Texoso

Kitty O’Neal

Kitty Linn O’Neil was likely best known as a stunt woman in television and films, but she led a very active life. She was born on March 24, 1946 in Corpus Christi to John Thomas O’Neil and Patsy Linn Compton O’Neil. Her father was of Irish descent and her mother’s ancestry was Cherokee. Her father died in March, 1950 in California, apparently from complications of an earlier heart attack. Photographs of him often show him in a rugby uniform. He had competed in the Olympic Games in 1924. A death notice in the San Antonio Light issue of March 26, 1950 tells that he had been in the oil business in San Antonio since 1933. Marriage records show that he and Patsy had married in 1940. Two children were born to the couple, Kitty in 1946 and John in 1947. However, in the death notice, there is no mention of Patsy, Kitty or John. Their marital status at the time of his death is unknown.

The Last Picture Show (1971)

The Last Picture Show was the 1971 film adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s novel of the same name. McMurtry’s 1966 release was the first of five books McMurtry wrote about life in Texas. Other McMurtry books related to “The Last Picture Show” are “Texasville,” “Duane’s Depressed,” “When the Light Goes Out” and “Rhino Ranch.” “Texasville” was also adapted to a film.

Cactus Pryor

Richard S. “Cactus” Pryor, Jr. was a well known Texas media personality for many years. His grandfather, Jonathon Pryor had served in the Union Army out of Illinois during the Civil War. Jonathon made his way to Austin, Texas by 1880, which also was the year he married Carrie Wallace of Hearne, Texas. The couple had at least six children before Jonathon’s death in his early fifties in 1895. Carrie survived him until her passing in 1944. Their second child and oldest son was Richard S. “Skinny” Pryor, born in 1883.

Tex Erwin, Major League Baseball Player

Ross Emil “Tex” Erwin was born December 22, 1885 in Forney, Texas to Hiram P. Erwin and Laura Ann Boles Erwin. Tex’s father Hiram was a farmer and carpenter according to various census and newspaper reports. Hiram was also once tried and acquitted of the charge of murder in 1899. The charge was related to a downtown Dallas shooting which had occurred in 1898. Hiram had testified that the victim had threatened him on numerous occasions, which might have had an impact on the verdict. In addition, the victim had previously also had stood trial for murder and had been acquitted. During Hiram’s trial, some of his testimony was apparently used to implicate him in a somewhat related arson case, for which he was also tried. In the latter case, Hiram was convicted, received a new trial and was again convicted in the second trial. There are no other mentions in Texas newspapers of legal issues other than these. Hiram died in 1927. Laura survived him by more than thirty-five years until she died in 1964. She and Hiram are buried in Dallas.

Swenson Ranches

Multiple sources credit Svante Magnus Swenson as being the first Swedish immigrant to come to Texas. He was born February 24, 1816 in Sweden to Sven Israelsson Swenson and Margareta Andesrsdotter Swenson, both of whom lived their whole lives in Sweden. He left his family and his home in Sweden when he was about twenty years old and came to America. S. M. briefly lived in New York before he relocated to the South. After he worked in New York as a railroad bookkeeper for a while, S. M. traveled to Galveston from New York in 1838. According to a biography of Swenson written by A. Anderson, the ship he traveled in experienced a shipwreck as it arrived in Texas, though the details are unknown. Swenson survived the ordeal and operated a mercantile business for a few years. It appears that for some time, he remained in the coastal area working for his own account before later joining in a partnership with a Dr. Long from Fort Bend County.