1910 :: Cleveland Stribling Dead.

Houston Post Special.

ROCKDALE, Texas, January 18. -- Information reached here yesterday of the death at Roswell, New Mexico, of Cleveland Stribling, who formerly lived here. His brother, C.K. Stribling, hearing of his serious illness, left for Roswell Saturday night. Deceased left Rockdale for Roswell about four years ago with his family. The Houston Post, January 20, 1910

1939 :: Burial of Reid Laurence

The body of Reid Laurence, superintendent of Utopia public schools, was brought to Rockdale for burial. The Rev. O.C. Acrey of the Cameron Presbyterian Curch was in charge of the service. Burial was made in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery with the Masons in charge. Those surviving are his wife, Mrs. Brownie Stribling Laurence; three daughters, Eugenia, Brownie Ann and Sylvis; his mother, Mrs. Agnes Laurence, and a sister, Miss Eloise Laurence of Thorndale, and a brother, Talbot Laurence of New Mexico. Dallas Morning News, September 2, 1939

1933 :: Death of C.K. Stribling

Rockdale, Texas, Dec. 1. -- Funeral services for C.K. Stribling, who died Wednesday, were held Thursday morning. Mr. Stribling had lived in Rockdale for more than fifty years and married Miss Mary Copeland, daughter of the late W.E. Copeland, pioneer Presbyterian minister. 

He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Mary C. Stribling; one son, Ralph Stribling of Houston; seven daughters, Mrs. Reed Laurence of Castroville, Mrs. W.S. McClintock of Refugio, Mrs. Alfred Dippel of Dallas, Mrs. Esther Quinlan, Misses Catherine, Cornelia and Helen Stribling of Rockdale, and two sisters, Mrs. Kate Gentry of Corpus Christi and Mrs. W.A. Morrison of Cameron. Dallas Morning News, December 2, 1933

1892 :: Death of Rev. Dr. James H. Stribling

Dallas, Aug. 15. -- [To The News.] -- The announcement in yesterday's News of the death of the Rev. Dr. James H. Stribling of Rockdale at Eureka Springs, Ark., on the 12th instant, recalls to my mind the old aphorism, that when "a good man dies the people mourn." 

Having known and loved this man for fifty-two years, none will gainsay my right to mourn -- the more so as I knew and loved his father and mother, his brothers and sisters. 

Born in Alabama, he came with his parents to Washington county, Texas in 1837. He was one of the first students of Baylor university, and in his youth resolved to be a minister of the gospel, in which service he died fifty-two years later. He was not only intensely religious, but intensely patriotic.

When but twenty years old he and his cousin, John Tremier, were the only men from east of the Colorado valley who participated in the battle of the Salado on Sept. 18, 1842. He was in the subsequent pursuit of the Mexican army under Gen. Wool, and was in the charge on its artillery on the Arroya Honda on the 22d of the same month. Late in the same year he was in the famed Somervell expedition against Mexico, and only abandoned it when his command returned home. 

Resuming his studies he persevered until about 1845, when he received ordination as an elder in the Baptist church. He has since been a pastor at Gonzales, Tyler, Rockdale and other places, and everywhere by the people and all the different churches has been held as a pure and spotless man.

His father, Benjamin H. Stribling, was one of the first judges of Lavaca county. His mother was truly a "mother of Israel." His brother, Thomas H. Stribling, died a distinguished lawyer in San Antonio. A younger brother, Cornelius K. Stribling, has been county judge and representative from Shackelford county. All of the brothers and sisters have been worthy of him. 

The good he has done in these fifty years will be his passport to the life to come.

As a printer boy in Missouri in October, 1844, the first paragraph I put in type read: "The United States sloop of war Peacock, Commander Cornelius K. Stribling, has arrived at Norfolk, Va., after a three years' voyage around the world." That commander was a brother of Mr. Stribling's father. When the war between the states began in 1861 he was Commodore Stribling of the United States navy in command of the navy yard at Pensacola.

Blessed be the memory of James H. Stribling. 

John Henry Brown. 
Dallas Morning News, 
August 16, 1892 

1922 :: Plans for a School Reunion

Rockdale, Tex., June 11. -- When the new $75,000 high school building now under course of construction is completed and turned over to the trustees Aug. 1, and before the old building, which, it is proposed to turn over to the negro schools, is demolished, it is planned to have a general reunion of all the ex-students, teachers and trustees of the Rockdale public schools since organization, 1884, holding a two days celebration upon the campus.

At a recent meeting of the Parent-Teachers' Association the plan was presented by Ira Perry, formerly a student of this school, but now a resident of San Antonio. C.R. Stribling, president of the Citizens' State Bank, was named as general chairman of arrangements.

Among other attractions of the reunion will be speeches and talks from the ex-students, many of whom have attained distinction in public life since leaving the walls of their alma mater, some of whom are: J.L. Lockett, attorney of Fort Worth; H.W. Wallace, attorney of Cuero; F.A. Wallace, attorney of Cameron; Dr. S.S. Woody, physician of Philadelphia; E.H. Perry of Austin, prominent cotton factor; J. Earls Longmoor, vice president of Drovers National Bank, Kansas City; Leon Rasberry, attorney of Washington County; Charles L. Baxter, wholesale lumber dealer of Chicago; Dr. Thomas D. Baxter, physician of Chilton; Miss Gleanie Wilson, now Mrs. W.T. Corby, teacher of Calvert; Miss Fannie Stribling, wife of W.A. Morrison, lawyer of Cameron; Miss Lena Wright, wife of A.C. Walker, physician of Fort Worth; Miss Gussie Rowlett, well-known instructor of Arkansas, and others. The Galveston Daily News, Monday, June 12, 1922

1906 :: Death of H.L. Witcher

Rockdale, Tex., May 19. -- H.L. Witcher died at his home in this city on yesterday afternoon in his 67th year. He was a member of the G.A.R. He served in the Eighth Illinois Cavalry. Mr. Witcher moved to Rockdale in 1873 and was elected City Marshall in 1874 and served two terms in that capacity. In 1884 Mr. Witcher was married to Miss Ruth Stribling, a daughter of Dr. J.H. Stribling, an eminent Baptist preacher. He was also a member of the Masonic Lodge. His funeral services will be conducted by that fraternity this afternoon at 5 o'clock. Mr. Witcher served two terms as postmaster of Rockdale. First under Benjamin Harrison's administration and afterwards under McKinley's administration. He leaves a widow. Dallas Morning News, May 24, 1906

1899 :: News from Rockdale

Rockdale Messenger, May 4, 1899. B. Loewenstein, A. Wolf and Gus Backhaus went to Austin to attend the meeting of the grand lodge of the Sons of Hermann. . . . J.B. Hamilton, Joe Loewenstein, Jr. and C.K. Stribling left Tuesday for Paris, Texas, where they will attend the State Fireman’s convention as representatives of the Rockdale fire dept.

1925 :: Reporter looks back at 1888

The Rockdale Reporter. 1925. Old Paper Gives Account of Epochal Event in History of Rockdale. 37 Years Ago Mundine Hotel Burned in Rockdale. Through the kindness of Y.A. Gjedde the Reporter editor has been privileged to peruse a copy of the old Rockdale Messenger, published by Enoch Breeding, of date June 7, 1888, in which is printed an account of the burning of the Mundine Hotel in Rockdale. The fire occurred at 4:00 a.m. on Monday, June 4, 1888, and eleven people lost their lives in the flames, as follows:

• Isaac Crown, Rockdale business man
• Pemberton Pierce, a traveling man
• J.F. Brisco, wife and two children. Brisco was a barber and with his family was to have moved to Taylor the next day.
• Mrs. W.A. Brooks and four children. Mrs. Brooks is described in the story as being "a lady who had been a kind mother to all of us for lo, these many years, until we had all learned to love her."

Of the thirteen people sleeping in the hotel that night only two escaped, one being D.M. Oldham, a traveling man, who got out through an upstairs window, and Dr. Brooks, who was rescued by D. Sanford. The account of the fire is written in a somewhat flamboyant style, and the writer was evidently much agitated, the story being rather incoherent. It is not made plain just who Dr. Brooks was. His rescue and the account of the death of Mrs. Brooks and children are treated in separate paragraphs and no connection established between them. 

The style of the writer is entirely different from present-day newspaper style. The story gives little details of property loss, merely stating that the post office and store of T.B. Kemp were destroyed, and that an adjoining building owned by J.R. Rowland was damaged by the falling walls of the hotel. V.B. Orr, a jeweler, is mentioned as having sustained a heavy loss. The story closes with the following paragraph:

"If we have not told all this terrible story, let the conditions and circumstances under which we write suffice. There was only one of those who perished, but was an intimate and a friend of ours. The pen fails to transcribe the words we would write."

Other items contained in this copy of the Messenger, printed 37 years ago, included:

• an account of the marriage of Mr. C.A. Duffy to Miss Dedie Wilson. Mr. Duffy was described as the representative of the Missouri Glass Works, and Miss Wilson as one of Rockdale's most esteemed young ladies
• the death of a child of N.P. Crump
• the birth of boy babies in the homes of Luther Davis and T.J. Woody
• the removal of the post office to the Messenger building, "around the corner"
• the return from Wooten Wells of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Isaacs [findagrave]
• the visit of R.H. Hicks and G.B. Randle to Galveston
• the receipt by the editor of a 29-inch turnip and six Irish potatoes weighing near four pounds

A perusal of the advertisements showed that:

• bottle beer was for sale at the Rockdale Saloon at 5¢ a glass
• Hawkes' spectacles could be purchased at Douthit's drug store
• board and lodging could be had at J.H. Simmons, six miles south of town, at the rate of $10 per month or $3 per week by those who desired to stop there and drink the mineral water from the well on that place
• Wallace & Company handled lumber
• John G. Brown sold all kinds of good whiskey
• Isaacs & Lockett were dealers in general merchandise
• J.P. Heywood sold millinery and fancy goods
• T.B. Kemp dealt in dry goods and groceries
• Geo. W. Williams sold farm implements
• Wolf & Winterberg were house and sign painters

Another display ad on the front page announced the democratic ticket of Cleveland and Thurman, giving woodcut engravings of each. Among the professional cards were those of:

• Dr. E.W. Allen, dentist
• Dr. J.H. Wilson, physician
• Thos. A. Pope, physician
• Henderson, Henderson & Mcalla, attorneys
• A.G. Wilcox, attorney
• A.C. Walker, G.A. Trott, B.F. Lee, P.A. Horton and J.B. Stone, physicians

Advertising rates were quoted at one dollar per single column inch. (Present-day advertisers take notice.) T.B. Kemp's produce quotations were as follows:

• Butter 12½¢ per pound
• eggs 7¢ per dozen
• chickens, each 10¢ to 16¢
• turkeys, per dozen, $3 to $7
• hides, 3¢ to 5¢ per pound
• corn 60¢ per bushel
• sweet potatoes 40¢ per bushel
• pecans 5¢ pound
  
• J.H. Hill was mayor
• J.R. Arthur, city marshal
• Solon Joynes, R.H. Ames, J.G. Brown and Joe Lowenstein were aldermen
• H.C. Travers was postmaster
  
• Rev. J.H. Stribling pastor of Baptist church
• Rev. N.F. Law, pastor Methodist church
• Rev. T.C. Brittle, pastor Episcopal church
• Rev. W.E. Copeland, pastor Cumberland Presbyterian church

No less than nine separate and distinct lodge directories were given. The paper consisted of four pages of six columns each, and much of the inside space was devoted to politics, including a two-column interview with Harry Tracy on the subject of the Farmers Alliance.


The brittle and yellowed original of the above 1925 newspaper clipping belongs to Iola Avrett nee Christian of Rockdale.

1924 :: Rev. W.E. Copeland Dies in Rockdale

Dallas Morning News. May 25, 1924. Page Four. Rev. W.E. Copeland Dies in Rockdale. 

Special to The News. Rockdale, Texas, May 24. -- The Rev. W.E. Copeland, 85 years old, died at 8 o'clock Friday night at the home of his daughter, Mrs. C.K. Stribling of this city. Dr. Copeland was a veteran of the war between the States, losing a leg in the battle of Gaines Mill, Virginia. He served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church here for more than forty years. He was a member of Hood's Texas Brigade and life chaplain of the organization. He was a native of Scotland and was educated at Edinburgh University, coming to America when a very young man. Dr. Copeland is survived by three sons, Robert, John and James Copeland, and one daughter, Mrs. Stribling. Funeral services will be held at the Presbyterian Church and burial will take place Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock.

1925 :: Death of James H. Copeland

Dallas Morning News. March 22, 1925. COPELAND. -- Rockdale, Texas. March 21. -- James H. Copeland, 55 years old, died here suddenly Friday at noon and will be buried Sunday. Mr. Copeland was son of the Rev. W.E. Copeland, minister of the Presbyterian Church and Confederate veteran who died some months ago. Mr. Copeland was engaged in the building of the Christian Church here when stricken. He leaves a wife, who was Miss Izolie Turner, and a sister, Mrs. C.K. Stribling. Burial will be from the Baptist Church, with the Rev. Jesse Garrett, pastor, conducting the services.