The Fletchers of Cass County, Texas

James Samuel Fletcher was born February 29, 1844 in Henry County, Georgia. He was the third child of Richard Morgan Fletcher and his wife Margaret J Lee. He was named for his grandfathers, James A. Fletcher, and Samuel Lee.

His family moved from Georgia to Cass County, Texas in 1853 where his father purchased 600 acres in the William F Young survey near what was to later become the Almira community. Sam grew up on the family farm and as young man was given a portion of the land to farm as his own. Except for service during the Civil War, he would live his whole time in Texas here. The Sam Fletcher homestead is currently occupied by his great-grandson, Alva Dudley Penny. This portion of the original 600-acre tract has been in the family for 145 years.

On February 28,1864, at the age of 20, J.S. Fletcher enlisted in Company I of the 33rd Texas Calvary and served until the end of the War. In his later years, he received a Confederate pension from the State of Texas for his service.

Sam married Mary Anna Rebecca Penny on April 4, 1869. Born on May 21, 1844 in Henry Co, Georgia, she was the daughter of Hardy Penny and his second wife Nancy Caldwell. After her younger children had left hone, Nancy lived with Sam and Mary for a time. The Fletcher’s had 5 daughters. Mary died on January 27, 1881 a few days after giving birth to her youngest daughter. The baby died two weeks later. Both are buried at Floyd Hill Cemetery in Cass County.

Their children were: 1. Francis Eugenia Fletcher was born February 23, 1870 in Cass Co, and died there on January 12, 1933. She is buried at Cornell Cemetery in Cass County. She married Lee Andrew Jackson Myers on October 29. 1891. They had one daughter: Maggie Lee Myers.

2. Emma Lelah Fletcher was born September 23, 1871 in Cass Co, and died there on July 5, 1931. She is buried at Floyd Hill Cemetery. She married James Perrian Penny, Jr. on September 23, 1888. They had 12 children: Foy, Maggie Mary, Roxie Ophelia, Samuel Lonus, Olen, Odis, Vera Estelle, Annie Vista, Mattie Sue, Willie Mae, Sallie Evelyn, and James Perrian Penny III.

3. Maggie Fletcher was born April 22, 1873 and died at the age of 7 on October 7, 1880. She is buried at Floyd Hill Cemetery.

4. Minnie Mary Fletcher was born December 28, 1875 in Cass Co, and died March 18, 1937. She is buried in Cornett Cemetery in Cass Co. On February 6, 1896, she married Robert Edward Hall in Cass Co. They had 9 children: Marvin, Floyd, Ernest, Era Lucille, an infant son who died, Velma Lois, Bernice Elmer, Elsie Odelia, and Hazel Maxine Hall.

5. Annie R. Fletcher was born January 21, 1881 and died on February 14, 1881 a few weeks after her mother. She is buried at Floyd Hill Cemetery in Cass Co. After Mary’s death, Sam married Roxie A. Elizabeth Hammack on December 29, 1881. Roxie was born in November of 1856 in Georgia. They had two children: 1. An infant daughter who died at birth. 2. Samuel Erby Fletcher was born September 17, 1896 in Cass Co, Texas and died there on May 30, 1977. He is buried at Oakridge Cemetery in Marietta, Cass Co, Texas. Erby married Maudy Pearl Castner on October 15, 1916 in Cass Co. They had 5 children: J.W., Mary Pearl, Jeanette, Samuel Erby Jr., and Bobby Don Fletcher.

Sam Fletcher’s farm was situated atop a hill on the headwaters of Flat Creek. For the most part, he was content to simply farm his land, though in the late 1880’s he entered politics for a short time making two unsuccessful bids for Justice of the Peace. He was a member of the Floyd Hill Baptist Church and practiced his faith in his home and community.

James Samuel Fletcher died in Cass Co, on October 19, 1917 and is buried at Floyd Hill Cemetery. Roxie Fletcher was staying at the home of her half-brother William D. Martin when she passed away on January 9, 1920 in Hughes Springs. Roxie is buried in the Martin plot at Hughes Springs Cemetery.

Samuel Erby Fletcher, Sr was born in the Almira community of Cass Co, Texas on September 17, 1896. He was the son of James Samuel Fletcher and his second wife, Roxie A. Elizabeth Hammack. Erby received an education at the Almira Public School. He attended school with many of his Penny nephews and nieces. At home, he helped his father by working in the blacksmith shop, though he never really liked this type of work. On October 15, 1916, Erby married Maudie Pearl Castner, daughter of Whit and Janie Castner. At first, they made their home at Almira. There first three children were born here.

In 1920, they moved to Quinlan, Hunt Co, Texas to pick cotton. While there, they tried farming for a few years, before moving to Greenville where Erby worked for a grocery. In the late 1920’s they moved to Graham in Young Co. Erby worked as a delivery man for a creamery until the depression hit. Finding himself unemployed and in ill health, he returned to Cass Co settling near Almira and once again tried a little farming.

In 1935, Erby got a job as a bus driver for Naples High School. He would pick up older students in the Cornett area and take them in to school at Naples. His bus was a converted flatbed truck with benches and a cover. Students told stories about having to push the bus up the east Texas hills when it rained, and the red clay roads became too muddy to get good traction.

About this time, Erby moved to the Flat Creek area. He continued to drive his bus picking up school children and in between, he even took crews of men to work during the building of the Red River Arsenal. About 1939, the Fletcher’s moved to Marietta and purchased the Pink Lee place. They lived here until their latter years.

As rural schools became smaller and begin to consolidate, Erby continued to pick up area children and take them into Naples schools. This was before these districts combined with Hughes’ Springs. In addition to driving the bus, he also ran the student store at the school. In all, he drove bus for 27 years before retiring in 1962.

In their twilight years, they sold their home in Marietta and moved into low rent housing in Naples. When Pearl became ill and required constant care, so Erby moved her into the nursing home in Naples. Not wanting her to be alone, he went with her. She died on September 24, 1976. Erby remained at the nursing home where he kept a small garden and raised vegetables for the dining room table. He died on May 30, 1977. Erby and Pearl are buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Marietta, Texas.

Erby and Pearl had five children: 1. James Whitfield Fletcher was born in Cass Co on July 27, 1917 and died in Hunt Co on March 23, 1924. Originally buried in Quinlan, his body was later moved to Oak Ridge in Marietta.

2. Mary Pearl Fletcher was born in Cass Co on January 25, 1919. She married Ollie Q Fuller on August 26, 1935. They had three children: Ollie Wayne, Jo Ann, and Ricky Malvin Fuller. They separated and later Mary married Elmer W Cook on October 8, 1960. Mary Pearl died on September 11, 1998 in Bexar Co, Texas and was buried with her family at Oak Ridge in Marietta.

3. Gladys Jeanette Fletcher was born in Cass Co on April 10, 1920. She married James Preston Stone in Jefferson, Texas on September 14, 1945. She and Preston had one daughter, Laticia Lynn Stone. The Stones owned and operated gas stations in Marietta and Naples for many years. Preston passed away on July 14, 1998, but Jeanette continues to reside at their home in Marietta.

4. Samuel Erby Fletcher Jr was born on September 22, 1924 in Hunt Co, Texas. He married Celia Jo Bridges in Atlanta on October 3, 1947. They had one daughter, Celia Renae Fletcher. Sam and Celia lived in Dallas for many years where he worked for Morton Foods. After retiring, he bought a truck and went into the hauling business. He passed away on November 7, 1976 while on the road.

5. Bobby Don Fletcher was born in Cass Co on November 11, 1935. He married Dorothy Oleta Penny on July 15, 1961 in Dallas. They had two daughters: Michele Elaine and Ashley Diane Fletcher. They also lived in the Dallas area where he worked for Hunt Oil Company. He died unexpectedly from a heart attack on February 2, 1971 and was laid to rest with his family at Oak Ridge in Marietta. Submitted by Samuel Ross Penny