The
Myers-Kellison Journey From Missouri to Texas
(The
following information comes from The Family of John W Myers – Mahala
Caroline Kellison By Roy E. Gibson:)
With Reconstruction following the
Civil War and the pitfalls of farming in general it is assumed life was full of
hard work and struggle. What the exact or combined reasons were to convince
John W. Myers and his relations to move to central Texas is or are not known.
Jacob Myers, his father, had three half-brothers and two half-sisters and their
mother to move to Coryell County, Texas in 1871. One can only speculate as to
whether letters from the ones in Coryell or other factors made up their mind to
move to Bosque County Texas.
In 1950 the compiler had the good
fortune of driving Aunt Lee Womack from her home in Brady, Texas to my Mother’s
home in Ft. Worth, Texas. This was some five years prior to my actual beginning
of the research of my family lines. It has always been a disappointment to me
that I didn't have a recorder, for most of her early years of
life were recalled as best she could remember. On that particular day she was
some 82 years of age. She was either 6 or 7 years of age when the trip from
Miller County, Missouri to Bosque County, Texas was made. As I try to recall
some of her remembrances on that day, I come up with the following:
(1) There were quite a few wagons in
the group or wagon train most of whom were related in some way.
(2) The route they took generally
was from near Iberia, Miller County, Missouri via Springfield, Missouri, Eureka
Springs, Fayetteville and Fort Smith, Arkansas, McAlester, Oklahoma, Denison,
Texas, or near there, Ft. Worth, Texas and Bosque County, Texas.
(3) The scared feeling she and the
other children experienced as those times Indians were sighted in the Oklahoma
segment of their journey.
(4) Ft. Worth was a very small town
when they passed through.
From Aunt Lee’s remembrances and a
small booklet pertaining to the Kellison family, it appears the following
families were in the wagon train:
(1) Jacob Myers, wife and children
(2) John W. Myers, wife and children
(3) James Peter “Pete” and Abraham “Abe” Myers
(4) Robert L. Kellison, wife Hannah Myers and their children
(5) William Kellison, possibly his wife, and two single
children
(6) John Kellison, wife and children
(7) James H. Baxter, wife Mary “Polly” Kellison and children
(8) James Green, wife Sarah Kellison and children
(9) Davidson family (cousins of the Kellisons)
(10) Lawson family (cousins of the Kellisons)
The only record found as to the date
of their journey is the year 1874 left by the descendant of Uncle Will Baxter.
It would have had to taken place in the last half of this year, for Uncle
Charley Myers was born the 11th of May, 1874 in Miller County,
Missouri. Most of the families had small children, which must have restricted
their daily distance traveled.
Upon their arrival in Bosque County,
Texas, be it 1874 or 1875, most of the families appear to have settled near
Meridian and possibly to the west and northwest toward Walnut Springs, Texas.
They were all farmers by occupation; however during the off-season John W.
Myers and his two brothers, Pete and Abe, worked building rock fences.
