THE FRANCITAS BEE
Francitas,
Jackson County, Texas |
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No, bronchitas does not thrive in Francitas. And neither has Francitas ever heard of appendicitis.
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First Religious Services
Mr. Bristor in his morning address
told the settlers many things which he explained to them would be hard
to believe, but which he knew to be true by experience. For instance
he said the weather during July and August, the hot months of the
north-west were pleasant months in this country and that during the
past summer there had not been one unpleasant night. The days he said
were hot but the nights were so cool that the man who worked could
sleep and get his rest.
Mr. Bristor said Francitas waited
men who do things and men who work, Francitas did not want any
knockers or idlers. With the community settled by industrious, hard
working Christian people, he said there would be no doubt of the
steady growth and the development of the community.
The address pleased the crowd
immensely and when the minister announced that he desired to be the
first minister to preach a sermon in Francitas during the morning
address; the consent was given with a hearty good will and unanimity.
Judge Adams of
The talks were interspersed with
singing by the audience, the Christian church women of Palacios having
brought over several hymn books.
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Name
Residence
Acres
Mrs.
Etter Elwood
J.
H. Dunlap
Hattie
Johnson
Dan
Geilus
B.
F. Grover
H.
Hohlfeld
Fred
Norton
Ansley,
A.
H. Kingman
Palacios,
A.
E. Chase
Loup City,
J.
B. Osborne
Majestic,
Wit
Gottlieb
__________
J.
C. Jay
J.
A. Watkins
Verango,
Mrs.
H. F. Moore
Presser,
W.
J. Ruby
Wauneta,
John
R. McNickle
20
T.
C. Wilson
Walt
Palmer
Meadow Grove,
T.
C. McCoy
E.
D. Stinson
Red Oak,
Albert
P. Smith
Sargent,
Mrs.
A. Gregory
G.
L. Sevier
Arapahoe,
S.
G. South
St. Louis,
Walter
Kerr
Kochler, N.M.
20
Martin
Storckovich
Cedar Hust,
Rudi
Marciela
D.
H. Mercer
Sam
Kasprok
Tercio,
Ida
Dohl
Sopris,
C.
D. McCartney
Benjamin
B. Jackson
Jacob
Domingo
Weeping Water,
P.
J. Cosgrove
A.
O. Hazen
John
Weidenfeter
Aug.
Filter
Nora
C. Walcott
Carl
G. Zeulow
Walter
G. Wallace
S.
P. Jackson
Bernard
McNerry
Red Cloud,
C.
H. Stephens
John
W. Kelso
Alice
M. Edison
Ansley,
W.
C. Nazel
Cimorron, N.M.
20
R.
B. Gibson
Grand Island
20
Martin
A. Pfeiffer
Elwood,
C.
T. Coats
Elwood,
L. T. Halverstadt
Geo.
Riddle
Mrs.
J. M. Vansickle
Ord,
Emm__
James
McNeff
H.
H. Philpott
Francitas,
The
improved property brought a total of $14,135, the purchases being as
follows:
Hotel,
the trustees
$7000
Store
building, C. W. Gibson, Blessing
$1085
Canning
factory, J. W. Scott, Francitas
$575
Lumber
yard, Merchant & Planters Lumber Co., of Palacios $900
Cottages,
J. M. Young, Francitas
$910
K.
E. Cleveland,
L.
N. Phinney,
Fred
Kingham,
Mrs.
Phelps Gets Busy
Francitas
will have a women’s club before very long and it will include in its
membership many of the women of Blessing and Palacios.
Mrs. G. J. Phelps, wife of the local manager of the VFFGC, met with
several women from Palacios and Blessing Friday afternoon and discussed
the organization of a women’s club. Mrs. Phelps is the president of
the club at
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Late telegrams from W. F. Schwind of the Valley Fruit Farm and Garden Co., at Lincoln, Neb. announces that fully 1000 people will come down from Nebraska for the opening of Francitas today and tomorrow, and that additional large crowds will arrive from Kansas and other states. The Nebraska crowd left Lincoln Tuesday morning in twelve coaches and a diner. Dr. C. Pickle of Blessing is overseeing the big barbecue and 16 large beeves are on the pit at this writing.
Matagorda County Tribune, December 16, 1910 |
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CHRISTMAS
AT FRANCITAS
Just a mild, gentle little zepher spread itself over from the gulf and
this softened the sun’s rays, making weather conditions that could not
have been improved upon. In fact so delightful was it out of doors that
many persons for the first time in their lives walked over their farms
and over the city viewing and inspecting the many improvements, leaving
their coats behind as useless wearing apparel.
The climax of the day was the Christmas dinner served at the Nebraska
Inn. Mrs. L. B. Parkins, the popular and very efficient manager of this
most delightful hostelery, had with her assistants tastefully decorated
the dining room and the office with loads of mistletoe and holly
gathered from the farms of Francitas lands. The meal served could not
have been excelled by any served in the best homes in
Cigars followed the feast and these were smoked out on the broad
gallery, the men lounging around in their easy rocking chairs, coatless
and comfortable.
Several parties drove in from various towns in the vicinity to verify
the reports of the rapid growth of Francitas, and these were honored
guests at the feast and the smoker, and added much to the joy of the
occasion.
Mr. Clark was by all odds the hero of the day, for practically every
citizen of Francitas has been out after turkeys during the open season,
and while many birds have been seen, none had been shot until Mr. Clark
struck the trail. It was the first wild turkey meat that any of the
dinners, except the Texans, had tasted and it was pronounced better than
tame turkey.
As a curtain raiser to the festivities of Christmas day, Mrs. Alice
Holton and
A
The
reports regarding the growth and development of Francitas have been so
conservative that may visitors to the new little city have expressed
wonder and surprise.
Many come here with the idea firmly fixed in their minds that Francitas
has a section house, a few tents and nothing else. When they see with
their own eyes what has been accomplished here within such a short time,
no attempts are made to suppress exclamations of wonder.
Very few know for instance that Francitas has a hotel which is modern in
every respect, even to water and light and bath. To find such a hotel in
a town about 20 days old has certainly proven an eye opener. The
Nebraska Inn has all the conveniences of the modern hotel of the city.
And in addition it has both a first and second story porch, and a small
porch above the second story. From the hotel one gets a beautiful view
of the woods and the prairie to the south.
Very few know that Francitas has a depot which is better than the
station of any town along the line with less than 2,000 people. This
depot is larger that the depot at Blessing, and its platform is over 350
feet in length, made so by the foresight of the railroad people who
expect to handle much freight in and out of this town.
Francitas has a blacksmith shop, modern and complete, and it is located
in a new building just constructed by M. Jorgensen of
In Dr. J. H. Mackay, Francitas has a physician who is very prominent in
W. W. Bell has his large rooming house well under way and it will be
modern in every respect, well-ventilated, lighted and comfortable. On
the rear of the same lot he has built a large carpenter shop for his own
use, for Mr. Bell expects to build another house shortly.
Francitas has a large store building, two stories, which was bought by
G. W. Gibson of Blessing, and it is full of groceries, hardware and
other commodities needed by the people here.
S. C. Holton has constructed another store building within a block of
the Gibson store and in that he will handle groceries in addition to
attending to his development work.
The
Dr. Mackay has started on his office building and in the lower story he
intends to put in a stock of drugs, though up to this time the doctor
has been attending to his several tracts of land rather than attending
to sick people. In fact sickness has not yet developed.
Sinclair Stock has made arrangements for the construction of a store
building which he will rent and this will be under way before this paper
reaches the north.
Nick Pederson had secured a good lot and has started work on his feed
store, which will fill a long felt want here from the very start.
Mr. Thomas has constructed a nice house on one of his farms, and within
half a mile of him in the edge of the timber is another nice residence,
while to the north a half dozen houses have been completed and are
occupied.
A score of families still live in tents, but they will move just as soon
as their houses are completed.
Besides the many things enumerated in the above list which does not
contain near all of the improvements made here since the opening of the
town, there is the large Ward-Rose ware house, the splendid artesian
well which supplies the water for the entire community, the five
cottages which are occupied, after having been sold at auction by the
VFFG Co. and the canning factory which temporarily has been turned into
a residence by Mr. Scott.
It was a green Christmas in Francitas and the odor of roses was in the
air.
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