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Note: 1867 - 1951
She hated the name Letha. While still a child in school, she namedherself Annie. Please do not call her Letha or Letha Ann. She isAnnie. She was named for her grandmother, Letha Ann Bates, wife ofWilliam Alexander Knox.
While they were courting, Ira wrote letters to her addressed to DimeBox, and he called her "Miss Annie." He wrote her of an excitingrevival at the Baptist church that he hoped she would attend with him.Annie Fariss Ballard has the letters; the ink is fading badly; shecan't locate them today June 2, 1995. James Fariss Ballard told herthey should be preserved, and that he would like to have them.
A. P. Stockton and his family lived first in the Stagecoach Inn,inherited from his Stockton mother, in Evergreen near Lincoln, where alltheir six children were born. Annie Fariss Ballard reports that bythe time the children were growing up the family had moved, and werefarming in Dime Box very near Elvira's brother Robert Knox, probably onproperty inherited from William A. Knox.
A. P. and Elvira had children in three different counties, but allin the same house, the Stagecoach Inn.
Letha Ann Stockton 1867 Washington or Burleson County
Emily Stockton 1869 Washington or BurlesonCounty
William Murry Stockton 1871 Washington or Burleson County
Eola Stockton 1874 Lee County
Mary Penn Stockton 1879 Lee County
Elvira Stockton 1883 Lee County
Bastrop, Fayette, Colorado, Milam, Gonzales, Travis, and Washingtonwere original 1836 counties.
In 1837, Fayette County was formed out of Bastrop and Colorado.
In 1846, Burleson County was formed out of Milam and Washington.
In 1874, Lee County was formed out of Bastrop, Burleson, Washington,and Fayette.
From 'A History of Lee County' 1974, page 46: An article appeared inthe Galveston Weekly News, Monday December 29, 1873: Proposed NewCounty. A committee of citizens composed of Mr. J. L. Moore, John J.Hardemeyer, and Thomas J. Nesbitt gives notice that a meeting ofcitizens of the west end of Burleson County, the west end of WashingtonCounty, the northeast end of Fayette County, and the northeast end ofBastrop County will be held in Giddings on Saturday January 3, 1874 forthe purpose of devising ways and means for the formation of a new countyto be composed of the above territory.
Annie is a first cousin of Mootie Clemmons Cherry, author of thefirst Bumpas Book.
Annie Stockton Fariss once pointed out to Max Fariss the location ofthe slave quarters on the farm at Dime Box.
Annie's mother died in 1886 when Eola was only 12, Mary Penn was 7,and Elvira was 3. Annie Stockton at age 19 became the mother for thefamily, and eight months later at age 20 she married I. J. Fariss. Eolaand Mary Penn continued to live with their father, Augustine PartnershipStockton, but little Elvira was given a permanent home with thenewlyweds. Eola got married in 1894 at 20; Mary Penn in 1903 at 24;and Elvira in 1909 at 26.
We believe that I. J. and Annie were married in her father's farmhome, eight months after her mother died.
When Minnie Arendal Stockton was terminally burned in 1898, thissister-in-law on her deathbed asked Annie Stockton Fariss to take in her6-week old daughter Aminda "Minnie" Stockton. Annie readily agreed,and then went out into the yard where the men were talking. She askedher husband Ira Jones Fariss if it would be okay. He replied "Ofcourse."
Ira Jones Fariss drove a wagon to Giddings, bought a casket, anddrove it back to Dimebox.
Little Aminda grew up with her five cousins, and never knew anyother family. Minnie was included in Annie's will in 1951 to theextent that property was left "to my five children."
Minnie's father and Annie's brother, William Murray Stockton, justup and rode his horse to the Lexington depot one day in 1898. He tiedhis horse at the hitching post, and left a note on the saddle: "Pleasesee that my horse gets home. I am leaving on the train. I won't beback for quite a spell." Then he caught a train, leaving his fivechildren behind, and he wound up in Montana. He re-married and raisedanother family. He never again visited in Texas.
Annie Fariss Ballard was told that her grandfather AugustinePartnership Stockton once said "I wouldn't take a whole cowpen of boysfor any one of my girls." If he said this, it was even before WilliamMurray Stockton left his five motherless children and took the train forMontana in 1898, because A.P.S. died in 1894.
Giddings had a Normal School for teachers, with a training courseof less than a year. Eola and Mary Penn at their different timesstayed in the I. J. Fariss home while attending this school, but it wasnot their permanent home. Mary Penn was enumerated in this household inthe 1900 census while attending the school.
Elvira married James Wilson Warren in July 1909 at age 26 at theBaptist Church in Giddings, and wore a rose-colored dress. I. J.Fariss gave her away. She still lived in the I. J. Fariss home till theday of her marriage. The 7-year-old Annie Fariss still remembers in1995 at age 92 how pretty Elvira was coming down the stairs at this homein her rose-colored dress.
Aunt Elvira Stockton had one upstairs room to herself. Three girlsshared the other room. Not long after the wedding, Emily Farissstarted at the University of Texas, so Annie and Minnie were lefthappily to share the upstairs room.
And the boys moved upstairs into Elvira's room. I. J. and Anniemoved into the boys' downstairs room, and I. J. then built a new specialshelf for the Seth Thomas clock bought in Kansas City after the ChisholmTrail drive. Apparently, while there were three boys and four girls inthe house, I. J. and Annie had to live in the dining room.
Annie Stockton Fariss played the organ. When they got a piano, sheplayed it, and all three girls took piano lessons. All three girlswent to the University of Texas, and all three taught school.
Annie Fariss was too young to remember much of her older brothersWillie and Gus. Willie, who was 14 years older and remained single,"was in and out." Gus was 13 years older than she, and was married andgone when she was seven.
Max Fariss (November 9, 1993) and Annie Fariss Ballard (later)report that a group consisting of Annie Stockton Fariss, Annie FarissBallard, Minnie Stockton Elledge, and cousins Lois Bowers and ClaireBowers rode the dinky train from Giddings to Lake Victor in August 1916,to visit the family of Uncle Tom Fariss. This was a kerosene-burningtrain running north and west out of Giddings. The dinky that wentfrom Giddings to Houston was a different kind of equipment.
Willie's death was reported to his mother by telegram on thisoccasion. They were camping at Hancock Park near Lampasas at the time,not far from Uncle Tom Fariss' place at Lake Victor, when his mother gotthe telegram.
Annie Stockton Fariss hired a man with a Model-T automobile to drivethem to Austin. There they caught a train to return to Giddings.
Annie Stockton Fariss drove the family car. I.J. never did drive.When she might drive across pasture land, I.J. would get out to scoutthe mud holes, and tell Annie where she could get through. Annie drovea mint-condition Model A Ford in her last years.
Annie would drive to the front of the Grange Store and honk.Employees from the grocery department would come to the car to take herorder. She would sit in the car, and groceries were brought out to her.This was a regular practice.
When she needed money, she drove to the bank and sat in the car. Shesent in a grandchild to tell I.J. how much she needed. The grandchildbrought the money out to her.
I.J. Fariss made sure that Annie took her grocery business to ALLthe stores in Giddings. It was good for banking and good for thecommunity.
Augusta Fariss and her father Gus were visiting in Giddings once.Orrin Bowers Jr. brought a pair of pants to Annie Stockton, to have ahole patched. Augusta thought that this was odd. Gus explained thathis mother always did all the patching for all that Bowers bunch: thefamilies of Eola Knox Stockton Bowers and Mary Penn Stockton Bowers,Annie's younger sisters. This was just the usual routine. Annie "did amagnificent job of patching," by weaving the threads in so that thepatch didn't show. Gus reported that his grandmother Amelia Jonespatched very well too, and made the tiniest stitches that he had everseen in his life.
While Amelia Scott Jones Fariss lived with her daughter Lide FarissWilson, she got sick on occasions, toward the last. Annie S. Farisswould go over to Lide's house to help take care of her mother-in-law.
Annie S. Fariss did not get along well with (1) her husband's AuntDelia Jones, (2) her husband's sister-in-law Bert Riggs Fariss, or (3)her sister-in-law Mary Fariss Merchant. Aunt Dee could not get alongwith anyone. Mary was bossy and hard to get along with. Annie S.Fariss said that her own daughter Emily Fariss Joekel was just like MaryMerchant.
Annie S. Fariss was in very poor health toward the last. AnnieFariss Ballard was planning to move back to Giddings to take care of hermother, but was not able to finish the moving plans in time. Annie S.was getting very weak, and spoke so softly that it was hard to hear her.Her heart was very weak, and she had several transfusions. Her veinswere so small and weak that it was hard to get a needle in. Eachtransfusion took a long time, and was extremely uncomfortable. Annieand her daughters finally agreed that enough was enough, and thetransfusions were stopped. Friends in Giddings donated the blood.
James Fariss Ballard was transferred by the Air Force from Germanyback to the United States. He went to Giddings for a last visit withhis grandmother. Minnie Elledge said, "I hope this will not be anotherMootie Clemmons Cherry thing." Cousin Mootie had been very ill; herson in the military came to see her; she died the next day.
The invitations were out, the dresses had been made, the cake hadbeen ordered. Lena Ann Fariss was married to Edward Ted London on aSaturday. Her grandmother Annie S. Fariss had died on Thursday.
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