Authentic History Spring 1938

Interesting Stories and Events In Honey Grove’s Early History
Honey Grove Signal-Citizen, [specific date unknown; likely Spring, 1938] (B)
Written by H. P. Allen, assisted by W. J. Erwin

JONES FAMILY – Continued

In reading the foregoing history in last week's paper of the Jones family our mind very naturally turned back to the first time we ever saw Mr. Jones, the father of the Honey Grove family. He was herding a flock of sheep on the extensive prairie which lay south and east of his home, eight or nine miles north of Honey Grove. It was rather a wild looking region at that time, there being only two other settlers living in sight. In about 1860 Mr. Jones married Miss Mary Hannah Craddock, whom the writer had gone to school with in 1858 or 1859. She boarded with my Aunt Sallie Stapp.

After the civil war practically all farmers went to growing cotton. Mr. Jones, seeing the necessity for it, built a gin and mill at his home place, and was doing well with it. One morning the engineer was late in getting to his work. John Jones, Horatio, Jones' son, was a helper at the mill, and suggested to his uncle that he believed he could fire up and run the mill until the engineer came. He was permitted to do so. When all was in readiness, he turned on the steam, and there was a boiler explosion that was terrific, killing three men - himself, a Mr. Scrimpshire, and we have forgotten the name of the other man. This explosion caused Mr. Jones to have to spend many years of toil to recoup himself for his loss.

He passed away after having lived 91 years. The writer knew him personally during the last 70 years of his life, and never during that 70 years did we ever hear anyone speak of Mr. Jones except in words of kindness and praise.

It is generally conceded that writers do not make history, but rather the type of the citizenship they write about makes the history. Honey Grove and the surrounding country was made a good place in which to live thru the influence of the early settlers. The moulded sentiment, established customs, and set to work influences that to some extent are guiding men today. Honey Grove being a small town, cannot furnish employment for all the young men and women who are capable and anxious to work, so they have to seek employment elsewhere, and go to Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and many other cities, and it is surprising what a lot of Honey Grove young men and women you will find, many filling positions of trust. Only six years ago, the writer was in Bowie County to build a tenant house; went to a station on the Cotton Belt railroad, where there was a large stock of lumber, and handed the proprietor a bill for the material wanted. He sent a clerk to select what was wanted. After getting loaded, we went to the proprietor's office and handed him a list of what we had loaded. He figured it and announced the amount I owed him. We drew from our pocket a check book and filled it out and handed it to him. He read it and accepted it as pay. He asked me if I lived in Honey Grove and how long I had lived there. After telling him, he drew a chair near and told me that the most popular men in Bowie county were Honey Grove boys - Mark Taylor, Jim Baker and Will Clay; one superintendent of schools, one sheriff, and one an auditor. He praised them highly and asked me if we had many more like them.