When was bonham tx founded

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Family Tree. From FamilySearch Wiki. United States. Fannin County. Texas Online Genealogy Records. Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: Hidden Ancestors who welcome you to contribute. User:Evancol Adopt a page today. Bailey Bonham county seat Ector. Dodd City Ladonia. Bug Tussle Duplex Elwood.

Gober Ivanhoe Mulberry. Randolph Telephone Warren. Draper, Utah: Everton Pub. Provo, Utah: Ancestry, , Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Hidden category: Adopted pages. Navigation menu Personal tools English. Namespaces Page Talk. Views Read View source View history. After it burned in , the Lodge and newspaper built adjacent structures at this site.

The Lodge facilities are shared by four Masonic organizations, which support many programs in Honey Grove. Leonard, Leonard, Settlers began arriving in this area in the s and s.

Solomon L. Leonard planned to move here from Missouri because of his sympathy with the Confederate cause. Before his death, he accumulated holdings of 10, acres on the prairie around Wildcat Thicket, where fugitives and outlaws often hid.

Bob Lee , a leader in the Lee-Peacock feud, and a Confederate Army captain, was ambushed in the thicket by Union sympathizers. They donated land for a depot, streets, a small park, and this town square. On July 22, , a public auction took place here to sell town lots. A picnic was held and continues as an annual event.

Mark Daniels bought the first lot and erected a saloon. Soon there was a hotel, a post office, and ""The Graphic"" newspaper. By a schoolhouse was built and area churches moved into town.

Leonard was incorporated in and the town boundaries were extended one-half mile in each direction from the city hall building on the town square. For years Leonard has been the marketing center of this agricultural area. Sam Rayburn House, Bonham, In , three years after he began his career in the U. Congress, Sam Rayburn built this home for his parents, who had left their farm at Windom. The 2-story house had a front porch on each floor.

In architect W. Yarborough enlarged "The Home Place," turning the porches into a 2-story portico. When not in Washington, Rayburn lived here with other members of the family.

Deeded to the Texas Historical commission in , the house is now a museum. Crockett Park, Honey Grove, Named for David Crockett , the colorful Tennessee pioneer and congressman who rallied to cause of Texas in her war for independence. Camping at a site half a mile northeast of this park, he found wild bees and honey in hollow trees.

In letters to family and friends, Crockett called the campsite a "honey grove. One of Crockett's old friends, Tennessee surveyor Samuel A. Erwin , became the first settler here and first postmaster Benjamin S. Walcott, arriving in , added land of his own to his wife's legacy from James Gilmer.

With Erwin as co-founder, he platted town of Honey Grove on the Gilmer grant. He also erected first stone building. By , Honey Grove had many businesses, including a weekly newspaper, "The Independent. A peak of 4, inhabitants was attained in Situated on land bought from W.

Erwin this park provides recreation for a dynamic community. First Baptist Church of Bailey, Bailey, On May 23, , a small group of neighbors met together at the home of Mr. Baywood Atkins to discuss forming a Baptist church. Assisted by the Rev. Mays and the Rev. Pearce, a congregation was begun with twelve charter members: Mr.

Baywood Atkins, Mr. Gray, Dr. Ray, Mr. Elijah H. Smith, Mrs. Mary Branch Sisson, Mr. John Turner, Charles T. Turner, and George Turner. The group first met in the Portland schoolhouse, and the congregation was named Corinth Baptist Church.

Services were held in the schoolhouse once a month until , when the church relocated to its present site in Bailey. The name was changed to First Baptist Church of Bailey, and the congregation shared a building with the local Masonic lodge.

In the church began construction of a new sanctuary, which was completed and dedicated in May It was used until , when a larger brick building was erected. Over the years, the First Baptist Church of Bailey has actively served its community. A part of Fannin County history for over one hundred years, the church continues to be a vital part of the town of Bailey. First Fannin County Settlement, Elwood, Established April by five pioneers moving to Texas on the ""Rover,"" one of few steamboats to pass around snags and bends of Red River to this area.

They were soon joined by Jabez Fitzgerald and Mark Roberts and families, who traveled overland. Leader of settlers was Rowlett, planter and lawyer as well as doctor, instrumental in creation of Fannin County, ; he served Republic of Texas in army and in 2nd, 4th and 8th Congresses.

First National Bank, Bonham, Chartered December 12, At that time, county had 25, people; farming and industry prospered; a new railroad was being built; seven schools and colleges and three newspapers were in operation. Growth of the bank has paralleled and contributed to Bonham's growth. Many descendants of the 24 original stockholders remain affiliated with its interests. Presidents have been: W.

Nunnelee, ; S. Allen, ; A. Sweeney, ; Dick Saunders, First United Methodist Church, Bonham, Founded in in the Republic of Texas by a circuit rider, the Rev. James H. Graham , this church first met in a log cabin, which it shared with Baptist and Presbyterian congregations.

Charter members included the families of Bailey English , founder of the town of Bonham, and his brother-in-law, James P. The log cabin was replaced in by a frame church, which the Methodists shared on alternate Sundays with Cumberland Presbyterians until A brick church building was erected in and rebuilt one year after it was destroyed by a fire in The Women's Missionary Society, organized in , enabled Lelia Roberts , a lifelong members of this congregation, to begin a mission school in Mexico.

Miss Roberts, along with her sister, Martha, operated the school for 44 years until it was taken over by the Mexican government in A memorial fund, established by the church in , continues the missionary efforts begun by Miss Roberts. An education building was constructed in and the present sanctuary in With a current member-ship of , this is one of the largest congregations in Fannin County. Ladonia Cemetery, Ladonia, The principal burial ground for members of the Ladonia community, this graveyard has historically been divided into two sections: The I.

Odd Fellows Cemetery and the Presbyterian Cemetery. The oldest recorded grave, that of Joe Shelby d. Shelby, is located in the Presbyterian Cemetery section. Also in that section is the ""Stranger's Tomb,"" marking the grave of an unknown traveler who died in October Another early burial is that of William Lovelace Foster , Civil War veteran and pastor of Ladonia's first Baptist church at the time of his death.

The I. The earliest recorded grave there is that of Mrs. Marie Hockaday The Lodge continued to care for its section of the cemetery until about , when management of the two sections of the graveyard were merged. Old Rhine Home, Bonham, Colonial style home built Wooden pegs used in construction.

Bought by Eugene Risser, Sr. The organizational meeting for this church was held at the home of Mrs. Stevenson in The new congregation met for worship at the Stevenson home until when they constructed a small building on this site.

Although many additions to the church complex have been made, the original building still serves as the sanctuary. During the s the church was named Clark Memorial Methodist Church in honor of longtime member Mrs. John Clark. The congregation has produced a number of ministers from its membership. Grove Hill,Leonard, The earliest settler in this area was George w.

Smith, a native of Georgia, who moved here in By the early s, a community had developed and a post office was established under the name Oak Hill. The first church, a Baptist congregation, was organized in at the home of pioneer settler Joseph Ring. The first church building, completed in , was also used for Masonic Lodge meetings and school classes.

In William Thomas Clark, F. Taylor, and T. Cobb, trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church, purchased four acres at this site for a community schoolhouse, sanctuary, and cemetery. The earliest marked grave in the community burial ground is that of William B.

Thomas d. Other graves include those of pioneer settlers and at least one former slave, Jack Sudderth The settlement of Grove Hill began to decline in the early s after the nearby railroad town of Leonard 3. SW was established. The Masonic Lodge moved there soon after and the school merged with the Leonard District in William Chamberlayne Jones Aug.

Trained as an attorney, he sold his Red River plantation after the Civil War and began studying medicine in New Orleans. He later served this area as a physician in the Grove Hill and Leonard communities. Jones and his wife Ellen O'Meara Birmingham had fifteen children. Congressman Sam Rayburn, Bonham, Born in Tennessee on Jan. His political career began in with his election to the Texas House of Representatives, where he was Speaker of the Session.

Rayburn was elected to the U. Congress from the 4th District in , the first of his 25 consecutive terms there. Rising quickly to a leadership position, he was chairman of the Democratic party caucus in Roosevelt's New Deal legislation.

On Sept. Except for the 80th and 83rd Congresses, when he was Minority Leader, Rayburn held the speakership until , longer than anyone in the nation's history. A party leader as well, he was chairman of the Democratic National Conventions of , , and Rayburn died on Nov. Kennedy, along with Lyndon B. Johnson, were among national figures at his funeral. He is buried in Willow Wild Cemetery. Rehobeth Cemetery Chapel, Ladonia, First house of worship in this part of Fannin county.

Place for camp meetings, burials, annual reunions since Chapel built was ruined by tornado and rebuilt in In Bonham--as in most Texas towns that became busy trading, ranching, or agricultural centers in the late s--streetcars or trolleys were used in local transit.

Bonham's steam-powered streetcar line, built about , extended 2. Cars ran every 30 minutes. Fare was 5 cents; or 10 cents round-trip. The route avoided the business district, as streetcars frightened horses and disrupted trading. Other towns of sprawling growth had mule-drawn streetcars as early as These early cars were susceptible to track-jumping, collision, and other accidents, but were nevertheless welcomed for their services.

Convenient streetcar rides attracted not only townspeople, but saddle-sore cowboys as well. By , when Bonham acquired the steam-car line, mule-drawn cars were being replaced all over Texas. Joseph F. Member Shackelford's Company, Colonel Fannin's command, First Baptist Church, Ladonia, Ladonia's Baptists trace their history to , when the Rev. On January 8, the congregation formally organized as the First Baptist Church. Moffat became the first pastor. The congregation became actively involved in both Baptist affairs and missionary endeavors early in its development.

In , Ladonia was the site of the Baptist convention of eastern Texas, though attendance was somewhat low due to a yellow fever outbreak. However, the next year Ladonia continued hosting other Baptist events and participating in local, county, and regional association meetings. As early as , women's groups were active in local missionary programs, and at the turn of the century the congregation as a whole began to support a nearby orphanage as well as foreign missions.

Throughout its history, the First Baptist Church of Ladonia has played an important role in the religious life of this community. Vicinity of Fort Inglish, Bonham, Spot where settlement of town of Bonham began. Here they built a log stockade and blockhouse with gun ports for use in community defense.

In a typical fight , the Indians were repulsed, but captured two young boys hunting cows near the fort. The boys returned later. James Butler Bonham James G. Gilmer ,Honey Grove, One of the courageous men who helped civilize the wilderness. James P. Gilmer, the fourth son, is said to have been first Anglo-American born at present Honey Grove. A few months after he settled here, James G. Gilmer died; his burial established this cemetery. On his land grant, left to his wife, the town was later built.

Grove Hill Masonic Lodge, Leonard, Chartered in with fifteen members, this Masonic Lodge was organized in the Grove Hill community 3. The first meetinghouse was constructed there on property purchased in conjunction with the Grove Hill School District, which used the facility for classes. The Lodge moved to Leonard in , shortly after the town was founded.

Meetings were conducted in the city hall until a separate Lodge hall was built on the square in Other buildings later served the Lodge, which has included many prominent leaders of Grove Hill and Leonard.

In , ten years after the town of Honey Grove was incorporated, Mayor J. Gilmer brought to the attention of the City Council the need for a city hall and jail building. This structure was completed four years later. It is Fannin County's only original civic building that is still standing.

The minutes of the City Council meetings during the years are full of the deliberations concerning the construction of the city hall, including the matters of lot selection, financing, selection of a builder, and selection of material.

A piece of property secured by the City Hall and Jail Committee in later was thought to be too small to serve Honey Grove's future needs, and this site was selected in Allen was awarded the construction contract in October Stone for the building was secured from the Floyd Quarry, an early Honey Grove industry. Bad weather delayed the completion of the new city hall and jail until October It has since continued to serve as the seat of government in Honey Grove. Old Home of Pioneer Banker A.

Scarborough, Bonham, Built , the massive architecture combines Gothic, Grecian and 17th century features in arches, balconies, cupola, turrets, gables. An example of Victorian Romanesque, bought and preserved by Joe C. Founder and developer of Honey Grove, B. Walcott was a native of New England. He came to this area in and in married elizabeth Betsey Gilmer Walcott opened the first store here in Samuel Erwin's log cabin and constructed the first frame store building when the town was laid out in He erected the first school building in and gave land for a Union Church in Walcott's two sons also became community leaders.

Buchanan Cemetery, Randolph, Alexander Buchanan , his wife Delilah , and their eleven children moved to the Republic of texas from Illinois in They settled on a acre farm at this site in January Alexander Buchanan died that same year and was buried on his farm in what became the Buchanan Cemetery.

Delilah Buchanan continued to live on the farm until her death and was buried next to her husband. Some of their children and descendants, many of whom became Fannin County business and civic leaders, also are interred in the family graveyard.

Central National Road, Ladonia, Created to connect Texas Republic with the United States. Surveyed by Maj. George W. Stell, road was to be 30' wide and clear of tree stumps more than a foot high. Route ran north of land of John H. Loring 1 mi. E of present Ladonia , coming eastward to make abrupt north turn here and push over Sulphur River at crossing named for Isaac Lyday, who came here in A small segment of the road may still be seen skirting Lyday Cemetery in the W.

Wehrmann, Jr. The oldest readable gravestone in this burial ground bears the date , four years before the founding of the Indian Creek Baptist Church. Dock Holcomb donated this property adjacent to the cemetery, and a church building was completed in using lumber hauled by wagon from Jefferson.

For over a century the burial ground was under the direct care of the congregation. An annual cemetery decoration day was begun in First Baptist Church, Honey Grove, Originally organized in November of by Pastor W. Nine charter members formed the church. After several years, there was a dispute between Allen's Chapel Methodists and the First Baptist Church over use of the schoolhouse.

The Baptists erected a new structure in The following year the Baptist church split; remaining members called themselves Honey Grove Baptist Church. They held services in a frame schoolhouse for several years. Called the Union Church, it was the only house of worship in the community for twenty years.

When the Baptists acquired their own building, with a seating capacity of , in , they inherited the Union Church bell. The First Baptist Church completed a new sanctuary in Solid brick walls, a metal roof and ceilings, cement foundation and cork linoleum flooring were highlights of the new building.

Distributed to members of the faith throughout the state, the publication was a predecessor to "The Baptist Standard," which celebrated years of publication in Marking years of worship in , the First Baptist Church of Honey Grove continues the traditions of its founders with a variety of religious life and community service programs. Trenton, Trenton, In he built Fort Inglish, a blockhouse and stockade, on 1, acres of land located on Bois d'Arc Creek near timber and water supplies.

John P. Simpson came soon thereafter, and Inglish and Simpson donated the original townsite, known as Bois d'Arc, as an inducement to settlement. Inglish also secured the town's first post office, which served an area of several hundred miles, including what is now Collin and Grayson counties. When Bois d'Arc became the Fannin county seat on January 26, , the county extended into the Panhandle and Greer County, Oklahoma Territory; the area later became twenty Texas counties. Bonham , who died at the Alamo.

By the early s, C. Alexander of Cumberland County, Kentucky, established a business house to supply Fort Worth and nearby forts, and Bonham became a resting and supply base for homeseekers in northeastern Texas. During the Civil War the town was an agricultural center located at a strategic point near the state's northern border, though few people lived there between and Bonham was the site of Gen. Henry E. McCulloch 's Confederate military headquarters for the northern subdistrict of Texas, and local merchants sold supplies to the government.

After the Civil War an influx of settlers from the upper South increased the population and contributed to the town's educational, financial, and industrial development.