| My grandfather, W. F. Guthrie was born in Coweta County, Georgia, May
24, 1841. His family came to Texas in 1846, and settled in that part
of Upshur County that is now Gregg County. In 1849, his family moved
to Williamson County, where he grew to manhood. He enlisted in March
1862, joining Company A in Morgan’s Battalion, Parson’s Brigade of Cavalry.
He mustered out in May 1865, and came to Coleman County with his wife,
Mary Ann (Mullis) Guthrie and three children, ages six to ten, and two
other families. Between the three families, they brought quite a
herd of cattle and horses with them (see J. L. Vaughn, Jr.). They
arrived in Santa Anna in December 1879; turned south a few miles and turned
their herds loose. They pitched their tents on what was known as
Dry Creek. This is where they spent their first winter in Coleman
County.
In March 1880, my grandfather said he had one old cow left that he knew
where she was. It came a hard freeze, and killed her, so he did not
know but what he was out of the cow business. The other two men came
to him and said, “Bill, we are broke; let’s go back to Williamson County.”
Granddad said, “No, I left Williamson County in good shape; when I go back,
I will be the same way.” They asked him what he would give them for
every thing he could gather in their brands, both horses and cattle.
He gave them $100.00 each. That was enough to get them back to Williamson
County. When spring broke, he started his roundup and gathered quite
a herd of cattle and horses wearing three brands.
He found a 160 acre farm listed as improved, had a 1-room log cabin
and 10 acres in cultivation. This farm was on Mukewater Creek, five
miles south of Trickham. He gave two ponies and $90.00 for it and
started buying land right around this 160 acres until he had 7,000 acres
in that tract. In 1901, he rounded up more than eight hundred head
of horses wearing his brand. In eary summer of 1908, my granddad
and grandmother remodeled their home at Trickham and built a $3,500.00
barn, which was more than most homes in the county cost at that time.
This was all completed in one week. The next week (early July) on
Friday the home caught fire and burned to the ground.
On August 20, 1908, my mother Ola (Jenkins) Guthrie died and left 6
small children, ages 12 down to 2. That fall, our grandparents went
to Brownwood and bought them a 9 room house and took us children to Brownwood
to put us in school. They didn’t stop with just the 6 of us; they
had 6 more grandchildren on the ranch at Midland so they brought the two
older ones in and put them in Howard Payne College. They also had
3 more at the little town of Brookesmith and they brought the oldest one
- a granddaughter - in and put her in Howard Payne College also.
That made 9 grandchildren they had with them.
Grandfather was engaged in livestock and mercantile business.
He maintained his interest at Trickham, when he moved to Brownwood, a more
central point from which to handle his business.
Almost 5 years later my dad, Lee Guthrie, married (2) Margaret Dibrell,
a sister to Joseph B. Dibrell, who was a lawyer in Coleman (see Joseph
Burton Dibrell). My grandfather, W .F. Guthrie, died September 13,
1915, and my grandmother, May 3, 1927, both in Brownwood. My dad,
Lee Guthrie, inherited one-third of the old ranch. He sold it to
Taylor Motor Company of Coleman in 1942. I came to Abilene in 1946.
My stepmother died in 1949, and my dad in 1955, both in Brownwood. |
