Judy found this :) Make sure you go down the whole page and hope it helps a little Lisa Reporter-news.com Abilene Reporter Monday, November 22, 1999 Early-day Abilenians kicked up some dust By Bill Whitaker By the time public school students finished researching famous and dearly departed Abilenians for the dedication of a state historical marker recognizing our city cemetery, youths probably felt they knew early-day city fathers personally. But if they had any doubts, there were enough old-timers still around to set them straight. If you read our Page One account of the ceremony, you know all the hard work students did under the direction of ALPS teachers Janna Dowell and Kathy Aldridge. However, during the afternoon dedication ceremony, many of Abilene 's older citizens were also on hand, strolling about the grounds, quietly paying respect to those they either knew personally or knew of. Plenty of familiar names are scattered about the 54 acres making up our combined city cemeteries. For instance, there's the grave of Mayor E.N. Kirby who, back during World War I, mounted a campaign for a new lake and, as Kathy drolly informed everyone, "now has a dried-up Kirby Lake named for him." And there was the grave of H.O. Wooten, who not only bankrolled the high-rise Wooten Hotel in downtown Abilene - later The Towers apartment building - but also financed the Paramount Theater in 1930. Most remarkable of all, Wooten undertook these projects "during the Depression and paid cash." Brother, can you spare $10? Just before the dedication ceremony, retired Taylor County Veterans Service Officer Jack Townsley had occasion to quietly pay his respects at the grave of Dr. Jack M. Estes, a name distinguished in Abilene's medical past. Dr. Estes' final resting place is easily one of the most unusual, boasting a tall, imposing monument capped with the caduceus staff. "You know, Dr. Estes over there took my tonsils out on the fifth floor of the Mims Building in 1930, when I was 5," Jack whispered to me. "And in 1940, his son, Jack Jr., took my appendix out." Times have changed - and so has the distinctive Estes monument, which today shows significant damage. "He was an old, well-known doctor, and when he died, they had some of his medical tools fastened right there to his marker," Jack mused. "But it looks like people have just pulled them off for souvenirs over the years." What an angle! If ALPS students were fascinated by just one monument, it was that of Zeno Hemphill. Zeno ran afoul of various city laws, including those involving gambling, and in 1884 - less than three years after Abilene's founding - got into a gunfight with Joel Frank Collins and his younger brother Walter, a local lawman. The fight went badly for everyone. When the smoke cleared, both Zeno and Walter were dead or dying. As for Joel, he was hauled off to receive medical attention, but doctors couldn't save him. He lingered two months, then passed from this dusty stretch of red clay at age 32. Today the Collins graves are surrounded by a rusty iron fence. Every so often, someone puts flowers out. As for Zeno, he was buried a few dozen yards southeast of the Collins brothers' resting place - and, in deference to his shady character, he was buried crooked, so that he would not face the rising sun. Although the marker itself is not crooked - well, actually, it's a tiny bit crooked on its base - cemetery records indicate the grave itself was dug diagonally. To add further insult, none of Zeno's kin chose to be buried next to him in adjoining cemetery plots. What's more, the top of his marker is missing. "Someone," Kathy told me, "knocked his top off." His block, too. Got his shots? Students did learn about Abilene's most important early-day founders, specifically Welsh-born railroad builder Morgan Jones, buried not far from Dr. Estes, and Clabe Merchant, regarded by some as "the father of Abilene." Merchant is generally credited with convincing the Texas & Pacific Railway to build north of Buffalo Gap, thus giving birth to Abilene in 1881. Which is why Merchant is not exactly revered, even to this day, in nearby Buffalo Gap. Although he's generally viewed as an enigmatic figure by local historians, Merchant apparently had a sense of humor. Besides naming our town for another cattle town in Kansas - thereby creating decades of confusion - he and fellow city father James Parramore enjoyed playing practical jokes on each other. For instance, when Parramore was ailing, Merchant thought enough to send his very best to his sick friend. That's right. He sent a veterinarian to tend to him. Presumably, Parramore did not wind up in the cemetery as a direct result. Bill Whitaker can be reached at 676-6732 or whitakerb@abinews.com. Monday, November 22, 1999 Early-day Abilenians kicked up some dust By Bill Whitaker By the time public school students finished researching famous and dearly departed Abilenians for the dedication of a state historical marker recognizing our city cemetery, youths probably felt they knew early-day city fathers personally. But if they had any doubts, there were enough old-timers still around to set them straight. If you read our Page One account of the ceremony, you know all the hard work students did under the direction of ALPS teachers Janna Dowell and Kathy Aldridge. However, during the afternoon dedication ceremony, many of Abilene 's older citizens were also on hand, strolling about the grounds, quietly paying respect to those they either knew personally or knew of. Plenty of familiar names are scattered about the 54 acres making up our combined city cemeteries. For instance, there's the grave of Mayor E.N. Kirby who, back during World War I, mounted a campaign for a new lake and, as Kathy drolly informed everyone, "now has a dried-up Kirby Lake named for him." And there was the grave of H.O. Wooten, who not only bankrolled the high-rise Wooten Hotel in downtown Abilene - later The Towers apartment building - but also financed the Paramount Theater in 1930. Most remarkable of all, Wooten undertook these projects "during the Depression and paid cash." Brother, can you spare $10? Just before the dedication ceremony, retired Taylor County Veterans Service Officer Jack Townsley had occasion to quietly pay his respects at the grave of Dr. Jack M. Estes, a name distinguished in Abilene's medical past. Dr. Estes' final resting place is easily one of the most unusual, boasting a tall, imposing monument capped with the caduceus staff. "You know, Dr. Estes over there took my tonsils out on the fifth floor of the Mims Building in 1930, when I was 5," Jack whispered to me. "And in 1940, his son, Jack Jr., took my appendix out." Times have changed - and so has the distinctive Estes monument, which today shows significant damage. "He was an old, well-known doctor, and when he died, they had some of his medical tools fastened right there to his marker," Jack mused. "But it looks like people have just pulled them off for souvenirs over the years." What an angle! If ALPS students were fascinated by just one monument, it was that of Zeno Hemphill. Zeno ran afoul of various city laws, including those involving gambling, and in 1884 - less than three years after Abilene's founding - got into a gunfight with Joel Frank Collins and his younger brother Walter, a local lawman. The fight went badly for everyone. When the smoke cleared, both Zeno and Walter were dead or dying. As for Joel, he was hauled off to receive medical attention, but doctors couldn't save him. He lingered two months, then passed from this dusty stretch of red clay at age 32. Today the Collins graves are surrounded by a rusty iron fence. Every so often, someone puts flowers out. As for Zeno, he was buried a few dozen yards southeast of the Collins brothers' resting place - and, in deference to his shady character, he was buried crooked, so that he would not face the rising sun. Although the marker itself is not crooked - well, actually, it's a tiny bit crooked on its base - cemetery records indicate the grave itself was dug diagonally. To add further insult, none of Zeno's kin chose to be buried next to him in adjoining cemetery plots. What's more, the top of his marker is missing. "Someone," Kathy told me, "knocked his top off." His block, too. Got his shots? Students did learn about Abilene's most important early-day founders, specifically Welsh-born railroad builder Morgan Jones, buried not far from Dr. Estes, and Clabe Merchant, regarded by some as "the father of Abilene." Merchant is generally credited with convincing the Texas & Pacific Railway to build north of Buffalo Gap, thus giving birth to Abilene in 1881. Which is why Merchant is not exactly revered, even to this day, in nearby Buffalo Gap. Although he's generally viewed as an enigmatic figure by local historians, Merchant apparently had a sense of humor. Besides naming our town for another cattle town in Kansas - thereby creating decades of confusion - he and fellow city father James Parramore enjoyed playing practical jokes on each other. For instance, when Parramore was ailing, Merchant thought enough to send his very best to his sick friend. That's right. He sent a veterinarian to tend to him. Presumably, Parramore did not wind up in the cemetery as a direct result. Bill Whitaker can be reached at 676-6732 or whitakerb@abinews.com. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Postmaster (County) Hemphill, Albert B. (Falls) Hemphill, John C. (Cooke) Hemphill, Marshall A. (Live Oak) Hemphill, Wm. T. (Leon) Hemphill, Zeno C. (Bastrop) Hennington, Alonzo Q. (Hemphill) http://www.rootsweb.com/~txpost/pmindexhehi.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Descendants of Mr. BURLESON Sixth Generation 154. Aaron BURLESON (Moses BURLISON , Aaron BURLISON , Aaron , Aaron , Mr. ) was born 28 May 1812 in , , Tennessee. He died 1 Jan 1891. Aaron married Lucinda BURLESON. Lucinda was born 13 Mar 1815 in of, , Tennessee. She died 31 Jan 1868. They had the following children: 412 F i Malinda BURLESON was born 18 Nov 1831 in , , Tennessee. She died 12 Apr 1855 in , , Tennessee. 413 F ii Sally BURLESON was born 1834 in , , Tennessee. 414 F iii Mary BURLESON was born 1836 in , , Tennessee. 415 F iv Louisa BURLESON was born 1841 in , , Tennessee. 416 F v Lucinda BURLESON was born 1843 in , , Tennessee. 417 M vi Moses R BURLESON was born 1844 in , , Tennessee. 418 F vii Mariah BURLESON was born 1847 in , , Tennessee. 419 F viii Caroline BURLESON was born 1850 in , , Tennessee. 159. John Thomas GILL (Rachel BURLISON , Aaron BURLISON , Aaron , Aaron , Mr. ) was born 4 Dec 1808 in , Posey, Indiana. He died in , Posey, Indiana. John married Ann MOORE on 30 Dec 1831 in , Posey, Indiana. Ann was born 5 Oct 1810 in , Posey, Indiana. She died 18 Sep 1851 in , Posey, Indiana. They had the following children: + 420 F i Rachael GILL was born 24 Sep 1839 and died 20 Sep 1916. 421 M ii Samuel GILL was born about 1842 in of Mt. Vernon, , Indiana. 422 M iii Lewis GILL was born about 1844 in of, Posey, Indiana. 423 M iv Joseph GILL was born about 1846 in of, Posey, Indiana. 424 F v Martha Ann GILL was born about 1848 in of, Posey, Indiana. 425 F vi Harriet GILL was born about 1850 in of, Posey, Indiana. 165. Mary ROGERS (Nancy BURLESON , James , Aaron , Aaron , Mr. ) was born 4 Aug 1825 in Tenn. She died 28 Feb 1872 in Austin, Travis Co., Tex, Bastrop Co. and was buried 1 Mar 1872 in Austin, Tex. Mary married Marquis Lafayette HEMPHILL on 26 May 1842 in Bastrop Co., Texas. Marquis was born 19 Jul 1815 in Twiggs County, Georgia. He died Oct 1872 in Austin, Bastrop Co., Tex. They had the following children: 426 F i Cordelia HEMPHILL was born 19 Sep 1843 in Bastrop Co., Texas. 427 F ii Ann HEMPHILL was born 19 Oct 1845 in Bastrop Co., Texas. She died 15 Aug 1930 in Austin, Travis County, Texas. Ann married Stephen Collier GRANBERRY on 24 Jan 1867 in Bastrop Co., Texas. Stephen was born 5 Mar 1838 in Alabama. 428 F iii Mary Alice HEMPHILL was born 12 Jan 1847 in Hemphill Prairie, Bastrop Co., Texas. She died 20 May 1855 in Drowned, Colorado River, Bastrop Co., Texas. 429 F iv Eugenia HEMPHILL was born 6 Aug 1850 in , , Texas. She died 20 May 1856. 430 M v Zeno C. HEMPHILL was born 26 Oct 1852 in Bastrop County, Texas. He died 27 Sep 1931 in Abilene, Texas. Zeno married Maggie L. SCOTT on 20 Dec 1894 in Bastrop Co., Texas. Maggie was born 1870 in Bastrop Co., Texas. + 431 M vi Marcus Deshay HEMPHILL was born 18 Nov 1855 and died 27 Nov 1931. 432 M vii Roger HEMPHILL was born 15 Aug 1860 in Bastrop County, Texas. He died 1930 in Long Beach, Los Angeles, , California. 433 M viii Lee HEMPHILL was born 12 Apr 1863 in Bastrop Co., Tex. He died 20 Oct 1865. 434 M ix William Billy M. HEMPHILL was born 19 Oct 1865 in Bastrop Co., Tex. He died 11 http://members.home.net/ajboyd/buDesc10.htm ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE ADVENT OF TEXAS 147 Then followed Tom Greer, representing the "Circle G" brand, who made thirteen out of the possible fifteen. Luke McCabe, representing the "Bar M." ranch followed and only scored ten. Mike Kegan, of the "Half Circle W.," dropped down to eight. Bill Johnson, of the "M. J.," scored nine and his pony flew the track. Glen Reynolds, of the "R. M.," tied Tom Greer at thirteen. Zeno (Mark) Hemphill, of the "101," marked up twelve to his credit. Harvey Biggs, of the ''J. R.," from Red Mud, scored eleven. Bill Lasser, of the "X.," only marked up ten. Charley Jones, representing the "D. C.," was unhorsed after making six. Roe Lefflett, the champion of the "Pitchfork" brand, came within one of being perfect, having scored fourteen. Jim Greer, the last on the list, refused to run against Lefflett's score. All eyes were now turned to where Texas2 stood apart from the crowd, holding Buckskin by the bridle. Judge Lynch then stepped forward and said: "Are the people now ready for the judges to award the prize, or is there an unknown knight who would dare to chal-lenge the winner?" The crowd responded by shouting for Texas2. "Then let this unknown knight come forth to do battle with our champion, or else we do proclaim the prize already won." With the grace of a trained athlete, Texas vaulted to the back of Buckskin and riding· up in front of the judges http://members.nbci.com/lone_star/ktqtsr.html ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ BLANCO County Texas Survey - Person or Concern bearing the land certificate at time survey filed. Block - Block number. Grantee - Person or Concern to whom the land was actually awarded. Leag - League Flag. L = 4,428 acres, B = League + Labor. Labor = 177 acres. Section - Section Number Abs - Number of the Abstract on file at county courthouse and at the Texas General land Office in Austin. Survey Blk Grantee Leag Section Abs ZENO J HEMPHILL Z.J. HEMPHILL 167 262 http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/blanco/land/blanco.txt +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.abilene2000.com/moments/mom0108.html ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Judy Coleman" <judycoleman@socal.rr.com> To: <TXBASTRO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2001 5:58 PM Subject: [TXBASTRO] Zeno Hemphill > Can anyone tell me who the Zeno Hemphill that was killed in a gunfight in a saloon > in Abileen was? I have two reports on this, one said he died Sept 1931 and the > other Jan 1884 with a picture of his grave. I have two Zeno Hemphills one son of > Marcus and Mary Hemphill born 1852 and the other born 1813 in Georgia to William > and Lucretia Coleman of course there could be alot more that I dont know about. My > Hemphills arrived in Bastrop somewhere in the late 1830s or early 40s. My line > follows William and Lucretia, son Marcus and Mary and their daughter Dora married > to John Coleman. Can anyone help on this? > Judy