William Anderson Barclay

Surnames: BARCLAY, RIGSBY, HANKS, HERRING, HANKS, CARTER, LEDBETTER, WILSON, KNOX, CHILDERS, MEGARITY, ADAMS, ROSE, MacGREGOR, WHITLEY

William Anderson Barclay, b December 23, 1849 near Woodville, Tyler County, Texas, d October 24, 1927 in Waco at the of a granddaughter, and buried in Hillcrest Cemetery in Temple, Bell County, Texas - was a son of Jeremiah Todd and Elizabeth Ann (Rigsby) Barclay. The Barclays were a Scottish Clan of Anglo-Saxon-Norman lineage who came to New Jersey, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama to Texas in two generations. In 1826, Walter Barclay came to Texas with two sons, James and Anderson Barclay. Anderson remained in Texas, while his father and brother returned to Alabama to get their families - returning in 1835. Anderson had secured a land grant, and it was in Tyler County that his son Jeremiah Todd Barclay, was born and later married. In August 1850, Jeremiah was murdered in a political argument, by a Mr. Hanks. Elizabeth returned to Montgomery, Alabama with her young son, William Anderson, where she married second to T. F. Herring, an apothecarian.

At the age of ten years, William Anderson Barclay joined a wagon train enroute to East Texas, where his Uncle James Barclay lived on the Cypress Creek Plantation. James had been elected to the Texas Legislature, and was informed that his nephew was to be sold in bondage by a man who took charge of him on the wagon train. After his rescue, William lived with his uncle, James Barclay, until he was sixteen years of age, at which time he determined to find his father's murderer. He was given a mule to ride, and a Bible for guidance, by his uncle - an ardent Baptist. William traveled west, as he had learned that Mr. Hanks had gone, and worked as he went to support himself When he reached Cameron, Milam County, William had acquired a horse instead of the mule; and it was here that William learned that someone else had already killed Mr. Hanks.

William Anderson Barclay became a clerk in the store of Captain Henry G. Carter. On February 14, 1871 in the parlour of Belle Bayou Plantation, William was married to Martha King Ledbetter, b ca 1853, d July 16, 1934 in Temple, Bell County, Texas and buried in Hillcrest Cemetery there. The couple lived and worked in Milam County for several years, where he was a Deputy Sheriff, and a Clerk. He opened a store at Yarrelton in 1873, near Cameron; but realized that business on the Chisholm Trail would be profitable. Martha's brother-in-law, William Sewell Goodhue Wilson, had accumulated large land holdings, and he and William A. Barclay became partners in a land and cattle business, in addition to a store which Barclay was to establish on Little Pond Creek in Falls County, while other stores along the cattle trail were opened. In 1880, the Barclay store was sold to John F. Knox, but retained the Barclay name.

William A. Barclay became cashier of the Temple National Bank, selling his homestead and considerable acreage to Joe Childers, building another at Crenshaw which burned, and was then replaced by a twenty-two room, two-story Victorian near Barclay, Falls County, Texas, where they lived 1906-1913. Crenshaw Plantation was a typical Southern estate with carriage houses, tool sheds, smoke house, a store, a Baptist Church, post office, blacksmith shop. barn, henhouse, etc. It had tenant houses, orchard, and gardens; and it was a gathering place for many house guests. Nearly 3,000 bales of cotton were produced annually. It was self-sustaining until 1924, when a son. Foy Barclay, was injured by a feed-cart mule and was no longer able to manage the operation. Another son. Rigsby Barclay, tried, but was an inadequate manager: so the property was divided into small farms. In 1974, the last acreage was sold by a granddaughter, Mrs Margaret (Barclay) Megarity, of Waco, Texas.

William Anderson Barclay was involved in multiple areas of finance - a plow factory in Texas, a cotton-seed oil mill in which he used a special technique for extracting oil, railroad development, stores, real estate, banks, and the income from the Crenshaw Plantation. He was President of the Mexican-American Smelting and Refining Company in Oaxaco, Mexico, but his Mexican interests ended suddenly with the overthrow of General Diaz. William also had copper mines in Arizona, and apple orchards in Oregon.

William Anderson Barclay loved Texas, and loved to travel and talk "Texas," while Martha loved her plantation at Crenshaw - remaining there while he was away. They had five children:
Isaac Cramer Barclay, b February 13, 1874 at Yarrelton, Milam County, Texas, d August 15, 1886 at Crenshaw Plantation near Barclay, Falls County, Texas.
Goodhue Wilson Barclay, b December 7, 1876 at Barclay, Falls County, Texas, d 1944 at Donna, Texas - married first to Lee Nora Adams on November 11,1900 at Gainesville, Texas, and had Elizabeth Batey Barclay, b in Cameron, Texas, d September 22, 1979 at Donna, Texas; Lucille Barclay, b in Cameron, Texas. d June 6, 1964; and Katherine Barclay, b in Cameron, Texas, died in childhood at Barclay, Falls County. Texas. The name of his second wife is unknown.
Rigsby Ledbetter Barclay, b August 2, 1878 at Barclay, d October 27, 1946 in Temple, Texas - mar-ried April 19, 1904 at Salado, Texas to Louzelle Rose, b 1881 at Salado, d November 11, 1965 at Temple, Texas. They had William Archibald Barclay, b February 26. 1907 in Temple, d January 28, 1969 in Fort Worth, who married first to Dora (maiden surname unknown), and had no issue - married second (name unknown), and had Louzelle Barclay, who lived in Temple, Texas in 1982. Rigsby Ledbetter Barclay was appointed post-master at Crenshaw in 1900, with his brothers, Foy and Goodhue, succeeding him.
Woodlief Foy Barclay, b December 26, 1882 at Barclay, d April 5, 1957 in Waco, Texas - married August 3, 1904 to Margaret MacGregor, b June 11, 1883 in Temple d July 6 1973 in Waco and had Margaret MacGregor Barclay who married a Mr. Megarity, b August 4, 1905, who lived in Waco; and Martha Louise Barclay, b Febrary 13, 1912 at Crenshaw Plantation in Falls County - alive in 1982.
Bernice Martha Barclay, b June 14, 1886 on Crenshaw Plantation near Barclay, Falls County, Texas, d October 13, 1918 at New Orleans, Louisiana - February 13, 1917 in Temple, Texas to James B. Whitley. They had James Barclay Whitley, b December 20, 1917, d in the Philippine Islands during World War II.

Crenshaw Plantation was finally dismantled in Falls County, 1930 - ending the flamboyant era of the old-style Southern Plantation in west Falls County, Texas.

Some biographies from "Families of Falls County", compiled and edited by the Falls County Historical Commission.
Permission granted to Theresa Carhart by the Falls County Historical Commission, for use on this page.