Armistead Family History #3 - Armisteads in England (Part 2)

                                                      Early Armisteads

Have you ever heard the old saying "The faster I go, the further behind I get"? Actually my favorite way of saying it is "The hurrier I go the behinder I get". (Don't look those two words up on spell check, they aren't there.)  That phrase describes me the last few weeks.  The more I researched England, Yorkshire, and the royal families during the 16th and 17th Centuries, the more information I found and the more information I wanted to put in this post.  That in turn led to more research to better understand what I had just learned. After many attempts to cram it all in, I finally concluded that I have gone way beyond the scope of this blog. So, I tried to rein myself in, cut out a lot of history, and get back to writing.  My goal was to get this posted nearly three weeks ago, so you get the jest of what I'm saying.

On a personal note.  I wrote the last sentence above on Jan 29th.  On the 30th my wife's mom had a stroke. She passed away 9 days later.  It has been a difficult 4 weeks.  My family has always been very important to me.  Maybe that is why I enjoy genealogy so much.  Losing a loved one feels like losing a little part of myself.  Our families play such a big role in making us who we are.  Take the time to love, cherish, and appreciate your family.

The darker shaded area in the map above is Yorkshire.  This view gives you an idea of the area and also some of the towns.
http://www.itraveluk.co.uk/maps/england/yorkshire/

This map shows the outline of each of the four riding's in Yorkshire.
http://comestaywithus.com/england1/yorkshire.html

Yorkshire has been a very important part of England's history.  From the website www.yorkshire-england.co.uk, David Simpson writes, "This region formed what was historically the largest county in England and today the county of North Yorkshire still holds that honour. Yorkshire is a vast and varied region of more than three and a half million acres and a population of almost 5 million." (Yorkshire) "is home to vast swathes of unspoilt, beautiful countryside, littered only with picturesque villages and genteel towns. Yorkshire's smaller places range from solid stone hamlets in the dales, fine brick-built coaching towns in the vales to lovely red-roofed cottages in captivating coastal settlements that hug the coves of the shore."  He also writes,  "There are ancient cathedral and abbey towns like Selby, Beverly and Ripon and to top it all we have one of the most historic cities in England in the shape of the wonderful City of York." (1)  Mr Simpson describes Yorkshire so beautifully that I thought it best just to quote him in his own words and his own spelling. Please go to the website for more history as well as current information about the area and the major cities and towns.

Below are a few photographs of the beautiful countryside in Yorkshire.

Description:  Thornborough Henge
Date:  21 June 2005
Source:  From geograph.org.uk
Author:  Tony Newbould
Permission(Reusing this file):  Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license 2.0
Camera location 54° 12′ 37.62″ N, 1° 33′ 52.27″ W View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap - Google Maps - Google Earth info British Isles all.svg
This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. See this photograph's page on the Geograph website for the photographer's contact details. The copyright on this image is owned by Tony Newbould and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.w:en:Creative Commons attribution share alike  This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
Attribution: Tony Newbould
You are free:  to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work to remix – to adapt the work Under the following conditions:  attribution – You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
share alike – If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

Description:  Upper Nidderdale, looking up-dale
Date:  27 October 2005
Source:  Own work
Author:  Chris R (user Cyclopaedic)
Permission(Reusing this file):  I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following licenses: Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled GNU Free Documentation License.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Upper_Nidderdale.JPG

Summary:  Fountains Abbey ruins seen from Southwest.
Author:  own photo, Klaus with K
Camera location 54° 06′ 33.8″ N, 1° 34′ 56.6″ W   View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap - Google Maps - Google Earth info Licensing
I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following licenses:
GNU head.  Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled GNU Free Documentation License. w:en:Creative Commons
attribution share alike.  This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
You are free:  to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work to remix – to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:  attribution – You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
share alike – If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.
This licensing tag was added to this file as part of the GFDL licensing update.

Description:  View from Richmond Castle's keep.
Date:  2004-10-31 (original upload date)
Source:  Transferred from en.wikipedia; Transfer was stated to be made by User:PurpleHz.
Author:  English: Personal photograph taken by Mick Knapton on 16/2/2004Original uploader was Mick Knapton at en.wikipedia
Permission(Reusing this file):  GFDL-WITH-DISCLAIMERS; Released under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Licensing:  Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.Subject to disclaimers.

Kay and I were recently introduced to the television series "Downton Abbey" by Kay's cousin Tom.  I know, I know, we are a good four years behind.  Well, Tom loaned us season one to watch on DVD and we watched season two and three on Amazon, Instant Video. We still have some catching up to do on season 4.  I have all of season 4 saved on my DVR, so please, don't tell us what happened this season. Anyway, the point is, Downton Abbey is about a fictional place located in North Yorkshire. The names of the cities and places mentioned in the series are from that area.  You may have noticed these town names on signs or heard them talk about Thirsk, Ripon, Leeds, and York. The castle that is used for exterior and interior shots is Highclere Castle which is located in Hampshire.  All the exterior shots of buildings, train station, etc. are located outside of Yorkshire as well.  Never-the-less I found it makes the series even more fun to watch, since it is set in the very area I have been researching and it is the area where my Armistead ancestors lived.  It may also be the area where I have relatives living today.  If you have not watched the series, Downton Abbey, you should try it, it's great.

Description:  Highclere Castle
Date:  26 August 2007, 10:54:52
Source:  originally posted to Flickr as Highclere Castle 1
Author:  JB + UK_Planet
Permission(Reusing this file):  This image, which was originally posted to Flickr.com, was uploaded to Commons using Flickr upload bot on 14:56, 7 July 2008 (UTC) by Jonjames1986. On that date it was licensed under the license below.
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
You are free:  to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work· to remix – to adapt the work Under the following conditions:· attribution – You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

Now back to the Armisteads of England:  ROBERT, JOHN, and ROGER.  I talked about these three men in my last post. These Armisteads were farmers.  ROBERT was listed as a Yeoman.  This means he owned his farm and his farm was larger than that of a Husbandman.  ROGER was listed as a Husbandman so his farm was a little smaller. ROGER was born c. 1556 in Yorkshire, and died in November of 1596.  He married EPHAM about 1575. This is the first time we have a wife's name listed. EPHAM was born c. 1558 in England, and died Sep. 4, 1607, in Yorkshire. Their known children are Oswald, b. 1576, Margaret, b. 1578, Alice, b. 1580, Thomas, b. 1583, Robert, b. 1583, and ANTHONY, b. 1587. (2)

ANTHONY Armistead, was born in 1587 and he died in November of 1642 in Kirk Deighton, Yorkshire. He married FRANCES Thompson in August of 1606.  She was born in 1588 and died in June of 1634. Her father was WILLIAM Thompson.  Together ANTHONY and FRANCES had 12 children:  WILLIAM, born in 1610, was christened in Kirk Deighton, July 3, 1610, Robert, b. 1612, Elizabeth, b.1614, Epham, b. 1616, John, b. 1618, Jane, b. 1620, Margaret, b. 1622, John, b. 1624, (The earlier John had died so the name John was used again, as was the custom of the time.) Joseph, b. 1626, Henry, b. 1628, Adam, b. 1630, and Rachel, b. 1632.  The same year Rachael was born, 1632, the oldest son, WILLIAM, who was listed as a Yeoman, married ANNE Ellis, spinster, of Giggleswick.  (Giggleswick is a parish located in Craven District about a mile from the town of Settle.) (3)  I'll write more about WILLIAM, "The Immigrant" and ANNE a little later.

Below is North Yorkshire outlined in green with the districts separated by purple.  The Armisteads are from Harrogate District.  Between Leeds and York is a little town that is hard to read called Whetherby.  It is located right on the line between North and West Yorkshire.  Just a few miles northwest of there is Kirk Deighton.  That is the parish the Armisteads are from.  You can also locate Craven District  and the town of Settle on the left middle of the map.



This map outlines North Yorkshire with a green line and each of the  districts with a purple line.  The districts are Craven, Richmondshire, Hambleton, Scarborough, Ryedale, Selby, and Harrogate.  (This map is from an article about libraries but I liked the map so much I decided to use it.
http://www.bentham.net/Community/Media/LibraryClosuresMap.jpg

I have not studied the period of the 16th and 17th centuries a great deal and it is easy to think that not much happened in this time frame.  Once I started reading and studying this period, I realized this is a very interesting time and, like most periods, there were some great things that happened.  I mentioned Columbus and 1492, and Martin Luther and the year 1517 last time.  Here are a couple other important events of the early 1500s.  In 1536 Michelangelo started painting "The Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel.  He completed it in 1541.  In 1543 Nicolaus Copernicaus published his theory "On the Revolution of Heavenly Bodies" that concluded the sun is the center of the Universe and the Earth revolves around it.  That was quite a controversial pronouncement at the time.  (4)

Artist:  Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564)        
Description:  Last Judgment
Source/Photographer:  Web Gallery of Art:  Image   Info about artwork, Sailko, 2005-10-01
Permission(Reusing this file):  This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.
This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.
The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain".This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted; see Reuse of PD-Art photographs for details.

In 1547 King Henry VIII died.  Henry's only male heir was crowned King Edward VI but, since he was under age, he was placed under the protection of his uncle. Edward only lived six years as king before he died at the age of 16 in 1553. (5)  Henry VIII had two daughters that could have been next in line but behind the scenes manipulations brought Lady Jane Grey to the throne instead of one of Henry VIII's daughters, Mary or Elizabeth. Queen Jane was only 16 years old, had no preparation for being queen, and had no desire to be queen.  After only nine days, she announced her accession.  She became known as the "Nine Day Queen".  (6)

With Lady Jane leaving the throne, Henry's eldest daughter, Mary, was next in the line of succession again. There were no manipulations this time or if there were they didn't work and Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, became Queen Mary I. One of her first actions, just a few months later, was to have Lady Jane Grey, the recent "Nine Day Queen", beheaded.  Mary's reign as queen would turn out to be a disastrous one.  She ruled for only five years before her death in 1558.  (7)

Artist:  Paul Delaroche (1797–1856)
Title:   The Execution of Lady Jane Grey
Date:  1833
Medium:  oil on canvas
Accession number NG1909
Object history 1902: bequeathed to National Gallery by the Second Lord Cheylesmore
Inscriptions Signature and date
Source/Photographer The National Gallery online
Permission(Reusing this file) This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.
This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.
The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain".This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted; see Reuse of PD-Art photographs for details.

Queen Mary's death left Henry VIII's only surviving child, Elizabeth, next in line for the throne. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth had a troubled early life. She had been declared illegitimate and deprived of her place in the line of succession. But everything changed when, at the age of 25, she became Queen Elizabeth I.  Elizabeth was well respected as queen.  In the first few months she re-established the Protestant Church in England, established the state Church of England, and restored the debased coinage.  She was a very active Queen and immensely popular.  She loved all kinds of sports, music, and dance.  She loved to watch plays and is credited with creating an atmosphere that allowed literary masterpieces to flourish.  It is generally considered that the English Renaissance reached it's height in England during the Elizabethan era.  Writers such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlow, and composers such as William Byrd and Thomas Morley are just a few of the many that flourished in their respective fields during this period in England.  (8)

   
Artist:  George Gower (1540–1596)
Title:  Elizabeth I of England, the Armada Portrait
Description:  The portrait was made in approximately 1588 to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish Armada (depicted in the background). Elizabeth I's international power is reflected by the hand resting on the globe.
Date:  circa 1588
Source/Photographer:  http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/elizarmada.jpg
Permission(Reusing this file):  This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason:
Public domain This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.
This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.
The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain".
This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted; see Reuse of PD-Art photographs for details.

Across the ocean, in the Americas, St. Augustine became the first town established by Europeans in the area that would become the United States.  Founded by the Spanish Admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565, St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest continuously occupied European established settlement in the United States.  (Note that I underlined European.  Later settlements will also be noted as "first settlements" but you have to take note of the differences that are designated.  The actual first settlements were of course made by the Native Americans.)  (9)

Queen Elizabeth also attempted to colonize America.  In 1584 she chartered Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a colony in North America.  Raleigh sent five ships to establish a colony in 1585.  All the ships did not arrive there but never-the-less the first English Colony in North America was established on Roanoke Island in 1585. When relief supplies did not arrive as planned in 1586, the Colonists abandoned the settlement.  A new group of settlers arrived in 1587 to try and re-establish the settlement.  All the ships returned to England for more settlers and supplies.  Unfortunately for the colonists a war broke out between England and Spain and no relief ships were available to be sent to resupply the colony until 1590.  Upon arrival at the colony no signs were found of the 90 men, 17 women, and 11 children that had been left there three years before. There were no signs of violence nor any indication as to where they had gone.  The mystery of what happened to the people of the colony has never been solved and the settlement is known as "The Lost Colony". No further efforts were made to establish a colony there.  (10)

Scotland was the setting for a drama that unfolded in 1567 that eventually involved Queen Elizabeth. Mary, Queen of Scots, was implicated in the murder of her husband and was forced to abdicate her throne in favor of her one year old son, James.  She was unsuccessful in an attempt to regain the throne and fled south to England.  Mary asked Queen Elizabeth, her first cousin once removed, for protection from her enemies. There were many people in England that supported Mary and believed she had a legitimate right to the English throne. (Too involved to go into here.)  Because of this, Elizabeth saw Mary as a threat and had her imprisoned. Though she was relatively well treated, Mary remained in prison nineteen years.  In 1587 she was implicated in a plot to replace Elizabeth as Queen and was tried and executed.

Description:  Miniature of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots
Date Original:  1578-9
Source:  Cropped from File:MaryQOSmin1.jpg
Author:  Nicholas Hilliard (1547–1619)    
Permission(Reusing this file):  This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.
This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.
The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain".This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted;see Reuse of PD-Art photographs for details.

The next year, 1588, Elizabeth continued to build her reputation as queen by demonstrating how she could lead in war as well as any man.  Elizabeth lead England in defeating the great Spanish Armada that Spain had assembled for it's war with England.

The Elizabethan Era came to an end in March of 1603 when Queen Elizabeth died. Elizabeth never married so she did not have a successor.  Because there was no Tudor successor the Tudor dynasty came to an end upon Elizabeth's death.  After more than 100 years, the Tudor family's reign ended and the throne was passed to a new family, the Stuarts.  (11)  

Next time:  James Charles Stuart becomes king and William "The Immigrant" Armistead heads to the colonies.

References:
1)  www.yorkshire-england.co.uk,
2)  Boddie, John Bennett, Historical Southern Families, Vol II, Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, 1958, pg 3.
3)  Ibid, pg 4 - 5.
4)  http://www.fm.coe.uh.edu/timeline/1500s.html
5)  http://www.tudorhistory.org/edward/
6)  http://www.sgwilkinson.freeserve.co.uk/ljrey.htm
7)  http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon44.html
8)  http://www.elizabethi.org/contents/biography/parttwo.html
9)  http://www.fm.coe.uh.edu/timeline/1500s.html  and  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine,_Florida
10)  http://www.pbs.org/opb/timeteam/sites/ft_raleigh/history.php  http://www.fm.coe.uh.edu/timeline/1500s.html
11)  http://www.elizabethi.org/contents/biography/parttwo.html

Texas History, Family History, and Scratching the Itch

                            Day One:  The Alamo and The Travis Letter

I have found that my passion is History.  This encompasses Texas History, U. S. History, and of course Family History.  I've had this yearning, this itch, if you will, to see, experience, read about, document, and share history, especially family history.  (That sharing thing is much to the chagrin of the family sometimes - in other words I tend to go on and on and on ....... but I digress.)

Now that I am retired, I am finding more time available for my passion.  Last year I made a visit with some of the family to our grandparent's home in Concho County.  I've been to Virginia with Kay and her cousin Tom to visit the place where their great-grand parents lived and I visited Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown and other historical sites while in Virginia.  I've been to Washington-on-the-Brazos and other historic places in Texas.  I'm starting to really pursue my passion or "scratch the itch".

Last February 22, 2013, I was reading the newspaper and came across an article about the letter Lt. Col. William Barret Travis wrote at the Alamo, Feb 24, 1836.  Travis sent the letter out by a courier, Albert Martin, who slipped through the Mexican Army lines that encircled them.  Travis addressed the letter to "The People of Texas & All Americans in the World".  He then asked for reinforcements and concluded the letter with his now famous "Victory or Death".  Of course sufficient help did not come.  On March 1st, John Smith led 32 brave men from Gonzales into the fort but the large numbers hoped for and needed by Travis never came. On March 6, 1836, the fort was overrun by the Mexican army and all the brave defenders of the Alamo were killed.

Now, here it is, the letter was was going to be returning to the Alamo for the first time in 177 years.  It was to be on display for a very short time.  My first thought was "I've got to see this letter!  If I don't go see it now I may never get another chance."  Since we were traveling to California to see Wes and Jeoffery and the grandchildren the next weekend, I only had a limited window of opportunity, March 4th - 7th, to go. I asked Kay if she wanted to go to San Antonio.  She said she was working that week, so I started my plans to go alone.

I set out early on Tuesday, March 5th, heading to San Antonio.  We had just gotten back from California on Sunday and the exhibit ended on Thursday.  I didn't want to go on the last day and Wednesday, the 6th was the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo, so I thought those two days might be really busy.  That left Tuesday the 5th as the day to go.

As I drove closer and closer to San Antonio I got more and more excited.  I found my way downtown and cruised into the parking lot behind the Alamo.  Kay would have been shocked to know I made it there so easy.  The lot was not packed and I quickly found a place to park, so I was feeling good about my prospects.  As I walked around the corner to the front of the Alamo, my heart sank a little seeing the long line.  My first thoughts were to hit the restroom, skip lunch, grab a candy bar, and get in line. I took care of that as quickly as I could (or as quickly as a 62 year old man can, if you know what I mean) and got in the line around 1:00 pm and was ready to go.

Waiting in Line in front of the Alamo Church, March 5, 2013.  The really long part of the line is off to the right side and not in view in this photo.

It took a few minutes standing there chatting with other people in line and looking around before I fully grasped the situation regarding the length of the line.  I had not paid close enough attention to where the line actually went.  This long line I thought I was in was only a small part of the actual line.  Instead of going straight ahead and then turning toward the door, the line traveled to the edge of the Alamo Church and disappeared back into the deep recesses of a covered area, where it wound like a snake, back and forth, back and forth, before re-emerging to head toward the door.  Okay, add at least another hour to my 30 to 45 minute estimated wait time.  (A guide later said the wait was more like 2 to 2 1/2 hours.)  I wasn't sure the old bladder could hold out that long.  Just as I was starting to despair about getting half way through the line and then needing to go to the restroom, thus losing my spot in line and having to start all over, I caught a lucky break.  A man standing by a small kiosk was explaining to the lady in front of me that if you were a member of "Allies of the Alamo" you received expedited entrance to all Alamo exhibits, including this one. "How much?",  I asked.  "Forty dollars," he said.  I handed him my credit card, became a member, and headed to the front of the line.  Within 10 minutes I was inside.  Man, best 40 bucks I ever spent!  I went through the exhibit, toured the grounds, spent money at the gift shop, and was heading to the parking lot, all before the time that it would have taken me just to get through that long line.  It was a fantastic deal!!

Next in line at the door with mounting excitement, March 5, 2013.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  I was excited as I stood before the door, waiting behind only a couple people, for my turn.  Finally, I was ushered through that big wooden door that leads into the Alamo Church. I got that same feeling I get every time I go there.  It is a feeling of pride mixed with a sense of recognition of the ultimate sacrifice that brave men made there. There is even a feeling of reverence for what this shrine means to Texas, and many more feelings that are just too hard to explain with my limited writing ability. When you walk in, there is a quietness that overtakes you.  People are asked to remove their hats.  Everyone speaks in hushed tones.  You are not allowed to touch the walls or any part of the structure, and of course there are no photographs allowed.

Most of us think of this building as "The Alamo", but this is really only one small part of what the Alamo Fort actually consisted of in 1836.  This iconic building, that is so widely recognized, is the Alamo Church.  This and the long barracks are all that are left of the original Alamo which consisted of the outer walls and cannon placements, the men's quarters, Travis' quarters, the low barracks, cattle pens, the long barracks, and the church.

Source:  "The Alamo". The Portal to Texas History. http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth30285/. Accessed January 20, 2014.

I added the location of Lt. Col. William Barret Travis' headquarters and the location where he was killed.

Once inside the Alamo Church, there was an exhibit of various period artifacts as well as some of Lt. Col. William Barret Travis' personal items.  I couldn't help but be transported back in time as I tried to imagine things as they were then.  It was all very interesting and my excitement increased until at last I was in front of "The Travis Letter".  If you don't like history it's okay to tune out now, because you will think I am crazy when you read what I have to say next.

Standing a couple feet away from this 177 year old letter, I tried to let my mind imagine the scene on Feb 24, 1836.  Lt. Col. Travis was sitting in the Alamo with a hand full of men surrounded by Santa Anna's Mexican army of one thousand or more.  Santa Anna had sent Travis a command to surrender or be put to the sword There would be no surrender, no survival if he lost the battle.  Col. Travis had this very piece of paper on his desk in front of him, pen in hand.  What thoughts must have been racing through his mind?  Did he realistically think they would be able to survive this siege and fight their way out?  Did he believe help would come?  I think he new exactly what was going to happen, though I do believe he held on to a small glimmer of hope by writing the letter.

As I stood and looked at this creased, faded, aged, and fragile, 177 year old piece of paper, I could feel a presence that is hard to describe. This is the very place, the Church, where the women and children found safety in the Sacristy, the very place where the last defenders of the Alamo made their last stand and died. How can one not feel their lingering presence?  Realizing Travis had handled this paper, as well as other great men of that time in Texas history who would handle it later, and that Travis had written these words that would be read and quoted for 177 years, by thousands of people, these words that would take on such deep meaning for Texans.  Travis' letter to the world, along with the martyrdom of the men at the Alamo, became the catalyst that ignited the people of Texas to fight and eventually win Texas' freedom.

I only took a few minutes to read and ponder the letter before I moved on outside the church into the bright sunshine that greeted me.  I walked around but my mind was still inside the Alamo Church, inside with the subdued lighting and quiet stillness, reflecting on Travis' words.  His words took on so much greater and deeper meaning to me as I stood there reading, inside the Alamo Church, 177 years after Travis wrote:

Commandancy of the Alamo
Bejar, Feby. 24th. 1836 -

To the People of Texas & all Americans in the world -   

Fellow citizens & compatriots-

I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna - I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man - The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken - I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls - I shall never surrender or retreat.  Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character to come to our aid, with all dispatch - The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days.  If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country -  Victory or Death.

William Barret Travis.
Lt. Col. comdt

P.S. The Lord is on our side - When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn - We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves -

Travis

William Barret Travis' letter from the Alamo, Febuary 24, 1836.  Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/texas175/travisletter-2.html

The content that is published on or collected via our (TSL) Web site is public information as described in the Public Information Act. The following discloses the information gathering and dissemination practices for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission Web site: Effective Date: April 22, 2013.  See website for full disclosure. 


I will continue with day two of my trip in another post.

Armistead Family History #2 - Armisteads in England

                                                         Early Armisteads

My grandmother on my father's side, or my paternal grandmother, is Alice (Armistead) Meixner.  She married Harmon Meixner (my paternal grandfather) in 1905.  Over the last year I wrote on this blog about the Meixner family history.  I am now going to attempt to write about my Armistead line.

 Alice Armistead as a young woman.

When I was trying to decide which line or branch of my family tree I would write about next, I kept trying to avoid the Armistead line.  I was (and still am) intimidated by the Armistead family.  The Armistead family has a rich history of men and women of significant importance.  They were a part of the founding colonists that came to Virginia, they held, with honor, positions of leadership in the legislative offices of Virginia. Armisteads served with distinction and fame in high positions of the military in the English colony of Virginia, in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, as well as other wars.  Armistead women are at the head of the maternal line of many well known and historical family lines. A number of books and countless papers have been written on the Armistead family.  Even though I was intimidated by all this previous material, I finally decided it was a natural progression to write about the Armistead line next, so here I go.

I hope that anyone reading this blog will feel welcome to send me corrections or additions.  Just put it in the comment section or if you prefer, send it to me in an email: dmmei27@gmail.com.

I will attempt to be as accurate as possible, just as I always do, but there are many different theories out there about various lines of the Armistead family.  I have read and will be relying on many learned scholars of Armistead genealogy, many from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, that contributed greatly to the discussion of genealogy in general, as well as Armistead genealogy specifically. They did not always agree in their conclusions though, so I have tried to piece together information from the sources that I believe to have laid down the most convincing arguments.  I will also endeavor to list in the references all sources for the conclusions I came to.

My immigrant ancestor, William Armistead (usually named as "The Immigrant"), moved from Kirk Deighton in North Yorkshire, England to the royal colony of Virginia in 1635. A shire is like a U.S. county.  North Yorkshire is located about 200 miles a little northwest of London.  William's wife is Anne (Ellis) Armistead. He arranged for her passage to the colony in 1636. (1)  Before delving further into William and Anne's descendants though, I am going to go back a few years and write a little bit about the Armisteads in North Yorkshire, England.

On the map below I drew an arrow approximately to the lower boundary of North Yorkshire, one of the largest shires in England.  

Google Map of The United Kingdom.  Arrow points to North Yorkshire.

There are many spelling variations of the Armistead name.  A few variations include Del Armsted, first noted circa 1379, Ermystead, Armsteed, Armststead, Armstead, and Armistead to name a few. (2)  One Armistead or Ermystead of note is William Ermystead. A few weeks ago Pat Lyons sent me information on this William Ermystead.  Pat is my cousin-in-law.  She is married to a cousin who is descended from the Florida Armisteads. (You will read more about this family in future blogs.)  It turns out Pat is the genealogist in the family so she is the one working on the Armistead line.  We connected several years ago through the internet and on-line postings about the Armistead family.  I don't know if I am related to William Ermystead but I think the probability is good due to the name and the proximity to the other Armisteads in this area.  At any rate he is a very interesting person that I hope to document a relationship to at some point.  I'm going to relate a little bit of information about him before I go on to the line I am directly descended from.

Located in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England, is a school called Ermystead's Grammar School.  The school was established by Peter Toller in 1492.  Yeah, that would be the same year that Columbus sailed the ocean blue.  However, years later, a second, and very significant benefactor, made a very important contribution toward establishing the ongoing viability of this school. It was so significant in fact that the school was given his name.  This benefactor was William Ermystead.

In the map below I have arrows to the location of Skipton and Kirk Deighton.

Google Map with arrow pointing to Skipton in North Yorkshire, where Ermystead's Grammar School is located.  Also, an arrow pointing to the parish of Kirk Deighton where my Armistead ancestors lived.

Quoting from the school website:  William Ermystead, "had been a prominent figure in Henry VIII's London, as Canon of St. Paul's, 'clerk of the Kings Chancery', and Master of the Temple.  On the 1st of September 1548 William Ermystead's re-foundation deeds for the Chantry School (this is the school name as established by Toller) were executed and on the 12th of December 1551 the deeds were enrolled on the Close Rolls." What this means is, "Essentially these documents recorded the land which he wished to present to the School in order that it be supported in the future,..."  So the Rev. William Ermystead gave his possessions to support the school on a sustaining basis and the school assumed the name of Ermystead's Grammar School.  After more than 500 years in existence, this school continues as a vibrant, growing school. (3)

If you would like to read more about the history of this school the website is:  http://www.ermysteds.n-yorks.sch.uk/general/history.htm,

To better understand William Ermystead's importance, here is a little additional background about The Temple Church in London.  The Round Church was built by the Knights Templar and consecrated in 1185 (The church has two parts.  See photos below.)  I'll save you the math, that's 828 years ago.  Between 1536 and 1540, King Henry VIII abolished the monasteries and confiscated their property.  After that, the Temple Church belonged to Henry and it was up to him to provide the priest for the church.  The term "Master of the Temple" was given to the priest of the Temple Church by Henry.  It has been said "The Temple Church is one of the most historic and beautiful churches in London."  (4)

Description:   Temple Church, Temple, London 
Date:              24 March 2009
Source:           en.wikipedia.org, geograph.org.uk
Author:           John Salmon
Permission:         This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. See this photograph's page on the Geograph website for the photographer's contact details. The copyright on this image is owned by John Salmon and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

Description:    Temple Church in London - exterior view of the church
Date:               9 December 2004
Source:            en.wikipedia.org: 17:48, 29. Mai 2005 
Author:            AlanFord
Permission:           This work has been released into the public domain by its author, AlanFord at the English Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide.In case this is not legally possible:AlanFord grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

Description:         Temple Church in London - the knight effigy tombs· 
Date:                    9 December 2004
Source:                 en.wikipedia.org
Author:                 Alan Ford
Permission:                  This work has been released into the public domain by its author, AlanFord at the English Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide.In case this is not legally possible:AlanFord grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

According to the book The History of the Knights Templars, The Temple Church, and The Temple, "William Ermstead (spelled without the y) was the Master of the Temple at the Dissolution of the Priories (the action mentioned above taken by Henry VIII), and died in 1559" (Master of the Temple was a lifetime position). (5)

The Ermystead coat of arms is posted on the school site and is shown below.  It is the same structure as later Armistead coat of arms. Later renderings have additional items added around the edges, but the basic description of the Armistead Coat of Arms is the same.  This would be another piece of evidence that tells me I might have a right to claim being related to William Ermystead.

Coat of Arms from Ermystead's Grammar School website.  Suivez La Raison means Follow Reason. This was sent to me by Pat Lyons.

Armistead Coat of Arms copied from the book The Armistead Family, by Virginia Armistead Garber. A note at the bottom of the picture says this was taken from a drawing by Tiffany, New York.

As for my documented Armistead ancestors, I used a couple of sources that have concluded that ROBERT Armetsted (note the spelling) of Kirk Deighton, North Yorkshire, England, is the earliest ancestor found of William Armistead, "The Immigrant". Kirk Deighton was a church parish at that time, it is now a civil parish. (See map above for location.)  ROBERT was born circa 1490.  (Circa meaning:  "sometime around".)  His will was probated 10 March 1533, in which he named three surviving children:  JOHN, William, and Christopher.  His wife was listed in the will only as:  "Executors:  Wife and children..."

JOHN Armistead's will (again note the change in spelling) was probated 2 Oct 1567. My best guess is he was born circa 1510 - 1520.  He listed six children living at the time his will was written.  They are Robert, Edmund, John, ROGER, Anthony, and Mawde. Again, no wife's name.  For the first three generations of Armisteads we have Robert, John, and Roger Armistead. (6)       

King Henry VII  (1457 - 1509)  King from 22 Aug 1485 - 21 April 1509.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Henry_Seven_England.jpg

In the late 1400s in England the "Wars of the Roses" had been waging for years between the house of Lancaster and the house of York. In 1485 a decisive battle between Richard III and Henry Tudor was fought.  Henry won the battle and Richard was killed.  Henry Tudor was crowned King Henry VII, he then married Elizabeth of York, bringing together the two houses and solidifying his hold on the throne.  This was the beginning of a more than one hundred year reign of the Tudors.  Henry had 7 children by Elizabeth of York. The second son, Henry born in 1491, was the eldest surviving son when Henry VII died in 1509. Henry ascended to the throne as King Henry VIII. (7)

King Henry VIII  (1491 - 1547)  King from 1509 - 1547.

Source:   http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon41.html  

Upon accession to the throne, Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon, the widow of his brother Arthur. She gave him one child, a daughter, Mary.  Early in his reign, the young king defeated Scottish forces at the Battle of Flodden Field, in which James IV of Scotland was killed.  In 1515, Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York, was made Lord Chancellor of England and Cardinal. The youthful king preferred to rule by traveling the countryside hunting and reviewing his subjects.  Cardinal Wolsey virtually ruled England until 1529. (8)

In 1517 Martin Luther nailed his "95 Theses" to the church door at Wittenberg protesting the Catholic practice of selling indulgences.  With this action, the Protestant Reformation was launched. (9)  By the late 1520s, Henry's involvement in governing was growing and he was obsessed with having a male heir to the throne.  Henry sent Thomas Wolsey to see Pope Clement VII to convince the pope to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon.  An annulment would free him to marry Anne Boleyn.  Wolsey tried repeatedly to get the marriage annulled but was unsuccessful.  Henry dismissed Wolsey and began cutting ties with the church of Rome. In 1533 he divorced Catherine of Aragon and married the pregnant Anne Boleyn.  Henry VIII was promptly excommunicated by Pope Clement.  In 1534 Henry orchestrated the passage and enactment of the Act of Supremacy and the declaration of Henry VIII supreme head of the Church of England. Henry dissolved the monasteries or priories and confiscated their lands and revenues.

Unfortunately for Henry (but mostly for Anne Boleyn) his new wife delivered a daughter, Elizabeth, rather than a male heir. Anne fell out of favor with the king and was charged with infidelity and was executed in May 1536. By the end of May, Henry was married again, this time to Jane Seymour.  She delivered Henry's only male heir in Oct. of 1537. The little baby survived but Jane died in child birth.  As I stated before, this was the time when Henry began the dissolution of monasteries in England and confiscating their property. William Ermystead (who I mentioned in an earlier paragraph) would have been the Master of The Temple at this time.

By 1540 Henry married again.  This time to Catherine Howard, who would last less than two years until she was executed for infidelity.  Catherine Parr was his last wife.  She survived past Henry's death, which came in 1547. (10)

Next time I'll continue with the Armistead line and English history that covers the next 80 or 90 years.

References:
(1)  Boddie, John Bennett, Historical Southern Families, Vol II,  Genealogical publishing Company, Baltimore, 1958, pg 5.
(2)  Harris, John Michael, Camberwell, London, England.  Article placed on the Enchanted World website:   http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~enchantedworld/Armistead/index-english.htm
(3)  http://www.ermysteds.n-yorks.sch.uk/general/history.htm
(4)  http://www.templechurch.com/history-2/
(5)  Addison, Charles G., Esq., The History of The Knights Templars, The Temple Church, and The Temple, Longman, brown, Green, and Longmans, London, 1842.  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13139/13139-8.txt
(6)  Boddie, John Bennett, Historical Southern Families, Vol II,  Genealogical publishing Company, Baltimore, 1958, pg 3-4.
(7)  http://tudorhistory.org/henry7/
(8)  http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon41.html
(9)  http://britannia.com/history/reftime.html
(10)  http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon41.html

Meixner Family History #28 - Epilogue Part 11

                                                           1950 to 1962

The year of 1950 is a very important year to me.  It is the year I was born.  I don't know about you but everything I encounter in studying history is referenced to or compared to my birth year.  It is a year I count from each birthday so I'm always aware of it.  Each historical event is either BIWB or AIWB in my frame of reference:  Before I Was Born or After I Was Born.

As I have researched and written about each decade, I have found there have been more things I was familiar with as I got closer to 1950.  But as I started looking at the 1950's, where I remember things first hand, I found many more things to relate to.  Okay maybe not starting with 1950 to 1953 but somewhere after that I started to remember things and of course it all became more personal and of more interest.

So, as I write about 1950 to 1962, I will be listing a lot more items of significance to me than I have from the previous decades.  Please bear with me.

From a national perspective the year 1950 starts off with yet another war, as the Korean War begins when North Korean forces invade South Korea on June 25, 1950.  In January of 1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower was inaugurated as the 34th president of the United States.  President Eisenhower is one of my favorite presidents because I was named after him.  My first name is Dwight.  General Eisenhower was immensely popular during and after World War II.

Description:  Dwight D. Eisenhower photo portrait.
Date:  29 May 1959
Source:  www.eisenhower.archives.gov/audiovisual/select_list_of_portraits.html Metadata] - 
Author:  White House
Permission:  This image is a work of an employee of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

The Korean War finally ended on July 27, 1953. It's conclusion produced a dividing line between the two Korea's along the 38th parallel.  That is the same dividing line that had been in place before the war began. Though classified as a "Police Action" by the U.S., the war would claim an estimated 5 million lives before it's end.  More that half of those deaths were Korean civilians.  The U.S. casualties included more than 40,000 dead and 100,000 wounded. (1)

Description:  Korean War: A gun crew checks their equipment near the Kum River. 15 July 1950. Korea. Signal Corps Photo #24/SIG-FEC-50-4242
Date:  15 July 1950
Source:  http://www.history.army.mil/photos/Korea/kor1950/SC343463.jpg
Author:  Signal Corps Photo
Licensing:  This image is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

Another ratcheting up of the ever escalating "Cold War" came on Oct 4, 1957. On that date the Soviet Union launched the satellite "Sputnik".  The implications of what this capability might mean in terms of an attack on the U.S spread fear across the U.S.  In 1958 the U.S. founded NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to compete with the Soviets in the "Space Race".  A revolution in Cuba occurred in 1959 and produced Fidel Castro as Cuba's dictator. (2)

President Eisenhower served two terms so 1960 was an election year.  The United States held it's first televised presidential debates during that election year and in January 1961 John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th president of the United States.

Description:  John F. Kennedy, photograph in the Oval Office.
Date:  11 July 1963
Source:  http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset+Tree/Asset+Viewers/Image+Asset+Viewer.htm?guid={B9C835C6-2EF1-4C3F-A600-B4BE064F1A20}&type=Image
Author:  Cecil Stoughton, White House
Licensing:  This image is a work of an employee of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

President Kennedy's first year in office would be one for the history books.  Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union became the first person to travel into space and the first person to orbit the earth on April 12, 1961. Alan Shepard would become the first American to fly into space on May 5, 1961, but it would be Feb 20, 1962 before the U.S. would have someone orbit the earth when John Glenn orbited the earth three times. (3)

Space was not the only area where the USSR was active in 1961.  East Berlin had been controlled by the Soviet Union since the end of World War II and West Berlin had been controlled by the Allies.  In the summer of 1961 the U.S.S.R. demanded that all western Allies leave West Berlin.  Of course the Allies refused and tensions quickly escalated. The Soviet Union then built a wall separating and isolating West Berlin from East Berlin to prevent anyone from fleeing East Germany or East Berlin into West Berlin. (4)

President Kennedy and the U.S. were not exactly inactive in 1961.  In February of 1961he authorized the go ahead of a CIA plan formulated the year before, during President Eisenhower's last year, to invade Cuba using Cuban exiles.  On April 17, 1961 the invasion took place at the Bay of Pigs and resulted in complete failure.  Also, in 1961 around 900 military advisers were sent to South Vietnam.  Some point to this action as the official start of the Vietnam War. (5)

In 1962 the United States and the U.S.S.R. came dangerously close to nuclear war during the "Cuban Missile Crisis".  The U.S. discovered the Soviets were building missile installations in Cuba and immediately demanded their removal and moved to isolate Cuba.  Intense, behind the scenes negotiations averted this looming nightmare. (6)

My long list of additional items of note during this time frame are as follows:

1950:  First modern credit cards issued.
           First organ transplant.
           First "peanuts" cartoon strip.
           The beginning of "McCarthyism" (1950 to 1954).
1951:  "I Love Lucy" premieres.
           Color TV introduced.
1952:  Car seat belts introduced.
           Princess Elizabeth becomes Queen of England at the age of 25.
1953:  DNA discovered.
1954:  Scientific report says cigarettes cause cancer.
           Supreme Court hears "Brown vs Board of Education" and rules segregation illegal.
           The "Tonight Show" premieres.
1955:  Disneyland opens.
           McDonald's Corporation is founded.
           Rosa Parks sparks the Montgomery Bus Boycott when she refused to give up her seat on a bus.
           Jonas Salk develops a polio vaccine.
           Rock and Roll enters mainstream with Bill Haley and his Comets song
           "Rock Around the Clock".
1956:  Elvis appears on the Ed Sullivan Show.
           The remote control is invented.
           Velcro is introduced.
           President Eisenhower's Interstate Highway Act is passed leading to our present
           Interstate system.    
1957:  Dr Seuss publishes "The Cat in the Hat".
           Little Rock, AR school desegregates.
1958:  Hula Hoop becomes popular.
           LEGO Toy Bricks first introduced.
           Peace Symbol is created.
1959:  Alaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th states, the last two admitted up to
           this date.
1960:  Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" is released.
           Lasers invented.
           Birth control pill is approved by FDA.
1961:  John F. Kennedy gives his "Man on the Moon" speech.
1962:  First James Bond movie released.
           First Walmart opens.
           James Meredith admitted to segregated University of Mississippi.
           Johnny Carson takes over as the "Tonight Show" host.
           Marilyn Monroe found dead.
           Rachel Carson publishes "Silent Spring". (7)

Each time, as I have looked at a particular time frame in history, I have tried to imagine how those events during that time were viewed by Harmon and Alice Meixner.  It is difficult trying to put yourself inside their minds and trying to think like them.  Generally it is more what I think based on other things I have read. Sometimes I have had what my Dad wrote and that helped me understand the times a little better.  This time I do not have the perspective of my dad because he was married and gone from home.  My cousin, Dale, has a much better perspective of the 1950's in this area around Concho County because he and his parents lived through this time and lived in this area.  Dale's father, Frank Meixner (Harmon and Alice's oldest son and my Uncle) farmed some of the north part of granddad's land for a while before buying his own farm just to the north of the old home place.  I'm sure he was a great comfort and help to Harmon and Alice as well as a great help to the rest of the family.  Dale mentioned to me his dad helped support each brother and sister that chose to go to college.

From articles I've read about the late 1940's, it appears that the economy had improved after the end of the war.  People seemed to be optimistic about the future.  I think Harmon and Alice were probably feeling good about their prospects going into the 1950's.  Once again, optimism and good feelings would turn into struggle and pain.  No one could have predicted in 1950 that Texas was moving into a seven year drought, a drought that "drove people to town" (8).  This phrase was heard often during this time and was a phenomenon that happened all over Texas.  Many people left their farms and moved to the cities to try to find work.  During this decade the rural population dwindled from more than 33% to just 25% of the total population. (9)  Dale said his dad, who had been a barber part time while farming in earlier years, was forced to go back into the Barbering business during this drought.  He was a barber and part time farmer. He bought his own Barber Shop in 1958 and continued to ranch part time after that.

I am sure granddad struggled during this drought, but the biggest blow of all came on September 13, 1953, when Harmon's wife of almost 48 years, partner in raising seven children and managing the family farm, passed away, probably of cancer, at the age of 72.

An early photograph of Alice Meixner sent to me by Claudia Brown.

Granddad and Grandmother Harmon and Alice Meixner.  Sent to me by Oneta Eubanks.

Grandmother Alice Meixner in her later years.  Due to my bad record keeping I lost who sent this to me but I think it was Claudia.

How did granddad survive these years?  Somehow he did.  I am sure it was a comfort and a great help to granddad that their youngest child, Victor, stayed on to help him farm.

Finally, in 1957, the rains came and when they did, they did not stop.  The drought ended but it ended the only way it ever does in Texas, it Flooded!  It proceeded to rain so much and so long that the ensuing floods caused $120 million in damages and claimed 22 lives. (10)  Granddad made it through the drought and continued to farm through the 1950's in to the 1960's.  This is a picture of granddad that was given to me many years ago. It was said he was in his 80's when it was taken.  He told the person that took it that he was about to go down and bring a bull up from the pasture.

Harmon Meixner in front of his house.  Sent to me sometime in the late 1970's by my Aunt Peaches.

Harmon Meixner in the living room of his home.  Picture was in my Dad's possessions.

A lifetime of change from one part of the world to another, a lifetime of hard manual labor, a lifetime of tragedy, heartache, and pain, but, I believe, also, a lifetime of joy in living and enjoying his work building a family and a family farm, came to an end on April 15, 1962 when my granddad, Harmon Meixner, died from a heart attack at the age of 83.

Harmon and Alice Meixner's tombstones at the Eden Cemetery near Eden, TX.  Photograph was copied from my Ancestry.com family tree.  I originally copied it from drslogan1 family tree on Ancestry.com as it was submitted to the Gatewood Logan Family Tree on 2 Feb 2013.

My dad had so much love and respect for his father.  I will let his words be the final words about Harmon Meixner.  Here is what he said as a tribute to him:

"My Father only went through the third grade in school.  He never had an opportunity to go further in school, but he did have a chance later in life to learn.  My mother, a school teacher, began to teach him to read and write after they were married.  He must have been an apt student because he learned a lot.  Dad learned to read and write and how to figure.  No man was able to beat him in a business transaction.  When he sold his cattle he got the top price for them.  Cattle buyers made it a practice to go all over the county back in that day.  They would go to people's homes and in a very real sense just beat people out of their herds.  The buyers would go to a man's home and in most cases have a quart or two of whiskey along with him.  His objective was to get the seller to take a few drinks of the booze and get him a little woozy and then purchase his cattle for a low price. My Dad would tell them straight off, 'You are not coming out here and get me intoxicated and beat me out of my cattle,' and they never did."

"When Dad went to town in Ballenger, San Angelo, Paint Rock, Eden, Millersview, Eola, Melvin, Brady or other places he would talk for hours with his friends.  He not only knew the ranchers and businessmen, but he knew the cowboys and others.  Dad knew where ranchers moved to if they had relocated in some other county.  Dad knew ranchers around Menard, Junction, back toward Sonora, and in all directions.  He had a masters degree in connections and in keeping up with people."

"One could not begin to tell all of the skills that my Father was efficient in doing.  Dad knew how to drive cattle, rope them, dehorn them, castrate them, skin them, butcher them, feed them - in fact Dad was a master hand at many things.  He was not timid or afraid to tackle anything.  Dad knew everything about cattle, horses, sheep, goats, hogs, turkeys, chickens, cats, dogs, and you name it.  If he were riding a horse and the horse was running and bucking toward a bluff and there was danger of him running over the bluff, Dad would take his rope down and rope the front feet of the horse that was out of control, bring him to the ground and then the horse would get his feet tied up and would receive a good whipping with the lariat.  The horse would never forget that experience. Dad worked as many as eight horses and mules at one time.  He was little but loud.  We built our own barns, fences, and even the old homestead.  He repaired all types of machinery, including breaking plows, binders, cultivators, harrows, disk harrows, wagons, buggies, hacks - or you just mention it."

"My Father was a community oriented man.  When there were prairie fires, he went out and helped to put them out.  If a neighbor's house burned down, he donated generously to help them.  Dad took his boys and helped tear the old schools down and build new ones.  We helped build the community tabernacle and (classrooms at) the Methodist Church.  When a neighbor died, Mother and Dad helped.  We helped dig graves for all the neighbors that died in that community.  He served as trustee for the Longview and White Point schools for years.  When school began, we cleaned the school, including rooms, toilets and the grounds.  We hauled most of the fuel, which was coal for the schools, and sometimes the water.  My Dad detested any person who would not do his rightful part.  Whether it was a rabbit drive or a sick room, Dad was there to do his part."

"My Dad was a real man.  He was honest, upright and a man of integrity in every respect. I never heard him tell a lie or misrepresent the truth in any respect.  He, in a real sense, was a man made of steel.  He was small, but he was very, very strong.  Dad had a life time of hard work and hard knocks, but he was the kind of man who could take it." (11)

This is my final post about the "Meixner Family History".  When I started aver a year ago, on June 20, 2012, with my first post, I had no idea that over a year later I would still be writing about this family's journey from Bohemia in the Austrian Empire to Concho County, Texas in the United States.

I have developed a much deeper understanding of the tremendous sacrifices that my ancestors made and a much greater appreciation for those sacrifices.  Certainly I have only scratched the surface of the lives of the Meixner Family but it has been a wonderful learning experience for me writing about them.  I feel a lot closer to them and it has helped me appreciate and love them so much more.

Pedigree Chart for Harmon Meixner printed from my family tree on Family Tree Maker.

I hope to write on another line of my family tree sometime in the next few months.  I have to pick the line and do some research first.  Let me know if you have a suggestion.

Thank you for following this blog over the last year.

References:

(1)  http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war
(2)  http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1950timeline.htm
(3)  http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1950timeline.htm
(4)  http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1950timeline.htm
(5)  http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1950timeline.htm
(6)  http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1950timeline.htm
(7)  http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1950timeline.htm
(8)  Burnet, John, "How One Drought Changed Texas Agriculture Forever", July 07, 2012
       6:08 AM

       http://www.npr.org/2012/07/07/155995881/how-one-drought-changed-texas-

       agriculture-forever

(9)  Ibid.
(10)  Ibid.
(11)  Meixner, Robert Harmon, Sr., Memoirs of Robert Harmon Meixner, Sr. July 10, 1910
        – June 13, 1994.  Unpublished.  Compiled by Margaret Avis Meixner, pgs
        18,19,23,24,26.