Livingston, bold springs Area, Polk County, Texas Grave Survey & Genealogy Research

Jimmie Allen Yates

Obituary published in the Polk County Enterprise

ONALASKA - Funeral services for Jimmie Allen Yates, 67, of Trinity were held

Monday, July 29, 2002, from the Cochran Funeral Home Chapel in Onalaska, with

the Rev. Davis Thornton officiating. Interment followed in Magnolia Cemetery.

Military honors were provided by VFW Post 8568. Mr. Yates died Thursday,

July 25, at his residence. He was born April 3, 1935 in Trinity, the son of Verlin

Robert Yates and Alma Walker Yates. He served in the U.S. Air Force, attaining

the rank of SSgt. and was employed in the air conditioning business. Survivors

include his mother, Alma Lee Pogue of Carlisle; sister and brother-in-law, Melva

Ray and Willie H. Whitehead of Colleyville; aunts, Minnie Ola Kremer of

Livingston and Pearl Fae Graef of Livingston; nephews, Bruce H. Whitehead of

Dallas and Craig R. Whitehead of Conroe; niece, Lynda W. Barber of Colleyville;

three great-nieces and six great-nephews.

{Verlin Robert Yates was the son of William Riley & Kizzie Matilda Sexton Yates,

Jimmie is their grandson.}


Obituaries: Trinity County, TX –

loose page scrapbooks held by Trinity County Museum

Transcribed by: Loudene Tollar, Member of Trinity County (TX) Historical

Commission The transcribed records may contain errors due to unclear or

missing print. Names or dates that could be something else are shown with

an *. Original paragraph format may have been changed to conserve space.

MRS. DORA KEEN HARRISON - died at 8 p.m. Friday, October 12, at her home

after several months of illness. Funeral services were held at the Groveton Methodist Church Monday, October 15 by the Pastor,Rev. Mouzon Lee, assisted

by Rev. Wadsworth of Livingston. Interment was in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. Trinity under the direction of RenfroFuneral Home. Pallbearers were:

Clayburn Dickey, Ira Collins, Frank Ed White, Sherman Eaves, Dudley Warner

and Ernest Terry.

Mrs. Harrison was born in Bolds Springs in Polk County, Sept 26, 1878,

being 67 years and 16 days old at the time of her death.

Survivors are two daughters Alta and Lucille Harrison of Groveton, a son,

Ben serving in the U.S. Army en route home from the ETO, a sister, Mrs. Gid

Honsinger of Trinity, three brothers, C. H. Keen of Corpus Christi, Jim Keen

of Lufkin and B. L. Keen of Gulfport, Miss., a number of nieces and nephews.

The out of town people who attended Mrs. Dora Harrison's funeral were Miss

Edna and Alma Dean Wright, MR. and Mrs. C. E. Ross, Mr. and Mrs. H. C

Craig of Houston, Z. Foreman and MR. and Mrs. H. Price of Livingston, Mr.

John Rogers, MR. and Mrs. R. M.Rogers, Mrs. Cecil Rogers, Mrs. Hattie Hood

and Mrs. Wainright of New Willard, Mrs. A. P. Keene and Mucie Bo of Moscow,

Mrs. W. C. Sadler and Mrs. Mary Sadler of Huntsville, Mr. and Mrs. C. H.

Keene of Corpus Christi and Mr. and Mrs. Jim Keene and Mrs. Doris Wier

of Lufkin. (Newspaper printed Nov. 8, 1945)

**********************************************************
Lucille Harrison

Obituary published in the Houston Chronicle – February 8, 2007 Edition

HOUSTON – Lucille Harrison was born in Trinity, TX on Nov. 26, 1911 and she died on Feb. 6, 2007. She was preceded in death by her parents Gid & Dora {Keen} Harrison, her sister, Alta Harrison, brother, Ben Harrison. When Lucille came to Harris County in 1952 she went to work at Meadowbrook Lumber Co., owned by Mr. C.A. Coskey as his book keeper and secretary. This property was sold and a new office building was built and she became Mr. Coskey, J.B. Coskey and C.A. Coskey, Jr., bookkeeper and secretary for a total of 34 years. She was highly respected and treated like family by the Coskey family. She was a member of Park Place Methodist Church where she was honored in 1997 after 41 yeas of membership and she was a member of the World wide Sunday School Class. She is a 50 year member of Pasadena Rebekah Lodge, a member of Groveton ex-students association. Her pleasure was helping to care for her neighbor and friends. She enjoyed traveling and playing cards. She is survived by her God-children, Mary & Dolores Harris, Gid Honsinger, her cousin, Mucie Bo Branch, Janet Reed, Carleen Tognetty and Libby Bowerman. A visitation will be held at the Pasadena Funeral Chapel on Thursday, from 6-8 p.m. Funeral services will be held in their chapel on Friday, February 9, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. Graveside services and interment will be at 3:00 Friday in the Cedar Grove Cemetery, Trinity, Tx. Donations can be made to the charity of choice or to the American Cancer Society.

PASADENA FUNERAL CHAPEL

Neda Fay McPike Boaen Tucker
Obituary published in the Polk County Enterprise

LIVINGSTON - Funeral services for Neda Faye Tucker, age 60, of Livingston, will be held Wednesday March 25, 2009, at 4:00pm in the chapel of Cochran Funeral Home in Livingston with Tracy Fuller officiating, interment to follow in Peebles Cemetery in Livingston.
Neda was born May 22, 1948 in Livingston, Texas the daughter of Oliver Carl & Lolar Maud McPike and passed away March 23, 2009 in Lufkin, Texas.
She is survived by her children, David and Haley Boaen of Point Blank, Texas, Robert Boaen of Livingston, Scottie Boaen of Livingston, and Teresa Boaen of Florida, 6, grandchildren and 3, great grandchildren, Buddy McPike, brother, of Livingston, Oliver McPike, brother of Livingston, Billy & Glenda McPike, brother & sister in law of Livingston, Charles & Judy Wells, brother & sister in law of Livingston, Mary Ann & Jimmy Sullivan, sister & brother in law of Cleveland, Mary Jane Martin, sister of Livingston and brother in law, J.B. Loftin of Livingston. A host of nieces, nephews, and other family also survive.
She is preceded in death by her 1st husband, David Boaen, her 2nd husband, Author Tucker, sister Helen Loftin and beautiful granddaughter, Kiley Boaen.
Cochran Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Reclaiming the past: Colita residents work to restore black cemetery
Published in the Polk County Enterprise, June 6, 2004
By VANESA BRASHIER/Feature/special sections editor
LIVINGSTON – The three little tombs lie side by side. Siblings, the children’s

headstones are not marked with the year in which they died.
Yet it is evident by the tall sweet gum tree rising through one of the graves that

the tombs have been here for quite some time.
One of the three small, cement tombstones reads: “Gone, but not forgotten.”
However, this cemetery, until recently, appeared to have lapsed from the memories

of anyone who knew its inhabitants.
Located on FM 350 N about 14 miles from US 190, Fairfield Cemetery, which is

believed to be a black cemetery, is now set to rights.
The cemetery’s “reclamation,” as it is sometimes referred to by the four people

responsible for the cleanup, began a couple of years ago when David McCarty,

one of the four, happened upon the long-forgotten cemetery.
Though he can’t recall the circumstances that led him to the cemetery, McCarty

remembers clearly how it looked that day. Brush and felled trees covered the

ground and shrouded the graves. Pines shadowed and darkened the cemetery, and

standing in the center of the cemetery was the charred, withering remains of a

blackjack oak that appeared to have been struck by lightning, said McCarty.
“I hated to see the cemetery in that condition. It did look rough, I tell ya,” he said

solemnly. “I looked at some of the tombstones and realized the history of old Colita

(a community northwest of Livingston) was there. I just couldn’t see it being lost.”
A year passed and McCarty could not get the cemetery and its dilapidated state out

of his head. So he got permission from the land’s owner to chop down the pines that

were taking over the cemetery. Feeling good that he had stopped the growth of the

pines, McCarty quit working at the cemetery.
Unbeknownst to McCarty, his cousins, Cynthia Kreiger and Ruth Goertz, who are

sisters, just happened to visit Fairfield Cemetery a few months afterward.
According to Kreiger, she and Goertz had originally planned to visit a different

cemetery but were sent to Fairfield instead.
Since some of those buried at Fairfield were former friends of Kreiger and Goertz,

the two were interested to see how the cemetery was faring.
“We saw all the downed trees, but we didn’t know David had cut them down,” said

Kreiger with a laugh. “And there were three big trees growing right over a bunch of tombstones. You couldn’t even see the tombstones. Everything looked so snaky.”
After their visit to Fairfield, Kreiger went home and told her husband, Warren, of the cemetery’s neglect.
“I asked if he was interested in cleaning up the cemetery. He kind of shrugged and

said he needed to take a look at it,” said Kreiger, adding that she also learned of

McCarty’s cleanup efforts soon after that.
When they visited the cemetery again a short time later, Warren agreed to the

cleanup project. Goertz also agreed to help.
Working with machetes, Warren Kreiger and Goertz stripped the limbs from the

trees and carried away the brush. Then they hauled out the remaining timber and

began pulling up stumps. David figures he and Goertz must have removed more

than 530 stumps from the small cemetery.
Cynthia Kreiger, who suffers from emphysema, took on the less physically

demanding tasks of documenting the details of the headstones and researching

information about those buried there.
Of the 61 marked graves in the cemetery, the oldest dates back to the early 1900s.

The times of death for many others are questionable because the crude gravestones

are nothing more than large rocks and mounds of cement. They have no markings –

nothing at all to identify the person inside the grave. On the graves that bear only

a rusted marker from the funeral homes, Cynthia Kreiger has erected small white crosses.
“The old markers are in such bad shape,” she said, pointing down to one that

appeared to be more rust than metal.
In her search for information about many of those buried at Fairfield, Cynthia

Kreiger did not have to go too far. Several of the deceased had been close family

friends including a black woman Kreiger’s family called “Aunt Noah.”
“She was in and out of our house a lot. She would come and rake the yard and then

have a meal with us,” Goertz said. “I don’t know if Aunt Noah worked for money

or not, but she always got a meal when she came over.”
According to Cynthia Kreiger, Aunt Noah, whose real name was Herald Hayes, also

was referred to as Aunt Jane to her family members and as “Scrap” by her husband.
For a while, Aunt Noah even lived with Cynthia, Ruth and their parents and family.

As a testament to their family’s devotion to Aunt Noah, Cynthia and Ruth’s father

made the woman’s homemade headstone when she died of cancer in the 1960s.
Warren Kreiger met Aunt Noah after he and Cynthia were married.
“Aunt Noah was a happy person. She would sing and then strum a guitar, but she

couldn’t do either very well,” he said.
The cleanup project has taken several months, working three days a week, with the

exception of winter and late fall. During those months, the four do not visit the

cemetery much as it is located directly next door to a hunting club.
“We try to avoid being out here during hunting season. We don’t want to be mistaken

for deer,” said Warren, again chuckling. It is apparent from their stories about the

cleanup that they have enjoyed their time at the cemetery.
“I heard you just laugh and laugh when I got stung by yellowjackets,” said Goertz,

ribbing her cousin, McCarty, who grinned in response.
Because of their ages – David McCarty is 78, Cynthia Kreiger is 72, Warren Kreiger

is 72 and Ruth Goertz is 69 – they know the day soon may come when they are unable

to keep up the cemetery. In the meantime, they hope to get some community service organizations and perhaps descendants of those buried at Fairfield to help with the maintenance and much-needed improvements.
“I’ve tried to drum up some interest but I didn’t get any so I gave up on that route,”

said McCarty.
For now, the four plan to continue working at the cemetery. After all, according to

those involved, being at the graveyard reminds them of their pasts and futures. It

eminds them of their own mortality and stirs up memories of those they have lost,

especially their beloved Aunt Noah.
“Now when I get to heaven, I won’t have to hear her say how I should have taken

better care of her,” Warren Kreiger said with a chuckle.
And, as long as these four are around, the inhabitants of Fairfield Cemetery truly

will be “gone, but not forgotten.”
*******************************************************

Frankee Danielle McCarty
Published in the Polk County Enterprise - January 10, 2005 Edition
LIVINGSTON – Funeral services for Frankee Danielle McCarty, 13, were held Thursday,

Jan. 6, 2005, in Jones Prairie Baptist Church, with Bro. Larry Byrd officiating. Burial

followed in Jones Prairie Cemetery in Leggett.
She was born May 9, 1991 in Channelview, the daughter of Raymond and Kimberlee

Moore McCarty, and died Sunday, Jan. 2, at her residence.
Survivors include her parents, Dale and Kim McCarty of Leggett; brother, Patrick McCarty

and Brandon McCarty of Leggett; grandparents, Joe and Faye Adams of Leggett and Linda

and Ray McCarty of Leggett; grandmother, Juanita Vrazel of Sealy; grandfather, Robert

Moore of Willis; great-grandmother, Odessa McCarty of Livingston; aunts, Angie

McCarty Hunt of Leggett and Robin Marks of Leggett and numerous cousins and friends.
Pallbearers were Dale McCarty, Charles Reddicks, Jessie Garcia, Anthony Garcia, Crystal

Garcia and Troy Lively.
Cochran Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
****************************************************

{Frankee McCarty is the granddaughter of Patrick McCarty and is related to the

other McCarty’s buried at Bold Springs Cemetery.}

Teenager fatally shot
Polk County Enterprise - Front Page - January 10, 2005
LEGGETT – Mild night temperatures and no school the next day were conducive to

a group of young people sit-ting outdoors, visiting and listening to music, but one

such gathering in Leggett ended in tragedy early Sunday.
One of four young people visiting in the front yard of a private residence, 13-year-old

Frankee Danielle McCarty, died of a single gunshot wound to the head, according to

the Polk County Sheriff’s Department.
The department was notified of a possible shooting at 12:03 a.m. Sunday. The first

officers arrived in about 10 minutes and found the girl’s body, according to Detective

Captain Dennis Allen.
Investigators are proceeding slowly, in part because of the age of the other youngsters

at the scene; two are 12-years-old and one is 15-years-old, Allen said. One of the victim’s parents was sleeping inside the residence when the incident occurred, he added.
“We are still doing forensic work,” Allen said Wednesday. The department has

sought assistance from the Texas Rangers and DPS Crime Lab and is in contact

with the Polk County District Attorney’s Office “to determine the proper recourse,

if any.”
Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the shooting was accidental.

Another aspect being investigated is whether an adult will be held responsible

for allowing a minor access to a weapon, according to Allen.
Investigators on Wednesday were still awaiting preliminary results of an autopsy

ordered by Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace David Johnson, who pronounced the

child dead at the scene. At this point in the investigation, officials are confirming only that the fatal shot is believed to have come from a 9-mm pistol and whoever fired the shot was

“someone known to the victim.”

First officers to arrive at the scene were Texas Highway Patrol Troopers Chris

Cain and Kevin Burman. Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Wright arrived soon after. The

investigation was then turned over to Detectives Mark Jones and Phillip Waller,

Allen said.
Funeral services for McCarty are scheduled for 2 p.m. today (Thursday) at Jones

Prairie Baptist Church.
**********************************************************

Juvenile charged in shooting death
Published in the Polk County Enterprise - Posted February 1, 2005

LEGGETT – A 15-year-old juvenile faces multiple charges in connection with the

Jan. 2 shooting death of 13-year-old Frankee Danielle McCarty of Leggett.
Polk County Sheriff’s Department investigators on Wednesday filed charges of murder,

injury to child and tampering with physical evidence against the juvenile following an

extensive investigation that began with the discovery of McCarty’s body by deputies and highway patrol troopers responding to a report of a shooting at a residence on Sadler

Road in Leggett. In addition to the charges filed against the juvenile, a charge of making a firearm accessible to a minor, a Class A misdemeanor, were filed against the victim’s mother,

37-year-old Kimberlee Lynette McCarty. The shooting was reported at 12:03 a.m. Sunday,

Jan. 2. Subsequent investigation determined that prior to the shooting, the victim, two

12-year-old youths and a 15-year-old were in-side a van parked in front of the residence

listening to a radio, according to Detective Capt. Dennis Allen. The 15-year-old allegedly obtained a loaded 9-mm handgun from inside the residence, then returned to the other

youths in the van, he said. Kimberlee McCarty was reportedly asleep inside the residence

at the time.
“While the youths were inside the van, the 15-year-old youth discharged the firearm he

had taken from the residence, with the bullet striking the 13-year-old victim,” Allen said.

“The gunshot wound later resulted in the youth’s death.” Preliminary autopsy results

indicate the victim died of a single gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation indicates that after the victim was shot, she was removed from the

vehicle by the suspect and placed in a second vehicle that was also parked at the residence, Allen said, adding that was when authorities were notified of the shooting.
Frankee McCarty was pronounced dead at the scene by Precinct 2 Justice of the

Peace David Johnson.
The 15-year-old suspect remains in the custody of the Polk County Probation

Department. Kimberlee McCarty has been released from custody after posting

a $1,000 bond set by Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Darrell Longino.
*********************************************************

High winds suspected in fatal plane crash
Published in the Polk County Enterprise, Dec. 11, 2003
LIVINGSTON - High winds may be a factor in a plane crash near Livingston Municipal

Airport Tuesday night that killed one Livingston man and critically injured another.
Ronald James Lowe, 54, of Livingston was attempting to land his Piper fixed-wing,

single-engine aircraft when the accident occurred, according to Texas Department

of Public Safety Sgt. Nita Bowen. The plane appeared to be flying in a northeast

direction when it clipped a tree top, traveled between two other trees and by a

two-story house and hit utility lines before crashing into the yard of a residence on

Chatham Street in Putnam's Landing, about a half mile from the airport, Bowen

said. No one on the ground was injured.
The pilot's son, 23-year-old Jason Lowe, was pronounced dead at the scene by

Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace David John-son. Ronald Lowe, a local surveyor,

was transported by Life Flight helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston,

where he was reported to be in critical but stable condition Wednesday morning.
The Polk County Sheriff's Department was first notified of the crash by a 911 call

that came in at 5:56 p.m., minutes after the crash.
Sheriff's deputies, the Livingston Volunteer Fire Department and Precinct 1

Constable Lester Tatum, along with private citizens and subdivision residents,

responded to assist.
Officers secured the crash scene until representatives from the Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) could arrive

to begin their investigation Wednesday.
Although a final determination as to the cause of the crash will be made by the FFA

and NTSB, Bowen said the plane may have been caught by a sudden gust of wind

prior to the accident. The Trinity River Authority recorded wind gusts Tuesday night

of up to 52 miles per hour at Lake Livingston Dam, not far from the airport.
State Representative Dan Ellis of Livingston landed a plane at the airport shortly before

5 p.m. Tuesday, about 15 minutes before Lowe's plane took off on what would be its

final flight. At that time, winds were gusting about 15-20 mph, which presented no

problems, Ellis, who has been flying private planes since the 1980s, said. There were

signs, however, that the winds were going to increase, something he said he discussed

with Dan Burrows, the fixed base operator at the airport.
Although Ellis was not at the airport when the crash occurred, he went to the crash

scene after being notified of the accident to see if he could help and contacted the pastor

of First Baptist Church, which Ellis and the Lowe’s attend.
Jason Lowe's body was transported to Cochran Funeral Home and later to Jefferson

County for autopsy. Bowen said the autopsy is standard procedure and that there is

"absolutely no suspicion, none whatsoever" that alcohol, drugs or negligence were a

factor in the accident.
Funeral services were pending Wednesday from Cochran Funeral Home.
A scholarship has been established by his Livingston High School classmates in

Jason's honor. Contributions to the Jason Lowe Class of '98 Scholarship may be mailed

to the Green and White Scholarship office, P.O. Box 1297, Livingston, Texas 77351,

or call Gregg Faith, Green and White Scholarship director, at 328-2307.

Plane crash touched us all
Polk County Enterprise, Dec. 14, 2003
To the editor:

On Tuesday night just before 6 o'clock, a small plane just barely missed several homes and

crashed in a backyard just out-side our front door. Those of us who have lived out here for

a long time have always been concerned that low-flying planes could get into trouble and

crash as this one did. Now that it is a reality, it is very unsettling for us all.
The accident has touched us all. We are so sorry that the outcome had not been better. We

all have so much to be thankful for. The plane must have come within yards of our rooftop.

I can only imagine how frightened and terrified the pilot must have been. I feel he must have

done all he could have done because the plane hit where there was little damage.
I hope the Lowe family takes comfort knowing someone was at the scene immediately and

never left their side. Mr. Butler held Jason upright so he wouldn't be hanging out the side

of the plane, telling him to hang in there, help was on the way. He stayed with him until

emergency help arrived. Everyone who helped had hoped for a better outcome. We all feel

bad that Jason lost his life. He was be remembered in our hearts forever. We extend our

sympathy and will continue to pray for his father.
It was truly amazing to watch all the emergency personnel come together and do a great

job. It is reassuring to know that if this ever happens again that there is a whole network

of emergency personnel ready to do their job. I especially appreciate SHECo for getting

the electricity back on so quickly. It was a cold night but we all went to sleep in warm homes.
Happy holidays to everyone.

Carole Merka
Livingston


Fire proves fatal for Livingston man
Published in the Polk County Enterprise - December 2005
LIVINGSTON – A 53-year-old Livingston man died Thursday night in a fire on

Hwy. 190 West. His wife and 7-year-old grandson managed to escape without injury.

David Cunningham was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire by Precinct 2 Justice

of the Peace David Johnson.

The fire, in the Aubrey Bookkeeping Service building in Livingston, apparently began

in an apartment area in the center of the building. It was reported at 6:31 p.m.

Livingston VFD Assistant Chief John Haynes was on the scene within about two

minutes and said the center portion of the building was fully involved in flames and

the fire was blowing out the front of the structure. Fire was burning through the walls

into the bookkeeping office on the east side and a beauty shop on the west. Haynes

said the smoke was extremely heavy.

As soon as firefighters arrived, they were told someone was still inside. Firefighters

immediately began to try to locate the victim. “We had about 15 people in air packs

working to find him,” said LVFD Chief Corky Cochran. There was intense heat, he

said, adding firefighters were attempting to enter the building both from the front and

the back. Units from the Onalaska and Scenic Loop fire departments arrived to assist,

as did units from the Indian Reservation. Cochran estimated it took about 20 minutes

to find Cunningham's body. Haynes said the body was located in the kitchen, adjacent

to the living room area where the victim had last been seen. It took abut 30 minutes to

knock the fire down. The victim's wife told firefighters that her husband, who was on

oxygen, had been smoking. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation. City

Fire Marshal Mark Taylor was on the scene with investigators from the state fire marshal's

office Friday.

While firefighters were unable to save Cunningham, Cochran said the fire was a good

example of how the local emergency agencies work together. “A lot of people were

putting themselves at risk.... As other departments came in, they fell in, working hand

in hand,” he said. “We just couldn't get to him.”

In addition to the four fire departments, units from the Livingston Police Department,

Polk County Sheriff's Department, Department of Public Safety and EMS personnel

assisted at the scene. There are two mobile homes adjacent to the building that received

their electrical power and gas service through the building that burned. Dick Cooley

of the Polk County chapter of the American Red Cross was called to assist those families.

Four trucks and 21 firefighters from the Livingston VFD responded to the fire, along

with two trucks and 10 firefighters from Scenic Loop, two trucks and nine firefighters

from Onalaska and two trucks and six firefighters from the Indian Reservation.

It was 8:22 p.m. when Livingston units left the scene.

Polk County Publishing Company

Murder trial draws a crowd
From the Archives by Wanda Bobinger - Polk County Enterprise, Aug. 12, 2004
An old Livingston Local newspaper dated June 26, 1897 ran a headline “Not Guilty, Jury

Out Three Hours.”
“We the Jury find the defendant not guilty,” read Jury Foreman J.C. Pruitt, sending a thrill

through the crowded courtroom late Thursday night, removing from John Calhoun Marsh

the charge of murder which had hung over him for a period of two years.
John Calhoun Marsh and Frank Reed became involved in a difficulty and Reed being a

young man easily overcame Mr. Marsh in a fist fight. It was then agreed that they should

meet on the road that same afternoon and fight it out with guns. They met and Reed fell,

being shot through and through with a rifle, but not before he fired one barrel and snapped

the other of a double barrel shotgun. Three shots were fired, two by Marsh and one by

Reed. Mr. Marsh said just after the tragedy, and on the witness stand, that he arrived on the

ground first and having a few minutes to think over the matter, changed his mind and started to return to his home. After going about 75 to 100 yards, Reed overtook him and the shooting commenced.
The trial consumed two days and was ably fought by both sides. The relatives of the dead

man employed Adams and Campbell to assist District Attorney Carter in the prosecution and Holshousen and Feagin and O.E. Oates represented the defense. It was past sundown as

arguments were finished, but the court announced it would reopen that evening if a verdict

was reached. Crowds of the town gathered at the temple of justice and as the verdict was

read, the applause of the people showed what they desired and expected. The defendant

immediately went over and shook hands with the jury and with a host of friends who had

stuck with him through the dark days since the shooting.
John Calhoun Marsh was born in 1845 in Rapides Parish, La., where duels were common.

He settled at Colita in Polk County and enlisted in Company E, 20th Texas Infantry,

Elmore’s Regiment when the Civil War broke out.
Frank Reed lived at Colita also, just down the road from Marsh. Marsh’s daughter, Ola,

was in love with Reed, but as the two men were working cattle one day, Marsh was offended

by something Reed said and it was decided to settle with the duel.
While I value paper documentation, I had a yearning to see that actual place where the duel

happened. One Saturday morning, I met John Calhoun’s great-great-granddaughter, Bobbye

Lea Wade, who still lives on the land of her ancestors. She drove me to the site of the duel.

She told me what her grandmother, Donna Marsh Grimshaw, had related to her. “The wife

of John Calhoun and the smaller children were terrified as Marsh rode off to meet Reed.

They crossed the creek and hid behind the split rail fence where they heard the gun shots.

They heard a horse running down the road and did not know who had been killed until the

horse and rider finally came into view.” Family members have said that Ola never really

got over the fact that her father had killed the man she loved. Marriage records, however,

indicate that she married Dennis Kelly on Dec. 24, 1899, two years after the trial which

acquitted her father of murder.
Marsh lived until 1922 and is buried at the Bold Springs Cemetery.

Full life leads to judgeship
From the Archives by Wanda Bobinger - Polk County Enterprise, Jan. 29, 2004
Arthur Thomas Watts was born in Covington County, Miss. on Aug. 31, 1837, the son

of William and Patience (Lott) Watts. The family came to Polk County in 1841,

according to the Handbook of Texas. William apparently died prior to 1860, during

which year the census showed Arthur living with his mother Patience and an 18-year-

old John Watts, a store clerk and perhaps a brother.

Arthur's education was above average for his time and his Zion Seminary studies

prepared him to practice law. He was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1859 and did

practice law in Polk County until interrupted by the Civil War. Tax rolls indicate

that Watts owned two slaves.

In 1861, Arthur joined the Confederacy and was with the 16th Mississippi Infantry

Regiment. He was assigned to the Army of Northern Virginia and saw action in

Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign and at most the eastern front's

major battles. He was wounded twice.

He returned to Polk County and continued his law practice, and in 1869, he married

Mary Victery, the Georgia-born daughter of John and Charlotte Victery from

Swartwout. By 1870, a daughter, Mary Ella, was born.

In 1872, Watts was elected to the 13th State Legislature, during which he proved a

vigorous opponent of Reconstruction. He was also well known for his opposition to

the scheme of the International and Great Northern Railway Co. to force the state

to recognize the grant of state bonds. He instead advocated a plan to substitute lands.

This contest led to the enactment of the Railroad Law of May 2, 1873.

He was active in the repeal of the police, militia, and election acts of Gov. Davis. He

rewrote the election laws.

In 1874, Watts moved to Weatherford and formed a law practice with Samuel Lanham,

who later became governor of the state.

Watts was appointed to the Court of Appeals, an adjunct to the State Supreme Court

in 1880. He proposed the abolition of jury trials in both civil and criminal cases in favor

of a tribunal of three judges in 1891.

In 1901, Watts was appointed by Gov. Lanham as judge of the 16th District Court.

He retired in 1920 in Beaumont.

Arthur's mother, Patience, remained in Polk County and, in 1900, died at age 93.

She was buried in the Bold Springs Cemetery.