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Biographical Sketches - W

    WALLACE, HUGH HENRY, son of William Jackson Wallace and Olivia Bell LeFevere Wallace, was born in Alexander community in Brazos County, Texas, November 16, 1895.  He attended school at Alexander and Wheelock.  During his boyhood, he lived on the family farm and farmed with his father.
        In 1917, he moved to Hearne, Texas and was employed by the Wells Fargo Express Company.  In 1919 he worked for the H. & T. C. Railroad Company in the repair shops in Hearne.  He returned to Wheelock in 1920 and farmed until 1926.  In 1926, he accepted employment as manager of the market department of the Red & White Grocery in Hearne and worked for this firm for six years.  In 1932, he became manager of the market department of the Brady Brother's IGA Store and worked for this company until 1952.  On July 21, 1952, he went into the feed store business on North Magnolia Street in Hearne.
        Hugh Henry Wallace married Verta Christine McNair, daughter of John Roderick McNair and Emma Katherine Melton McNair of Wheelock, Texas, April 22, 1917.  The marriage was performed at Wheelock by Reverend John Garrett who later lived in Hearne.
        The following children were born to Hugh Henry Wallace and Verta Christine McNair Wallace:  Zane Grey Wallace, who married Mary Helen Kummer of Junction City, Kansas; Martha Nell Wallace, who married William Clarence Youngblood of Jefferson, Texas; Hugh Arnold Wallace, who married Madeline Matthews of Charleston, South Carolina; Billy John Wallace, who married Emma Lane Barker of Gause, Texas; and Wayne Lovell Wallace, who died at an early age.
        The following grandchildren were born:  Zane Edward Wallace, Helen Elaine Wallace, Olivia Ann Youngblood, Sharon Gwynn Wallace, Hugh Arnold Wallace Jr., and Lynda Lane Wallace.
        Hugh Henry Wallace and Verta Christine Wallace are members of Grace Methodist Church of Hearne.

WALLACE, OLEN JAMES, was born in Wheelock, Texas, May 5, 1908, the son of William Jackson Wallace and Bell Olivia LeFevere Wallace.  He attended grade school in the Wheelock rural school.
    The Wallace family moved to Hearne, November 3, 1918 and Olen James Wallace entered the Hearne public school.  During his years at Hearne High School he was one of the most outstanding fullbacks in the history of the Hearne High School.  He won football letters four consecutive years and he was also an outstanding member of the basketball and track teams of Hearne High School.
    On May 1, 1926 he became employed with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company at Hearne as a call boy while he was still in school.  Later he was promoted to yard clerk and finally as Chief IBM Clerk in the Transportation Department.
    He entered military service October 29, 1942 during World War II, and served for fifteen months with the U. S. Navy Construction Battalion and transferred to the regular U. S. Navy where he served for fifteen months.  After his discharge from the regular U. S. Navy he transferred to the U. S. Navy Air Stand By Reserve Station, U.S. N.A.S. Wing Staff 70, Division I at Dallas, Texas.  He received his military discharge September 30, 1945.
    On July 3, 19'35 he was married to joy Louise White, daughter of William David White and Fannie Etta Grace White.  The marriage took place at the Austin Avenue Methodist Church in Waco, Texas.  Mrs. Wallace was born in Franklin, Texas and attended the Franklin schools but later moved to Hearne where she was graduated from Hearne High School with the Class of 1928.  Mr. and Mrs. Olen James Wallace are members of Grace Methodist Church and he is a member of the Brotherhood of Railway & Steamship Clerks.  Mrs. Wallace has followed a business career in Hearne and is associated with a local insurance agency.  She is also noted for the fine flowers and plants she grows in her home flower garden.

WALSTON, JOHN THOMAS was born April 24, 1880 at Branchville in Milam County, Texas.  His parents were John Thomas Walston Sr. and Mary Harris McDonald Walston.  His father was a native of North Carolina and his mother was a native of Alabama.
    During his early childhood, John Thomas Walston lived on a farm near Branchville and later moved to Cameron, Texas with his parents in order that he might have school advantages.  His parents later bought a plantation near "Sugar Loaf" Mountain in Milam County and Mr. Walston was assigned some acreage for his own farming interests and he supervised the farming of the remaining acreage for his father.
    On December 28, 1902, he was married to Miss Carrie Eugenia Lastor of Calvert, Texas.  During their married life, Mr. and Mrs. Walston lived in Cameron for one year, Calvert for 12 years, and Hearne for 37 years.  Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Walston: a daughter, Mabel Walston who was married to Julius Plagens, and a son, Seth Tommie Walston who married Miss Elizabeth Henderson of Calvert Texas.
    Mr. Walston was engaged in farming during the year of 1903-04 and in 1904 he moved to Calvert where he was employed as manager of the Calvert Ice & Utilities Company.  In 1912 he went into business for himself in Calvert and operated this business until 1915 when he opened a merchandise business in Hearne.  From 1919 through 1921 he was employed as manager of the Moreland Plantation in the Brazos Bottom near Hearne and from 1921 through 1923 he was manager of the Woods Glass Farm also in the Brazos Bottom.
    From 1924 until the time of his death, Mr. Walston was in the retail grocery business in Hearne with his son, Seth Tommie Walston, as co-owner.  This father and son combination also operated farm and ranch interests in Robertson County.
    Mr. Walston was a resident of Hearne for 37 years, and during this time he served the public in the office of City Alderman for several terms and was chairman of the Street & Bridge Committee.
    He was one of Hearne's oldest business men at the time of his passing and was the type of citizen that had befriended many.  He was a staunch Democrat and kept himself well informed on political and economic affairs.  He was a rabid sports fan and he enjoyed football and baseball, having traveled many a mile following the home teams.
    John Thomas Walston died April 5, 1952. 

WALTMON, JOHN CALVIN was born at Jewett, Texas, October 30, 1884.  He came to Hearne in 1904 at the age of 20 years and his first job was working in the E. Fisher General Merchandise Store.
    In 1907, he was employed by the Travis Oil Mill in Hearne, this company later changing its name to the South Texas Cotton Oil Company.  Later, he became manager of this oil mill and served 37 years before his retirement.
    He was married to Miss Floy Larkin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Augustus M. Larkin, June 30, 1927.
    Mr. Waltmon was active in the civic and business life of Hearne for a period of 40 years; serving as a member of the Hearne School Board for 9 years, a member of the Hearne Rotary Club, and President of the Hearne Chamber of Commerce.
    John Calvin Waltmon died November 18, 1944. 

WALTMON, DR. WILLIAM KNIGHT, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Waltmon, was born in Hearne, Texas, March 11, 1895.
    He attended the Hearne public schools and was graduated from Hearne High School with the Class of 1912.  He enrolled at Baylor Dental College and received his D.D.S. Degree in 1915 and opened his practice of dentistry in Hearne.
    At the outbreak of World War I in 1917, he was commissioned a First Lieutenant in the Dental Corps and served overseas until his discharge in July 1919.  He then returned to Hearne to resume his practice of dentistry.
    He was married to Miss Dorthea Kiehn, September 6, 1921 and their son James Robert Waltmon was born November 25, 1931.
    Dr. Waltmon has been very active in the business and civic life of Hearne, serving as President of the Hearne Chamber of Commerce in 1922-23.  He is a member of Grace Methodist Church and served as Sunday School teacher, Superintendent of the Sunday School from 1926 through 1936 and also served as Chairman of the Board of Stewards from 1931 to 1944.
    In 1922 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Hearne Building & Loan Association and has served as President of that organization since 1944.  He received Fellowship in The American College of Dentists in September 1942.
    Dr. Waltmon is a charter member of the Hearne Rotary Club which was organized in 1925 and served that organization as secretary from 1925 to 1927 when he was chosen as President of the Rotary Club.  He is now serving as Treasurer for the Rotary Club.  He has always been interested in the progress of Hearne and is extremely proud of the part the Hearne Building & Loan Association has played in the growth of the city.  Both he and Mrs. Waltmon are excellent musicians and like to entertain their friends with their music.  Dr. Waltmon plays the violin and Mrs. Waltmon performs at the piano and organ and is well known as a vocalist.
    William Knight Waltmon has long been a leader in Hearne and many are those that have to come to him for advice on personal matters as well as public matters.
    Dr. Waltmon was President of the Brazos Valley District Dental Society in 1935 and Vice-President of the Texas Dental Association in 1949. 

WATT, WILLIAM TILLETT was born June 6, 1845 in North Carolina and was the son of John Watt and Nancy Stevenson Watt.
    After serving in the Confederate Army at the close of the Civil War he moved to Texas and settled in the Bastrop area and was employed in the leather business.
    Later he moved to Port Sullivan on the Brazos River west of Hearne.  Here he met and married Miss Augusta Ferguson, formerly of Selma, Alabama and a sister of Wesley Platt Ferguson a prominent Hearne businessman and banker.  His wife, Augusta Ferguson was born June 12, 1854.
    In 1874 Mr. Watt moved to Hearne and established his own mercantile business on the corner of Third and Magnolia Streets.  He operated this business until 1890, selling out to R. A. Allen & Son who continued to operate this business at the same location.  The building that housed the W. T. Watt Store burned and was rebuilt on the same location in 1891.
    Mr. Watt's mercantile business was one of the largest in Robertson County, and in addition to this business he owned and operated large cotton plantations in both Milam and Robertson Counties.
    Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Watt; Mary Frances Watt who married Congressman 0. H. Cross of Waco, Anne Hale Watt who married Judge James W. McClendon of Austin, and a son Charles Plattenburg Watt who remained unmarried.  Charles Plattenburg Watt was born in 1878 and died in 1939, Mary Watt Cross died in 1953, she was born in 1875.  William Tillett Watt died in 1921 and Augusta Ferguson Watt died in 1886.   

WEEKS, ALLEN RHODES, son of James Francis Weeks and Tabitha Weeks, was born September 24, 1888 at Durant, Mississippi.  He attended the public schools of West, Mississippi and later attended special school for a year in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
    In July 1912 he moved to Hearne, Texas where he accepted employment in the office of the H. & T. C. Railroad Company.  Prior to having moved to Hearne he held similar employment with this railroad in Bryan and Calvert, Texas.
    In 1917 he enlisted in the U. S. Navy and served for two years during World War I. He was married to Mary Ellen (Blanche) Snell, daughter of William Alexander Snell and Frances Moore Langan Snell, April 20, 1918.  The marriage was performed at Portsmouth, Virginia.  Mary Ellen (Blanche) Snell Weeks was born at Hearne, Texas.  She attended the Hearne public schools and later attended St. Mary's Hall, an Episcopal girls preparatory college in San Antonio, Texas, for two years.  While Allen Rhodes Weeks was stationed at Panama in the Canal Zone during World War I, his wife, Mary Ellen (Blanche) Snell Weeks, was employed in the Canal Zone Auditor's Office for two years.  Her grandfather, Colonel John L. Langan, was one of the early newspaper editors in Hearne in the late 1870's.
    Two children were born to Allen Rhodes Weeks and Mary Ellen (Blanche) Snell Weeks: Mary Ellen Weeks and Alice Allen Weeks.
    Mary Ellen Weeks married Don George Ikard and the following children were born to them: George Ikard, Allan Ikard, Kay Ikard, and Brian Weeks Ikard.
    Alice Allen Weeks married Robert Lee Bruce and the following children were born to them: Mary Alice Bruce, Margaret Bruce, and Robert Lee Bruce Jr.
    Allen Rhodes Weeks was a member of the First Baptist Church where he has served as a member of the Board of Deacons and Church Treasurer.  He was a member of the Golden Rule Masonic Lodge of Hearne; a member of the Royal Arch Masons; a member of the Knights Templar; a member of the Karem Shrine Temple of Waco; and a Director of the Hearne Building & Loan Association.  Allen Rhodes Weeks died July 23, 1958.
    Mary Ellen (Blanche) Weeks is a communicant of St. Philips Episcopal Church; a member of the Women's Auxiliary of St. Philips Church; a member of the Hearne Garden Club; and has been a member of the Hearne Shakespeare Club since 1913.

WELBORN, THOMAS WEBBER, son of Harry Caldwell Welborn and Candice Windham Welborn, was born April 13, 1915, near Laurel, Mississippi.  He attended the Shady Grove Vocational Agriculture School at Shady Grove, Mississippi and was graduated from this school in 1934.
    In December 1935, he moved to Hearne, Texas and was employed by the Sinclair Refining Company.  Later, he went to work for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in Hearne.
    Thomas Webber Welborn married Lenna Maw Thomas, daughter of Charlie Edgar Thomas and Mary Ida Young Thomas of Mount Pleaasant, Texas, August 27, 1939.  The marriage was performed at Winfield, Texas.  Lenna Mae Thomas Welborn attended school at Winfield, Texas.  She was graduated from Mount Pleasant High School and attended East Texs State Teacher's College where she received her B. S. and M. S. Degrees.  She taught school in the Ripley School in Titus County for three years; two years in the Daphney School in Franklin, County, two years in the Winfield School in Titus County'; Forrestgrove School one year; Bogata, Red River County, Eureka, Franklin, Post, and Hearne.  She has taught in Hearne since 1936.  She is a member of the Texas State Teachers' Association; a member of the Robertson County Teachers' Association, a member of the International Reading Association, ; and a member of the Hearne Garden Club.
    Thomas Webb Welborn is a member of the First Baptist Church.  He is a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Clerks.

WELCH, CHARLES PINKNEY, son of William W. Welch and Eliza Rhea Welch, was born September 7, 1859.  He was married to Mary Louise Montgomery in 1892 and six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Welch, three of whom died in infancy and one at the age of seven years.  The two remaining children are Lillian Welch Collier and Lucille Welch Martin.  Mrs. Welch was born February 9, 1862 and died December 6, 1948, at the age of 86 years.
    In his early manhood, Mr. Welch was a clerk for Easterwood Mercantile Company and later went into business for himself when he opened a wholesale flour and feed business.  This firm was located on the corner of Magnolia and Fifth Streets.
    He organized the Baptist Sunday School and was active in the church throughout his life.  Mrs. Welch was organist in the church in her early life and also was active in other church work.
    Mr. Welch died October 7, 1937. 

WELCH, JOHN T. was born at Hearne, Texas, October 5, 1877, the son of William W. Welch and Eliza Rhea Welch.
    He attended schools in Hearne taught by Miss Penuel and Mrs. Fannie Reese Pugh, later attending the public high school.  The first school that he attended was located in the block back of Grace Methodist Church and in the same block of his home on First Street.
    Mr. Welch demonstrated his business ability in early boyhood by operating a laundry agency and selling newspapers.  His early employment in young manhood was with the oil mill and the H. & T. C. Railroad Company.  In 1898 he went to work for the I. & G. N. Railroad Company, this company later being taken over by the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
    On March 20, 1898, he was married to Miss Josie Smith, daughter of Mrs. Amelia Smith, who had moved to Hearne from Mexia, Texas with the other members of her family in 1895. (On April 3, 1895, Mrs. Welch and her sister, Miss Pearl Smith, organized the Misses Smith Store, a ladies ready-to-wear and millinery store in Hearne, Mrs. Welch being active in this business until February 1926 when she retired on account of her health.  This firm is still in operation in 1958 and is the oldest continuously operated retail store in Hearne).
    Mr. Welch retired from his duties as Agent for the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company in 1938 on account of ill-health after 40 years of faithful and efficient service to this company.  Letters of commendation were received by Mr. Welch from officials of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company upon his retirement.
    During his more active years, Mr. Welch took a great interest in Boy Scout work and served as chairman of the Finance Committee of this organization.  He was the recipient of official recognition of his untiring efforts in the work with Boy Scouts of this area.
    Mr. and Mrs. Welch are both members of long standing of Grace Methodist Church.  Throughout their many years as citizens of Hearne, they have been actively interested in the civic, religious, and social life of Hearne.
    Now that they have passed the golden milestone, this interest remains as keen as when it was first incited in their younger days of citizenship.  They are one of Hearne's most beloved couples, and are affectionately referred to as "Uncle John" and "Aunt Josie" by their host of friends.

WENCK, KARL FREDERICK CHRISTIAN was born in Baden, Germany, January 27, 1864.  He spent his early boyhood in Germany where he attended school for two years in the elementary grades.  He also worked as an apprentice shoemaker during his early boyhood and young manhood.
    The skill and craftsmanship of the European worker is a sacred trust.  His art has been handed down from father to son, and to grandson; since the middle ages.  These craftsmen were originally bonded together in craftsmen's guilds and were honor bound to maintain the standards and reputation of their craft.  From such background and experience Karl Frederick Chistian Wenck came to Ameica in 1886, landing at Galveston, Texas.  He then went to New Baden, Texas in Robertson County and worked in Franklin, Texas as a shoemaker.  During these times all shoes were hand made and shoemaking was a very profitable business.
    During the year of 1895 he was married to Miss Margareth Reusch of New Baden and during this same year Mr. and Mrs. Wenck moved to Hearne to make their home.  Mr. Wenck continued his profession of shoemaking and Mrs. Wenck was employed for many years as a housekeeper in the H. K. Davis home.  Mrs. Wenck was born in Louisville, Kentucky, November 15, 1876, the daughter of German immigrants who came to America in the early 1800's.
    Mr. Wenck was a shoemaker in Hearne until 1915 when the cost of shop built shoes and boots became prohibitive due to the fact that ready-made shoes and boots could now be bought.  However, he continued to be a shoe repairman for many years in Hearne.  He accumulated a number of friends in Hearne due to his pleasing personality and his quick wit.  Mr. and Mrs. Wenck were members of the Lutheran Church and Mr. Wenck held membership in the Sons of Herman Lodge in Bryan.
    The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wenck: Joe Wenck, Carrie Wenck Hill, Karl Wenck Jr., August Wenck, Johnie Wenck, and Paley A. Wenck.  Four other children of Mr. and Mrs. Wenck died in infancy.
    This fine old German couple were typical of the early German immigrants that settled in Hearne during the early years.  Mr. Wenck passed away February 23, 1935 and Mrs. Wenck died November 10, 1944. 

WESTBROOK, TITUS CARR, born at West Point, Mississippi, October 1, 1842 of a well-to-do and highly respected family, repre. sentatives of the fine old Southern aristocracy of the halcyon days before the Civil War, had the advantage in youth of careful trainino, and thorough education, graduating with the rank of Captain from Military Institute, at Frankfort, Kentucky, when 17 years of age, and soon after came to Texas with his step-father, Lewis Whitfield Carr, who located with his family on the rich alluvial lands of the Brazos River Bottom near Hearne.
    He entered the Confederate Army in the spring of 1862 as a soldier in Company B, enlisting for three years, or so long as the war might last, and was stationed with his command first on Galveston Island, then at Virginia Point, and then at Camp Speight, Texas, where the Fifteenth Texas Infantry was organized, with J. W. Speight as its Colonel, M. D. Herring as Captain, and T. C. Westbrook as Lieutenant of Company B. He was later promoted to Captain and saw action in the battles of Fordash, Bayou Bordeau, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, Marksville, Yellow Bayou and other skirmishes and smaller engagements.  Captain Westbrook was slightly wounded at the Battle of Mansfiield.
    When mustered out of the service at Houston, Texas, after final surrender of the Confederate forces he was acting Adjutant of his regiment.  A friend, speaking of his bearing as a soldier, said: "In camp he was modest and unobtrusive, kind and jovial; in the thickest and hottest of the raging battle, cooler than most men on dress parade, prompt to act and utterly fearless.  He enjoyed the respect and confidence of his men and superior officers.  Knowing him as I did, I can truthfully say that he was as true and tried as tempered Damascus steel; as a soldier -and patriot, as brave and devoted as any man who wore the gray."
         Returning to his home in the Brazos Bottom he continued to engage in farming.  His possessions increased from year to year until he took rank as one of the wealthiest planters in Texas.  He was an ideal practical farmer, one of the most successful in the state, and his large Brazos Bottom plantations near Hearne, on which he continued to reside until his death, showed at all times the perfection of good management.  He spared no expense in securing and enjoying the good things of life.  He and his beloved wife, Jeannie Carr Randle, daughter of Allen Carr, to whom he was married December 4, 1878, dispensed a generous and wholesale hospitality at their palatial home to their many friends and the chance "stranger" within their gates.  It was his custom, assisted by his wife, to see that everyone on his plantation, black or white, received suitable Christmas presents.  He lived in the half patriarchal, half princely style of his ancestors and was a noble survivor of the high-souled, warm hearted and chivalric gentleman of a bygone day.  While exact in his business methods, his hand dispensed liberally to others of what it gathered.
    It was chiefly through his influence and exertions that the Hearne & Brazos Valley Railroad was constructed and put into operation.  He was elected President of the company upon its organization and served in that capacity up to the time of his death.
    He was a life-long Democrat and an ardent advocate of clean, wholesome measures and always interested himself in helping elect good men to public office.  He was a delegate to numerous State and County conventions and was solicited to run for political offices, but having no desire for political honors he declined.  He much preferred the quiet and peaceful home life to which he was accustomed.
    In July 1893, he suffered a severe illness from which he never fully recovered and sought restoration to his health by travel in old Mexico and other places.  He died September 17, 1893 and was buried in Norwood Cemetery in Hearne.

WESTON, DIXON CUNY, son of Robert Dixon Weston and Phillippa Cuny Weston, was born September 9, 1879 at Sunnyside, Texas.
   His early boyhood was spent in Waller County, Texas where he received his grade school and high school education.  He later attended Texas A&M College.
   In his early manhood, he went to work for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company at Hempstead, Texas.  With his family he moved to Hearne in 1919 where he served as Yardmaster for the Southern Pacific.  During his career with the railroad, his duties also took him to Mexia, Texas during the oil boom years of 1923-24.  He also worked in El Paso, Dallas, Ennis and Sherman.
   He was a member of the Robertson County A. & M. Club; a member of the Hempstead Masonic Lodge; and a member of the Houston Chapter Rose Croix of Scottish Rite.
   He was married to Miss Margery Taylor and Mr. and Mrs. Weston had three children: Robert Dixon Weston, Mary Lee Weston Powell, and Margery Weston Tomlinson.  Mrs. Weston was born in Louisiana, January 18, 1881 and died March 31, 1958.

WHITE, J. T., son of John Harvey White and Jane Stewart White, was born in Calvert, Texas, October 4, 1899.  His father was born April 12, 1864 and his mother was born February 11, 1870.  His mother and father were both born in Milamo, Texas.
   He attended school at Gause, Cameron, and Caldwell.  During World War I, he enlisted in the U. S. Army and served overseas for eighteen months and was on duty in the U. S. for one year, serving with the 20th Field Artillery 5th Division.
   After completing his military service he began a ranching career, his ranch lands being located six miles east of Hearne.
   He was married to Miss Emma Kate Rhodes, daughter of Robert Johnson Rhodes and Erma Wakefield Rhodes of Midway, Texas, July 19, 1925.  Mrs. White was born July 22, 1906.  Her father was born June 13, 1876 and her mother's birth date was July 4, 1879.  Mrs. white attended public school in Midway, Texas and also attended Sam Houston State Teachers College in Huntsville, Texas.
   During 1936 Mr. and Mrs. White entered the business of raising purebred Brahman cattle at their ranch and their stock is nationally and internationally known as shipments of their purebreds have been made to all parts of the United States and South America.
   Mr. White has membership in the American Brahman Breeder's Association; The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Director of the American Brahman Breeder's Association from 1952 to 1955; President of the American Brahman Breeder's Association from 1955 to 1958 and will be a Director for life; and a Director of Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association since 1956.  He is also Field Inspector for the Bryan Production Credit Association, a position he has held since 1934; Director of Robertson County Rural Electric Cooperative Inc. since 1947 and President of the Robertson County REA since 1951.
   Both Mr. and Mrs. White are active members of the Hearne Church of Christ and Mr. White is a member of the Golden Rule Masonic Lodge of Hearne; Ben Hur Temple; Austin Consistory No. 4 of Austin, Texas; and the American Legion.  He is Past Master of the Golden Rule Lodge of Hearne and Past Commander of the Miles Scriviner American Legion Post No. 454 of Hearne.

WILKERSON, ALBERT WADSWORTH, son of Jonathan Gideon Wilkerson and Sarah Wadsworth Wilkerson, was born in Hearne at the family home on Market Street, September 28, 1870.  He is said to have been the first white child to be born in Hearne.
    He attended Miss Penuel's private school in Hearne and later attended Sewanee Preparatory School and was graduated from the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
    Living in Hearne until he reached manhood, he was associated with his brother, Warren A. Wilkerson, in the lumber and hardware business.  Later, he moved to Bryan where he served as cashier of the City National Bank from 1902 to 1918, and later he became an officer in the Alamo Bank of San Antonio, Texas.  In 1919 he became President of the State Bank in Austin and served in that capacity until 1927 when he moved to Houston to assume the presidency of the Marine Bank & Trust Company which later merged with the National Bank of Commerce in that city.
    He was examiner of the Regional Agricultural Credit Corporation in 1932 and at one time was a member of the executive council of the American Banker's Association.
    He was married to Miss Mary Clare Weeden of Hearne and the following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilkerson: John Wadsworth Wilkerson, Dr. Edward Albert Wilkerson, and Aubrey Clare Wilkerson Smith.
    Albert Wadsworth Wilkerson died at Houston, Texas, May 30, 1941 and is buried in Norwood Cemetery in Hearne.

WILKERSON, JOHNATHAN GIDEON was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1847 and in his early boyhood at about the age of 14 years enlisted in the Army of the Confederacy and served as a Bugle Boy.
    After the Civil War was over, he came to Matagorda, Texas in the company of the Wadsworth boys, Ned and William, to make his home.  Here he met Miss Sarah Hollon Wadsworth, sister of Ned and William Wadsworth, and was married to her on December 20, 1869.
    Immediately following their marriage, the couple moved to Hearne to make their home.  In Hearne he formed a partnership with Greenwood Brown and established the firm of Brown & Wilkerson General Merchandise.  This firm was located in old Hearne on the east corner of the intersection of Market and Barton Streets.  The entire business section of Hearne was located in the south end of town at that time.  Johnathan Gideon Wilkerson and Sarah Wadsworth Wilkerson had two children; Albert Wadsworth Wilkerson, the first white child to be born in Hearne after the incorporation of the city in 1871, and Warren Aubrey Wilkerson, Hearne's first city manager.
    Johnathan Gideon Wilkerson helped Dr. Horace Bishop to organize the Methodist Church in Hearne in 1870.  He was known to his many friends as "Gid" Wilkerson and was one of Hearne's progressive pioneer citizens.  He died December 31, 1873. 

WILKERSON, SARAH WADSWORTH was born in Matagorda, Texas July 11, 1846, the daughter of Judge and Mrs. Albert Wadsworth.
    She was married to Jonathan Gideon Wilkerson, December 24, 1869 and this couple came to Hearne in that same year to make their home, Hearne at that time being just a small village, the terminus of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad.
    Her husband died in 1873 leaving her with two small sons to rear, these sons being Albert W. Wilkerson who was born September 28, 1870 and Warren A. Wilkerson who was born May 15, 1873.  She was very active in the work of the Episcopal Church, especially with the children of the church.  She also served as postmaster for Hearne in the early days.

WILKERSON, WARREN AUBREY was born in Hearne, Texas, May 15, 1873, the son of Jonathan Gideon Wilkerson and Sarah Wadsworth Wilkerson.
    He received his primary and early education in the small private school of Miss Laura G. Penuel, and only three months in the struggling and unsatisfactory public school system.
    As a lad he was employed in the Joe Montgomery Gin and Grist Mill on off school days at a wage of $.25 per day and a peck of meal.
    At the age of 14 he enrolled in the preparatory department of the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee, working up to the senior department of the university at the age of 18 years.  He was forced to forego further education by the needs of an ill and dependent family.  From 1891 to 1895 he worked as a bookkeeper for the firm of R. A. Allen & Son, this firm later being operated under the name of Allen Hardware Company.  In 1895 he formed and became manager of the Brazos Valley Lumber Company, located on the corner of Market & Fourth Streets.  In 1899 this firm was consolidated with the Junction City Lumber Company.  Mr. Wilkerson retired from this organization and with his brother, Albert Wadsworth Wilkerson, purchased the Adams Hardware & Implement Company, changing the name of this firm to Wilkerson Brothers.
    In September 1898, Mr. Wilkerson was married to Miss Clemmie Drake in Mexico City, and the following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilkerson: William Wadsworth Wilkerson and Sarah Frances Wilkerson.
    In 1904 Wilkerson Brothers took over the Junction City Lumber Company and operated jointly the hardware and lumber interests under the name of Wilkerson Brothers.  In 1923 they sold their lumber interest to Farrar Lumber Company.
    During the active years of Mr. Wilkerson's life, he found time for much civic and public welfare work in Hearne.  He served as a member of the Hearne School Board for several years and as a member of the Hearne City Council intermittently from 1901 through 1920.
    Under a special road law enacted for Robertson County in 1912 and with two large bond issues in 1912 and 1920, Mr. Wilkerson was the managing member of the road board in planning and construction.  The locations of the present road system were laid out during the period of his service to this board.
    He was Worshipful Master of the Hearne Masonic Lodge for a number of years and was awarded the 50-year pin by the Grand Lodge of Texas.  He had a life membership in the local Masonic Lodge.
    A 20-year pin attested Mr. Wilkerson's long membership in the Hearne Rotary Club of which he was one of the organizers and the club's first president.  He also helped to organize the Hearne Chamber of Commerce in 1914.
    As Robertson County Chairman for the American Red Cross, Mr. Wilkerson carried the organization through much of the first World War, through two Brazos River floods, and was a hold-over chairman of this organization for several years.
    Active management of the City of Hearne and its municipal utilities was one of his greatest contributions to his native town.  From 1924 to 1939 he served as City Secretary, and from 1939 to April 9, 1943 he served as City Manager.  Through his management of the city's affairs Hearne met the many problems of a growing town including the change over from an obsolete steam power plant to a modern plant with diesel equipment, and the developing of an adequate public water supply.  In the last two years of his services to the city, the Municipal Park was planned and constructed.
    On April 9, 1943, Mr. Wilkerson retired from the office of City Manager, and to put into his own words, "Sat on his porch near the side of the road and watched the world go by."
    Warren Aubrey Wilkerson died February 20, 1955, and his wife who was born April 18, 1875 died October 27, 1954. 

WILLIAMS, ELSEY LEMAN, son of George M. Williams and Anna Laura Kendall Williams, was born in Hearne, Texas, December 25, 1891.
    His early boyhood was spent in Hearne and his first employment in boyhood was in a bakery shop owned and operated by D. G. Boyd.  He attended the Hearne Public Schools and graduated from Hearne High School.  After graduating from high school, he went to work for the Houston & Texas Central Railroad as a call boy and locomotive fireman.  His employment with the railroad continued until 1910.  In December 1910 he went to work for the Allen Hardware Company in Hearne as a clerk and bookkeeper and continued in this position until August 1914 at which time he was employed by the Industrial Cotton Oil Company of Hearne where he worked until December 1918 at which date he was again employed by Allen Hardware Company and has continued his employment with that firm as manager.
    In 1915, Elsey Leman Williams was married to Miss Grace Wilson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wilson of Hearne.  In 1922, twin sons, Wendall and Kendall Williams were born to Mr. and Mrs. Williams.  Both graduated from Hearne High School.
    Both Mr. and Mrs. Williams are members of the First Baptist Church, both being very active in church work; Mr. Williams having taught in the Sunday School and Mrs. Williams being very active as a member of the church choir.  Mr. Williams has been a very active citizen of Hearne having served several terms as a member of the Board of Education of the Hearne Independent School District as Secretary; has served on the Board of Tax Equalization of the School District and the City of Hearne; served as a Director for the Hearne Chamber of Commerce; and is a member of the Golden Rule Lodge of Hearne.  He is a former member of the Hearne Rotary Club.
    Elsey Leman Williams has long been connected with the business and civic affairs of Hearne and is one of the most highly respected citizens of this area.

WILLIAMS, SAMUEL ROSS, son of Samuel Preston Williams and Alma Evelyn Pool Williams, was born December 18, 1905 at  Epley, Mississippi.  He attended school at Hopewell, Mississippi; Oakdale, Louisiana; Georgetown, Louisiana; and Millican, Texas.
    In 1918, he moved to Millican, Texas with his parents.  His father was an employee of the railroad.
    After finishing his schooling, Samuel Ross Williams went to work with the H. & T. C. Railroad Company as a section laborer in January 1923 at Millican, Texas.  On July 23, 1923, he transferred to the Communications Department of this railroad and continued his employment in this department in 1958.  He moved to Hearne, Texas August 8, 1953 as Assistant General Foreman.  When Hearne was selected as the logical location for the headquarters of a Communication Supervisor, Samuel Ross Williams assumed this position for his company.
    Samuel Ross Williams married Jessie Sylvia Meredith, daughter of Samuel William Meredith and Jessie John Meredith of Dickinson, Texas, June 28, 1949.  The marriage was performed at Dickinson, Texas.  Jessie Sylvia Meredith Williams was born at Chapel Hill, Texas.  She attended public school at Galveston, Bryan, and Millican, Texas.  Later, she attended Sam Houston State College and the University of Texas.  She taught in the rural schools of Grimes County, Texas from 1926 to 1928; in the rural schools of Brazos County, Texas in 1928 through 1930; the League City, Texas school from 1931 to 1940; the Dickinson, Texas public school from 1940 to 1953; the Mumford, Texas school from January through May 1955; and has taught in the Hearne public schools since September 1955.
    Samuel Ross Williams and Jessie Sylvia Meredith Williams are members of Grace Methodist Church of Hearne.  He is a member of the Masonic Lodge and Roy Arch Masonic Bodies.  Jesse Sylvia Meredith Williams is a member of the Hearne Parent-Teacher's Association; a member of the Order of the Eastern Star; a member of the Texas State Teachers' Association; and a member of the Hearne Shakespeare Club.

WILSON, JAMES LEON, son of T. Lynn Wilson and Jessie Kent Wilson, was born March 3, 1926 in Madisonville, Texas.
   He attended public school in Madisonville and was graduated from high school in that city with the Class of 1943.
   Upon completing his high school education he enlisted in the U. S. Army and served in the European area during World War II.  After being discharged from military service, he enrolled at the University of Texas and was graduated in 1949 with a degree in Pharmacy.  At the University of Texas he was a member of Rho Chi Honorary Pharmaceutical Fraternity.
   He moved to Hearne in 1949 and operated the Prescription Pharmacy at the Hearne Hospital located on Third Street and owned by Drs. Boyd and Guynes.  In 1953 in partnership with Joe D. Wilson he purchased the Prescription Pharmacy and later the same year this partnership purchased the Maris-Carson Drug Company.  In 1955 when the Hearne General Hospital was constructed, the Prescription Pharmacy was moved to this new location also.
   He was married in Houston to Miss Mary Batson, daughter of Luther J. Batson and Mary Bledsoe Batson of Madisonville, Texas, September 16, 1944.  Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have three children: Joe Wilson, John Wilson, and Jane Wilson.
   He has been active in the business and civic life of Hearne and is a member of the Hearne Chamber of Commerce; a member of the Hearne City Council where he also serves as Mayor Protem; and a member of the Miles Scriviner Post of the American Legion.  He was very active in organizing and constructing the Hearne Public Library.

WILSON, JOE D., son of Jessie S. Wilson and Edna Dotson Wilson, was born in Hearne, June 3, 1919.
   He attended the Hearne public schools and was graduated from Hearne High School in 1936.  Upon graduation from high school he was employed by Duffey Drug Company until 1938 when he continued his connection with R. M. Duffey in the electric appliance business.  This employment continued until 1940 when he enlisted in the U. S. Air Force where served as Captain for five years, his overseas duty being in the Pacific area during World War II.
   On November 5, 1942 he was married to Miss Sue Willis, daughter of Hubert Willis and Sebie Grant Willis of Franklin, Texas.  His marriage took place in Midland, Texas while he was serving in the U. S. Air Force.
   Upon being discharged from military service, he entered the University of Texas where he was graduated in 1948 with a B. S. Degree in Pharmacy.  After graduating, he accepted a position as pharmacist with the Sterling Drug Store of Port Lavaca, Texas.  In 1949 he was a salesman for the Abbott Laboratories selling drug and pharmacy supplies.
   In 1953 he formed a partnership with Leon Wilson in the Prescription Pharmacy located in the Hearne Hospital on Third Street.  Later in 1953 this partnership purchased the Maris-Carson Drug Store in Hearne.  After the Hearne General Hospital was constructed in 1955, the Prescription Pharmacy was moved to the new hospital.
   Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson: Sara Sue, Peggy Jo, and Cathy.  Mr. Wilson is a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Hearne Lions Club, the American Legion, and the Hearne Chamber of Commerce. 

     WOOD, CHARLES GLOVER was born in Grimes County, Texas in 1859 but later moved to Hearne and engaged in farming in the Brazos Bottom.  By industry and great business ability he became one of the wealthiest and most successful men of Robertson County.  He served as a Director for the First National Bank of Hearne, and was connected with many other enterprises in Hearne and elsewhere.  He owned several plantations in the Brazos Bottom near Hearne.
    Mr. Wood was a man whose wealth contained no tainted dollars.  To gain it, he oppressed no one, he deprived no one, however humble or ignorant or helpless, of his just dues.  His wealth came purely as the product of a great and constructive brain and diligent and careful atention to his affairs; and to hold it, he never closed his hand against the worthy person or the worthy cause in need of his assistance.  He was a man of the very highest integrity, exceedingly generous in helping those less fortunate than himself, a Christian gentleman, a loyal friend, and as a citizen took an active part in local affairs and was always found fighting in the foremost ranks in every endeavor of the people for good government.
    He was married to Miss Aurie Adkins and the following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wood: Myrtle Wood Hatch, Hazel Wood Miller, Ivy Wood, Vivian Wood, Fred L. Wood, and Charles Glover Wood Jr.
    Mr. Wood, who was affectionately known to his friends as "Big Charley," died in 1914 and is buried in Norwood Cemetery in Hearne. 

WOOD, FRED L. was born at Anderson in Grimes County, Texas, April 11, 1884, the son of Charles Glover Wood and Aurie Adkins Wood.
    He was reared on a cotton plantation and while he was still a young boy he moved to the Brazos Bottom near Hearne with his parents, attending school at Mumford, Hearne, and Llano.  In his later boyhood, he attended Texas Military Institute at San Antonio, Texas and Fort Worth University.
    Mr. Wood was a cotton planter, his career in this business having its beginning in the Hearne Brazos Bottom in 1896.  He also had a business connection in Hearne in the firm of Wood & Hervey, and later had farm interests in partnership in the firm of Wood & Adkisson.
    On October 15, 1908, he was married to Miss Mary Dell Baldridge of Ennis, Texas.  Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wood: Locke Aurilia Wood Moss and Mary Dell Wood.  Mr. and Mrs. Wood have a grandson; John Frederick Moss.
    Mr. Wood was a member of the Masonic Lodge, Elks Lodge, and was active in the Brazos-Robertson Soil Conservation District.
    He served for 15 years on the School Board of the Hearne Independent School District and worked hard and diligently to secure the present football stadium of Hearne High School which was named Wood Field in his honor.  He also served as Tax Assessor-Collector for Robertson County.
    The career of Fred Wood is typical of the many men of this area who have been in the cotton planting and ranching business.
    One of the most interesting and important events that Mr. Wood witnessed during his lifetime in Hearne was the completion of the Hearne & Brazos Valley Railroad that ran from Hearne to Stone City in the Brazos Bottom.  This railroad was most important to the plantations as road conditions in the early days made the moving of cotton crops from the fields to a shipping point very difficult.  He saw the Brazos River during flood stage when the entire Brazos Bottom farming area was completely flooded causing great damage and financial loss to the planters and land owners.  However, he lived to see great flood control dams constructed along this river that have prevented this costly loss to the cotton farmers of the Brazos Bottoms.
    Fred L. Wood died June 24, 1958.

WOODYARD, BONNIE, was born April 11, 1901 six miles north of Bryan, Texas at Campbell's Ranch in Brazos County.  His father was Jim Woodyard, a native of Italy and his mother was Lucille Covernaro Woodyard.
   He attended school at the Alexander Rural School in Brazos County.  In 1929 he moved to the Hearne Brazos Bottom where he acquired a large cotton farm and engaged extensively in cotton raising and the cattle business.  He continued his farming and ranching business in the Brazos Bottom until 1944 when he moved to Hearne and established the Hearne Electric & Appliance Company on the corner of Fourth and Cedar Streets.
   On November 22, 1924 he was married at the Campbell's Ranch home to Miss Lena Cash, daughter of Lee Cash and Vance Cuttitta Cash prominent Brazos Bottom pioneers.
   Both Mr. and Mrs. Woodyard are communicants of St. Mary's Catholic Church.  He was a member of the Hearne Chamber of Commerce and was very active in the business and civic activities of Hearne.  Bonnie Woodyard died May 20, 1958. 

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