Edward Morris

Ed Morris was born in 1851 in Guadalupe County. Orphaned before 1860, he was raised by Ranger Captain John F. Tom and his wife Mary Ann Moffet Tom who migrated to Atascosa County in about 1862. Edward married Mahalia Elizabeth Duck Morris. He worked as a sheriff's deputy, and was a member of the Pleasanton Masonic Lodge. Ed died in 1919 and is buried in the Pleasanton City Cemetery.

The girl in the picture was his granddaughter, Maurine Morris Shone.

William Jasper Miller

William Jasper Miller and wife, Catherine Wright Miller with son, Earl George Miller (age 4). Photo was taken in San Antonio about 1891. The photo was given by Judge George Miller, grandson, to J.Taylor Brite, of Pleasanton, who provided it for the blog. The Miller's were from Amite County, Mississippi and settled in the Benton City area of Atascosa County, Texas before the Civil War. William Jasper and his brothers, Martin and Arnold served the C.S.A.

The story is that Little Earl George Miller wasn't wearing shoes, so the photographer set a pair of boots in front of his feet to look like he was wearing them. Also, there was a hole in the brim of the hat he is holding and he has his finger through it.

First Atascosa County Clerk

Daniel Tobin was the first county clerk. He was elected in 1856 when the county was formed from expansive Bexar County. Daniel Tobin was born in South Carolina in about 1832 and came to Texas with his brother William. He married Josefa Elena Navarro at San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio on July 30, 1855. Josefa was the youngest child of Texas patriot, Jose Antonio Baldermo Navarro. Daniel was murdered in Atascosa County on June 5, 1871.

Georgia Miller Anderson and Charlie Anderson

This old photo was taken in 1950 during a family reunion and 50th wedding anniversary of Georgia Miller Anderson and Charlie Anderson. They are #26 and #27. If you can identify any of the others please let us know. (click on image to enlarge)

Rossville Brothers Served as Texas Rangers

(photo is part of the Nellie & Irene Lozano Collection)



Tom Mather Ross
Maria Navarro married John Clark Ross on August 20, 1870 at San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio. They made a home for themselves on land given to them as a wedding gift from Maria's father, Jose Antonio George Navarro. The land was part of the expansive ranch granted to her grandfather Jose Antonio Navarro. On August 1, 1871, Tom Mather Ross was born to the couple. Six more children would follow.

The earliest known enlistment into the Texas Rangers for Tom Mather Ross was in 1894 in Nueces County. He would have been 23. He is pictured with two Ranger companies at Temple, Texas during the railroad strike in July of 1894. The Ranger captains were J.A.Brooks, Company F and John R.Hughes, Company D. Tom re-enlisted in 1895 in Karnes County. In 1896, he is mentioned in a ledger, as being sent to El Paso, then on to Langtry for undercover duty in Governor Culberson's effort to prevent the Bob Fitzsimmons-Peter Maher world's heavyweight championship fight from taking place on Texas soil. The governor of Chihuahua ruled that the fight would not take place in Mexico. Judge Roy Bean invited them all to come to Langtry, and the fight was held on a tiny island in the middle of the Rio Grande.

Tom Ross served as a Ranger for approximately twelve years, serving as Sergeant under Captain John R. Hughes on the border. He was promoted to Captain of Company B in about 1906. He was stationed at Ysleta, in El Paso County for a number of years. He was shot in the leg which led to amputation. His "wooden leg"did not hamper his performance as a Ranger Captain.

Between 1907 and 1909 Captain Ross was assigned to Amarillo to go after bootleggers and saloon keepers. The local law enforcement ignored the laws and the problem had gotten out of hand. The Ranger's presence was greatly resented by many. This led to the murder of Ranger "Doc" Thomas and the assault of another Ranger by the chief of police. It soon became a public relations nightmare for the Rangers. Some officials in Austin felt the Rangers should withdraw from prohibition issues. This friction is said to be the cause of Captain Ross's resignation in 1910.

After leaving the Rangers, Tom Ross moved to San Antonio and tried his hand in real estate. This didn't last long and he made his way to Cameron County and worked as a sheriff's deputy for several years. From 1916-1917 he had an appointment as Special Agent of the United States Bureau of Investigation. On June 10, 1916 he led a posse that prevented the burning of the Webb Station railroad trestle by raiders. In 1925 Tom Ross returned to San Antonio and became a federal court interpreter, as position he held until his death in 1946.

On January 15, 1940 the 76th United States Congress passed a bill to pension a handful of Rangers who rendered their services in the Garza Revolution that had taken place on the border a half century before. Captain Tom Ross was on the list of Rangers.

Tom Ross never married. He is remembered by his nieces as a modest man with a good sense of humor. One recalled that, as children, they would wait until he went to sleep to sneak a peak at his "wooden leg" which he had removed and stored under the bed. Another accompanied him to the great Texas Centennial celebration in Dallas in 1936 and remembered what a wonderful time they had. He died in his sleep on January 1, 1946 at the age of 75.

Alexander Ross

On February 7, 1885, Alexander and Maggie Ross, twins, were born to Maria Navarro Ross and John Clark Ross. Maggie died shortly before her second birthday. They were the youngest of seven children born to the couple.

Alex Ross attended Texas A&M, studying civil engineering and surveying. These skills would prove useful in later in life, but, on April 1, 1905 Alex followed in the footsteps of his oldest brother, Tom, enlisting in the Rangers under Captain John R. Hughes. He was only 20. He re-enlisted on July 9, 1907 and again on September 2, 1908.

Ranger lore refers to Captain Hughes as one of the "four great captains", joining the Rangers in 1887. He was captain of his own company from 1893 to 1915. He was highly respected with a zest for rangering. His early service in Shafter and Presidio is said to have given him an understanding of the demands of the border. He earned the nickname, "border boss". He was a skilled outdoorsman, and was especially good at tracking. Hughes selected his recruits with great care and led by example. He must have been a great teacher for young Alex Ross.

Captain Hughes' Company D covered the huge Trans-Pecos with too few men. They tracked train robbers in the Devils River headlands and along the lonely Rio Grande. Border disturbances and ethnic troubles were a constant problem. Stock theft kept them very busy. Zane Grey's novel, The Long Star Ranger (1914) is dedicated to Hughes and his Rangers. Alex Ross was one of his Rangers.

After his days as a Ranger, Alex Ross helped survey the new town site of Jourdanton in 1909. Because of his engineering skills and his knowledge of Spanish he helped develop a banana plantation on the west coast of Mexico, near Puerto Vallarta. He married Elizabeth Mayers on January 3, 1910. The couple had three daughters, Mary Elizabeth, Harriett Emilie and Clara Adell. Alex was a quiet, modest man who sometimes told stories to his grandchildren about his days on the border as a Ranger. They remember how sweet he was to his family, never seeing him angry or upset. He was known for his kindness to others, lending a helping hand to all. Alex had a love of farming and ranching, working as ranch manager north of Castroville for the Roeglin family's Rio Medina Ranch for several years. He then spent the rest of his life farming and ranching on his own land in Rossville. Alex and Elizabeth attended the church at Anchorage and in 1958 Alex helped to build the chapel that is still in use today. He and Elizabeth were honored with a celebration on their 50th anniversary in 1960 by their many friends and family. Alex died on February 21, 1966 at the age of 81. He is buried in the Anchorage Cemetery next to Elizabeth.

Benton City Family Served Community

Serving the community was natural for Walter Edwin Jones. He was born in Benton City in 1876. His father, James Monroe Jones was a Confederate veteran. James was born in Blunt County, Alabama, to George J. Jones and Sarah Lauderdale, who was a Cherokee Indian. James Monroe 's family came to Texas before 1850. James Monroe had settled in Atascosa County by 1875. He donated the land for the historic Benton City Cemetery.

As a young man, Walter Jones taught at the Benton City Institute. He eventually married Sarah Elizabeth "Betty" Farris and the couple had two daughters and a son. Walter was appointed County Attorney in 1910, and the Jones family moved to Jourdanton. Walter served in that capacity until 1913 when he was elected County Judge, a post he held until 1916. As Judge he drew up the first charter for the first association of the Jourdanton City Cemetery. He also served on the first board of directors.

Walter Jones was elected to represent Atascosa County in the 39th legislature in 1925, serving one term, then he was re-elected to the 41st through 45th legislatures in 1929, serving until 1939. Betty Jones died in 1927 of tuberculosis and was buried in the Jourdanton City Cemetery.

Walter Jones stayed in Austin after retiring from politics, working as superintendent at the Confederate Home. In 1941, he died of complications following a car accident. He is buried next to Betty in Jourdanton.

Snow in Pleasanton

Ruth Thomason Morris (center) and Arthur Morris were proprietors of Morris Grocery, which operated in North Pleasanton until the 1940's. They were known for selling the best meat in the area. John Monroe (left) chose the animals and Frank Wright (right) butchered them. Looks like they are enjoying a rare snow fall.

Roy Bean and the Atascosa Milk Cows

Most folks have heard stories about Judge Roy Bean, the "Hangin' Judge" who referred to himself as, "The Law West of the Pecos," from his days as Justice of the Peace along the Rio Grande, but he had established quite a name for himself long before those days, right here in South Texas.

He was born Phantly Roy Bean in c.1825 in Mason County, Kentucky. At 15 Roy left home, with his two older brothers, Sam and Joshua. He and Sam traveled by wagon train to New Mexico, eventually setting up a trading post in Chihuahua, Mexico. Later, Roy fled to California after killing a local man, and stayed with his brother Joshua, who had become the first mayor of San Diego. There he worked as a bartender. In 1852 he was arrested after wounding a man in a duel. He escaped and headed to New Mexico, where Sam had become a sheriff.

When the civil war broke out Roy began running the Union blockade, bringing goods from the Mexican border into Texas. In 1866 he married Virginia Chavez, the 18 year old daughter of a fine San Antonio family. Roy would have been about 40 at the time. Roy provided a meager existence for his wife and four children, going from one scheme to the next. He peddled firewood poached from another man's land, and paid local kids $5 to bring him stray horses and cows, selling the horses and butchering the cows to sell the meat. His notorious business practices earned his San Antonio community the nickname Beanville.

At one point Roy decided to go into the dairy business. He struck a bargain with a farmer in Atascosa County who wanted to sell his herd. Roy had acquired a couple of lots and a small house, and the farmer wanted the property. They agreed to trade the property for 30 cows. Roy asked for a trial period to make sure the cows would produce. Feed was scarce that year and the cows began to show signs of being undernourished. The milk production fell off and profits went down. The cows began to die.

When the owner came to take possession of the real estate, Roy told him the deal was off. "I only took them on trial," said Roy, "and they proved to be worthless as milkers." In the beginning, when the cows were producing, business was good and Roy had difficulty meeting the demand for milk. Apparently, Roy used to dilute the milk a little.

One day a well-known San Antonio judge knocked on Roy's door. He said, "If it's all the same to you I'd like to have my milk and water in separate vessels". "What's wrong?"asked Roy. "Well, he said, "we found a minnow in the milk yesterday." "By God!" said Roy, "that's what comes of watering them cows at the river." Roy later admitted that he kept a bucket and dipper down by the bridge and sometimes stopped and replenished his supply.

In 1882, the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad hired crews to link San Antonio with El Paso. Roy fled his marriage and Beanville heading for Vinegaroon to become a saloonkeeper. Desperate to establish some sort of local law enforcement, he was appointed Justice of the Peace. Roy Bean's dispensation of the law wasn't complicated by legalities. The rest, as they say, is history.

Bibliography: C.L.Sonnichsen, Roy Bean, Law West Of The Pecos

John Sherman Home

John Preston(he's the son of Willie Mae Preston) has quite a project on his hands. He grew up in a home, north of Poteet, that was built in the 1860's by John Sherman. His family bought the place in the 1940's and he would like to restore the home to it's original glory. It has had additions, and the old sandstone has been plastered over, but John will tear all that away. The original fireplace is intact, as is the rock with "J Sherman"carved out of it. The property is on the Palo Alto Creek and was most likely on or near one of the Caminos Reales.

John Sherman was born in c.1825 in New York. He apparently came to Texas in about 1848. He was granted the 160 acres by Sam Houston in 1861, the result of a process he had begun in 1854. In 1862 he enlisted in the Texas Confederate Army as a Private, signing on with Co. 3, 36th Cavalry, or "Green's Brigade", organized in San Antonio. He was given the nickname "Battery,"working as a teamster in Woods'Reginent.

John Sherman married Eliza Jane Williams in 1866 in Atascosa County. She was the daughter of Lorenzo and Mahala Sweet Williams. John purchased more land in Atascosa County, but by the 1880's John had built a mill on the Guadalupe River near what is now Ingram, in Kerr County. The mill stayed busy sawing lumber, grinding corn and ginning cotton. It stayed in operation until about 1914. It washed away in 1932. Today there is an historic marker near the site of "Sherman's Mill". His descendants still live in Kerr County, Charles Sherman is the family historian and has provided the history and wonderful old deed records. He plans to come to Atascosa County to see the old home built by his ancestor.

Check back later to see the progress on John Preston's project. It's a wonderful thing he's doing, and he has the interest of the County and State Historical Commissions, as well as other local historians.

Atascosa and Canned Chili

Daniel J. Tobin was the original Atascosa County Clerk. Born in South Carolina, he came to Texas about 1853 with his brother William. they settled in San Antonio where each married well. Daniel married Josefa Elena Navarro, youngest daughter of Jose Antonio Navarro and Margarita de la Garza, and William married Josephine Smith, daughter of John William Smith, former mayor of San Antonio.

Marrying into the Navarro family, who owned a large ranch on the Atascosa Creek, brought Daniel Tobin to the area where he soon became instrumental in the establishment of the new Atascosa County. He and Josefa had four children. She spent most of her time in San Antonio caring for her aging parents. Her mother died in 1861 and her father, Jose Antonio Navarro died in January of 1871. In June of the same year Daniel Tobin was murdered in Atascosa County. Josefa inherited the Navarro home on Laredo Street which today is a Texas Historical Site.

While Daniel Tobin was serving Atascosa County as clerk and part-time Ranger, his brother William was busy as well. William and Josephine had ten children. William rode with the Rangers in 1855, and then served as city marshal of San Antonio. In 1859 he decided to raise his own company of volunteers to march to the aid of the citizens of Brownsville, who were allegedly being terrorized by rancher-bandit-Mexican patriot Juan Cortina. When he offered his services to Gov.Pease, he was given a commission. The bad situation in Brownsville was made worse by a vigilante lynching of a Cortina officer. The vigilante group was suspected to be made up of men from Tobin's company. Tobin's forces are said to have terrorized Mexican civilians, who feared them more than they feared Cortina. Cortina threatened to burn the whole town. It took another Ranger company under "Rip"Ford, and federal troops under Major Samuel Heintzelman to get the situation under control. William Tobin was "mustered out."

William returned to San Antonio and when Texas seceded from the Union he was commissioned as a Captain in the Confederate Army, serving throughout the war. Returning home he bought the Vance Building, once a confederate headquarters, and converted it into a hotel.

William had apparently acquired a taste for chili con carne, probably from the "Chili Queens"who sold the dish on the streets in San Antonio. In 1881 he negotiated with the United States government to provide canned chili to the Army and Navy. He opened a processing plant and canning operation but died (perhaps of chronic indigestion?) just as his venture began to take off. So, a former Texas Ranger with ties to Atascosa County developed the concept of canning chili.

Bibliography: Norman Porter, Atascosa County History through 1912, 2007, Mike Cox, Texas Escapes.com, Texas Tales, Chili, 1-31-2005, Zelime Vance Gillespie, The Handbook of Texas Online, Tobin, William Gerard, Texas State Library & Archives Commission, Angel Navarro to Houston, January 26, 1860