1875 :: Name Change

On June 14, 1875, the city council, under the guidance of the first mayor, Alfred A. Burck, passed an ordinance changing the name of the town of Rockdale to the City of Rockdale, in accordance with the town's increase in population and corresponding legislative act regarding the incorporation of cities of one thousand or more inhabitants.


A History of Rockdale, Texas 1874-1974

1875 :: Election of Municipal Officers

At the election of municipal officers at Rockdale, the following were the successful candidates: A.A. Burck, Mayor; H.L. Witcher, Marshal; F.A. Hill, Joe King, W.B. Ayers, C.B. Hall, Alderman. Galveston Daily News, April 13, 1875 

1875 :: Death of Hattie Baines

Earlier this year . . . on the 25th day of June . . . the Keeper of this Rockdale history blog was doing some work on Find-A-Grave regarding the Old City Cemetery in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas . . . two of the photos posted on Find-A-Grave during that work session are of the final resting place of a little girl with the name of Hattie R (1873-1875), Dau. of Wm. M. & E.V. Baines. . . . little Hattie died on this date (23rd day of November) in the year 1875 . . .







As far as is currently known, there are no other Baines buried in this cemetery . . . and the parents were not listed as being buried elsewhere in Milam County . . . so, a search was begun for her family members . . .


The 1880 census quickly revealed that amongst the inhabitants of Rockdale as of June of that year were 37-year-old Wm. M. Baines, his 39-year-old wife, Elizabeth V. Baines, and an assortment of children . . . also in the same household were William's 33-year-old brother, Geo. W. Baines, and his 24-year-old wife, Cornelia . . .


Further research led to the fact that these Baines brothers are two of the sons of George Washington Baines, Sr. and his first wife, Melissa Ann Butler . . . this info wound up placing these Baines brothers in the waayyy distant branches of the personal family tree of the Keeper of this blog, where . . .


On the 26th day of June, in the year 1881 . . . a baby girl is born in Collin County, Texas . . . she is the first of three children known to have been born to her parents, Joseph Wilson Baines (1846-1906) and Ruth Ament Huffman (1854-1936) . . . and they give her the name of Rebekah . . . 

Rebekah's father, Joseph, is a brother to the above named William and George . . . which makes Rebekah a first cousin to the little Hattie who is buried in the Old City Cemetery in Rockdale, Texas . . . 

Rebekah grows up to marry Samuel Ealy Johnson . . . and they are the parents of the 36th President of the United States . . . who is a 9th cousin twice removed to the Keeper of this Rockdale history blog . . .


Did y'all follow all of that!?! :)

1875 :: Rockdale in the News

Rockdale, February 6. Yesterday, the 5th, was the first anniversary of the city of Rockdale. The day was celebrated by the usual everyday business which has characterized the place since the last spike was driven, February 5, 1874, that connected the place with the outside world. It has grown from a hole in the woods, to be a city of 3,000 inhabitants. Galveston Daily News, February 7, 1875

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Rockdale, February 6. C.W. Weeks, known as “California Bill,” proprietor of a hash house, was shot to death yesterday by one Newley, a butcher, who took this method of collecting a debt of $20 for beef furnished to said California Bill’s hash house. This is the only murder that has ever been committed in this place. Galveston Daily News, February 7, 1875