Murphy William Marks

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The story that has been told to me about Murphy W. Marks and his journey from North Carolina to Texas goes like this:

After the cival war the yankee skalawags and carpet baggers were making things very hard on the southern farmers. After several trips to the Marks farm the skalawags were coming back to appropreate the few cows that the Marks had left on their place. Someone Ambushed the skalawags and left them dead on the road.It was never proven who did such a dastardly deed, but Murphy W. Marks packed up his young family and left North Carolina that night.. From that day forward Murphy insisted that no one call him by the name Murphy, just call him by his initials M.W..

As the story goes on the way from North Carolina M.W. stopped over and spent the winter in Tennessee, there he met William Thomas Vaden(Preacher) and became friends.Preacher Vaden Had a verbal agreement with someone in Coryell Co. Texas to come and build a Grist Mill,Preacher Vaden was supposed to receive an interest in the mill. He asked M. W. to go with him and help him build the mill,M.W. having no other pressing plans agreed.The agreement that Preacher Vaden had was with one of four men. I am not completely sure but I believe it was with either R,S. RODGER, J.W.SEAY,T.A. GARDNER, or M. McHORSE..

Whomever it was after the grist mill was completed they backed out of their agreement with Preacher Vaden about giving him an interest in the mill. Preacher Vaden left Coryell County and returned to Houston County. After purchasing land near Lost Creek he wrote M.W. Marks and told him to come to Houston County, the land was rich and the price was cheap.M.W.’s wife Sina B. Cotten Marks was very ill and he did not think she could stand the wagon trip, so he decided to stay another winter in Coryell County. Since he and the boys did not have a crop planted, they cut and sold firewood to make it thru the winter. His wife Sina died and was buried in Bee House Cemetery that winter and he moved his family next to Lost Creek the next Spring.

The above story as told to me(Herman Marks) thru the years by my father(Howard Marks) and collaborated by my uncle (Glover Marks)

Sources: 1.Title: HermanFamilyTree.GED Repository: Media: Other Text: Date of Import: Mar 21, 2004