On November 22, 2019 I received
several messages from Larry Foerster and Sondra Hernandez regarding Nick's
Cafe and "The Phoenix":
Sondra
Hernandez from the Courier newspaper sent me (Larry)
this photo of Nick’s Café, obviously taken before the Fire
of February 1911 when all the wooden buildings east of the
Courthouse were destroyed. The photo shows what appears to
be Conroe H S girl pep squad standing in the street.
My best guess is that Nick’s Bank
Café was located at the corner of Simonton and Pacific
Street directly west of the railroad track. Perhaps noted
historians Gertie Spencer and Robin Montgomery may be
able to confirm this. If so, it was replaced immediately by
the First Bank of Conroe in May 1911, which stood on that
spot for over a 100 years until it was recently torn down.
Only slabs of the old bank and Everett Hardware store remain
today.
If you want to know
more about Nick and Kate Carnochan and the fascinating story
of the restoration of Conroe after the 1911 fire, read the
attached
“The Phoenix.”
Sharing this because I’ve read accounts of Uncle Nick’s Café
in stories about the 1911 fire, but I’ve never seen a
picture until now. This picture was in the collection of
hardcopy photos at the Central Library. From the wooden
buildings, it had to have been taken prior to 1911.
His full name was Nick Carnochan and he was a Confederate
Veteran. He died in the Confederate Veterans Home in Austin
at age 85, but is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Conroe.
Thanks,
Sondra
Update on the Photo
While I was
enhancing the article on the Phoenix when I decided to
look up Nick Carnegan in the 1981 Montgomery County
History by MCG&HS. More info on him is on page 128
and pages 157-158 in the history that I'll add later.
On page 128 it states:
"In the early
1900's there was an old frame building,, sort of a
cottage, on the north side of the Court house square.
An old couple by the name of Carnecan had a cafe in
this building...
There is more about
Nick but this may help to clarify where Nick's Cafe was
located.
What I wanted
to share with you both is that the same photo of Nick's
Cafe with the ladies identified is on page 157 of the
1981 Montgomery County History, and who they were "The
Girls Basketball Team" and the enhanced version of
“The Phoenix.”
More to come on Nick from the Montgomery County history
and other sources ...
Page 128 from Montgomery County History Under "Remember
When, by Mrs. Wm. Perry McComb:
"In the early 1900's there was
an old frame building,, sort of a cottage, on th north side of the
Court house square. An old couple by the name of Carnecan had a cafe
in this building. The town was quite small and the streets were not
paved. One Sunday morning, Uncle Nick Carnecan was sitting out on
the porch of the cafe, is his rocking chair. Suddenly a young man
from the big city of Houston drove up, slammed on his brakes and, in
a cloud of dust yelled at Uncle Nick, "HEY, JACK! How far is it to
Willis?" In dulcet tones Uncle Nick asked, "How did you know my name
was Jack?" The young man replied, "Oh, I just guessed it." Uncle
Nick yelled, "Then, by damn, just guess how far it is to Willis! The
young man took off in a rush.
Page 157 - 158 from Montgomery County History Under "Taken
from "A Silhouette of Conroe, Texas" by Cedric N. Nutter:
There is no story of Old
Conroe could be complete without mentioning Aunt Kate and Uncle Nick
Carnegan. In my book, he was a legend. He was a bugler in the Southern
Army. He was a typical southern gentleman. He numbered his friends by his
acquaintances. He and Aunt Kate ran a cafe, and he painted signs and he met
all passenger trains, and most everybody met the northbound I. & G. N.
passenger AT 4:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. As the train stopped Uncle Nick
walked up. A passenger on this train stuck his head out the window and
asked, "Oldtimer, what is the population of this town?" Uncle Nick looked up
and said, "Well, they are all here, just count them."
Nick and Aunt Kate always went to the Confederate
Reunion in Georgia every year. Not that they needed it to go, the the
business men took up a collection so that they wouldn't want for anything on
the way.
One year he had a large numbers
of circulars printed. on This circular was:
Come to Houston, Texas
Where is Houston, Texas"
Oh it is forty miles south of Conroe, Texas.
Where they have beautiful virgin pine timber, fine
people, and raise cotton, Corn, hogs, cattle and kids.
He never mentioned
Houston anymore. He scattered these circulars all the
way to Georgia.
As I have said, Uncle Nick was
a bugler in the Confederate Army, and about 9:00 at
night, you could hear it for miles and at 12:00 noon he
would step out in front of his cafe and blow mess call.
**********************************************
From Transformation of the "Miracle City", A History of
Conroe and Montgomery County, by Robin Montgomery, PhD, from
Chapter 6: Conroe Emerges, the Early Years, Phoenix Rising:
A Legacy from old Conroe, page 81-82:
"...Let's hear the story as written by an eye-witness,
Edward E. Williams, 13 years of age at the time of the
great Conroe Fire...
In desperation, people tossed their belongings wherever
there seemed to be a spot of refuge. One of these places
was the backyard of Edward's home. Here "Uncle" Nick
Carnochan and his wife, Kate, brought what holdings that
survived of their restaurant. A few days after the fire,
Uncle Nick returned from a trip with two tents filling
his wagon. With these Nick and Kate re-established their
business, the front tent for customers while the back
tent became the kitchen.
For a few summer months, it became our young Edward's
job to pull a cord activating a fan that Uncle Nick had
rigged to cool his customers. As his business began to
catch on, Uncle Nick would step into his old Confederate
uniform and, brushing off his bugle, call the town to
meals. At evening tide, he would play taps to calm the
citizenry.
One day as young Edward reported for duty at the tent
restaurant, he was surprised to find Uncle Nick in the
back, hard at work painting a sign. It soon became clear
that it was a 12-foot rendition of the immortal mythical
birth, the Phoenix, said to rise from its own burning
ashes every 500 years to begin life anew. This sign Nick
placed in the front of his business.
Conroe, Uncle Nick was sure, would rise again.
Many thanks to Whitson Etheridge for a copy of Edward
E. William's manuscript.
************************************************
From Montgomery County Texas CSA, by Frank M. Johnson, in
Appendix B: Confederate Soldiers Buried in Montgomery
County, Texas page 222, it lists:
Carnochan, Nicholas
45th Unit
State of Alabama
Function: Infantry,
Cemetery: Oakwood (Conroe)
Texas State Library and Archives
Commission; Austin, Texas; Confederate
Pension Applications, 1899-1975; Collection #: CPA22886;
Roll #: 417;
Roll Description: Pension
File Nos 22886 to 22920, Application Years 1905 to
1913
Name: Nicholas Carnochan
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1900
Event Place: Justice Precinct 7 Conroe town, Montgomery,
Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 58
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Race (Original): W
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Head
Years Married: 28
Birth Date: Jul 1842
Birthplace: Alabama
Marriage Year (Estimated): 1872
Father's Birthplace: Alabama
Mother's Birthplace: Alabama
Household
Role
Sex
Age
Birthplace
Nicholas Carnochan
Head
M
58
Alabama
Kate Carnochan
Wife
F
53
Georgia
Louis Mclanchlin
Boarder
M
32
Texas
District: 112
Sheet Number and Letter: 4A
Household ID: 64
Line Number: 24
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: T623
GS Film Number: 1241660
Digital Folder Number: 004118535
Image Number: 00658
Citing this Record
"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3PG-TMH
: accessed 30 November 2019), Louis Mclanchlin in household of Nicholas
Carnochan, Justice Precinct 7 Conroe town, Montgomery, Texas, United
States; citing enumeration district (ED) 112, sheet 4A, family 64, NARA
microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and
Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,660.
Nick in 1910 Census
Name: Nick Carnohan
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1910
Event Place: Justice Precinct 7, Montgomery, Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 66
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Race (Original): White
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Head
Birth Year (Estimated): 1844
Birthplace: Alabama
Father's Birthplace: New York
Mother's Birthplace: Virginia
Sheet Letter: B
Sheet Number: 4
Household
Role
Sex
Age
Birthplace
Nick Carnohan
Head
M
66
Alabama
Kate Carnohan
Wife
F
65
Georgia
District: ED 152
Sheet Number and Letter: 4B
Household ID: 83
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: T624
Affiliate Film Number: 1579
GS Film Number: 1375592
Digital Folder Number: 005157212
Image Number: 00897
Citing this Record
"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2SV-BH6
: accessed 30 November 2019), Kate Carnohan in household of Nick
Carnohan, Justice Precinct 7, Montgomery, Texas, United States; citing
enumeration district (ED) ED 152, sheet 4B, family 83, NARA microfilm
publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records
Administration, 1982), roll 1579; FHL microfilm 1,375,592.
Name: Nick Carnochan
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1920
Event Place: Conroe, Montgomery, Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 76
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Race (Original): White
Can Read: Yes
Can Write: Yes
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Head
Own or Rent: Own
Birth Year (Estimated): 1844
Birthplace: Alabama
Father's Birthplace: New York
Mother's Birthplace: Alabama
Sheet Letter: B
Sheet Number: 8
Household
Role
Sex
Age
Birthplace
Nick Carnochan
Head
M
76
Alabama
Kate Carnochan
Wife
F
73
Georgia
District: ED 114
Sheet Number and Letter: 8B
Household ID: 175
Line Number: 90
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: T625
Affiliate Film Number: 1834
GS Film Number: 1821834
Digital Folder Number: 004968887
Image Number: 01004
Citing this Record
"United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCMJ-D9P
: accessed 29 November 2019), Kate Carnochan in household of Wick Carnochan,
Conroe, Montgomery, Texas, United States; citing ED 114, sheet 8B, line 91,
family 175, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National
Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1834; FHL microfilm
1,821,834.
Name: Nick Carnochan
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1920
Event Place: Conroe, Montgomery, Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 76
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Race (Original): White
Can Read: Yes
Can Write: Yes
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Head
Own or Rent: Own
Birth Year (Estimated): 1844
Birthplace: Alabama
Father's Birthplace: New York
Mother's Birthplace: Alabama
Sheet Letter: B
Sheet Number: 8
Household
Role
Sex
Age
Birthplace
Nick Carnochan
Head
M
76
Alabama
Kate Carnochan
Wife
F
73
Georgia
District: ED 114
Sheet Number and Letter: 8B
Household ID: 175
Line Number: 90
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: T625
Affiliate Film Number: 1834
GS Film Number: 1821834
Digital Folder Number: 004968887
Image Number: 01004
Citing this Record
"United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCMJ-D9P
: accessed 29 November 2019), Kate Carnochan in household of Wick Carnochan,
Conroe, Montgomery, Texas, United States; citing ED 114, sheet 8B, line 91,
family 175, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National
Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1834; FHL microfilm
1,821,834.
Name: Nick Carnohan
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 27 Apr 1929
Event Place: Austin, Travis, Texas, United States
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Birth Date: 1843
Birthplace: , Alabama
Certificate Number: 23059
GS Film number: 2114938
Digital Folder Number: 005145193
Image Number: 00066
Citing this Record
"Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K33G-SQZ
: 13 March 2018), Nick Carnohan, 27 Apr 1929; citing certificate number
23059, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,114,938.
Name: Kate Carnochan
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 18 Aug 1936
Event Place: Travis, Texas
Certificate Number: 72716
Citing this Record
"Texas Death Index, 1903-2000," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZD7-8W3
: 24 May 2014), Kate Carnochan, 18 Aug 1936; from "Texas, Death Index,
1903-2000," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2006);
citing certificate number 72716, Travis, Texas, Texas Department of Health,
State Vital Statistics Unit, Austin.
Listed under Texas Deaths as:
Name: Kate
Carnoshaw
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 18 Aug 1936
Event Place: Austin, Travis, Texas, United States
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Widowed
Birth Date: 29 Jan 1846
Birthplace: , Georgia
Father's Name: George Greer
Mother's Name: Nancy Bishop
Certificate Number: 72716
GS Film number: 2117124
Digital Folder Number: 005145555
Image Number: 02981
Citing this Record
"Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3HG-CNT
: 13 March 2018), Nancy Bishop in entry for Kate Carnoshaw, 18 Aug 1936;
citing certificate number 72716, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL
microfilm 2,117,124.
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