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Newton Moves to Charlie Clay Co Texas |
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| Move to Clay Co | 1930 Census | Maps | Move to Terry Co | 1940 Census |
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a Charlie is on Farm Road 810 twenty-one miles northwest of Henrietta in northwestern Clay County. The community was called
Big Wichita Valley in 1878, when Henry T. Dunn built a store just south of the Red River. Later Dunn sold the store to Charlie Taylor, and almost immediately the site became known as Charlie. For years the store was a popular trading post for county farmers and ranchers and some Indians from nearby Indian Territory (later Oklahoma). In 1882 a post office opened at the community. By the mid-1920s the population of Charlie surpassed 200. After the Great
Depression and World War II, however, the community's population count declined. The Charlie post office closed sometime after 1930. From the early 1970s through 1990 the community's population has been estimated at
sixty-five. Newton's move to Charlie Co TX Papa & Mama (Newton & wife Emma Foster White) moved to Charlie Clay County Texas for a period, & eventually, back to Bowie, their son, Ben (born 1921), was born in Charlie, I found only birth records for Herbert & Virginia in Clay County, they being younger than Ben, It appears most of Newt's & Emma's children were born in Charlie. I figure, at this time, the family moved to Charlie, between 1919 & 1921. The oldest three children of Newt & Emma, Eugene, Juanita & Mary were born in Bowie Co, Mary born in 1919 Bowie Co, and Ben in 1921, in Charlie, places the move to Clay Co TX, in the said range above. The youngest son Herbert White was born in Charlie Clay Co TX, in 1929. Newt's family is recorded in its entirety, in the 1930 Clay Co Census. History of Charlie Clay Co TX, mentions the impact of the Great Depression and a rapid population decrease in Charlie. Sometime, after the 1930 census, Newt & Emma moved to Brownfield Terry Co TX. Newt & Emma were living in Terry Co TX, in 1931 when Jay White was killed at his store. It is safe to say they moved between 1930 and 1931, from Clay to Terry County. According to my dad Ben White, middle son of Newt, they moved from Terry Co, and lived at other locations, before returning to Bowie Co, however, Ben has forgotten the other locations. The Great Depression scattered the Texas population, looking for jobs, from about 1929 to just about WWII. It is my guess, Newt's family returned to Bowie Co sometime before WWII. My dad (Ben) had to have a birth certificate made to enter the Army, his parents both signed it, in 1944, in Bowie Co. Newton's sister, Della Neal (White) Lawrence and brother, Milton Elonzo White were also living in Clay County TX, the times they arrived are currently unknown. Newton
was the youngest child of Thomas & Martha Harris White, Milton and
Della Della
White is buried with her husband and child Norman, at the Riverside
Cemetery in Byers Clay Co TX. Milton White, his wife and at least
one child of theirs, Milton Roy White, are also buried in Clay County
Texas, at the Charlie Cemetery in Charlie Clay Co Texas. |
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1930
Bowie Co TX Census Clay County Precinct #2 NOTE: |
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Clay
County Texas
Map2
Note: Charlie, Byers
& Wichita are in a |
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Newton's Move to Brownfield After an incident involving a family member in Brownfield, and a discussion with my dad, Benjamin A White, we discover, that by 1931, Newton's family has now arrived in Brownfield Terry Co Texas. Remembering again that these are the depression years, and families are moving to find work. Papa's brother Jay (John C White), was living in Brownfield and owned a store, with his wife Aunt Eldora, Uncle Jay, was killed in 1931, the story below: The
Murder of Uncle Jay, [Jay - son of Thomas M. White - son of Ben White - son of Elias White - son of Robt. White Sr.] Ben was the Nephew of John C (Jay) & Eldora White, known to them as Uncle Jay & Aunt Eldora. The year Uncle Jay was killed, was 1931, these were the depression years, and families were split up and moved long and far to find work. Ben's family had moved from Charlie Clay Co TX, where they lived from about 1920 to 1930, then moved to Brownfield Terry Co TX, where their Uncle Jay lived and owned and operated a grocery store. Uncle Jay was a generous person, and allowed folks much credit, at his store, one particular person, only remembered as Mr. Bonham, (not known at this time if he is related to our Bonham line), had run up a very large amount of credit, and Uncle Jay, finally had to deny Mr. Bonham further credit, and I am sure reluctantly. Mr. Bonham left the store, only to return later with a shot gun, he fired twice, as the death certificate says, he died from gun shot wounds, one to the head and one to the chest, killing Uncle Jay, instantly. Ben recalls the trial dragged on for a long time, the White's wanted Mr. Bonham put to death, but the court disagreed and gave this man a certain amount of years, Ben doesn't recall exactly how long, I have written several places to try and locate the records... Jay's brother, Newt White, carried his fiddle about everywhere he went, at the court house, the Sheriff walked Mr. Bonham right by Papa (Newt), and he wheeled and smashed the fiddle right up against Mr. Bonham's head, shattering the ole-fiddle to pieces, among other things, we would hope... Ben recalls, they didn't do anything to Newt for his actions, only restrained him from doing further justice to Mr. Bonham. Ben recalls Aunt Eldora took her loss very hard, as did the other relatives. John Calvin White, was one of the babies, second youngest, to Newt. At this time, Jay's mother, Martha White, was still living in Bowie Co, his father Thomas White had already passed away, in 1923. Uncle Jay had a son that Ben, recalls as T. W., (Thomas William White). On the death Certificate, Ted White of Odessa TX, is the signer... He was the only son by Uncle Jay & Aunt Eldora's marriage, to my current knowledge. A Great personal loss for our family. Uncle Jay is buried at the Brownfield Cemetery in Brownfield Terry Co TX, with wife Eldora. Hope someday to get a photo of their head stones. There is an Alma White buried there also, apparently, died at birth, these are the only White's in this cemetery, not sure at this time if Alma is the couples daughter. Notes from Mike: Terry County Texas Terry County is located on the southern High Plains of West Texas forty miles southwest of Lubbock. It has an area of 899 square miles and has an elevation of 3,100 to 3,600 feet. It is bounded by Hockley County, TX. on the north - Gaines and Dawson Counties, TX. on the south - Lynn County, TX. on the east - and Yoakum County, TX on the west . The county was named for Col. Benjamin Franklin Terry, who commanded the Eighth Texas Cavalry (Terry's Texas Rangers) in the Civil War. The County was actually formed in 1875 from land in the Bexar and Young territories, but it wasn't organized until 1904, with Brownfield as its seat of government. The land in Terry County includes lands granted by Mexico to Stephen J. Wilson in 1826 and John Charles Beales in 1832. Settlement was prevented on the grant lands of West Texas by the Texas Revolution. The land was originally hunting grounds for Comanches and other Indians who hunted the great herds of buffalo in the area. However the buffalo hunters depleted the buffalo herds and the Indians had been removed by the army during 1870s. |
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After 1931 - Uncle Jay's death, Newt's family moved back to Bowie Co Texas
1940
Bowie Co TX Census
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