TX BIOS: Ed McCullough Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress. Washington, 1994. Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only. This transcription intended to be 99.95% accurate. For more information about this text and this American Memory collection, refer to accompanying matter. U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.Copyright status not determined. 00011 [??] FOLKLORE- WHITE PIONEER. Miss Effie Cowan, P.W. McLennan County, Texas, District 8. No of Words. File NO. 240. Page NO. 1. REFERENCE. Interview with Mr Ed McCullough, Mooreville, Texas. "My father, Captain Ed Mc Cullough was born in Hampshire county, West Virginia, in 1840. There he passed his boyhood and youth. Just before the outbreak of the War between the States, he came south to Missouri, and from Jasper county. that state, he enlisted in the Confederate army, in which he rendered faithful service until the conflict was over. Before the close of the war he was promoted to a [DEL: Cptaincy :DEL] Captaincy. "In 1865 father came to Texas and settled in Falls county where he spent the rest of his life as a farmer and merchant, having a store at what is now the Mooreville community[,?] fifteen miles southwest of the city of Waco, Texas. He passed away at this place in 1902 at the age of sixty eight years. He first married in Joplin Missouri, to Miss Sophia Irwin, who died in that county, leaving a daughter, now Mrs Lawrence Livingston. For his second wife he married Miss Eliza Fiser, daughter of W.A. Fiser, who emigrated to Texas from Tennessee. "The children of my fathers second marriage are, myself: Judge Tom McCullough of [DEL: Dalls :DEL] Dallas; another brother W.H., former president of the Central Texas National Bank , and secretary and treasurer of the Dr Pepper Company, Waco; Janie M. wife of Dr G.S. Mc Reynolds of Temple Texas. "I was born in Falls county near what is known as the Rock Dam community, in 1868, where my father first located, later moving to the Mooreville section. I attended the public schools at Mooreville, and Southwestern University at George-town Texas. NOTE: C.12 - 2/11/41 - Texas 00022After leaving College I entered the mercantike business at Mooreville with my father. I resided here until 1907 and then removed to Waco, Texas where I was mayor of the city during the year 1917 , at the time the United States army training camp for overseas service was located during the World War adjoining Waco to the north and west of the city. The avaition field being located on the west side and the army camp for the soldiers to the north. "At this time the population of the city was around sixty thousand people. and in the training camps there were from 30.000 to 40.000 soldiers. The camp remained in this location the entire time of the entrance of the United States , until the close of the World War. The National Guard troops from Michigan and Wisconsin were located here and after they were sent over-seas, they were replaced by troops from the regular army training new recruits. "In 1891 I married Miss Flora [DEL: raves :DEL] Graves of Georgetown, Texas. To us were born five children, four boys and one girl. The boys are, Leland and George who live in the Rio Grande valley and are farmers. Marvin, [an?] attorney of Wichita Falls, Texas. and John T. [an?] attorney at Houston. My daughter, Flora is in the advertising business and works for the R.T. Dennis Company of Waco, Texas. My wife passed away in 1928. and in 1933 I married Mrs [DEL: Mar :DEL] Martha Durst, who died in 1935. I then returned to my home in Mooreville to live. "Mooreville is situated in the northwest part of Falls county, west of the Brazos river, occupies a position in the county somewhat similar to the rural communities on the east, such as Stranger , Odds , Kosse and others. In the earlier days the little village had an outstanding commercial, religious and political center. 00033"The town is situated on top of a hill overlooking the winding Cow Bayou which flows eastward , from which one may behold fertile farms for a distance of fifteen to twenty-five miles. It is little wonder that the early pioneers selected this location for its high elevation, giving them a view of the country to watch for bands of hostile Indians. "Before the coming of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass railroad through here in the early nineties, this country reached a peak in population. Its people wielding great social, political, and religious influence. Later it has settled down to a typical rural farming center, noted for its productive soil, early traditions and friendly hospitality of its people. Its history is one of families since 1849 , when Robert Moore built his home on top of the hill, the community has been known as Mooreville. "Mr Moore had a store, as well as farming interest. Others who came with Robert Moore from South Carolina in 1849 was the Jim Sutton family and the W.C. Kirkpatrick family. They travelled in ox-wagons fording the Brazos near its present and then only bridge. Tall trees and interspersed areas of deep sage grass presented an untravelled and unmarked area. The little company of people cut a good sized tree and tied it to the back of their wagons, dragging a trail over which they would have a route marked, in the event of their deciding to return. This route marked by the little band of pioneers became the trail which leads from the Kirkpatrick home a short distance from Mooreville to the river bridge, "turnpike" and Marlin, Texas. 00044"Later, after Mr Moore moved a short distance away from the hill in a southwesterly direction, having bought another farm, a man by name of Holmes had a store near the same place. This store was located on the hill not far from the present H.S. Jones home. "Immediately after the Civil War a number of families moved to the community, laying the foundation for the vast influence the community was destined to wield in the years following. Among them were the Mc Culloughs Jones, Wiggins, Fisers, Bowmans, Martins, Davis's, and others I do not recall. They joined the earlier families and went to work to put the land in cultivation. "My father, Captain Ed McCullough, operated a saw and grist mill on the Brazos river in [DEL: alls :DEL] Falls county at what was known as Burr Lake. Three years later he bought [DEL: three years later he bought :DEL] three hundred acres of the wild uncultivated land at Mooreville, which happened to include the spot where Mooreville stands today. Later he acquired holdings up to 3400 acres which he set about developing. "One of the first moves my father made when he began the development of his land was to set aside ground for church and school purposes. The original deed for the land for this purpose, written in longhand by my father is in possession of H.S. Jones of Mooreville. This deed is dated November 18, 1874. The ground for the school and church was deeded to t the following trustees[;?] L. Magee, J.R. Kirkpatrick, Leander Fiser, James Jones, Ed Mc Cullough, W.T. Wiggins. 00055Then it was that the Methodist church of Mooreville was organized, the minutes of which are in possession of Mrs H.S. Jones who is church clerk now. Previous to this time the Methodist had worshipped at old Cottonwood a short distance northward and eastward. Referring to the minutes of the original church (1874) it is indicated the following c charter members were present.; Mrs W.T. Wiggins, (the only living member who was present) Mr Wiggins, Mr and Mrs George Bowman, Margaret Trewett, Mr and Mrs R.H. Jones, Mary Jones, Captain Ed McCullough, Eliza McCullough (my parents). Leander and Emmam Fiser, Willis, Offa, and Jane Fiser, and Mrs Fannie Nix. "These members immediately built a church where the present church now stands (just south of the Mooreville-Eddy road). The old church served [DEL: unti :DEL] until 1911, when the sons and daughters and others following in the footsteps of those pioneers wanted to leave a heritage also. The result was the present modern church building. Those instrumental in building the present church were, George Bowman, Hardy Jones, James Jones, Leander Fiser, and the late J.F. Hackett, of Chilton. James W. Jones, Sam Jones, Wesley Patterson and others. "When the lightning struck the old Cow Bayou Baptist Church building in 1914, which stood on the hill northeast of the present school building after the Baptist had held services for awhile in the school building, the Methodist church became sort of a community center attended by those of all denominations. With the coming of better roads and automobiles the Baptist [DEL: some :DEL] people attended church at Chilton and nearby communties. 00066"The mail was brought by a carrier from Marlin after 1871 (before the Houston and Texas Central railroad reached Marlin) and on to Eddy. The carrier stayed all night at Eddy and returned to Marlin the next day. Mail came once a week. The stage line was located where Eddy is, or rather it passed through these towns. Later on the post- [DEL: office :DEL] office's were in the [DEL: store :DEL] store's, often moving from one store to another. Later Sam Jones, (of the pioneer family of Jones) was a postmaster and John Love (a negro) brought the mail from Marlin. Captain Murphy, a little farther south-west served as [DEL: postmaste :DEL] postmaster at one time. "Mooreville now receives its mail from the nearby town of Chilton (.on the railroad ) through rural delivery. Mooreville went through the hectic days following the coming of the barb wire fences in the early eighties, and the passing of the roaming cattle and the free -grazing industry. Now land went into cultivation, rapidly. Population increased. Cattle rustling was under control and the community was making great headway in its commercial leadership. Storms were frequent, and the earlier rude houses felt the effects of them but they stood up under the hand of time until they were torn down and rebuilt. "It was in the eighties and nineties that Mooreville reached its peak of influence in the county and central Texas. Earlier settlers had laid the foundation and a rapid growth came when my father and J.T. Davis started a mercantile business on a more extensive scale. Father built a horse drawn gin, about the same time Hardy Jones and / brother James , built another gin. These gins were busy in the ginning season as the new land went into cultivation , they ginned a large amoung of cotton. The cotton - seed 00077was of no value and great stacks were allowed to pile up. They were burned or rotted. As the gins were improved and boilers were put in them, this seed was sometimes used for fuel. Other gins sprang up around Mooreville one new gin was built by Mike Williams near the Kirkpatrick place to the south of the hill. "The Davis and McCullough store [DEL: ater :DEL] later became McCullough Brothers, then Jones Brothers, ultimately H.S. Jones as it is today. In 1890 T.H. Denard opened a store at Mooreville, Mr Denard is still in business, upon almost the identical spot he began. He is Moorevilles oldest merchant , at present doing business continuesly for forty eight years. Another store of early days was the firm of Jones and Bowman. This business was later acquired by Mr Denard and the business continued in the same two-story building which Jones and Bowman built. ""In the eighties and nineties Mooreville was the scene of many hectic political meetings and conventions. Many noted state and national personalities spoke there, each bidding for the votes of both land-owner and tenant. Charles A. Culberson [DEL: oke :DEL] spoke there during one of his campaigns for governor, as did many other candidates. Joseph Weldon Bailey in his campaign for the Senate. Another [DEL: morable :DEL] memorable speaking was in the nineties when Governor Jim Hogg spoke. It was in the old picnic grove on the south side of the bayou, just east of the Waco road, that grove now faded has an interesting history. It is a beautiful spot, with tall tree of elm and oak. It had been cleared up for the special purpose of making a picnic ground, and it soon became a famous picnic center in the nineties. In the spring the violets bluebonnets and other wild flowers grew in profusion making it one of the most beautiful natural parks in this part of the state. 00088"When Governor Hogg made his race for governor against George Clark Governor Hogg came to Mooreville and spoke at the picnic grounds. The heat of this campaign stands out clearly in my memory. Prof. Eddins of San Antonio, who lived at Mooreville and Chilton, during the early '90's said recently. "I recollect the occasion of Hogg's speaking in Mooreville. I was one of a committee to meet him at Chilton as he came from Waco. Especially do I recollect an example of his amazing memory. While I was attending college at Huntsville in the late eighties, I met James Hogg there. One day the instructor of astronomy notified the class that every one must arise at three oclock the next morning for a telescopic [DEL: stdy :DEL] study of the moon in eclipse. That night it turned foggy and misty and the sky overcast with heavy clouds. I had been delegated to awaken the students and since we had'nt relished the idea of getting up so early I thought it would be a good joke to awaken them-- regardless of whether we could see the moon or not. Several years later when Hogg got off the train at Chilton, he [DEL: sp :DEL] spied me, shook hands and said, "Well Eddins have you awakened any more people on cloudy nights to see the moon?" "Still another incident of humerous nature that happened out at the old picnic grove in the late nineties. Robert Henry of Waco, a promising young lawyer (now deceased) had as his opponent Cullon F. Thomas, now of Dallas, for the United States Congress from this district. It was a heated campaign with several issues under discussion and the speaking of either candidate brought large enthusiastic crowds. Both spoke at Mooreville. During Mr Henry's speech, a Waco newspaper man arose right in front of the speaker and shouted "That's a lie, Bob Henry". [DEL: wherupon :DEL] whereupon the speaker reached for a glass full [DEL: f :DEL] of water that happened to be on the table in front of him, he 00099let the glass of water fly at the man who had interrupted him. The man dodged and the glass struck a man behind the guilty party-- This man happened to be for Henry. He recovered his poise and exclaimed "Hurrah for Henry"! "The above incidents are related because they throw some light on the political importance of Mooreville in earlier days. In these days when many political campaigns were settled under the convention system, many precinct conventions were held here and many so-called "wires" were pulled at Mooreville. "With the increased influence of the railroad at Chilton, (five [miles?] of Mooreville) good roads and automobiles, Mooreville has lost its former great voting strength. It is still an influential rural community, but the hectic political life which flourished so definitely in the eighties and nineties, has subsided-- even as it has in other communities and cities. "With this incident I will close . When a samll boy, I remember a certain young man whose hobby was drawing , split [DEL: plit :DEL] a board, took what was known in [DEL: thos :DEL] those days as an ink ball and drew a sign upon which was the picture of a pointing hand / and the words " [DEL: ne :DEL] One mile to Mooreville". A negro went a mile up on the west of the old Fiser field , where the road strikes in a general direction towards the east and west , and crossed the bayou at the ford on South Bayou and nailed up the sign. For [DEL: man :DEL] many years that old pen-Oak board sign pointing toward the hill directed strangers through the woods and winding trails to Moore's place, where a store, welcome and hospitality, created a sort of community center which has carried on ever since. ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. 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