The Stanmore family history

William Walter Vinson Draper William Walter Vinson Draper was born 28 July 1864 in Harbour Co., Alabama. His parents were John S. and Margaret Reed Draper. Margaret Draper wrote in the family Bible: “J. S. Draper and family left old Alabama Harbour Co. the 3rd of November in 1869 landed in Texas the 7 of January 1870. J. S. Draper bought Mr. Lon land 28 of September 1911. We moved in our new home the last day of September.”

Will Draper was a handsome man. He had red hair (was often called “Red”) and kept a mustache until his later years. He grew up becoming a hard-working individual. He met Annie Elizabeth Eargle; courted her; asked for her hand in marriage; and she accepted him. Will was, at the time of their marriage, employed in Caddo Parrish, LA on the Wild Lucia Plantation owned or operated by Charlie McClelland. Two letters written by Will at that time are preserved in the family. The first, dated Dec 9th 98, was addressed to “Miss Annie Eargle, Dear Girl” and signed “Your friend Will Draper to my Darling Annie E”. The second, dated Feb the 7/99, was addressed to “Mrs. Annie Draper, Dear Wife” and signed “Yours Willie”. Will Draper and Annie Eargle were married in Cass County, Texas on 18 Jan 1899 by J. F. Bradly, Ordained Minister.

According to a letter Annie wrote in 1957, she and Will “bought the land from Mrs. Lizzie Cummings in 1901”. This piece of land would become the Draper Home Place. It was between the Piney Grove Community and the Antioch Community on Highway 59.

There was an old log house on the place, which they lived in until they built their own house which cost $100.00 and was built by Frank Rounsavall, Will’s brother-in-law. The money for the house came from an Irish potato crop.

Their children: (1) Willie Myrtle born 15 Jan 1900; (2) Charlie Clifton born 24 July 1901; (3) Elsie Ellender born 14 July 1911; (4) Juanita born 14 Dec 1914; and (5) Dollie born 4 Dec 1920. These ‘family stories’ are gladly shared. And since accuracy cannot be proven; we ask that you read with kindness, not criticism and remember those who have gone before us all.

This family story was told about the trip J. S. Draper and Family took from Alabama to Texas: Will Draper was about 5, had on his union suit, holding his right leg out over the fire for warmth. The cloth caught on fire. His father quickly ran his hands down the boy’s leg, putting the fire out, but Will was scarred from knee to ankle the rest of his life.

The family lived in Douglassville, TX for a time. One of Will’s aunts was one of the first to be buried in the Douglassville Cemetery: Sarah (Sally) Reed Dickerson.

Will Draper drove an oxen team for Grogans in Atlanta, TX. He wanted to go on to school, but it cost money. He worked for a whole year making $11.00 a month. One of his brothers-in-law borrowed the money and never did pay it back. Will didn’t get to go on to school. We’ve been told that Mr. Will and Miss Annie had lost a day and not realizing it was Sunday, were out hoeing and plowing in the garden. Neighbors, on the way to Church, stopped and asked why they were working on Sunday. Well, it was finally decided that it was sure enough Sunday and nobody, but nobody worked on Sunday. So, Will and Annie went to the house, cleaned up and sat around, read the Bible some but somehow after that early morning start, it never did feel like Sunday.

At night, when grandchildren were visiting, there was a cot in Will and Annie’s bedroom where the child would sleep.

This was a large high-ceiling room with a fireplace; the table for the radio; a double bed; two rockers; a treadle sewing machine; a cot; and at one time a ringer phone hung on the wall. Sitting on the mantle was a clock. This clock was very special. Mr. Will, while still working in Wild Lucia, Louisiana, had been given two clocks by a man who wanted one back, fixed.

However, Will was able to fix both of them, give one back to the man and kept the other one. Annie cut a picture out of a magazine of a mother and child. She used egg white to glue the picture on the glass clock door. Wound appropriately, that clock kept correct time and would chime the hour.

In later years, Will was hard of hearing and had a hearing aid, but didn’t wear it much. He liked to listen to the radio, sitting in his chair with his right ear next to the radio.

Annie would have to keep a white cloth under the radio with paper on top. If she didn’t have paper on top of the cloth, he would write on the cloth. He had a very nice writing skill and was afraid he would forget how to write his name if he didn’t practice.

One time Will and Annie were going into Atlanta in the wagon. Will was driving a team of mules and as he started to cross the railroad tracks, Annie slapped him on the knee. She had seen and heard the train coming, but he had not. The only action he needed to take was to crack the whip and get the mules on across the tracks.

Annie was given some banana trees one year from a man in Atlanta. She and Will tried save them over the winter by digging a trench and burying them. It is not known if the banana trees lived through the winter or not.

Will had a sawmill on the place over several years. During the time the sawmill was operational, Will and Annie kept boarders. He had planted peach trees, grapevines, fig trees, pear trees, plus a garden area for the family.

There were five pecan trees next to the house on one side. The grandchildren always thought it meant ‘one for each child’ but we’ve never been sure about that. The trees were planted the day the fourth child was born.

Eggs and apples were kept/stored in the cotton seed meal barrel. There were also always cows to be milked; horses/ mules to be tended; chickens to be fed; and neighbors who needed help. The flower beds had to be kept too. At one time there was a huge wisteria vine growing on the south side of the house, covering the porch. Snakes got up into the vine one spring and it had to be cut down.

Will had a couple of sayings he liked: ‘Pretty as a pink’ and ‘That’s as pretty as a new tablecloth’. He’d always notice new dresses, catch hold of the coattail, and say something nice.

He drank his coffee from a saucer. He’d say the coffee was too hot and pour some into his saucer, blow on it a bit and then drink. Mr. Will sometimes ate shredded wheat (those big cakes for breakfast).

He would crumble his up. He had a hard time swallowing pills; so, Annie would mash a piece of banana and put the pill into it and Will would swallow it all.

Annie had a flower pit in the yard, a little bit south of the well at the end of the porch. This pit was used to put her house plants in during the winter so they wouldn’t freeze. It was about 4x12, and deep enough for the plants. Annie left the plants in their pots. On sunny days, she’d lift the lid and let the sun warm the plants.

Will always had some kind of babies around. He’d get quail eggs and hatch them under a banty hen. The flower pit was used at those times to “house” the banty and her chicks.

If it rained, somebody had to remember to get the chicks out because water would run into the pit and drown the chicks. Mr. Will would sometimes plow up rabbit nest and take the bunnies home to his children.