Follow
STEPHEN FARRIS NEELY ’S.F.’ October 8, 1869 - November 23, 1940; 71 years old
By Robert Ernest 'Bob' Neely, Houston, Texas; January 7, 2002
I am Robert Ernest Neely, son of Claude Ernest Neely and the second grandson of Stephen Farris Neely. Roy (Buddy) Neely Jr called me from Midland, Texas in early December, 2001, introduced himself, and told me of his part in writing a history of the Neely family. He had very little information on the Stephen Farris branch of the tree and requested that I do what I could to include their part. He arrived in Houston on the following Saturday, we had a great visit, and my wife and I took him to visit my mother, Mattie Mayes Neely. She will be 98 on February 21, 2002, and resides in a nursing home near Katy, Texas, adjoining Houston. She is in relatively good health and was able to furnish a few vital statistics for the book.
I trust the reader will understand that what I relate is necessarily based on my own memory and mostly on stories that my dad, uncles, and aunts told.
My earliest memory of my granddad's past was that he arrived in Waxahachie, Texas from his childhood home in Blount County, Alabama in 1885 at the age of 16 with two dimes in his pocket. He immediately went to work in a cotton gin, and later married Mary Gilbert of Waxahachie, about 1888 or 89, and raised cotton at two different farms in that area for 4 or 5 years. They went to Wichita Falls, Texas for about 2 years in the late 1890's to wheat farm, but encountered a droughty time and returned to the Waxahachie area. He left there about 1902 for black land cotton farming near Roscoe, in Nolan County, Texas, and lived there until his death in 1940. He owned a 160 acre farm about 2 miles southeast of town.
Stephen and Mary had 6 children. One son, Gilbert, died at about 2 years of age. The other 5 lived to ages from 72 to 85, I believe. There were 4 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren. At this writing all of his children are deceased and I am the last living grandchild. My mother is the last living son or daughter-in-law. Roy (Buddy) found me at an opportune time, for I will be 78 on April 1, 2002, and probably the last descendant who can furnish even a sketchy story.
My granddad was a fun loving, gracious man and well respected in the community. Having the initials S.F., he jokingly referred to himself as "Safety First." My grandmother, Mary, served as Democratic Party Chairwoman of Nolan County for several years.
I was very fond of my grandparents and spent as much time with them as my mother would permit. I guess this feeling began when I was about 2. We lived in Midland, Texas at the time. They drove out from Roscoe and took me back to their farm so that I could be weaned. We lived back at Roscoe and nearby Loraine until I was 5, then moved to Lovington, N.M. where I started to school in 1930. I think it was Christmas 1929 that my grandparents stopped by Lovington and took me on a visit to their son (my uncle), Bryan and family at Glendale, Arizona. The main thing I remember about the trip was stopping at some kind of quarantine station (probably the Arizona- New Mexico border) on the way back home. Grandmother had bought a lot of oranges. The authorities would not let us take the oranges across the line. Granddad had a new Hupmobile. We three sat on the running board and ate all the oranges we could stand before throwing the rest away. Finally Granddad said "Enough of this, we've got to get on down the road". I am sure that Bryan knew some of his Arizona cousins at that time and that Granddad visited some of his relatives while there. I don't believe he ever made another trip out there.
During one summer in the 1930s, my grandparents came to Lovington and hauled me and my Shetland pony to the Roscoe farm. We then went to Magic City (north of Shamrock in the Texas Panhandle). There we picked up Peggy McBurnett, my only girl cousin, about a year and a half younger than me, and her pony. We spent most of that summer riding those ponies up and down cotton and maize rows.
I spent time at my grandparents farm in Roscoe nearly every summer in the early 1930s even though my family lived about 200 miles away at Lovington, New Mexico. I stayed with them and attended Roscoe High School my freshman and sophomore years in 1938-39. At some point during the mid 1930s Granddad bought a 320 acre wheat farm southwest of Hereford, Texas, and owned it until his death. I remember going with him the first summer he had the land and the two of us plowed under a poor stand of maize in order to prepare for a winter wheat crop. I thought it pretty neat to operate that big tractor at 12-13 years of age. Those were good years for me. I had the benefit of two sets of parents.
Stephen Farris never seemed to dwell on the past. I did not even know his father's name was Theophilus Monroe until Roy Jr (Buddy) told me last month. Maybe I did not ask. He never told me the following things himself. However, Arthur Duncan, who was my Aunt Sallie's husband, told me that Granddad was an agent for the British Army during WW I and procured horses and mules and shipped them to the war zone. Also that he formed a bank at Roscoe in the early 1920s. I recall that on a trip back to Waxahachie in 1936 with my grandparents we stopped at the Crazy Water Crystal Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas. The manager at the time owed Granddad money on some sort of bank deal, but I don't think Granddad ever received payment.
Granddad seemed to have good health most of his life. However, there were two encounters with mules before he started farming with tractors that probably contributed to a minor decline in his physical condition. Both involved getting a foot caught in a catch rope and being pulled around the barnyard by a mule. The first time he suffered only bruises and scratches. The second, about 2 years later, probably '34 or '35, his hip was broken and phlebitis set in. He recovered but walked with a limp and used a cane after that.
Granddad was a real quality person. I wish more of his relatives could have known him as I did. I am honored and privileged to write a little of his story. He died on November 23, 1940, and was buried in the Roscoe cemetery. My grandmother died March 27, 1947 and is buried beside Granddad.
The Children of Stephen Farris Neely
Imogene Neely September 12, 1890 to ?, 1973
She was the first child born at Waxahachie, Texas, and must have started at a nearby country school, then finished at Roscoe High School. I knew very little of her younger years but at some point in time she went to Texas A & M for home demonstration courses. She was state home demonstration agent in Nevada when she met and married O.M. Linn, probably about 1922. During my life they lived at El Paso, Albuquerque, Los Alamos, and Silver City, New Mexico. Mr. Linn was born in 1875 and started ranch work at age 14 for 2 uncles who had a ranch near Sanderson, Texas. His parents had survived {n.b.: originally written that they had perished in} a shipwreck off the coast of South America. He worked on ranches in west Texas and southeast New Mexico (I recall the Hat Ranch and Turkeytrack) and became a cattle broker in the 1900-20 era in the Texas Panhandle.
In the 1930's, during the depression, he represented the federal government loan agency in New Mexico and designated which cattle were to be slaughtered during the program to increase meat prices. During that time he became acquainted with the Alexander Ross Estate which owned ranches at Los Alamos and Silver City. He took over their operations and moved his family to Los Alamos. The ranch was confiscated by the government in the fall of 1942 for the atomic energy program, so they moved to Silver City. They lived there until their death and both are buried at Silver City. Aunt Imogene had been very active in the New Mexico Women's Club while at both Los Alamos and Silver City. During their time at Silver City she served as state president at least 2 terms, I think. Also during that time, Mr. Linn began writing interesting articles about life on the range during his early years and at least 16 were published in the New Mexico Stockman's Magazine.
Aunt Imogene was a colorful and interesting lady. She kept life-long friends throughout New Mexico and the El Paso area.
Claude Ernest Neely October 29, 1891 - April 4, 1971
My father was the second child of Stephen Farris and Mary, born on a farm near Waxahachie, and finished school at Roscoe. He played quarterback on the high school football team. He related that he was of such size that two bigger linemen could toss him over the goal line from 1 - 2 yards away (apparently that was legal in those days).
He attended a business school in Port Arthur, Texas for a year or two and did some amateur boxing there. He farmed near Roscoe and worked in a general store at nearby Loraine before entering the Army Quartermaster Corps in WW I. After the war he apparently returned to Roscoe, did some farming, bookkeeping, and owned some pacing horses that he ran at county fairs. It was at one of those events at Roscoe that he met my mother the former Mattie Blanche Mayes, of Loraine. They were married in 1923 (we think) and I was born on April 1, 1924 on a farm about 1 mile north of Roscoe. For the next 5 1/2 years Dad farmed, worked in the general store at Loraine, and spent about 2 years in Midland, Texas at a local bank.
We moved to Lovington, New Mexico in December of 1929 where Dad had taken a new bank job. I started school there. In 1935 we moved to Hobbs, New Mexico and then in 1940 to Seagraves in West Texas. I graduated from high school there in 1941. In 1947 the family moved back to Lovington, then in 1948 to Andrews in west Texas and
finally in 1954 to Jal, New Mexico. At all these places Dad was involved in banking, owning small interests and operating some. He retired from the New Mexico Bank and Trust Company at Jal in 1960 and retired back to Loraine.
Other than his work, Dad always had an interest in horses. He kept a riding horse most of his life and the last one was "Whiteman" at Loraine during his retired years. He died there on April 4, 1971 from heart trouble at age 79. He had been out riding with a friend the morning before he died in the afternoon.
Another factor that probably spurred his interest in horses was the fact that one of my mother's cousins, a lesser known actress in Hollywood during the 30's, Judith Barrett, had married Chas. S. Howard, jr., whose father owned the famous racehorse, Seabiscuit. Dad loved to follow the success of that horse. He told one interesting story about another horse that he happened to see during WW II. (I was in the Air Force at the time in England). It seems that a fellow stopped at the bank on Seagraves on a cold snowy afternoon and said he needed to stable a horse overnight in lieu of driving in the bad weather. Dad had room in his stable and was glad to assist. After work he checked on his own horse and was amazed at the beautiful Palomino the man had. Being curious, he managed to see the man the next morning. It was Trigger, Roy Rogers' horse. The fellow was transporting him across country. He had not revealed it the night before, fearing that it would get out and all the locals would disturb the horse at night.
I recall another story that should be of interest to the descendants of Ernest Monroe Neely. Dad was visiting his Uncle Ernest at Tucson (I think) about 1920 and they had gone quail hunting together. They killed a nice bunch but were caught by a game warden on the Indian Reservation where they were shooting. He "took them into custody" by accompanying them into town, riding with them on the back of their buckboard. Before they arrived in town, Uncle Ernest whispered to Dad that he should take the reins and whip the horse into a run. As he did so, Uncle Ernest turned and pushed the game warden, who was riding facing backward, off the back of the buckboard and so escaped, leaving him in a cloud of dust. Sort of wild, but true, I guess.
Gilbert Neely was bom between Claude and Bryan (I think), most likely in the fall of 1893 or the spring of 1894, but died at about 2 years old.
Bryan Neely March 10, 1896 - February 16, 1968
I did not know much about Bryan. I think he was already living at Glendale Arizona when I was born. I saw him a few times in the 1930s when he made short trips to Roscoe, but I cannot remember seeing him after WW II. I knew from Dad and his sisters that Bryan was a friendly fun-loving guy, drank a little too much, never met a stranger, and always provided plenty of laughs. When Dad lived in Andrews, Texas, Bryan stopped on a visit and brought him a Gila Monster that he had caught on the desert. He thought Dad "needed a pet", but my mother squelched that plan real quick.
His first wife, Lurleen Glen, died rather early, but I am not sure when. He remarried and lived in Arkansas, near Ft. Smith, I think. He was retired and died there. He was buried in the Roscoe Cemetery. I am quite sure that he knew several of his Arizona cousins. He had one son, Glen Farris "Skeet" Neely, who was born about 1917, lived most of his life in Phoenix, and who had two daughters. The whereabouts of Skeet's widow and daughters are unknown to me at this time. I believe Skeet also knew some Arizona relatives.
Sallie Louise Neely July 14, 1897 - April 4, 1983
Sallie was born in Ellis County, Texas, also. She finished high school at Roscoe, but I don't think went to college. She and Arthur J. Duncan of Roscoe married about 1921-22. They traveled some in California and Arizona on an extended honeymoon before settling down to farm about 4 miles west of Roscoe on "Dune's" family farm. Dune was the only boy of 5 children and gradually bought his sisters' interest in the farm by 1940. He and Sallie had no children but were very good to us nephews and nieces. Aunt Sallie was a very good cook and it was always fun to visit them. In fact, Dune gave me a summer job on his farm in 1941, just before I entered Texas A & M College that September. He had a new combine. A hired man and I ran the tractor and combine most of the summer. Regardless of where we were working, Aunt Sallie always showed up at lunch time with a good hot meal. Dune was a WW I veteran. He rode with John J Pershing when our army pursued Pancho Villa into Mexico and was later stationed in either China or Manchuria on special assignment protecting gold supplies. During WW II he served on the Nolan County, Texas Rationing Board and always seemed to be very active in agricultural affairs. Sallie died in 1983 and was buried at Roscoe. Dune had sold his family farm by that time, so went to Ithaca, N.Y. to live with his grand niece, Debra Dennett, who was Jewell's granddaughter. He died there in 1984 and was buried back at Roscoe. They were a grand couple and deeply cherished by us nieces and nephews.
Jewell Celeste Neely October 8, 1900 - April 1, 1976 (note: or 1978?)
Jewell was the baby in the family and also born in Ellis county. She married Guy McBurnett and I think was already living in the Texas panhandle when I was born. Guy worked for Magnolia Petroleum Company in different oil producing areas, thus they lived at several different places. They were located at Magic City, Texas when WW II started. Guy had been too young for WW I, but wanted to serve his country. He was accepted into the Navy Seabees for WW II. He supervised pipeline installation for transferring oil and gasoline supplies from ships to shore on several islands in the Pacific. Jewell had attended Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. She worked in Shamrock, Texas during WW II, and her daughter, Peggy, attended the University of Texas at Austin.
Peggy married Lee Dennett soon after graduation from U.T. and they joined Guy and Jewell at Dalhart, Texas and entered the farming and ranching business. Guy died April 1, 1964. Peggy died November 27, 1973. Jewell died April 1, 1976. All are buried at Dalhart. Jewell's grandchildren, Drew Guy Dennett and Debra Leigh Dennett both live in Austin, Texas.
I seem to have written more about my uncles-in-law than my aunts. However, being a man myself, I will justify this deficiency by assuming that I retained more and can recall more about the men than the ladies. However, these three aunts were unique individuals in their own right and integral parts of a great family.
Just a few facts about myself. I attended Texas A & M College 3 semesters prior to WW II. I joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in December 1942 and was a B-24 bomber pilot in the 8th Air Force stationed in England. I flew 35 missions over Germany, experiencing flak hits but never being shot down. I finally retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Air Force Reserve. I completed my education with a petroleum engineering degree from the University of Texas in 1948. Subsequently I worked for Getty Oil Company for most of my career in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, and retired in 1984 at Houston, where we have lived ever since. I married Virginia Eloise Massey in Austin in 1948. We have two children: Jay Mark Neely who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and Robin Gail Neely Ellisor who lives in Houston. My brother's son Jay Claude Neely lived with us after his parents' demise in 1968. Jay Claude lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. If the Neely name is to be carried on in this branch of the family, it will have to be done by one or both of his young sons.