Fannin County to Archer County to Kent County to Hansford County

The following article on the life of Charlie Newcomb is a compilation of different newspaper articles written by Susie Dacus, a reporter for the Spearman Reporter, plus recollections of Charles' family. During my research, I was able to clarify and complete information where the newspaper account was incomplete. Most of the article was written by Mrs. Dacus and I left it in her pen so you will find at least two styles of writing. The most eloquent writing will be that of Mrs. Dacus.

     Charles Craig Newcomb was born April 19, 1855. At the age of four years his parents started on the long Trek to Texas. John and Fanny Newcomb felt the urge to move to Texas with their three children, sons, Sanford and Charlie and daughter, Sarah. They sold most of their possessions and started out in a covered wagon. Mr. Newcomb had accumulated approximately 131 acres of farm land near Bunker Hill, Illinois. Apparently, the profits from the lands sales would be used to purchase land in Texas. It is not clear if this was the families' first trip, but family history supports John R having already been in Texas. Their fourth child, John, was born on John's second trip to Texas. On their return the family experienced the tragedy of losing their husband and father following a short illness in a place called Hellbrandt's Mill according to Charlie. He was too young to know or remember in what state the landmark lay, but that his father died and was buried in a field beside the road. Additional records give the date as November 10, 1859 and the place of John's burial as Brownville, Arkansas. Added to this loss someone entered their wagon while they were at the burying and stole their money hidden under the dead man's bed. Were it not for money the mother had hidden on her person they would indeed have been stranded far from home and friends.

     Most likely, Fannie returned to Illinois following John's death. The U.S census of 1860 Macoupin County, Illinois list Fannie Newcomb as living with her sister and brother-in-law, Nannie and Jackson Sisson. The four children are not mentioned. The next bit of information is found in 1869. Illinois marriage records reveal that Fannie Newcomb remarried on November 4, 1869 to John Welch. He had two sons. The family of eight is listed in the 1870 census for Fannin County Texas. One might conclude that the family moved to Texas and took up residence on the land previously purchased by John.

     Reporter Susie Dacus writes, "All this did not deter the brave woman and her small children. They pushed on to the land of their desire. Charlie always felt very close to his mother and helped her and his brother all he could as a child and at the age of eight hired out to a rancher for eight dollars per month. He worked with grown seasoned men who taught him how to make a hand and to hold his own in a man's world".

     The census records of 1860 and 1870 raises some questions about Charlie's memory of the dates in Mrs. Dacus' article. Dacus writes, "The family lived in Fannin County, Texas until the outbreak of the Civil War, then, they returned to Bunker Hill, Illinois." As mentioned earlier the Welch/Newcomb family was living in Fannin County in 1870. The next written record of the Newcomb family is the 1880 census. Sanford, wife Olivia and brother John were listed as farmers in the Texas community.

   Family history has Fannie's death in 1877. Charlie and Sarah were not mentioned in the '80 census. Following his mother's passing, Mrs. Dacus writes, "Charles worked on ranches in Central Texas for the next 15 years. He felt no tie to hold him to anything then but his work and he put himself into it heart and soul. For days and days he saw no one and only once a year did he go to town, and that was at shipping season when he would help trail the herd to St. Louis, Missouri to market." Ernest, second son, recalled "Charley worked on the Joseph Campbell Ranch, Henrietta, Texas, on the Pitch Fork Ranch, the Spur Ranch and was also a "Wagon Boss" on one of the Chisholm Trail rides.

     "Mr. Newcomb was loath to speak for himself." When probed, he always said, "Write about Lulu. I married a good old girl. To her he was devoted and felt that any accomplishment in his life was due to her life with him. Determined to learn more, I probed unmercifully. Looking at the man I saw that the advanced years sat heavily upon him. Years spent in the open, days and nights of blistering heat and bitter cold, rain, hail and swirling snow, this man had encountered with the elements in his life as a Texas cowboy and ranchman showed in the clear look of his eyes and lined face, the result of it all? He was a true western gentleman and one of the most colorful in the Panhandle area."

     "I lived my life in the Horse age", he said. "I wonder if people realize what the horses meant to man.  My horse was my friend. I always tried to take good care of my horse for I felt like he was my friend. There were times that I know my horse sensed my thoughts. In the cattle industry the horse played a role as important to the work as man himself and earned a supreme place in the development of the west."

     "My horse saved my life many times. He outran stampeding cattle and if he had stumbled it would have meant my life, he knew what to do to be the most helpful in riding or roping and cutting out. I always felt that so called bad horse, was usually the result or mistreatment. There were times when my horse took me away from Indian ambush. I didn't wait to see if they were friendly or not. Not having business with them I usually rode off to attend to my job. There were times they cut out a bunch of cattle from the herd and drove them off to their camp. At such times one couldn't do much about it. But he said, many white men were more lawless than the Red man. They too stole, sometimes a whole herd disappeared. The Indian stole for food but the white man for love of money and gain."

 "There were many Cowtrails then distant to markets. He knew them all. His life was Nomadic. Months went by that he saw no one except a fellow cowboy. When payday came along the boss of the range rode up on horse back with a saddlebag full of gold pieces and silver. It was transferred to the leather pouches of the cowboy. Mr. Newcomb was a thrifty man and his money was put aside for a ranch of his own in the future."

     I asked him, when he went on the cattle drives to Santa Fe, Denver, Dodge, or St. Louis if he ever went into a saloon. He replied, sadly, "yes". "They were the cowboy's hangout. Many a cowpoke spent all his wages there in cards, wine women and song."

     "What did the cowboy wear? We wore high heeled, long boots, big hats that had to be good enough to stand long hard wear, hold water and sometimes act as lash to the horses flank. Always the Cowboy wore a gun in a holster, swung low on the hip. One did not think of going any place without his gun, it was his protection from rattlesnakes, Indians or the bad man."

     What were the women like? "Pretty, just as they are today, except I think they wore their skirts to long. They swept the floors", he said.

     "They wore rats and mice in their hair. Rats at the back and mice at the sides. It made them look like they had a lot of "glory". Small girls wore long dresses with lace edged pantaloons showing below their skirts. Small boys wore homespun and copper toed shoes. Long curls were the rage then and pigtails were ever in style."

     In 1889, Charley Newcomb fell in love with Lula Ann Baggett at Archer City, Texas. "He met and married Lulu at the age of thirty five. This was the turning point in his life, from a lonely void to a life of real companionship. Both being orphans it seemed they were more appreciative of each other. Consequently, they led a very closely knit life together. A very happy life both say."

     "The wedding took place on December 24, 1890 in Archer City, Texas. Immediately afterward they went to his work on the Half-Circle 10 ranch near Spur, Texas. When he felt he had enough of a start of his own, he began to cast about for a home of his own. He had worked for many cattlemen, important in their day and had served well but he wished to ride herd for himself on land of his own."

     In the spring of 1901 or 2, he had 5 head of horses stolen and he came to the Panhandle looking for them. He liked the plains so well that after his return to his family he decided to move the family to the Panhandle of Texas in 1903. He purchased a ranch 15 miles north of old Hansford located on the Palo Duro Creek in Hansford County. He bought virgin land and stocked it with a herd of Whitefaced cattle. His herds multiplied with good and faithful care. He acquired more land, sowed wheat and planted row crops and harvested the dividends. He was a man happy and content in his lot. They lived there until 1927."

     In about 1926, Mr. Newcomb retired. He built a nice six room home with basement in Spearman, for Lulu. The builder was Hull Brothers Building Contractors. They built the 936 sq. ft. house for $1780.00.

     "Their last ten sections of land, with cattle and other holdings were sold. Unfortunately he invested much money in an oil venture. The wells were plugged up as dry holes. It is said today, they are producing wells on the land he owned and worked so many years."

     "Years busily spent on the range were not forgotten as he dozed by the fire that day as I talked with them. Life was different now he helped Lulu with the dishes, laundry and the chickens, and found time each day to go up town on errands for themselves or any of the neighbors nearby. Up town he stopped to visit with old friends and acquaintances. Some who knew of his knowledge and skill with cattle told him their problems and sought his advice. Many times when friends went after him he performed certain helpful procedures for them with a sick cow or horse. I remember a certain incident in our family. Our milk cow walked over a low barbed wire fence about nightfall. The greatly distended udder was cut and blood spurting in a stream at each step. I got in the car and went for Charlie. He got in the car with me and told me to drive by the Hale Drug Company. He sent me in for "Powdered Horn" and whatever that was he applied to the bleeding cow and stopped the flow. He also attended the same animal after the delivery of two of her calves."

     "When did you unite with the Church? For years I never say a church or thought about it much but when I married Lulu she was a devout Christian, a member of the Baptist Church. When I took a drink, like I was accustomed to do, or swore, I saw it made her unhappy. I thought about this a lot. One day while far from home line riding, I came to a little knoll. I got down off my horse and knelt on the knoll and told God to please have mercy upon me a sinner and to please save me for Christ's sake. I got back on my horse and rode away like a new man. Each time I rode by this same spot I would repeat the same ritual. It made a difference in my life and when the opportunity presented itself I united with Lulu's Church. It made her happy too, and as parents we could both do more for our family with greater love and appreciation."

     "They were our beloved and dear friends, who proved their friendship in many true and neighborly ways, what more can we give than ourselves? Truly we can say they gave themselves, in their life among us on the prairie or in the town and evinced the true western hospitality at all times."

     "His Lulu has reached a time of great age and affliction. I hope we can show our love and appreciation for her and for all the Pioneers who blazed the trails and helped to make the Panhandle and our beloved Hansford County the fabulous place it is today."

       Charlie passed away at home on June 2, 1943 in Spearman, Texas following a stroke. He was 88 years, one month and 14 days.