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TXGenWeb Robertson County Books & Master's Theses |
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H E A R N E O N T H E B R A Z O S |
Century Press Of Texas, San Antonio, Texas
© 1958 by Norman Lowell McCarver
Lone Star Printing Company, San Antonio, Texas
Used with permission of Norman Lowell McCarver, Jr. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format by other organizations or individuals.
Biographical Sketches - C
CARR, LEWIS WHITFIELD was born in Lenore
County, North Carolina, February 7, 1824, the son of Matthew H. Carr, a
native
of Virginia. His paternal
grandfather was Lawrence Carr a Virginian who served as a patriot
privateer
during the Revolutionary War of 1776, and emigrated to North Carolina
soon after
the colonial struggle for independence and died at the age of 87 years.
His paternal grandmother was Sallie Murphy, a native of North
Carolina.
Mr.
Carr moved to Mississippi when he was a young man in 1847.
The State of Mississippi was comparatively unsettled at that
time.
He engaged in planting there until 1858, coming to Texas in
January of
that year and stopped for a time in Washington County and in December
of 1858 he
bought and settled on a tract of land in the Hearne Brazos Bottom.
Here he opened a plantation and engaged in farming.
When he first settled on this plantation, there were only 60
acres in
cultivation. He began to put more land
under cultivation until his total
cultivated acreage increased to 2700 acres.
He lived to see this area grow from a wilderness to a
progressive town
and he was a leading factor in this growth and development.
When he settled in the Brazos Bottom, his trading place was
Houston, 120
miles distant and his post office was Wheelock, 17 miles distant.
He helped to build the Hearne & Brazos Valley Railroad and
served as
vice president of this company; helped to organize the First National
Bank in
Hearne and served as vice president.
In
1854 he was married to Sidney A. Westbrook at West Point, Mississippi.
His wife was born January 2, 1814. One
child, a daughter Sidney Carr, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Carr.
Sidney Carr was born in 1857, and she married Beverly W. Beckham.
Lewis Whitfield Carr
had five
brothers; Joshua Carr, James Carr, Alexander Carr, Titus Carr, and
Matthews
Carr; two sisters, Patsie Carr and Susan Carr.
Three of his brothers, James, Alexander and Titus were members
of the
Confederate Army.
Mr. Carr never held
public office,
but he served the public in many other ways.
His fellow townsmen said, "No man stands higher in Robertson
County
than L. W. Carr."
Lewis Whitfield Carr
died December
30, 1911 and his wife, Sidney A. Carr died July 10, 1883.
Both are buried in Norwood Cemetery in Hearne.
CARSON,
MATTHEW VAUGHAN
SR.,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Carson, was born in Franklin, Texas in
1885.
In 1905, when he was 20 years of age, he came to Hearne and was
employed
by the J. L. Hazlett Drug Store.
Mr. Carson was a
registered druggist
for 49 years and owned and operated drug stores in Hearne and
Somerville, and
later in Austin.
While living in
Somerville he was a
member of the School Board of that city for many years and was
President of the
board for seven years. He also served as a
member of the State of Texas Centennial
Commission in 1936.
During his many years
as a
businessman in Hearne, he was a member and very active in the Hearne
Chamber of
Commerce and an active supporter of the many civic undertakings.
Mr. Carson always put the welfare of others above his own during
his
entire active career.
In 1908 he was married
to Miss Mary
Brady of Hearne, daughter of Peter Louis Brady and Jessie Mathews Brady
prominent pioneer family of Hearne. Mr.
and Mrs. Carson had two sons: Matthew Vaughan Carson Jr.,
and Lawrence Brady Carson. The
Carson family's religious affiliation is with St. Mary's Catholic
Church of
Hearne.
Matthew Vaughan
Carson was
one of the many pioneer citizens of Hearne who contributed much to the
growth
and progress of the community. He
died September 4, 1956.
CLAPP,
H. BIGGS,
was born at Hearne, Texas, February 12, 1910, the son of Mr. and Mrs.
George M.
Clapp, early residents of Hearne. His
father was one of Hearne's early day blacksmiths and owned and operated
a
blacksmith shop on the corner of Fourth and Cedar Streets for many
years.
H.
Biggs Clapp attended school in Hearne and graduated from Hearne High
School with
the Class of 1928. For the
following twenty years he worked at various jobs which included Clerk
at the
Oxford Hotel; worked for the W.P.A. during the depression years of the
early
thirties; worked for the State Highway Department; worked in the office
of the
South Texas Cotton Oil Company; and Heartfield Funeral Home as a
funeral
director.
In
1948 he purchased the flower shop formerly operated by E. H. Heartfield
and
began the operation of this business under the name of Biggs' Florist
on the
corner of Magnolia and Second Streets.
He
was married to Miss joy Hancock; daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S.S. Hancock,
September 9, 1933 at Calvert, Texas. Mrs.
Clapp was born and reared in the Elliott community in Robertson County.
Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Clapp; Alvin Clapp, a
graduate of
Hearne High School, and a daughter, Kay Clapp.
H.
Biggs Clapp is a member of the Board of Stewards of Grace Methodist
Church, a
church that his grandfather, The Reverend A. C. Biggs pastored in the
early days
of Hearne. He is also a member of the
Hearne Chamber of Commerce and a former member of the Hearne Rotary
Club.
CLARK,
JAMES EARL, son of James A. "Doc" Clark and
Jessie Clanton Clark, was born at Hearne, Texas on Moss Avenue,
September 15, 1901. He spent most of his life in Hearne. He
attended the public schools in Hearne.
His first job after finishing his schooling
was with Brady's Gin. In 1918, he went to work for the H. &
T. C. Railroad Company and worked in the freight department until
1928. In 1928, he accepted employment with the Humble Oil &
Refining Company and worked for this company at Ingleside, Texas until
1930. He returned to Hearne in 1930 and accepted the position of
Sexton at Norwood Cemetery in Hearne, a position that had been held by
a member of his family for three generations. His father, James
A. "Doc" Clark and his grandfather, Joe Clark, also held the Sexton job
at Norwood Cemetery.
In 1941, he resigned as Sexton at Norwood
Cemetery and accepted employment with the U.S. Post Office at Hearne
and continues his employment there in 1958.
James Earl Clark married Alva Easter Thames,
daughter of Louis Milton Thames and Ira Dunlap Thames, July 9,
1926. A son, Earl Eugene Clark, was born to James Earl Clark and
Alva Easter Thames Clark, May 11, 1927. Earl Eugene Clark died
August 26, 1929.
James Earl Clark and his wife are members of
the First Baptist Church of Hearne. He is active in the Baptist
Brotherhood organization. Alva Easter Thames Clark has been
active in the business circles of Hearne having served with The Famous
Dry Good Company as store manager for 20 years. In 1955, she was
an active partner in Julia's Dress Shop in Hearne and sold her interest
in this firm in 1956. In 1958, she is employed in a secretarial
position with the Jones Insurance Agency of Hearne.
COLLIER,
LILLIAN WELCH
was born at Hearne, Texas, February 7, 1896, the daughter of Charles
Pinkney
Welch and Mary Louise Hostrasser Welch. Mr.
Welch was born September 7, 1859 and died October 7, 1937.
Mrs. Welch was born February 9, 1862 and died December 6, 1948.
She attended the Hearne
Public
Schools and was in the last Tenth Grade graduating class which was
composed of
only three students; Lillian Welch, Nellie Carr and Bessie Burke.
She was also in the first Eleventh Grade graduating class but
this time
there were only two students; Lillian Welch and Bessie Burke.
Mrs. Collier has often
said that one
of the favorite pastimes she enjoyed during her girlhood was the
privilege of
riding the old Hearne & Brazos Valley "Jack" train that made two
daily round-trips from Hearne to the Brazos Bottom.
Little did she dream while making these rides that she would
ever make
her home in the Brazos Bottom which she describes as "Heaven."
Upon completing her
high school
education she attended Baylor University in Waco and Southwest State
Teachers
College, later teaching school at Mumford in 1916-17.
She was married to
Judson Holt Collier,
son of Joseph Robert Collier and Rachel Anne Bailey Collier, July 3,
1917.
A daughter, Frances Elizabeth Collier was born to Mr. and Mrs.
Collier
and she married Thomas E. Foyt. Mr.
and Mrs. Foyt have two children; Tommy Foyt and Barbara Foyt.
After her marriage, she
and Mr.
Collier established their home at Mumford in the Brazos Bottom at the
old
Collier plantation home.
One of the most
interesting projects
that Mrs. Collier has worked on was to build up the Mumford School
System.
When she taught at this school in 1916-17 it was only a
two-teacher
school. She worked on the school
census and then went before the State Legislature to see if the Mumford
School
could be designated as an Independent School District.
This was accomplished and bonds were voted to build a modern
brick
building and the teachers were increased from two to seven.
This was known as one of the most unique schools in Texas
because at that
time it was a rural school and yet an independent district.
When this school district was designated the county line between
Brazos
and Robertson counties had to be established from Benchley to Mumford
and in the
course of this work and surveying, the ruins of Old Fort Tenoxtitlan in
Burleson
County were discovered. This old
fort was established in July 1830 as a Mexican Garrison and was located
on the
west bank of the Brazos River. The
finding of this old fort was a help in getting the State Highway
Commission to
designate the Hearne-Mumford Road as a Farm to Market Road and thereby
receive
state construction and maintenance.
Locally, Mrs. Collier
is a member of
the First Baptist Church of Hearne, an active member of the Hearne
Shakespeare
Club, an Honorary Member of the Hearne Garden Club, and an active
member of the
Hearne Chamber of Commerce. From 1933 to
1938 she was Postmaster at Mumford and was
President of the Mumford School Board from 1927 to 1933.
On a state and national
level, Mrs.
Collier has served as follows: Member of the State Democratic Executive
Committee, a member of the Speaker's Bureau National Democratic
Committee,
Women's National Democratic Club, Chairman Women's Activities Texas
Advisory
Council, Texas Centennial Celebration Committee, Chairman Texas
Roadside
Council, President of Fourth District Texas Federation of Women's
Clubs,
District Vice Chairman Texas Division American Cancer Society, Chairman
Central
Texas Council Volunteer Service of Camps and Hospitals, Chairman Safety
TFWC,
Member of Board of Directors Texas Safety Association, participated in
National
Institute of Government - Chicago, 1939, Commissioner of Texas Heritage
Foundation, Program Chairman Dehydrators Convention - Galveston, and
many other
national and state organizations.
In 1957 at Ashville,
North Carolina,
Mrs. Collier received a National Award from the General Federation of
Women's
Clubs for the Traffic Court program at Mumford and the Traffic
Violators School.
The Hearne Shakespeare Club was awarded $100 in this instance.
In company with her
husband, Mrs.
Collier made three trips with the Council of International Relations
group and
Texas Good Neighbors. In 1953 they
attended the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth in England and visited
sixteen
countries in Europe and the Near East. They
were also member of the above groups in 1956 for a tour around the
world and in
1957 for a trip to South America, Central America, and Mexico.
Since 1917 Ms. Collier
has been very
active on a local, state, national and global level in public affairs
and has
traveled thousands of miles in her public activities.
CORNFORTH,
ROBERT EARL SR.
was born November 12, 1890 at Robinson, Texas in McLennan County.
His parents were Alvin Burgess Cornforth and Lavenia Cook
Cornforth.
At a very early age he
moved from
Robinson to Gatesville, Texas where he worked on the family farm and
ranch.
He attended school in Gatesville until 1904 when his family
moved to
Lampasas, Texas to continue farming and ranching in that area.
He attended high school in Lampasas and was graduated with the
class of
1910.
In
1910 the Cornforth family moved to Taylor, Texas, but Robert Earl
Cornforth went
to Waco, Texas where he attended Toby's Business College until 1913.
During 1913 he moved to Taylor, staying in that city a short
time and
then moved to San Antonio, Texas where he was employed by the Southern
Pacific
Railroad Company and the Wells-Fargo Express Company.
In
1915 he accepted a position with the Taylor Water & Ice Company in
Taylor,
Texas and worked for this firm until he entered military service in
1917 during
World War I. He received his military training at Camp Travis and
shipped out to
the battle front in Germany in 1918, serving as Regimental Supply
Sergeant,
315th Engineers, 90th Division. While
serving with the U. S. Army in France, during one of the big campaigns,
he lost
his metal identification tag. During
September 1957 he received a letter from the U. S. Army records center
in St.
Louis telling him that his old 'dog tag' had been found by a Frenchman
in Bure,
France. The commanding officer of
the records center enclosed the metal tag and a translated copy of the
letter
from the finder. The finder stated
that he was weeding his garden and found a small round metal disc,
which after
being cleaned, appeared much as it stands now, affixed to a postal card.
The Frenchman said he wondered for a moment what it could be and
that it
dawned on him that it might be the identity disc of an American soldier
of the
1914 war. Looking further at the
disc the finder said he began to wonder about the man who had worn it,
who he
was, and if he still was in this world. He
said that he would like for the disc to be given to its owner and if
possible
have the owner write to him and let him know that the disc had at last
reached
its destination.
Mr.
Cornforth served in the U. S. Army until July 3, 1919 and returned to
his home
in Taylor, Texas. On July 5, 1919
he went to work for the National Compress Company at Taylor and worked
for this
firm in that city until August of 1922. On
August 31, 1922 he came to Hearne where he was employed with this
company until
November 1954.
On
September 1, 1955, he was appointed Executive Director of the Hearne
Housing
Authority. Along with the duties of this
position, he also operates a
finance company.
On
June 15, 1925 he was married to Miss Ruby Pippin, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs.
Joseph Pippin of Groesbeck, Texas. Two
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cornforth: a son, Robert Earl
Cornforth Jr.,
and a daughter, Mary Jo Cornforth Glaxner.
Mr.
Cornforth has been very active in the civic and business life of
Hearne, serving
on the Hearne Independent School District Board for 17 years and also
served as
President of this board; served two and one-half years as President of
the
Hearne Chamber of Commerce; is a member of the Hearne Rotary Club; and
served on
the Board of Stewards of Grace Methodist Church since 1926.
The
many years of public service rendered by Robert Earl Cornforth along
with his
activities in the business life of this area has added much to the
progress of
Hearne.
CORPORA, JOSEPH SAMUEL
SR., son of Sam Copora and Lena Salvato Corpora, was born in
Falls County, Texas, April 21, 1918. He attended the rural school
at Highbank near Marlin, Texas and Hearne High School.
After completing his schooling, he farmed in
the Hearne Brazos Bottom. He enlisted in the U.S. Army January
15, 1941 and served in the 36th Division, 131st Field Artillery at
Brownwood, Texas. In June 1942, he transferred to the U.S. Air
Force Glider Pilot Training Attachment. In March 1943, he
transferred to the U.S. Air Force Aviation Cadet Training and was
graduated as a pilot February 8, 1944. He was located on the West
Coast of the United States until January 15, 1945 in training in
tactical type aircraft. On January 15, 1945, he was transferred
to the European Theater during World War II. After the 9th Air
Force, he flew 32 combat missions. He returned to the United
States August 15, 1945 where he had various assignments with the
training program on the West Coast. He received his discharge
from military service December 31, 1946 with the rank of Captain.
During 1948, he established Corpora Aerial
Service in the Hearne area and constructed an airport for the operation
of this business in the Hearne Brazos Bottom.
He married Sara Falco, daughter of J. T. Falco
and Vincent Tusa Falco of Marlin, Texas, April 27, 1947. The
marraige was performed in Marlin, Texas. Sara Falco Corpora
attended school at Reagan, Texas and was graduated from Marlin High
School of Marlin, Texas with the Class of 1940. The following
children were born to Joseph Samuel and Sara Falco Corpora:
Samuel Anthony Corpora, Audette Corpora, Joseph Samuel Corpora Jr., and
Priscilla Jean Corpora.
Joseph Samuel Corpora and his family are
communicants of St. Mary's Catholic Church. Sara Falco is member
of St. Mary's Altar Society; a member of the Miles Scriviner American
Legion Post Auxiliary; and a member of the Hearne Parent-Teacher's
Association.
Joseph Samuel Corpora is a member of the Miles
Scriviner American Legion Post of Hearne; a member of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars; and a member of the Aircraft Owners & Pilots
Association.
State Coordinator:
Gina Heffernan
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