S.S. Gott, Experience Of An Old Pioneer
The Weekly Tribune, Lott, TX, April 3, 1914

To the Tribune:
About a year ago Mr. S.S. Gott handed the writer the following as his contribution to the annuals of the Old Settlers Association

In October 1854 my father and mother and nine children left Logan County Illinois in three two horse wagons bound for Marlin, Texas. We were 41 days on the road. Had fine weather, were in only one rain in the Ozark mountains, on the whole trip. We arrived at Marlin Nov. 24 and camped under the large post oak that then stood just south of the log court house on the public square. We stayed in Marlin two weeks waiting for grand father Sam Seward to join us from Washington county Texas. After his arrival we proceeded to our future home near the south west corner of the Seward league west of the river.By Christmas we had built a cabin that we could live in. The site of our old home can still be identified by our old well and the mulberry tree planted my sister in 1855.

One of our first visitors was Jonathon Pool who brought a quarter of beef as a peace offering. Our nearest neighbors when we arrived in Falls county were as follows, Jonathon Pool near Pool Springs, who had settled there about 1849, Churchill Jones near Jones Spring, who had settler there about 1851, J. Hogan Pierson on Pool Creek, Jas. Gholson and Rev. Henry Milton in the Poast Oaks near Ikard Branch, John Greer on Pond Creek on what is now known as the Estes place. Cicero Brown was oversser on the Cornelious Moore place on Pond Creek. This place was put in cultivation by Moore's negros under Lem Moore in 1852, Crawford Creer had a stock ranch where Rosebud now stands.

There was quite a settlement on the Military Prong of Pond Creek in what is now the Jena neigeborhood. The Jacksons were on the upper Deer Creek, J.J. Long lived about a mile of what is now the town of Blevins, the Wrights and Jim Sutton were living around Carolinia, E.F. Divison was living in a log cabin without a floor where the residence of Capt. Gassaway now stand. This old cabin is still standing on Mrs. Lewis farm on the Lott and Marlin road. I think K.S. Johnson was then living at Tomlinson hill, Anthony Bly, the bear hunter, was living on Cow Bayou near where Keirsey siding on the S.A. & A.P. Railway is now located. Gildert Jackson was at Golinda, there were two families of Allens near where E.H. Childers now lives.

About the time I came here A.V. Lea and his family and Mrs. Pickens moved in from Milam county and settled near Carolina. The same year the Weathers family moved from Missouri and settled at Chilton Mr. Weathers was the first person buried at Carolina. He was killed by Mr. Padgitt by mistake for a bear. Powers Chapel Cemetry was also started in the same way - the first person buried there being Mr. Smith who was killed. Herds of deer by the hundred then roamed the prairies. The buffalo had gone before I got here. The nearest herds being in Hamilton county.

In October 1855 there arrived our old neighbors from Logan county Illinois as follows, Rial Burkes and six unmarried children and three married children as follows: Mrs. Mary Peters and husband, W.A. Peters and daughter Eliza, Mrs. Betsy Ann Whitsides and husband, George Whitesides, W.C. Birkes and wife Lucenda and daughter also Roland Birkes a brother of Rial Birkes and Joe Wood. These people did not stay long. Whitesides Peters, Rial Birkes and W.C. Birkes moving to Robertson county near St In 1857 Rial Birkes moved to Little Deer Creek on the place now owned by C.A. Hamiltonand in the same year W.C. Birkes moving to Brushy Creek north east of Marlin. Peters and Whitesides moving to Illinois in 1860. Har? Stillwell settled at Black Jack Springs near Powers Chapel in 1856. In the same year Jas. Estes settled the Dock Hodges place on Live Oak Creek about 5 miles south west of Lott. In 1857 my brother Al and I laid out a road or trail from our old home place to the Rial Birkes place on Little Deer Creek. We marked it with a plow fastened behind a wagon with a log.

Article Provided by Jerry Wells.