William Wesley Merrett brought his
family to Tarrant
County on September 6,
1888, settling in the Lone Elm Community three miles east of Keller. He paid $600 for sixty acres of land in the north west corner of the
intersection of the Smithfield
Road and FM 1709.
The improvements included fences, a good well, a spring branch and a
four room house. In addition to farming,
the family owned and operated the Lone Elm gin, which was powered by water
(steam). Cotton was compressed by mule
power.
The children attended the Lone Elm
School a quarter of a
mile away. Drinking water was carried
from the Merrett’s well. A short stick
under the bucket bail made it possible for two children to share the load. All school children drank from the same gourd
dipper.
William Wesley (Bill) Merrett, now
eighty four years of age at the time of this writing, recalls interesting
experiences at the small rural school.
His first teachers were Mr. and Mrs. Tom Forgy. Others who came later included Miss Lizzie
Hudgins and Miss Ora Smith. Wade Poole,
County School Superintendent, rode horse back to inspect the various rural
schools. On one such visit to Lone Elm,
Bill Merrett and his good friend, Cheat Harris, put a cocklebur under the
horse’s saddle. Nothing exciting happened
until Mr. Poole mounted to ride away. It
was then that the cocklebur touched off a bronc riding event, followed by an
investigation that produced no evidence, no conviction and no punishment.
In 1892, the Merrett family moved
to Grapevine, where they operated a livery stable for several years. During these years, the son, Bill, obtained
his first outside employment on the Slaughter Ranch at $13.00 per month.
William Wesley (Bill) was married
first to Lutin Perry, mother of the son N.M. Merrett. His second marriage was to Myrtle V.
Ethriedge. He began a career in local
politics in 1918, which kept his name before the voters of Tarrant County
until 1940. Many road improvements in
Precinct 4 were accomplished during his administration as County Commissioner. Her served three years as Justice of the
peace at Lake Worth
Village and was elected
first mayor in 1940.
He discusses his political defeats
and victories with equal good humor and says, “Through it all, I never was mad
at anybody.”
Friends still recall the spice and
frevity of one of his political speeches the night before election day, when
J.I. Short was his opponent in the race for commissioner. He was the last speaker at a rally held on
the front steps of the Tarrant County Courthouse. Herewith, the speech is quoted in its
entirety; “Fellow citizens, it won’t be long now and it won’t be short.”
Though his weight has been reduced
from 314 to 185 pounds, Mr. Bill is still an impressive figure. Confined to his home at 3217 Caddo Trail, he
continues to serve his community as Notary Public. He keeps in touch with the outside world by
telephone and through the visits with his many friends and relatives who call
often. The long list of visitors
includes his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. N.M. Merrett and two foster
daughters, Mrs. D.W. Healy and Mrs. Johnnie Carden and their families.
The mother passed away in 1893 and
was buried at White’s Chapel. In 1898,
the father brought his family back to Keller, where he continued to live until
his death August 22, 1925. He was buried
beside his wife.
