SONS OF DEWITT COLONY TEXAS
The Lockharts of the DeWitt Colony Andrew, Byrd, Charles, Drusilla, Margaret, Samuel, Sarah, William Contains information from various sources and articles by Floyd D. Pridgen and Josephine Dubose Johnson in the History of Gonzales County Texas, Mrs. T.H. Corley in the History of DeWitt County Texas and personal communications from Nancy Stevens Page. Verbatim passages are reprinted by permission of the Gonzales Historical Commission and Curtis Publishing Co. The following record indicates that the Lockharts were children of Bird and Sarah Lockhart Sr., once of MadisonCo, IL (From Land Record Bk. W, pp. 24-25) LOCKHART Heirs to S. LOCKHART Know all men by these presents, that we BIRD LOCKHART, ANDREW LOCKHART, CHARLES LOCKHART, DRUSILLA LOCKHART, MARGARET LOCKHART, MARY BRIGGS, NANCY MCKINNY and SALLY FULTON Children and legal heirs of BIRD LOCKHART sig. Late of Madison County in the Illinois Territory deceased and SARAH LOCKHART widow of the said BIRD LOCKHART deceased do for and in consideration of one hundred and sixty dollars current money of the U.S. to us in hand paid by SAMUEL LOCKHART of place aforesaid the receipt of which is hereby confessed and we do by these presents acknowledge to have sold and conveyed unto him the said SAMUEL LOCKHART and to his heirs and assigns forever all out right, title, interest, claim or demand of in or unto the west half of the South east quarter of Section No. three in the Township No. five North in Range No. ten west in County aforesaid. To have and to hold the above conveyed premises with all the privileges and appurtenances thereunto belonging unto him the said SAMUEL LOCKHART to his heirs and assigns forever. And we do by these presents covenant and promise to warrant and defend the above conveyed premises unto him the said SAMUEL LOCKHART against all lawful claims or demands of all persons whatever. In testimony of which we have hereunto set our hands and seals this eighteenth day of April A.D. 1818 Signed, Sealed & delivered in the presence of us witnesses present- Joseph Meacham SARAH (her X) LOCKHART (seal); SARAH FULTON (seal); MARGARET LOCKHART (seal); DRUSILLA LOCKHART (seal); ANDREW LOCKHART (seal); ROBERT( his X) BRIGGS (seal); BYRD LOCKHART (seal); I ROBERT BRIGGS husband to the within named MARY BRIGGS and I JAMES MCKINNEY husband of the within named NANCY MCKINNEY do for a valuable consideration consent to the foregoing conveyance made by our wives and others. James Mc Kinney (seal); Joseph Meacham—Thos. A.S. Anderson (seal) (Provided by Carla H. Ratliff) Data provided by descendant Nancy Page indicates that Byrd Lockhart Sr. (the father of the Texas Lockharts) died in 1814 in Illinois. He owned 1900 acres on Hughes River in VA and land in Wood County, VA in the 1780s according to an 1804 deed. He is listed on the Hampshire County, VA tax lists of 1782 and 1790. A "corner" of land to Byrd Lockhart is mentioned in a Harrison County, WV deed book. In 1793 he lived in the garrison established by Isaac Williams which is today Williamston, Wood County, WV on the Ohio River. He is listed on the Kanawha County, Va tax roll of 1810. He took the family to Illinois before 1812 and died after rescuing a daughter from the "savages" at Fort Russell, Madison County, IL. Andrew Lockhart arrived in the DeWitt Colony 25 Mar 1829 with a family of 9 according to land records. He received a sitio of land on the west bank of the Guadalupe River just north of current Cuero in DeWitt County. Andrew was the brother of well-known surveyors of the DeWitt Colony, Byrd and Charles Lockhart, was born in Hampshire, VA abt 1781. He is the son of Bird and Sarah Lockhart Sr. of VA. Some sources erroneously indicate that he was the son of James and Rachel Totten Lockhart of TarwellCo, PA who moved to VA and then to MO with children Byrd, Andrew, Sam, Charles, Drusilla, Margaret, Mary and Nancy (LDS Records and History of Gonzales County). Bird Lockhart Sr. moved his large family from VA to OH where Andrew married Esther Briggs in WashingtonCo. The family appears on the WashingtonCo, OH census of 1810. Andrew Lockhart appears on the War of 1812 muster rolls of Capt. William Jones' Company of Illinois Volunteer Infantry. A copy of his enlistment shows that he served from March 9, 1813 as a private and on the roll of 9 Jun 1813 he was serving as fourth corporal. Andrew Lockhart is listed in the Illinois Territorial census of 1818, the MadisonCo, IL census of 1818 (with 13 family members) and the 1820 Illinois census (Andre Lockhart). A letter from Catherine Wise Barton Lockhart (sister-in-law to Andrew Lockhart) sent to her mother, Elizabeth Barton in Ohio, reveals that the Lockharts came to Texas from Missouri by land on a journey from August through March. Andrew and families of siblings Sam, Charles, Drusilla and Margaret joined brother Byrd Lockhart Jr. in the DeWitt Colony in 1829 and 1830. Andrew Lockhart's application for land grant title indicates the family of nine arrived 25 March 1829. Six children of Andrew and Esther Briggs Lockhart have been accounted for--Sara Elvira married Jasper L. Gilbert; Drusilla Malinda married first William P. Patterson, second W. Templeton; Matilda; John B.; George Washington and Byrd B. Lockhart. John B. and George W. Lockhart received quarter sitios of land grants in the DeWitt Colony and are listed as arriving on the same day (25 Mar 1829) as Andrew Lockhart. George W.'s tract abuts on the southern border of Andrew Lockhart's tract on the west side of the lower Guadalupe River near current Cuero. Both "Bird" B. and J.B. Lockhart received quarter sitios a little south also on the west side of the Guadalupe River. Andrew Lockhart apparently became the administrator of lands owned by all three sons who apparently died prior to him. Andrew Lockhart died in 1846 DewittCo, TX. His will left land to Drusilla Malinda Patterson and Sarah Elvira Gilbert. Matilda Lockhart is a subject of an infamous episode of DeWitt Colony's encounters with Comanches. In her early teens, she was kidnapped in 1838 in a raid along with the Putman children while gathering pecans. She was released by Comanches in the famed Council House Fight in San Antonio in 1840 and soon after died of pneumonia. Contributed by Carla H. Ratliff [See Biography of Andrew Lockhart, Andrew Lockhart's will, proved Oct 1846; 1840 GonzalesCo Probate Doc; Lockhart Family Land Record 1846]. Charles Lockhart was born December 3, 1790 in Virginia. He was the son of James and Rachel Totten Lockhart [see land record above for correction]. The National Archives, Washington, D.C. war records of 1812 listed his residence upon induction into the service as Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia. He arrived with a family of 6 in the DeWitt Colony according to land records on 2 Mar 1829. He and his brothers Byrd, Andrew and Sam all came to Texas and all participated in the development of the colony and the Texas Revolution. During 1814-1815 Charles and Byrd were appointed surveyors for Madison County, Illinois and while in Illinois, Charles married Catherine Wise Barton (1797-1844) September 20, 1817 in Kaskaskia, Randolph County, Illinois. Charles and Catherine settled at their homestead, Pecan Grove, which was located about ten miles south of Gonzales, Texas between current Cuero and Cuero Creek where a family cemetery is located. The place was called the Salt Lick and produced a quantity of salt. Charles was a surveyor for the DeWitt Colony and assisted his brother Byrd who performed all the colony's surveys after 1826. Byrd was appointed surveyor general in April 1831 by Jose Antonio Navarro. The surveyor was indispensable within the empresario system of colonization. Often they were the first and only persons in unsettled areas and representated an especially vulnerable target for hostile Indians. Letters written by Catherine Lockhart to her mother Elizabeth Barton in Franklin Furnace, Ohio described some of the hardships of life in Texas. In 1829-1830, Charles with his brother Byrd laid out the Gonzales to Austin road, a distance of 195 miles. They also laid out another from Gonzales to Matagorda. Under directions of Colonel John H. Moore, Charles laid out the town of LaGrange. He was elected second regidor [of the Gonzales Ayuntamiento--WLM] in 1833. Charles and Catherine died in 1844 and were buried in the Lockhart family cemetery. The oldest child, William B. Lockhart, assumed responsibility for the surviving children, Charles Louis, Kimber, Elizabeth Drusilla, Louisa Jane and Mary Melvina. Elizabeth Drusilla married James H. Wilson, Mary Melvina became Mrs. John Patton Wright and Louisa Jane married Dave Hunter. Catherine and Charles never lived on one of their leagues of land granted him in 1831 by Jos� Antonio Navarro. It was located south of Cuero. The area was Price's Creek and later became Thomaston, Texas. Two of the daughters, Mary Melvina Wright and Elizabeth Drusilla Wilson, settled on their portions of the estate. Two of Charles Lockhart's grandchildren, Margaret Lucinda Wilson (Mrs. John Bowden Pridgen) and John Robert Wright, lived there as late as 1936 and 1952 and were both buried in the Thomaston Cemetery. The cemetery was given by Mary Melvina Lockhart Wright; the Wrights and Pridgens were very generous. Mary Melvina gave land for the townsite and also land for the Gulfwestern, Texas & Pacific Railway right-of-way. This gift resulted in Thomaston being the first railroad station in DeWitt County. Some of the Pridgen and Wright heirs continued to own small portions of the Lockhart estate. The John B. Pridgen heirs were Wilson B. Pridgen, Dr. John Leslie, Dr. Ross Edwin, Floyd, Ethel Pridgen Brooks, Pearl Pridgen Conwell and Mary Pridgen Brasher. The John Robert Wright children were William, Welton and Genevieve (Mrs. Joseph Mack Young). Floyd D. Pridgen (From The History of Gonzales County, Texas. Reprinted by permission of the Gonzales County Historical Commission). Son Kimber Lockhart died soon after his parents. William, the oldest son, married Jane Cotton of Gonzales County in 1849. He died October 4, 1864 at Round Rock, Texas and was buried there. [Charles] Louis married in 1850 Celia Williams and lived at Mineral City, Bee County. Margaret married in 1853 James Aldridge in Gonzales County. She died September 20, 1882 and was buried in Ebenezer Cemetery. Sarah Elizabeth married June 30, 1859 James Wilson at the home of her sister Margaret; she died October 27, 1868 and was buried at Burns Station, DeWitt County. Louisa Jane (February 6, 1838) was the first child of Charles and Catherine to be born at the old home place called Pecan Grove. After the death of their parents the children moved back to the home place and at that time there occurred the greatest sleet storm that had ever been known in Texas. They all lived together until after brother William's marriage, then kept house with brother Louis until he married. Margaret then took the three sisters and lived near William until she married. They made her house home until Louisa Jane married. Louisa Jane stated that their days were spent in the country with the exception of five months schooling she had in Lockhart. The last school attended was a five-month session in Gonzales at the age of fifteen. Dr. J.H. Hillyer was the teacher. She married David Hunter March 26, 1857 the day before his twenty-second birthday. In the spring of 1857 the crops were killed by the cold and in the fall the grasshoppers destroyed the cotton. The following spring the young grasshoppers destroyed everything and the crops had to be replanted. Corn was two dollars per bushel and had to be hauled from Indianola. The crops in the latter part of April, 1859 were again killed by frost. A great deal of corn was in silk and tassels. They moved in August, 1859 to Banquette, Nueces County where Hunter worked for Mr. Kegler. In May, 1862 Hunter joined the Confederate army and served three years. During that time Louisa Jane and children, Charlie, Willis and Mary who was born three weeks after her father went to war, lived with David's father and mother in Gonzales County. The Hunters left Gonzales County February 14, 1868 and moved to Clear Creek, DeWitt County. On February 4, 1884 they moved to Cuero. Mary Melvina Lockhart (1841-1875) was also born at Salt Lick; she died at Thomaston, DeWitt County and was buried there. She married June 7, 1859 John Patton Wright, Gonzales County and had seven children: William Anthony, Emma Eugenia, John Robert, and Anna Wright born at Lockhart, Texas and Delia Bell, Lou and Lockhart Wright were born at Thomaston. Josephine DuBose Johnson (From The History of Gonzales County, Texas. Reprinted by permission of the Gonzales County Historical Commission). Drusilla Lockhart, born December 25, 1802, married Eben Haven in GonzalesCo, TX; Margaret Lockhart arrived in the colony in 1825. She married Kimber Barton, the brother of Catherine Barton Lockhart and Mary Barton Lockhart in CooperCo, MO. They were "keeping public house" in Gonzales in 1835 and were the parents of one daughter Jane who married a Kelso. Sarah Lockhart Fulton married George Blair in IL. Sisters of Andrew, Byrd, Charles and Samuel, Mary (Polly) Lockhart (m. Briggs) and Nancy Lockhart married James McKinney in IL never lived in Texas, but came there to receive inheritance from brother Byrd Lockhart. Samuel Lockhart. Sam Lockhart and wife Winney Walker (married in IL) with a family of three arrived in Texas July 29, 1830 according to land records and received a sitio land on the east bank of the Guadalupe River just south of Cuero Creek. After Samuel's death his widow Winney married a Robertson/Robinson. Sarah Ann (Sally) Lockhart was the seventh child of Byrd Lockhart and wife Sarah. Born Ohio 1794, she married James Fulton Randolph Co. IL 1815 and had son James Jr (1816-1836), was widowed the following year 1816. She met and married George Blair, Madison Co., IL 1818. Six Blair children followed: Susan, Sarah Ann, Margaret, Wm. A. George W. and Travis. The last two children were born in Dewitt Colony Texas. She and George received a grant near the Lockhart Clan in Dewitt Colony. The times were rough. Their 1st son James Fulton Jr. was killed in 1836 and husband George died in 1840. Sally's 2nd daughter Sarah Ann died during childbirth in 1845 and orphaned their 1st grandchild, also named Sarah Ann (Cummins). The 1st daughter Susan Blair lost her husband Berry Doolittle in 1848 and left 3 orphan children. Susan remarried and began another family with Robert Ross. Grandmother Sarah Ann (Sally) obtained custody of the 3 Doolittle children. The last correspondence from her is dated 1866-7 and is with Alfred Kelso who is married to niece Louisa J Barton. It is in the possession of 4th greatgrandson C. Petras. Sarah Ann Lockhart Blair is buried in Stonewall Cemetery. Her grave is marked with a fieldstone inscribed SAB. [Provided by Nancy Stevens Page Jul 4, 2015] William B. Lockhart was granted a quarter sitio of land in the DeWitt Colony which was on Peach Creek, southeast of Gonzales town. Chabot, Frederick C. Texas Letters. Yanaguana Society, San Antonio, TX, 1940. Letters were provided to the society by Dr. P.I. Nixon through Pearson Newcomb, both of San Antonio. A note states the "originals of these letters are in possession of Mrs. F. Y. O'Neal, formerly Miss Harriet Lockhart, a daughter of Chas. Lewis Lockhart, who was a son of Mrs. Catharine W. Lockhart, the writer of the letters, and a sister-in-law to Bird Lockhart, for whom the town of Lockhart, Texas was named". Dewit Colony August 8th, 1830. My dear Mother: I received a letter from you dated in September, which gave me great satisfaction to here of your good health and being well provided for. It is the first I have received from you scince we left Missouri. I wrote to you and sister Matilda several times whilst on the way and only once scince we arived here for want of an opertunity until all most time to look for Brother Bird. I then delaid thinking that perhaps you might come with him, though I cannot think hard of your not coming as I no you are more comfortably situated there than you could be here, in consiquence of it being an older settled place than this (though this excels all new settled places I have ever nown for the convenience of geting not only the real necessaryes of life totalles the comforts) and even this is not the greatest cause for giving that place the preferance, for you can there have the sosciety of more of your children and grandchildren. I expect there is no doubt but sister Bevins is in that country. I had faltered myself they would move here, but in that I fear I shall ever be disappointed. I am not less pleased with our move now than when I wrote you last, it is most assuredly the easiest country to make a living in I have ever nown---corn, sugar, and cotton which are the staple commodetys of the country all do well here and with little labour. The climate is extremely pleasant, the sun shines very warm in the months of June, July and August, but there is always a fine breeze which makes it pleasant. I have never suffered more with hete here than in Ohio, or in any other place. All that I regret is the prohibition of the Protestant Religion, and the great distance I am seperated from all my relation, but an only brother. He is now living on his own league of land, 12 miles distant. Himself, his wife and little daughter were well day before yesterday. We are living within a mile of Mother Lockhart on our labor a small tract of land given in addition to the league. Wm. Lockhart received the appointment of surveyor last winter which has kept him and Brother Kimber constantly employed ever scince and will continue to be the case so long as the immigration is so grate. They get 4 dollars for a square league which in good runing takes from one day to a day and a half. William and Kimber have been going to school in Gonzales for some time to a Missouri Preacher whom I have heard preach here until last week when we had a school commence here at home. The teacher is an excelent one, he is employed by Wm. Lockhart and too other neighbors. William, K. and Margaret are now all going to school. We now have a third son all most eight months old, we call him Charles Lewis. Mother, scince to expect to meet you in this world of sorrow seems to be in vain, I hope that in your hours of devotion---you will emply the Almighty that I may be prepared to mete you and my dear sisters in heaven where parting shall be no more. I was sorry to here of the indisposition of Sister Chandler and the delicate state of health of Sister Waring. I wrote several times to them and once in particular to Thomas Waring wh�lst in Missouri and have never received a line from any but Wm. C. Chandler to whom I am grately obliged. Mother L., Drusilla and Brother Bird left Missouri in March and did not arive here until the middle of last month. They came from Red River by land and in consequence of which they came slow. The old ladyy was very much fatiagued with the journey. She looks as young and is more active on her feet than when you left Boonville. She frequently talks of you and thinks you wise never to undertake so long a journey. I should write to Matilda but no not where she is---if she is nere you request her to write to me. I hope neither you or any of my relation there let an opertunity of sending a letter to me pass. I shall write frequently. Wm. Lockhart, myself and children joyn in love to you and all enquiring friends. Believe me Dear Mother to be youre affectionate childe until death. Catherine W. Lockhart. Mrs. Elizabeth Barton (Franklin Furnance, State of Ohio) Pecan Grove, Texas, March 30th, 1839. Dear Mother: I received by the mail of November 13th your letter which gave me great pleasure to hear from you and of the good health of yourself and friends. And I have the satisfaction to inform you that I am in better health that I have been for nearly one year. We still continue to be harrassed by the Indians. On the 9th December about noon a party of Comanches surrounded Andrew Lockhart's daughter, a girl about sixteen, and one other young lady together with three small children and carried them off. They were a short distance from the house. They were pursued but could not be overtaken. We are informed they are kindly treated in their savage way of living. Bro. A. is using every effort to get them and I hope he may succeed. At present there is several company of men on our frontier, and several more raising, which I hope will prevent further trouble. You say that in Ohio it has been unusually dry. So it has here. The winter has been fine until about the 5th Feby, when there was the greatest storm of snow and sleet that we have any account of. Before that time came were obliged to have the horses eat the grass in our yard frequently. Farmers are now plowing their corn and everything looks flourishing. Your affectionate though distant daughter Catharine W. Lockhart. Mrs. Elizabeth Barton. Pecan Fort, Texas April 9th 1840 Dear Mother: I again write you not having received no letter from you for several months. I am happy to inform you that Andrew Lockhart at last has succeeded in getting his daughter from the Indians. They brought in a little boy to Bexar who was taken at the same time she was, and proposed a treaty to which the whites agreed on condition they would fetch in all the prisoners in their possession. They returned to their camps and in a few days returned with Matilda Lockhart only. The American officers met them in the Council house, and the Indians being informed that they were to consider themselves prisoners until all were brot in, they drew their bows and arrows which they had concealed under their buffalo skins and commenced using of them. The Americans being quite unarmed were obliged to use rock axes or anything they could get hold of. There were six Americans and about thirty Indians killed, and twenty one squaws kept to let them know the result. Since which time they have returned with two American children and seven Mexicans. They exchange equal number and will retain the wrest until they are all brot in-or as many as they have in their possession. A Mrs. Webster made her escape about the same time Matilda Lockhart left, carrying with her a doughter four years old a sickly child and living on prickly pear apples and being twelve days in reaching Bexar. We still look forward to the time when came will be at peace with all our enemies and our country free. Love from each to you all. Affectionately your daughter Catharine W. Lockhart. Mrs. Elizabeth Barton.
SONS OF DEWITT COLONY TEXAS |