This is the old Porter's Bluff ferry house in 1898. It was located on the North bank of the Trinity River just north of the William Porter Bateman homeplace (the present site of the Berry cemetery). The photograph originally belonged to Tommy A. Bateman of Kemp, TX. Tommy A. Bateman (deceased) is the son of Leighton Bateman and Arie Bateman and the grandson of William Porter Bateman who originally built and operated the ferry. Tommy Bateman (in his mother's arms) was born one year before this picture was taken. Seen in the picture from left to right are: Leighton Bateman, Eli Bateman, Arie Bateman holding Tommy Bateman. Very shortly after the family posed for an unknown photographer, Eli was burned to death in the cabin when his gown was ignited by sparks from the fireplace. The ferry was located where Hwy 85 crosses the Trinity River in the Styx community. Parts of the old wooden ferry dock can still be seen from the West side of the Hwy 85 bridge when the Trinity is at low level. It has been told that several residents in the Styx and Kemp area in past years have dove down and removed some of the lumber from the ferry which sank and was preserved by the cold deep waters of the Trinity River. This photo and article was posted in a Kemp, TX newspaper by Tommy A. Bateman in the mid 1970s. Note: William Porter Bateman is the ggrandfather of Jerry Bateman and Clifford Elston (son of Ollie Bateman). Date Taken: Circa 1898 Place Taken: Porter's Bluff Ferry Crossing_Trinity River_Styx, TX I am so thankful that my cousin (Clifford Elston of Kemp, TX) was thoughtful enough to save and offer this newspaper article. attachment: Porter's Bluff Ferry Crossing and Ferry House Information and Photo Courtesy of Jerry Bateman
The man standing
in the picture is my gr-grandfather, William Chastine
"W.C."Flint. I have a copy of this picture hanging on
my wall which shows the entire picture. The original picture has
a general store connected to the Post Office with a horse tied in
front of the store. If you look above the door on the Post Office
it reads "W.C. Flint". W.C. was Postmaster of Styx from
Jan. 18,1899 till his death on Feb. 16,1908 and he owned the Styx
General Store.
Carolyn (Flint) Garner ce.garner@verizon.net
William Porter Bateman
William Porter Bateman Born: April 15, 1849, Humphreys County, Tennessee Died: July 01, 1919, Styx, Henderson County, Texas Buried: July 1919, Styx, Henderson County, Texas, Guthrie Cemetery Married: November 07, 1867, Humphreys County, TN (1) Rebecca Levina Ann Curtis Born: November 07, 1840, Humphreys County, Tennessee Died: June 20, 1905, Styx, Henderson County, TX Buried: June 1905, Styx, Henderson County, Texas, Guthrie Cemetery Married: Abt. 1909 2) Margaret Rosser Heather, Henderson County, TX
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