Friday, April 19, 2024
Miss Zelma Scott wrote A History of Coryell County in 1965 and found in the museum collections are hundreds of her personal letters, tied in bundles or stapled together like the Grubb family letters. Below is part of a letter in his own words from Dave Grubb in 1945:
Dear Zelma,
When we first settled on the Dry Fork (of Plum Creek just northeast of Purmela) father, mother, Tom and I we had an orphan boy that come to make his home with us. His name was Jim Taylor. He lived with us 18 or 20 years. In our early home life in the log home, mother had an old fashion spinning wheel and bats to weave cotton. We had quilting frames and in the summer mother would use scrap cloth and piece them together and quilted them on those frames and we always had plenty of cover for the beds. We also had plenty of water at all times and fish.
Our hogs and cattle were all marked the same, swallow fork and under bit in the right ear and the left ear under half crop. Horses and mules were branded the same brand on the right hip with backwards E and R together and was put on record with the county clerk in several counties. When the cold northers would come the cattle would all drift south over a good many counties, no fences to stop them, the country was all open.
Today, I am enjoying our rain. I sold my calves about a month ago for $40 each, keeping the best heifer calves. I am now in the white Leghorn chicken business and September 10th I have 100 four week old pullets coming from Sedalia Missouri to the Express Office in Hamilton. I think good Hereford cattle and white leghorns are a good combination to make money.
Your Friend,
Dave Grubb
Coryell Museum is open 10-4 p.m. Wednesday thru Saturday. We love our visitors to come and see the museum. We recently had two sisters, Cindy and Barbara, who graduated from Gatesville High in the 60’s come and entertain us as they went thru the museum.
Many preparations are being made for Spurfest on September 18 so mark your calendars.
