----- Original Message ----- From: FRED E EWERS III <fredorkim@email.msn.com> To: Charles A. Wyly <wyly1@juno.com> Sent: Sunday, August 08, 1999 5:07 PM Subject: Re: [ERATH] Bishop, Texas > Mr. Wyly: This information is so very helpful and interesting, as the > Alexanders in my family lived in the Harbin area. This explains a lot! > The letter was postmarked May 8, 1892, so must have been just around the > time the name of the town changed. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Kim > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Charles A. Wyly <wyly1@juno.com> > To: <fredorkim@email.msn.com> > Cc: <TXERATH-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Sunday, August 08, 1999 3:50 PM > Subject: Re: [ERATH] Bishop, Texas > > > > Hi, again, > > > > In Homer Stephen's book "Frontier Postmasters" he lists John M. Harbin > > as the postmaster of Bishop, Erath County, Texas from 9/5/1890 to > > 5/2/1892, when either the name was changed to Harbin or the Harbin Post > > Office took over the Bishop post office area. > > > > Since Fred's grandad lived in maratheal's Gap (Greasy) School, a suburb > > of the Skipper's Gap area and served by the Skipper's Gap post office. > > Guess what Johnsville was called at first? Clara Stigler Atkins of Chalk > > Mountain and one of my first elementary teachers at Johnsville, said > > someone from Stephenville was out on a Sunday Drive on the old dirt U.S. > > 67 , where the Johnsville post office was located near the gin, > > Blacksmith shop, and Lodge hall, near the old school location. They saw > > some new houses being built and said "Whodathoughtit? They are building > > new houses out inthe middle of Nowhere". so, some called it Whodathoutit > > > > > Another nickname of the area was " Poodleville" because of the high > > number of dogs, mostly hunting dogs. The Post office was named Johnsville > > because of the high number of people- several to a family- with the first > > name of John- John Little, John Bunch, John Mills, John Skipper, John > > Crockett, John Keahey, John Cox, John Wallace, John Howell, John > > McNight, and several others, with 2 or 3 by that name living at the same > > time. Nicknames were popular to give one a personal identity. Why? > > > > Possibly the Anglo Saxon naming pattern (or Irish, English. Belgian, > > depending on sources) might explain this in a community where 3 and 4 > > generation families lived near each other. > > > > THE FIRST SON WAS NAMED FOR HIS FATHER'S FATHER. > > THE SECOND SON WAS NAMED FOR HIS MOTHER'S FATHER, > > THE THIRD SON WAS NAMED FOR HIS FATHER > > THE FOURTH SON WAS NAMED FOR HIS FATHER'S ELDEST BROTHER. > > > > THE FIRST DAUGHTER WAS NAMED FOR HER MOTHER'S MOTHER. > > THE SECOND DAUGHTER WAS NAMED FOR HER FATHER'S MOTHER. > > THE THIRD DAUGHTER WAS NAMED FOR THE MOTHER. > > THE FOURTH DAUGHTER WAS NAMED FOR THE MOTHER'S ELDEST SISTER. > > > > Take care, > > Charles Augustine Wyly ( the 5 th Augustine in honor of Judge Augustine > > Smith Clayton, a populas Georgia Judge- who wrote " Davey Crockett, by > > Himself" under the name Atticus and others by a Fitzramble name. > >