Traces of Tx (today)

[Shakey Jake]

One of the all-time great Texas characters, Robert Hall. Robert, who was an early Texas settler, soldier, and Texas Ranger, was born in South Carolina in 1814 and was taken as a child to Tennessee, where his family built the first house in Memphis. He moved to Texas, probably as a member of the crew of the side-wheeler George Washington, in 1835 and apparently served on the Yellow Stone during the Texas Revolution. He enlisted in the Texas army on June 1, 1836, and remained with the forces until November 7. Later he joined the Texas Rangers under Benjamin McCulloch.
In 1838 Robert and three other rangers secured land and laid out the town of Seguin. Hall married Polly King, one of the daughters of a Colonel King of Gonzales, and in 1841 was issued a second-class certificate for a league and a labor of land for having arrived in Gonzales County after the Texas Declaration of Independence and before August 1836. Hall served for three years with the Confederacy. After that he was among other things, a hunting guide. I've got another phenomenal photo of him as a hunting guide that I'll post later. As an old man, Robert lived with one of his thirteen children at Cotulla, where he died in 1899 and was buried.

[Shakey Jake]

Here's todays posting on Facebook. This guy sure spends a lot of time doing this. I appreciate his blogging:
Traces of Texas reader Jonathan Gilbreath kindly sent in this wonderful shot of his great-grandparents, Albert and Karon Gilbreath, in the dining room of the Good Eats Café in Farmers Branch. The address was 13204 Harry Hines Blvd. The photograph was taken in 1947. Albert and Karon ran the Good Eats Cafe for about 22 years, beginning in the late 1940s and ending in about 1970. Albert was renowned amongst his friends and family members for his cooking and baking skills. His pies were regarded as the best pies anyone had ever eaten, and the recipe for his crust remains a secret to this day. Who's hungry for some pie? And HOW GREAT IS THIS?
Thank you, Jonathan. I love it ---- and I want pie!

[Shakey Jake]

A cornet player in the West Texas Military Academy band in San Antonio circa 1900. The West Texas Military Academy was founded in San Antonio, Texas, in 1893, by Bishop James S. Johnston with the aid of gifts from Mrs. Edward Cunningham of San Antonio and Mrs. George P. Andrews of Brooklyn, New York. The first building that opened on October 3, 1893, was located on Grayson Street, not far from Fort Sam Houston. Its most famous alumnus is certainly General Douglas Macarthur, who attended in the late 1890s. While there, he was awarded the gold medal for "scholarship and deportment." He also participated on the school tennis team and played quarterback on the school football team and shortstop on its baseball team. He was also named valedictorian, with a final year average of 97.33 out of 100.

[Shakey Jake]

Goodness gracious .. the things y'all send in! Traces of Texas reader Jan Wilkinson graciously shared this wonderful hand-tinted photo of her great great grandfather, Joshua D. Brown, his wife Sarah, and their son Alonzo, who was Jan's great grandfather. Joshua D. Brown was the founder and creator of Kerrville, Texas.
Joshua D. Brown at age 21 emigrated to the Republic of Texas from Kentucky and received an unconditional certificate for 640 acres dated 8th Nov 1837. Joshua D. began serving in the military during 1839-1842 for the Republic of Texas while living in Gonzales. At the end of service he became a cypress shingle maker and in 1846 moved up the Guadalupe River to Bexar County, where Kerrville is located today.
He was the first settler and founder of Kerrville. Buying all of Survey 116 in May 1856, he offered the Commissioners’ Court four acres and requested to name the town after his cousin and patriot, Captain James Kerr. Joshua donated the original townsite, for public square, all the streets in a town plat, one lot suitable for county use, one lot suitable for public church, one lot suitable for public school house, one lot suitable for public jail buildings and streets in Kerrsville. There was a stipulation in the deed that “water privileges of the river front of said river” belong to the public. He was the first real estate broker and, in fact, the first 88 pages of Book 1 of the Kerr County deed records are for lots for businesses and homes sold by Joshua D. Brown. Although there are no streets or public parks named to honor Joshua D. Brown he was indeed the “Father of Kerrville."
This coming Saturday, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Joshua D. Brown Chapter is having a “Defender” Medallion Ceremony at the Brown-Goss Cemetery in Kerrville, Texas at 10:30 a.m.
You can read more about Joshua as well as dive into Jan's amazing treasure trove of photos at her website, here: https://blog.wilkinsonranch.com/.../joshua-d-brown.../

[markiver54]

HE looks rather placid. Not so sure about her and the young one though. It doesn't appear they were very keen on having their picture taken.

[Shakey Jake]

A vehicle owned by migrant Texas farm workers in California, 1937. They told photographer Dorothea Lange that they were going to seek work in the carrot fields of California's Coachella Valley. Man oh man what an image. Everything they owned, probably, strapped to the hood or in the back.

[cooperhawk]

A vehicle owned by migrant Texas farm workers in California, 1937. They told photographer Dorothea Lange that they were going to seek work in the carrot fields of California's Coachella Valley. Man oh man what an image. Everything they owned, probably, strapped to the hood or in the back.

The first motorhome. I can relate to that.

[Ozarkwoodswalker]

Great great dtories. Thanls for sharing!

[Shakey Jake]

2nd Division Army Band in front of The Alamo in March, 1920. This was sent in by an anonymous Traces of Texas reader and I surely do thank them as I have never seen it before.

[Shakey Jake]

Four sailors from the USS Texas during WW I. All I know is that the man in the center was named Ellsworth. A super shot, indeed!