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Thursday, April 07, 2005
Old Dacus 1872 When F.A.B. Wheeler decided to make Old Dacus his home there was no settlement near, no people and many dangers and obstacles to overcome. He had his family with him and he immediately got word back to Virginia, his home state that free land was available in his part of Texas. Settlers from all the states along the way heard and decided to join Wheeler. One of the newcomers was Allen Lowery. He came with a grant of land and after serving in the war against Santa Anna, he found, courted and married Ann, the daughter of F.A.B. Wheeler. Lowery quickly joined his father-in-law wheels in worship in the Baptist belief, he was very devout in his religion and was a charter member of the Baptist General Convention organized in Anderson, Grimes County, Texas in 1848. Allen Lowery and wife, Ann Wheels had two sons and two daughters the youngest child being a daughter Sarah Elizabeth, but by later request from "back home" relatives another name was added she became Sarah Elizabeth Virginia Lowery in honor of the grandfather Wheels family in Virginia. When Sarah E.V. Lowery was eleven years old the Civil War began at the same time, 1860, in Floyd County Georgia, George Mayfield Daniel, a boy of 14 years was baptized in the Chatahoochie River, Floyd County lay directly in the path Sherman’s target. Researching the age of sixteen and the Civil War in its third year, George joined an Alabama regiment and served until the war ended. His mother died when he was small and his father re-married , a second family of children hastened the departure of the first set. George, now past eighteen arranged with several families to come to Texas and had chosen to locate in Montgomery County. We have to believe they chose Old Dacus as the spot, because roads, travel and communication were non-existent and because within the third year of his arrival, he met, courted and married Miss Sarah Elizabeth Virginia Lowery. George already baptized into the Baptist faith was an ordained minister by 1873. The ordination sermon delivered by Rev. McJunkin also served to ordain George’s father-in-law Allen Lowery and presided in the same manner . When George and Sarah’s fifth child, son Carey was pronounced an ordained Baptist minister. We have many accounts of the life of James Goodin was creating for himself and family in Old Dacus, but the only true person-to-person account I could find of the life of George and Sarah Daniel in their early days in Old Dacus is the family account, "The George Mayfield Daniel family in Texas" by Mrs. I.H. Devine, she includes a letter from the minister son Carey serving at times as a Baptist missionary in North China. It reads; "The following is part of my birthday letter to my beloved good father, just thirty-five years ago as a farmer-preacher was living in a log house in the forest of Montgomery County, Texas U.S.A. Seven years he had lived in this place and four children had come into his home during these years. By light of a pine knot fire he studied much during the hard yet happy years in the forest frontier home. God bless him and his companion with health and enable them by hard work and close living to keep "the wolf" from the door. The awful war of 1860-1865 had deprived them of an education. The child that at this time came into their home was the fifth and was during the coming years by five others. With a liberal heart and an energetic hand he labored to provide food, shelter and clothing and also education for his children and at the same time was used of God to supply spiritual teaching and inspiration to multitudes of people in every direction. This man was to one of his children a mighty man. He could build houses, clear forests, assess taxes, run a store, cultivate fields, was a school trustee and an earnest soul in preaching. He would sometimes punish a disobedient child but more often was blind to the wrongs or was patient in reproving with words. George Daniel only went home to Georgia to see his aged father. He came home to tell of the train how fast it ran and of the new day and new world outside. No one ever doubted the love of G.M. Daniel for his family; many times he called the youngest, when guests were present and proudly announce, ‘this is number ten’ he was proud of his family’s health. Once when he though he had pneumonia the doctor came and George said ‘this is the first time we ever had a doctor for disease’. All childhood diseases and malaria, so common were cured by home remedies." |
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©Montgomery
County News, 2004 |
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