Texoso

Tex Owens and His Musical Family

Doie Hensley Owens was born June 15, 1892 to Curckley Schley Owens (1869 – 1958) and Susan Frances Owens (1873 – 1968). Doie was the oldest of thirteen children. Doie and his brother Charles Wesley Owens were the only boys. The Owens family were sharecropping farmers in Texas and later in Oklahoma. Doie was born while they were living in Killeen, Bell County, Texas. Doie was one of three siblings who went on to enjoy careers in the music business. Doie became known as Tex Owens, his brother Charles or Chuck was a singer/songwriter and their sister Ruby had a long career as a country singer.

William B. Slaughter

William Baxter Slaughter was a son of minister and cattleman George Webb Slaughter (1811 – 1895) and Sarah Jane Mason Slaughter (1818 -1894) and was born in Freestone County, Texas. The children of George Webb and Sarah Jane were Christopher Columbus, Nancy Ann, Peter Eldridge, George Webb Jr., John Bunyan, William Baxter, Francis Ann, Sarah Jennie Mary Permille and Mason Lee, born from 1837 to 1863.

Juliette Peak Fowler

Juliette Abbey Peak was born May 8, 1837 to Jefferson Peak, Sr. (1801 – 1885) and Martha Mavina Reser (1812 – 1900) in Warsaw, Kentucky. The children of this couple who lived beyond infancy were: Carroll Marion, William Wallace, Sarah Ann, Jefferson Jr., Juliette Abbey, Martha Helen (lived to age 13), Junius W., Worth, Florence, George Victor and Matthias L. The Peak family and their descendants were founding members of the first Christian Church in Dallas County. That early East Dallas congregation has relocated several times since then, but has ties to at least one congregation that continues today.

Walter Prescott Webb

Walter Prescott Webb was born April 3, 1888 to Casner P. Webb (1862 – 1940) and Mary Elizabeth Kyle Webb (1855 – 1949) in Panola County, Texas. His father Casner’s occupation was listed as a school teacher in the 1900 census and as a farmer in the 1910 census. Most likely, Casner supported his family by teaching and farming. The family moved a number of times to tenant farms while Casner also served in local schools as a teacher. Walter Prescott Webb was one of three siblings of Casner and Mary Elizabeth Webb to reach maturity and was the middle child between two sisters. He attended high school in Ranger and earned an undergraduate degree at University of Texas in Austin. He later earned a master’s degree there and was awarded a doctorate from University of Chicago for his literary work.

Two Texas Horses – Traveler and Dash for Cash

Traveler was a former railroad work horse that rose to fame for a short time as a race horse in a career that ended about 120 years ago. He is better known for his offspring. His actual ancestry is unknown, but he was believed to have been born in New York state around 1880 to and was transported to Texas around 1890 as a work horse for a railroad contractor. He had no name at that time and was a utility animal, used to pull an implement called a dirt scraper. At one point, the railroad contractor decided that a mule would be better and traded with an East Texas man named Self. Self determined that the horse had a talent for racing and began match racing him with other horses. The horse was then traded to an owner by the name of Seay who also raced him. How and when he was given the name of Traveler is also not precisely known. Finally the horse suffered a career ending injury and was sold possibly several more times until 1903, when he was acquired by owners Will and Dow Shely of Alfred, Texas. The Shely brothers used Traveler as one of the herd sires at their ranch.