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Note: William Murray Stockton 1871 - 1920
His wife Aminda Arendal Stockton had just given birth to AmindaStockton in 1898. When the baby was 6 weeks old, she was helping a sickson ( or was the son covered with seed ticks, as Augusta Zie Fariss hasreported ) and she leaned over in her sick bed to help him better,moving closer to the light of a kerosene lamp. The coal oil spilledover her, and burned her horribly.
Little could be done for her except to cover her with lard. On herdeathbed she asked her sister-in-law Annie Stockton Fariss to pleasetake the infant Aminda Stockton into her care. Annie readily agreed,and later asked her husband Ira Jones Fariss if it would be okay. Hereplied "Of course." Ira Jones Fariss went to Giddings, bought a casketfor his wife's sister-in-law, and brought it to DimeBox.
Augustine Knox Fariss remembered at age 9 attending the funeral ofAminda Arendal Stockton. When they got home, his mother Annie StocktonFariss had the 6-week-old infant on her lap on a silk pillow.
In 1898 William Murray Stockton tied up his horse at the Lexingtondepot and caught a train. Family legend says that he left a note onhis horse: "Please see that my horse gets home. I am leaving on thetrain. I won't be back for quite a while." He turned up in Montana,re-married, and raised another family. He never again visited inTexas.
The other four children were put out with four other families.Aminda was the only one who had a stable family life. Thomas MurrayStockton fared fairly well, going with the Peebles family in Lexington,of the Arendal clan, but it was not a solid home. The other three girlswere shunted from pillar to post among other families. Martha Stocktonwent to 'Aunt Major' Mary Penn Stockton Bowers for a while; then to anaunt in Smithville; then to Aunt Ida of the Arendal clan. One daughterin Texas was named Patience, and one daughter in Montana was namedPatience. Before his death in 1894, the father Augustine PartnershipStockton had said "I wouldn't take a whole cowpen of boys for any one ofmy girls."
Enumerated with Grandmother Martha Arnold in the 1900 Lee Countysoundex : Mary L. Stockton Age 7 Born February 1893 A strangerto us. Also Annie F. Stockton Age 7 Born November 1892 Daughter ofWilliam Murray Stockton and Aminda. Also Elvira Patience StocktonAge 4 Born April 1896 Daughter of William Murray Stockton and Aminda.Annie F. Stockton is additionally enumerated in the home of I. J.Fariss in this same census, but she must have been only visiting in theI. J. Fariss home, for that house was crowded with 5 children, andlittle sister Elvira, and little niece Minnie, so it seems more likelythat Annie F. made her regular home with grandmother Martha Arnold.
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