Osborn Thompson

Osborn — . Unknown [Group Sheet]

Nancy married Isaac Jackson VanHooser 24 Jul 1848, Wilson County, Tennessee. Isaac (son of Samuel Valentine VanHooser and Sarah Rowland) was born 1824, Wilson County, Tennessee; died 24 Jul 1856, Wilson County, Tennessee. [Group Sheet]

Eliza married James M. Bettis 24 Nov 1874. James was born Between 1828 and 1854; died Between 1879 and 1941. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

From US Census, Tennessee 1860 William Frederick cannot be found until the 1900 Census in Texas. He farmed in the Lamar County area and did whatever else he knew how. From letters to him he was a contract farmer for a banker in the Whitewright, Texas area. He moved to live with us when I was in perhaps the 3rd grade at Sanborn School. He lived with us until his death which occurred after I was married. There was a period when he lived with a Mrs Dwight out near the Tri-State fairgrounds but this did not last because of a letter that she wrote to my aunt which caused great consternation in the household. In the 1900 US Census of Texas he and family were living in Wichita Falls. During this period until the 1920 Census they lived in Wichita County area where he was a farmer. He and Grandma Van came to Woodward in 1920 when Donald was born. Between 1920 and 1933 when he came to Amarillo, I do not know what he did. I do know that he and Vera his daughter in law did not get along. His daughter Minnie Lee was born in 1883 and died in 1889. I recall mother and dad talking about a young girl who broke her back when she fell from a tree. This could have been her. I did not know of her by name until I saw it in the ledger that was part of Isaac Jackson's possessions. I have this ledger at this time, very old and worn. A great deal of the entries for Grandpa Van denotes that they lived in Sylvan, Lamar County,Texas and he worked with his team between Blossom and Paris and Sylvan. Sylvan was a post office on Mulberry Creek in Lamar County eight miles southeast of Paris, the county seat and four miles west of Blossom Prairie the nearest railroad station. Paris was the nearest banking point. It was settled in 1867, contained three churches a district school, two steam grist mills and cotten gins. The population was 150, received mail daily; the Postmaster was J.M. West. GrandPaw Van's addiction was to Granger Roughcut Chewing Tobacco which he used as if it were chocolate candy, which Vera did not seem to appreciate. I think she thought him lazy and a sponge, which she maintained he became after Samuel got the job with the Railway Express Agency. W.F. Van Heuser is on the tax rolls Of Lamar County, Precinct 4, Texas in 1878 paying two poll taxes. In 1879 W.F. VanHooser appeared on the same county tax rolls in Precinct 3 with 2 horses/mules worth $125.00, 5 hogs worth $5.00, poll tax, ad valoream tax on value of $252.00 and had 35 dollars cash. All of this family except Minnie Lee and Mattie are buried in the family plot in Riverside Cemetery, Wichita Falls, Texas

William married Dora Frances Eatherly 3 Jan 1883, Wilson County, Tennessee. Dora (daughter of W. E. Eatherly) was born 1 Dec 1859, Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky; died 3 Aug 1923, Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Samuel was born in Lamar County, Texas perhaps in Sylvan or Paris. He attended school at Wichita Falls in 1903 along with Lizzie and Mattie. He helped his father farm until becoming part of Wells Fargo on the railroad. He was with the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (called "The Katy") out of Wichita Falls. Samuel was born in Lamar County, Texas perhaps in Sylvan or Paris. He attended school at Wichita Falls in 1903 along with Lizzie and Mattie. He helped his father farm until becoming part of Wells Fargo on the railroad. He was with the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (called "The Katy") out of Wichita Falls. He was great friends with Carl E. Baker, another messenger, who told me of their carrying whiskey into Indian Territory in their "kit boxes" that contained their supplies and necessities. He met Vera when he visited Stella Lancaster, her sister, at Wichita Falls. They were married and he was moved to Woodward, Oklahoma, where both their children were born. They had been transferred back to Wichita Falls by 1922 and he was still with the Amnerican Railway Express Agency. He transferred the family to Amarillo, Texas in February 1927 and worked out of there on the Santa Fe until he retired in 1948. In Wichita Falls, we lived at 306 Morningside Drive and at 2101 Polk Street where I think they had bought the house. I remember their re-doing the kitchen and mother had a washing machine which had a wooden tub that you had to manually operate the dasher in the tub using a lever. In Amarillo we lived at 704 Mirror Street. Anywhere that we went, we walked because of no other transportation. We walked to visit the Carl E. Bakers and the D.T. Callahams who we knew in Wichita Falls. These families were the only people that we knew when we arrived in Amarillo. His job was classed as essential so he had no military time in either World War 1 or World War 2. Mother maintained that he had to stay out to support his Mother and Father. His job was on the Santa Fe railroad and his office was the baggage car where he handled all things that were shipped by American Railway Express.

Samuel married Vera Edna Burton 16 Feb 1919, Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas. Vera was born 1 Sep 1898, Archer City, Archer County, Texas; died 29 May 1977, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

She was living with O.L. in California. They are both buried in Whittier, California

Martha married Ollie Lee McDonald 16 Mar 1916, Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas. Ollie was born 14 Aug 1895, Vashti, Clay County, Texas; died Feb 1956, Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas. [Group Sheet]