Road near Sour Lake Road. Apparently, someone put a considerable number of old discarded headstones on a property in rows, and they were there for at least a few years because some people I talked to thought it was a cemetery. One day, someone drove by and saw they were all in a pile. Thinking that the owner was desecrating a cemetery, they contacted us. We thanked the person for the call because it is not beyond someone in our history to do this. Luckily, these were discarded stones. We traced them to Magnolia Cemetery. Most were from Section Seven, but all were accounted for. I have no idea who owned the property and decided years ago to place a fake cemetery on their property, but I do know that with all the land for sale on that road, no one wants the burden of dealing with a cemetery, fake or real. Ask a realtor!

A few cemeteries here in Jefferson County are abandoned, and some are even under concrete. W.T. Block wrote about a cemetery in Port Neches on Dearing and Rachford, the owner of which bulldozed the headstones in the 1940s. I believe Block because he was really pissed off when he wrote the article. He had just returned from the “European campaign” (World War II) and found the headstones removed and the graves under a slab.

Another cemetery that has been lost to time is the La Blue cemetery, which may have been a part of Spell Cemetery on Caswell Road. It is located between Spell Cemetery and the Dupont Credit Union (yes, under the highway). When you drive north over the LNVA Canal, you are driving over a cemetery under Highway 69-96-287. There is no record of burial removals. I will leave a link to an article I did on the Lewis Cemetery located somewhere between 19th and 23rd streets in the Calder addition. It also has been forgotten, and its were-a-bouts unknown.

During my research, which I digitized last week, I also came upon two articles from 1903 and 1910. The 1903 article stated that there were two coffins uncovered on Washington Street and Jefferson Street while a sewer line was being put in. (Washington Street is no longer a street. It was replaced with a railroad track.) The journalist wrote that this may have been the location of Robinson Cemetery, “which went out of commission in 1869 or 1870.” The 1910 article was more extravagant. The old cemetery was thought to be someone from the pirate Jean Lafitte’s gang. (Note: the pirate Jean Lafitte and his men are thought to be buried in this county and Orange County. I call B.S. If you disagree, then show me the money! Whether he died in France, Honduras, or an apartment in Los Angeles, I don’t care.) Argh!

A week later, I found another article stating that the land was a burial site used during the Civil War. Since then, there have been discussions of just how many people were buried there because of wounds inflicted during the Battle of Sabine Pass or from the yellow fever (“yellow Jack”). Some say 100, others say 500. I doubt we will ever know. I’ll leave a link to an article written by Judith Linsley about this cemetery and how historian Bill Quick found out the real story of Union Navy Lieutenant Robert Rhodes’s fate at the Battle of Sabine Pass. Also, I want to give a shout-out to Bitsy for reminding me of this history a couple of weeks back. You are missing out if you are not a Facebook follower of BeaumontTexasHistoryBits.

“Susie Spindletop’s Weekly Letter” was a permanent fixture each Sunday morning in the Beaumont Enterprise. There were a few occasions when Florence Stratton missed a week or two while traveling, but for the most part, Beaumonteers looked forward to reading about the gossip of their neighbors, or even themselves. In January of 1929, though, it was not good month for Florence. On January 9, she lost her sister Louise after being ill for several months. Then, on January 14, she lost who I consider to be her best friend, Willie Cooper Hobby, wife of W.P. Hobby. Needless to say, there was no new “Weekly Letter” from January 6 to February 3.

I’ve never found much information on Louise other than that she had been sickly all her life. She lived with her mother, Louisa, and father, Asa Stratton, until her mother’s death in 1895. After that, it seems she lived at different times with her older sister Emily and her husband, Walter Stevens, her sister Florence, and her father and new stepmother, Ina Smith Stratton.

I’ve stepped away from this research for a year now and believe it is time to jump back in. My goal this year, for what it’s worth, is to look into the Stratton family, particularly Louise and her mother, Louisa Waldman Stratton. To be continued.

As for Willie Copper Hobby, I’ll have something to say about her on the 14th.

Until then, ciao for now!

Mysteries of the Battle of Sabine Pass:

https://www.sfasu.edu/heritagecenter/3935.asp

Lewis Cemetery:

The Search for Lewis Cemetery

Thoughts and Ramblings: Mildred Wright; Headstone Cleaning Etiquette; Remembering Those Who Served

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Well, it’s a new year, and it’s a new me! Are they still saying that? I’m not new, and I probably smell like Reed Timmer’s chase car. If you watched the video from last week, Reed complained about mold in his Subaru Forester. He blamed it on the Hurricane Milton chase in Florida, but what do you expect when you drive your Subaru on the coast of Florida just in time to meet the eye of a hurricane? In January, many people set out to do new things but give up two weeks later. I’ve done it, and so have you. Be honest! But I think that eating black-eyed peas, corn bread, and cabbage somehow makes it right—or maybe not. You be the judge.

Last week, I mentioned that I was digitizing and organizing my historical research files. Some of these files contain considerable material about people I’ve never met as a researcher and member of the Jefferson County Historical Commission (JCHC). Still, I honor and cherish this information because some of these people have passed. One of them is Mildred Wright. Some of you may remember her as the Cemetery Lady. Her research went beyond my meager input for the cemetery chair position at the JCHC. She wrote three books on the cemeteries of Jefferson County, which you can download for free from the JCHC website. I’ll leave a link at the end of this post.

During the last week of 2024, I spent a few good hours in Section 19 of Magnolia Cemetery. Back in May, I was contacted by a person who lives out of town who wanted someone to clean their family’s headstones. There are three of these, and since I’m usually haunting Magnolia, I agreed. There is an etiquette to cleaning headstones, especially in the world of the Texas Historical Commission (THC). I will get into this in a moment, but first I want to explain how I clean headstones: I spray D/2 Biological Solution on them and go away. I do not scrub, nor use any other cleaner. Yes, it takes months longer than using a pressure washer, but this way, the headstone remains intact as there is no abrasion. Sure, you can use a soft brush if need be, but the main goal is to clean the stone without doing any harm to it.

If you are interested in cleaning headstones, you should know that you will not become a hero to those who care about cemetery preservation by pressure washing and cloroxing everything you see. Doing this is wrong, and you must have permission from the families. As far as the gray area in this scenario is concerned, if you see a headstone with lichen on it and accidentally spray it with D/2, the result will be that people may be able to read it a hundred years from now. Actually, the gray area is that in most cases, the older headstones have no one left to take care of them, or the families no longer care. So, what are we to do when lichen grows on a headstone and makes the name and dates illegible? You spray it with D/2 and say oops (this is not recommended by the THC). I understand what the THC is worried about: We have yahoos entering cemeteries with heavy equipment and their views of what preservation is because they read a blog post or watched a few YouTube videos—I digress. In this case, I will always go rogue because 1) I have common sense and 2) I want to preserve the old stones to remember who they are for.

In other news, we may have a cemetery workshop in February with the THC. Stay tuned!

My end-of-year visit to Magnolia Cemetery wasn’t just to clean headstones. A friend of mine has been very busy with a project there that some of us began a few years ago. The project wanted to recognize all the veterans in Magnolia. Initially, we only had a few names; then, my friend (we’ll call him Don S.) took it upon himself to walk the rows of the cemetery to find those who served. He is on a mission to find every veteran in Magnolia. However, the birth and death dates on a headstone simply coincide with war or peace times; the stone doesn’t tell you if someone served.

I want to ask you a favor. If you have a loved one buried at Magnolia who was a veteran and whose headstone has no mention of their service, please email me at rediscoveringsetx@gmail.com. It will also be helpful if you tell me which section they are in. We want them remembered!

Until next week.

Today’s weather report mentions tornado watches. Don’t go fishing in Stanolind Reservoir or any other fishing spot while an EF3 tornado travels from Brazoria County to Lake Sabine. I don’t care how good the fishing is. Your best friend and your dog will thank you.

Cemetery Books for Jefferson County:

https://co.jefferson.tx.us/Historical_Commission/Jeffco_History_Cemeteries.html

Texas Historical Commission Cemetery Preservation Program:

https://thc.texas.gov/preserve/preservation-programs/cemetery-preservation

Fisherman Explains What Happened:

https://www.facebook.com/TheWeatherChannel/videos/10008850882475666

Twisters!

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It’s been a while, and I know I’ve been a bit of a slacker, but sometimes you get in a rut and have to deal with what life throws your way in the moment and let history wait. Well, my research history has been waiting for over a year for an update, so I’ve been working on my research database. Frankly, I’m tired of looking at piles of documents covering every table in my office, and I know my better half is too.

Update: Most of my research papers are digitized, and I’m down to just one pile. This will allow me to spread the joy of tax season across all my other tables—but I digress!

Another bit of news that has kept me from my unpaid endeavors is a new addition to the family. Yes, Erzsébet is a big sister. In this blog, the “new” addition will be referred to as the Laddie until he is old enough to protest my choice of name to honor his Scottish heritage. I look forward to seeing these two grow up together over time.

During my absence, I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube. One particular person who has piqued my interest is an old favorite: storm chaser Reed Timmer. I’ve always been interested in weather, and while I’ve never officially run around chasing tornadoes, I do have some history with hurricanes. (I also have a history of filming lightning on a roof with a camcorder, but I was in my 20s, and amazingly, there was no alcohol involved. I know there is video footage, though.)

Earlier this year, I saw that Reed had a live stream during Hurricane Milton’s landfall in Florida. I’m particurely interested in a hurricane making landfall in Florida because my brother-in-law lives there. A three-hour live stream turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Florida because Milton weakened rapidly, resulting in minor damage from what could have been a disastrous situation. To put this into perspective, Hurricane Milton’s winds reached 180 mph off the north coast of Mexico.

After that, I began to revisit some videos of his chases in Oklahoma, including a few seasons of the Storm Chasers series on Discovery Plus. Most of the time, I shake my head and wonder why this guy isn’t dead. And that thought brought me back to 2013 when Tim Samaras died during the El Reno, Oklahoma, tornado. Tim was the exact opposite and basically felt that safety came before the glory of getting data on an incoming storm, but that particular storm expanded and injured a lot of chasers and killed some residents. There’s a book about Tim, and I’ll leave a link at the bottom of this blog because if you’re into this type of information, it gives a good perspective on how the evolution of data accumulation. 

Okay, I’m done geeking out about the history of weather, so I’ll move on to Reed Timmer’s livestream on Thursday evening in Liberty County. I’ll leave a link to it. It was fun to watch because, yes, he actually did get into an EF0 tornado on the ground, and he was yelling a lot, but on the live stream, you could follow him on Google Maps and locals could figure out where he was and follow his progress. The live stream ended at the intersection of College and I-10, with his phone inputting the coordinates for L’Auberge Casino Resort. Great choice!

On Saturday’s live stream, Reed said that areas near the coast would experience big supercells. As of Saturday morning, I thought Louisiana was going to be toast, but then we had a repeat of 2020 and 2021. A supercell born in Brazoria County continued through Chambers and Jefferson counties, producing a much bigger tornado than the usual water spouts in this coastal area.

Shout out to 12Newsnow KBMT for their live coverage: Patrick Vaughn, Jordan Williams, and Jeremiah Stewart! Love the radar.

I’m tired and have a headache as I write this, but luckily, there are no more warnings out, so we can relax.

Stay safe!

12 News Now Live feed of the EF3 Tornado:

https://www.12newsnow.com/article/weather/severe-weather/tornado-warning-southeast-texas/502-f69ab34e-7942-4a07-be91-2d135590043c?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_12NewsNow&fbclid=IwY2xjawHdjgVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSoGMSwuA-f8CvRxfI6kV2cNz2FGKNMLNuvlwXiQSi4RQcSJ-Uh3Y_dI2g_aem_WLCtERJ9iPcxNtiUpPVLEA

Reed Timmer Live Stream Full: Dayton Tornado at 4:08:00

Dayton Tornado Stream:

Remembering Tim Samaris:

Tim Samaris Book:

Thoughts and Ramblings: Hurricane Erzsébet; Hangin’ With Aggies (2024); The Chambers House Museum

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This week’s blog will be short and maybe sweet, but who knows—Hurricane Erzsébet is currently ravaging my office, and the damage a three-year-old can do can be off the scale. Truth be told, I’ve dealt with a few poltergeists in my lifetime, but noisy ghosts have nothing on this kid. I digress.

On Thursday, I attended my yearly continuing education classes offered by the Texas Department of Agriculture, or as I call them: Hangin’ with Aggies at Doggett Ford Park. I used Zoom last year because I could, but this year I had no choice but to attend in person. The last time I was there, I nearly froze to death; then, I had to give a lecture at the McFaddin-Ward House Museum in the evening. That was not a good day for me.

This year, I talked with one of the speakers over lunch, and he noticed my USS Texas hat. He told me that his father was a dive-bomber pilot on the USS Yorktown. This was the conversation I wanted to have from then on; however, unfortunately, we changed rooms, and the topic was not World War II ships. The topics were the life of a fire ant and why this new imported fly is making his/her  (sorry, I don’t do pronouns well) head explode. I will say that this was an interesting class, but I’m always up for a talk about the greatest generation.

Saturday was a special day for the Chambers House Museum on Calder Avenue in Beaumont. The house, which is run by the Beaumont Heritage Society, received and dedicated a historical marker from the Texas Historical Commission. I’m sure that both Ruth and Florence Chambers would have been proud. Heck, Papa and Edith would also have been ecstatic. This family has an excellent story. You must visit the house. It’s my favorite one in Beaumont.

Until next week here’s some more Chambers House reads from the archives.

Chambers House Museum (2012)

It was a festive mood at the Chambers House last Friday evening. In celebration of what would have been Florence Chambers’ 100th birthday, we partied like it was 1929! And what fun we had going back in time.

As the guests made their way up the porch toward the front door, one could not help but notice the black, orange, and gold streamers hanging from the porch lights, along with an array of flowers in planter boxes.

Upon entering, we were immediately greeted by the delightful Homer Chambers who welcomed us to his daughter’s 17th birthday celebration. In the background, the Charleston could be heard along with the numerous dancing partygoers who were already in full swing.

This re-enactment of Florence’s 1929 birthday party could not have been better. Not only were the guests given a tour by the docents, but a live peek at history as well. All the actors portraying the Chambers family did a wonderful job! Most of the cast were from the Beaumont Community Players, with the exception of two who were the Beaumont Heritage Society’s own.

After the tour, guests were treated to refreshments of cake and punch. (Note: I still dream of that cake.)

The Chambers House, built in 1906, provides my favorite tour in Southeast Texas. There is a story here worth telling, and I would urge all to take the tour of this fantastic house and its even more fascinating occupants.

I had a great night and hope that Ruth, Papa, Mama, and Florence looked on with the same vigor. I believe their spirits were present at this celebration. Life was good in 1929.

Homer Chambers Funeral (2022)

Back in 2015, the Beaumont Heritage Society did its annual Florence Chambers birthday celebration. Florence was born in 1912 and lived in the same house her whole life. As I’ve said before, this house/museum is my favorite because it’s a house that we could live in without millions of dollars. The story of the two sisters—Ruth and Florence—is an excellent historical view of women succeeding in life at a time when most said they couldn’t function unless they were married. Visit the museum, take the tour, and enjoy their story.

That year, the actor who played Homer Chambers (Papa) couldn’t attend the event, so they decided to reenact the funeral of Papa Chambers. Broussard’s Funeral Home provided the casket, and the event went well. I even have a photo of the ghostly images of a few women walking in the background in a time-lapse. I saw at the time that the picture looked ghostly, and I even asked a friend who knew the Chambers sisters to look at it. I said, “Hey, this could be the Chambers sisters,” but she shut me down immediately, responding, “Not in those heels!” Reenactor problems, but gold to me. Everyone did a great job that night, as they do every year.

Chambers House