1908 :: Gored to Death

The whole town was shocked on Wednesday of last week when the news was heralded over the city that Mrs. Pinkie Mitchell had been killed by a vicious cow. . . . Mrs. Rosa A. Mitchell, the deceased, was raised in Burleson county, but for the past nine years had made her home in Rockdale, where she was engaged in the restaurant business until a few years ago. . . . She is survived by a son, Mr. Will Mitchell, one of the best boys ever raised in any town. He is now night operator and ticket agent for the I. & G. N. road at Valley Junction, . . . The remains were carried to Fraimville last Friday where they were buried beside those of other members of her family. The Rockdale Reporter. (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 14, No. 43, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 16, 1908 Page: 1 of 8

1948 :: Death of Robert Lee Yoakum

Robert Lee Yoakum, 16 year old student of Rockdale high school and son of Mr. and Mrs. George Yoakum, was killed Monday afternoon between 2:30 and 3 p.m., when he came in contact with a live wire while moving a house at Caldwell.

Young Yoakum was working with his father and a brother, George Jr., on a house-moving job. The wire across the highway was believed to be dead at the time the house was being moved under it. 

George Yoakum, Jr. was knocked out but not seriously injured and does not remember what happened, he said.

Funeral services for Robert Lee Yoakum were conducted from the Phillips and Luckey Chapel Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., with Rev. Howard Mitchell officiating and burial at Oak Lawn Cemetery. A huge crowd attended, attesting to the popularity of young Yoakum. 

Pallbearers were fellow teammates of the 1948 football team: Walter Heckendorn, James Caffey, Henry Hall, Jack Crane, H.D. Maxwell Jr. and George Haley.

A star athlete and member of the FFA judging team that won second place this year, Robert Lee Yoakum was one of the favorite students of the entire Rockdale high school among both students and teachers. "He was always so willing, so able, and he will be sorely missed," in the words of so many of his friends in school.

He was active in all school activities, lettered in football, and played basketball and tennis. He was named a Lone Star Farmer at the State FFA convention at Houston last week, and during the year served the local chapter as reporter. He had always been very active in chapter work. He was an individual prize winner at the soil conservation contest at Taylor last fall.

Robert Lee Yoakum was born Nov. 2, 1931, near Rockdale, and would have been seventeen years old next November. He would have been a member of the R.H.S. senior class this coming term.

Besides his mother and father he leaves three brothers: Herbert, Vernon and George Yoakum Jr., and two sisters, Mrs. James Burch of Meridian and Mrs. John Yoakum of Rockdale, besides a number of other relatives. Rockdale Reporter, June 24, 1948

1928 :: Death of Henry Hairston

Dallas Morning News. Mr. Henry Hairston, a citizen of Milam county was killed two miles north of Chriesman at 1:00 o'clock Sunday afternoon by a southbound freight train. The engineer reported he saw him lying beside the track and blew the whistle to awaken him, and just as the engine neared him he seemed to awaken and raised his head causing it to be struck by the front of the engine, killing him instantly. His brother, County Commissioner of Rockdale, was notified of the accident and arrived here about 4 p.m. and had the body removed to Caldwell to be prepared for burial by an undertaker, before being taken to Milam county, his former home, for burial. The Caldwell News and The Burleson County Ledger, June 8, 1928 

1865 :: Milam County Guards

Company E "Milam County Guards", 4th Texas Cavalry. This company was organized at Cameron, Texas September 9, 1861 and mustered into Confederate service for the war at San Antonio, Texas September 24, 1861. It was discharged in Burleson County, Texas May 22, 1865. Commanded by Captains Charles Buckholts and Joseph H. Long.


Milam County, Texas in the Civil War

1865 :: San Andres Light Horse Co.

Company D "San Andres Light Horse Company", 4th Texas Cavalry. This company was organized at San Andres, Milam County, Texas September 7, 1861 and mustered into Confederate service for the war at San Antonio, Texas September 16, 1861. It was discharged in Burleson County, Texas May 22, 1865. Commanded by Captains Charles M. Lesueur, Abner B. Parrott, and Henry G. Carter.


Milam County, Texas in the Civil War

1903 :: Burial of Inez Heslep

Dallas Morning News. Rockdale, Texas, Oct. 24. -- On Wednesday of this week the little 5-year-old daughter of Mr. George Haslip, living in the north suburb of town, while playing with another child with matches, in some manner ignited her clothing and was so badly burned that she died Thursday afternoon. Her mother, in endeavoring to extinguish the flames, had her hands badly burned. Mr. Haslip is the salesman in the grocery store of S.J. Taylor, and formerly lived in Lee county. Shiner Gazette, October 28, 1903

---

Little Inez Heslep, who was burned to death last week at Rockdale, was brought to Caldwell last Friday morning for interment, the funeral occurring from the residence of W.I. Heslep, at 9:30 o'clock, interment at the Masonic cemetery. Many friends tendered sympathy to the bereaved family in their sad affliction. Caldwell News-Chronicle, October 30, 1903

1898 :: Death of Elder W T H Beezley

Rockdale, Tex., Oct. 14. -- Elder W.T.H. Begely [sic, i.e., Beezley] died in this city on Wednesday, Oct. 13, in his 76th year. He had been a minister of the Baptist denomination for forty-two years, and for all that time had preached the gospel in Milam, Burleson and adjoining counties. He was one of the pioneer preachers of this county, having settled here in 1848, when the buffalo were plentiful here as jack rabbits are now. He was widely known throughout central Texas for his sterling qualities and his uncompromising religious faith.


There never was a time in his ministry that he would not have gone to the stake rather than compromise one tenet of his faith. He was an ex-confederate soldier, having served through that war in Greene's brigade. After the war ended he with a colony of others went to Brazil to escape the reconstruction regime of the federal government. He was not pleased with that country and returned to his old home in Milam county at the end of four years. He leaves a widow and one son and an adopted daughter. His son lives in Temple, Tex., and his adopted daughter, Mrs. J.M. Alexander, lives in Rockdale. Dallas Morning News, October 15, 1898

1918 :: Death of Dr. G.W. Mullins

Dr. G.W. Mullins of Milano, died October 19th of pneumonia, following an attack of influenza, aged 53. He was born in Harris County, Ga., came to Texas at the age of 14 and was married to Miss Mary L. Shepherd of Burleson County in 1887. He graduated in Medicine from Louisville Medical College and had practiced for 22 years, 15 of which were at Milano. He was a member of his county and State medical societies for a number of years and of the W.O.W. Lodge for the past 14 years. He is survived by his wife, one daughter and two sons. [obituary from Google eBook, 1919 Texas State Journal of Medicine, Volume 14]

1874 ::Birth of Rockdale

Hence, it is with pleasure I hail the birth of Rockdale, the future distributing point for Milam, Bell, Williamson and Burleson counties ... by the completion of the Brazos bridge is connected with the outside world ... it is in the heart of one of the best agricultural districts in Texas. The town already contains from twenty to thirty houses, and is rapidly growing. Being the present terminus of this immense (rail)road, situated in a most healthy and convenient locality ... what is to prevent Rockdale from becoming one of the most important points in the interior? ... Rockdale is destined to become the great shipping point for Texas stock. Galveston Weekly News, February 9, 1874