W. P. Bickley
W. P. BICKLEY NOW OF M’KINNEY LIVED IN FARMERSVILLE FOR 58 YEARS; HELD IN GREAT ESTEEM
McKinney Weekly Democrat, October 21, 1926
W. P. Bickley and wife have recently returned from a very pleasant visit to their old home at Farmersville. This pioneer East Collin couple have been living in McKinney for the past two or three years with their daughter, who is the wife of County Attorney H. Grady Chandler. Mr. and Mrs. Bickley hold in great esteem their many old East Collin friends and relatives. Mr. Bickley is an interesting writer and by invitation he has submitted for publication in our paper the following running comments on some of the old friends that he met on his recent visit at Farmersville and some incidents of the past that he recalled and which we feel certain that our readers will peruse with interest:
I had a most delightful visit to Farmersville and spent four days in mixing and mingling with the people with whom I have neighbored and traded for fifty-eight years. Of course the original settlers are almost all gone but their children and grandchildren are there and I am glad to have had their friendship all these years, but I did not know how much I thought of them until now. If you want to know how I feel amongst them now just go away awhile and then come back and look them over and then you will know. They all looked good to me and treated me so kindly that it would be difficult to exaggerate my good opinion of them. Of course they were always good but they seem doubly so now. The Time man calls it "Friendly Farmersville" and it is well named.
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Some Old Settlers.
Amongst the first settlers who still remain are Mr. Fate Wisdom. Mr. J. B. Wells and wife who are the only couple remaining who were married and living there before the war. Mr. Wells is nearing his 90th birthday and can not see well enough to read, but his long time companion reads him the papers and he takes great interest in politics and the news of the day. He sent a message to Capt. R. M. Board and said to remind him that he (Wells) was slightly his senior. My aunt, Mrs. J. P. Bickley, whose father, Esq. Reuben Wright, came into that community in 1853 from Missouri, and was one of the first justices of the peace in the county and her brother, W. G. Wright are still there and quite well. They are not on an auto trip to the plains which is rather remarkable for people of their age. They have seen East Collin grow from a cattle range to a solid farm, peopled with a thriving population, dotted with good towns.
When they came into the county about the only means of conveyance was a bucking broncho or an ox wagon, and now the autos are crowding the roads and instead of a hitching rack for a few horses they have had to enlarge the square to make room for the cars, but you rarely see any one come to town horseback and but few in buggies and a six-yoke team of oxen and a "prairie schooner," would draw aa big a crowd as a circus. Are we happier? I am afraid not.
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Came to Farmersville in 1866.
My father moved into that community in 1866. I grew up with those called the old ones now and they were very kind to me and it was not possible to accept all the hospitality offered me on this recent visit. I spent two nights with my cousin, W. A. Honaker and wife, one with J. R. Holloway and wife and one with A. M. Connor and wife.
Mr. Honaker’s father came to Collin county before the war and died of sickness in the Indian Territory. He was a member of Capt. John K. Bumpass’ company. His mother was a Bickly whose family lines run back through the Revolutionary war and his wife is a descendant of Capt. Rhea of Hunt county. She is a D.A.R. and a claimant of the noted Edwards estate of New York.
***
Mr. and Mrs. John R. Holloway
I spent one night with Mr. and Mrs. John R. Holloway, old-time friends, and we talked the younger members of the family to sleep. They are cousins and their mothers were Bumpass sisters. The Holloways, Smiths and Bumpasses have a long ancestral line reaching back beyond the Revolutionary war and there are no better people.
***
Revolutionary Ancestors.
I also spent one night with Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Connor and felt as much at home as I ever felt anywhere. Mr. Connor is from Indiana where his great-grandfather’s tombstone attests the fact that he was a Revolutionary soldier. His wife is the daughter of the late John P. Utt from Virginia, and her maternal ancestor was in the struggle for liberty. Mr. Utt came to Collin county before the war and settled near Farmersville; was a Confederate soldier, a leading Methodist and his descendants are worthy of their noble ancestors. How could these people be otherwise than good people.
***
The Carver County.
Col. Henry Carver came to Collin county from North Carolina in 1870 and his children have occupied a prominent place in the development of that section.
I also had the pleasure of dining with Mr. Lee Carver and wife and their daughter, Miss Lillie, and was made to feel at home. Henry Lee is the youngest and remaining son of Col. Henry Carver. Mrs. Lee Carver’s maiden name was Green and came from Alabama.
On another I dined with Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Carver and their three fine young daughters. W. R. Carver, one of my very best friends, and it is always sad to see his family and miss him, but he is only one of a great number of my early associates who have passed on to their reward. His wife was a daughter of L. C. Smith from North Carolina and his wife was a Bumpass. I always look up the older ones and found W. S. Aston, J. A. Spaugh, J. E. Jones, J. P. Howser and Fayett Wisdom amongst the older ones, all ex-Confederates, but many other old friends are gone.
***
Several Howard Brothers.
L. A. Howard is the oldest Howard left of a number of brothers. His father once owned part of the residence section of the town. Henry and John Honaker are both gone and John B. Honaker has come to be now the "old man" Honaker. It is hardly believable. Then there are John Yeary and Dr. Dave Yeary who are now amongst the older ones. John says he was born in a half faced camp near the pool north of town. I actually caught Dr. and Mrs. Yeary on the way to the picture show. They don’t look as young as they did when we used to go to the dancing club and parties, but they still look good to me.
Some Friends Who are Missed.
Some of the missing ones were Capt. John Murchison, whose residence kept many from knowing that he was a captain in the Confederate army and that his company brought on the fight at New Hope church. E. E. Carpenter, John G. Windom, John and Henry Honaker, Seymore and Dr. Rod Neathery, T. S. Letson, H. M. Peak, and others whose names I do not recall at the present but were good friends of mine in the long ago. Often my mind runs back over the long years and it is a great pleasure to call up many little incidents that happened along the way and while I may not mention the names of these long gone friends is not reason to think that I have forgotten them. They are very dear to me and I do not remember to have had the slightest reason to doubt their friendship.
McKinney Weekly Democrat, October 21, 1926
W. P. Bickley and wife have recently returned from a very pleasant visit to their old home at Farmersville. This pioneer East Collin couple have been living in McKinney for the past two or three years with their daughter, who is the wife of County Attorney H. Grady Chandler. Mr. and Mrs. Bickley hold in great esteem their many old East Collin friends and relatives. Mr. Bickley is an interesting writer and by invitation he has submitted for publication in our paper the following running comments on some of the old friends that he met on his recent visit at Farmersville and some incidents of the past that he recalled and which we feel certain that our readers will peruse with interest:
I had a most delightful visit to Farmersville and spent four days in mixing and mingling with the people with whom I have neighbored and traded for fifty-eight years. Of course the original settlers are almost all gone but their children and grandchildren are there and I am glad to have had their friendship all these years, but I did not know how much I thought of them until now. If you want to know how I feel amongst them now just go away awhile and then come back and look them over and then you will know. They all looked good to me and treated me so kindly that it would be difficult to exaggerate my good opinion of them. Of course they were always good but they seem doubly so now. The Time man calls it "Friendly Farmersville" and it is well named.
***
Some Old Settlers.
Amongst the first settlers who still remain are Mr. Fate Wisdom. Mr. J. B. Wells and wife who are the only couple remaining who were married and living there before the war. Mr. Wells is nearing his 90th birthday and can not see well enough to read, but his long time companion reads him the papers and he takes great interest in politics and the news of the day. He sent a message to Capt. R. M. Board and said to remind him that he (Wells) was slightly his senior. My aunt, Mrs. J. P. Bickley, whose father, Esq. Reuben Wright, came into that community in 1853 from Missouri, and was one of the first justices of the peace in the county and her brother, W. G. Wright are still there and quite well. They are not on an auto trip to the plains which is rather remarkable for people of their age. They have seen East Collin grow from a cattle range to a solid farm, peopled with a thriving population, dotted with good towns.
When they came into the county about the only means of conveyance was a bucking broncho or an ox wagon, and now the autos are crowding the roads and instead of a hitching rack for a few horses they have had to enlarge the square to make room for the cars, but you rarely see any one come to town horseback and but few in buggies and a six-yoke team of oxen and a "prairie schooner," would draw aa big a crowd as a circus. Are we happier? I am afraid not.
***
Came to Farmersville in 1866.
My father moved into that community in 1866. I grew up with those called the old ones now and they were very kind to me and it was not possible to accept all the hospitality offered me on this recent visit. I spent two nights with my cousin, W. A. Honaker and wife, one with J. R. Holloway and wife and one with A. M. Connor and wife.
Mr. Honaker’s father came to Collin county before the war and died of sickness in the Indian Territory. He was a member of Capt. John K. Bumpass’ company. His mother was a Bickly whose family lines run back through the Revolutionary war and his wife is a descendant of Capt. Rhea of Hunt county. She is a D.A.R. and a claimant of the noted Edwards estate of New York.
***
Mr. and Mrs. John R. Holloway
I spent one night with Mr. and Mrs. John R. Holloway, old-time friends, and we talked the younger members of the family to sleep. They are cousins and their mothers were Bumpass sisters. The Holloways, Smiths and Bumpasses have a long ancestral line reaching back beyond the Revolutionary war and there are no better people.
***
Revolutionary Ancestors.
I also spent one night with Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Connor and felt as much at home as I ever felt anywhere. Mr. Connor is from Indiana where his great-grandfather’s tombstone attests the fact that he was a Revolutionary soldier. His wife is the daughter of the late John P. Utt from Virginia, and her maternal ancestor was in the struggle for liberty. Mr. Utt came to Collin county before the war and settled near Farmersville; was a Confederate soldier, a leading Methodist and his descendants are worthy of their noble ancestors. How could these people be otherwise than good people.
***
The Carver County.
Col. Henry Carver came to Collin county from North Carolina in 1870 and his children have occupied a prominent place in the development of that section.
I also had the pleasure of dining with Mr. Lee Carver and wife and their daughter, Miss Lillie, and was made to feel at home. Henry Lee is the youngest and remaining son of Col. Henry Carver. Mrs. Lee Carver’s maiden name was Green and came from Alabama.
On another I dined with Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Carver and their three fine young daughters. W. R. Carver, one of my very best friends, and it is always sad to see his family and miss him, but he is only one of a great number of my early associates who have passed on to their reward. His wife was a daughter of L. C. Smith from North Carolina and his wife was a Bumpass. I always look up the older ones and found W. S. Aston, J. A. Spaugh, J. E. Jones, J. P. Howser and Fayett Wisdom amongst the older ones, all ex-Confederates, but many other old friends are gone.
***
Several Howard Brothers.
L. A. Howard is the oldest Howard left of a number of brothers. His father once owned part of the residence section of the town. Henry and John Honaker are both gone and John B. Honaker has come to be now the "old man" Honaker. It is hardly believable. Then there are John Yeary and Dr. Dave Yeary who are now amongst the older ones. John says he was born in a half faced camp near the pool north of town. I actually caught Dr. and Mrs. Yeary on the way to the picture show. They don’t look as young as they did when we used to go to the dancing club and parties, but they still look good to me.
Some Friends Who are Missed.
Some of the missing ones were Capt. John Murchison, whose residence kept many from knowing that he was a captain in the Confederate army and that his company brought on the fight at New Hope church. E. E. Carpenter, John G. Windom, John and Henry Honaker, Seymore and Dr. Rod Neathery, T. S. Letson, H. M. Peak, and others whose names I do not recall at the present but were good friends of mine in the long ago. Often my mind runs back over the long years and it is a great pleasure to call up many little incidents that happened along the way and while I may not mention the names of these long gone friends is not reason to think that I have forgotten them. They are very dear to me and I do not remember to have had the slightest reason to doubt their friendship.
