| The oldest son of William Jeheil and Mary (Herron) Kirkpatrick was
my grandfather, Thomas E. Kirkpatrick, who married Modora A. Nelson, July
22, 1869, in Ellis County. They had 3 children: John Wallace, my
father, Annie Bell and Jessie J. In 1879, Thomas E. and family with
his three unmarried brothers, George, Robert, and Andrew (Andy) headed
west. After four weeks on the road, traveling in covered wagons and
driving a herd of cattle, they arrived in Coleman County on August 12.
Annie Bell was six years old that day. Robert returned to Ellis County
in the fall and married Mary Lightsey, returning to Coleman County to make
their home. George and Andy never married. The Kirkpatricks
settled in the Live Oak Community, six miles south of Santa Anna.
The first house they lived in was built of rock and had a dirt floor.
A tent was stretched across the back for cooking and eating space.
When Christmas came that year, the Woodwards invited the neighbors to eat
with them. In 1883, they bought 320 acres of land with a house on
it from L. O. Rendleman. The house had three large rooms, about 18’x18’
with a shed room across the north side for the kitchen and eating area.
A fireplace in the middle room served as a heating system for the entire
house. This room was a bedroom for Grandfather and Grandmother as
well as the family sitting room. Grandfather was almost blind when
they came here and did eventually go completely blind. Grandmother
was known as Aunt Dode to nearly everyone, an energetic, thrifty woman.
To supplement the family income, she drove to town in her buggy to sell
butter, eggs and poultry. Her church was very important to her.
On Sunday morning she attended the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Santa
Anna and taught the young peoples’ class at the Union Sunday School in
the Leedy School House on Sunday afternoon.
Bell attended school in Brownwood and Santa Anna. She taught school
for a year or two, but was living at home when young Henry Campbell came
to teach at the Leedy School and board with the Kirkpatricks. The
two young people fell in love and were married May 29, 1898 (see Henry
Campbell).
Wallace married Marietta Baxter, my parents, in December of 1893 (see
William Sanders Baxter). He took his bride to his mother’s home.
My parents lived with Grandmother until her death July 6, 1919. Wallace
and Marietta had four daughters, Verna, Sally, Lucile and Modora.
Verna married Henry Newman (both deceased) (see Ernest Calvin Newman).
They had two sons, Ramon, killed in World War II, and Kirk, now living
in California. Sally married (1st) P. B. Snook. They had two
daughters, Helen and Evelyn. Snook died in 1970 and in 1975, Sally
married (2nd) George Stewardson. He is now deceased and Sally is
living in the Wesleyan Retirement Home in Georgetown. Modora married
Basil Gilmore (deceased) (see John Simms Gilmore). I married Norval
Wylie and have three children, Nancy (Pinkerton) of Grapevine; Buddy, Arlington;
and Pete, Abilene. Before rearing a family, I taught school for 12
years. I also operated a small flower shop for 20 years before retiring
in 1980.
Jessie J. Kirkpatrick, married Emma Harper, April 24, 1904. They
had two sons and four daughters: Sam T. graduated from Santa Anna High
School and attended Baylor School of Pharmacy. After graduation,
he returned to Santa Anna and worked as a pharmacist at Phillips Drug.
He passed away May 21, 1935. Bessie Bell also graduated from Santa
Anna High School and taught school in McCulloch County before her marriage
to Warren Caylor. They had one son and two daughters. Hollis
Lee died in childhood. J. Everett has been a salesman for a wholesale
grocery company for many years. He married Helen Hall. They
have one daughter. After graduation, Maurice worked in the Santa
Anna National Bank until her marriage to Claude Reid. They have two
children. Evelyn married Jesse W. Tuten and now lives in Tallahassee,
Florida. They have two children.
Uncle Robert, Grandfather’s brother, and Aunt Mary had five children.
Jettie attended Santa Anna schools and “Summer Normal” in Brownwood for
a teaching certificate. She taught in several rural schools in the
area as well as in Santa Anna and Coleman. She was elected County
Treasurer and served two terms in that capacity. After that she was
City Secretary for Santa Anna for several years. Her retirement years
were spent helping her sister Dora care for their aging mother. Dora
taught school in Santa Anna as well as in several rural schools.
She retired from teaching and took care of her mother. Neither Jettie
nor Dora ever married. Della married Will Bartlett, a local photographer.
They had four children. R. D., Jr., married Lillie Schroeder in 1920,
had one son, Donel, now living in Houston. Walter married Theo Hunter,
had two daughters, Anita (Mathews) and June (Hays).
There are approximately 70 living descendants of Thomas E. and Modora
A. Kirkpatrick. Modora K. Gilmore and Lucile K. Wylie are the only
ones living in Coleman County.
(Images to be added)
Wallace and Marietta Kirkpatrick
Pete, Norval, Nancy, Lucile, and Buddy Wylie
The old Kirkpatrick Home
Pat, Modora, Basil and Tom Gilmore
Kirkpatrick girls - standing, Lucile, seated, Sally, Modora, Verna
Verna K. and Henry Newman
Standing: Jessie, Bell, Wallace - seated: Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Kirkpatrick
Jessie, George, Thomas E., Modora, Andy, Wallace. “Long” house purchased
by Thomas E. Kirkpatrick
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