 McKinney Weekly Democrat Gazette Thursday, February 4, 1909 WILLIAMS WARDEN; PIONEER & VETERAN To tell the life story of many of the pioneers of Collin county would tax a more facile pen than that of the writer of this sketch. History, heroism, tales of bravery, hardships and sacrifices go to make these stories more thrilling than the stories told of life in the great southwest, where cattlemen and cowboys followed their herds along the old Santa Fe trail from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Baxter Springs, Abilene, and other Kansas towns, the cowboys by way of diversion "shooting up" the towns through which they passed and winding up the monotony of the long journey by "putting on a show," as the boys say, after arriving at their destination. And "those shows" were no tame affairs. But the day of the cowboy is gone; the herds of deer, antelope, buffalo and all other wild game which was plentiful here when some of these pioneer citizens of Collin county first "homesteaded" their lands have become extinct like the Indian, falling back as the white man encroached upon their reservation until the places which once knew them will know them no more forever. Back in the 40s Collin county was a barren waste - a vast cattle range without the cattle, so to speak. Wild horses roamed at will over the prairies and Indian raids were frequent, many of the early pioneers meeting horrible deaths at their hands as told in preceding chapters in this paper treating of men and events in that early period, which now forms a basis for a most interesting history of the struggles and sacrifices which went to make up the daily lives of those forerunners of civilization which made it possible for their posterity to reap bountifully of riches and advantages then not dreamed of. And one of the paradoxes of life is that those who blazed the way in the settlement of new countries were seldom ever known to amass fortunes. It is the follower of the pioneer who has always, and always will, reap the benefits of his discoveries. This fact is made manifest if we but call to mind the original settlers of this county, nearly all of whom have gone to their reward, and sum up their wealth at death. Nearly all of them lived and died in moderate circumstances. THE WARDEN FAMILY The name Warden is a familiar one in Collin county. In this article, however, we wish to speak particularly of Williams Warden, who has long been prominent in the affairs of the county. Williams Warden was born in Jackson county, Missouri, January 22, 1883, and lived there until he was 11 years old, when the family started overland for Texas. The began the journey to the new land on the 18th day of April 1844, and were 6 weeks in making the trip. On the first day of June they crossed the Red river at Beale's Ferry, about 20 miles north of Bonham, and made their first camp on Texas soil. The journey from Missouri was made in wagons drawn by oxen, bringing with them 30 or 40 head of Durham cattle, all of which died soon after of bloody murrain, which was a great loss to Warden, After they reached Texas it was then a perplexing problem to select a desirable location. Before leaving Bonham, which then consisted of but one log store and log cabin, a barrel of whiskey and a lot of dogs, Mr. Warden loaded one of his wagons with s helled corn for planting and feed. Coming further into the interior the family made a short stop at Lick Skillett, now Pilot Grove, in Grayson county, and then came on to Collin county, camping 6 weeks at a spring one mile south of where Melissa now stands. From this point the father made horseback journeys over the county looking for a desirable place to make a home, and during their stay there were subjected to several Indian scares, but fortunately none of the family were killed. Failing to satisfy himself as to location another move was made this time through Buckner, the first county seat of this county, and halting on White Rock Creek about 12 miles north of Dallas, in Dallas county, where a settlement was decided upon, but which was soon abandoned on account of hostile Indians. By this time breadstuff and supplies were at a low ebb with the family and it was decided to return to Bonham, and on the return trip camped one mile south of Bonham where Mr. Warden's oldest sister was married to Robert Fitzhugh in the fall of 1844. Six hundred and forty acres of land was purchased about 2 miles north of Bonham and here the Wardens found their first permanent home in Texas, their residence being a double log house, with hallway between the rooms, a style of architecture common in those days. Only 10 acres of this land, however, was in cultivation and of course farming operations were conducted in a modest way for the first year. In payment for his land Mr. Warded traded a Negro woman, slave trading then being in vogue. In the spring of 1845 the family cleared and prepared 40 acres of land, but it was discovered that the title was on Bois d'arc and bought 200 acres further south, paying $1.00 per acre for it. However, he did not remain there long, removing to Climax in Collin county in 1851, cleared land and thus became the first settler, the other coming soon after, being Lott Breton, I.J. Rode, and D. Van Winkle.  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