ISAAC JACKSON WIMBERLEY FAMILY

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Isaac Jackson Wimberley's parents were Pleasant Wimberley and Amanda Julian Jackson Wimberley.  Pleasant Wimberley left his home in Wake County, North Carolina, in 1843 and arrived in Washington County, Texas, on December 1847.  There he met and married Amanda Julian Jackson, daughter of Isaac Jackson and Zillah Ann Thompson Jackson who were some of Texas’s earliest settlers.  Pleasant and Amanda moved from Washington County to Burleson County and then to the Walnut Creek area on the Blanco-Llano County line about 1855.   While living on Walnut Creek, Pleasant raised cattle and horses.  Isaac “Ike” Jackson Wimberley, their fourth child, was born on January 15, 1856, in Blanco County.  In 1873, when Ike was 17, Pleasant and Amanda bought the Winters' Mill in Hays County, Texas, and moved their family there.  Eventually, the community that grew up around the mill became known as Wimberley, Texas.    

Texana “Teck” Bell Mayes, Isaac's future wife, was born on February 28, 1862, in Pleasanton, Atascosa County, Texas.  She was sent by her parents Lorenzo M. Mayes and Joanna Sheppard Mayes as a teenager to live with the Pleasant Wimberley family because, as the story is told, she would be safer from Indian attack and would have an easier way of life.  [Her father L. M. and two brothers John A. and Brown are referenced as outstanding citizens of early Llano on Page 7 of Llano:  Gem of the Hill Country, a History of Llano County , Texas .]  While living with the Wimberley family, Texana was named the "Prettiest Girl in Wimberley" when she was 15.   [An account of Texana’s life was written by her granddaughter Virgie L. Hardwick Moritz for the October-November 1966 edition of Frontier Times magazine.]   Isaac and Texana married on January 16, 1878, when he was 22 and she was almost 16.  The marriage took place in the home of Pleasant and Amanda Wimberley in what is now referred to as the Winters-Wimberley House in Wimberley, Hays County, Texas [The house has been restored by the Wimberley Institute of Culture].    

By 1880 the couple had moved to Llano County to live next to her parents Lorenzo M. Mayes and Joanna Sheppard Mayes.  Joining Ike and Teck in Llano County were his younger brother William Hickman “Hick” Wimberley and his bride Johnnie Amanda Leath Wimberley who had married in August 1879 in Wimberley, Texas.   Ike and Hick raised cattle in Llano County as did Teck’s father. 

Although he soon found ranching to be unprofitable, Isaac at first supported his growing family by raising cattle, primarily on Miller Creek near Johnson City in Blanco County and in Llano County.  He drove cattle up the Chisholm Trail three times.  And, out of necessity, he was an Indian scout.  Eventually, Isaac gave up ranching to become a farmer.  The couple thus moved from Hays County to Llano County (cattle raiser in 1880 Census) to Uvalde County (birth place of two children) to Blanco County (birth place of at least four children) to Hays County (farmer in 1900 Census) to Llano County (farmer in 1910 Census) to Runnels County (farmer in 1920 Census) to Llano County (farmer in 1930 Census).  It was in Llano County that the couple put down roots; they lived and farmed there the rest of their lives.   During their marriage, the couple had 14 children. 

Texana died at the age of 85 on April 12, 1947, just three months after the death of her 64-year-old daughter Sariah Wimberley.  Texana was buried in the same section as Sariah in Llano City Cemetery. [Their husbands Isaac and Albert would later be buried in the same section around one large “Wimberley” gravestone.] 

Isaac Jackson Wimberley died at the age of 98 on August 24, 1954, in Llano, Llano County, Texas.  His obituary referred to him as "the oldest man in Llano."  Homer Rogers, a Jehovah's Witnesses minister, officiated at his burial.   At the time of his death, Isaac was survived by approximately192 descendants.  He was survived by daughters Bettie Hardwick of Austin, Hattie Stovall of Llano, and Quinnie Owens of Llano.  He was also survived by sons Andrew of unknown residence; George of Uvalde, Texas; Zachariah of Llano, Texas; and Joel, John, Richard, and Frank--all four of California.  Isaac was also survived by one sister Eliza "Lidie" Mary Hughes of Wimberley, Texas.   In addition to his wife, his parents, and nine of his siblings, Isaac was predeceased by daughters Amanda and Sariah and sons Charley and William.  

During their marriage, Isaac and Texana reared 14 children.   Their children were Amanda, George, Sariah, Zachariah, Bettie, Joel, John, Charley, Richard, Frank, William, Andrew, Hattie, and Quinna. 

Amanda Wimberley was the first child of Isaac and Texana.  She was born in 1878 or 1879.  Unfortunately, the infant died soon after her birth.  The location of her grave is unknown. 

George Pleasanton Wimberley was the second child of Isaac and Texana.  George was born on August 19, 1880.  He was most probably born in Llano County where his parents were living at the time of the June 1880 Census.   On May 1, 1905, in Llano, Texas, 24-year-old George married 18-year-old Effie Lorena Spurlin.   Their first five children—Cornelius Grant, Lloyd Ralph, Elva Lois, Edwin Roy, and Edna Joyce--were all born in Llano County.  Between 1915 and 1918, the couple moved their family to Christoval, Tom Green County.  Two more children—Georgia Blanche and Albert Lewis--were born there.  Between 1921 and 1924, the couple again moved their family.  This time the move was to Uvalde County where they put down roots and remained the rest of their lives.  The last three of their ten children—Allie Grace, Helen Faye, and Donald Boyd—were born after the move to Uvalde County.  George died in 1966; Effie, in 1981.  Both were buried in the Uvalde Cemetery. 

Sariah “Saidie” Wimberley was the third child born to Ike and Teck.  She was born on August 2, 1882, probably in Uvalde County.  When her parents moved back to Wimberley, Texas, she fell in love with her first cousin Albert Andrew Wimberley who was living in Wimberley with his parents Zachariah Taylor Wimberley and Mary Elizabeth Franklin Wimberley.  Saidie and Albert married about 1905.  They soon moved to Llano County, and there they remained their entire lives.  Albert worked as an electrician.  In 1918 he was an electrician working for the Llano Milling and Manufacturing Company.  He eventually had his own electrical and plumbing business working in new building construction.  While Albert was building his electrical business, Saidie stayed at home to care for their five children—Ima, Allie, Kelly, Margaret and Lee.   All five children remained in Llano for their entire lives.  [In 1989 Lee Wimberley wrote an account of the Wimberley family on Page 324 of Llano County:  Family Album, a History.]   Saidie and Albert and all five of their children were buried in Llano Cemetery in Llano. 

Zachariah “Zach” Taylor Wimberley was Ike and Teck’s fourth child.  He was very probably named after his uncle by the same name.  Zach was born on March 15, 1884, in Blanco or Uvalde County.   In the 1910 Census he was living at home in Llano with his parents and siblings.  In 1918 on his WWI Draft Registration Card, he was living in Llano and farming for his father.  In the 1930 Census, when he was 46, he was living in his parents’ household in Llano and was single.  He died on February 19, 1967, in Llano, Llano County, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Llano Cemetery.   Per his death certificate, Zach was married at the time of his death. 

Bettie Wimberley and her twin Joel were born to Isaac and Texana on March 24, 1886, on Miller Creek which is 9 miles southeast of Johnson City, Texas, in Blanco County.   They were their fifth and sixth children.   When she was 17, on September 6, 1903, Bettie married 29-year-old Edmund “Edie” Asa Barker who also was from Miller Creek.  Bettie and Edie soon divorced.   In 1905 or 1906 she married Nathan Cooper.  Bettie had a child by Nathan on November 12, 1906, whom they named Ruby Moselle Cooper (the future Mrs. Samuel Grant McPherson, Sr., of Llano).  Little is known about the rest of Nathan Cooper’s life, even whether his marriage to Bettie ended with his death or with divorce.  On February 3, 1910, Bettie married James Jackson Hardwick.   By 1911 Bettie and James had moved to Groesbeck in Limestone County where they had a daughter named Virgie.   By 1914 the couple had moved to Llano County where their children Eva Bell and E. J. were born.  Then, the couple moved to Gouldbusk, Runnels County, where daughters Hazel, Millie Brown, and Melba B. were probably born.   Bettie’s husband James died in Gouldbusk in 1932 of typhoid.  He was buried in an unmarked grave.  Bettie died on March 4, 1958, in her home in Austin, Travis County.  She was buried in Llano Cemetery in Llano County. 

Joel Wimberley, the twin to Bettie, moved as a toddler with his parents to Hays County by 1900.  By 1910 he and his parents and siblings had moved to Llano County.  It was in Llano County that he probably met and married Maud Bell Wootan, the daughter of Llano residents Isaiah “Buck” and Cordelia Wootan.  The two married on March 24, 1913, on Joel’s 27th birthday.  Maud was 17 when they married.  Their first child was a daughter named Bernice.  And their second was a son named Howard H.; he was born on June 1, 1916.   Two years later, in September 1918 when he signed his WWI Draft Registration Card, Joel and Maud and their children Bernice and Howard were living in Ft. Stockton, Pecos County, Texas, where Joel was working as a trapper for the government.   Unfortunately, Maud died an early death at the age of 24 on August 16, 1925, at Seton Hospital in Austin, Travis County, of pneumonia following laparotomy surgery.   Her body was returned to Llano for burial, but the exact location of her grave has been lost. Apparently, Joel and his two children moved to California after Maud’s death.   Bernice was living in 1930 with the family of David Crockett Wimberley, Joel’s first cousin, in Los Angeles County.   Joel died in Los Angeles County on July 10, 1963.  The location of his grave is unknown.  His son Howard returned to Texas and died in 1994 in Uvalde.  

John Wimberley, Ike and Texana’s seventh child, was born on August 20, 1888, also in the Miller Creek area near Johnson City, Blanco County.  As did his older brother Joel, John married a daughter of Llano residents Isaiah and Cordelia Wootan.  Her name was Lona “Lonie” S. Wootan.  She was born on February 27, 1893.  John and Lonie probably met in Llano County.  They married there on April 1, 1913, about a week after Joel and Maud’s wedding.   In 1915 their first child Nolan was born.  On his 1918 WWI Draft Registration Card, John stated that he was a cement work for his own business in Llano County.  By 1920 the couple had moved to Culberson County, Texas; and John was working as a farm laborer.  Then, at some time between 1920 and 1922, John, Lonie, and their son Nolan moved to California.  John and Lonie’s daughter Virginia was born there in 1922, and a second daughter Joy Dawn was born in California in 1924.  Lonie died in 1970 in Tulare County, California; John died in 1988 in Siskiyou County.  John and Lonie were buried in the Home of Peace Cemetery in Porterville, Tulare County, California.

 Charley Wimberley, who was Ike and Texana’s eighth child, was born in February 1890.   Like his sister Amanda, Charley died as an infant, probably in 1891.   The location of his grave is unknown. 

Richard Wimberley was born on October 1, 1891, in Uvalde or Blanco County, Texas, to Isaac and Texana.  He was their ninth child.   In 1911, 20-year-old Richard married 18-year-old Pauline "Polly" Walker.  Richard and Polly had 12 children from 1912 to 1930—Thelma, Ira, Ruth, Elmo, Richard, Dorothy, Raymond, Bobby, unnamed twins, Lyman, and Audry.  Eight of the children were born in Texas; four, in Arizona.  Richard and Polly's marriage, however, grew to be troubled; eventually they divorced. Polly lived the rest of her life in Graham County, Arizona, where she had the support of her parents and siblings. Richard moved to California and eventually married again. His second wife was Annis A. Wimberley.  Richard died on August 12, 1976, in San Diego, San Diego County, California. His first wife Polly died on April 29, 1983, in Graham County, Arizona. His second wife Annis died on March 12, 1970, in San Diego, California. Richard and Annis were buried side-by-side in the El Camino Memorial Park, San Diego County, California. Polly, who never remarried, was buried in Pima Cemetery, Pima, Graham County, Arizona. 

Frank Wimberley was born on October 8, 1893, in Blanco County, Texas.  He was the tenth child of Ike and Teck.  When Frank was about 21, he married Altha A. Roberts. The couple had one son Jennings in 1915 and two daughters Doris and Wanda in 1917 and 1923.  All three children were born in Llano County. By 1918 Frank was supporting his young family as a worker for the City of Llano. Sometime in 1929 or 1930, Frank, Altha, and their children moved to Santa Cruz County, Arizona. Frank worked there as a night watchman for a mine. It was in Arizona in the early 1930's that Altha and Frank decided to divorce. Frank moved on to California where three of his brothers were living. Altha returned to live in Texas, taking the couple's two daughters with her.  Frank died in Tulare, Tulare County, California, on November 29, 1969. Altha died in Robert Lee, Coke County, Texas.  Frank was buried in an unmarked grave in the Visalia Public Cemetery in Tulare.  Altha was buried in the Robert Lee Cemetery in Robert Lee. 

William “Willie/Willis” James Wimberley was born on February 9, 1896, in Blanco County, Texas.  He was the eleventh child of Isaac and Texana. His family and friends often shortened "William" to "Willie" or "Willis."  When he was 18, Willie married 18-year-old Iva Callaway, the daughter of Gaddah Callaway and Laura Kyle Callaway. Iva's sister Myrtle would later marry Jennings Bryant Wimberley, Willie’s nephew by his brother Frank. Willie and Iva had at least four children—Damon, Herbert, Velma, and Robert. Willie supported his family by farming in Llano County and Runnels County, Texas.  When he was 36, on January 10, 1933, Willie died in the City Hospital in Austin, Travis County, Texas, from an intestinal obstruction. His body was returned to Llano for burial in Llano Cemetery.  With her youngest child just seven years old and her oldest 19 when their father died, Iva Callaway Wimberley became the breadwinner of the family.  She eventually moved her family to Houston where she had the support of her oldest brother William Frank Callaway.  Iva died in 1966 in Houston, Harris County, Texas, where she had long been a hospital employee.  She was buried in the Brookside Memorial Park in Houston. 

Andrew Wimberley, who was Ike and Teck’s twelfth child, was born on February 7, 1899.   He was probably born in Llano County, Texas.  In 1918 he was farming in Llano County.  In 1920 Andrew had moved with his parents and some of his siblings and their children to Miles, Runnels County, Texas.  There he was working as a shoemaker.  Later in 1920 Andrew married an offspring of John S. Robbins and his wife Marianna Genevieve “Jennie” Bigley Robbins who were residents of Concho County, Texas.  Andrew married their 18-year-old daughter Jessie E. Robbins.    In 1921 Andrew and Jessie’s daughter Bettie L. Wimberley was born.  On New Year’s Eve in 1925, another daughter Joneviewe/Genevieve was born in Millersview, Concho County, Texas; she died at age two on New Year’s Day in 1928 in Wink, Winkler County, Texas, and was buried in Millersview Cemetery.   In 1930 Andrew and Jessie and their daughter Bettie were living in Abilene, Taylor County, Texas, where Andrew worked as a truck driver.  Little more is known about Andrew’s life.   Possibly, he moved to California.  Where he, Jessie, and Bettie were buried is unknown.   His father’s 1954 obituary listed Andrew as a surviving child. 

Hattie Ray Wimberley was born in Llano County on August 17, 1902.   She was the thirteenth child of Isaac and Texana.  In 1920, when she was 17 and living with her parents and siblings in Runnels County, Texas, Hattie married John Charles Robbins. John was the son of John S. Robbins and his wife Marianna Genevieve “Jennie” Bigley Robbins of Concho County.  Hattie’s brother Andrew had married Jessie, the sister of John Charles Robbins, the same year.  Hattie and John moved from Concho County where John's parents lived to Dallas County and to Llano County where Hattie's parents lived.   Hattie and John had had at least four children—Marie, John, Earl, and Bruce--before John died suddenly in 1944 in Gatesville, Coryell County, Texas, not far from his parents’ home.  So Hattie became the breadwinner of the family with four children ages 10 to 21.  Some time before 1954, Hattie married Louis Fox Stovall who was 16 years her senior.  Louis died on March 11, 1955, in Austin, Texas, at the Austin State Hospital.  Although his residence was Llano at the time of his death, Louis was buried in Eckert Community Cemetery in Eckert, Gillespie County, Texas, where various members of his family had been buried.  On January 14, 1969, Hattie married a third time.  Her third husband was Tim Jackson-Cummins who was 5 years her junior and worked as a cook in a restaurant owned by his nephew in Llano.  This third marriage was not a happy one for Hattie and Tim. The couple had already separated when, fourteen months after their marriage, Tim was killed in an automobile accident near Llano.  He was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Lampasas, Lampasas County, Texas, where various members of his family had been buried.  Hattie died when she was 92, on March 18, 1995, in Llano, Llano County, Texas.  She was buried in Llano Cemetery in Llano where her parents and many of her siblings were buried.  

Quinna Mae “Quinnie/Mae” Wimberley was the fourteenth and last child of Ike and Teck.  She was born on May 12, 1905, in the house purchased for her parents by her older siblings in Llano, Llano County, Texas.  Texana was 43 and Isaac was 49 when Mae was born.  Mae fell in love with a man who also grew up in Llano County. His name was Leroy Robinson Owens. She was 22 and he was 31 when they married on March 16, 1928, in Llano County. From 1929 to 1945, the couple had four children—Billy, Jean, Charles, and Janice.  Leroy, while working as a ranch hand, died at the age of 49 in February 1946 from an accidental fall from a horse. Mae and her children, ages 1 to 16, returned to her parents’ home in northwest part of the city of   Llano.  Mae lived until the age of 82, dying on May 15, 1987.  Both she and Leroy were buried in Wrights Creek Cemetery in Llano where various members of his family were buried.