WILLIAM SEPHUS COLLINSWORTH FAMILY
Family history.
William Sephus Collinsworth was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1851. He came to Texas in 1870 from Virginia, where he was teaching school.... Mr. Collinsworth settled about six miles west of Plano. He came by train and walked the six miles to his new land.... After building himself a house, he returned to Virginia and married. He brought his new wife back to Texas. They had two sons, Floyd and Andy and then the wife died. Mr. Collinsworth returned to Virginia and married Calldonna Jane Neff, a sister of his first wife and a cousin of Texas governor, Pat Neff. In the meantime, his parents, Farrick and Lucy Ann Rowlett, along with their other 5 sons and two daughters came to Texas and settled in the same general area. The sons were: Albert, Ish, Levi, Farrick, and Milt.... Farrick moved to west Texas and Collingsworth county bears his name. (The “g” in the spelling was dropped by the local Collinsworth family.) Of the two daughters, Ann was burned to death when she was ten years old, and Mary married a Thomas, also an old time family in the area. In the early history of the family, a stranger sought shelter for the night. As was the custom, the family took him in. The next morning when he left, he wasn’t feeling well and soon a smallpox epidemic broke out in the family and spread to others in the community. The epidemic wiped out seven members of the Collinsworth clan including the grandmother and two of the brothers of Wm. Sephus. People were so frightened by the epidemic that the dead were buried at night on the old Milt Collinsworth homestead where their graves may still be found.
Wm. Sephus was the father of seven children: Andy and Floyd by his first wife, and Lillie Mae, Byrd, Eunice, John Monroe (who died in infancy), and Loyal. Floyd married Susie Bruce and they spent most of their life in Frisco. He made possible the present site of the new First Baptist Church. He died at the age of 93. Andy married Myrtle Johnston and they had four children. Andy was engaged in the threshing and ginning business most of his life. He died in 1954.
Byrd married Flossie Neff from Virginia. They had only one son who died in infancy. Byrd also died in 1954. Eunice married Will Collinsworth. They had four sons. One died in infancy and one died in a plane crash during World War II in California. Will Collinsworth established the first truck line between Frisco and other points.... Eunice died in 1961. Loyal married Marie Thomas who family make up the history of Frisco, too. They had six daughters and one son....Lillie married Joseph Van Wade and they had seven children... Lillie died in 1913 at the age of 26.
Wm. S. Collinsworth settled on a farm south of what is now Frisco. He built his first gin in Lebanon in 1901. The family moved into Frisco in 1913. He went into a ginning partnership with John Sparks. Later, he built a brick gin...Mr. Collinsworth died in 1936 at the age of 85.
Family history.
William Sephus Collinsworth was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1851. He came to Texas in 1870 from Virginia, where he was teaching school.... Mr. Collinsworth settled about six miles west of Plano. He came by train and walked the six miles to his new land.... After building himself a house, he returned to Virginia and married. He brought his new wife back to Texas. They had two sons, Floyd and Andy and then the wife died. Mr. Collinsworth returned to Virginia and married Calldonna Jane Neff, a sister of his first wife and a cousin of Texas governor, Pat Neff. In the meantime, his parents, Farrick and Lucy Ann Rowlett, along with their other 5 sons and two daughters came to Texas and settled in the same general area. The sons were: Albert, Ish, Levi, Farrick, and Milt.... Farrick moved to west Texas and Collingsworth county bears his name. (The “g” in the spelling was dropped by the local Collinsworth family.) Of the two daughters, Ann was burned to death when she was ten years old, and Mary married a Thomas, also an old time family in the area. In the early history of the family, a stranger sought shelter for the night. As was the custom, the family took him in. The next morning when he left, he wasn’t feeling well and soon a smallpox epidemic broke out in the family and spread to others in the community. The epidemic wiped out seven members of the Collinsworth clan including the grandmother and two of the brothers of Wm. Sephus. People were so frightened by the epidemic that the dead were buried at night on the old Milt Collinsworth homestead where their graves may still be found.
Wm. Sephus was the father of seven children: Andy and Floyd by his first wife, and Lillie Mae, Byrd, Eunice, John Monroe (who died in infancy), and Loyal. Floyd married Susie Bruce and they spent most of their life in Frisco. He made possible the present site of the new First Baptist Church. He died at the age of 93. Andy married Myrtle Johnston and they had four children. Andy was engaged in the threshing and ginning business most of his life. He died in 1954.
Byrd married Flossie Neff from Virginia. They had only one son who died in infancy. Byrd also died in 1954. Eunice married Will Collinsworth. They had four sons. One died in infancy and one died in a plane crash during World War II in California. Will Collinsworth established the first truck line between Frisco and other points.... Eunice died in 1961. Loyal married Marie Thomas who family make up the history of Frisco, too. They had six daughters and one son....Lillie married Joseph Van Wade and they had seven children... Lillie died in 1913 at the age of 26.
Wm. S. Collinsworth settled on a farm south of what is now Frisco. He built his first gin in Lebanon in 1901. The family moved into Frisco in 1913. He went into a ginning partnership with John Sparks. Later, he built a brick gin...Mr. Collinsworth died in 1936 at the age of 85.
