Joel Poinsett is not known to have ever resided in Texas but was a career public servant and diplomat whose efforts could possibly have led to the addition of Texas to the United States prior to the Texas Revolution.
Weapons Preferred by Bonnie and Clyde
Based on numerous books and accounts, Clyde Barrow is said to have favored the BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) due to its .30 caliber bullet and rapid fire ability. The BAR projectiles could also penetrate auto bodies. The BAR (often known by its military designation of M1918) was designed by John Browning in 1917 for use in World War I by the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe as a replacement for the French-made rifles that they were first issued, though it did not come into everyday use until later.
Chill Wills
Theodore Childress “Chill” Wills was born on July 18, 1902 to a family in Seagoville, Texas. His father was a farmer by the name of Robert Bruce Wills and his mother was the former Frances Elizabeth “Fannie” Rublee. Chill was the youngest of six children of this union and his father Robert Bruce died in 1907 when he was only forty-four and Chill was five. Robert Bruce Wills is believed to be buried in Oakland Cemetery in South Dallas. It does not appear that this Wills family is related to the family of country singer/band leader Bob Wills. Fannie Rublee Wills had married John Dunaway by 1910 and the couple were living near downtown Dallas with their family that now consisted of John, Fannie and seven children. What eventually became of John Dunaway is not known at this time. By 1920, Chill was living with his mother a little further out of downtown on Kings Highway and she was married to Allen E. Barse. The census forms say that both Chill and his stepfather Barse worked at a saddlery in Dallas.
1894 Longview Bank Robbery by the Bill Dalton Gang
According to a Washington, D. C. Evening Star newspaper account on May 24, 1894, a bank robbery had occurred in Longview, Texas the day before, involving suspected members of the Dalton Gang. When read today, the account could easily be the story line from a Hollywood western.
Continue reading 1894 Longview Bank Robbery by the Bill Dalton GangFort Duncan
Fort Duncan was founded on March 27, 1849 by Army Captain Sidney Burbank. Transferred there were three companies of the 1st United States Infantry. It was situated on the Rio Grande River. Later in the year 1849, he post was named Fort Duncan, after Col. James Duncan, a hero of the Mexican–American War.
Texas History Notebook 