John Erastus Pearson

Three of their seven children were born in Tennessee; John Erastus, born May 25, 1887; Walter Ellis, born June 17, 1892 and Fannie Jane, born January 31, 1894.

In the mid 1890’s, the family came by covered wagon to Texas.  The first stop was near Greenville, Hunt County, where the father had his first experience in black land farming.  Here the fourth child, Ivy Watson, was born on October 8, 1896.  When he was two years old, the family moved to Matagorda County, but the lure of prosperity proved to be only a dream.  One year of farming in the Gulf Coast area brought financial disaster.  Torrents of rain and a scourge of boll weevils destroyed the cotton crop.

In an effort to provide additional income, Mr. Pearson and a brother-in-law, Oscar Brown, drove ox teams and freighted supplies for Shanghai Pierce, the man who made the first importation of brahma cattle from India.  When additional oxen were needed, they were rounded up on the open range and broken to the yoke.

Finally, the hurricane of September 8^th and 9^th, 1900, which dealt disaster to Galveston and much of the coastal area, left the Pearson’s no choice but to seek a new home.

After the birth of Clifford Richmond (Polk) on October 28, 1900, the family packed their belongings in a covered wagon and started the long journey to the Oklahoma Indian Territory.  Heavy down pours of rain for the first several days made it impossible to build a campfire to cook any food.

In addition to the weather, the serious illness of the baby, only days old, made the trip a very difficult one.  The most trying hours provided a story to be told years later to children and grandchildren.  For a little protection against gale winds and torrents of rain, the wagon was stopped at dusk close by a cliff of rocks.    There was no sleep in store for the parents, who took turns caring for the tiny infant, whose every breath they feared might be his last.  To seek medical help seemed hopeless.  For many miles along the trail, there had been no sign of life and there was no way of knowing how far they might travel to find a village that afforded a doctor.  Circumstances forced them to wait out the night with only the aid of hope, faith and loving care.  As day light came, the baby’s condition seemed improved, the storm had passed and the family moved on.

When they reached Sherman, Grayson County, they camped and picked cotton to earn enough money for the remainder of the trip.  With winter coming, the Pearson’s moved on across the Red River into the Indian Territory and settled near Marlow in Stephens County.  Their home was half dugout with a sod roof, typical of the times in that frontier country.

It was here, that the father turned ill fortune into success.  With favorable seasons and hard work, he accumulated enough money to buy a farm.  Since land in the Indian Reservation was not for sale, he came alone to the Cross Timbers of Tarrant County and purchased land east of Keller, Texas, owned now by Mrs. Tilda Peterson Hudnall.

Returning to the Territory, he prepared his family for their last covered wagon journey, this time with a new member, Lou Pauline, born April 20, 1903.

The trip was not an easy one.  Many roads were little more than cattle trails.  Hills meant hard pulling for the horses.  Steep down grades presented a problem for the driver.  Brakes on the rear wheel of the wagon were operated by a metal handle attached to a ratchet on the side of the wagon.  The frequent locking and releasing of the brakes produced severe hand bruises for Mr. Pearson that required the services of Dr. E.T. Read when the family reached Keller.

Soon Mr. Pearson found another farm for sale which was more to his liking as a home site.  He sold his first purchase to John (Grandpa) Peterson for cash in hand and bought the tract of land east of Keller, known now as the Pipes farm.  This became the permanent home of the Pearson’s and the birthplace of a son, Charlie Allen, born January 21, 1909 and named after two family friends, Charlie Whitley and Tine Allen.

Prosperity enabled the father to purchase adjacent farms toward the east until his holdings reached the Smithfield Road.  In addition to farming, he engaged in the grocery business, having one store at the north east corner of the intersection of the Smithfield Road and what is now Farm Road 1709 and another in Keller.  He also owned and operated a cotton gin in Keller for several years.

The older children attended Lone Elm School.  With the exception of his first year at Florence School, Charlie attended the Keller School and was graduated in the class of 1926.  The father of this family passed away November 4, 1931 and the mother May 17, 1943.  Both are buried in White’s Chapel Cemetery.

Records of the Pearson children are as follows:

1)      John Erastus, born May 25, 1887 and died April 1954.  He is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.  He was married to Ila Bradford.  Their children are:  Eudell, John Calvin, Dorothy, Clifford, Albert Hugh and Maudie.

2)      Walter Ellis, born June 17, 1892 and died January 28, 1919.  He was married to Ida Belle Buffington.  Their children are: Jewell (Mrs. Jack Lee) and Pearl (Mrs. Olin Goldsberry).

3)      Fannie Jane, born January 31, 1894 and died August 3, 1919.  She was married to Dick Blackwood.

4)      Ivy Watson, born October 8, 1896 and died December 13, 1968.  He was married to Mamie Grimes.  Their children are: Fannie Belle; Geraldine; Ivanell; Aline, and Joy.

5)      Clifford Richmond (Polk), born October 28, 1899 and died February 3, 1965.  His first marriage was to Willie Louise (Bill) Robinson and second to Florence N. Spivey.

6)      Lou Pauline, born April 20, 1903.

7)      Charlie Allen (Bud), born January 21, 1909.  He was married to Nell Young.  Their children are: Clifford Allen and Gwenwell.