This blog is for the descendants of Tompa (Thomas David Blackwell) and Granny (Emma Elizabeth Gooch Blackwell) and their sons, Royce M. (born in 1906), Roland T. (born 1910), Weldon C. (born 1913), and Thomas D. (born in 1918). It would be sad if some of the great stories we have about our family were forgotten, and very sad if the younger generation never got to hear them. Therefore let's get them down in writing before they're lost and gone forever.
We'll start with the story of Tompa's father, G.W. Blackwell (George Washington?). The way I remember it being told, he was a Texas ranger for awhile in the 1880s. His wife, whose maiden name was Parson or Parsons, was worried that it was too dangerous. They had a passel of children to raise, so she convinced him to give up the job. After that he stayed home on the farm from then on, but took up itinerant preaching. He traveled in the area (near Killeen?) preaching at various gathering. There was a family of bad guys around (the Darnels) who must have been doing some really bad stuff because G.W. took to preaching against them. They didn't like this and one day while he was on his way home in the buckboard, they ambushed him! Shot him in the head. So his wife's fears were realized, but not because he had stayed in the Rangers. Tompa told me that they had his daddy laid out for the funeral and Tompa was made to kiss the body on the face (despite the fact that there was a bullet hole in the head). He was only 3 or 4 at the time, but it left an impression. He vowed to get revenge on the Darnels and was probably a very angry kid during his growing up years. But when he was a teenager a tent revival came to town, he was saved, and he decided revenge was not the Christian thing to do and gave up on the idea. Thanks goodness! Where would we all be now if he'd gotten revenge but ended up in prison for life???
Please add on or correct if you remember the story differently. I have a feeling there will be several versions of most of our stories.
Nancy
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I stopped by the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Muesesum yesterday in hopes of learning how to access their files to do research on GW. The research librarian was not in, but I got her contact information and have sent her this email:
ReplyDeleteAmanda:
I stopped by the Hall of Fame & Museum today on my way home from working in Dallas.
I was given your card and I would like to learn how to best perform research on my Great-Grandfather to verify the family story of him being a Texas Ranger.
The family story is this:
George Washington Blackwell , known as "GW",was a Texas Ranger in the early 1880's. His wife, Mary Parsons Blackwell convinced him that it was dangerous work and as they had 12 children and a farm to take care of, he quit the force.
Besides farming, he began itinerant preaching.
He traveled in the area (near Killeen?) preaching at various gatherings. There was a family of bad guys around (the Darnels) who must have been doing some really bad stuff because G.W. took to preaching against them.
They didn't like this and one day while he was on his way home in the buckboard, they ambushed and killed him.
His son (my grandfather, Thomas David Blackwell) told this story and said it happened when he was 3 or 4 years old. That would have been 1887 or 1888.
That is about all the information that I have.
Is this enough for me to work with?
Any information that you can provide on how I can perform the research will be appreciated.
Thank you.