Joel Lewis Foster

Dr. J.J. McCloskey, born in Ireland in 1803.  Came to USA, landed in Illinois in 1825.  Married a girl named Cathryn, no other record.  They were parents of two boys, one girl and died in 1832.  Boys names were not known, only as Dr. McCloskey of New York, the other was called Joe and went to live in Ireland after mother’s death.  Grand mother, after death of both parents, was taken by some friends to raise, as was the custom in those days, then they decided to move to Texas.  In the later part of the summer 1838, they started out on a wagon train for a new home in Texas.  How well do we remember how she loved to tell about the trip, she being Irish, could add plenty of wit to make things interesting, although she was quite young, she never forgot the trip.  Especially the hardships they had to endure.  One we never could forget, the wagons were so heavily loaded, the family had to walk most time.  The trip took three months, landing at Napels, Cass Co., Texas on Thanksgiving Day.  Cathryn McCloskey was married to Joel Lewis Foster in 1853, then they moved to Hughs Springs and to this union was six children of which Sallie Cathryn Foster Harrison was one of the children.  Grand father had to go to the Civil War.  Grand mother had a hard time protecting the place and family, but after the close of war, they moved to Grapevine, Texas.  There were Mary Foster (Tucker); John Jefferson; Sallie Cathryn; Joel Lewis; Robert L.; Druesilla.  Then he raised six orphan children.  They were Methodist and known to all as Uncle Joe and Aunt Kate.  They were parents of Sallie Cathryn who married James Whitfield Harrison,

November 13, 1875.  James W. Harrison was the son of W.T. Harrison of Union, Anderson Co. South Carolina, born 1837.  Mother was Fannie Ausborn, also born in 1837.  There were four boys, one girl.  The mother passed away in 1865. The Grand mother took the girl so he and the boys stayed together.  Later he took another wife and left for Texas.  Located at Coppell, Texas, there were four children added to this union.  We have no record how they came to Texas, but sure by wagon as have heard my father say so many times about the trip on a horse and he was 10 years old.  He lived with his parents on a farm in the Cotton Wood Community and was members of the Cotton Wood Baptist Church. Father J.W. Harrison was married to Sallie Foster 1875, moved on one of the Foster’s farms east of Grapevine where the broadcasting station now stands.  They, in 1884, decided to move a little farther west, so they set out to buy a farm of their own.  So, bought the farm 5 miles north west of Keller on Henrietta Creek, now owned by

Mr. Reynolds.  In 1885, it was then a log house.  So in the fall of 1891, they built the five room house as now is being used.  To this union was five girls: Nettie Lee, married

H.V. Jackson; Nellie Cathryn, married C.E. Smith; Tillie D., married W.H. Terrill; Willie M., married W.Y. Flemister; Ethel Harrison married N.C. Simmons.  Only Tillie and Willie remain.  In 1894, they had Mr. Tine Allen to dig a deep well and pipe the water in the house.  Now that was when the neighbors thought it too much of a leap for them as no one had that improvement and labor saver.  They were Charter Members of the Henrietta Creek Baptist Church.  The Church Building was also used for the Star School where we children all attended school before moving to Keller. 

In 1904, my father and mother decided to leave the farm as they felt they could no longer do the work of the farm as they would drive to Fort Worth, 20 miles in the buggy, hot, cold are (or) what you have each week to sell.  Their butter often 10 cents per pound, eggs were five cents, friers often $1.25 per dozen, but time went on.  There was often sickness in the community and mother would go see what she could do if to sit up wash, iron, cook in case of the worst came.  Most anything to help a neighbor, but in October they bought the hotel in Keller from Mrs. McCarty and her daughter, Mrs. Martha Robinson.  They moved in November 4.  Now this was a new kind of work for the family, but soon got the hang of the work seven days a week, three meals a day.  The meals were 25 cents, room 25 cents by the day and board by month $12.50.  We had transient people from most every train.  For meals and bed we also boarded home boys.  We rented a two room apartment to Miss Jennie Prosser for two years at $60 a month.  There were seven rooms upstairs, 8 rooms downstairs.  The hotel was built in 1881 at the same time the railroad came through.  We have had as many as 16 boys boarding at the same time that lived in are (or) near Keller.  This lasted until 1913, when we decided to make the house into apartments.  At this time my father bought a Ford car and he hired W.Y. Flemister to drive the car, called it a jitney and hauled people anywhere they wanted to go, mostly Fort Worth.  But it was in 1907, father bought the livery stable from the late Tom Hudgins, he hired horse and buggys to couples on Sunday afternoon, also hauled from depot to stores, acted as undertaker to haul the bodys and what ever and where ever one’s need was.  But in 1913, the car came took the place of the horse and buggy, so the livery stable was sold to Mr. Jasper Knox for a garage.  But back to the year 1905.  Mrs. E. Jamison, being a Aunt of mother, had not seen each other in some thirty years came in on train on her way to Argyle to visit a brother, but was to spend the night, so they visited that night.  So, next morning we needed help so bad, mother asked Aunt Ellan, as we all called her, if she would work so she said “yes”, so she stayed until her passing in death.  While in 1906, January 1, Aubrey Belcher came for board and is still with us although with Red and Willie Flemister now.  In 1907, my father was one of the share holders in the Bank in Keller, then he was one of the three men to put telephones in Keller, Mr. W.M. Crawford was president.  He was share holder in the Mercantile store of which Mr. W. A Bates was manager.  Then he and four other men decided Keller needed water works capable of piping water to the houses instead of having it hauled to the house at  five cents a barrel, as so many did.  Others carried it from well in middle of the street between the Gulf Station and J.C. Hall.  The well was dug, water piped down Main Street.  Mr. Jasper Knox run the pump and took care of all works; his share was sold by the heirs in 1926 to C.G. Johnson.

Back to our days on the farm, my sister Ethel and I (Willie) always wanted to ride in covered wagon.  We had a horse to ride and a buggy and wagon, but no cover on it, but one day in 1898, father’s sister, Mr. and Mrs. Pleas Sanders and boys came from Coppell on way to Claud, Texas in a covered wagon.  They stayed with us a few days and while there took us for a ride, did we enjoy it.  We told our friends all about the treat, we wanted our father to buy some mules and a cover to go on our wagon, but instead he bought a carriage with rubber tires.   We felt so happy with it, I feel more so than one does now of a new car.  The first car was bought in 1913, but used for hire, so my daddy said we need a family car.  So, he bought the second car in fall of 1913.  We all used it for some years, then his health failed so it was Willie Flemister’s pleasure to take father and mother where they wanted to go.  Uncle Jimmy, as was know all over, passed on in 1922 and Aunt Sallie followed in 1925.  The home place, the old hotel, was sold to Willie and Red Flemister, so they turned it into apartments having four upstairs and one downstairs and rented at $10.00 per month, but in 1931 they tore the old hotel down and built the present three apartments on the same spot which was first built on in 1881.