FAMILY HISTORY BURNS FAMILY WYLIE PIONEERS
McKinney Examiner, April 9, 1936
The following information was given to the Texas History class of Wylie school by J. H. Burns, formerly of Wylie, but now of Corpus Christi.
A. H. Burns, Sr., left McNairy County, Tennessee, about the 20th of September 1852 for Texas. (I was 3 years old then.) Ten or fifteen families formed the caravan of ox-teams, or prairie schooners, as they were called. They came by Memphis and Little Rock, crossing the Red River at Bonham. After 58 days the train or covered wagons creeping like snails, landed in McKinney, (which had about 200 inhabitants and two stores) on the 20th of November, 1852.
My father first lived on the Joe Dixon place on the Plano road, 3 miles from McKinney. He joined his brother, John Burns, Sr., who had been with the Taylors Army at Corpus Christi in 1845, then when they took Matamoros (across from Brownsville) and when on September 9, 1846, took possession of Monterey, after his discharge moved to this place near McKinney.
The nearest neighbor was Uncle Billie Porter and his son-in-law, who a year later moved west. Soon after they were settled the Indians made a raid, scalping Bill Light, his wife and child, leaving their bodies on the Limestone Creek near where the road crosses going from Weatherford to what is now Mineral Wells. My father said the Indians did not give much trouble east of what is now Denton. They lived beyond the Trinity River and came to the settlement to trade and buy provisions. But when the White man cross over, he was not apt to come back. But when the Whites began settling west of the river, the Indians were gradually pushed back with the Rangers and Indians fighting constantly.
After living a year at the Dixon place, we moved into a log house where the old Kreymer homestead now stands east of Wylie. About 1856 at Rawhide (now Dump). Here the Burns family was reared and we have the original land grant to Andrew H. Burns for 160 acres. The preemption certificate issued the 12th of April and signed at Austin, Texas, 2nd of April 1860 by Sam Houston, Governor of Texas.
The first school I attended was where Lucas now is. The next was near the old Kemper place east of Wylie. This one room log house, no floor was built before the Civil War. I boarded with a man by the name of Haynes Finley. The next school was taught by my Uncle, William Burns.
After the Civil War a school house was built at Rawhide, so named because rawhide was stretched over door frame and used as a door. The next school built about 1878-80 and the first in the vicinity was a private school at Nickleville by Frank McCarty and Prof. Sheppard. This school was one of the first educational institutions established in the county. The two story residence used as a dormitory, I think is still standing.
The old school building was moved to Wylie later and used as a hotel.
One of the oldest Catholic churches in North Texas was at St. Paul (where the Catholic Cemetery is) built about 1870, and in connection with the church was a school taught by Prof. Malcomson, who later moved to Dallas and established a school. The Catholic service being something new to the Protestants in that part of the country, people came from far and near at Easter to witness the services.
Before Wylie was thought of the protestants too had a church at Rawhide, also called Liberty Chapel, and sometimes called the Morris school. We have a roll sheet of 150 names of an election held at the Morris school, November 7th, 1882. Here at this church all the denominations held their services. Before this little house was built the Methodists held class meetings in the Spurgin and Morris homes, and we have one of their booklets made in 1865 of letter paper folded and sewed together (size 4x5 inches). Different States of Grace are recorded with dates of baptism, marriage and death, signed by the presiding Elder and the Circuit Rider as the preacher was known at that time, as they rode hundreds of miles visiting at these meetings. Later on Wylie had four protestant churches besides the Catholic, Baptist, Christian, Methodist, Primitive Baptist.
Tom Brown and myself quit farming and opened a general store about 3 miles north of Nickelville known as Lone Elm, because the store was located by a Lone Elm tree. Several well-known families lived around this settlement where a school was built (a fine building as they were in that day.)
When the Santa Fe Railroad was located where Wylie now is (so named because Col. Wylie located the right of way, we moved from Lone Elm to Wylie and opened our business there. The Santa Fe bought the Seaburn farm, and laid their plat of Wylie, east of the main street east of the Catholic church, taking in the cemetery ground. Brown-Burns lot west of the main street. We bought 30 acres from Jimmy Russell. I have this plot made August 8, 1886 and recorded March 3, 1887. So the Lone Elm, Rawhide, St. Paul and Nickelville citizens moved to the new town of Wylie.
The Cotton Belt road was built about 1888, and Brown-Burns had the contract to furnish groceries, implements and other supplies to the workers and builders on this road, and I have the ledger in which the accounts were kept.
As the churches were built before the school house, school was held in the church, until about 1889 or 90 when the first public school building was erected, where the present one now stands.
Of course, the frontier life was not without its pleasures. The social life consisted mostly of big camp meetings, which were held at the Baptist camp grounds at Jimmie Seaburns place, and at the Pegue Springs. Fishing, hunting and dancing were the extent of our activities (join the church in the summer and dance out in the winter was common.)
Big game was abundant, East Fork was the hunter’s paradise. Several big lakes just east of the river, duck lake, black lake, grassy lake, Snyders lake, Clear lake, and Eureka were favorite places for several years. People now-a-days find it hard to believe there were ever so many ducks and geese in the world to be seen at one time Prairie chickens, squirrels, turkeys, deer and bear were also plentiful. Wolves and panthers were troublesome, often stealing the food if you weren’t careful. All this had disappeared as the soil at the bottom of the lakes was too valuable, so the lakes were drained and hundreds of acres of land reclaimed. These pioneers never dreamed that Texas would some day have towns and cities. All they were interested in was getting cattle to graze and eat the grass.
But then the Civil War came along, more hardships and sorrow were the fate of these pioneers. Mr father, M. L. Morris and Jim Gallagher hauled flour from Dowells Mill at McKinney to Boggy Deep Hole [sic] [Depot], Indian Territory for the government. Later Mr. Morris hauled from San Antonio, while there he bought a sack of green coffee, which he distributed, cup full at a time to the little settlement, at Rawhide, and such rejoicing as it was the first they had since the beginning of the war.
My father joined Fitzhugh’s Regiment, later was with Martins regiment. When they marched from near Durant, on the Red River to Rosenburg, near Houston, where they spent winter. Here they were permitted to select a member of their respective companies to deliver their horses home, which they were allowed to do, and Ben Whisenant of Allen was chosen for those in that vicinity. Soon after the horses were sent home, the war was ended and my father with the others had to walk home.
Bob Taylor, of Tennessee, in his tribute to Texas said; “I did not dream as I watched these caravans struggling along, that the rosy cheeked children, many ragged, and crowded under the wagon covers were prophecies of wealth and the greatest empire on this continent. But so it was. The little children grew up into a race of the fairest women and bravest men that the sun of Heaven ever shone on. They married the sons and daughters of heroes who had won the independence of Texas, and there were more cabins built on the prairies – another was born whose vigor and strength has given increased power to this mighty common wealth.” – Mildred Housewright and Melva Cook
McKinney Examiner, April 9, 1936
The following information was given to the Texas History class of Wylie school by J. H. Burns, formerly of Wylie, but now of Corpus Christi.
A. H. Burns, Sr., left McNairy County, Tennessee, about the 20th of September 1852 for Texas. (I was 3 years old then.) Ten or fifteen families formed the caravan of ox-teams, or prairie schooners, as they were called. They came by Memphis and Little Rock, crossing the Red River at Bonham. After 58 days the train or covered wagons creeping like snails, landed in McKinney, (which had about 200 inhabitants and two stores) on the 20th of November, 1852.
My father first lived on the Joe Dixon place on the Plano road, 3 miles from McKinney. He joined his brother, John Burns, Sr., who had been with the Taylors Army at Corpus Christi in 1845, then when they took Matamoros (across from Brownsville) and when on September 9, 1846, took possession of Monterey, after his discharge moved to this place near McKinney.
The nearest neighbor was Uncle Billie Porter and his son-in-law, who a year later moved west. Soon after they were settled the Indians made a raid, scalping Bill Light, his wife and child, leaving their bodies on the Limestone Creek near where the road crosses going from Weatherford to what is now Mineral Wells. My father said the Indians did not give much trouble east of what is now Denton. They lived beyond the Trinity River and came to the settlement to trade and buy provisions. But when the White man cross over, he was not apt to come back. But when the Whites began settling west of the river, the Indians were gradually pushed back with the Rangers and Indians fighting constantly.
After living a year at the Dixon place, we moved into a log house where the old Kreymer homestead now stands east of Wylie. About 1856 at Rawhide (now Dump). Here the Burns family was reared and we have the original land grant to Andrew H. Burns for 160 acres. The preemption certificate issued the 12th of April and signed at Austin, Texas, 2nd of April 1860 by Sam Houston, Governor of Texas.
The first school I attended was where Lucas now is. The next was near the old Kemper place east of Wylie. This one room log house, no floor was built before the Civil War. I boarded with a man by the name of Haynes Finley. The next school was taught by my Uncle, William Burns.
After the Civil War a school house was built at Rawhide, so named because rawhide was stretched over door frame and used as a door. The next school built about 1878-80 and the first in the vicinity was a private school at Nickleville by Frank McCarty and Prof. Sheppard. This school was one of the first educational institutions established in the county. The two story residence used as a dormitory, I think is still standing.
The old school building was moved to Wylie later and used as a hotel.
One of the oldest Catholic churches in North Texas was at St. Paul (where the Catholic Cemetery is) built about 1870, and in connection with the church was a school taught by Prof. Malcomson, who later moved to Dallas and established a school. The Catholic service being something new to the Protestants in that part of the country, people came from far and near at Easter to witness the services.
Before Wylie was thought of the protestants too had a church at Rawhide, also called Liberty Chapel, and sometimes called the Morris school. We have a roll sheet of 150 names of an election held at the Morris school, November 7th, 1882. Here at this church all the denominations held their services. Before this little house was built the Methodists held class meetings in the Spurgin and Morris homes, and we have one of their booklets made in 1865 of letter paper folded and sewed together (size 4x5 inches). Different States of Grace are recorded with dates of baptism, marriage and death, signed by the presiding Elder and the Circuit Rider as the preacher was known at that time, as they rode hundreds of miles visiting at these meetings. Later on Wylie had four protestant churches besides the Catholic, Baptist, Christian, Methodist, Primitive Baptist.
Tom Brown and myself quit farming and opened a general store about 3 miles north of Nickelville known as Lone Elm, because the store was located by a Lone Elm tree. Several well-known families lived around this settlement where a school was built (a fine building as they were in that day.)
When the Santa Fe Railroad was located where Wylie now is (so named because Col. Wylie located the right of way, we moved from Lone Elm to Wylie and opened our business there. The Santa Fe bought the Seaburn farm, and laid their plat of Wylie, east of the main street east of the Catholic church, taking in the cemetery ground. Brown-Burns lot west of the main street. We bought 30 acres from Jimmy Russell. I have this plot made August 8, 1886 and recorded March 3, 1887. So the Lone Elm, Rawhide, St. Paul and Nickelville citizens moved to the new town of Wylie.
The Cotton Belt road was built about 1888, and Brown-Burns had the contract to furnish groceries, implements and other supplies to the workers and builders on this road, and I have the ledger in which the accounts were kept.
As the churches were built before the school house, school was held in the church, until about 1889 or 90 when the first public school building was erected, where the present one now stands.
Of course, the frontier life was not without its pleasures. The social life consisted mostly of big camp meetings, which were held at the Baptist camp grounds at Jimmie Seaburns place, and at the Pegue Springs. Fishing, hunting and dancing were the extent of our activities (join the church in the summer and dance out in the winter was common.)
Big game was abundant, East Fork was the hunter’s paradise. Several big lakes just east of the river, duck lake, black lake, grassy lake, Snyders lake, Clear lake, and Eureka were favorite places for several years. People now-a-days find it hard to believe there were ever so many ducks and geese in the world to be seen at one time Prairie chickens, squirrels, turkeys, deer and bear were also plentiful. Wolves and panthers were troublesome, often stealing the food if you weren’t careful. All this had disappeared as the soil at the bottom of the lakes was too valuable, so the lakes were drained and hundreds of acres of land reclaimed. These pioneers never dreamed that Texas would some day have towns and cities. All they were interested in was getting cattle to graze and eat the grass.
But then the Civil War came along, more hardships and sorrow were the fate of these pioneers. Mr father, M. L. Morris and Jim Gallagher hauled flour from Dowells Mill at McKinney to Boggy Deep Hole [sic] [Depot], Indian Territory for the government. Later Mr. Morris hauled from San Antonio, while there he bought a sack of green coffee, which he distributed, cup full at a time to the little settlement, at Rawhide, and such rejoicing as it was the first they had since the beginning of the war.
My father joined Fitzhugh’s Regiment, later was with Martins regiment. When they marched from near Durant, on the Red River to Rosenburg, near Houston, where they spent winter. Here they were permitted to select a member of their respective companies to deliver their horses home, which they were allowed to do, and Ben Whisenant of Allen was chosen for those in that vicinity. Soon after the horses were sent home, the war was ended and my father with the others had to walk home.
Bob Taylor, of Tennessee, in his tribute to Texas said; “I did not dream as I watched these caravans struggling along, that the rosy cheeked children, many ragged, and crowded under the wagon covers were prophecies of wealth and the greatest empire on this continent. But so it was. The little children grew up into a race of the fairest women and bravest men that the sun of Heaven ever shone on. They married the sons and daughters of heroes who had won the independence of Texas, and there were more cabins built on the prairies – another was born whose vigor and strength has given increased power to this mighty common wealth.” – Mildred Housewright and Melva Cook