biography – Page 28 – Texas History Notebook

James Huckins

James Huckins was an early Texas minister. He was born in New Hampshire in 1807. When he was only six years old, both his parents died of an undisclosed illness, leaving James and and a younger sister as orphans. James was taken in by a family but the relationship did not last too long. While still a youth, Huckins felt a calling to be a Christian minister of the Gospel. He surrendered to the ministry, after which he was “thrown out of” his foster home before being taken in by other Christian friends. He received his education on the east coast, studying at a Baptist preparatory school, Brown University and Andover Theological Seminary.

Booger Red

Booger Red was the nickname given to Samuel T. Privett (1864 – 1924). Privett was a well known bronc rider in his day. A newspaper clipping from the Whitewright Sun of September 26, 1946 refers to a five page article by Tom Mulvaney called “Booger Red’s Last Ride” in a 1944 issue of the Southwest Review about the old cowboy.

W. E. King, Publisher and Editor

William Elisha King was the publisher of the Dallas Express, an African American newspaper that existed for many years out of Dallas, Texas. Mr. King was a pioneer in this field and the Dallas Express is considered to be the first publication of note to serve the African American community of Texas.

George W. Littlefield

George Washington Littlefield is the namesake of Littlefield, Texas. He was born on June 21, 1842 in Como, Mississippi to Fleming Littlefield and Mildred Terrell Satterwhite Littlefield, a widow with five children and whose husband John Henry White had died in 1839. Fleming and Mildred had married in 1841 and first lived in Mississippi but conflicts are said to have developed between Fleming and the family of Mildred. Around 1850, Fleming and Mildred moved to Gonzales County, Texas where they operated a plantation. Their union produced more children who lived to adulthood, G. W., Martha Mildred and William Phillip. However, their family as then configured was not to last, as Fleming died in 1853. Matilda continued to run the plantation with the help of her sons and others until her own death in 1880. Both Matilda and Fleming are buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Gonzales.

John Robinson Ralls

The October 27, 1921 issue of the Lubbock Avalanche carried a front page article with the headline “Funeral of John R. Ralls Attended by a Large Concourse of Friends From All Over the State.” It was held in the town of Ralls, Texas, about thirty miles east of Lubbock on Highway 82. The number of attendees was “into the thousands,” the article added and noted that friends came from Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma to pay their respects.