1934 :: Victim of Kidnap and Murder, Waco, Former Rockdalian

James Malcolm Stewart, 25, of Katy, Texas, was kidnapped and brutally murdered near Waco last Saturday, his body being found in his car on a country road.

Young Stewart was the only son of Dr. and Mrs. J.M. Stewart, citizens of Rockdale in the early days. His father died on September 7, as recounted in these columns at the time. Young Stewart had been identified with the motion picture industry in California, but came back to Texas on the death of his father. He had driven his mother to Waco and placed her on a bus for a trip to visit relatives at Comanche. The next seen of him he was found dead as above stated.

Joe Averett, 23, and Roy Curry, 26, of Hubbard, were arrested Tuesday in connection with the murder and a series of car thefts and kidnappings which followed the death of Stewart. The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 62, No. 41, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 22, 1934 Page: 8 of 8

1920 :: Death of R.L. Hale

Death claimed one of Milam county's leading citizens Monday evening of this week when Mr. R.L. Hale of Rockdale died at his home in that city. Mr. Hale was manager of the Scarbrough & Hicks General Merchandise store, one of the largest mercantile institutions in Milam county. He was a man of fine business ability and had friends through this section of the state by the thousands. His death, which occurred at 6:30 was unexpected, as he had spent the entire day at his place of business, only leaving at 6 o'clock. After leaving the store he visited his aged mother for a few moments and then went home. A short while after reaching his residence he was seized with acute indigestion and died immediately.

R.L. Hale started life on his own hook and is a self made man. Thirty-seven years ago he took a place with Scarbrough & Hicks store and grew from delivery boy to manager of the store.

The funeral of Mr. Hale was held Wednesday afternoon at the First Baptist Church at Rockdale, of which he has been a life long member. The services were conducted by his pastor, Rev. Stewart, assisted by Rev. B.B. Blaylock of Cameron, formerly his pastor, and Rev. Hamlett of Austin. Interment was made in the I.O.O.F. cemetery.

Those attending from Cameron were: Jeff T. Kemp, W.G. Gillis, Will T. Yates, Newton McDonald, Jack Lewis, Dick Clark, Clyde Franklin, Miss Minnie Wolf, Mrs. M.C. Sapp, Mr. and Mrs. T.S. Henderson, Mrs. Wm. Henderson and Miss Mary Lake Henderson. Cameron Herald, July 15, 1920

1894 :: Friendship Album

Rockdale Texas.
Nov 12th 1894.-
Berta.-
Ever remember Your Afectionate-
Brother.-
S.H. Sharp    _,.-:*:-.,_,.-:*:*:-.,_,.-:*:-.,_,.-:*:*:-.,_,.-:*:-.,_
    Rockdale Texas
Nov 12th/94
Dear Berta.
This above all. To thy self
be true, and it must follow
as the night the day
Though canst not then be false
to any man.
Your cousin.
L.O. Stewart.
  _,.-:*:-.,_,.-:*:*:-.,_,.-:*:-.,_,.-:*:*:-.,_,.-:*:-.,_  

• Berta is Berta Mary Sharp (1872-1955) who married Edgar Henry.
• S.H. Sharp is Sam Houston Sharp, Jr. (1867-1921), who married Edgar's twin sister, Emma.
• Berta and Sam are two of the six children of Sam & Nellie (LeMaire) Sharp who are spoken of throughout The Journal.
• L.O. Stewart is the son of Margaret (Sharp) Hall (aka the little woman in The Journal) and her second husband, Frank Stewart.
• Sam, Sr. and Margaret are the only children of John and Mahala (Roberts) Sharp.
• Following John Sharp's death, Mahala married J.J. Hall, who is the father of James Madison Hall.
• J.M. Hall, the step-brother of Sam and Margaret, is also Margaret's first husband.

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

1894 :: Hamilton-Henry Wedding

Bethlehem Community
To the Messenger:
December 24 [1894].


Once more I come, heralding the news from old Bethlehem. Since my departure it seems that marriage bells have been substituted for [Christ]mas bells. I have attended weddings for the past two weeks and still have several invitations left.


Last Thursday night [i.e., 20th December 1894] both young and old began to congregate at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Henry Sr., [my 2nd great-grandparents] for the purpose of witnessing the marriage ceremony between J. D. Hamilton and their daughter, Ella, conducted by Hon. W. D. Wells of Rockdale, with J. B. Henry and Miss Cornelia Bowling, Hubert Phillips and Miss Elma Rettig as attendants.

After which the entire crowd was ushered into the dining room, where they partook of a most wonderful, excellent and appetizing repast.


Well Mr. Editor, as I have an invitation to attend a wedding at Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Phillips, I will close by giving a list of presents. Enclosed please find some of the wedding cake.


The presents were as follows:

• Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Phillips, table cloth
• Miss Della Phillips, glass set
• Miss Isa Phillips, set of casters
• Mr. Hubert Phillips, syrup pitcher
• Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Rettig, cake stand
• Miss Elma Rettig, fruit dish
• Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Bowling, fruit stand
• Miss Nona Bowling, fruit dish
• Miss Cornelia Rettig, head rest
• Mrs. Lizzie Baumgartner of Iowa, photograph case
• Mrs. M. F. Antony, set goblets [i.e., Margaret Frances Antony nee Davis (1833-1912), sister of Mother of the bride]
• Messrs. Wallace Moody and Jno. Gore, pair towels and syrup pitcher
• Mrs. S. H. Sharp, dusting brush [i.e., Emma Sharp nee Henry (1872-1944), sister of the bride, & twin sister of my great-grandpa]
• Mr. J. B. Henry, set cups and saucers and spoons [i.e., Jerome Bonapart Henry (1870-1956), brother of the bride]
• Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Henry Jr., price of present [i.e., William Paschal Henry, Jr. (1868-1941), brother of the bride, & his wife, Annie Mae Henry nee Calvert (1874-1950)]
• Mr. L. O. Stewart, cake plate [i.e., Louis O. Stewart (b. June 1873), a 1st cousin of Berta Mary Sharp (1873-1955) who is the future wife of a brother of the bride, & my great-grandma]
• Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Henry Sr., plates, knives and forks, salt and pepper stand, glass set, pair linen towels, table cloth, set glasses and lamp [parents of the bride, and 2nd great-grandparents of the Keeper of this geneablog]

Sol.


Sweethearts Join Hands in 1894 Christmas Wedding . . . A copy of the above newspaper article turned up in my files -- source unknown. I assume it probably came from my 1st cousin once removed, Georgia Faye (Henry) Kaseberg (1925-2001), as she was always so good about giving me copies of whatever finds she made.

• Bride :: Ella May Hamilton nee Henry :: born 26 October 1875 in Grayson County, Texas :: died 14 December 1967 in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas :: a daughter of my 2nd great-grandparents, William Paschal Henry (1836-1912) and Josephine Wingfield Henry nee Davis (1842-1899)
• Groom :: James David Hamilton :: born 19 September 1872 in Kentucky :: died 03 May 1922 in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas after coming in contact with a high-powered electric wire following a storm :: son of Joseph David Hamilton (1832-1905) and Mary Katherine Hamilton nee Hughes (1842-1906)
  

• 1868 :: Phillip Brooks wrote Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
• Bethlehem, Texas according to TSHA
• Bethlehem Community from Rockdale Centennial: A History of Rockdale, Texas 1874-1974