| Text |
ppg 166-167.
"Salado College Is Founded
"There had been a desire for sometime among the citizens of Bell County for a fine school to be established. Finally, on October 8, 1859, a meeting was held "to consider the organization of a school at the Sulphur Spring on the Salado, but adjourned without taking action and immediately reconvened to accept the plan of Col. Robertson" for a school at Salado Springs. This meeting resulted in the organization of a stock company ... Robertson proposed that he donate 10 acres of land and sell 90 more at $5 an acre ... Those who bought share at $100 each were: ... J B Willis, ... Alexander J Dallas, ... R Wills, ... On October 15, 1859, the board authorized the president to to advertise for bids for the primary school building which was to be made of wood. The contract went to W S Martin and H Hulton. Bids for the construction of the main college building, to be made of stone, went to S Bramlett and Son, the only bidders."
ppg 256-257.
"Mountain Home
"Among the old-timers, who lived near Mountain Home in 1876 were: ... Arch Wills, who lived in the "bottom" near Gotcher Hill in a log house ... J B Wills, who settled on what is now known as the Roland Harrel or Upshaw place. He secured a large fgrant of land in this territory ... G A Wills and Mrs R W McCray (Sallie Wills), were children of J B Wills and they lived south of his home ... Capt Alexander J Dallas and his wife, formerly Tabitha Wills, daughter of James B and Anna wills, lived southwest of town near north Darrs Creek.
"Some of these early settlers are buried in the Dallas Family Cemetery, west of Holland, an early burial ground for people in the Mountain Home area."
pg 444.
"Alexander James Dallas
"Some county records refer to Alexander James Dallas, a colonist in the Republic of Texas, as Captqain Dallas. He was born September 29, 1820 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, the son of James Laraine Dallas, Sr (b. Apr 14, 1788) a native of Baltimore, Maryland. On August 19, 1814, James L Dallas married Elizabeth Reid (Reed). She was born May 6, 1798 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and in that city she married Dallas. They settled in Texas in 1832 where he was a landowner, having purchased 4,000 acres of land in 1833 in Washington County. The elder Dallas died July 19, 1835, and his wife died December 21, 1878, and both are buried at Independence, Texas.
"Alexander James was one of 10 children, and married Tabitha Wills in Washington County on January 6, 1842. She was born May 11, 1824, in Missouri, the daughter of James B and Anna Wills. The Dallas family as listed in the 1850 census, Washington county with four children: James, william, Elizabeth and Prisilla.
"On November 16, 1853, E M Pease, governor of Texas, granted Captain Dallas three labores of land in Milam District, Bell County, on Darrs Creek about 14 miles southeast of Belton, in lieu of Headright Certificate No. 495 issued by the Board of Land Commissioners, Washington County, on May 3, 1838. On august 15, 1854, James B wills sold to his son-in-law, Captain Dallas, 160 acres of land "in the forks of Darrs Creek" for $75. This land formed the homestead of Dallas, and he remained there for the remainder of his life. The land was located west of Holland. Dallas also owned 400 acrres (the J S Dallas Survey) situated in Hill County, Texas.
"On November 25, 1859, the Salado college Joint Stock Company was formed to build Salado College. Captain Dallas purchased Lots 4, 5, 14, 15, Block 15, town of Salado, on August 13, 1861. the money raised from the sale of lots helped erect the college. Dallas was a trustee of the new education institution.
"The Dallas family appeared in the 1860 census, Bell county, with the following children: James, William, Elizabeth, Mary, Reubern [sic], Martha, and Elmira. The same year *Mrs A J (Tabitha wills) Dallas died on November 13. The surviving children of the marriage were: *Amy Elizabeth (Nov 18, 1846 - Feb 27, 1888) who married *J B Rowlett on January 2, 1868; *Mary Pricilla (1849 - 1869) who married W S stafford on September 3, 1867; Reuben T married Lou Kate Harman on November 4, 1875, and following his death, his widow married W C Sparks on August 13, 1891; *Martha Ann 1854 - 1920 married *J A Harrell (1849 - 1925) on May 1, 1873; and Elmira, who married a man named Lanier.
"On February 27, 1862, Dallas married *Margaret Henry (Feb 25, 1825 - Sept 4, 1894), and they had one child, Jennie, who married J B Dale Jr on November 10, 1885.
"In 1862 Dallas was a contributor to the outfitting of Captain X B Saunders' Civil War company, Bell County. Captain Dallas died august 2, 1889. In his will, Dallas provided two acres of land on Darrs Creek for a burial ground, which is now called Dallas Cemetery.
"*Marked Graves, Dallas Cemetery near Holland in Bell County." |
