1914 :: Rockdale Reporter is 40 years old

Brady Standard. The Rockdale Reporter last week rounded out the fortieth year of its usefulness. The Reporter -- like some other things we have heard of -- heard of, mind you -- improves with age, and the Standard congratulates Editor John E. Cooke on the vigorous health of the two score year oldster. Rockdale Reporter and Messenger, March 26, 1914

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Cameron Herald. The Rockdale Reporter was forty years old on the 12th, and has always been a good paper and is still a good paper, and its last issue was one of its best. Rockdale Reporter and Messenger, March 26, 1914

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Gause Guide. The issue of March 12 marked the passing of the 40th mile-stone for The Rockdale Reporter. We, for one, assure Brother Cooke that the sheet has been a big auxiliary in the growth and up-building of Rockdale, and a credit and an asset to Milam county in general. The Reporter will undoubtedly make Rockdale of such prominence that the foreign folk will not have to look on the map to tell a possible ignorant one where the town is. Rockdale Reporter and Messenger, March 26, 1914

1957 :: Connecticut Joins Hunt for Writer

New York Times. January 3, 1957. Connecticut Joins Hunt for Writer. State Police Expand Search at the Request of Wife of George Sessions Perry. By Richard H. Parke. Special to The New York Times. 

Guilford, Conn., Jan. 3 -- The State Policy today entered the three-week-old search for George Sessions Perry. The 46-year-old magazine writer disappeared from his home here on Dec. 13.

Police Chief Joseph Quinlan of Guilford sought the aid of state troopers at the request of Mr. Perry's wife, Claire. The chief and 260 policemen and volunteer fireman from this town and neighboring communities so far have combed a ten-square-mile area without success. The State Police will "assist" the department here, an official said.

Mr. Perry, a sufferer from arthritis, disappeared some time between 12:30 and 3 P.M. on Dec. 13 while his wife and Mrs. Milton MacKaye, wife of another writer, were visiting a dentist. The Perrys live in a large colonial farmhouse in a wooded section three miles from here.


Wearing Tweed Jacket

Mr. Perry was in bed when the two women left, according to his wife. She believes he was wearing a tweed jacket, blue corduroy trousers and loafers when he disappeared. His name was stitched inside the jacket.

Mrs. Perry thinks her husband may have gone to look for his springer spaniel, Mr. Mutt, which had been missing for two days. The dog returned later.

The writer, who is almost six and a half feet tall, had undergone intensive treatment for his arthritic condition and walks with difficulty. Generally, he was in good spirits and had only occasional periods of despondency, friends reported. Mrs. Perry helped her husband originate a series on the cities of America for The Saturday Evening Post.

Today, Mrs. Perry praised the search efforts led by Chief Quinlan. She explained, however, that she had asked for the help of the State Police so that the hunt could be widened, particularly across town lines.

A focal point of the search to date has been a pond that lies a few hundred yards from the Perry home. Mr. Perry made the pond from swampland some years ago.

The pond has been partly dragged several times and the police have traveled over it in a glass bottom boat. They have been hampered, however, by a thick undergrowth and deep mud. They also have searched three adjacent ponds.

In addition, the police have used a helicopter and bloodhounds. They have checked with the writer's friends here and in New York and have made inquiries in Rockdale, Tex., where the Perrys also have a home. A thirteen-state alarm has been out.

1895 :: Rockdale Daily Banner

Dallas Morning News. Rockdale, Milam Co., Tex., June 19. -- The first issue of the Rockdale Daily Banner made its appearance yesterday. It is a five column folio evening paper, devoted mainly to local news. It met with a warm reception by the business men. Daily Morning News, June 21, 1895

1892 :: Electric Lights in Rockdale

Rockdale, Tex., Sept. 10. -- The streets of Rockdale will now be lighted by electricity. At the regular September monthly meeting of the city council a contract was made with the Rockdale electric light company for street lights. . . . The Rockdale Exchange, a people's party paper, edited by J.W. Wenbrener, made its first appearance to-day. The paper speaks well of Rockdale and promises to work for the good of Rockdale and surrounding country. . . . Rockdale cotton receipts average 175 bales a day. Shipper buyers are paying 6 5/8c for average receipts. Dallas Morning News, September 12, 1892

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

1914 :: Reporter is 40 Years Old

The Rockdale Reporter was forty years old on the 12th, and has always been a good paper and is still a good paper, and its last issue was one of its best. Cameron Herald (Cameron, Texas), March 19, 1914

1874 :: Name derived from Rock Prairie

. . . After a pleasant run of three hours over one of the best railroads in the South, at 12 m. we arrive at our destination, the terminus, Rockdale. At first sight of the town the stranger is disappointed; but after a careful survey he is agreeably surprised to find such a live town in the woods. Sixty days ago this place was a post oak forest, and to-day it is a living town of seventy houses, two hotels, one livery stable, depothouse, six restaurants (so-called), one banking-house in contemplation, and stores of all descriptions. Like all terminal towns, the population is a floating one, and as high as two thousand people have been seen on the streets in one day. From good authority, the population of the town is about 1000 to 1500.


It is astonishing with what rapidity this town has sprung up. The first train reached this pace on the third of February last, and now there are four trains daily. The houses are built and [paper damaged] . . . good deal of cotton coming into town, and selling at low figures for want of competition. The lumber trade is an important feature here. There is a great demand for it, and I heard that lumber men have shipped to this point at the rate of . . . a day. There are already two or three brick houses here, . . . . The town derives its name, Rockdale, from Rock Prairie. It is desirably located on a hill. Town lots are the property of the railroad company, and are selling for from $50 to $300 each, and very rapidly, as many strangers are moving in. No postoffice is established as yet, but a petition for one has been sent on.


There is some talk of having a stage line from this point to Austin, a distance of fifty miles. Two newspapers are also spoken of, and there is a large schoolhouse to be completed soon. I find merchants establishing themselves here from Galveston, Bryan, Calvert, Hearne and Cameron. Our friend Dr. Conger, from Bryan, has opened a find stock of drugs here, and I predict will do well. I was pleased to find a desire to obtain the News here, and the citizens are a liberal-minded and reading community. Success attend their efforts at the flourishing town of Rockdale. Galveston Daily News, February 26, 1874

1913 :: New Postmaster Takes Charge at Rockdale

Rockdale, Tex., June 19. -- John A. Shapard received his commission as postmaster here Tuesday and is now in charge. Mr. Shapard has been a citizen of this town for thirty years and for the greater part of that time he has occupied positions with the local newspapers. He is a lifelong Democrat. T.D. Wootton is the new assistant postmaster, while Herman Talley and Miss Esther Stevens retain their clerkships. Dallas Morning News, June 20, 1913

1913 :: John Shapard for Postmaster

Special to The News. Rockdale, Tex., March 8. -- John A. Shapard of this city has received official notice from Congressman Rufus Hardy that he (Hardy) had recommended Mr. Shapard for the position of postmaster at Rockdale under Wilson's Administration. Mr. Shapard is a printer, having been employed in various capacities by the newspapers of this city, past and present, for the past thirty years. At present he is foreman of the mechanical department of the Rockdale Reporter. He is a stanch Democrat, a good newspaper man and a highly respected and invaluable citizen. Dallas Morning News, March 9, 1913

1900 News Clippings

Rockdale Messenger, Thursday, December 6, 1900.

Cameron - J. B. McKinney was awarded the contract of keeping in running order the courthouse clock.

Marriage - Cameron - Frank Peoples and Miss Ethel Carter were married last Wednesday at the home of Tom Peoples in Cameron.

Marriage Licenses: Ben Burkely to Minnie Davis; James Riskup to Katerine Salac; B. F. Peoples to Ethel Carter; J. E. Griffin to Ora B. Little; W. T. Graves to Annie A. Powers; Solon Walker to Ella Keith; A. R. Rhodes to Sallie Harris; Spencer Brown to Lula Griffin; R. L. Coker to Lonie Gutherie; M. A. Taylor to Irene Westbrook; T. C. Westbrook to Annie Taylor; Pete Nichols to Ella Smith; A. T. Griffin to Marilla Donaldson

Suicide - Mrs. Edward Gandy of Lone Oak, a Dallas suburb, committed suicide by taking chloral. She and her husband had lived unhappily, and a short time ago, separated. Mrs. Gandy going to live with her mother. She grieved over her domestic troubles and left a written statement.

Assault - A desperate attempt, which may prove fatal, was made in Granger to murder Henderson Key. [very lengthy article]

Death - In a difficulty near Hempstead, Hez Harvey, Sr., about age 70, was shot and killed by John Renecke, who was badly wounded.

Death - Elmer Mayes, age 17, was found lying dead near a pond a few miles from Paris with a charge of shot in his breast. He was supposed to have met death while crawling after ducks and dragging his gun.

Death - D. W. Silvey, and old citizen of Milam county, fell while carrying a bucket of swill to his hogs and struck the bucket with his side, rupturing a gall cyst, from which he died within 24-hours.

Suicide - G. E. Ollard, a stranger, was found dead in his bed at a rooming house in Houston. An empty chloroform bottle was found on a table and it is supposed he swallowed the contents with suicidal intent.

Death - Bushdale - Twin infants of Henry Beckhaus were buried here last Wednesday.

Death - In this issue will be found a large ad on the 9th page of the Monarch saloon, which since the death of John Brown has been ably managed by T. E. Neeley.

MILAM COUNTY TEXAS - Newspapers: Gleanings from the Rockdale Messenger 1900. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Lynna Kay Shuffield.

1918 :: Death of John A. Shapard, Postmaster

Special to The News. Shapard. -- Rockdale, Texas, Jan. 24. -- The funeral of John A. Shapard, Rockdale's postmaster for the last four and a half years, was held Tuesday at the Presbyterian Church by the Rev. W.E. Copeland. Mr. Shapard was 67 years of age and died last Friday, the body being held for the arrival of a son in the United States Navy. Another son is with Pershing in France. He was a printer by trade, and worked on the local newspaper almost continuously for thirty-two years. Dallas Morning News, January 25, 1918 

See also . . . Postmaster's Sudden Death Last Week Came as Shock . . . The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. [45], No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 24, 1918 Page: 1 of 8 . . .  

1956 :: Helicopter Joins Hunt for Writer

New York Times. December 16, 1956. Helicopter Joins Hunt for Writer. But Searchers Fail to Find George Sessions Perry in Woods Near Home. By Richard H. Parke. Special to The New York Times. 

Guilford, Conn., Dec. 15 -- A wide search of the countryside failed again today to find any trace of George Sessions Perry. The 46-year-old magazine writer disappeared from his home here Thursday. The police and volunteer firemen from Guilford and neighboring communities tramped through miles of field and woodland surrounding Mr. Perry's home on Clapboard Hill Road, about three miles from here. This afternoon a helicopter took part in the hunt. Mr. Perry has suffered for some years with arthritis. He disappeared some time between 12:30 and 3 P.M. on Thursday while his wife, Claire, and Mrs. Milton MacKaye, wife of another writer, were on a visit to a dentist. He was in bed when the two women left. Mrs. Perry told Police Chief Joseph Quinlan that she and Mrs, MacKaye found him gone when they returned. They assumed he had gone to look for his Springer spaniel, Mr. Mutt. The dog, which had been missing for two days, was found last night at the home of a neighbor.


Not Heavily Dressed. Mr. Perry was wearing a tweed jacket, corduroy trousers and loafers when he left home, according to his wife. The Perry home is a large rambling colonial farmhouse that the couple purchased in 1944. They also maintain a home in Rockdale, Tex. They are in the habit of spending their summers in Guilford, and this year, Mrs. Perry said to day, they were considering remaining here for the winter. Mr. Perry, who is almost six-and-one-half-feet tall, has undergone intensive treatment for his arthritic condition and spent some months recently at the Grace-New Haven Community Hospital. Friends said he had shown marked improvement since his hospital stay, although he continued to walk with difficulty. He was said to have been generally in good spirits with only occasional periods of despondency. Mr. Perry has been a contributor to The Saturday Evening Post for many years. He and his wife originated the Cities of America series for the magazine.

1956 :: Hard Rain Limits Hunt for George Sessions Perry

New York Times. December 15, 1956. Magazine Writer Sought in Woods. Hard Rain Limits Hunt for George Sessions Perry in Guilford, Conn. 

Guilford, Conn., Dec. 14 (AP) -- The police and firemen searched rain-sodden woods in vain today for George Sessions Perry, nationally known magazine writer. He disappeared from his home here Thursday afternoon. Mr. Perry and friends said they feared that the 46-year-old writer, who suffers from arthritis, had become lost in the woods while searching for his springer spaniel, Mr. Mutt, lost since Tuesday night. Police Chief Joseph Quinlan said he wanted the searchers to check a pond, partly on Mr. Perry's property, into which the writer may have fallen. The pond was dragged yesterday. However, Chief Quinlan said, "it's so full of stumps and trees that you can't do a very thorough job. We want to drain it, and we opened the dam a little more today; but it's raining so hard that the water runs in as fast as it runs out." Mr. Perry disappeared while his wife and Mrs. Milton MacKaye, wife of a fellow-writer, were on a two-hour trip to visit a dentist. "He was in bed when we left," Mrs. MacKaye said, "and when we found him gone when we got back, we supposed he had gone to look for the dog. We looked by ourselves for about an hour, and then we called the police because it was beginning to get dark. He had no identification on him, and we thought for a while me might have been picked up by somebody who took him to a hospital and didn't know who he was." Mr. Perry was wearing only a tweed jacket, corduroy trousers and loafers when he left home, Mrs. MacKaye said. He carried no wallet. Mr. Perry, who is almost six and a half feet tall, is a frequent contributor to the Saturday Evening Post. He and Mrs. Perry originated the "Cities of America" series for that magazine. They wrote the first several articles in the series.

1956 :: George Sessions Perry Disappears

Southwestern Historical Quarterly. Vol. CVI, No. 1. July 2002. A Brief Peace: The Postwar Years of George Sessions Perry by Garna L. Christian. Whatever childhood or wartime demons hovered over George Sessions Perry as he disembarked from the European front of World War II, the fates appeared to favor his every turn. . . . A scant decade later, this fortuitous future lay submerged with Perry in an ice-bound Connecticut river, claiming the life of one of the most widely read writers in America. . . . Perry disappeared from his Guilford farmhouse between noon and three-thirty on the afternoon of December 13, 1956, when Claire left for a dental appointment. Since he apparently wore only a light coat and a pair of pants against the winter chill, his wife surmised that he had gone out to look for his missing spaniel, "Mister Mutt." After the dog returned alone, a fruitless search by police, firemen, and even a helicopter crew cast gloom on the prospects of recovery. An outpouring of messages of advice and hope included an offer from Post publishers to involve the governor in the search. The local police chief, a friend of the Perrys, recalled George recently "look[ing] remote" and having said, "The best thing I can do in this depressed state is either to jump into the river and swim to the North Pole or run into the woods until I drop." Two months to the day of his disappearance, a bridge inspector found Perry's nude body wedged against an abutment in the East River, several miles from his home. A coroner judged his death "consistent with suicide."

1931 :: Thanksgiving Reunion

In his 18th October 1931 radio address, President Herbert Hoover said that, "I appeal to the American people to make November 26 next the outstanding Thanksgiving Day in the history of the United States; that we may say on that day that America has again demonstrated her ideals; ... that upon this Thanksgiving Day we have removed the fear of the forthcoming winter from the hearts of all who are suffering and in distress -- that we are our brother's keeper." . . . Some members of my maternal grandpa's family apparently took this message to heart, for the group photo in the above collage is from a November 1931 family reunion held in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas. These family members (from left to right) are --

• Emma Sharp nee Henry (1872-1944) [widowed twin sister of Edgar Henry]
• Ella Hamilton nee Henry (1875-1967) [widowed younger sister of Edgar Henry]
• W.P. Henry, Jr. (1868-1941) [oldest brother of Edgar Henry]
• Annie Henry nee Calvert (1874-1950) [wife of W.P. Henry, Jr.]
• Jerome Bonapart Henry (1870-1956) [older brother of Edgar Henry]
• Sudie Henry nee Criswell (1881-1961) [wife of J.B. Henry]
• Edgar Henry (1872-1950)
• Berta Mary Henry nee Sharp (1873-1955)
  

The last named -- Edgar and Berta (Sharp) Henry -- are maternal great-grandparents to the Keeper of this history blog. By 1931, they had been farming in west Texas for more than a decade, so it was probably quite a big deal for them to travel back to Rockdale (their former as well as future home) during the desolate years of the depression. My connection to them is through their son, Robert E. Henry (1905-1976). In November of 1931, Robert was living in Massachusetts with his very pregnant 1st wife, Elizabeth, and their son, Robert, Jr., so they are not listed as being amongst the attendees. A little over two months later, Elizabeth would die following the birth of their daughter (my Mom).

I am extremely thankful that somebody in the family took the time to sit down and write out the details of this gathering, and to submit the article to the local paper (The Rockdale Reporter) -- and I am grateful for whoever sat down and clipped this news story from the newspaper and carefully preserved it over the years until it finally passed into the caring hands of a cousin, who shared it with me. The following transcription of the yellowed and crumbling newspaper clipping of that article was e-mailed to me in 1999 by Peggy Skeeters nee Fergeson (a 3rd cousin). The bold text is the original wording, and the remaining text is notes that I have added for the purpose of clarification, etc.

On Sunday, [sic] November 26 [sic], 1931, a happy event took place at the home of Mrs. Ella Hamilton in this city [Rockdale]. It was a get-together of the Henry family for the first time in twenty years. W. P. Henry and Mrs. Ella Hamilton being the only ones left in the old home town.

The 26th day of November in 1931 was Thanksgiving Day, and was on a Thursday. The photos from that gathering are actually dated Sunday, 22nd November 1931. Mayhaps the members of this family -- who had scattered over the years -- had an extended (and long-overdue) multi-day "reunion" at the Hamilton home that was located at 604 West Cameron in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas.

Dr. and Mrs. T. E. Riddle were guests at this occasion, they being old friends and Dr. Riddle the family physician.

Thomas E. Riddle came to Texas from Tennessee as a young man and was engaged in farming and ranching while studying medicine. It was by long hard work that he prepared to take and successfully passed the medical examinations. Thus he proudly "hung out his shingle" and framed his certificate for his office. He was one of those rare individuals whose treatment included medicinal aids and prayer. Many of his medicines he prepared from plants, herbs and roots. These he carried with him in his saddle bag as he became a familiar figure moving mile after mile among the early day residents. Many long vigils were kept by this good man as he faithfully fulfilled the Hippocratic oath he had taken years before. Dr. Riddle served in the Confederate Army with McCord's Texas Cavalry, Company F, was a lifelong member of the Baptist Church, and was a Mason. It is probable that Dr. Riddle served Rockdale and its surrounding territory longer than any other doctor in the history of the town. His death occurred in 1934 and he is buried among many lifelong friends of yesteryears in the family cemetery. . . . from A History of Rockdale, Texas 1874-1974 edited by Mrs. Ida Jo Marshall (1903-1982).

Everyone came early, talked and enjoyed themselves. The dining room was decorated with lovely ferns and chrysanthemums. The table spread in picnic style, then came the time to eat, and everyone seemed ready. Dr. Riddle returned thanks. In the afternoon some pictures were taken. Then came the parting time but all declared that they had enjoyed themselves. All the relatives were present except nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. 

See separate list > HERE < of all those not listed as attendees within this article. If the previous statement is correct, then there were quite a few at the reunion who didn't get listed in the 1931 newspaper article.

Grandpa Henry was born in Kentucky, came from there to Sherman in Grayson county. There he was married to Josephine Davis, she being a relative of Jefferson Davis. Grandmother was born in Georgia. Eight children were born to this union, three dying when infants. 

According to an entry in Josephine's family Bible, "Josephine W. Davis married to Wm. P. Henry at the residence of Mr. James W. Lance March 1st 1864." We now know that marriage took place in Brazoria County, Texas, in which county Josephine was enumerated on the 1860 census. :: As of this date, I have still not found any connection to Jefferson Davis. :: Regarding the children born to this couple, according to entries in the family Bible --

• Born in Brazoria County Texas October 20th 1865 Margaret Ann Henry
• Margaret Ann Henry died April 19th 1868
• Wm. P. Henry, Jr. born October 3rd 1868
• Jerome Bonepart Henry born April 18th 1870
• Emma & Edgar Henry born January 31st 1872
• Harry Henry born July 31st 1874
• Harry Henry died in Sherman January 10th 1875
• Ella May and Jesse Eugene Henry were born in Grayson County Texas October 26 A.D. 1875
• Jesse Eugene Henry died September 1876

On Oct. 3, 1876, the Henrys arrived in Rockdale to visit a sister and family of the Mrs. Henry's, it being Dr. and Mrs. M. F. Anthony, who at that time had the post office and drug store combined on the corner where the Wolf Hotel now stands. 

This would be Margaret, Josephine's only sister. Margaret's husband (and also their 1st cousin once removed) was Dr. Milton Antony, Jr. He was a Confederate Surgeon in Brazoria County during the war between the states, and was the third Postmaster in Rockdale, serving 06th June 1876 to 26th April 1877 (which was one month after the entire wooden portion of Rockdale burned). He was a practicing physician in both Cameron and Rockdale. Margaret and Milton are buried in the Old City Cemetery in Rockdale.


The Wolf sat on the northeast corner of the intersection of Main and Milam. According to a history of Rockdale published in 1936, a two-story stone and brick bank building was erected in 1875, which later became the Wolf Hotel, and then, c. 1935, the American Legion Hall. An 1885 map of Rockdale does show a bank at that location, and on the corner across the street is a post office in the Mundine House (now McVoy's).


A year before Josephine went to Rockdale to visit her sister, Margaret, the following item appeared in the 12th November 1875 issue of the Galveston Weekly News: "There are street fights occurring (in Rockdale) almost every day and the officers of the law seem to enjoy it, taking their fines, never giving offenders the least word of warning or lecture. Nothing better could be expected when they license women of ill fame for ten dollars a month and receive half of the fines and their compensation. The most disgusting of it is, when they choose, these officers step beyond their authority and utterly disregard the law at pleasure. Every day or two some very interesting scenes occur in the pettifoggeries of Rockdale."


And a just a year before that 1875 report, the same paper, in the 09th November 1874 issue, described the brand new city of Rockdale as being "delightfully located in a thriving section of the county. . . . there are two or three banks, fifty or sixty merchants, and plenty of saloons, and has generally all the appearances of a railroad town. . . . While all it new and in some degree crude, there are some fine stone and brick buildings. . . . Where a population of eighteen hundred now thrive, was ten months ago the home of the deer, and the pleasure ground of the black bear."

Grandpa liked the country so he moved to a place just across the road from Dr. Riddle, just south of town, and stayed there awhile. He then bought 100 acres of land three miles north of town, moved there, and raised his family, . . .

Milam County Record, Volume 54 Page 526-529 . . . Know all men by these presents that I, Mary Estes of the State and County aforesaid in consideration of the payment of a promissory note . . . for three hundred ($300) Dollars given by W. P. Henry, have granted, bargained sold and released and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell and release unto the said W. P. Henry all that tract or parcel of land known as a part of a two league survey . . . containing an area of one hundred acres of land. . . . Witness my hand this the 14 day of December 1878.

. . . lived there until his death, Feb. 10, 1911.

According to William Paschal Henry's printed obituary (actually a photocopy of an undated newspaper clipping), as well as his tombstone, he died in 1912, not 1911.

Grandmother was killed Oct. 28, 1899.

According to her tombstone, Josephine Wingfield Henry nee Davis died the 28th January 1899. Family lore said that she was drug to death by the hair of her head when it became entangled in the wheels of her buggy, but we were never able to find a newspaper account of her death in the existing newspapers for that time period. After receiving this conflicting information regarding Josephine's date of death, my Mom went to the Rockdale Public Library to once again peruse the microfilm copies of the 1899 Rockdale Reporter, and sure enough -- in the 01st November 1899 issue, she found write-ups supporting the family lore.

Three of the children left here at different times. W. P. Henry and Mrs. Ella Hamilton are the only ones left in the old home . . . (crumbled edge, but I would guess the word missing is town) Those present on this occasion . . . (part of the word "occasion" is crumbled away) . . .

• W. P. Henry (Jr. 1868-1941),
• Miss Grace Henry (1908-1996) . . . (Henry is frayed & the first part of someone's name is crumbled away; the next line begins with) . . .
• (Er) nest Henry ("Buck," 1911-1995),
• Mr. and Mrs. (Birdie Henry 1894-1943)
• Jack (Kyle) . . . (crumbled) . . . and
• Lucille,
• Graham (1917-1984),
• We(l) to (n) . . . (crumbled) . . . Delbert Kyle,
• Mr. and Mrs. (William Clinton 1896-1969) . . . (frayed) . . . Henry and
• Nathlee Henry,
• Mr. and Mrs. Will (Pearl Henry 1899-1981) Vogel,
• Mr. and Mrs. Eddie (Bessie Henry 1901-1964) Backhaus and
• Ruth Backhaus,
• Mr. and Mrs. Joe Henry (1903-1955) and
• Wesley Bert Henry.
• Mr. and Mrs. Jerome (1870-1956) Henry and granddaughter,
• Gloria Sue, of San Antonio;
• Mrs. Emma (nee Henry 1872-1944) Sharp, Crockett;
• Mr. and Mrs. Edgar (1872-1950) Henry, Norton;
• Mr. and Mrs. Sylas (Ruby Henry 1895-1978) Christian, Rockdale;
• Frank (1899-1952) and
• Nellie (1912-1996) Henry, Norton;
• Mrs. Ella (nee Henry 1875-1967) Hamilton,
• Misses Laura (1898-1987) and
• Ruth (1909-1998) and
• Harry (1913-1983) Hamilton, Rockdale.
  

Those who were visitors:

• Dr. (1838-1934) and Mrs. T. E. Riddle and
• Miss Docle Williams, Rockdale;
• Cleve Calvert, and
• Miss Margaret Calvert, Houston;
• Milton Phillips, Norton;
• Mrs. Ida Halyard (1871-1964), Crockett. [sister of Berta Mary]

Every Family Has One :: My Hometown

My Hometown . . . when I return . . .
the main street still is filled with pleasant faces and glad hellos
with an atmosphere of calm . . . with time for neighborly concern
with joy in sharing another's fortune
or heartfelt words to one who mourns.
Hometown is more than just a town
it is a way of life, a place of peace and quiet
and when I return it is as if I have never been gone
and in my heart I have not.
by
Craig E. Sathoff

Old Rockdale postcard . . .
Main St. north from I & G. N. Depot, Rockdale, Texas

The postcard has been reproduced in multiple Rockdale publications . . .
location / ownership / existence of original unknown . . .
According to a newspaper clipping from the files of my cousin, Peggy (Ferguson) Skeeters, a Henry family reunion was held at the old Hamilton homeplace in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas sometime in 1931. That yellowed and crumbling piece of paper recorded the following about the arrival of my 2nd great-grandpa, William Paschal Henry (1836-1912), and his family in the brand-new town of Rockdale, Milam County, Texas . . .

On Oct. 3, 1876, the Henrys arrived in Rockdale to visit a sister and family of Mrs. Henry's, it being Dr. and Mrs. M. F. Anthony, who at that time had the post office and drug store combined on the corner where the Wolf Hotel now stands.

That is the Hotel Wolf in the lower right corner of the above collage, with an arrow pointing to the same building on the old Rockdale postcard. The Hotel had gone out of business before 1935 when Rockdale's American Legion post purchased the building.

During World War II the building's second story was lopped off and its Main Street front was shortened and remodeled. A stage was added and the hall became the place to be for dances and music for almost 20 years. Rockdale Reporter, 06 Aug 1998

When I was in high school (the 60's), we frequently spent a portion of our weekend hours attending teen dances -- with real live bands! -- in the un-airconditioned bottom-half of this building. My parents were regular fixtures as chaperones at these events.


Directly across the street was McVoy's Grocery Store where my parents shopped weekly. Every Friday, my widowed Grandma, who never learned to drive, had her grocery list ready for Mom or Dad to take with them to McVoy's. There was a large wooden magazine rack near the front door where I would sit and read comic books while Mom checked out. Mr. Galbreath kept the produce stocked and freshly washed, and would give us pieces of fresh sugar cane to chew on. The meat market at McVoy's was where Mom bought steak cutlets for making her infamous chicken-fried steak with cream gravy which NONE of us have ever been able to replicate.


I was back on Main Street in June of 2009 while in Rockdale for the 75th Annual Rockdale Homecoming as well as my Mom's 60th RHS Class Reunion, where I was flattered to be told by numerous people (who had known Mom since the 40s) that, "You look just like your Mom!"


At the Homecoming gathering, one lady said to me, "Aren't you the one who found the snake in the bedroom when you were babysitting Delaine?" That was also during high school in the 60s! I was babysitting for the local pharmacist in his home. The baby and I were sitting in the rocker / recliner in her nursery when I saw a snake come crawling in the room! I got out of the room with Delaine and shut the door (which wasn't much of a barrier since it had such a gap at the bottom) and called my trusty Dad at our home (no cell phones in those days). Dad was there immediately, but it took him a while to find and kill the poisonous copperhead -- it had crawled up into the coils under the rocker / recliner!


Before I left town, we (me & Mom & my sister) visited the Dan Kubiak exhibit at the I&GN Depot, and I also took a few photos of Joy Graham's Bit of History building on Cameron Avenue.


The journey back home to Main Street was nostalgic, while somehow filled with the sweet assurance that at Home we are not forgotten. These people knew me as a child. They knew my grandparents. And in some cases, their parents and grandparents knew my ancestors. And many of the families of Rockdale have somehow managed to climb into my family tree!

1888 :: Rockdale in The News

The Galveston Daily News. Thursday, October 10, 1888. A LIVE TEXAS TOWN. ROCKDALE SITUATED IN THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF MILAM COUNTY. Its Trade and Business Men, Enterprises, School, Churches and Societies -- The Rich Country Around the City -- Statistics and Future Prospects.

ROCKDALE, Tex., October 9 [1888]. -- TO THE NEWS: Having recently observed in the columns of THE NEWS an article on Cameron and Milam county, in which the writer seems to have ignored Rockdale, I have concluded to furnish your readers with a brief sketch of this town.

Rockdale is a city of over 2000 inhabitants, situated on the International and Great Northern railway, in the southern part of Milam county, in one of the best producing sections of the state. The sandy loam in the immediate vicinity of the town is of exceeding fertility, while the rich black lands a few miles to the northwest are admitted as being among the finest farming lands on this continent.

The town was laid out in 1874, when it was the termination of the International and Great Northern railway. After the extension of the road beyond this point, the country surrounding Rockdale began to settle up with small farmers and the town began its growth, which has been steadily progressing, without the spasmodic impetus of a boom, until it was reached its present population.

The trade of Rockdale is extensive; from 10,000 to 13,000 bales of cotton are shipped from this point annually. Its total trade, embracing merchandise sales, lumber sales, exportation of cotton, etc., amounts to $1,250,000 yearly.

The enterprise and zeal of the citizens in the

CAUSE OF EDUCATION

is evidenced by an architectural building of brick, two stories high, at a cost of $10,000, which is an ornament to the town. Its capacity is sufficient for the present use. A public school, under the management of Prof. J.W. Clark, with 225 pupils in regular attendance, is kept in operation in this magnificent structure nine months in the year as a free school, paid for out of the state school fund and a small tax, self-imposed, upon the citizens of the town.

The streets of Rockdale are of extra width, the two principal ones being 100 feet wide. The business houses are generally 30 feet by 125 feet back, and are calculated to hold immense stocks of goods. In fact, the merchants of Rockdale carry larger stocks than those of any other town of its size in the state, the principal of whom, Messrs. Scarborough & Hicks, merchandise and groceries, an immense stock; B. Loewenstein & Bros., I. Baum, Isaacs & Lockett and Solon Joynes, manufacturers' agent for all kinds of machinery.

R.H. Ames has one of the best appointed gins in the county, turning out twenty-four bales of cotton per day.

The citizens of Rockdale have not lost sight of those moral and religious principles that ought to actuate a civilized and christian people. They

HAVE FIVE CHURCHES,

in which they weekly bend their knees in devout prayer to the giver of every good and perfect gift, to-wit: Methodist, Presbyterian, Old School and Cumberland, Baptist, Episcopal, Catholic and Christian. The several secret orders all represented by their various lodges, I.O.O.F., K. of H. and A.F. and A.M., with others too numerous to mention.

The press is ably represented by the Rockdale Messenger and the Rockdale Reporter, both weeklies.

Manufactories have not been neglected in the progress and building up of the town. There is one cigar factory, two brickyards that turn out a splendid article of red brick, two cotton gins that during the cotton season are run to their full capacity.

The town also affords ample facilities for the presentation of the drama, for the amusement of its good citizens.

The banking house of J.S. Perry & Co. furnish financial facilities for carrying on the trade and commerce of the city and surrounding country -- J.E. Longmoor, manager.

A contract has been made with the Aransas Pass Railroad company on its Waco extension to pass through Rockdale. The town has guaranteed the right of way from the country line on the south to the bank of Little river, twelve miles north of Rockdale, and a cash donation of $12,500, all of which has been secured.

The sandy soil in the vicinity of Rockdale has proved to be well adapted to fruit growing, which is now becoming one of the most important.

INDUSTRIES OF MIDDLE TEXAS.

The apple, peach, plum, pear, apricot and grape succeed well. The present season, with abundance of rain, has developed the fact that apples and pears compare favorably with the same kinds of fruits imported from Arkansas and Missouri in size, and are superior in flavor. As each succeeding year proves prosperous, pomologists [someone who cultivates fruit trees] are enlarging their orchards, and in the near future a canning establishment will be demanded to save the increasing crop.

Five thousand boxes of fruit have been shipped from Rockdale during the present season. Your correspondent is indebted to Mr. Homer Eads, the obliging station agent of the International and Great Northern railway, for data as to shipments from Rockdale: Cotton shipped to September 28, 4090 bales of this season's crop. Receipts for shipment of freight for August amounted to $8975.85. Tickets sold, $350.90. Rockdale ships from 20 to 35 cars of cotton seed each season, besides large quantities of corn, hides. etc.

Two coal mines have been opened three and three and a half miles each of Rockdale, near the International and Great Northern line of road, which are likely to prove valuable, since its quality compares well with Indian Nation coal. The mines are not yet fully developed, since only about fifty carloads have been shipped per year.

The International and Great Northern company is well prepared to handle the immense trade of Rockdale. There is a new and neat passenger depot, large freight depot, cotton warehouse and plenty of platform room, stock pens, etc.

Another important enterprise in which the leading citizens are interested is the

BUSINESS MEN'S ASSOCIATION.

The object of this association is to promote trade and increase the business of Rockdale. About fifty of the leading citizens of the town compose the combine. The association has its constitution and bylaws and regular order of business, and is sure of success in effecting the object of their organization. The association has its own hall, a find building.

The town is regularly incorporated, with W.R. Kennard, M.D., mayor.

The writer concludes that Rockdale, by reason of its natural advantages of location, its surrounding rich, fertile and productive lands; its facilities for railroad transportation, the industry and enterprise of its people, the high tone of business integrity of its leading citizens, the moral and religious character of its inhabitants; render it one of the most desirable towns in Texas.

Your representative can not close this brief sketch of Rockdale without acknowledging in grateful terms the kindness extended by Colonel E.M. Scarbrough, R.H. Hicks and B. Loewenstein, all prominent business men, and also Colonel N.H. Tracy, late of the Denver deep water convention, who is a leading legal light of the Milam county bar. Also to J.E. Longmoor, the efficient representative of THE NEWS at Rockdale, and to Rev. W.E. Copeland, who is extensively engaged in fruit culture.

TRAVELER.

Original image accessed at ancestry.com

Transcribed & shared here by V. Everhart

History of The Rockdale Reporter & Messenger

THE ROCKDALE REPORTER & MESSENGER
(Researched by W. H. Cooke)

As Rockdale celebrates its Centennial the newspaper known as The Rockdale Reporter joins in with gusto because the newspaper is actually older than the town itself.

The official name is The Rockdale Reporter & Messenger. The newspaper is commonly referred to simply as The Rockdale Reporter but it is a consolidation of two separate newspapers, The Rockdale Messenger, established in 1873 and The Rockdale Reporter, established in 1893.

In the 1870's the old International & Great Northern Railroad was pushing westward to extend its line from Hearne, then the terminus, to Austin. In the year 1873 the railroad began selling lots in the spot that is now Rockdale, with the idea of starting a new town which would succeed Hearne as the terminus of the line.

Some time prior to this sale of lots by the railroad, The Milam County Messenger was established at Cameron by Major Wm. M. McGregor, a lawyer from Alabama, and his young nephew, James A. Muir, a Virginian. In the fall of 1873 the two men came to the nameless town of Rockdale and transferred their newspaper plant and all business interests to that place. The town was named Rockdale on Feb. 4, 1874, on the day the first train arrived. The Milam County Messenger, established in 1873, became the The Rockdale Messenger.

The Messenger was later sold by its founders to Enoch Breeding and his sister, Miss Nannie Breeding, who had come here from Louisville, Ky. Soon after adding new improved printing equipment the entire plant was destroyed by fire in March, 1877, when the entire wooden portion of Rockdale was burned. The Messenger was rebuilt.

W. M. Ferguson bought The Messenger in 1893, changing its policies from Democratic to The People's Party. In 1900 he sold The Messenger to Howard Willson who returned it to the Democratic fold. Some time after his death his wife and sons sold The Messenger to R. W. H. Kennon of The Rockdale Reporter and since that time the official name has been The Rockdale Reporter & Messenger.

J. G. H. Buck had originally founded The Rockdale Reporter in 1893. After a break in publication it was re-established by Homer D. Wade, then a youthful editor from Lexington. Wade's associate, R. W. H. Kennon, bought him out and became sole owner of The Reporter. It was Kennon who merged The Reporter and The Messenger into one newspaper which he operated until June, 1911.

It was on that date he sold the merged Reporter & Messenger to John Esten Cooke who came to Rockdale from Brady. Cooke enlarged the paper and extended its circulation, and The Rockdale Reporter & Messenger won respect in newspaper circles over the state. It soon became known as The Rockdale Reporter. The "And Messenger" became a secondary line in the mast head.

Cooke brought Rockdale its finest newspaper and editorial thoughts and it was he who coined the two phrases "Regal Rockdale" and "Matchless Milam." He also coined the phrase The Reporter still uses in telling how classified ads get results: "Reporter ads get the grapes."

John Esten Cooke assumed the duties of Rockdale Postmaster on May 13, 1936, and was succeeded by his son, W. H. Cooke, as editor and publisher of The Reporter. The elder Cooke died in 1940 shortly after receiving appointment to a second term as postmaster.

W. H. Cooke continued the pattern of excellency set by his father, John Esten Cooke, and The Reporter, which had received numerous awards in state newspaper contests under John Esten Cooke, continued to receive recognition. When J. W. Cooke received his journalism degree from North Texas State University in 1958, he returned to Rockdale to become editor of The Reporter, with his father as publisher. The Reporter made even greater strides and has been a consistent award winner in state newspaper contests.

Both W. H. Cooke and J. W. Cooke were tagged with the nickname "Bill," and in time became known as Bill Sr. and Bill Jr. The younger Cooke became a full partner with one- half interest in the business known as The Rockdale Reporter in January of 1970. The business is a 3-headed affair, comprising a weekly newspaper, an office supply store, and a larger commercial printing division.

ROCKDALE CENTENNIAL
A History of Rockdale, Texas 1874 - 1974
Edited by: Mrs. Ida Jo Marshall
Printed by: The Rockdale Reporter