About this collection

Preserving more than names and dates.

This website brings together selected family histories, meaningful local recordings, and weather observed from home.

Why it exists

Family Tree Maker remains the source for detailed genealogical research. These pages provide a more personal way to highlight colorful and historically significant people from both sides of our family.

Accuracy and restoration

Original research notes, sources, photographs, and documents are preserved. Uncertain family traditions are identified as such, and restored photographs remain connected to their original scans.

Site administration

Photo collection

Old Gatesville Pictures

Coryell County — Coryell County North Side of the square 1886
Gatesville, Texas

Coryell County — Coryell County Sometime in the 1880s an attractive young woman posed for this beautiful picture in Oglesby Texas

Coryell County — Coryell County Jim Leeper and Ed Powell were hanged Sept. 29, 1891, for a robbery and murder they had committed on Dec. 17, 1889. "In the latter part of 1889, while returning to Gatesville with a wagon train of supplies, John T. Mathes and W.H.H. Harvey were held up and robbed on the Lampasas Road twelve miles southwest of Gatesville...

Coryell County — Coryell County Northwest corner of square
Gatesville, Texas

Coryell County — Coryell County A large crowd lined the courthouse square and the tops of buildings in Gatesville Texas to witness a plane attempting to take off from the square in 1915.
South side of Coryell Co Courthouse

Coryell County — Coryell County 17 young men and 22 young women from the graduating class of Gatesville Texas posed on the Coryell County courthouse steps in 1899 for this wonderful photo
Graduating Class of Gatesville Texas in 1899

Coryell County — Coryell County Airplane Crash News Article 1931

Coryell County — Coryell County October 31, 1931 was a very sad day in Gatesville Texas when 100s of horrified Saturday shoppers watched an army airplane carrying two Gatesville natives spin to the ground outside Gatesville. The pilot, Lieutenant Wayne Bone of Kelly Field was the son of Gatesville Police Chief Tom Bone was on a visit to his parents. His passenger was 18-Year Old Edgar Thompson who he was taking on a ride

Texas — Texas Saloon scene

IMG 2054

1940s Coryell County Courthouse with Statue (1) — 1940s Coryell County Courthouse with Statue (1) Detailed image of the Coryell County Courthouse with statue and vintage cars in foreground as it appeared in 1940s

Coryell County Courthouse in 1930s — Coryell County Courthouse in 1930s Beautiful photo of the Coryell County Courthouse in Gatesville Texas in the 1930s

coryell county — coryell county Coryell County Map of 1896

513E18CA BF2C 4B3E A557 EC0855191FF4 — 513E18CA BF2C 4B3E A557 EC0855191FF4

Coryell County — Coryell County While serving as the Chaplain for the Gatesville School School for Boys, Vergil Lemons also traveled to provide revival services outside the school. Here's a poster on one he did in 1933

Texas — Texas Parade

Texas — Texas Has been disputed as being from Texas. Most likely Iowa.

Texas — Texas Saloon scene

IMG 2053

28F8F68A 3E9F 44AB AD1C 93CD9D2BF8BA — 28F8F68A 3E9F 44AB AD1C 93CD9D2BF8BA

Coryell County — Coryell County In 1901 a beautiful little girl named Ellamide Fecner posed for her portrait in Gatesville Texas

Coryell County — Coryell County In 1931 students were cultivating cotton on the state's 1,800 acre prison farm in Gatesville Texas when this photo was captured for the school yearbook. Student prisoners are working behind the plows while guards watch on horseback.

Texas — Texas Cowboys drinking in a Texas saloon
c 1890's

IMG 2051

Coryell County — Coryell County When the Leon River flooded at Gatesville Texas in 1936 a few daring photographers captured the event. In this photo one photographer stood on a high perch above the river and caught another photographer using a box camera to photograph the flooding river.

Coryell County — Coryell County Downtown Gatesville
1890s

Texas Rangers — Texas Rangers Texas Rangers in Saloon

IMG 2050

Coryell County — Coryell County Detailed image of the Coryell County Courthouse with statue and vintage cars in foreground as it appeared in 1940s
Coryell County Court House 1940s
Gatesville, Texas

Coryell County — Coryell County A farmer in Coryell County Texas rocks back in his chair, puts his feet on the porch steps and reads his latest copy of Progressive Farmer in September of 1931 in this photo by George W. Ackerman

Coryell County — Coryell County Interesting photo of the Gatesville Texas High School as it was in 1955

Camp

1 photograph

Camp — Camp

Coryell County — Coryell County Sometime in the 1930s or 1940s the Carter family posed for this photo in Evant Texas. Pictured are David, Sudie and little James Carter (seated on the gate post) at the Carter family home.

Portrait

1 photograph

Portrait — Portrait

Coryell County — Coryell County East Side Downtown Gatesville
Gatesville, Texas

Coryell County — Coryell County In 1936 the boys in the Gatesville Texas School for Boys (reform school) were marching in formation when this photograph was taken.

School

1 photograph

School — School

Coryell County — Coryell County Court House
Gatesville, Texas

Coryell County — Coryell County Sometime in the 1940s Henry and Martha Easterling posed at their home in Evant Texas for this wonderful old photo.

Gatesville Map

2 photographs

South side of square — South side of square Wonderful aerial photo of Gatesville Texas as it was in 1908 including the Alex L Adams Dry Goods store and the post office

Gatesville Map — Gatesville Map This hand drawn image of Gatesville Texas in 1884 shows landmarks, horses, buggies and a steam locomotive. Most importantly Augustus Koch, the artist included labels for the streets.

Coryell County — Coryell County The Buckhorn
Gatesville, Texas

Coryell County — Coryell County Train Depot
Gatesville, Texas

Coryell County — Coryell County 1931 at the shoe-shop at the Gatesville School for Boys (reformatory) three boys and their instructor posed for this huge highly detailed photo of life in the reformatory in the 1930s.

. . . photo courtesy Brent Lemons. His grandparents were Chaplain and music teacher there for 8 years and made many a lifelong friend of those boys.

Cozy Cafe

1 photograph

Cozy Cafe — Cozy Cafe

Coryell County — Coryell County n 1928, the Baseball Team of the Gatesville School for Boys posed for this huge highly-detailed photo. Photo is from Virgil Lemons album...he assisted (volunteered) to help with the baseball team in 1928 after having played for Wayland and Baylor just previous to coming to Gatesville to serve as the school Chaplain.

Coryell County — Coryell County Elementary School
Gatesville 1936
Gatesville, Texas

Coryell County — Coryell County 38 children posed in their school uniforms in Gatesville Texas in 1936

Coryell County — Coryell County In 1931 these boys from the Gatesville School for boys were working hard and learning a trade in the Tailor Shop when this photo was captured for the school's pictorial yearbook. The department, supervised by Mrs. Mattie Sears, and made all the garments, both under and outer, including the caps, table and bed lines, for seven hundred boys.

Coryell County — Coryell County These young men from the Gatesville School for Boys (reform school) were all dressed up in their finest suits to attend chapel in 1936. For many of them the suits were probably the only ones they had ever owned and probably made at the school's Tailor Shop.

Coryell County — Coryell County In this rare photo of the class room of the State Juvenile Training School in Gatesville Texas in 1931 twenty seven boys study at their desk while six work math problems on the chalk board

Coryell County — Coryell County In 1931 the dairy barn at the Gatesville reform school was equipped with cement mangers, floors and gutters, steel stanchions and other modern sanitary devices and large enough to care for 108 cows at one time.

Coryell County — Coryell County Coryell County School with smoke coming from the chimney in 1908

Coryell Couty — Coryell Couty Cotton Belt Railroad Station in Gatesville Texas in 1920s includes vintage car to help set the date