Old Lea County, N.M.

Tag: people

  • William Standifer Williams and Minnie Alice Anderson Williams

    William Standifer Williams was born in the early 1860s in Chattanooga, Tennessee to Samuel Lowry Williams (1807-1898) and Katuriah Taylor Williams (1825-1893), a farming family. His father was one of the earliest Anglo residents of that area and is known as the Father of Chattanooga. William was one of the youngest of some thirteen siblings and half siblings. Some accounts give William’s year of birth as 1861 and others show it to be as late as 1864. William lived with his large family until at least 1880. The actual date of their marriage is unknown, but William married Minnie Alice Anderson of Sabine County, Texas prior to 1900. The couple resided for a number of years in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. William is said to have traveled to what was then Chaves County, New Mexico Territory in 1898 and began to acquire land but returned to his cattle operation in the Oklahoma Territory with his wife. They were still living in Indian Territory in 1900 when their first child was born. Two more children were born there and after the third, George Howell Williams, was born, they came by wagon in 1907 to William’s property and officially homesteaded in New Mexico on property located just east of the Caprock and roughly sixteen miles west of Lovington. The location was near a water source known as Old Cedar Lake. It was water, but was once described as “gippy” by a descendant. Cedar Lake was a landmark in the area, however.

    William and Minnie operated their cattle ranch for the next thirty-eight years until William’s death in 1936. It was known as the Plains Cattle and Sheep Company and at one point amounted to at least 275 sections of land. The ranch headquarters had initially consisted of a dugout residence but most of the time, the family resided in Artesia. Williams was often referred to in the local newspapers in connection with his cattle operation. Williams acquired the nickname “Colonel” reportedly from his stately stature while astride his horse, but he is not known to have served in the military. The ranch was on the western side of Lea County when it was created out of Eddy and Chaves counties in 1917.

    William was nominated for the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame for a number of years and was inducted into the organization in 1992. Comments about Williams included mention that his ranch headquarters was always a welcome stop for freighters passing through the area and that Mr. Williams was known to be a mentor to younger ranchers in the area.

    Mr. Williams died in 1936. Mrs. Williams survived him until 1956. Both are interred in Woodbine Cemetery in Artesia. After Mr. Williams’ death, the ranch was divided among the couple’s children.

  • The Hobbs Family

    James Isaac Hobbs was born January 2, 1852 in Tishomingo, Mississippi. By the time he was 19, he was working as a laborer on a farm in Prentiss, Mississippi. Eight years later in 1878, he married the former Frances Paralee “Fannie” Mooring in Point, Rains County, Texas, born in Tennessee on March 27, 1857. By 1880, the couple had been blessed with two children, a girl named Ada and a boy named John, and were still living in Rains County, Texas. James Isaac was working as a farmer. By 1900, the couple was living in Brown County, Texas. James Isaac was still working as a farmer and the last of their seven children, twins Winnie and Minnie, were born in 1896. By 1910, they had settled in what was then Eddy County and were residing in a community called Roberts, believed to be the future location of Hobbs.

    A daughter, Minnie, tells the tale of how they came to settle in southeastern New Mexico. They were originally headed to the Davis Mountains in Texas, but on the way, they met a person returning from that area who was very negative about it and the Hobbs’ prospects, should they elect to continue. As a result, they headed in a northwesterly direction and came instead to southeastern New Mexico, still then a territory. As time passed, they were joined by other settlers and the town grew up. When they applied for a post office, Minnie says that they penciled in the name “Taft” but when the name was approved, someone had changed it to “Hobbs” instead. (1) By 1920, the couple was living in the community of Nadine. Lea County had been created out of portions of Chaves and Eddy counties. James Isaac passed away three years later. Fannie survived him another nineteen years.

    At least three of the children of James Isaac and Fannie remained in the area. James Berry, called the founder of Hobbs, Winnie who married Sam Dalmont and Minnie who married Ernest Herman “Dad” Byers.

    (1) Lea County Genealogical Society, Then and Now, Lea County Families, Volume 1, Walsworth Publishing Company, 1979.

  • Charlie Campbell

    Charles Leland Campbell was born June 19, 1911 in Elida, Roosevelt County, New Mexico to Zachary Taylor Campbell and Lillie Louise Bridges Campbell. In 1920, Zachary’s profession was listed as barber and they were still living in Elida. Zachary passed away in 1930 after an illness. Charlie, as he became known, graduated from Elida High School.

    Campbell served in the U. S. Air Force in World War II. In 1945 he married the former Kathryn Smith in Buechel, Kentucky. Charlie also attended attended New Mexico Normal University at Las Vegas (now known as New Mexico Highlands University) for several years.

    The couple settled in Lovington, where Charlie was engaged with his brother, John Campbell, in the operation of Campbell’s Farm and Ranch Supply and Campbell Grain and Milling Company. Their store was located at the base of the large grain elevators, the tallest structures in Lovington.

    For many years, Charlie hosted a daily radio program on station KLEA out of Lovington. His program reported local news and events. Charlie passed away on August 29, 1984 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Amarillo, Texas after a short illness. He was survived by his wife and children.

  • J. L. Burke, Jr.

    The subject of this week’s biographical sketch is a man of letters who has an interesting page of life behind him and in all probability a more interesting one yet to be written. We’re sure you recognize Mr. J. L. Burke, Jr.

    Mr. Burke was born November 28, 1902 in Hobart, Oklahoma Territory, a native Sooner. He attended grade and high school in Hobart and began his college work at the University of Oklahoma at Norman. While a freshman, Mr. Burke transferred to Ohio State University. Here he became prominent in the field of music, was a member of the Board of Directors of the one hundred piece university band and Co-Student Director of the orchestra. Mr. Burke was an active member of the University Choral Club. The above mentioned activities were, of course, outside the regular curriculum of college work and made a very heavy program for a boy who was working to support himself in college. Mr. Burke first took a job as janitor and in less than one year was promoted by the same firm to position as salesman. In his Junior year another honor was bestowed upon him in the form of the National Vice-Presidency of the Kappa Kappa Psi, which is an honorary band fraternity. As such, Mr. Burke became acquainted with such outstanding musicians as John Philip Sousa. In January of 1925 he was elected to the National Presidency of the organization mentioned above and continued in this office until 1927. During this period he devoted much time in visiting musical organizations most of the states of the Union.

    In May of 1938 [1928], Mr. Burke was married to Miss Joyce Grass at Amarillo, Texas. The following fall he resumed work for his degree at West Texas Teachers College. Both Mr. and Mrs. Burke attended school for one year when he received his Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Educational Administration and co-minoring in English and Social Science.

    After acquiring his degree Mr. Burke returned to Amarillo College of Music as music director until 1930 when he came to New Mexico as principal of New Hobbs High School. After consolidation of the Hobbs and New Hobbs High Schools he became teacher of Social Science and later acting principal of the high school.

    In 1933 Mr. Burke received his Masters Degree from Texas Tech. His thesis was written on “Personnel Study of School Board Members in New Mexico.”

    In 1933, Mr. Burke was elected Superintendent of Jal schools. During his residence in Lea County, he has been Extension Instructor in the regular faculty for New Mexico University and East New Mexico Junior College. Individuals who have done work for college credit in this type of adult education will exceed two hundred.

    During the eight years of his residence in Lea county, Mr. Burke has been called upon to speak in various places and upon a large number of widely varied subjects.

    In 1936, he was elected President of Lea County Teachers Assocation and has held the post for two years. He also has been selected as the member from New Mexico for the National Education Association Committee on International Relations and in the past year was a member of the Resolutions Committee.

    Mr. Burke is a member of the Baptist church and the Scottish Rite Masons, and is living in Jal with his wife and three children: Beverly Joe 8, Jenie 3rd, 6 and Marilyn, one year old.

    Thus we bring to date a full and interesting life of one of Jal’s leading citizens.

    [Jal Flare, Jal, NM. 25 Aug 1938.]