When this couple married in Post, Texas in the 1920s, the wedding united two families who were early settlers in the area that became Lea County. John Thomas Easley was one of eight children born to Robert Henry Easley (1864 -1928) and Rosa Belle Jones Easley (1873 - 1962). The other children included Minnie, Levie, … Continue reading J. T. Easley and Lorena Lee Anderson
history
Fire at the Buckeye Gasoline Plant
The Lovington Daily Leader carried this headline in its August 27, 1959 issue, "Intense Blaze Burns Heater at Phillips Buckeye Refinery." We remember being awakened early that morning and told we needed to evacuate the area because the gasoline plant across the road was on fire. Some event had ignited a fire at the Lee … Continue reading Fire at the Buckeye Gasoline Plant
McDonald
McDonald was the name given to the community located about thirteen miles north of Lovington. It was founded around 1912 and given the name of the first state governor of New Mexico, William C. McDonald of Lincoln County, who served in that capacity from 1912 to 1917. It had its own post office from 1912 … Continue reading McDonald
Knowles
Benjamin Lewis “Ben” Knowles came to the area about 1903 or 1904 from Mills County, Texas and claimed land. In and around it grew up a settlement that is believed to be the second oldest (after Monument) in the area that later became Lea County in 1917. Knowles was in his late 60s when he … Continue reading Knowles
Humble City
The community of Humble City is located about five miles northwest of the edge of Hobbs on Highway 18 at the intersection with West Alabama Street. It took its name from the Humble Oil and Refining Company. Humble Oil was founded in 1911 in Harris County, Texas and also gave its name to the town … Continue reading Humble City
Caprock
The community of Caprock is located just inside the northwestern border of the county. It takes its name for the geological formation that is found in southeastern New Mexico where to the east, the surface is flat while to the west it drops off rapidly. West of Caprock, the surface descends to the Pecos river. … Continue reading Caprock
Buckeye
According to most sources, Buckeye grew up as the oilfield business increased. It was named for the Buckeye Sheep Ranch which was located in the area. At various times, it included a grocery store, as many as two gas stations, a cafe, welding shops, a hardware store and post office. (1) In addition to the … Continue reading Buckeye
The Cowden Family
Four brothers, W. H. "Bill" Cowden, George Cowden, John M. Cowden and Buck Cowden came to the area in the mid 1880s and settled with their wives and children near what became the town of Jal. The men drove their combined cattle while the women drove wagons. Water sources were found by digging wells. Their … Continue reading The Cowden Family
Deputy Sheriff J. M. Clifton (1903-1932)
The Hobbs Flare (Hobbs, NM) of June 19, 1959 carried a column called "News of Yesteryears." That day, the column quoted an out of print newspaper called the Lovington Tribune from February 26, 1932 and read as follows: "Deputy sheriff and two men were killed in a gunfight at Crossroads. The late Bob Beverly was … Continue reading Deputy Sheriff J. M. Clifton (1903-1932)
The Knowles Family
Benjamin Lewis Knowles was born in 1834 in Hardeman County, Tennessee to Samuel Lihu Knowles (1797-1887) and Elizabeth Providence Johnson Knowles (1796-1852). He married Mary Hulda Kellogg on December 23, 1852 in Mississippi. Ben served in the Mississipi State Infantry during the Civil War. Over the next twenty-some years the couple had at least ten … Continue reading The Knowles Family
Old Lea County, N.M. 