Submitted by: Cathy Millburn
SIMEON THOMAS SOUTHER
Simeon Thomas Souther (called "Tom"), b November 17,
1861 in Knobnoster, Missouri, d July 26, 1941 at Rosebud, Falls County, Texas
and buried in Woodland Cemetery‑was the youngest son of Simeon Wilhoit and
Mahala Amanda (Thornton) Souther, natives of Kentucky and Virginia,
respectively, and a grandson of Abraham and Elizabeth (Wilhoit) Souther, who
married in Madison County, Virginia on December 10, 1799. The maternal
grandparents were George and Theodocia (Lewis) Thornton, of Culpepper County,
Virginia ‑ George having been a Lieutenant in the American Revolutionary War.
Tom left in the 1880's for Oklahoma, but someone
jumped his claim and he bought a ticket to Temple, Texas. His first job was at
Flat, Texas in Coryell County ‑ where he herded sheep. In the fall of 1885, Tom
moved to The Grove, where he taught school for a year; thence to Rogers, Bell
County, Texas, where he taught another two years, and then opened a store.
In 1889, Tom returned to Missouri, where he married a
childhood sweetheart, Naoma Cruse; born in Missouri, died 1928 and buried in
Rosebud in Woodland Cemetery. They returned to Rogers, Texas, where they lived
until the Fall of 1892.
When their eldest child was ten months old, Tom made
his final move to Rosebud, Falls County, Texas, where he established a general
merchandise store in an old wooden building on the present site of the
Skinner‑Slovacek Drug Store. The family lived in the back of the building for a
couple of years, then bought a house at the present location of the of
their son, Robert Souther.
About 1900, the store was moved to the former saloon
and gambling hall building built by AnheuserBusch Company. Tom planted a grape
arbor on the east side of the building, placing benches there for people to rest
and visit. It was known as "Souther's Corner." Tom's advertising campaign in the
Rosebud News was also called "Souther's Corner," and it was there that he voiced
his opinions and advertised his business. He also purchased farm land in the
area.
In 1924, Tom retired and passed his business to his
sons and a son‑in‑law, Joe Smilie. Simeon Thomas and Naoma (Cruse) Souther were
the parents of four children:
Simeon Cruse Souther (called "Sim"), b September 3,
1891 in Rogers, Texas, d October 1979 ‑ was a graduate of Texas A&M University,
and served with the famous 36th Division from Texas in France, during World War
I. He returned as a Major, and entered business with his father, Sim was
married to Lois Romeni, and they had Thomas Howard Souther who married and had
Gregory Scott and Todd Allen Souther.
Mary
Alta Souther, b ca 1893, d 1898 and buried in Woodland Cemetery at Rosebud.
Kathleen Souther, b ca 1895, resides in 1986 in
Rosebud, Falls County, Texas ‑married Joe Smilie, now deceased, who became a
business partner of his father‑in‑law and managed the farm operation. They had
two children: Peggy Jo Smilie, who married Owen Robert Smith, Sr. and lives in
Rosebud where their two married sons, Owen Robert and Judy Smith, Jr. with Owen
Robert Smith, III, and Terence Joseph and Carol Smith live. The Smilie's other
child, Patricia Smilie (called "Pat"), married Charles Irwin and has David and
Mary Beth Irwin, living in California.
Robert Ellyn Souther, born in Rosebud, is still
living in the where he was born in Rosebud, with his wife, Carol (Eis)
Souther. Bob entered the U.S. Army in 1942 as a Private in World War II. He
fought in the Battle of the Bulge as a Major in the 8th Tank Destroyers, a part
of General George Patton's Third Army. After the war, Bob convinced Sim Souther
and Joe Smilie that the store needed to be modernized, and in 1946, the present
building was constructed. In December 1953, the partnership was dissolved, with
Joe operating the farms, while Sim and Bob continued to run the store.
In January 1972, Sim and Bob were forced to retire,
selling the store to Harvey Casey, who still operates the business under the
Souther name.
Bob and Carol have two children: Robert Simeon
Souther, who married and has Michael Souther and Deborah (Souther) Cromeens; and
Diane (Souther) Dolan, who has Samuel Jefferson Dolan, Patricia Kelly (Dolan)
Robertson, Andrea (Dolan) Owens, and Timothy Robert Dolan ‑ all of Dallas,
Texas.
There have been Souther family members in Rosebud for 94 years, and in Texas 101
years.
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 423 column 1 and 2.
Member of Falls County Historical Commission.