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 Submitted by:  Sue Davis


 HOUSTON COUNTY  CROCKETT COURRIER
 JANUARY 3, 1896 – JANUARY 25, 1901   VOL. 2, pp. 144-5  
 Friday, 12 February 1897, p.8, col. 3

 

 Last Sunday morning [February 7, 1897] at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. John [Wesley] Spence, parents of the bride, three miles east of 
 Grapeland, Stell [Leonard Hampton] Sharp of Crockett and Miss Lizzy [Elizabeth] Spence were married by Rev. Whitescarver.  Immediately 
 after that, the same Minister married James Pennington of Daly and Miss Beulah Spence.  The dinner was given by the parents of the brides, 
 after the double wedding, that night, the parents of Mr. Sharp gave a supper in Crockett.  

 The following friends of the family were present:  
 Col. and Mrs. F. H. Bayne, H. W. McKelvey, Jno. Sharp and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Hendrixson, Tom Bayne, Prof. Walker King, Miss Narcie Bayne 
 and Jo Bayne, Master Harvey Bayne, Miss Addie McKelvey, Ella Lunceford, Florence Hogue, Emma May and Carry McKelvey, and Will Mattews, 
 “Judge” Norris, Sam Smith, Harry Beasley, Will Crosslin, Clarence Langston, Will Crockren, Will Hassell, F. Hill, Jr. Jesse Saxon, Joe 
 Schultz, and Ernest Fairless.

 

 Notes added by Sue Davis:  
 Rev. John Whitescarver was the husband of Sarah E. Spence, daughter of George Jackson Spence.  She died in March 1866.  She, her daddy, 
 and Uncle Bluford died within 10 days of each other.  Many of the Spence family are buried in Hays Spring Cemetery, west of Grapeland.  
 John Whitescarver is buried in Daly Cemetery close by.

 Whitescarver was the witness to several Sharp and Spence legal papers.

 

 The McKelveys are related to Andrew Jackson Spence, brother to John Wesley.  AJ and his wife, Jennie Brasher, who was from Houston County, 
 are buried at Resthaven Cemetery about 9 miles from Post.  Some of their children are buried in Connor Cemetery out by Kennard.  Coy McKelvey 
 has lived across the street from us in Houston for more than 40 years…on Latexo Drive.  I did not know of the relation, but he did.  I stopped 
 one day when he was in his front yard and asked him if he was related to the McKelveys in Lubbock and Amarillo.  He said, “ of course.  
 Frank (Sharp) and I used to plow in adjoining fields when we were young.”   My mother, Laura Sharp, contacted one of the McKelveys when we were 
 in Lubbock for a University of Houston - Texas Tech football game back in the early 50s.  She still had his business card – real estate - when 
 she died.  I wonder who Will Hassell was.  My Grandmother Higginbotham was Dora Genora Hassell before she married Samuel Houston Higginbotham.  
 Do you think the Professor Walker King was the head of the boarding school where Lizzy [Elizabeth] was expected to attend until Stell talked 
 her into marrying him instead.  She told me that they sold her big trunk and bought a dressor or chest of drawers.  She had a small chest that 
 Mother gave to Jackie Sharp Griffin, and a sewing kit, which was given to Lovie [Frances Haden, Jr] Alexander.

 

 Stell [Leonard Hampton] Sharp used Stell on all his records – censuses, marriage license, etc.  The only thing that I have found where he used 
 Leonard Hampton was on his registration for WW1.  He also used Lizzy instead of Elizabeth on all of her records.  Anyone looking for Leonard 
 Hampton will really have a hard time finding him.