Little is know of the migration of
the Stateham family from east to west, but they were living in East Texas before the beginning of the Civil War. The untimely death of both parents left four
orphan boys: Mike, Lawson, Sam and
John. How and when they came to Tarrant County is not known, but by 1871 the
children were living a few miles north east of present day Keller. Mike and John were cared for by the Major
Waldon family. Lawson and Sam found a
home with Dr. and Mrs. Burnett. All four
children grew up as farm boys.
Years later, John established his
home in Dallas. Sam went first to Bowie
in Montague County
and later to Waurika, Oklahoma where he lived the remainder of his
life.
Mike, born August 13, 1860 and died
February 11, 1914, was married November 22, 1888 to Rosie Boone, born September
9, 1871, the daughter of John and Mary Ellen Crawford Boone. They established their first home about three
miles east of Roanoke
and moved a few years later to the Shady Grove Community, south east of Keller.
The four children of this family
remembered their father as an excellent Bible student. His training in that field began in
childhood. Mike’s foster parents, the
Waldons, were deeply religious people and believed that the children of their
household should not play on Sunday afternoons, but should spend the major
portion of that time setting on the stairway reading the Bible.
Lawson Stateham, born August 9,
1862, was married November 1, 1883 to Rebecca Jane Price, born in Ray County,
Missouri, April 23, 1866, the daughter of William and Barbara Hankins
Price. The wedding ceremony was
performed at Decatur, Wise County.
Mike Stateham died at the age of
fifty three. His wife passed away twenty
one years later, on September 20, 1935.
Both are buried in Bourland
Cemetery.
The children of Mike and Rosie
Boone Stateham are:
1)
John William, born June 7, 1890 and died April 27,
1929. He was married to Lena Garrett.
2)
Lillie C., born October 5, 1896. She was married to Everett Lopp.
3)
Robert Earl, born February 26, 1898 and died January
22, 1959. He was married to Mattie
Autrey.
4)
Grover C., born November 29, 1903 and died June 28,
1955. His first marriage was to Magaline
Wright and his second to Helen.
Interviews:
Burl Stateham
Harvey Stateham
Lillie C. Stateham Lopp
Maud Stateham Browning
