Texas Highway Map
If you take a close look at the map above Robertson County is on the far right and is outlined in orange. Milam County is just west of Robertson and outlined in green. Just to the northwest of Milam is Bell County (outlined in blue) and to the west of Milam is Williamson County (outlined in pink).
These four counties played important roles in my family history. The Meixners origiinally settled in Robertson Co. and then moved to Bell Co. Bell County is where my grandmother's family, the Armisteads, settled after they left Florida. My mother's family, the Galbreaths, settled in Milam Co. Later on the Galbreaths would move next door to Williamson County. Mom and dad met and fell in love in Georgetown in Williamson Co. My dad came there from Concho County, where he grew up, and was attending Southwestern University. Mom was working for a professor at Southwestern. I hope to cover all this in future posts but I wanted to point out the significance of these four counties in my family's history.
Now back to the story.
When did the Meixner Family make their next move? If family stories are correct about the location and timing of the tragic deaths of the two little girls, that it happened in Robertson Co. on Good Friday, then the Meixner family's next move occurred some time between Easter 1882 and the year 1884. I base this on the above information and the fact that I found a copy of the Bell County Tax List for 1884 showing Frank Meixner's name.
Where did they move to? My cousin Claudia told me they moved about 60 miles northwest and settled near a little community called Little River in Bell County. Bell County was originally a part of Robertson's Colony just as Robertson County was. The first Anglo settlements in this area began in the 1830s. The area was abandoned and resettled a couple times before peace treaties were signed in 1843-44 with the Indians. The treaties resulted in a decrease in Indian raids into the county and helped stabilize the area. The county was formed on Jan. 22, 1850 and named for Peter H. Bell. Belton was made the county seat. In 1880 Bell County had a population of 20,517. (1)
Little River, Texas is about 9 miles south of Temple and about 9 miles a little southeast of Belton. It is just north of the Little River, which gave the town its name. It is one of the earliest settlements in Bell County. Families settled here after a fort was built along the river in 1836 to guard against Indian attacks. The community only had a population of 25 in 1890. (2)
Google Earth Map
You can see the farm land in the picture above. I noted the names of the town of Little River, center right, and the river, Little River, lower left, and then the Leon River, which flows into the Little River, is on the upper left. Somewhere in this picture, where all this farm land is pictured, is where I would speculate the Meixner family settled. Some where between Little River, TX and the Leon River, or possibly more to the north and close to the Leon River. I will develop this thought a little more later.
So why did they move yet again? I don't know. My speculation would be that Frank may have heard of a better opportunity as a tenant farmer in Bell County. At this time nearly all of Bell County was divided into farm land and was not a part of the plantation economy. Over 41 percent of the county's farms were worked by tenants. Tenant farming may have offered a better opportunity or at least sounded better than what the plantation life offered. Possibly, with the death of his two children, Frank wanted to get away from the unhealthy living conditions of the plantation and the Brazos River bottoms.
How did Frank make a living? I believe Frank must have been working for someone else when he moved to Bell County. Here are the 1884 and 1885 Bell County Tax Rolls.
1884 Bell County Tax Roll (3)
1885 Bell County Tax Roll (3)
On the 1884 tax roll Frank is listed at the very top. He showed no land, no carriage or buggy, no horse or mule, and no cattle. In 1885 he is the last name on the list and he showed one horse worth $10. Clearly this would suggest either he was working for someone or he was a tenant farmer using the owners equipment because he did not list any equipment or live stock that he could have been using to make a living.
Over the next several years there were some good times in Bell County. On Sep 23, 1884 a daughter, Minnie May, was born and on July 10, 1887 a son, Henry, was born.
My dad (Robert Harmon Meixner) had an account in his book about his father that must have taken place sometime around 1886 or 87 and involves the Leon River. This is one reason I said the family must have lived close to this river. Here is my dad's story: "I remember Dad (Harmon Meixner) telling a few things that happened during his boyhood. He said that one time his dad had set some trot lines in the Leon River. Grandfather became ill and was resting in bed. Dad said that he felt called upon to run the trot lines. Dad was a little boy about seven years of age. He took it upon himself to go down to the river, get into the little make-shift boat they had, and go out to run the trot lines. The river was rising and as he made his way down the lines he discovered that a very large yellow catfish was on he trot line. He went on toward the big fish and attempted to take it off the line. The fish gave a tremendous flounce and turned the boat over with my Dad holding on to the fish. I don't know how he got the fish out and on the bank, but he did - regardless of the rising river and the swift water. He took his fish to the house and his father was very disturbed because of what he had done. He told my Dad never to attempt a fete like that again. My Dad sad that grandmother cleaned the catfish and they had a huge dishpan full of yellow catfish meat to eat. I am sure that my grandfather enjoyed the fish and was proud of his little son."
One story that may not have been a happy story is one my Aunt Peaches tells of Frank Meixner, Jr. She said Frank Jr. left home at an early age, possibly around 1885. He would have been around 13 or 14. The story goes that he traveled north to Waco and had to cross a toll bridge to get across the Brazos River. He did not have the 10 cents to pay the toll so he asked a stranger driving a covered wagon if he could get in to the wagon and in that way was able to cross the Brazos. She also said, "He got a job for room and board grubbing stumps (that means digging them out by hand with a shovel and a pick or hoe) and milking cows. He told of having to wear a woman's bonnet because the cows were only used to a woman milking them." He also plowed the fields with a yolk of oxen (see below). In my dad's book he said Frank left home and no one in the family knew where he was until he was a grown man.
Picture I found on the internet of a yolk of oxen.
Image Source Page: http://www.wvpics.com/cattle.htm
In 1887 my grandfather took what I think must have been a very happy and rewarding step. He applied for citizenship of the United States of America.
This is a copy of the application my cousin Claudia Brown located in the courthouse in Belton, TX.
I can only imagine the pride Frank must have felt when he went down to the courthouse in Belton, TX and made the application. He had taken a great risk to leave his homeland and come to America. Now, as stated in the application above, he would "renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatsoever, and particularly any and all allegiance to the Emperor Osterich of the Osterich Empire (Austria) and that he will bear true allegiance to the United States, and support the Constitution of the same." This statement was sworn to and subscribed before the county clerk on July 4, 1887. Quite a nice 4th of July celebration I think!
Next time: More Difficult Times for the Meixner Family
References:
(1) Seymour V. Connor and Mark Odintz, "BELL COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online(http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcb06), accessed October 09, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
(2) Mark Odintz, "LITTLE RIVER ACADEMY, TX," Handbook of Texas Online(http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hjl10), accessed October 09, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
(3) "Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1846-1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1/VBMJ-BSR : accessed 20 Sep 2012), Frank Meixner 1884 & 1885.
