1917 :: Take a Dip in the Surf

GALVESTON and RETURN [to Rockdale] $3.95

The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger

(Rockdale, Tex.)

Vol. 45, No. 12, Ed. 1, Page 7

Thursday, May 24, 1917

 

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

1923 :: Letter from First Male Child Born in Rockdale

. . . I was the first male child born in Rockdale, and in the first house, that being the 14th day of January, 1874. My father at that time had ox and mule teams doing grade work and hauling ties for the I. & G. N. railroad which was building there at that time. My father's name was George A. Brown. A family by name of Ackerman built a saw mill and also a small house, it being the first house, and where I was born. . . . Isaac Brown . . . The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. [51], No. 41, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 6, 1923 Page: 1 of 12

1921 :: Soldier Boy's Funeral to be Held Tomorrow

The funeral of Private Hicks R. Carlile will be held tomorrow. The remains are due to arrive on the 2:40 p.m. I. & G. N. train from San Antonio. Mayor H.C. Meyer was requested by the Chamber of Commerce Tuesday night to take charge of the details of the funeral, which assures that the young hero will be shown due respect by our citizenship. The funeral will be under the auspices of the American Legion, and the body will be buried with military honors. Interment will be held at the Hamilton Chapel burying ground. The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 49, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 20, 1921 Page: 1 of 8

1893 :: Marriage of Marcus Rich and Mary Riley

MARRIED IN ROCKDALE.

Rockdale, Tex., Sept. 12. -- This morning at 11 o'clock at the Rockdale Roman Catholic church the priest in charge joined in marriage Mr. Marcus Rich* of Palestine and Miss Mary Riley*. The groom is well known as an International and Great Northern railway locomotive engineer. The bride is a Rockdale raised lady, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. Riley and a general favorite. The bridal party received friends at the residence of Mrs. J.C. McCawley, sister of the groom. The Galveston Daily News, September 13, 1893 [*Reitch, Reilley, Reilly]

1878 :: Death of John Cole

Hearne, May 30. -- The people of this city are again called upon to witness a sad accident in railroad life. The victim is a promising young man by the name of John Cole, a resident of Rockdale, Texas, and lately a brakeman on the I. and G.N. railroad. Young Cole, it seems, was attempting to board a freight train, and missing his hold was crushed beneath the wheels, severing his left arm near the shoulder and crushing his left leg below the knee. Owing to some delays that it seems could not be avoided the patient lost a good deal of blood. Drs. Morrison and Matkin, of this place, and Drs. Horton and Walker, of Rockdale, are in attendance, but up to 8 o'clock P. M. the man is too weak from loss of blood to endure the amputation of his mangled limbs, and but little hope is entertained of his recovery. Galveston Daily News, May 31, 1878

1944 :: Death of W.H. Marshall

W.H. Marshall Sr., 89, Rockdale pioneer, died at his home here Wednesday at 2:45 p.m. after a long illness.

Funeral services are being held at the family residence here this afternoon at 4 o'clock, with the Rev. R. Burtis Bates, pastor of the First Methodist Church, officiating, and burial will be in the family plot at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery.

Mr. Marshall was born October 7, 1855, at Richmond, Ft. Bend county, Texas. He came to Rockdale on Feb. 4, 1874, on the first train over the I.&G.N. railroad that came to Rockdale, and in point of years is probably Rockdale's oldest citizen. 

The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 72, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 27, 1944

1966 :: Mrs. Alma Lewis Dies Friday at Local Hospital

Mrs. Alma Lewis, 81, daughter of one of the first early-day residents of Rockdale, died at 1:35 p.m. Friday in Richards Hospital. She had been in failing health the past three months and in the hospital four weeks.

Funeral services were held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Phillips & Luckey Chapel with burial in Oak Lawn Cemetery. The Rev. D.D. Simpson and the Rev. Allen Cearley, Baptist ministers of Rockdale and Milano, officiated. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Rockdale.

Born in Rockdale on Feb. 9, 1885, she was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Scott, both deceased. She was one of 12 children. Her father, a photographer, was a passenger on the first train that came to Rockdale when the railroad extended its line this far west. He was one of the first city councilmen in Rockdale.

She and Valdie Lewis were married here in 1902 and six children were born to them, an infant preceding her in death. Her husband died Oct. 3, 1947.

Survivors include a son, C.D. Lewis of Lufkin; four daughters, Mrs. E.A. Tucker of Houston, Mrs. V.B. Douglas of Los Angeles, Mrs. Alvie Blackmon of Milano, and Mrs. D.E. Taylor of Milano; two sisters, Mrs. Sue Hill of Longview and Mrs. Billie Neal of Longview; nine grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and one great great grandchild.

Pallbearers were Gordon Mason, Holice Mason, Arnold Mason, Wayne Tucker, Michael Johnson, and Charlie Tucker. Rockdale Reporter and Messenger, December 08, 1966

1911 :: Judge Antony mingling with old friends

Judge E.L. Antony of Dallas was mingling with old friends here after an absence of many years. His mother is visiting the family of J.D. Hamilton awaiting the arrival of a grand daughter from Pecos Valley, when together they will go to Cameron. Judge Antony contemplates returning to Cameron, his old stamping ground. He resided there when the only mode of conveyance to district courts was by the stage route, and was among the number of Rockdalians who celebrated the first incoming of the I. & G. N. passenger to the community. Rockdale Reporter and Messenger, November 23, 1911 

1906 :: Awarded $500 Damages

In the district court at Cameron this week the jury in the case of G.B. Vandeventer vs. the I. & G. N. Ry. rendered a verdict giving Mr. Vandeventer $500 damages for injuring the stallion "Col. Kahla" when he was shipped to Rockdale. Rockdale Reporter, October 25, 1906

1874 :: Dedication of Town Site

According to the deed dated July 15th, 1874 . . . which was subsequently filed at the county courthouse on September 2nd, 1874 . . . the survey showed the town containing thirty-five blocks of lots. Streets and alleys contiguous to those lots were dedicated to the public. Specific strips of land on both sides of the track were marked off as a reservation belonging solely to the railroad company. Numerous buildings were constructed on the reservation, such as cattle pens, warehouses, and a roundhouse.


The above written by Sharon Hodges for
A History of Rockdale, Texas 1874-1974

---

THIS IS ROCKDALE ONE CENTURY LATER
When the officials of the International and Great Northern Railroad Company, on July 15th, 1874, executed their deed for the streets and lots for the town that they officially named 'Rockdale,' they set in motion activities that helped develop an area that has gained renown, not only for its agricultural and industrial accomplishments, but for men and women whose influence for good has continued through the last one hundred years.

To this area came early enterprising business people and settlers who established a culture greatly influenced by ethnic groups, composed of Anglo-American, Negro, Mexican, German, Jewish, Swedish, and Czech. All, through concerted action, brought about the growth of present day Rockdale (1974) with a population of 4,655.

...it is wished that in some way we could have told of the unusual qualities of vision, faith and determination of the people who throughout the past century have molded Rockdale and surrounding communities.

...we cordially salute all those who will take their places in 2074, one hundred years hence.



The above written by Mrs. Ida Jo Marshall for
A History of Rockdale, Texas 1874-1974

1910 :: Night Passengers

Rockdale Reporter and Messenger
June 23, 1910


I will deem it a special favor if those intending to leave Rockdale on the night trains would purchase their tickets and check their baggage the day before. This will be of great convenience to the public and the ticket agent.

C.A. Brown,
Agent I.&G.N. Railroad.

1896 :: Death of F.W. Queensberry

Rockdale, Tex., Nov. 14. -- The gravel train on the International and Great Northern was wrecked three miles north of Rockdale. F.W. Queensberry was killed, Conductor John Brown and five others were injured. The caboose was mashed into kindling wood. The Eagle (Bryan, Texas), November 15, 1896

1895 :: Run over by IGN Passenger Train

Rockdale, Milam Co., Tex., Sept. 2. -- Early yesterday morning the International and Great Northern passenger train ran over a Mexican between this city and the mines. As there are two night trains it is not known which one struck him. He was found dead beside the track yesterday. Reports reached this city late last night to the effect that in a row at the mines a Mexican was killed by a negro. Particulars can not yet be verified. Justice of the Peace W.D. Wells has gone out to the mine to hold an inquest on the Mexican killed by the train and investigate the reported murder. The names of the parties implicated are not known. Galveston Daily News, September 3, 1895

1897 :: Death of Peter J. Moe

Rockdale, Tex., Aug. 19. -- Peter J. Moe, a Norwegian, accidentally fell from a bridge on the International and Great Northern road last night and broke his neck. He was manager of the commissary at the Olsen mines and was popular with all. He was 45 years old and leaves a wife and one child. Dallas Morning News, August 20, 1897 

1874 :: News from Rockdale

Milam County. -- The Messenger says : "The claim of Jesse Stancel, as attorney in fact for Media Thompson, to the William Allen survey, upon which the greater portion of Rockdale is situated, is spurious and illegal. 

We have fully investigated the matter and find that the International Railroad Company has a perfect chain of title to the land in question, and deem it our duty to warn the public against this unjust, unwarranted and shameless resort of these unprincipled land sharks, to deprive them of their legally acquired rights and property. There is not the slightest cause for alarm, and no one, unless sadly demented, would either make or accept an offer of compromise." 

The writer is not half so emphatic about the "Jesse" as was J.B. Simpson when he wrote of him. . . . A snake, nicely coiled in one of the cases of the Messenger office, and which had been out of use for several days, was discovered by one of the compositors, who was looking for a certain style of letter. The reptile immediately died a violent death. Galveston Daily News, July 7, 1874

1877 :: Rockdale Items

Rockdale Items. [From our Special Reporter.] All quiet in town. Brick buildings are going up rapidly, and more are to be begun soon. :: New and commodious cattle pens have been erected by the International Railroad Company at Rockdale. :: A scaffold fell in Rockdale the other day, seriously injuring Stewart and Scarborough, who were working upon a brick building. :: Mr. Antony, the postmaster at Rockdale, is not charged with depredating upon the mails, but with detaining mail matter. The question arose between Antony and Breeding, of the Messenger, about the payment of postage. Weekly Democratic Statesman (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 5, 1877

1874 :: Rockdale at Two Weeks of Age

. . . The new line has only been finished to Rockdale since the second day of February, and the company has not had time to complete the extensive stock yards which it is erecting; yet application has already been made by owners for the transportation of over 50,000 head of cattle. The yards, I understand, will be finished within the next week, when Rockdale must necessarily become a busy place and a great cattle centre. In fact, I see nothing to prevent its becoming one of the most important cities in the State. 

It has already, in its short two weeks' existence, become a lumber market for a region of 100 miles around. The International Road runs, through the heart of the great pineries of Eastern Texas and brings to this place about twenty car-loads of lumber a day. There are already three lumber yards here doing a thriving business. 

The people in this section have had heretofore nothing but oak lumber, which has cost them from $35 to $40 a thousand. Now, since the completion of the railway, they can get the best pine for $25. The result is that the planters are putting up elegant residences and abandoning the old log cabin of two rooms and a passage way between, in which they have spent their lives. 

The professional wagoners, who haul the cotton from the plantations, sometimes fifty miles, instead of returning empty handed, buy a load of lumber and sell it on the way back, thus doubling their income of the ante-railway time. This place must become a considerable lumber market, as well as a centre of supplies for the rich counties that lie northwest of here, there being no other railway point within their reach.

Rockdale is situated in Milam county, thirty-five miles west of the Brazos, and in the heart of the cotton region, known as the Brazos uplands, which average a bale to a bale and a half to the acre. It is in the most thickly settled portion of Central Texas, the famous lands and wealthy population of Bell county lying on the north, and whose market and outlet Rockdale must be. 

From 9 o'clock until noon to-day I counted 160 odd bales of cotton brought by wagons into the town and sold for shipment over the International and Great Northern to Galveston. And the town not two weeks old! 

The cotton planting interest of the region, which must make this a shipping point, will alone be sufficient to maintain a considerable city, leaving out the cattle and lumber handling, which must be its main business. 

I am not writing up a mushroom town. I am telling what I see as I go along; and I think I see another Denison, though I don't own any corner lots. When Texas becomes a great and populous State, as she must within the next few years, I am satisfied that Rockdale will be one of the big lettered names on her map. Enoch. Austin Weekly Statesman, March 19, 1874

1874 :: Rockdale, a flourishing town

The Milam Messenger says: 

"Rockdale, the present terminus of the International Railroad, has already grown to be a live and flourishing town, and in a few weeks will number several thousand inhabitants. We have been informed by contractors and merchants who have purchased lots, that more than fifty large buildings are now under contract. The sound of the hammer is heard from morning until night." Galveston Daily News, February 18, 1874

1897 :: Death of Mrs. Finnie Davis

Austin, Tex., July 26. -- Mrs. Finnie Davis jumped from the south-bound International train about a mile and a half this side of Rockdale this afternoon while it was running about thirty-five miles an hour and was instantly killed. She was being conveyed from Reisel to the insane asylum in this city, and, according to the officer's statement, had been very restless all day. A gentleman had been standing in the rear door of the train and had left it open when he stepped out on the platform. Mrs. Davis, seeing it open, jerked away from her guard and bounded out through the door and off the platform. The train was stopped and went back and picked up the unfortunate woman, who was dead. Justice Johnson held an inquest here this evening. The remains were embalmed and shipped to the husband at Reisel to-night, accompanied by the guard, Mr. Lowry. Dallas Morning News, July 27, 1897