Typed by: Jan Shelfer


FREEMAN, BENJAMIN

Surnames: FREEMAN, WATSON, PRELL, CADE, RICE, ELLIS, STEWART, SMITH, CARTER, BROWN, FOOT, SEVIER, DUKE, WAGNER, PRAZNIK, KASTELIC, SCHEXSNIDER, STRICKLIN, ANDERSON, EPRIGHT, ABENDROTH, MOODY, CREAGER, WOLFE
Benjamin Freeman, b. March 6, 1867 in Robinson County, North Carolina, d. November 5, 1937 in Marlin, Falls County, Texas and buried there in Calvary Cemetery-was a son of Jackson Marion and Sara Margaret (Watson) Freeman, natives of North Carolina.

Ben moved to Chappell Hill, Texas with his parents in 1870-traveling in a covered wagon, and the family lived there until after 1876, when they moved to Falls County, settling near the area of Durango. Ben attended Baylor University in Waco.

On December 9, 1906, he was married to Mary Christine Prell, b. November 24, 1884 at Brazoria, d. February 11, 1967 at Huntsville, Texas, and buried by her husband in Calvary Cemetery in Marlin. During their lives, Ben and Mary lived in Marfa, Bay City, and Wharton before moving to Marlin in 1915, where their children were graduates of Marlin High School. Ben was active in community and civic affairs before his death.

The three daughters of Benjamin and Mary Christine (Prell) Freeman were:

Margaret Josephine Freeman, b. December 18, 1907 at Marfa, Texas, lives in Granbury, Texas. Margaret married first on July 31, 1938 to A. D. Cade, b. April 1, 1906 at Chandler, Texas, d. May 1948 in Tyler, Texas-a son of John and Alice (Rice) Cade. A. D. had two children by his first marriage to Opal Ellis, who died in January 1937 at Marfa, and Margaret reared his two children: Freddie Sherwin Cade, b. May 6, 1932 at Chandler, who married Janice Stewart and had Glen Stewart Cade, Angela Cade, and Fredna Cade-Freddie being a veteran of the U.S. Navy; Charles Sidney Cade, b. January 25, 1937 who married in 1958 to Velma Jo Smith. Margaret (Freeman) Cade was married second in Durant, Oklahoma on February 25, 1952 to Daniel Richard Carter, b. September 2, 1898 in Springfield, Missouri, d. June 5, 1976 at Glen Rose, Texas-a son of Thomas Elsworth and Martha Jane (Brown) Carter, whose first wife, Frances (Foot) Carter, died December 19, 1949 at Marfa, Texas, and her four children were adults by the time Daniel and Margaret (Freeman) Cade were married: Mary Frances (Carter) Sevier; Donnie Claire (Carter) Duke; Thomas Elsworth Carter; and Mary Ellen (Carter) Wagner. Margaret (Freeman) Cade Carter was married third on July 8, 1981 to Joseph Praznik, Jr., b. February 28, 1907 in Ohio-a son of Joseph and Agnes (Kastelic) Praznik, whose first marriage was to Rina Mae Schexsnider, by whom he had two children.

Mary Lee Freeman, b. June 8, 1909 at Bay City, Texas-married June 9, 1934 to B. C. Stricklin, b. March 14, 1912 at Reagan, Falls County, Texas, d. January 11, 1972 at Houston, Texas and buried in Air Port Freeway Cemetery-a son of Ross and Nettie (Anderson) Stricklin, of Reagan. They had: Ben Ross Stricklin, b. September 20, 1936 in Marlin, who married June 6, 1958 to Tina Jane Epright; Mary Elizabeth Stricklin, b. October 11, 1939 in Marlin, who married June 27, 1958 to Charles Frank Abendroth, Jr.; and Billy Clark Stricklin, b. August 3, 1943 in Marlin, who married August 29, 1964 to Sandra Jean Moody.

Ann Elizabeth Freeman, b. February 12, 1912 at Wharton, Texas-married June 9, 1940 to William Truitt Creager-the superintendent of the Reagan Independent School District. Elizabeth was a graduate of Sam Houston University in Huntsville, and served as a Falls County Justice of the Peace before her marriage. They had two sons: Chad Freeman Creager, b. October 8, 1942 in Houston, who served in the U.S. Army in Germany in 1964; and Rose Edwards Creager, b. March 14, 1946 in Baytown, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy for four years, and was in the U.S.S. Yorkstown when it made the pick up of the astronauts who first circled the moon-married in 1975 to Merjean Wolfe.

Copyright Permission granted to Theresa Carhart for printing these bio of these Falls County Families to this Web page.
"Families of Falls County," compiled and edited by the Falls County Historical Commission, page 164, column 2.

Member of Falls County Historical Commission