Elder Aurelius Delphus Bourland was born March 20, 1840 in Caswell County, South Carolina. Following the death of his father, he came with his mother to Calhoun County, Alabama, where he grew into manhood. While a teenage boy, he was converted under the preaching of a Negro minister and later became affiliated with the Missionary Baptist church. In 1859, at the age of nineteen, he was married to Martha L. Ray. In 1861, he enlisted in the Confederate Army, where he served until the close of the Civil War.
Two years later in 1867, he brought his family by ox drawn wagons to Fannin County, Texas. Soon after their arrival, the young wife, Martha died, leaving five children:
1) A.D. (Buddie), married first to Martha Alice Keller, second to Donie Fowler.
2) Tommy married Fanny Wilten
3) Frances Harriett (Fanny) married to Charles Marion White.
4) William Samuel (Billy) married Annie Ladd.
5) George was killed by lightning.
Elder Bourland’s second marriage was to ________ Browning, who lived only about a year. She died in childbirth. The infant did not survive.
The third marriage was to Martha Elizabeth White, born December 27, 1848 and died November 7, 1936, the daughter of Andrew and Elizabeth (Sebastian) White. The children of this union were:
1) Andy Marcus married Anna Satterwhite. They had four children. Tera married Marvin Sharp. Fanny married Price Denny and Clyde Hamm. Delphus married Margaret Hadley and Hugh married Ruth Sewell.
2) James Edward, born 1876, married Lula McCain. They had six children. Louis married Edna Christian. Lawrence, died in childhood. Twins, Lela, died in infancy and Lee married Audrey Christian. Twins, Lester and ________, died in infancy.
3) John Hiram, born May 9, 1885, died in 1954, married Pearl Hopson. They had three children. Alberta married George Hoffman. Jack married Elizabeth Gunn. Johnnie Pearl married A. E. Grant.
4) Elijah married Blanche ___________. They had five children. Hazel, Anna Jo, Homer Lloyd, twins, Carl and _______. Carl was killed in a gravel pit cave in.
5) Green married Emma Mae McKelvey and ______________.
During his residence in Fannin County, the course of A.D. Bourland’s religious life was changed. Following a prayerful study of the Bible, he united with the Caney Church of Primitive Baptists in 1867 and was baptized by Elder John E. Deatherage. His letter of dismissal was dated the second Sunday in July 1872. At this time, he moved his family to Tarrant County, established a home near Double Springs and placed his membership in the Denton Creek Church in May 1873.
On August 9, 1873, Elder Bourland purchased 86 acres of land out of the R.F. Allen survey from W.L. Burnett. Payment was made in gold coins. On this tract, he built the house and barn which stands across the road from Bourland Cemetery. Additional purchases are shown on County land records as:
February 13, 1876 – 100 acres – Samuel Needham survey from A.G. Roberts.
May 21, 1877 – 60 acres – Samuel Needham survey from A.G. Roberts.
August 17, 1880 – 44 acres – Permelia Allen survey from J.A. Barcroft.
September 28, 1881 – 10 acres – Permelia Allen survey from Robert Blevins.
This last tract increased his land to 420 acres. The prices he paid ranged from one to five dollars per acre.
In addition to being a prosperous farmer, Elder Bourland was an ardent servant in the church of his faith. In the 1870’s, he felt called to preach the gospel and during those years spent time in prayerful study to prepare himself for such work. He was liberated by the church on Saturday before the first Sunday in May 1879 and was ordained to the work of the ministry on Saturday before the first Sunday in July 1886 by Elders W.P. Mothershed, Samuel McKelvy, J.D. Loving and J.S. Collins. He served as moderator of the Trinity River Association for a period of ten years.
The sloping land south of the Bourland home was used often for three day camp meetings. Families came from miles around in covered wagons which served as temporary living quarters. Large quantities of bread were baked in the Bourland kitchen, while a great deal of cooking was done on outdoor fires.
In later years, a Primitive Baptist Church was built on the northeast corner of the intersection of Bates and Elm streets in Keller. Some of the older residents recall that Elder Bourland often plowed until near time for the worship service, and then stopped his team at the southwest corner of his field, went to the meeting house, preached a sermon and then returned to his work in the field.
His ministry involved a great deal of travel, sometimes as far as neighboring states. He organized the Primitive Baptist Church on the Dawson ranch at Steamboat Springs, Colorado. While on this mission, a member of his family died. Since transportation and communication were slow, it was Martha Bourland’s responsibility to choose a burial spot. She recalled a conversation with her husband in which he had expressed a wish to be buried by a large cedar tree on rising ground across the road from his house and barn. This was the deciding factor which marked the beginning of the family burial ground which later became the Bourland Cemetery.
Elder Bourland was paralyzed about a year before his death August 1, 1904. The funeral service was held at the farm home. Burial was in the family plot at Bourland Cemetery. His widow passed away November 7, 1936 and was buried beside her husband.
Information given by:
Evoline Blevins Travis (Mrs. John)
Emma Hodge Satterwhite (Mrs. W.A.)
Pearl Hopson Bourland (Mrs. John H.)
Audrey White Johnson (Mrs. Barney)
Lee Bourland
“Signs of the Times” – September 15, 1904 (Official publication of Primitive Baptist Church. Publisher, J.E. Beebe & Co., Middleton, N.Y.; Editor - F.A. Chick, Hopewell, N.J.)
