THOMAS S. SWINNEA

Thomas S. Swinnea, b February 4, 1870 at Stranger, Falls County, Texas, d November 17, 1921
and buried in the Stranger Cemetery - a son of James Richard and Susan C. (Holloway) Swinnea-natives of Giles County, Tennessee who came to Texas about 1869.
On December 16, 1890, Thomas S. Swinnea married Julia I. Varnado, b November 21, 1873 in Mississippi, d October 4, 1904 and buried in Stranger Cemetery - a daughter of Cornelius Willington and Mary Elizabeth (Ratliff) Varnado who settled in Stranger ca 1887.
Tom and Julia lived on a hill overlooking Big Creek Valley, near the site of Allen H. Morrell's farm. They lived in Stranger, where Tom farmed; and they were members of the Stranger Methodist-Presbyterian Union Church.
Thomas S. and Julia I. (Varnado) Swinnea had six sons and one daughter - all born in Stranger, Falls County, Texas:
H. Swinnea, b November 10, 1891, d July 20, 1892 and buried in Stranger Cemetery.
James Cornelius Swinnea (called J. C. or Jake), b December 7, 1894, d October 15, 1970 in Clute, Brazoria County, Texas and buried in Stranger Cemetery married Mrs. Sarah Katherine (Dillard) Erskine, b January 15, 1887, d September 2, 1972 and buried in Stranger Cemetery. "Kate" had four sons by her first marriage to Jasper Stovall Erskine: James William Erskine, b April 12, 1906, Robert Reed Erskine, b 1907, d 1964; Dillard Stovall Erskine, b January 27, 1909, d December 1, 1913; and John Conrad Erskine, b October 7, 1913. She and Jake had three children: J. C. Swinnea, Jr., Julia Katherine Swinnea who married Asa G. Woodland, Jr.; and Elizabeth Swinnea who married H. R. Blunck.
Henry S. Swinnea, b November 6, 1895, d August 12, 1972-married Mary Katherine Martin, b September 6, 1897, d January 6, 1945, and buried in Stranger Cemetery. Henry was a good barber - cutting the hair of many Stranger boys. Few families could pick more cotton in a day than Henry and his sons. Henry S. Swinnea and his sons were all avid hunters with their greyhounds, and provided much entertainment in the Stranger Community with their "possum" and "coon" hunts. Henry and Mary Kate had four sons: Thomas S. Swinnea, b 1918, d June 24, 1985 and buried in Stranger Cemetery - married (name unknown), and worked in the oil fields; Cecil Swinnea, b August 21, 1921, d January 13, 1986 at Emory, Texas and buried in Stranger Cemetery - served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the South Pacific during World War II - married and had a son, James Edward Swinnea of Clute, Texas - was a welder for construction, and did work in oil fields; Jack Swinnea, b ca 1924 - resides in Paradise, Texas; and Charles Swinnea, b ca 1926 - resides at Emory, Texas.
Clara E. Swinnea, b April 2, 1897, d January 19, 1972 - married Ernest T. Hearon, b November 2, 1887 in Falls County, d August 6, 1950 and buried in Stranger Cemetery - a son of Robert Hearon, b October 25, 1859, d October 27,1945, and his wife, Cardelia (Nichols) Hearon, b November 26, 1861, d March 18, 1935 - and both buried in Stranger Cemetery. Ernest farmed all his life; and he and Clara were members of the Methodist church, with their affiliation in the Methodist-Presbyterian Union Church at Stranger. They had one son, Ernest Hampshire Hearon, b ca 1915, d ca 1980.
Dewey Swinnea, b 1899, d at Clute, Brazoria County, Texas - married Mary Katherine Williamson, b June 22, 1907, d November 15, 1940 and she was buried in Stranger Cemetery. Dewey and Mary Kate had Annie Lee Swinnea, b ca 1924 who married B. A. Thompson, Jr. of Alleytown, Texas; Lula Frances Swinnea, b ca 1926; and a son (name unknown), b ca 1935. Dewey and Mary Kate also reared, for a time, her young brother, Bill Williamson, until at age 16 he joined the U.S. Navy in 1939; and after the war, he burned to death in an oil field fire. After Mary Kate died in 1940, Dewey moved to Clute, Texas, where he operated a feed store until his death.
Oma Roy Swinnea - a twin, b July 4, 1901, d April 1, 1902 and buried in Stranger Cemetery.
Homer R. Swinnea - a twin, b July 4, 1901, d March 29, 1970 at Reagan, Falls County, Texas and buried in Waite Cemetery there - married Lucy Virginia Adams, b February 18, 1903, d November 30, 1983 - a daughter of Robert P. Orion Adams, b April 17, 1848, d December 30, 1927, and his wife, Tempie (Crouch) Adams, b October 18, 1879, d January 25, 1963. They had Frances Swinnea, who married Michael Short of Reagan, Robert M. Swinnea, and Homer R. Swinnea, Jr.
After Julia's death, Thomas S. Swinnea was married second to Eula Mae Parrott, and they had two daughters: Jeanette Swinnea, and Alva Ruth Swinnea.

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 443 column 1 and 2 and page 444 column 1.  
Member of Falls County Historical Commission.