Texas History Notebook

Sarah Ann Hardin-Kelton

There is a Texas Centennial historical marker honoring Sarah Hardin-Kelton. The text is spare and states, “Widow of William Hardin before her marriage to Dr. O. P. Kelton. Many of the Mexican officers and men were placed in the care of Judge and Mrs. Hardin after the victory at San Jacinto and were mercifully treated by them. Born August 27, 1806. Died.” (Punctuation added.) The marker is placed in South Belton Cemetery in Bell County, Texas. Her date of death was not entered on the marker and still appears to be unknown at this time.

Lawrence Sullivan “Sul” Ross

Sul Ross was born September 27, 1838 to Shapley Prince Ross and Catherine Hanby Fulkerson Ross in a family community in Iowa, then still a territory. He was the fourth of their eight children. Per Judith Ann Brenner’s fine biography, he was named for three family members including his great grandfather Lawrence Ross and an uncle in the Ross family named Giles Sullivan. As a child he was known as “Little Sul” and later just “Sul,” the nickname by which he became known. The biography notes that his great grandfather Lawrence had been captured by Indians from his Virginia school when he was six and lived with Cherokees until he was twenty-three and had to be persuaded to return to his family.

Andrew Jackson Houston

Margaret Moffett Lea Houston and Sam Houston were married on May 9, 1840. The couple had nine children: Sam Jr., Nancy Elizabeth, Margaret Lea, Mary William, Antoinette Power, Andrew Jackson, Louis, William Rogers and Temple Lea. Andrew Jackson Houston was born at Independence, Texas on June 21, 1854. He was named for Sam Houston’s friend and United States President Andrew Jackson whom he had known since the early 1800s. It was a way to honor his old friend who had died some nine years earlier in June of 1845.

William Gordon Cooke, Namesake of Cooke County

William Gordon Cooke is considered a hero of the Texas Revolution. He was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia on March 26, 1808 to Adam G. Cooke and Martha Riddell Cooke, both of whom were Irish natives. William was the youngest of their three children. A daughter, Jane Oliver Cooke, died at sea around 1792, as the couple was on their voyage to America. Their first son James was born in Virginia and William was the youngest. James became a doctor. After completing his formal education, William moved to New Orleans where he was engaged in the drug business. There he became associated with the New Orleans Greys.

Dr. James Patrick Evans

Dr. Evans was born August 5, 1930 in Dallas, Texas to James Cook Evans and Johnie Alma Henson Evans. His father was a teller at First National Bank. Dr. Evans was one of two sons of the couple. He grew up in Dallas. After high school, he headed for Whitworth College, a small Presbyterian school in Spokane, Washington on a football scholarship. Whitworth, now known as Whitworth University, has been a member of several athletic conferences over the years, usually competing in a small college division. Various biographical articles note that while at Whitworth, Evans suffered a knee injury which ended his playing career. However this led him to the path he pursued in sports medicine as he remained with the team as athletic trainer.

Upon completing his undergraduate work, Dr. Evans returned to Dallas where he enrolled in a physical therapy school at Grady Vaughn School of Physical Therapy, a part of what was then known as Baylor University Hospital. Upon completing his studies there, he began to work at the hospital as a physical therapist. His supervisors suggested that he should consider becoming a doctor and heeding this advice, he was accepted into University of Texas Southwestern Medical School where he earned his medical degree.