It's been a busy week  of research and I have received many wonderful  stories of years gone by in Bosque County.  I love reading about the past and hope you, our  readers, will take time to send your stories, memories and queries in to share.  I was thrilled to receive information from some very helpful  people  who have helped fill in a few gaps in my own family research, and (surprisingly enough)  the link that made a connection between my Pool ancestors and the Pools who were early settlers of our county.  I learned of the existence of a letter written in the  early 1900’s by a Pool descendant, in his 80’s at that time ,  who speaks of the branches of the Pool family and their migration west from South Carolina and Mississippi to Texas.  I plan to include more on this in a future column.

    I would really like to encourage everyone to talk with the older members of your families and community. Record their memories, anything  they know of their family and their past. Remember these will one day become the treasures of future generations. It is so important to keep our history alive today before it is lost to us forever.

   The Bosque County Historical Commission will hold their annual Preservation Luncheon on Saturday, March 3, 2001, twelve noon in the Civic Center in  Clifton. Tickets are $12 per person. Proceeds from the luncheon will be used to help fund the Bosque County Collection, research center for local Bosque County history. Reservations may be mailed to the Bosque County Collection, P.O. Box 534, Meridian, Texas 76665.  The number of tickets to be sold is limited to 160, so be sure to get your reservations in early.

   If you are on the internet be sure to visit the website of the Bosque County Collection at http://www.htcomp.net/bcc. You can get an idea of some of the wonderful history that has been preserved here in our county, history that is available to us today  through the hard work and dedication of volunteers.

   The earliest that we have been able to trace the Powell family is to John Sr. and Mary Cromwell Powell in the later 1600. Mary was a relative of "Oliver  Cromwell" who was head of the British Government from 1599 to 1658.

   John Jr. and Alice Brewer Powell were in South Carolina in early 1700. Their son James was born in 1760 in South Carolina and married Rebecca Bynum. They had nine children. Their fifth child was Green Berry Powell, born 1799, married Martha Tidmore. They had ten children. Their fourth child was George S. Powell, my grandfather. He was born November 1, 1830 in Jefferson County, Alabama. He married Azelia Lay Benson. They had three boys. Green,  Sam B and Lay. Sam B was my Dad.

    This has been a brief summary of the Powell family. Now let me tell about them coming to Texas.

   James Powell and a part of his family and his son Green Berry Powell and his family came to Texas about 1839 in covered wagons. They settled about 15 miles north of Tyler at a place that is now the town of Winona.

   After James died most of the families scattered over Texas. However some stayed there. Green Berry Powell and his wife Martha moved to Bosque County in 1849 and settled about three miles south of the present town of Kopperl.

    A community sprang up and was called Powell Dale. The community grew and soon had a few stores, a cotton gin, school house,  post office and church. Green died  in 1865.
Their son George S. Powell joined them in 1855. George S. Powell married Azela Benson in 1865. He built a large rock house down close to the Brazos river. He hired and bought several thousand acres of land on both sides of the river. He became a very large farmer and rancher, raising several hundred acres of cotton and a large herd of cattle. He owned plenty of slaves to farm it. At that time it was said he was the richest man in Bosque County. George S. died October 12, 1910 and is buried in the Kopperl Cemetery.

   When the railroad was built the town of Kopperl started to grow. Most of the people in the Powell Dale Community moved to Kopperl. My dad Sam B. Powell also moved to Kopperl.  His four children were born there.

   In 1914 all of us moved to Morgan, Texas. I grew up in Morgan. I am Sam Odell Powell, the youngest  child of Sam B. Powell. I am 87 years old and I live in Athens, Texas.

   The event that I remember most about the Glenn place was when I would tease the Guineas and they would run me to the house. They bought their first car in 1926 before moving to a ranch 5 miles SE of Walnut Springs. My Dad would put me on a horse once a week when I was 5 years old to ride the fences. This would take a full day and I could not get on and off the horse, which did  pose a problem as you can imagine. I can also remember being able to pick up arrowheads on Arrowhead Mountain when I was young. (They were plentiful).

   There were no school buses in Walnut Springs and when I started to school, I rode a horse and stabled it in Walnut Springs. (The stable is still standing today.)
Glen Glenn

   According to the map in the BCHC book, Loader Springs School District  was located off Highway 6, NW from Meridian. I also have a  copy of the board of trustees (from the 1910's, I believe). I  have no idea what year the school was established. The trustees were J. D. Hanna, E. G. Kirkland, W. P. Russell  I don't know what year the school district dissolved, either.

   I would appreciate any interesting information  regarding  the LOADER family. Hoping some kind reader has some history to share.....

Suzy Martinez
gedm@swconnect.net

A glimpse of the news around Bosque County from The Bosque Citizen, August 26, 1886

Jim Stroud having resumed work in Vic Wilson’s artesian well has reached a depth of 572 feet in earth and stone,  but only 472 in water. He is confident of a good flow inside 600 feet.
   A. Peterson at Morgan, Texas has a full stock of the Castelay Sulkey Plows on hand which he will sell on long time if satisfactorily secured.
   On the eve of August 19th at the residence of Jno. S. Goodman, Mr. Jas. Raines wed to Miss Bettie Goodman. May a long, prosperous and happy life be theirs.
   Elder W. H. Parks will preach at the Baptist Church tonight. A full attendance of membership at the church is desired.
   County Judge R. G. Childress authorizes the statement that in response to a petition of sundry citizens, he has ordered an election to be held in Meridian on Tuesday, the 7th day of September to determine whether the town should be incorporated.

   This week THE CITIZEN simply classified it’s Meridian advertising patrons  but will next week speak of them as they deserve. At present only the following Meridian houses are in line for mention here.
   Victor B. Wilson - East Meridian, dry goods, groceries, hardware, etc.; J. T. Lomax - Saddles & Harness; J. H. Gouldy -  Insurance; J.S. Rizer - Livery and feed stable; J.J. Sandifer - Livery and feed stable; Lockett & Lockett - Attorneys & money to lend; J. M. Williams - Family groceries; L. Chris Corneluson - Boot & shoe maker; Hughes Bros. - druggists; Fred Barber Shop; J. T. Phipps - Family Groceries; J. J. Collins  & Bro - Dry goods; R. E. Harrison - Barber shop; S. H. Lumpkin - Attorney & land agent; N. R. Morgan - Attorney & notary; Helton & Hughes -  Attorney & land agents; Jenkins & Robertson - Lawyers & estate agents; Dr. N. A. Olive - Physician and surgeon.
From the Morgan Department - Mr. J. H. Wheeler lately with the Tompkins Implement Co. of Dallas has bought the cotton gin at this place and will be ready for business in a few days. He declares his gin will be second to none.