history – Page 34 – Texas History Notebook

Thomas Loyd Burnett

Thomas Loyd Burnett was the son of Samuel Burk Burnett (1849 – 1922) and Ruth Bottom Loyd (1853 – 1913), and was born to the couple on December 10, 1871 in Denton County, Texas. Burk and Ruth had both a son and a daughter after Tom was born, but neither child survived beyond one or two years of age. They were followed by another daughter, Anne Valliant Burnett (1876 -1914). Burk and Ruth divorced in 1892 and Burk subsequently married Mary Sue Couts (1857 – 1924). Their union produced a son, (half brother to Tom and Anne) Samuel Burk Burnett, Jr. (1895 – 1916). Burk, Jr. died of cancer when he was almost twenty-one years old after a short illness. Tom’s sister Anne had previously died in 1914.

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.

The Lee Brothers

These were three brothers: James, Tom and Pink Lee who came from a large family. Their parents were Robert Culpepper Lee and Amanda Giles Lee. The three brothers settled in Cooke County, Texas. They were accused of stealing cattle. One of them, Jim Lee, was reportedly married to a Choctaw woman and was able to establish a ranch in the Delaware Bend area of Indian Territory where the Red River makes a loop to the south.

Sallie Chisum

Sallie Lucy Chisum Robert was born May 28, 1858 in Bolivar, Denton County, Texas to James Thomas “Jim” Chisum (1827 – 1908) and Ara Josephine Wright Chisum (1830 – 1875). Jim Chisum was the brother of John Simpson Chisum (1824 – 1884).

July 4, 1865 and July 4, 1876

We can often learn a great deal from online newspapers. One early Texas publication was the Galveston Daily News. It had begun in 1842 and could for many years be relied on to cover state wide news despite its Gulf Coast publishing location. In its issue of July 4, 1865, it discussed several items of interest to Texas residents. Placing it in context, the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, Virginia had occurred April 8, 1865, not quite three months earlier. Major-General Gordon Granger of the United States Army had issued General Order #3, commonly referred to as the “Juneteenth” order, two weeks earlier.