frontier times – Page 5 – Texas History Notebook

Lottie Deno (Carlotta Thompkins Thurmond)

There were a number of colorful female characters in the early days of Texas. Lottie Deno was the nickname of a woman who appears in fictional tales and historical accounts of the Old West. In reality, she appears to have been Carlotta Thompkins Thurmond (1844 – 1934). She is widely mentioned to have been the inspiration for Miss Kitty, a character on radio and television in the two series, both named “Gunsmoke,” that each ran for many years. In Texas, she is also mostly associated with the shanty town that grew up around Fort Griffin on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River.

Mabel Gilbert and family

Mabel Gilbert was a Texas resident for most of his adult life. He and his family only lived in Dallas a few years, but they were contemporaries of the Beemans and John Neely Bryan and other early settlers. The Gilbert family story begins with Mabel himself. Mabel Gilbert was born on March 4, 1797 in what is now Dickson County, Tennessee. At that time, however, it was still part of North Carolina. According to genealogy records, his parents were William Gilbert/Gilbreath (1764 – 1827/1836) and Nancy “Nicy” Morris Gilbert/Gilbreath (1770 – 1840). Mabel is believed to have been the third son of the couple. The origin of his first name is unknown as Mabel is generally considered to be a feminine name. Mabel was followed by Temperance Gilbert, a daughter, and at least three more sons. The Gilbert childrens’ years of birth range from 1790 to 1810.

Edward H. Tarrant

Edward H. Tarrant (1796 or 1799 – 1858) was the namesake of Tarrant County. He was born in South Carolina and was the son of Samuel A. Tarrant and Nancy Anna Hampton Tarrant. He was the youngest of at least four children. His father died in 1799 and his mother remarried after many years. Tarrant was living in Muhlenburg, Kentucky at the outset of the War of 1812 and is said to have participated throughout the war, including the Battle of New Orleans. After the war ended, he lived for some time in Tennessee before moving to Texas after 1830, settling first in Red River County.

Two Texas Grigsby Families

There have been numerous families with the Grigsby name who lived in Texas around the time of the Texas Revolution and the Republic of Texas. We mention two families today. They both had interesting stories. One settled near the eastern border of Texas, generally in Jefferson County and the other more in and around Houston County.

Lonesome Dove Baptist Church

In the July 3, 1941 issue of the Llano News, Llano, Texas, an article recounted a recent reunion of the Hallford family. The writer quoted a church historian named J. N. Raysor in telling the history of an early North Texas congregation, the Lonesome Dove Baptist Church.