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Note: Samuel R. Mays, 27, lived in Dallas County in Precinct 4 in 1870. He
is a farmer, the only member of the family with this occupation in the family
during this census. Amanda Houston Mays, 21, is listed with a daughter, Carry,
1, a black female, Witt Mays, 13, domestic servant and a white male farm worker,
A. Kimbro, 27, also live in the household.Grimes County records indicate that
Samuel R. Mays married Amanda C. Houston January 12, 1868 probably just before
they left for Dallas County. In the 1860 census, Amanda Houston was 12 years
of age and living with her Father I. T. (Isaac) Houston and wife Lucy A.
Houston. Amanda was born in Florida, and I suspect that she and her family came
with Enoch to Texas. Her father was born in North Carolina and her mother in
Georgia. They lived a few houses from the Mays family in Grimes County. Isaac
is listed as a farmer with a total worth of $6000.
The Dallas County Census dated June 1, 1880 lists Samuel Mays, 36 residing
in District 59. This is the same District that William Mays lives in. He is a
farmer and resides outside the city limits of Dallas. Listed with Sam is wife,
Amanda, 28, daughter Carrie, 11, son Edgar 4, daughter Annie, age 2, and an
unnamed infant. Also in the household is Lucindy Starkie, female, age 24,
sister-in-law of Samuel ( Amanda Mays' sister), and a female , Marian, age 6 , a
niece to the head of the household , probably the sister's daughter.
Served in the Civil War with the 12th Texas Infantry Regiment, Company C. He served in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisana, and was wounded twice during the war. After he war he returned to Grimes County. He came with the family to Dallas in 1867/68 and worked as a farmer all his life. He farmed with his brother W A Mays near Fair Park, but decided to move to Crowley, Tarrant County in 1884 the year his mother died. He farmed in the Crowley, Texas area from 1884-1913. His farm was about five miles north of the town south of Sycamore Creek. Retired from farming and moved into the city of Ft. Worth in 1913. Applied for a Confederate pension in 1917. Paperwork got lost and it was in 1921 when finally got the pension with back pay. He dappled a bit in the real estate business after he retired but it was short lived. He was active in the Confederate Veteran Organization in Ft. Worth, and was one of the last civil war veterans to die in 1930. The house where he died still stands. He lived in several houses on the south side of Ft. Worth, and even before his wife died in 1922, they lived with one of their children. He is buried in Greenwood in Ft. Worth, and his name is curved on the bottom of his wife's tombstone. He qualifies for a veteran's tombstone.
Before the turn of the century, in 1884, Samuel R. Mays and his immediate
family moved from Dallas to Tarrant County. According to Bessie Mays Whitley's
[Sam's daughter] obituary she was born in Tarrant County January 14, 1885. Her
grave marker says 1886. I hope to pinpoint the time line later by checking the
related tax records for Dallas and Tarrant County. Amanda's obituary in 1921
indicates an arrival of about 1891 in Tarrant County. This information likely
came from one of the children who did not know exactly when they arrived. Sam's
confederate pension application in 1917 indicates the date 1884 as the time he
arrived in Tarrant County.
The railroads were extended to the small town of Crowley and beyond by
1881; the first railroad depot was built in 1885. A Post Office was established
there in 1882. This opened up relative fast, dependable transportation to the
area. Since there are no census records for 1890, Sam and his family are first
documented farming and living in Crowley Village (J. P. Precinct 7) area in the
1900 census. Crowley is located in the southwest corner of Tarrant County. Prior
to the railroad's arrival, it was called Deer Creek, but given the name of
Crowley from a railroad employee. It is located south of Fort Worth and north of
Burleson near the Johnson County line. Sam lived in the Crowley area for about
22 years before moving into the city of Ft Worth. From a map of Tarrant County
dating 1885, Sam's farm was located a few miles north of Crowley near the head
waters of Sycamore Creek. His land was south of the creek and close the railroad
tracks that run north from Crowley to fort Worth . Sycamore Creeks runs in a
northernly direction from Crowley and eventually terminates in the Trinity
River. This creek is separate from Deer Creek which is primarily south of
Crowley.
In the 1900 census, Sam is 53 years of age, a farmer, Amanda is 52, Annie
(daughter) is 22 (born March, 1878), Edgar (son) is 24 (born December 1875),
Bessie (daughter) is 16 (born February 1884),Leslie T(son) is 10, (born July
1889). [It is interested to note that the months of birth for Bessie and Annie
are one month off from their tombstone records.] Sam's oldest daughter Carry
was born in approximately 1869 and listed in the 1870 and 1880 Dallas censuses
is not listed in this census. It is likely died she died young. There are no
records to indicate when she died or where she is buried. No grave has been
found for her. Also the unnamed male infant listed in the 1880 census born in
about 1879 or so is not listed in this census. He apparently has also died. The
1900 census indicates that Amanda is the mother of seven (7) children and that
four (4) of them are still alive at the time of the census. The dead children
would be Carrie, the unnamed infant in the 1880 census and one other unknown
child who was born between the censuses. This would accounts for the seven year
gap between Carrie and Edgar's ages in the 1880 census. From her tombstone,
located in the Crowley cemetery, I know that Annie Lucille Mays was born April
25, 1977, and died October 23, 1902 at the age of 25 years. The gravestone is
made of the same material and is similar in style and composition to Sam and
Amanda's stone in Greenwood in Fort Worth erected in 1921 when Amanda died. It
is possible that Annie stone was erected at the same time. It is well preserved
and in good shape 104 years after her death, and the lettering is crisp and can
be read without problems. It is of a modern style. None of the other two
deceased children are buried here because, I believe that their graves would be
marked also. Possibly they are buried in a Dallas county cemetery near the
family farm in Fair Park. They are not buried in the Greenwood cemetery in
Dallas in marked graves. It has been over forty years (mid 1960's) since the
last surviving member of the family, Bessie Mays Whitley lived in the Fort Worth
area, and she likely was the last family member to visit or see after Annie's
grave. She may have had some hand in choosing and erecting the marker which is
similar to the her mother's?
The 1902/03 Fort Worth city directory lists Edgar S. Mays as a warehouseman
for the Cameron Mills Company and he boards at 208 S. Jennings. He does not
appear the next few years.
In the 1907 directory, Miss Bessie Mays is listed as a teacher for the 3rd
ward school and boards at 1100 Lamar. In the next year [1908] directory, Miss Bessie B. Mays is a teacher at Reagan School #3 and boards at 915 Lamar. This is
likely the period of time when she met her future husband, Hugh Whitley.
In the 1910 Tarrant County census, living in the Crowley area, Sam is 65,
Amanda is 60, Leslie T. is 20, and Amanda's younger sister Anna Houston is
living in the household. She is age 48 and listed as an invalid. It is unknown
what happened to her. She is not buried in the Crowley Cemetery, so she may have
died after they moved into the city in about 1913. Also in the household are two
boarders and farm hands, Neal Ard, age 22, and Jon Sipple, age 21. Sam and
Leslie's occupations are listed as farmer. Edgar is not listed in the household
in this census, and Bessie is married to H. B. Whitley and resides in Dallas
County in the 1910 census. Edgar is married now. A postcard received by Edgar's
wife Mary is addressed to Mrs. E. S Mays, 1226 5th Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas
dated January 9, 1912. Also some other addresses where Edgar lived are 608
Travis Street, and 1024 Alston Avenue. All of these addresses are situation in
the upper south side of the city.
In 1913, according to Amanda's obituary, Sam and family left the farm and
moved into the city of Fort Worth. They settled on the south side of the city,
and resided in this general area for the reminder of their life. Sam retired
from farming at the age of 68. According to the Fort Worth city directory, in
1912/13, Edgar S. Mays is a farmer and resides at 608 Travis near the area where
Sam and his family moved in 1913. Bessie M. Mays, Miss Maggie Mays, are
dressmakers at 1224 S. Main. Mrs. Maggie Mays is a dressmaker at 1115 May, near
by. Bessie M. Mays is too old be the daughter of Edgar S. Mays. His daughter
Bessie would have been only about 4 years of age in 1913. I am not sure of the
relation of these women at this time. Sam's wife was named Mary. It was four years after he moved into the city of Fort Worth
before Sam applied for a Confederate pension in 1917. This was perhaps because
he had money remaining from the sale of his farm and did not qualify by meeting
the poverty clause under the restrictive Confederate pension act.
In the 1914 according to the city directory, Edgar S. Mays resides at 1024
Alston. Leslie T. Mays boards at 1215 Travis, and Samuel R. Mays resides at 1215
Travis. Edgar and Leslie are operating the Mays Brothers Grocery (Edgar S and
Leslie T Mays) located at 804 W. Rosedale, near the intersection with Main.
In the 1916 directory, Leslie T. Mays rooms at 1219 Alston and Samuel R.
Mays is listed in the Real Estate business residing at 1219 Alston. The
Brother's grocery business is no longer operating after 1914/15 and is not
mentioned in the city directories afterward. Leslie is working as a clerk. Sam
Mays lives at the same address as before but the real estate business is not
mentioned. Apparently he has decided to get out of this business. According to the 1920 census, Sam is 75 years and Amanda is 72 years.
Amanda is likely in bad health by this time. They lived at 1219 Alston soon
after they arrived in the city, but by 1920 have moved in with Hugh and Bessie.
H. B. Whitley is 40 and works as a clerk for a railroad. Bessie is 35, and
daughter Helen is 8 years and daughter Margaret is 2 � years.
Sam enlisted in the Confederate Army as a private, but was promoted
[elected] to sergeant in Company D, 12th Infantry Regiment, Texas CSA (also know as the Eighth Infantry Regiment, Texas) January 20, 1862 in Grimes County Texas. He is marked present for duty as late as January and February 1864. There is no record of parole or capture. The Confederate Army was somewhat lax about keeping such records especially later in the war. He was 18/19 years at the time of enlistment. His unit became part of the Trans-Mississippi Army and saw action in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. It is suggested by reports that his unit may have seen some action in Mississippi at Vicksburg. He was wounded twice in the war
according to documents. Apparently his wounds were not disabling. While any civil war duty was hazardous for those involved, he was not subjected to the harsh deprivations, hardships, and fighting the number of large scale battles that members of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee were. Battles in this area tended to be more limited in scale and fewer in number. He served until the war ended and was mustered out at Homestead in Walker County around May or June 1865. Walker County borders Grimes County so it was a short distance to walk or ride home for Sam, after the demobilization.
It is believed that Sam arrived in Tarrant County in about 1884 or shortly
before, and is indicated in his Confederate pension application that he had
arrived in 1882. [However this may have been a error of computing how many years
he had been in Texas.] He is listed in the 1880 Dallas County census. So the
time frame would have been between 1880 and 1884. There are, of course, no
records remaining for the 1890 census. When Samuel R. applied for a Confederate
Pension November 7, 1917 in Tarrant County, Texas, he gave his home address of
1219 Alston [on the south side of Fort Worth. Medical buildings now occupy this
address and the house no longer exists. It is near the present hospital
district.] A state official approved the pension application December 1, 1917.
Sam stated that he was 74 years. He states that he was born in Florida and had
been in Texas since 1867. (This is an obvious error since he was in Texas by
1860 (census records) and joined the army in 1862) It is possible that he meant
1857, which would be about the time I calculated he and his family arrived. It
had been over 60 years ago, so he either misspoke or had forgotten. He states
that he was honorably discharged or paroled at Hempstead in Walker County Texas
together with his company in the spring of 1865. He states he has been in the
county 35 years. [This would put him in Tarrant County by 1882.] He states that
his occupation is a farmer and his physical condition is very poor. He states
that he served from January 1862 until the end of the war in 1865. Company D of
the eighth Texas Infantry Regiment; first was part of Howes? brigade (afterwards
Waul?s) and a part of Walker's Division in the Trans-Mississippi Department.
This unit served in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana during the war. Samuel R. Mays
was wounded at the battle of Mansfield (state of Louisiana) on the 8th day of
April 1864. The men elected him first Corporal and later Sergeant in Company D.
(The custom in the Confederate Army was for all noncommissioned and commissioned
officers below the rank of Brigadier General to be elected.) He states that he
does not own a home or property and that he has transferred no property to any
others in order to qualify for the pension. Tarrant County Judge Jesse M. Brown
(+) signed the application.
Confederate soldiers, as a rule, were not granted formal discharge papers
when the war ended or when they went home [as present day military members or
even as the Union veterans were given, This was primarily because the
Confederate army was defeated and collapsed at the end of the war]; units were
disbanded and men told to go home using the best possible means to get there.
The defeated Confederate Government was not in a position to assist them for the
most part. Later, when the Confederate pension law was enacted near the turn of
the century by several of the southern states, not having formal discharge
papers created bureaucratic problems (and red tape) for the veterans. They
needed to locate a fellow soldier from back home who had served with them to
sign an affidavit verifying that they knew the veteran and that he had served
honorably to qualify for the pension. There were likely some trade-offs here.
People learn how to cope. In addition, the muster rolls were checked to see if
the person's name appeared, but this was a drawn out process because the
individual southern states generally kept Confederate War records for men from
their state who served. Many of the veterans did not apply for pensions in the
states in which they are served during the war. Many had relocated to other
states by the time the pension laws were passed. This created problems. Copies
of the records were eventually sent to a centralized federal government
depository later, but many of the records had been lost, destroyed or were not
reliable especially for the later years of the war.
After Samuel R. was approved for a pension in December 1917 by the state of
Texas, he lost his paperwork before he could start drawing it. (Not sure, why he
did not follow up on this for over two years. I am sure he needed the pension.)
It might be significant that Amanda C, Mays, his wife, died September 10, 1921.
She may have been in bad health at this time and he needed the pension badly to
help care for her. [Note that in Mr. Holland's letter (later in the text) he
states that Sam ?needs help?. Mr. Holland was a fellow Confederate Veteran and
was helping him to get the pension.] On March 20, 1920 he appeared before Mr.
George B. Holland (see note later for more information about G. B. Holland)
(East basement, Courthouse), a notary public in Tarrant County to send a letter
to Mr. M. L. Wiggington, Comptroller, Austin Texas. (Mr. Holland died February
9, 1921.) It appears that Mr. Holland not only notarized the letter but also
helped Samuel compose his statement. In Sam's affidavit he states the ?he has
never left Texas since the civil war ended in 1865, never been out of Texas a
day. He received his notice and an affidavit for the quarter ending February 28,
1818 but mislaid or lost it and never sent for another affidavit. So recently,
he found the papers and sent in his first affidavit March 16, 1920. So he thinks
he is entitled to back pension from December 1, 1917 up to February 29, 1920.?
Samuel R. Mays signed this letter on March 20, 1920. This letter was received in
Austin on March 22, 1920 as indicated by a rubber stamp mark. In addition to the
above notarized letter sent by Samuel R. Mays, Mr. Holland included a letter
written and signed by him. In his letter, he states ?Mr. Samuel R Mays has lived
in Texas 50 years or more never been out of the state of Texas one day since
1865 when he returned home. His pension was granted in from this Tarrant County
in 1917. He misplaced the paper and it was negligence or carelessness is the
only reason he has not been drawing a pension since 1917. Kindly fix him up, as
he now needs help. Send to my care. Yours to command. Signed George Holland.?
Apparently, these letters were written in response to a letter written by
the Comptroller in Austin, Texas dated March 18, 1920. In his letter the
Comptroller states, ?Your application for a Confederate Pension was approved for
quarter beginning December 1, 1917 and you have just forwarded this department
your affidavit for the first payment to which you were entitled after approval
of application. If you have been absent from the state you may be re-instated
only after you have filed with this department an affidavit showing the date of
your departure from Texas, the date of your return, and the statement that you
were out of the state only temporarily, that you did not intend to abandon Texas
as your permanent home state while absent. If for other reason your name was
dropped from the pension rolls will you please advise me that, there may be no
delay in getting to you all pension warrants that may be due you?? There is no
signature for the Comptroller on this letter. It is believed that Sam got his
pension and back pay.
Samuel R Mays died February 22, 1930, at the home of his daughter, Mrs.
Hugh B. Whitley (Bessie B) who resided at 3200 College Avenue, located about
twenty (20) blocks south of the location where he lived when he filed the
application for the pension in 1917 at 1219 Alston Street. The house where he
died was built in 1921 according to appraisal records and still stands at this
location. It is 2190 SF and has an appraised value today (2006) of $73,900.
Since Sam R. Mays could own no property to qualify for the pension, he
apparently lived with his daughter and her family by 1920 and afterward. Sam
does not mention his wife Amanda in the pension application. Information on his
death certificate indicates that at the time of his death he was a widower and
was 86 years 11 months and 18 days old. His occupation was retired. He was born
in Florida and his father's name was Enoch Mays born in North Carolina, and his
mother's name was Carolyn Linton born in North Carolina. [Actually they were
both born in South Carolina] His daughter Bessie Whitley gave the doctor the
information to complete the form and may not have remember if it were North or
South Carolina, but she apparently knew it was one of the Carolinas. The
certificate was filed February 26, 1930 with M. Cummins, the Registrar. The
attending doctor (C. O. Harper, MD) certified that he had attended the deceased
from January 1, 1930 until the day of his death, and had seen him this date. The
death occurred at 7:15 PM, the causes were Chronic Nephritis, and Chronic
Endocarditic for several years, and the secondary cause was Myocardial, which he
had had for two months. The place of burial was in Greenwood cemetery in Fort
Worth and the date of burial was February 24, 1930. The undertaker was
Spelman-Secrest-Weiler, Fort Worth. The state received notification on March 5,
1930 that the pensioner was dead. The pension application is stamped in large
letters, ?Dead?. An application was filed with the state for a mortuary warrant
on March 22, 1930 by Mrs. H. B. Whitley with the assistance of the undertaker,
Mr. H. J. Spelman and was notarized by Mr. L. R. Secrest who was also an
undertaker. The application asked the state to pay some of the funeral expenses.
Note on application that a Cashier's Check was received on March 18. Not sure,
what this means since they received the check before filing the warrant. C. O.
Harper, M.D. stated that the deceased had died of a cerebral degeneration,
chronic Endocarditic and Monopligia. He signed the physician's statement on the
application and gave his address as the Medical Arts Building, Fort Worth. [The
Medical Arts building now stands near 8th and Rosedale in South Fort Worth,
however in 1946, it had an address of 610 West 10th (intersection of 10th and
Burnett) therefore it is different building. The original medical arts building
was demolished several years ago to make way for a skyscraper which now stands
in its place. It is now occupied by a large bank, the IRS and other offices.
The original building had several hundred offices for doctors, labs, and clinics
in 1946, but the new medical arts building is smaller now.]
?Amanda C Mays, Wife of S R Mays, August 24, 1848-September 10, 1921. At the bottom of the tombstone is engraved, ?None know thee but to love thee?.
The marker faces east. This sentence and the above information were engraved at
the time of the burial of Amanda, in deep lettering, I believe at the request of
her husband Sam. I believe that Samuel and his daughter Bessie erected this
tombstone for his wife. He apparently gave no thought to a future grave marker
for himself or expected a separate one to be erected. Inserted in a brief space
separating the top lettering and the bottom sentence in slightly different and
more shallow lettering engraved after the burial of S R Mays by his surviving
family members to me as almost an afterthought is ?Samuel R Mays, 1844-1930?.
[Since Sam qualifies for a U. S. Veteran Administration military marker based
on his service in the Civil War, I plan to order him one soon as I can get the
time, probably after retirement. He has no family left to look after his grave
so that will be my job while I am still here.]
This is the third birth date I have seen for Sam R. His UCV records said
1845, his death certificate said 1843, and the tombstone says 1844. I am
inclined to believe Sam's own words when in November 1917 he says in his pension
application that he is ?74 years of age.? He had turned 74 on March 4, 1917.
Samuel's daughter Bessie and her husband Hugh B Whitely probably supervised the
burial of Sam. His son Leslie T. Mays lived in Houston at the time but was at
the funeral. They were the only two surviving children. He had lived with his
daughter and family for several years until his death. He and Amanda both had
lived with them in 1920 at the census.
[Samuel R Mays? obituary published in the Fort Worth Star Telegram February
23, 1930 edition reads: ?SAMUEL R. MAYS, CONFEDERATE, DIES HERE? ?Samuel R.
Mays, 86, Confederate Veteran who had lived in Fort Worth for nearly half a
century, died at 7:15 o'clock Saturday night at the home of his daughter, Mrs.
H. B. Whitley, 3200 College Avenue. Born in Tallahassee, Fla., Mays was brought
to Texas when he was 11 years old, his family settling in Bryan. He was married
there to Miss Amanda Cameron Houston and the couple moved to Dallas 52 years age
[ the correct date, I believe, was 1857/8.], coming to Fort Worth 46 years ago
[1884]. He enlisted in Company D; King?s Brigade, Texas Infantry in 1861 and
served throughout the Civil War, receiving his discharge at Hempstead in 1865.
Besides Mrs. Whitley, a son, Leslie Mays, Houston; two sisters, Mrs. W. O.
Connor, Dallas, and Mrs. J. J. Gannon, New York; eight grandchildren and three
great grand children survive him [these would have included Bessie two
daughters, and Edgar and Mary Mays' children in Lancaster, Texas] Services will
be held at the resident at 10 A. M. Monday by Rev. C. V. Edwards. Burial will be
in Greenwood Cemetery. Active pallbearers will be W. T. Macy, Guy Vance, Bryant
Owens, O. C. Jones, George Roff and W. T. Anderson. Honorary pallbearers will be
members of R. E. Lee Camp, Confederate Veterans, and W. O. Connor, Dallas; James
Crosswhite, Mac Hammond, Lancaster; B.W. Owens, Dr. C. O. Harper and John
Baldridge, Waggoner, Okla. The body will be at the Spelman-Secrest-Weiler
Undertaker establishment until 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon.?
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