Family Histories of Coleman County, Texas

THE HORNSBY FAMILY
by Mrs. L. L. Bryan

From A History of Coleman County and Its People, 1985 
edited by Judia and Ralph Terry, and Vena Bob Gates - used by permission
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The Hornsby family came to Coleman County December 1923 from near Blanket, Texas.  They settled one and one half miles south of Coleman on what was known as the “Old Price Farm.”  They were farmers.  They liked the healthy mild climate, the good farm land, fine schools, churches, and the friendly people of Coleman.  E. L. Hornsby was born 1877 in Tallapoosa County, Alabama.  He came to Texas in 1903 from Gulf Port, Mississippi. In 1905 he married May McQueen of Comanche, born 1888 in Hood County.  They had eleven children, the youngest born in Coleman in 1924.  All the older children attended Coleman schools until 1928 when the family resettled in the Brown Ranch Community.  Still engaged in farming, they lived here for many years, and all children grew up here.  After the schools consolidated all children of the community from grade school thru high school attended Mozelle.  All attended Harmony Baptist Church and were active in community affairs.  Mr. Hornsby served as Deacon in the church and was a Mason.  Mrs. Hornsby was in Eastern Star.  Several of the children were also Masons and Eastern Star members.  They also raised an orphan nephew, Sterling Hornsby.  They had four sons, two sons-in-law and the nephew who served in WWII.
(1) Paul, served in the Marines in the Philippines, married Mabel Fields in 1957 in Fort Worth where they settled.  He was employed with the Post Office.  He died March 1979, buried in Fort Worth.  They had no children.

(2) Mark enlisted in the Army and was stationed at Camp Bowie, married Evelyn Farmer in Many, Louisiana in 1947.  They settled here where Mark was an Insurance Salesman.  They had two sons and one daughter.

(3) Eddie served in the Navy.  His ship, the W.S.S. San Francisco was in port for repair when the Japs hit Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.  Eddie married Waldean “Dena” Owen in 1948 in Grapevine.  They had one son and two daughters.  They were Southern Baptist and Eddie was a Mason.  He died January 1983, buried in Fort Worth.

(4) John enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in San Antonio, later sent to Puerto Rico and Anchorage, Alaska.  In September 1946, he married Flora Squibb in Carrollton.  They lived for a while in Denver.  Soon he re-enlisted in the Air Force to stay until he retired in 1962.  They moved to Alaska for a while where he had been stationed.  John returned to Coleman County and bought a farm near Gouldbusk.  They have one daughter who is married and has two children.  Sue finished Howard Payne College.

(5) Sterling served in the Navy.  After the war, he married Mrs. Velma Robertson in Dallas, and they made Dallas their home.  They had two children and Velma had a daughter by her first marriage.

(6) H. Howard Slane enlisted in the Air Force.  He was in France and Belgium Bulge.  In July 1942, he married Sadie Hornsby in Coleman.  They moved to Dallas where he attended College.  After graduation they settled in Fort Worth where he was employed with a wholesale grocery company.  Sadie died January 1982, is entombed in Fort Worth.  She was a Baptist, Eastern Star and a homemaker.

(7) Orvel M. Puckett enlisted in the Air Force.  He was stationed in Honolulu when the Japs struck Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.  In 1943, he married Christena Hornsby in Coleman.  They lived in Odessa for a number of years.  Later they moved to Fort Worth.  They had two children.

(8) Leonard “Bud” was too young for the service.  He stayed home to help his Dad with the farming.  He married in 1950 and had no children.

The four oldest Hornsby girls stayed home during the war.

 (9) Alma Lynn, born in Comanche attended Coleman High School, married Lewis Lee Bryan, a native of Coleman, in 1932.  They settled in the Rockwood area and farmed.  They were members of Rockwood Baptist Church.  Mr. Bryan served as a Deacon for many years.  He died June 15, 1965, buried in Coleman.  They had one son, Charles Kenneth, born in 1938 in Santa Anna.  He served 8 years in the National Guard.  He is a Southern Baptist and a Mason.  He never married.

 (10) Grace graduated from Coleman High School and employed with the Telephone Company in Coleman.  In August 1937 she married Herbert Grayson Taylor in Abilene.  They settled in Nashville, where Herbert died March 1970, entombed in Fort Worth.  He was a Southern Baptist and a Mason.  Grace continued to live in Nashville until 1973 when she moved back to Fort Worth to be near her family.  In 1974, she moved to Abilene where she died in October 1975, entombed in Fort Worth.  She was a homemaker, Southern Baptist, Eastern Star, and active in community affairs.  They had no children.

 (11) Eulah, after finishing High School married (1) Leon Hardy in October, 1928 in Coleman.  They settled in Shields community and were engaged in farming.  In 1936 they were living in Teague, where Leon died from a hemmorage caused from an old injury, buried in Shields.  They had no children.  After the death of hem husband, Eulah then went into the nursing profession.  She became a Registered Nurse, continuing in that field until she retired in 1970.  In 1975, she married James Lovell “Mac” McClure in Abilene.  They now live in Denton.  They have no children.

 (12) Nora married Melvin “Curley’’ Snider in January 1933 in Coleman.  They settled in Fisk with a garage and filling station business.  Curley spent 14 months in Panama during the war in defense work.  He died in 1967 in Abilene buried in Coleman.  Nora lives in Coleman.  They had one son, Wayne, who married Marsha Gould in 1974 and they have a daughter, Kristy (see J. A. Norris).

Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Hornsby retired in 1947, moving to Fort Worth to be near older relatives.  May died December 1958, E. L., May, 1970, both died in Fort Worth buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

 
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This page last updated November 24, 2005
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