texas rangers – Texas History Notebook

Andrew Jackson Sowell, Author and Texas Ranger

Andrew Jackson Sowell was a native Texan born August 2, 1848 in Seguin, Texas to Asa Jarmon Lee Sowell and Mary Mildred Turner Sowell, one of about thirteen children born to the couple. He was named for an uncle of whom it is said fought in many major battles of the Texas Revolution including the Battles of Gonzales, Concepcion, the Grass Fight and others. The uncle was serving with the garrison of the Alamo but happened to be away on assignment with Byrd Lockhart buying cattle for the garrison when the Mexican seige began out or he would have died there. The uncle took part in the Council House Fight, the Battle of Plum Creek, the Battle of Salado Creek and served in the Mexican-American War. A large contingent of the Sowell family had come to Texas from Tennessee as a group around 1829, settling along the Blanco River.

Tales of the Texas Rangers

“Tales of the Texas Rangers” refers to two programs which aired in media during the 1950s. The first was a radio program and the second was a television series.

The radio program: It was conceived as a weekly half-hour program to broadcast fictionalized stories pertaining to the former law enforcement agency. It was set in the 1880s and used scripts in a style that might be reminiscent of shows like “Dragnet.” Stacy Keach, father of actor Stacy Keach, Jr., was producer and director. Joel Murcott was the head writer of the series.

Bobby Paul Doherty, Texas Ranger

Ranger Bobby Paul Doherty was born July 19, 1936 in Mt. Calm, Hill County, Texas to Paul Edward Doherty (1907 – 1975) and Doris Scruggs Doherty (1914 – 2007). His father listed his job as “teamster” in the 1930 federal census and “oilfield construction” in the 1940 census.

Ranger Dan L. McDuffie

Dan Lafayette McDuffie was born February 16, 1883 to James C. McDuffee (1844 – 1915) and Emily Mahalah Hays McDuffee (1855 – 1911). James was born in Tennessee and Emily was born in Alabama. It is not recorded how they met but they were married in 1877 in Arkansas where many of their children, including Dan, were born. By 1888, they had relocated to North Texas where all three of Dan’s younger siblings were born. Dan married Willie Lemuel “Lemmie” McCright in 1907 in New Boston, Bowie County, Texas in 1907 and a daughter was born to the couple the following year. Both of his parents had passed away by 1920 and in the federal census, Dan was living on the family farm.

Geronimo Parra

Geronimo Parra was the name of a long time criminal who was known around the Texas-New Mexico border area. He was one of the last outlaws executed by hanging in El Paso in early January, 1900. Some ten years earlier, Parra had been accused of killing Texas Ranger Charles H. Fusselman some ten years earlier.