| William Thad Knox Sr., was born March 16, 1859, at Sweet Home, Lavaca
County, Texas, near Cuero. He was an only child, son of John Hugh
and Cynthia J. (Culpepper) Knox, died March 11, 1941, Coleman. Sarah
Annie Edgar, born April 30, 1859, Concrete, DeWitt County, daughter of
Henry Edgar and Tabitha Jane (Brown) Davis, (second wife of Henry Edgar).
Sarah died November 24, 1939. W. T., Sr. graduated from Concrete
College in Concrete. He married Sarah Annie Edgar April 3, 1878,
by Reverend Thomas, Vice President of Concrete College. She was a
member of an old and wealthy family in DeWitt County. They had three
children: Hugh, Cynthia Maggie, and Henry. On coming to Coleman County
in the spring of 1882, settling in Trickham, he bought a ranch on Home
Creek stocking it with cattle. He purchased the land for one dollar
per acre. Three children were born in Trickham: George David, James
Jesse and John Edgar. While a depression in the eighties hurt him
financially, he was able to regain much of his fortune later. He
taught school under First Grade Certificate from September 1887 to June
1892. He taught 2 years at Harrold and 3 years at Burkett.
In 1894, he bought a farm one mile northeast of Coleman, across Hords
Creek, where they established their family homeplace and continued to live
there the remainder of their lives. The two-story home was a fashionable
residence, the parlor having one complete wall of bay windows with stained
glass overhead. W. T. and Annie celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary
at the homeplace, April 3, 1938. Other children were: Minnie A. and
Annie Lea, both born at Burkett; William Thaddeus, Jr. was born in Harrold;
William Percy and Myrtle B., were born in Coleman.
W. T., Sr. was a prominent pioneer of Coleman County, as a community
leader, farmer-stockman, school teacher, accountant, public servant, politician,
licensed state land surveyor and family man. It was once written
of Mr. Knox that he was “one of the most prominent farmers and stockmen
of Coleman County and one of the largest land owners and wealthiest citizens
in Central and Western Texas.” He was heard to say, “I was born a
Democrat and never scratched a Democrat ticket.” They were members
of the First Baptist Church, Coleman, as of 1894. Mrs. Knox was a
member of Rebecca Lodge. Mr. Knox was a Mason, W. O. W., K. of H.,
K. of P., and other civic organizations. He was elected County Surveyor
in November 1892, and served one term to November 1894. In November
1894, he was appointed as First Deputy Sheriff and Tax Collector and held
this position until November 1898. He was elected Sheriff and Tax-Collector
November 1898, and held this office one term when the office was divided.
He was Deputy County Collector from November 1898 until November 1904.
On December 21, 1926, he was appointed as Licensed State Surveyor and could
work any county in the State of Texas. He also worked for J. P. Morris
Land Company and the estate as bookkeeper and accountant, beginning in
1914, and continued in this capacity until his death; also maintained his
land and surveying office. He and J. P. Morris had known each other
back in South Texas before either of them came to Coleman. W. T.
will be remembered as the gentleman who rode the saddle horse to work daily.
He consistently hitched the horse to a telephone post in the alley at the
northeast corner of J. E. Stevens Company, this being across the street
and south of his office in Central Bank Building. William Thaddeus
Knox, Sr. died March 11, 1941 and Sarah Annie had passed away November
24, 1939, both buried in Coleman. The children:
(1) William Hugh, May 13, 1879 - December 11, 1955, buried in Coleman,
married October 4, 1899 in Coleman, Elizabeth Bessie McMahan, April 8,1880
- December 12, 1947, buried in Coleman (see R. H. Walker). They had
two daughters: Sarah E., May 5, 1907 in Coleman - December 22, 1976 in
Fort Worth, buried in Coleman. She attended Howard Payne College
in Brownwood and single; and Bobbie Lee, September 30, 1909 in Coleman
- November 16, 1980, in Fort Worth, buried in Coleman. A graduate
of Howard Payne College, she was single.
(2) Maggie Cynthia, January 12, 1881 (see Curtis C. and Maggie [Knox]
Owen).
(3) John Henry, April 12, 1882, married August 14, 1904 in Glen Cove,
Bertha Herring, daughter of A. and Sophia (Kettler) Herring, of Talpa (see
Andy C. Herring). Henry died January 10, 1952 in Waco, and Bertha
died October 10, 1977 in Ballinger, both buried in Waco. They had
one daughter: Annie Marie, born July 27, 1906 in Coleman, and graduated
from Baylor University in Waco. She married Elton K. Lamb, formerly
of Mart, in Waco, August 14, 1933. She died October 9, 1982, buried
in Waco. Elton K. still lives there. They had one son: Elton
K. Lamb, Jr., DVM, born June 20, 1941, in Waco, a graduate of Texas A&M
Veterinary School of Medicine. He married (1st) Kay Ann Smith, they
divorced, (2nd) Brenda Taylor. He and Kay Ann had two children: Lila
and Todd. They all live in Waco.
(4) George David, August 27, 1883, married Golden Hope McMahan, December
25, 1906 in Coleman. He died September 9, 1963, buried in Coleman,
Golden Hope died November 25, 1958, buried in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (see
R. H. Walker). They had seven children, all born in Coleman: William
of Hayden Lake, Idaho; James of Post Falls, Idaho; Frank of Bremerton,
Washington; Phillip, a twin to Frank, was accidentally killed while on
a hunting trip, October 4, 1930, buried in Erie, Colorado; Robert of Bremerton;
Katherine (Knox) Smith of Bremerton; and Mary Elizabeth (Knox) Zabel of
Bremerton.
(5) James Jessie, January 1, 1885, married Echo Wallace, born December
1, 1882 in Coleman on May 11, 1905. He died December 27, 1962 in
Dallas, and Echo on November 24, 1965 in Dallas, both buried in Coleman.
They had one son: J. T., born February 6, 1906 in Coleman, married briefly
and divorced. He died September 2, 1981 in Fort Worth, buried in
Coleman.
(6) John Edgar, October 6, 1886, married Amanda Black in October, 1911.
He died April 10, 1975 in Longmont, Colorado, buried in Erie, Colorado.
Amanda died October 8, 1966, in Kentucky, buried Erie. They had three
children: Frances (Mrs. William E. Giles), now resides in Boring, Oregon;
Earl, married, has several children, lives in Houston; and Curtis, died
January 5, 1933, buried in Erie, Colorado.
(7) Minnie A., June 17, 1888 at Burkett - April 4, 1890 in Harrold,
Wilbarger County, buried there.
(8) William T., Jr., January 23, 1890 in Harrold - March 16, 1918 in
Trinidad, Colorado, buried in Coleman. Thad married Zella T. Tisdale,
born December 23, 1889 in Round Rock, in 1910 or 1911 (see Henry Tisdale
Family). She died July 31, 1977 in Fort Worth, buried in Coleman.
They had one daughter: Minnie Lucille, July 7, 1912, probably in Coleman,
died September 25, 1976 in Fort Worth, buried in Coleman, she was single.
(9) Annie Lea, February 3, 1892 Burkett - November 10, 1909 in Mineral
Wells, buried in Coleman, she was single.
(10) William Percy, February 17, 1894 in Coleman, married March 11,
1915, Burney Rose in Arlington, born August 4, 1896 in Beaumont.
They both died January 28, 1933, in Greeley, Colorado, along with their
only child, a daughter, Billie, born August 16, 1920, in Greeley, from
a car train wreck, all buried in Coleman.
(11) Myrtle B. (see Willie
B. and Myrtle B. (Knox) King).
(Images to be added)
The home of Henry and Bertha Herring Knox; At ranch— Talpa (daughter,
Annie Marie with doll)
The home of Henry and Bertha Herring Knox; Northeast of Coleman
The home of Mr. and Mrs. W. T Knox, Sr.; Northeast of Coleman
Back row: James Jessie, John Henry, William Hugh, Cynthia Maggie,
and George David. Front row: John Edgar, Annie Lea, William Thad, Sr.,
with William Percy and holding baby Myrtle B., William Thad, Jr., and Sarah
Annie Edgar Knox
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