SAMUEL MILTON CORNELISON

 

 

 

SURNAMES: CORNELISON, SAXON, SWINNEA, HUNNICUTT, TATE, BICKERSTAFF, WOODALL, PIRTLE, WOODLAND, HENDERSON, HARLAN, MCGALSSON, STALLINGS.

 

     Samuel Milton Cornelison, b September 16, 1862 in Falls County, Texas, d March 12,1912 of pneumonia at Blue Ridge, Falls County, Texas, and was buried in the Blue Ridge Cemetery - a son of Jesse and Mary Elizabeth (Saxon) Cornelison - was married March 1, 1888 in Falls County to Mildred Ellen Swinnea, b June 27,1869 in Falls County, Texas, d January 24,1938, and buried in Blue Ridge Cemetery by her husband - a daughter of Suldon W. and Mary Elizabeth (Hunnicutt) Swinnea.

     Samuel Milton was a farmer, and lived in Falls County in the Blue Ridge community all his life, as did his wife. They were the parents of eight children - all born in Blue Ridge:

     Infant Cornelison - stillborn in 1889.

     Una Pearl Cornelison, b July 10, 1891, d February 2, 1980 at Groesbeck, Limestone County, Texas - married James Hansford Tate (called "Dick"), and had two sons.

     Joseph Jones Cornelison, b July 3,1893, d September 30, 1940 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Alexandria, Rapide Parish, Louisiana, and buried in Blue Ridge Cemetery. He married first to Mrs. Kate Bickerstaff, and second to May Woodall, but had no children in either marriage. After the death of his father in 1912, Joe worked for Texaco Oil Company in Port Arthur, Texas. He volunteered to fight in World War I, and was a member of the 36th Division - resuming his employment with Texaco upon his return from the war. Joe was a Presbyterian.

     Samuel Marvin Cornelison, b April 16, 1896, d December 8, 1976 and buried in Blue Ridge Cemetery - was a farmer-rancher and dairyman by trade. On May 31,1943 in Falls County, he married Mrs. Beulah (Pirtle) Woodland, who had four children by her first husband, William Henry Woodland. Samuel Marvin Cornelison was always called "Marvin," He and Beulah had no children in their marriage. Beulah was born July 7, 1904, d January 21, 1968, and buried by her second husband, Samuel Marvin Cornelison, in the Blue Ridge Cemetery.

     Mary Saxon Cornelison, b March 27, 1898, resides in Marlin, Texas. She educated herself by attending college each summer until she earned her degree from Sul Ross State University. She taught school for forty years, before retiring. Mary never married, traveled allover the United States and parts of Canada and Mexico during "summer vacations," and did volunteer work wherever it was needed after her retirement. She is a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Marlin.

     Mattie Elizabeth Cornelison (called "Lizzie"), b May 12, 1901, resides in the Blue Ridge community where she was born. After attending college for two years, she began teaching and taught for twenty-seven years, including the schools of Blue Ridge and Stranger. On May 30, 1943 in Falls County, she married Bert Spencer Henderson, b May 10, 1892, d November 3, 1984, and buried in Blue Ridge Cemetery. Both Bert and "Lizzie" were members of the Baptist Church.

     Lelia Cornelison, b February 9, 1904, resides in Marlin, Texas. She graduated from Reagan High School, and attended college for a while - but disliked it and returned to Blue Ridge. On July 29, 1925 at Belton, Bell County, Texas, Lelia married Lloyd Wesley Harlan, b February 5, 1897, d November 22, 1977 - a son of John Luther and Elizabeth ("Bettie" McGlasson) Harlan. Lloyd was buried in the Blue Ridge Cemetery, where his parents and Lelia's parents were buried. Lloyd was a cotton ginner and a farmer, and later, Lelia began a cattle herd. Lelia worked regularly in the cotton gin office after their marriage, and Lloyd owned and operated the gin at Blue Ridge for nearly fifty years. They had no children. Lelia continues to assist in financing various community projects, and supports her church, which is Baptist.

     Irma Belle Cornelison, b May 7,1906, d November 4, 1978 in El Paso, Texas and buried by her husband in Restlawn Cemetery in El Paso - married May 22, 1937 in El Paso to Jack Henry Stallings, who died July 26, 1978 at Houston, Texas while away from on business. Jack worked several years for the Federal Government in the Irrigation District on the Rio Grande River, and later became a successful cotton farmer on acreage they bought. Belle was a graduate of Southwest Texas State University at San Marcos, Texas, and taught school for thirty-nine years. Jack and Belle lived in the vicinity of EI Paso all of their married lives. They had no children, but Belle reared his son by a previous marriage. Jack and Belle belonged to the Methodist Church.

     Samuel Milton and Mildred Ellen (Swinnea) Cornelison were members of the Presbyterian Church at Stranger.

     Memoirs of their daughter, Mary Saxon Cornelison, were written November 11, 1983, and provide interesting information about her parents, Samuel Milton and Mildred Ellen (Swinnea) Cornelison:

     When my parents got married they did not have a honeymoon, but in the fall they went to the Dallas Fair. They stayed in a rooming house near the fairgrounds. During the night Papa awakened to discover someone in the big room. When the burglar discovered that Papa was awake he ran outside and shot a gun so he could act like a hero. But Papa thought he was the one who wanted to steal their money. That was the only trip they ever took, with the exception of visiting relatives, nearby.

     My mother was a very smart woman and wanted to go to college, but her father didn't believe in college. He thought whatever learning she got could be in the one-room schoolhouse. She reluctantly got married. (That was what we were told by one of her friends, but she never regretted marrying her husband.)

     At first they lived in a log cabin on a farm near the Blue Ridge Community. His brother, Mart, owned part of the farm. Later, papa bought out his part, then bought 50 acres about 11/2 miles from the first farm. He built a five room house on the 50 acre plot. All of his children, except Belle, were born in that house. During those days the doctor came to the house and delivered the babies. They lived in that house until their deaths.

     Papa was a strict disciplinarian, but a kind father. Papa always took care of us when we had a community picnic. Mama enjoyed the day of rest and had a good time with her friends and relatives. Mama liked people, and was very good to the sick in the neighborhood when they needed her. She was a good wife and mother. She cooked good, nourishing food for us; most of it from the garden. We were lucky to have a mother like her. When we came from school she always had cookies or other food for us to eat. We had to eat a cold lunch so she knew we would be hungry. She made most of our clothes, and kept us clean by seeing that we bathed in a washtub, by the fireplace in the winter, and on the back porch in the summer.

     My daddy was a very kind man and very ambitious. He let his father (Jesse Cornelison) live with us after his wife died. I never knew the time when grandpa wasn't there. We loved him, and it was a natural thing for him to be there. Papa did help other members of his family. He was one of 13 children.

     Papa used to take us to Marlin in the wagon whenever a circus came to town. Sometimes he used four mules when the roads were so muddy.

     Papa was a promoter in the community. He wanted better schools for us, and served on the school board for several years. We walked to school, but if it rained, and on cold days, he would come to school in the wagon to take us home. We covered our heads with a quilt to keep dry.

     My mother liked to read, and when a man came to our house selling a magazine, he'd take a hen or a chicken for pay. Most of the time it was a farm magazine, but she'd read them all.

     Our parents took us to Sunday School and church at a Baptist church. When a new Baptist church was built my daddy donated $100, although he and Mama were Presbyterians. He wanted to help the community where he lived. He bought a long pew where we sat whenever we came to church. He saw that we behaved in church too. Later on the Presbyterians and the Methodists built a church at Stranger, five miles from Blue Ridge; Papa donated $100 to it. Mama wondered where the money was coming from, but there was a way, and I'm sure he was blessed for it. Maybe he was too generous, but he wanted things to be better.

     He went to the town of Marlin once a week to buy groceries. At that time we did have a buggy and a good horse. We climbed on the top of our storm house to look as far as we could, trying to see Papa coming home. When we saw him we ran to meet him because he always brought us a pound of sugar stick candy.

     We had the storm cellar built after our house blew down, but never used it except to store sweet potatoes for the winter. When the storm hit, my mother and three of us were in the house, and she put us under the bed. Fortunately, that one room stood, and no one was hurt. Lelia was a baby, I was 6, and Lizzie was 3.

     We were fortunate to have our wonderful parents who taught us to be honest, to respect authority, to be kind to others, and to live a Christian life. Our father taught his children to work on the farm, which consisted of cotton and corn. With the children's help we could live moderately.. His five daughters went to college, four of them taught school.

     Papa died of pneumonia at the age of 49, and mama had four girls to take care of then. I was almost 14 so I could help with the other three. Her two sons and one daughter were old enough to go on their own and help Mama.

 

 

Copyright Permission granted to Theresa Carhart for printing the biographies of these Falls County Families to this Web page.
"Families of Falls County", Compiled and Edited by the Falls County Historical Commission, page 95 column 1 page 96 column 1 and 2, and page 97 column 1.  
Member of Falls County Historical Commission.