texas women – Texas History Notebook

Carrie Marcus Neiman

Carrie Marcus was born in Louisville, Kentucky on May 3, 1883 to Jacob Marcus (1846 – 1929) and Delia A. Bloomfield Marcus (1848 – 1919). Both Delia and Jacob were born in Prussia. Jacob was listed as a merchant in the 1870 federal census and was shown to be a clerk in a store in the 1880 census. The family was still living in Kentucky when Carrie was born. Carrie was the youngest of six children. A few years before 1900, the entire family moved to Hillsboro, Texas and lived near the downtown area on Franklin Street. In 1899, when Carrie was about sixteen years old, she and her older siblings moved to Dallas. Many of them had secured retail jobs. Carrie and her brother Herbert were hired by Max Goettinger to work at A. Harris and Company. Carrie had a good eye for clothing and first worked in the ladies’ blouse department.

Kitty O’Neal

Kitty Linn O’Neil was likely best known as a stunt woman in television and films, but she led a very active life. She was born on March 24, 1946 in Corpus Christi to John Thomas O’Neil and Patsy Linn Compton O’Neil. Her father was of Irish descent and her mother’s ancestry was Cherokee. Her father died in March, 1950 in California, apparently from complications of an earlier heart attack. Photographs of him often show him in a rugby uniform. He had competed in the Olympic Games in 1924. A death notice in the San Antonio Light issue of March 26, 1950 tells that he had been in the oil business in San Antonio since 1933. Marriage records show that he and Patsy had married in 1940. Two children were born to the couple, Kitty in 1946 and John in 1947. However, in the death notice, there is no mention of Patsy, Kitty or John. Their marital status at the time of his death is unknown.

Angelina

The El Paso Herald in its issue of March 11, 1907 reported on the tenth annual meeting of the State Historical Association, held in Austin. During the meeting, the article noted, a paper entitled “The Hasinai Indians of East Texas at the Coming of the Spaniards” was presented by Dr. Herbert Eugene Bolton. Dr. Bolton (1870 – 1953) was originally from Wisconsin and had earned his Ph.D. in American history from University of Pennsylvania. He served as an professor of history at University of Texas in Austin from 1901 to 1909. Though he taught medieval and European history there, he became known for his research into the native tribes north of Mexico and was the author of many articles on the subject. Dr. Bolton later moved to the west coast where he spent the rest of his career as a college professor.

Enid Justin

Enid Justin was called the world’s only female boot manufacturer. She was born in Nocona on April 8, 1894 and was the middle child of Herman Joseph Justin (1859 – 1918) and Louanna F. Allen Justin (1865 – 1939). Enid’s father Joe had come to Texas in 1879 after learning the basics of shoe repair while serving as an apprentice in his former home of Lafayette, Indiana. After settling near the Red River on a cattle trail, Joe slowly began to make his own name as a boot maker. He finally set up shop in Nocona where he lived and built a boot factory. The children worked in the factory on Saturdays and after school and learned the business. Enid began working there at around age ten. She was bright and a good student, but dropped out of school at age thirteen to work in the factory with Joe and the older siblings.

Marie J. Riggs, Cattle Raiser

Maria “Marie” J. Riggs was born Maria Jane McCord on June 23, 1842 to John S. McCord (1814 – 1881) and Sarah B. Watt McCord (1819 – 1896) in Mount Pleasant, Illinois. She was the second of four children born to the couple. John was a farmer, born in Tennessee. When Marie was 18, she married Samuel R. Riggs, also a farmer. Two years later, they had their only child, a boy named John who lived only a year. The baby was born while Samuel was serving in the 116th Illinois Infantry of the Union Army during the Civil War. His Army record says that he mustered in on September 6, 1862 and served until his discharge in December, 1864. Samuel entered the war as a private and was promoted to second lieutenant and later first lieutenant by the time he mustered out. He shows to have been wounded on August 18, 1864 near Atlanta, Georgia and was home on furlough when the war ended.