biography – Page 6 – Texas History Notebook

Teresa Graves, Actress

Teresa Graves was born on January 10, 1948 in Houston, Texas to Marshall “Mannie” Graves and wife Willie Patterson Graves. Her father was a laborer and her mother was a housewife. Teresa had at least two brothers and one sister. The family moved to California in the early to mid 1950s where Teresa graduated from George Washington Preparatory High School around 1966 where she was a top student and active in the arts. She was a talented singer and came to the attention of a newly formed performing group called the Doodletown Pipers. Teresa was invited to join the group and declined college scholarship offers to join the group. She is listed as a founding member and sang with them for about three years.

Bill Wittliff

William Dale “Bill” Wittliff was born Jan 21, 1940 to William Albert Wittliff and Laura Sachtleben Wittliff in Taft, San Patricio County, Texas. Bill was the youngest of two brothers. By the 1950 federal census, the couple had divorced and the two boys (aged 11 and10) were living with their mother Laura in Edna, Jackson County, Texas where Laura worked as a telephone operator.

Jack Pardee

John Perry “Jack” Pardee was born April 19, 1936 in Iowa to Earl Charles Pardee and LaMeda A. McNary Pardee. The father’s profession is listed as farmer. When he was still a boy, Jack’s family moved to Christoval, Texas in sparsely populated Tom Green County. Christoval high school played six man football and Jack was a standout player on the team in his high school years.

Dr. Mark Francis

Dr. Mark Francis was born in Shandon, Ohio on March 19, 1863 to Abner Francis (1829 – 1894) and Martha Ann Vaughn Francis (1832 – 1905). He was the fourth child of eight born to the farming family, likely considered to be a wealthy family at the time. Two of his siblings, John and Edward Francis, became medical doctors.

Marie J. Riggs, Cattle Raiser

Maria “Marie” J. Riggs was born Maria Jane McCord on June 23, 1842 to John S. McCord (1814 – 1881) and Sarah B. Watt McCord (1819 – 1896) in Mount Pleasant, Illinois. She was the second of four children born to the couple. John was a farmer, born in Tennessee. When Marie was 18, she married Samuel R. Riggs, also a farmer. Two years later, they had their only child, a boy named John who lived only a year. The baby was born while Samuel was serving in the 116th Illinois Infantry of the Union Army during the Civil War. His Army record says that he mustered in on September 6, 1862 and served until his discharge in December, 1864. Samuel entered the war as a private and was promoted to second lieutenant and later first lieutenant by the time he mustered out. He shows to have been wounded on August 18, 1864 near Atlanta, Georgia and was home on furlough when the war ended.