What! No "Sap"

The T&NO Railroad, lovably known hereabouts as the "Dear Old Sap," has filed application with the Railroad Commission to discontinue passenger train service on the road through Rockdale from Waco to Yoakum. The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 26, 1947 Page: 1 of 12

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

 

1920 :: Sam Houston's Daughter is Dead at Houston

A telegram received this morning by Rockdale relatives announces the death of Mrs. Nannie Morrow at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Davis E. Decker, in Houston, death occurring Wednesday night.

Mrs. Morrow was the daughter of General Sam Houston, and as such her death will be of interest to the whole of Texas. Her late husband was a first cousin of A.P. Perry Sr., of Rockdale, and Mr. Perry acted as "best man" at their wedding. She was about 75 years of age. The funeral will be held at Georgetown Friday at noon.

The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex ), Vol [48], No 12, Ed 1 Thursday, May 20, 1920

1917 :: Bats in City Hall

The city hall is being overhauled and the bat roosts which have so long made the place a nuisance are being destroyed and the cracks sealed up so that the bats may not again take over this valuable piece of public property. Carpenter Jim Copeland is at the helm, with Alderman O.K. Phillips supervising the work. The wainscoting in the auditorium was removed yesterday, and several bushels of bats were killed. The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 17, 1917

1933 :: Old-Time Negro Resident is Buried here Tuesday

Will Gray, one of the old-time negro residents of Rockdale, was buried here Tuesday. At the time of his death and for the past ten or fifteen years, Gray had been porter on the passenger trains of the Missouri-Pacific, running from Palestine to San Antonio. In the early days of this city he worked for the firm of Ben Loewenstein & Bros. He had the esteem of many friends in this city. The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 61, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 6, 1933 Page: 2 of 6

1896 :: The Cozy Corner

Dallas Morning News, June 28, 1896. The Cozy Corner. KATIE PLEASANT, Rockdale, Milam Co., Tex. -- Mr. Big Hat and Miss Big Bonnet: I have been a silent little girl in your department. I am a pupil at the Rockdale public school. I am in the fourth grade. We have a red-headed teacher. But I need not be talking about her having a red head, for I have one, too. Our school will be out in two more weeks. I am so glad of it. We are having some hard lessons now. My mother lives in the country on a large farm. She hasn't but two children, sister Ruth and myself. My father has been dead six months to-day.

1945 :: 100-year-old Confederate Veteran dies in Milam County

Death Comes to 100-Years-Old William Persky, Oldest Citizen of Milam County and Last of the County's Confederate Veterans; Funeral Sunday

William Persky, 100, oldest citizen of Milam county and the last Confederate veteran of the county, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. E.J. Rinn, at Sharp on Friday night. . . .

Mr. Persky celebrated his 100th anniversary last November 21st. He was born in Germany in 1844 but at the age of six came with his family to America. They settled in Austin county, where he grew to manhood and followed the farming industry. His wife, who was Miss Theresa Rundge, also of Austin county, died fifty years ago.

Mr. Persky moved to Bell county in 1901 and remained there until nineteen years ago when he came to Sharp to make his home with his daughter. For the past few years Mr. Persky had been a semi-invalid due to his age and bad eyesight. . . . The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 15, 1945 Page: 1 of 8

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According to Matchless Milam: History of Milam County Texas -- A Texas Sesquicentennial Edition -- compiled and edited by Milam County Heritage Preservation Society in 1984 - Milam County (Tex.) . . . On June 12, 1982, a Texas Historical Marker honoring William Carl Persky was unveiled at his gravesite in the Sharp Cemetery in Milam County. . . . the text on the marker reads as follows . . .

Texas Historical Marker

A native of Germany, William Persky migrated to the United States with his family at the age of eight. He enlisted in the confederate army during the civil war and served time as a prisoner of war. A farmer, Persky lived in Austin and Bell counties before moving to this area in 1925. He lived to be 100, and at the time of his death in 1945 was the oldest resident and the last confederate veteran of Milam County. [see Historical Markers of Milam County, Texas]