Cass County farms and plantations

From the Texas Family Land Heritage Registry

1976- 1983 Parks Lee Farm-1842

Parks Lee Farm-1842

Located six miles north of Linden and founded by Miles Parks Lee of McDonald, Georgia, this farm was owned in 1976 by Mrs. Marion Lee of Douglassville, Texas and Mrs. Parks Lee of Douglassville, Texas. Twelve pecan trees which were grafted by the founder still stood on the land in 1976. He settled this land after bringing his new bride Sarah Ann Morris Lee to the area. A total of nearly 1,200 acres was included in the property which Lee settled. He began to raise corn, cotton, peas, cattle, hogs, chickens, an extensive orchard, horses, and other produce. Lee was a long-time member of the school board of trustees and a member of the Methodist Church. Family members are buried in the oldest cemetery in Cass County, called Hickory Grove, which was once part of the Lee estate. The six Lee children included Elizabeth Jane (who married a McMichael), “Sam” William, “Teck” Maryan Texaner, “Mat” Martha Pricilla (who married Graham Westbrook), “Jim” James Parks, and “Sacky” Sarah Tulluah (who married a Graham). Their son Jim took over the land in 1862 where he continued general farming activities. Lumber from the old Lee house was used in building a new brick house which still stood on the property in 1976. Jim continued in his father’s interest in horticulture and developed a watermelon that became known in Cass County as the Parks Lee melon. Jim first married Abi Gholson who died in 1907 and then he married Alice Gholson. Children included William Parks, Cecil (who married a Tims), Evelyn (who married a Washington), Morris, Marion, and Ouida (who married a Cox.)

Next owner of the land was William Parks, grandson to the founder. In 1965, the present owners took possession of 120 family acres which had belonged to the founder. With an additional 100 acres, they still produced general crops in 1976 such as corn, peas, cantaloups, and watermelon. They also raised livestock and timber. The First Methodist Church congregation of Linden enjoyed a “corn boil” with corn furnished from the Parks Lee land. Co-owners of the land are Mrs. Parks Lee , wife of the founder and Mrs. Marion Lee, wife of the brother of Parks Lee. Living on the land in 1976 are the Mrs. Parks Lee’s daughter Lorraine, and Mrs. Marion Lee’s daughter Pamela Kay. The only landmarks visible today from the founder’s time are two live springs located on either side of the homeplace which are used for drinking water and also cedar and pear trees standing near the house. Fruit from the pear trees is harvested and given to the community. The land is farmed by the co-owners’ sons-in-law Joe Bridges, Roger McCall, Jack Hess and Curtis Bowden.

Haynes Farm -1857

Located seven miles northwest of Atlanta north of the Antioch Church and founded by Alexander Haynes of Georgia, this farm was owned in 1976 by Mr. and Mrs. O.D. Wood of Atlanta. Alexander Haynes, born near Columbus Georgia in 1835, was looking for new land when he came to Texas in 1857. He purchased 250 acres from Dixon Dyer and later added 130. He grew cotton and corn and raised cattle. He was one of the original trustees of Laws Chapel Methodist Church. He married Martha Ann Hill Smith and they had six children: Leonard Franklin (who married Maggie Draper), Jerome B. (who married Emma Fowler), John A. (who married Sarah Jones, Julia (who married Ross McClung), Stella Lou and Thomas L. Leonard Haynes. Leonard Franklin Haynes acquired 220 acres in 1897 and continued his farming operation, adding timber production. He received a patent in 1926 on an attachment for cultivators. He and his wife Maggie Lee had Sada F., Meda (who married O.D. Wood), and Morris S. Leonard. He sold 30 of the original acres. In 1969, his daughter Meda acquired 220 acres and continued the timber production, planting pine. Mrs. Wood and her husband have one daughter, Mrs. Bob Moore, whose young son is one day expected to continue the family timber farming operation.

Joseph Endsley Plantation - 1860

Located one mile south of Bloomburg and founded by Joseph Endsley of South Carolina, this farm was owned in 1977 by Horace L. Haynes, John Harlan Haynes, and Mrs. Bryan Hurt, all of

Bloomburg, Texas. Joseph Endsley, who was born in 1799 in South Carolina, moved his wife and eight children to Campbell County, Georgia, where he engaged in farming. Sensing the troubles to come with the Civil War, Endsley, his family and other relations left Georgia in 1858 for the “New County,” - Texas. The trip took six months as they traveled from Georgia along what is now Interstate 20. Endsley purchased land in Texas and adjoining Arkansas, building his home on the Texas side. The first home was constructed of hand-hewn logs and sat upon a rise overlooking the Bright Star - Jefferson Road. On the plantation, Endsley raised cotton, a practice which continued long after his death. His heirs continued this crop production even up until the World War H era. The great-grandchildren who were living on the inherited home site during World War H stayed at home producing food on every available acre for the war effort.

The second owner of the land was Sarah Frances “Fannie” Jones and her husband John. Fannie was one of eight children born to Elender Cannon (Neil) Endsley. Others were Martha Jane (who married a Dempsey), Amandy (who married a McClung, James Askew, Julia (who married a Hurt), Samuel Neil, Ellen (who married a Brown), and William Pickney Endsley. Sarah and John passed the land on to their daughter Sarah Ellen Haynes and in 1977 the land was owned by her children. When cotton was no longer “king,” cattle, timber, and vegetables became substitutes. During the absence of someone living on the land, Horace Haynes, present co-owner, raised vegetables for the local markets. Some 112 acres are included in the land which the present co-owners received from their mother and with a $100 million paper mill located only a few miles away, the children are planting pine seedlings for future harvesting.

J Bar M Ranch -1878

Located fourteen and one-half miles northeast of Linden on Highway 8 and founded by Hardy R. McCoy of Upson County, Georgia, this ranch was owned in 1983 by James Morgan, Jr. and Annette McCoy of Atlanta, Texas; James M. McCoy IH, of Longview, Texas; and John Davis McCoy of Douglassville, Texas. The search for fertile farmland brought Hardy R. McCoy from his birthplace in Georgia to Cass County, Texas. In 1878, he bought 264 acres near the community of Douglassville, Texas and began the work of clearing the lands of timber, terracing the fields, and building a home, barns, and fences. He worked his ranch for 24 years, producing cotton, corn, peanuts, cattle, mules, and horses. A Civil War veteran, Hardy McCoy was active in community affairs, helping to establish the Douglassville Methodist Church, cemetery, and school. He served as Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge. His wife was Fannie Willis, and their children were Vista, Charles H., James Morgan, Milton Hubbard, Jasper W., Willie, and Blanche. Hardy McCoy eventually sold 84 acres and passed 180 acres to his son, James Morgan McCoy in 1902. James Morgan continued his family’s practice of community service, helping to establish the First State Bank of Douglassville and serving on the school board and Board of Stewards of the Methodist Church. James Morgan McCoy improved his fields, built fences, and ponds. His agricultural production included cotton, corn, peanuts, hogs, horses, mules, and cattle. Martha Williams was the wife of James Morgan McCoy, and their four children were Fannie Hardy, Thelma, Richard and James Morgan, Jr. James Morgan McCoy worked his ranch continuously for 53 years until 1955 when his son, a grandson of the founder, James Morgan McCoy, Jr., became its owner. James M. McCoy, Jr., has added 540 acres to the 180 acres which can be traced back to the tract bought in 1878 by his grandfather. James, Jr. has improved his property by adding ponds, fertilizing fields, and improving orchards of peaches and pecans. He retired from active military duty with the rank of major and helped organize a Texas National Guard unit which he commanded between 1947 and 1962. He is a member of the Cass County Cattlemen’s Association and the American Quarter Horse Association. Agricultural production on his land includes Polled Hereford cattle, quarter horses, hay, peaches, and pecans. James McCoy, Jr. and his wife Annette, work on a wide range of civic projects, and Annette served on the Atlanta Memorial Hospital Board of Directors in 1983. Their sons are John Davis and James M., a Longview attorney. The Heritage ranch is home for son John Davis McCoy, a great-grandson of the founder and his wife Cathy Perkins McCoy. The family has set aside 60 acres of woodland which they plan to maintain and enjoy as a natural area.