Feudin’ and Fightin’ Friday: Colorados y Azules (Some Things Never Change)
As the political rule-of-thumb goes, most people don’t pay attention to upcoming national elections until after Labor Day. Here’s a look back at an era gone by – or is it? As another saying goes, “some things never change”.
Today we are accustomed to the color-coded political classification system of “red states” vs. “blue states”. The concept, however, is not a new one. Following the Civil War, political parties in South Texas used a system to help illiterate or Spanish-speaking voters utilize ballots which were printed in English. This practice started in the 1870s and continued until the 1920s.
The system revolved around what was called “boss rule”. In that era, elections were a big deal (they still should be, but that’s another story) with each side attempting to outdo the other with parades, bands and dances. Democrats Stephen Powers and James G. Browne organized the Democrats of Cameron County into a Blue Club, with about one hundred members, both Anglo and Hispanic.
The Republicans of Cameron County founded their own organization, the Red Club. Surrounding counties soon organized their own Red and Blue (“Colorado y Azule”) Clubs. Again, here is where not much has changed, for the Blues’ success depended on the votes of Mexican Americans, Mexicans living in Texas AND Mexicans living on the other side of the border.
Essentially, the Mexican vote was “bought” since the dances were held with all kinds of merriment and libation, where the attendees were “taught” how to vote. In 1902 a new direct primary system was developed, so after being taught how to vote the Mexicans would receive poll-tax receipts. It was also common for voters to receive transportation to and from the polls, especially those who lived in remote areas.
A Mexican alien need only declare his intent to become a citizen (whether he actually did or not I would imagine) to be allowed to vote in elections held in those counties along the border. Hundreds of Mexicans would be brought to the county clerk offices of those border counties, declare their intent to become U.S. citizens and then were shuffled off and allowed to vote.
To further assist these aliens in voting “correctly” the ballots were color-coded: red for Republican and blue for Democrat (although in some counties the coding was reversed). Party officials and interpreters were on hand to make sure the aliens voted according to the officials’ preference. Of course, this made the whole voting process a total sham with the ballot boxes controlled by party or “boss rule”. However, that didn’t stop the practice from continuing until 1927.
Typically, on the day before an election was held, potential voters assembled in town and were fed plenty of food and liquor – and maybe a little cash too. In Starr County, the Blues were Republicans and the Reds were Democrats. The Reds had been in power since 1868 and in 1898 the Blues were challenging. W.W. Shely, a former Texas Ranger and sheriff of the county since 1884, was the leader of the Reds. Shely had already deputized about one hundred officers to guard the polling places and work for the Democratic ticket.
Complaints were filed alleging that mescal, an illegal alcoholic beverage, had been smuggled in from Mexico, presumably to ply voters with liquor the day before the election. John Spalt, a Customs Inspector, met up with two suspected smugglers and attempted to search them until a Democrat candidate for county clerk, Fred Marks, showed up to intervene. Marks fatally wounded Spalt in the back and was jailed. A few days later one of the special Blue deputies shot and killed Joe Magena, a Red, in retaliation.
During the 1906 elections, Starr County was the scene of more political violence, followed by another incident in early 1907:
On January 27, 1907, Gregorio Duffy, the unsuccessful candidate for sheriff, was gunned down in a saloon by the elected sheriff and his two deputies. This killing, the most notorious murder in the history of Rio Grande City, was far more than just a barroom fight, but a fitting culmination for an extremely violent county election that had impact far beyond its boundaries. This election that began with the murder of Judge Stanley Welch on its eve and saw the killing of four unidentified Mexicans by the Texas Rangers before the count of the ballots was complete, defined South Texas for generations. The Starr County Election of 1906 marks the violent and painful transition to Boss Rule. (Origins of Boss Rule in Starr County, by Hernán Contreras, p. 3)
Texas border counties operated a highly-charged political environment, especially during the post-Civil War era. The Jaybird-Woodpecker War was another example of explosive Texas politics. Today, political parties battle back and forth in the mass media, social media and Twitter. In days gone by, the two parties often settled their differences at the point of a gun – today we can be thankful that some things DO change.
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Ghost Town Wednesday: Utopia, Ohio
The period of history encompassing the early to mid-1800’s was marked by the emergence of several utopian societies in America, presumably founded to establish their own version of “heaven on earth”. Sir Thomas Moore had first coined the Greek term for his 1516 book entitled Utopia. Utopia was a fictional island society located in the Atlantic Ocean. The term is often used to describe an intentional community that is established to engender an ideal society.
Several of the Utopian religious societies which sprung up in the nineteenth century were off-shoots of the Second Great Awakening. Some had roots in the eighteenth century, both in America and Europe. The social experiment which sprung up in Ohio in 1844 had its roots in Europe as followers of French philosopher Charles Fourier.
Essentially, Fourier’s ideas were the forerunner to communism since he believed that the perfect society was one where everyone shared work and profits, all living together in self-contained and structured communities. He also designed the sprawling building commune residents would dwell in, calling it a phalanstère from the Greek word “phalanx”. The center portion of the complex would be for shared activities such as meetings, dining, libraries and so on.
One area off the center was for “noisier” work activities such as carpentry and the other for living quarters and social halls. The premise of the society was that very soon the world was about to enter a 35,000 year-long period of peace. Not surprisingly, two years after its founding the experiment failed because it wasn’t profitable, even after extracting fees from would-be residents of Utopia.
However, that didn’t stop another fellow by the name of John O. Wattles from attempting the exact same thing. Wattles, as it turns out, made a critical mistake when he purchased the land and brought his own followers to Utopia in 1847. He decided to move the community closer to the Ohio River. The structures, including an underground church where secret rituals were practiced, were completed in early December of that year — and the timing could not have been worse.
On December 13, 1847 one of the worst floods of the nineteenth century occurred along the Ohio River. Unfortunately, most of Wattle’s followers were killed when a flash flood collapsed the walls of one of the social halls where a dance was being held that night. The few that survived later left the area. Like Moonville, Ohio (see a past article here), the area is said to be haunted, especially on rainy nights (dripping ghosts and all kinds of spooky noises – ooooh!).
The next experimental society was organized by Josiah Warren, sometimes referred to as America’s first anarchist. His views clearly leaned in that direction: “statute laws are at best hindrances, and must be swept away, not by violence, but by the slowly evolved sense of justice and equity which eventually undermine all surviving forms of authority.”
Warren had been involved in the New Harmony community in Indiana, but after leaving there set out to establish his own experimental community. He had his own followers, but for his new community to grow, new settlers would be required to receive an invitation to join the original settlers. There were noted differences in the structure of Warren’s community; rather than shared property, land was owned individually but goods and services were traded by exchanging labor amongst residents rather than cash transactions, a sort of barter system.
The community did experience growth, but the invitation requirement for new settlers proved difficult to implement and maintain. Land prices were also rising and then the Civil War began. Also, Warren had departed Utopia the year after he founded it, returning occasionally to visit. By 1875 some of the original settlers remained, although the area was known then as Smith’s Landing.
In 2003, Ohio erected an historical marker for “Utopia”. As Roadsideamerica.com points out, the town of Utopia is not entirely abandoned today:
Utopia has a tiny general store, but the old couple inside, chain-smoking, couldn’t offer us any postcards or souvenirs. “Is it utopian here?” we asked. They hacked and laughed.
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Tombstone Tuesday: The “Ocean Sisters” of Johnson County, Tennessee
Andrew Garfield Shoun and Elizabeth Powell married in 1817 and began raising a family in 1818 with the birth of their first child Andrew. Then came George Hamilton (1822), Rachel Catherine (1823), Isaac Harvey (1825) and Joseph Nelson (1827). In 1829 their first “Ocean” daughter, Elizabeth Atlantic Ocean, was born, followed by Mary and another “Ocean” daughter, Barbary Pacific Ocean, in 1834. They rounded out their family with Elva Olivene (1836) and Frances Eve (1838).
Most of their children had somewhat “normal” names like Andrew, George and Mary, but for some reason they blessed two of their daughters with middle names of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Elizabeth was obviously named after her mother. Barbary, according to will records, appears to have been a family name (her grandmother was named either Barbara or Barbary).
This article has been removed from the free side of the site. It has been significantly updated with new research and featured in the March-April 2019 issue of Digging History Magazine. Purchase the issue here or contact me to purchase a copy of the article only.
Surname Saturday: Golightly
Most sources agree that today’s surname is of English or Scottish origin, although uncertain as to whether the name is merely habitational or perhaps derived from Old and Middle English. It’s possible that the Scottish version was habitational, named after a village, town or other locale – perhaps a place which no longer exists.
The English version is thought to have derived from a combination of the pre-seventh century Old English word “gan” and the Middle English word “lihtly” or possibly both of Middle English – “gon” for “to go” and “lihtly”. The second part of the word, “lihtly”, could also have originally derived from the Old English word “leohylic”. Either way, the word would have most likely designated someone light of foot like a messenger.
Spelling variations include: Galletly, Gallightly, Gellatly, Gillatly, and more. William Galithli appeared at the beginning of the 13th century. The earliest recorded spelling of the name might have been Rannulf Golicthli in 1196 duirng the reign of Richard I (“The Lionheart”).
At the end of the 13th century, Henry Gellatly appeared as the illegitimate son of William the Lion. According to 4Crests.com, “in Ireland the name is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac on Ghalloglaigh ‘the son of the gallowglass’. Other instances of the name include Henry Golitheby, Ranald Galychtly and John Galichly.
Ancestry.com lists but a few patriots with the Golightly surname during the Revolutionary War. The appearance of the name in America picks up, however, in the nineteenth century, with several serving in the Civil War, and predominantly for the Confederacy. Texas appears to have been home to more individuals bearing this surname than other states by the early 20th century, with perhaps the exception of South Carolina.
One of the earliest Golightly immigrants to South Carolina had an unusual forename: Culcheth Golightly. He arrived in that colony at least by 1733 according to family historians.
Culcheth Golightly
Culcheth Golightly was born to parents Robert and Dorothy Fenwick Golightly and christened on November 7, 1706 at Newcastle Upon Tyne in County Northumberland, England. His first name was the surname of his Fenwick grandmother, Ann Culcheth Fenwick. The family was an old and prominent family of County Northumberland and some believe that one of Culcheth’s ancestors, John Golightly, may have immigrated to Virginia in 1688 having previously lived in either Northumberland or Durham County, England.
South Carolina marriage records indicate that Culcheth Golightly married a widow, Mary Elliott (neè Butler), on April 7, 1746. Records also indicate that he was enumerated in the 1740 and 1741 South Carolina censuses in St. Bartholomew Parish. Whether or not he had been married prior to 1746 is unclear. He owned a plantation at Horseshoe Savannah in that parish and another on Charleston Neck.
Whether Culcheth “married up” or just added to his already sizable estate by marrying Mary Butler Elliott, the South Carolina Gazette recorded the following marriage notice:
We hear that Culcheth Golightly, Esq., was married on Monday to Mrs. Mary Elliott, a very agreeable young lady, with a good fortune. (Monday, April 7, 1746)
Culcheth and Mary had two daughters: Dorothy (1747) and Mary (1748). Culcheth’s daughters, however, would grow up without their father for he died in 1749. An interesting notation on one family tree indicates: “Poisoned By Slaves, Oligarchs Charleston South Carolina”. A search yielded no further information, but if true it would surely be an interesting story.
He died on December 14, 1749 and his will, proved on March 18, 1756, left £1,000 sterling to Mary and each of his daughters when they turned twenty-one or were married, “or within 12 months after Wife shall marry again and use of household stuff during time she is a Widow” (Mary remarried in 1759). His wife and children would have been well-cared for given his sizable estate.
One story by C. Irvine Walker in his book The Romance of Lower Carolina provided the following on Mary Golightly’s (daughter) marriage:
About 1765, Miss Golightly, the daughter of an English family now extinct in Carolina, was quite a belle. The following is one of the romantic stories that used to be told, as an instance of how, even in that formal age, “Love would find out the way.” Her family was averse to the man of her heart, Mr. Huger; why, it was not clear, for though not a rich man, was of high position and lofty character. So, Miss Golightly, one night at a ball, picked up a straw hat which chanced to be lying on a bench, and with no more preparation stepped out of the long window into the garden and ran away to be married. The adventurous bride did not live long, but died, leaving one son.
Mary’s husband served during the Revolutionary War as a major and was killed in Charlestown in 1779. Dorothy Golightly married William Henry Drayton. Drayton, a member of the Continental Congress, was one of the first South Carolinians to speak out in favor of breaking with England. He had been appointed as the first chief justice of South Carolina and died in Philadelphia in 1779, having served sixteen months in the Second Continental Congress. Their son, John, later became Governor of South Carolina from 1800-1802 and again from 1808-1810.
One other unusual Golightly forename I ran across was Avoid Golightly, born on January 2, 1925 to Luther and Odell Berry Golightly in Choctaw County, Oklahoma. He was a World War II Navy veteran who died on May 30, 1980 in Paris, Texas. It would have been interesting to know how he came by the name “Avoid” but research didn’t produce any further information.
Speaking of unusual names, be sure and checkout the next two or three weeks of Tombstone Tuesday articles. I found several unusual and unique names in a Johnson County, Tennessee family with interesting histories. This Tuesday will feature an article on “The Ocean Sisters” – stay tuned!
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Feisty Females: Alice Harrell Strickland
Her campaign slogan in 1921, just one year after women were granted the right to vote, was “I will clean up Duluth and rid it of demon rum.” She had been compelled into the race for mayor of Duluth, Georgia that year, having been a strong advocate for women’s suffrage in the years leading up to the amendment’s passage, and as an active participant in her city’s civic affairs. She would win and become the first female mayor ever elected in the state of Georgia.
Alice Harrell Strickland was born on June 24, 1859 to parents Newton and Mary Ellender (Harris) Newton in Forsyth County, Georgia. Her grandparents, Edward and Nancy Strickland Harrell, were some of the original settlers of Forsyth County. Born about two years before the start of the Civil War, Alice was born in an era when young women would have been bred to be Southern belles or “plantation ladies.”
On November 10, 1881, Alice married her cousin Henry Strickland, Jr., a Duluth lawyer and businessman. In the early 1800’s the town was named Howell’s Cross Roads for early settler Evan Howell. This was also the time when the Stricklands, among others, moved to the area. Howell ran a plantation and cotton gin and became the town’s first successful merchant.
Years later his grandson Evan P. Howell encouraged the construction of a railroad system that would stretch to Duluth, Minnesota. After Congress approved the financing, the town was renamed Duluth. By the 1880’s Duluth had become a hub for the cotton industry and was also, unfortunately, known for drunken brawls and knife fights.
The Methodist Church had been founded in 1871 and Alice joined the church and the Duluth Civic Club. She and Henry had seven children: Henry, Jr., Newton Harrell, Glenn Beauregard, Anna May, Susan, Charles Edward and Ellyne Elizabeth. All their children attended college and “showed signs of their mother’s pioneering spirit and courage,” according to Georgia Women of Achievement.
In 1898 the Stricklands built a three-story home for their large family. Throughout the late nineteenth century and into the early 1900’s Alice remained active in civic affairs as a member of the Duluth Civic Club. Henry died at the age of 55 following an extended illness of several months. After returning from an operation he underwent in Baltimore, he suddenly passed away on June 4, 1915.
Alice had never attended college and had remained at home raising her children throughout the years of their marriage. At the time of Henry’s death, two of their children, Charles and Ellyne, remained at home. Charles and Newton later served in World War I — Charles as a private in the 464th Engineers and Newton as an Army captain (promoted to major), both returning to Georgia in 1919.
Undeterred by her lack of professional skills, Alice immersed herself further in civic affairs. During her tenure as president of the Duluth Civic Club, she opened the second floor of her home as a clinic where children were treated for whooping cough, diphtheria and surgically for tonsillitis.
She was considered a “progressive” who was also an ardent conservationist. At one point, Alice challenged the power company who came to erect power lines across her land. “With a shotgun in her hands, she blocked the way of power company workers, keeping them from placing lines across her land.” (Georgia Women of Achievement) She later donated a portion of her land for the purposes of preservation and recreation to the town of Duluth.
The issue of women’s rights was being hotly debated, and on July 8, 1919 the Atlanta Constitution reported that Alice Strickland spoke out strongly in favor of passage of the so-called “Susan B. Anthony Amendment.” Her appeal was made on behalf of not only city women but those who lived in rural areas. She was agitated by the Jackson amendment which had blocked the amendment’s passage in the Georgia legislature, prompting her to demand: “Where is this man Jackson? I want to see him.”
Although the amendment’s defeat was a narrow one in the legislature, Georgia politicians boasted about being the first state to reject it. However, it was for naught because the 19th Amendment passed nationally and women were granted the right to vote in 1920. Alice Strickland must have seen this as her opportunity to make a difference and contribute even more to her community.
In 1921, at the age of sixty-two, she decided to run for mayor of Duluth. According to Georgia Women of Achievement, she campaigned in a politically hostile environment, yet won the election. She made history as the first female mayor ever elected in the state of Georgia. She was fearless but fair and “could not be hoodwinked in the execution of her duties.” (Forsyth County: History Stories, p. 77). True to her campaign promises, she pursued and prosecuted bootleggers in an effort to clean up her community and improve its reputation.
After her term as mayor
, Alice continued to live in her family home until her death on September 8, 1947. Over a century after its construction, the home was placed on the Georgia Register of Historical Places in 1999. In 2002, Alice Harrell Strickland was designated as a Georgia Woman of Achievement – feisty like another Georgian female of note and recently profiled here, Nancy Morgan Hart.
Ninety-seven years and one day ago, on August 28, 1917, women suffragists and activists picketed President Woodrow Wilson, demanding the right to vote. Three years later, on August 26, 1920, their demands were met when the 19th Amendment was ratified by a majority of states.
Did you enjoy this article? Yes? Check out Digging History Magazine. Since January 2018 new articles are published in a digital magazine (PDF) available by individual issue purchase or subscription (with three options). Most issues run between 70-85 pages, filled with articles of interest to history-lovers and genealogists — it’s all history, right? 🙂 No ads — just carefully-researched, well-written stories, complete with footnotes and sources.
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Ghost Town Wednesday: Cloverdale, New Mexico
Cloverdale is believed to have been established sometime in the 1880’s. On May 2, 1882 The Critic (Washington, D.C.) had a story about an Indian fight at Cloverdale between Apaches and the Sixth Cavalry, led by Captain T.C. Tupper. One soldier was killed in the battle, two wounded and fourteen Apaches were killed. It was not the first battle with Indians in the area and certainly not the last – the war with Apaches continued until about 1924.
This article has been updated and published in the September-October 2021 issue of Digging History Magazine, included in an article entitled “Tales From the Bootheel and Beyond: The Ghost Towns and Storied History of Southwestern New Mexico”. You may purchase the issue in the magazine store: September-October 2021 Issue.
Did you enjoy this article? Yes? Check out Digging History Magazine. Since January 2018 new articles are published in a digital magazine (PDF) available by individual issue purchase or subscription (with three options). Most issues run between 70-85 pages, filled with articles of interest to history-lovers and genealogists — it’s all history, right? 🙂 No ads — just carefully-researched, well-written stories, complete with footnotes and sources.
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Tombstone Tuesday: Tales From Cloverdale Cemetery (Cloverdale, NM)
I just never know where a story idea will pop up. This one came from some bantering back and forth on Facebook between my brother and one of our cousins about the “Bootheel” area of New Mexico. Today’s article features one family who started out in Texas, wandered up and down the Pecos Valley of New Mexico for years, and finally ended up in Hidalgo County at a volatile time in history.
The Bass Family
The patriarch of the Bass family, William Edwin “Ed” Bass, was born in July of 1854 to parents Richard and Sarah Francis (Means) Bass in San Patricio County, Texas. In 1872 he married Susan Iona Chisum in San Patricio County. Together they raised a large family of twelve children:
Richard Isom (1873)
Clara Edna (1876)
Daniel Edwin (1878)
William Holland (1880)
Susan Iona (1882)
Margaret (1885)
Ludie Mary (1888)
Eva May (1890)
Frederic (1894)
Clyde (1895)
Edgar (1898)
Vivian Leonard (1901)
Note: Susie’s obituary noted that she raised fourteen children. However, available census records indicate only twelve.
Ed and Susie resided in Bandera County, Texas in 1880 with four young children. Sometime after the 1880 census, the family moved to the Pecos Valley of New Mexico. They settled in an area called Hackberry Draw, then moved back to the plains and later returned to the valley on land near the Black River. Ed and his neighbors built a school house there which was also used as a community gathering place.
The Bass family were wanderers apparently and later moved to Eddy (now Carlsbad), where Ed owned and operated a livery stable, ranched in Artesia and finally sold out and moved to Cloverdale, Hidalgo County in 1917. The family picked an historic time to live in the Bootheel of New Mexico when they settled in an area near the Mexican border (their home was within a half-mile of the border).
The Mexican Revolution had begun in 1910 and continued until at least 1920. One of the most well-known Mexicans in the area would have been Francisco “Pancho” Villa. Indian raids were not uncommon (occasionally) either, all of which meant that everyone was armed and on guard. Susie was known for her generosity and kindness, according to her obituary:
If Mother Bass ever had to defend herself from the rougher element of the Old West, no one ever heard of it. She lived a life of unselfishness and generosity, and was loved by the bad as well as the good. The worst “hombre” would have defended her, for the night was never too dark or cold for her to leave her bed and prepare a meal for a hungry traveler, or go see some sick woman or child among her neighbors.
Their sons raised sheep in Hidalgo County and Ed remained in Cloverdale until his death on March 9, 1925. His obituary included the following description: “Ed Bass had a heart of gold and a cursing vocabulary that would reach from hell to breakfast.” His tombstone is inscribed with the words “Life’s work all done, he rests in peace.”
Susie returned to Eddy County and lived there until her death on March 27, 1950. In her obituary, she was remembered as “one of New Mexico’s best-known and loved pioneer women of the Old West” and an adherent of the Baptist faith for seventy-eight years. She died at the age of ninety-two, having entered the hospital a week earlier for the first time in her long life.
Two of their children, although adults, had died young. Their son Vivian Leonard, born in 1901, was just a few weeks short of his thirty-second birthday when he was thrown from his horse while riding the range just east of the Arizona border. He was killed instantly when his head struck a rock (December 11, 1931). Their oldest daughter, Clara Edna, had married Len Scott in Eddy County in 1898. At the time of her death in 1901, she was pregnant with their first child. She died of smallpox.
Another son, Daniel Edwin, met an untimely death in 1942 at the age of 64 when he was murdered in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. He ran a bowling alley and was attacked with a bowling pin, crushing his head. His body was interred in Cloverdale Cemetery with his parents and Vivian.
Did you enjoy this article? Yes? Check out Digging History Magazine. Since January 2018 new articles are published in a digital magazine (PDF) available by individual issue purchase or subscription (with three options). Most issues run between 70-85 pages, filled with articles of interest to history-lovers and genealogists — it’s all history, right? 🙂 No ads — just carefully-researched, well-written stories, complete with footnotes and sources.
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Surname Saturday: Overhuls (Oberholzer)
Who knew that a visit to a prairie cemetery in West Texas could generate so many articles (and I’m not done yet!)? Today’s Surname Saturday article focuses on another name found in the historic Estacado Cemetery. Other articles related to this cemetery can be found here, here and here.
James Edward and Emeline Jane (White) Overhuls are buried in the cemetery. As noted on his gravestone, James was a Civil War veteran who served in the 6th Kansas Cavalry. Emma must have been a special lady of fierce determination, as noted on her tombstone: “This marker is also dedicated to the strong-willed women who helped settle the western frontier.” The children born to their union were:
Josephine M. (12 Dec 1866)
George H. (14 Dec 1867)
Cornelius E. (14 Mar 1869)
Mary Ethel (25 Mar 1871)
Octavia (6 Dec 1873)
Emma (6 Dec 1875)
All of their children, except Emma, lived to adulthood; Emeline died in 1876. According to family history, James did not remarry until 1888 so for several years he was a single parent. He and May Jones Lewis had three children of their own:
Fannie M.
Marguerite
Ida Louise
James was a farmer and rancher and died on July 17, 1895.
So where does the surname Overhuls derive from? It is likely that the name derives from the surname Oberholzer which, according to House of Names was first found in Austria:
. . . where the name Oberhofen and Udelhofen were synonymous with the Teutonic Order. The Barons Oberhofen became noted for its branches in the region, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the princes of the region. In their later history the name became a power unto themselves and were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they grew into this most influential family.
Other branches of the Oberholzer family originated from the Swiss region of Oberholz and over time the surname evolved to include variations such as: Oberholtz, Uberholtzer, Overhuls, Overhalt, Overhults, Oberheuser, Oberhofen, Udelhofen and more.
Another source indicates that the Oberholzer surname was derived from “Ober”, a German word which might have referred to someone living at the upper end of a village or perhaps someone who lived on the upper floor of a building. Other possible variations of the surname would also include: Obermann, Overmann, Oberth, Avermann and more.
When the Oberholzer name began to evolve is unclear, although 4Crests.com reports that many Germans anglicized their names after immigrating to America, often by dropping a single letter.
One of the earliest recorded Oberholzer immigrants was Jakob Oberholzer who arrived in 1731. The record included immigrants from Alsace-Lorraine (France), Switzerland and southern Germany. Another immigration record referred to “Swiss Mennonite Family Names”.
For James Overhuls’ family the name may have changed during his generation. One family tree indicates that his father was born Cornelius Overholser, but the children are all listed as “Overhuls”. It appears that Cornelius’ family had migrated from Pennsylvania to Darke County, Ohio in the early 1800’s, but no one seems to know much about his parentage. If the spelling which Cornelius’ family used was “Overholser” then it seems quite plausible that “Overhuls” would be derived from the Swiss (or German) surname of Oberholzer.
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Feudin’ and Fightin’ Friday: A Bloody One in Arkansas
The Arkansas feud known as the Tutt-Everett War or the King-Tutt-Everett War or the Marion County War wasn’t over love, money, water or land – it was pure politics and it was bloody. The Marion County War might be the most appropriate name since it eventually seemed to have involved just about every citizen in the county.
The Tutt family, led by Hansford “Hamp” Tutt, had come to Searcy County, Arkansas from Tennessee sometime in the 1830’s. The Tutts were members of the Whig Party and wielded political influence in Searcy County. They were also known to be a rough bunch – gambling, horse racing, fighting and drinking. Hamp was a merchant and also owned a saloon which served as a local hangout.
The Everett family of John, “Sim”, Jesse and Bart were members of the Democratic Party and wielded great influence in the area where they lived. Marion County was created in 1836 by the Arkansas legislature out of the area where the Everett family resided. It would also place the Tutts in the same county as the Everetts. To add a little more drama, the King family, fellow Whigs, joined up with the Tutts.
By 1844 most of the county’s three hundred or so residents had lined up behind one faction or the other. The first noted public confrontation between the two sides occurred in Yellville in June of 1844 at the site of a political debate. A brawl, which would later be seen as the match that “lit the feud”, broke out – no guns, just fists, rocks and whatever else they could grab.
In the middle of the fray one of the Tutt supporters, Alfred Burnes, struck Sim Everett in the head with the blade of a hoe, cutting a large gash. Burnes, thinking he’d killed a man, quickly fled the scene. Sim did recover but thereafter both sides never ventured out unarmed. A series of lawsuits and brawls in the ensuing years served only to continue fanning the flames.
As volatile as the situation was, the first gunfight didn’t occur until October 9, 1848 in Yellville. When the gun smoke cleared, several men lay dead, including Jim Everett. Retaliation was swift when two days later the remaining Everetts ambushed and killed Billy, Sr. and Loomis King. Billy’s son and a friend of the family were both wounded but managed to escape.
For the next several months, gun fights continued to erupt although there were no more fatalities. Tensions increased when Ewell Everett became an elected judge, while George Adams, a supporter of the Tutts, was elected constable. The Everett support waned a bit though by the end of the year when Jesse Everett and ally Jacob Stratton decided to move on to Texas.
By the summer of 1849 Sheriff Jesse Mooney, having a reputation as a tough and principled lawman, decided to organize a posse and end the feud. The posse was organized on July 4 and subsequently the biggest gun fight of the entire feud also occurred on that day. Before the posse was fully engaged, the Everetts already had a plan to ambush the Tutts who had assembled at the saloon.
The gun fight was a fierce one, and when the ammunition was spent the fighting continued with rocks, sticks, bricks, again whatever they could lay their hands on. This time the body count was much higher – ten men, including one King (Jack), two Everetts (Bart and Sim), and three Tutts (Davis, Ben and Lunsford) lay dead. Dave Sinclair, an ally of the Tutts who presumably killed Sim, was killed by Everett allies the following day.
When Jesse Everett learned of the deaths of his family members, he returned to Arkansas to avenge their killings, unsuccessfully attempting to kill Hamp Tutt several times. Stepping in again, Sheriff Mooney sent his son Thomas to the capitol to ask the governor to intervene and send the state militia. The governor agreed to intervene but Thomas never made it home, presumably ambushed by one of the factions or the other. His body was never found, although the carcass of his horse later washed up in a creek.
On August 31, 1849 three King family members were ambushed by the Everetts. In September a militia was raised in neighboring Carroll County and later relieved Mooney of his duties. Several members of the Everett faction were arrested, but following the militia’s retreat were freed after a jail break. So much for martial law.
In September of 1850 the feud was essentially over when Hamp Tutt was killed, some believe by a mysterious man from Texas hired by the Everetts. It would become known as the most famous and bloody feud in Arkansas history.
Interestingly, Davis Tutt, only a child at the height of the Tutt-Everett feud, made history of his own on July 21, 1865. Said to have been the date of the first Western gunfight, James B. “Wild Bill” Hickok killed him over a gambling debt on the town square in Springfield, Missouri. The event is commemorated at the spot where Hickok stood with an historic marker:
Davis’ sister, was Wild Bill’s girlfriend.
Story update from reader C C Hoop: I am related to Hansford Tutt. He was my 4th Great Grandfather. Davis Tutt was my 3rd Great Uncle. He did not have a sister named Lottie. His sisters were Susan, Rachel, Sara, Dulcenia and Josephine. We have heard several different scenarios where Wild Bill supposedly had an affair with one of Davis’ sisters. Some scenarios say it was Dulcenia but she died in 1863. Josephine, however, had two children out of wedlock. They were to have been the children of a man named Lindville. Josephine later married a man by the name of Dr. Simms. She and her husband took her youngest son and they moved out of Marion County. The oldest son, Calvin was raised by Hansford’s wife, Nancy Tutt. It is said that this is the child that is believed to be the son of Wild Bill and that he later became a police officer in Oklahoma City, but there is no proof that Calvin Lindville was actually Wild Bill’s birth son. However, all research indicates that Calvin was in fact a police office in Oklahoma City.
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Ghost Town Wednesday: Soldier Summit, Utah
Today’s ghost town was both the name of a Wasatch Mountain pass in Utah and the town which was founded at the top of the pass early in the twentieth century. In 1776 the area was discovered by Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, Franciscan priests, who trekked through the area on their way to present-day California.
The name Soldier Summit originated in 1861 when a group of soldiers commanded by General Philip St. George Cooke crossed the pass on their way to join the Confederate Army. Caught in a snow storm in July of 1861, some of them died and were buried on the summit.
Following the Civil War, expansion continued as gold, silver and coal were discovered across the West. Railroads, small and large, were built throughout the region to transport massive quantities of mined materials. The Soldier Summit railroad line was opened by the Utah & Pleasant Valley Railway to transport coal from newly opened mines in Scofield, with a narrow-gauge railway added in 1877 to connect to the Utah Southern Extension Railway.
In 1882 the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway (D&RGW) purchased the U&PV with plans to continue their route to Grand Junction, Colorado. They upgraded the tracks and a new narrow gauge route took the line over Soldier Summit, a climb of four percent grade. In 1890 the line was converted to standard gauge after D&RGW became Rio Grande Western.
The four percent grade heading up to Soldier Summit was a bottleneck, and in 1913 fourteen miles of new line was built between Detour and Soldier Summit. Today that four percent grade route is part of US Highway 6 between Detour and Soldier Summit. Over the years the railroads continued to improve, realign and relocate their routes. One relocation led to the obliteration of the mining town of Thistle in 1983 – you can read about it here in a recent ghost town article.
In 1919 the railroad made Soldier Summit a division point. According to railroad enthusiast Dave Husman:
A division is the portion of the railroad under the supervision of a superintendent. A subdivision is a smaller portion of a division. A subdivision is typically a crew district or a branch line. A division point is just a big yard at one end of the division or another. A regional railroad is basically a cast off portion of a former class one. Division points were important back in the steam era days. Trains would run from division point to division point and completely reswitch and change engines at each division point.
Real estate developer H.C. Mears surveyed the town site, began selling lots and the town was incorporated in 1921. People came to work in the railroad machine shops and growth continued as stores, hotels, restaurants, saloons, churches and a school were built. A branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was established on June 21, 1921, and by 1927 there were enough Mormons living there to organize a ward.
Between 1925 and 1930, the population peaked around twenty-five hundred. Railroad towns, like mining towns which disappeared after mines were depleted, became virtual ghost towns based on the decisions of corporate executives. The railroad realized that the high cost of doing business in Soldier Summit, not to mention the harsh winters, was not cost-effective. In 1930 the division point was moved to Helper and Soldier Summit began to decline.
The town still contributed to the rail line until diesel engines were introduced and the grade was reduced from four to two percent – there was no longer a need for helper engines. In January of 1930 the LDS ward was downgraded once again to a branch. By 1949 the school’s enrollment dropped to just eleven students, although it remained open until 1973.
In the late 1970’s there were still a handful of residents and four part-time police officers, but the town was totally disbanded in 1984. Today only a gas station, empty houses and crumbling foundations are all that remain.
Did you enjoy this article? Yes? Check out Digging History Magazine. Since January 2018 new articles are published in a digital magazine (PDF) available by individual issue purchase or subscription (with three options). Most issues run between 70-85 pages, filled with articles of interest to history-lovers and genealogists — it’s all history, right? 🙂 No ads — just carefully-researched, well-written stories, complete with footnotes and sources.
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