1902 :: Bell County Killing

On this date in our extended family history . . . the 12th day of May . . . in the year 1902 . . . the following news items were published in various Texas newspapers . . . the deceased, John H. Connell, is a 1st cousin four times removed to the Keeper of this family history blog . . .

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Dallas Morning News, May 12, 1902. Bell County Killing. . . . Special to The News. Belton, Tex., May 11. -- John H. Connell, one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of this city, died last night from the effects of a knife cut. The knife struck him in the left arm, severing an artery and passing on out almost to the hollow about the heart. His son, John Connell, was arrested, and is now in jail.

---

JOHN H. CONNELL DEAD
Of wounds Which Were Inflicted by His Son.


Belton, Texas, May 11. -- Mr. John H. Connell died from his wounds last night at 10 o'clock.

This is the most deplorable tragedy that ever occurred in this community. The facts leading to the sad affair as they can be gathered are that the father and son had gotten into a dispute over some trivial matter when the son gave his father the lie, whereupon he slapped him in the face. The son at once drew his knife and cut his father in the arm between the shoulder and elbow, severing the brachial artery which caused so much loss of blood before medical aid could be had that death was inevitable.


Mr. Connell served throughout the war as a Confederate soldier and was conspicuous for his daring and bravery. He leaves a wife, three sons, two daughters, and many relatives to mourn his death. He will be laid to rest at 4:30 o'clock this afternoon in the North Belton cemetery. Funeral services conducted by Dr. H.A. Bouslard.

• The Houston Daily Post (Houston, Tex.), Vol. XVIIITH YEAR, No. 38, Ed. 1, Monday, May 12, 1902
• Shiner Gazette. (Shiner, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 49, Ed. 1, Wednesday, May 14, 1902

1902 :: Father Dies from Knife Wound

On this date in our extended family history . . . late in the day on the 10th of May in the year 1902 . . . John Connell, Jr. bleeds to death from a knife wound following an unfortunate domestic disagreement with his son and namesake, John Connell III . . . the decedent is a 1st cousin four times removed to the Keeper of this family history blog . . . the Connell killing and subsequent legal proceedings are mentioned in numerous issues of the Dallas Morning News . . . the following biography is from A Memorial and Biographical History of McLennan, Falls, Bell, and Coryell Counties (Chicago: Lewis, 1893; rpt., St. Louis: Ingmire, 1984) . . .

J. H. Connell, a capitalist of Belton, was born in San Augustine county, Texas, when Texas was a province of Mexico, April 3, 1833, son of John H. and Matilda T. (Roberts) Connell, natives of Pennsylvania and Kentucky respectively.

John H. Connell's father, a native of Ireland, came to America at an early day and settled in Pennsylvania, where he followed his trade, that of blacksmithing. John H., leaving home when a youth, came in 1826 to Texas and engaged in the mercantile business near Austin, where he was married in 1830. Mr. Connell came to Texas with Sterling C. Robertson, and both secured large tracts of land.

The Roberts family were also among the pioneers of this section of the country. Elisha Roberts [4th great-grandpa of the Keeper of this blog] went from Kentucky to Louisiana in 1819, and in 1820 came to San Augustine, Texas. Elisha Roberts was one of the earliest settlers within the confines of the State.

Mr. Connell died at Viesca in 1834. He was truly a self-made man, and during his lifetime acquired considerable property. Belton is located on a portion of the land on which Mr. Connell once lived. Mrs. Connell having donated to the county of Bell 120 acres, in 1850, on which to establish the county seat. John H. Connell and his wife were the parents of two children: Josephine, wife of Anderson Hamblin, both being now deceased; and J. H., the subject of our sketch.

After the death of Mr. Connell, Mrs. Connell was married in 1835, to Samuel T. Allen, of New York, and their union was blessed in the birth of two children: Thomas R., deceased; and Eunice A., widow of Colonel John T. Coffee, of Missouri. Samuel T. Allen was killed by the Indians at the three forks of the Trinity, in November, 1838, and in the fall of 1847 Mrs. Allen married his brother, Thomas J. Allen. Her death occurred April 3, 1879, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Coffee, in Georgetown, Williamson county, this state.

The subject of our sketch was reared amid the frontier scenes of what is now San Augustine, Milam, Williamson and Galveston counties. In 1854 he went to California, making the trip from Galveston by water; spent two years in the southern part of the Golden State, and while working in the mines lost his health. He was, however, financially successful. Returning home in the latter part of 1855, he engaged in farming and stock-raising in Texas up to the year 1861. The war coming on in that year, he joined the Confederate forces; was in the Trans-Mississippi Department, and participated in numerous skirmishes and battles.

Returning to his home in the latter part of May, 1865, Mr. Connell set about repairing his wasted fortune, and with renewed energy engaged in his old occupation of farming and stock-raising. He continued his operations in Williamson county till January 28, 1884, when he rented his farm and moved to his property in Belton. He owns considerable valuable real estate, his Belton home place consisting of some 250 acres adjoining town. He has a handsome residence, an intelligent family, and is comfortably situated to enjoy life, having practically retired from active business.

Mr. Connell was married September 15, 1869, to Miss Jennie Howlett, a native of Texas, born in Milam county, October 5, 1844, daughter of James and Sarah (Moore) Howlett, natives of Kentucky and Tennessee respectively. Both the Howletts and the Moores were among the early pioneers of Texas.

Mr. and Mrs. Connell are the parents of five children: John H., Jr., T.E., Susan, May T. and Albert L. T.E. is now a student at the State University of Texas. Mr. Connell and his wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and are held in high esteem by all who know them.

1902 :: Murder in Second Degree

Dallas Morning News. December 20, 1902. Murder in Second Degree. Verdict of Jury in Connell Case at Belton -- Twenty-Five Years in the Penitentiary. Special to The News. Belton, Tex., Dec. 19. -- "We, the jury, find the defendant guilty of murder in the second degree and assess his punishment at twenty-five years in the penitentiary," was the verdict of the jury in the John Connell homicide case. Connell was charged with the killing of his father in May last.


See also :-

• Son Kills Father in 1902
• Newspaper report of 7th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 12th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 13th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 14th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 16th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 17th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 18th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 19th Dec 1902

1902 :: Awaiting the Verdict

Dallas Morning News. December 19, 1902. Awaiting the Verdict. Jury in Connell Case at Belton Out All Day with No Prospect of Agreement Before This Date. Special to The News. 

Belton, Tex., Dec. 18. -- A night session of the District Court was held last night, when District Attorney W.W. Hair closed the argument in the Connell homicide case. Judge Furman delivered his charge to the jury at about 11 o'clock. The jury has been out all day, with no prospect of a verdict before tomorrow.


See also :-

• Son Kills Father in 1902
• Newspaper report of 7th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 12th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 13th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 14th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 16th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 17th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 18th Dec 1902

1902 :: Connell Homicide Case

Dallas Morning News. December 18, 1902. State Brevities. Special to The News. . . . 

Belton, Tex., Dec. 17. -- The entire day has been consumed in argument of the Connell homicide case. John B. Durrett opened for the State and was followed by Hon. Winbourn Pearce and Judge T.S. Henderson of Cameron for the defense. District Attorney W.W. Hair will close for the State tomorrow.


See also :-

• Son Kills Father in 1902
• Newspaper report of 7th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 12th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 13th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 14th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 16th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 17th Dec 1902

1902 :: Connell Homicide Case

Dallas Morning News. December 17, 1902. M'Connell [sic] Homicide Case. Testimony All in and the Argument of Counsel Begins Today at Belton. Defendant Examined. 

Special to The News. Belton, Tex., Dec. 16. -- The testimony in the John Connell homicide case was concluded at 6 o'clock this afternoon. Court adjourned until tomorrow, when argument of counsel will begin. Much of today was spent in the examination of the defendant. This is the eighth day of the case.


See also :-

• Son Kills Father in 1902
• Newspaper report of 7th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 12th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 13th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 14th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 16th Dec 1902

1902 :: Belton Court Proceedings

Dallas Morning News. December 16, 1902. Belton Court Proceedings. 

Special to The News. Belton, Tex., Dec. 15. -- The taking of testimony in the John Connell homicide case was resumed in the District Court this morning. Much of the day has been spent in the examination of Mrs. Jane Connell, wife of the deceased. It is likely that both sides will conclude their testimony tomorrow.


See also :-

• Son Kills Father in 1902
• Newspaper report of 7th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 12th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 13th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 14th Dec 1902

1902 :: Connell Homicide Case at Belton

Dallas Morning News. December 14, 1902. Connell Homicide Case at Belton. 

Belton, Tex., Dec. 13. -- The State rested this afternoon in the John Connell homicide case, and the defense began the introduction of its testimony.


See also :-

• Son Kills Father in 1902
• Newspaper report of 7th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 12th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 13th Dec 1902

1902 :: Connell Homicide Case

Dallas Morning News. December 13, 1902. Connell Homicide Case. Jury Empaneled and Taking of Testimony Begins at Belton. 

Special to The News. Belton, Tex., Dec. 12. -- It was not until 3:30 this afternoon that a jury was completed in the John Connell case. At the night session of court last night the special venire was exhausted with only ten jurors. Judge Furman adjourned court until today at 1:30 o'clock, and forty additional men were summoned from which the jury was completed and the taking of testimony was begun. There are a large number of witnesses fro this and Williamson County and the case will consume a greater portion of next week.


See also :-

• Son Kills Father in 1902
• Newspaper report of 7th Dec 1902
• Newspaper report of 12th Dec 1902

1902 :: Connell Homicide Case

Dallas Morning News. December 12, 1902.

Page 3. Newspapers as Evidence. Publishers of Bell County Press Summoned in Connell Case. 

Special to The News. Temple, Tex., Dec. 11 -- The District Court at Belton is engaged in trying the case of John Connell, charged with the murder of his father at Belton. The defendant is seeking a change of venue, and all the publishers of newspapers in Bell County were served yesterday with instanter summons to appear before the court with copies of their papers of the dates about the time the offense was committed, in May of this year.


Page 10. Connell Homicide Case. Judge Furman at Belton Overrules Motion for Change of Venue. Special to The News. Belton, Tex., Dec. 11. -- At the opening of court this morning, Judge Furman overruled the motion for change of venue in the John Connell homicide case and Connell was placed on trial for the alleged killing of his father. The entire day has been consumed in the examination of special venire for jurors, and up to the adjournment of court at 6 o'clock this afternoon, only seven jurors had been secured. A night session is being held tonight, and it is likely that the remaining five jurors will be secured. A great deal of interest is being manifested and large crowds are in attendance owing largely to the fact that the deceased was well known in Bell and Williamson Counties, where he had lived for more than forty years.


See also :-

• Son Kills Father in 1902
• Newspaper report of 7th Dec 1902

1902 :: John H. Connell Case

Dallas Morning News. December 7, 1902. Notes Cases at Belton. Special to the News. Belton, Tex., Dec. 6 -- The John H. Connell case is set for the 9th instant. Connell is charged by indictment with the killing of his father in May last. A special venire of 200 men has been ordered.


See also . . . Son kills father in 1902 . . .

Black Sheep Sunday :: Son kills Father in 1902

During the month of December . . . in the year 1902 . . . in the extended branches of our family tree . . . the Dallas Morning News ran at least 15 separate articles on the trial of one John H. Connell of Belton, Texas . . . who had been charged by indictment with the killing of his father in May last (May 1902).


The deceased was my 1st cousin 4 times removed, John Connell, Jr. (1833-1902), who was the son of John Connell and Matilda Connell Allen Allen nee Roberts (1808-1879). This Matilda is an older sister of my 3rd great-grandma, Mahala Lee Sharp Hall nee Roberts (1816-1885).


This story was completely unknown to me . . . until I found it last week while browsing around in the online archives of the Dallas Morning News . . . and as of this date, I have not been able to make a connection with any living descendants of John Connell, Jr. During the course of this 1902 trial and subsequent appeal(s), the Defendant testified as follows:-

"I saw my father drive up that evening and noticed some children with him. He called out to Darling [Defendant's brother] to 'Come and get the papers.' At that time I had been to the gate and was coming back to the house after bedclothes, and was right at the southwest corner of the house. When he called to Darling I made the remark that Darling was sick and that I would get them. I turned then and walked out towards where he was to get the papers. As I walked up to the fence I asked him 'Where in the hell he stayed last night.' He said it was none of my God-damned business, and I said I thought it was, and he said, 'You are a God-damned lying son of a bitch.' By that time he started towards me. I was stooping, picking up the papers, and just as I raised he kind of grabbed at me with his left hand. I tried to dart back a little, but he caught me in the collar and struck at me and came at me with a knife, and in an instant as soon as I saw the knife I cut him. I had the knife buckled in a leather strap at my belt. I did not have on a coat or vest, and my suspenders were down. I struck my father to get loose from him and when I got loose I went immediately to the house. He turned me loose when I cut him. I did not intend to kill him, but I cut him to get loose because I saw he would cut me if I did not."

There is more to this story . . . and I will be posting more details during the coming weeks . . . stay tuned . . .

2002 Reunion :: Here timelessness lived

On this date in our family history . . . the 19th day of October . . . in the year 2002 . . . assorted kith 'n kin of William Paschal and Josephine Wingfield (Davis) Henry gathered in Rockdale, Texas for a family reunion . . .



The Rockdale Reporter. Rockdale, Texas. November 14, 2002. In the 1992 bestseller Colony, the granddaughter, Darcy, says that . . .


. . . there should be, in every life, a place
. . . where you could come and visit your past,
and the past of your people,
and know that whatever happened outside,
here timelessness lived.
A cozy room on a rainy Saturday in Rockdale was just that sort of gathering spot for assorted kith 'n kin of some early 19th century Milam Co. residents. As the family members arrived they were beckoned into the past of their people by a large display of their family history spread out on quilt-covered tables.

Here they read about how 17-year-old Josephine Wingfield Davis migrated c. 1859 with her family from Morgan Co., GA to Brazoria Co., TX (where she would marry William Paschal Henry in 1864). This time of change was the beginning of a new season for Josephine and her family -- for they left behind a way of life in a time and a place that has often been described as gone with the wind country.

An article about a Henry family reunion at the old Hamilton homeplace was published in The Rockdale Reporter in the autumn of 1931. It recorded the following about the arrival of Josephine and her family in the then-new town of Rockdale . . .

On Oct. 3, 1876, the Henrys arrived in Rockdale to visit a sister and family of Mrs. Henry's [Josephine], it being Dr. and Mrs. M. F. Anthony, who at that time had the post office and drug store combined on the corner where the Wolf Hotel now (1931) stands.

Of that time period The Galveston Weekly News reported that . . .

Every day or two some very interesting scenes occur in the pettifoggeries of Rockdale . . . there are street fights occurring almost every day . . . where a population of eighteen hundred now thrive, was ten months ago the home of the deer, and the pleasure ground of the black bear.

Twenty-three years later -- on Oct. 28, 1899 -- Josephine died a tragic death in an accident that was graphically described in 1899 issues of The Rockdale Reporter as well as The Rockdale Messenger. The Messenger article specifically mentions the grey mare that was pulling her buggy on that autumn afternoon when it collided with "a light spring wagon" as she drove "over the hill at the home of George Banzhaf."

Josephine apparently fell from her buggy "with her head between the left fore wheel of the buggy and shafts and was so held that her hair was wound around the buggy hub and spindle. . . . some young man met the buggy at the gate near the old Ferguson place, more than a half-mile this side of where the accident occurred. She was dead when found as her neck was broken."

The article concluded with the following -- "Brother [Wm. P.] Henry does not blame the drivers of the wagon for the accident but thinks they should have ascertained the results before driving home."

103 years after her death, Josephine and Wm. P. were well-represented in the most recent gathering that included descendants of three of their five children --

• Wm. P. & Annie (Calvert) Henry, Jr.
• Edgar & Berta (Sharp) Henry
• Ella (Henry) & J. D. Hamilton

Descendants of Jerome & Sudie (Criswell) Henry and Emma (Henry) & Sam Sharp were not able to attend.

New to the reunion in 2002 were Esther (Hall) & John Biggers of Lake Jackson TX, and Susie (Deen) Hagler of Wills Point TX -- who were kin to the majority of those attending through their connection to Josephine's daughter-in-law, Berta (Sharp) Henry, as well as her son-in-law, Sam Houston Sharp, Jr. Berta and Sam were siblings from Houston Co. TX, and they married the Henry twins, Edgar and Emma.

Berta and Sam were grandchildren of Mahala (Roberts) Sharp Hall, who was a daughter of early Texas alcalde, Elisha Roberts. As alcalde, Roberts held court on the broad front gallery of his house; Sam Houston, James Bowie, David Crockett, William B. Travis, and Stephen F. Austin all boarded there. In 1833 Roberts was elected delegate to the convention in San Felipe.

One of Mahala's sisters was Matilda Connell Allen, whose first husband, John Connell, died in 1834 at Viesca, Milam Co. Matilda's second husband was Samuel Tabor Allen, who was a delegate from Milam (Viesca) to the Consultation of 1835, and also represented Milam in the House of Representatives of the 1st Congress, 1836-1837. Samuel was killed by Kickapoo Indians in 1838 in the Battle Creek Massacre. In 1850 Matilda donated 120 acres of the family estate to Bell County (created & organized from Milam in 1850) as the site for the new county seat -- now known as Belton.

More than 150 years later, kith & kin of these strong early Texas women -- this Mahala and Matilda and Josephine -- shared a noon meal that was "spread in picnic style." Afternoon activities including taking photos, concluding the silent auction, and giving prizes for --

• Oldest . . . Iola (Christian) Avrett
• Youngest . . . Trey Hill
• Longest road-trip . . . Charlotte (Christian) Walraven of San Angelo

The guessing games for the children were won by Madison Smith (candy) and Josh Landi (pennies).

Proceeds from the fund-raising efforts more than covered the expenses for the 2002 reunion. Top selling items included:

• the "Henry" teddy bear donated by Carla (Henry) Schomburg
• an assortment of items brought by Susie (Deen) Hagler from Eddie Deen & Co.
• a large print of a photo of Wm. P. and Josephine donated by Peggy (Ferguson) Skeeters (the original of which hung in the hallway of the Hamilton home in Rockdale for many years)
• two reproductions of a photo of Mahala (Roberts) Sharp Hall donated by Esther (Hall) Biggers
• a family history notebook from the files of Vickie (Pounders) Everhart
• a ribbon-bound copy of a 19th-century autograph album that belonged to Berta (Sharp) Henry donated by Roberta (Henry) Pounders

The 2002 gathering was organized by Susan (Henry) Aigner, youngest daughter of Robert E. & Ann ( Howard) Henry. In the autumn of 2003 this gathering will take place at the home of J. D. and Susan (Henry) Aigner in Sinton TX.


The Rockdale Reporter
November 14, 2002
Written & submitted for publication
by
Vickie (Pounders) Everhart

Our Mahala's Extensive Timeline for the CoG

This timeline was prepared for the March 2010 Carnival of Genealogy, focusing on Women's History. Click > HERE < to view the accompanying article (with photo) for this timeline about our Mahala Lee Sharp Hall nee Roberts (1816-1885).

YEAR	WHERE	COMMENTS
1774	TN	Mahala’s father, Elisha Roberts, is born at Watauga Settlement in Hawkins County.
1781	VA	Mahala’s mother, Martha Gill, is born in Bedford County.
1800	KY	Mahala’s parents, Elisha Roberts & Martha “Patsy” Gill, marry in Green County on February 9th.
1811	LA	Mahala’s parents relocate their family to Louisiana from Kentucky sometime after February.
1812	LA	Mahala’s father is recorded as the seller of Nancy, a 20-year-old black female, to Joseph Baham for $500 in St. Tammany Parish on October 1st.
1813	LA	Mahala’s father is recorded as the buyer of Betsy, a 17-year-old black female, and her 8-month-old daughter, Maryanne, for $500 from Gideon Rester in St. Tammany Parish on January 2nd . On June 5th, Elisha is recorded as the seller of Ben, a 30-year-old black male, for $500 to Daniel Edwards in St. Tammany Parish. On September 13th, he is recorded as the buyer of a 23-year-old black male known as Jim alias Sim (from Mississippi), for $450 from Craven P. Moffett (from Green County, Mississippi).
1816	LA	Mahala Lee Roberts is born on November 3rd, the 7th of 9 children born to Elisha & Patsy.
1818	LA	Mahala is just one year old when her 17-year-old sister, Anna Roberts, marries Bryant Daughtrey in St. Tammany Parish on January 25th. This is also when her father is recorded as the seller of Matilda, a 15-year-old black female, to Isaac Roberts for $525, in St. Tammany Parish on June 16th. Mahala’s baby brother, Felix Grundy Roberts, is born on August 23rd in Washington Parish.
1820	LA	Mahala is 3 years old when her parents are enumerated in Washington Parish. They are shown as having 18 slaves at that time.
1821	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is 4 years of age when the flag of Spain is lowered for the last time in Coahuila y Tejas on July 21st in San Antonio, and when Mexico gains independence from Spain on August 24th.
1822	LA	Mahala is 5 years of age when her baby sister, Margaret S. Roberts, is born in Washington Parish on February 22nd.
1823	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is about 6 years old when it is said that her father trades a slave for land and improvements located east of Ayish Bayou. This is the same year Stephen F. Austin would receive a grant on January 3rd from the Mexican government and begin colonization in the region of the Brazos River.
1824	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is about 7 years old when her 20-year-old sister, Elizabeth Roberts, marries William David Smith in San Augustine County, and when the Mexican Congress passes the colonization law on August 18th. She has just turned 8 when the “Department of Texas” is established as a subdivision of the state of Coahuila & Texas. The Constitution of 1824 gives Mexico a republican form of government. It fails, however, to define the rights of the states within the republic, including Texas.
1825	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is about 8 years of age when, in 1825, the people of Ayish Bayou begin to make rapid improvement, opening large farms and building cotton gins. This year Elisha Roberts, John A. Williams, and John Sprowl each will erect cotton gins on the main road, for at that time there was no one living either north or south of the old king's highway.
1826	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is about 9 years old when her parents leave Louisiana & move their family to the red lands of East Texas.
1827	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is 10 years of age when the Fredonian Rebels flee when approached by Mexican troops on January 31st, and when the Constitution of Coahuila & Tejas is adopted on March 11th.
1828	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is 12 years old when her 20-year-old sister, Esther Jane Roberts, marries Phillip Allen Sublett in San Augustine County in March.
1830	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is 13 years of age when her parents & assorted siblings are enumerated in San Augustine County. Relations between the Texans and Mexico reached a new low when, on April 6th, Mexico forbids further emigration into Texas by settlers from the United States. It was also around this time period when Mahala’s sister, Matilda Fair Roberts, marries John H. Connell (1st of 3 husbands).
1831	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala’s father, Elisha, is elected as Alcalde of Ayish Bahou.
1832	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is 15 years of age when the Battle of Velasco occurs on June 26th. This battle results in the first casualties in Texas' relations with Mexico. After several days of fighting, the Mexicans under Domingo de Ugartechea are forced to surrender for lack of ammunition. The Convention of 1832 gathers on October 1st at San Felipe de Austin, with the Ayish Bayou district represented by Mahala’s brother-in-law, Philip Sublett, as well as Donald McDonald, the future father-in-law of her little sister, Margaret. Also attending was John Connell, another of Mahala’s brothers-in-law, representing Mill Creek.
1833	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is 16 years old when her father, Elisha Roberts, is a delegate to the Convention of 1833 held at San Felipe de Austin in April. This is a gathering of 56 men, including family friends, Samuel Houston and Adolphus Sterne, as well as present and future family members, Philip Sublett and Donald McDonald. Also present was Bartlett McClure, who is portrayed in the movie, True Women, which was made for TV from a historical novel written by Janice Woods Windle. 12th of November. The Night the Stars Fell.
1834	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is about 17 years of age when her brother-in-law, John H. Connell, dies at Viesca in Milam County.
1835	Coahuila y Tejas	Mahala is about 18 years of age when her widowed sister, Matilda Fair Connell nee Roberts, marries Samuel Tabor Allen, and when her brother, Noel Gill Roberts, marries Mariah Thomas. Mahala is 19 years old when the Consultation declares Texas a separate state in November. at San Felipe
1836	Republic of Texas	Mahala is 19 years of age when the Runaway Scrape occurs in February, and when the Texas Declaration of Independence is signed on March 2nd, and at the time of the Battle of the Alamo on March 6th, and, and when the Goliad Massacre occurs on March 27th, and at the time of the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21st, and when a wounded Sam Houston is recuperating in July at the home of her sister, Esther Sublett, and when her brother-in-law, Phillip Sublett, nominates Sam Houston for President of the Republic of Texas on August 15th.
1838	Republic of Texas	Mahala Lee Roberts is 21 years old when she marries John M. Sharp in San Augustine County on March 22nd, and when her brother-in-law, Samuel Tabor Allen, is killed in Navarro County on October 8th when a band of Kickapoo Indians attack the surveying team he is working with.
1839	Republic of Texas	Mahala is about 22 years old when her 1st child, Samuel Houston Sharp, is born, probably in San Augustine County.
1840	Republic of Texas	Mahala is about 23 years old when her 2nd child, Margaret Annot Sharp, is born, probably in San Augustine County.
1842	Republic of Texas	Mahala is 25 years old when General Sam Houston writes to his wife in Alabama that he will not be attending the wedding of Mahala’s sister, Margaret S. Roberts, who marries Alexander McDonald in Harris County on June 15th, and when her brother, Felix Grundy Roberts, marries Elizabeth Keyser Layton on August 2nd.
1844	Republic of Texas	Mahala is 27 years old when her father, Elisha Roberts, signs his Last Will & Testament on May 8th in San Augustine, and when her father dies on October 3rd in San Augustine County. His burial spot is later marked by a Texas Historical Marker (as of 1936, Texas Centennial).
1845	Republic of Texas	Mahala is 28 years old when her sister, Elizabeth Smith nee Roberts, dies in San Augustine County on May 2nd. It is possible this sister was buried beside their father. A few months later, Mahala had just turned 29 when her mother, Martha “Patsy” Roberts nee Gill, dies in San Augustine County on December 18th, and when Texas is annexed by the United States as the 28th state on December 29th. Patsy is buried beside her husband. Their home place is also marked by a Texas Historical Marker as of 1936 (Texas Centennial).
1846	TX	Mahala is 29 years old when she is listed on the Tax List for San Augustine County. There is no mention of her husband, John M. Sharp, and no record of him has been found since the date they married.
1847	TX	Mahala is 30 years of age when her sister, Anna Daughtrey nee Roberts, dies on March 12th in Austin County, and is buried at the Starr Hill Cemetery. It is about this time period when Mahala’s twice-widowed sister, Matilda Fair Connell Allen nee Roberts marries Thomas Johnson Allen, the brother of her deceased 2nd husband.
1850	TX	Mahala is 33 years old when she and her two children are enumerated in San Augustine County, and when her sister, Matilda Connell Allen Allen nee Roberts, donates 120 acres of land for the Town of Belton from the Connell Estate.
1851	TX	Mahala Lee Sharp nee Roberts is 34 years of age when she marries Col. Joshua James Hall on February 12th in San Augustine County, and when Nicholas Sterne stops by to visit them in their home on June 15th (as recorded in the Sterne diary).
1852	TX	Mahala is 35 years old when her 3rd child, Roberta Hall, is born on May 25th in Houston County.
1854	TX	Mahala is 37 years old when her 4th child, Horace Oscar Hall, is born on September 22nd in Houston County.
1859	TX	Mahala is 42 years of age when her oldest daughter, Margaret Annot Sharp, marries James Madison Hall on July 14th. Hall is Mahala’s stepson.
1860	TX	Mahala is 43 years old when she & her family are enumerated on August 3rd in Houston County -- head of household is J.J. Hall; post office is Elk Hart. Her 1st grandchild, Florence Mahala Hall, is born on October 19th
1861	TX	Mahala is 44 years old when her oldest son, Samuel Houston Sharp, marries Mary Alexandrien “Nellie” Lemaire in Liberty County on July 11th. This is also the year when Texas secedes from the Union, and joins the Confederacy.
1863	TX	Mahala is 45 years old when her 1st grandson, James Wrigley Hall, is born in Houston County on October 8th. He is a son of J.M. Hall & Mahala’s daughter, Margaret.
1863	TX	Mahala is 46 years of age when her grandson, James Hall “Major” Sharp, is born to Sam & Nellie on January 25th in Houston County. She is 47 when her granddaughter, Josephine Martha Hall, is born on December 15th in Houston County. Josephine’s parents are J.M. & Margaret Hall.
1864	TX	Mahala is 47 years old when Sam & Nellie lose a baby thru a miscarriage on January 16th while Sam is in jail on charge of being liable for conscription. It was also about this time when Mahala’s brother, Noel Roberts, dies in San Augustine.
1866	TX	Mahala is 49 years of age when her granddaughter, Josephine Martha Hall (daughter of J.M. & Margaret) dies on July 16th, and is buried in Liberty. Just a few months later, Mahala’s stepson / son-in-law, James Madison Hall, dies in Liberty County. She has just celebrated her 50th birthday when her grandson, Madison Hall, is born on November 11th.
1867	TX	Mahala is 50 when her grandson, James Wrigley Hall (son of J.M. & Margaret), dies on October 11th, and she has just turned 51 when her grandson, Samuel Houston Sharp, Jr., is born to Sam and Nellie in Liberty County on November 8th.
1869	TX	Mahala is celebrating her own 53rd birthday when her granddaughter, Margaret Elizabeth Sharp, is born on November 3rd in Liberty County to Sam & Nellie.
1870	TX	Mahala is 54 years of age when she is enumerated with her family on December 2nd in Houston County. Head of household is her 2nd husband, J.J. Hall, and their post office is listed as Crockett. Within the next year or so after this census, Col. J.J. Hall dies, and is buried in the Hall family cemetery in Houston County. Also enumerated in Houston County on December 2nd are Mahala’s daughter, Margaret, and her 2nd husband, Frank Stewart. Margaret’s youngest son with J.M. Hall, Madison Hall, dies (or disappears from the records) sometime after this census is taken.
1871	TX	Mahala is celebrating her own 55th birthday on November 3rd when her granddaughter, Ida Mae Sharp, is born in Houston County to Sam & Nellie.
1872	TX	Mahala is about 55 years of age when her grandson, Edward F. Stewart, is born in Texas, to Margaret & Frank Stewart.
1873	TX	Mahala is about 56 years old when her grandson, Louis O. Stewart, is born to Margaret & Frank Stewart. Mahala had just celebrated her 57th birthday when her granddaughter, Berta Mary Sharp, is born on November 10th in Houston County to Sam & Nellie.
1876	TX	Mahala is 59 years of age when her grandson, Sam S. Stewart, is born on September 24th in Texas, to her daughter, Margaret. Less than a month later, Mahala’s daughter-in-law, Mary Alexandrien “Nellie” Sharp nee Lemaire, dies in Houston County on October 10th, shortly after giving birth to a baby girl known as Willie Sharp. Nellie is buried in the Hall family cemetery. A Texas Historical Marker at that cemetery identifies Nellie’s grave as the earliest marked grave. In November of that year, possibly after Mahala’s 60th birthday, Margaret’s new baby boy, Sam, dies, and Margaret dies sometime after that (before 1880).
1879	TX	Mahala is 62 when her sister, Matilda Connell Allen Allen nee Roberts, dies in Georgetown in April.
1880	TX	Mahala is 63 when she is enumerated in Houston County as a widowed head of household. Those enumerated with her include her widowed son, Sam, and his surviving children, also a servant named Fannie Bass [who would give birth to a son named Andy Sharp in 1881]. Mahala’s daughter, Florence, is enumerated in the household of Mahala’s widowed son-in-law, Frank Stewart.
1882	TX	Mahala is 65 when her father Elisha Roberts’ will is recorded in San Augustine County
1885	TX	Mahala is 67 years old when she dies on June 27th in Houston County, with burial in the Hall Cemetery. It is supposedly about this same time when Mahala’s son, Sam, and his youngest daughter, Willie, die and are buried in the same cemetery.