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Warner Watson Stewart was born on
September 2, 1804. He was of pure Scottish descent, but
his exact birthplace was not known. He came to
Matagorda, Texas, about 1838, bringing with him his
wife, Lucy Rible, born on August 14, 1805, in
Kentucky, and three children: Martha Caroline, born in
1826 in Indiana; Greenbury, born in 1828 in Indiana; and
Almire, born in 1834 in Louisiana. Four children were
born to them in Matagorda: John A. in 1840; Elizabeth
and Mary on August 30, 1842, who died as babies; and
Walter Scott on November 28, 1843. Warner was probably a
planter. He died in 1855 at the age of 50. Lucy lived
almost eighty-one years, and survived all but one of her
children. She died on July 2, 1886.
Martha C. Stewart was married to R.
T. Van Slyke on March 27, 1844, by the Reverend
Caleb Ives, at Christ Church, Matagorda. They had four
children: Lucy, Catherine, Martha and Robert. The 1862
yellow fever epidemic claimed Lucy, age seventeen, and
Robert, age six. R. Van Slyke was Postmaster of
Matagorda when he died in 1856. Martha died in 1867.
Greenbury Stewart became Postmaster
of Matagorda from 1856-1860. He was a stockraiser, a
gunsmith, and an officer in the Confederate Army, 6th
Texas Infantry, Co. "D." there is no record that he ever
married. He died in Matagorda in 1875 at the age of
forty-seven.
Almira Stewart married T. F.
Bates in 1854. She also died of yellow fever in 1862,
leaving two children, Francis, age eight, and Jane, age
four. Jane would become the second wife of John Sargent,
and the mother of Kate Sargent Rugeley.
John A. Stewart fought in the
Confederate army alongside his brothers, but there is no
record of his return to Matagorda. He was the only
member of the W. W. Stewart family not buried in
Matagorda.
Walter Scott Stewart had an
interesting life. Caught up in the Civil War while still
in his teens, he fought in some major battles, among
them were Bull Run, Chickamauga, and Atlanta. He was
wounded, but returned to the front until the war ended.
Returning to Matagorda he became a lawyer, County
Tax-Assessor in 1877-1878, and County Judge from
1882-1888. The also started in the cattle business in
the late 1860s, with just a few head of stock. By the
early 1900s he had a vast ranch and the Stewart
herds were considered among the best in the Southwest.
In 1869, Walter married Minna Jane Cheesman. Her family
had come from England to Alabama and on to settle in
Matagorda. She was born in Alabama on February 12,
1846. Walter and Minna had five children: Irene, Arthur,
Cheeseman, Greenbury, Walter Scott and Minna Jane. they
were members of the Episcopal Church. Walter died on
August 3, 1894,, at the age of fifty, and Minna died on
December 3, 1886, at the age of forty.
Irene Stewart (1869-1917) was
educated in San Antonio, then married Charles L.
Burkhart of Matagorda. They had three children: Irene,
who married Robert Johnson; C. Stewart, who married
Lunelle Jones; and C. Lawrence, who married Sophia
Doubeck.
Minna Jane Stewart (1880-1915) was
only six when her mother died. She spent much of her
young life with her sister, Irene. Well-educated, she
worked with the Episcopal Church, teaching the
poor. She never married.
Greenbury Stewart ( about 1875-before
1935) married Maud Alberta Lawson on March 28,
1894. They had three daughters: Robbie, Georgia, and
Grace. The family lived in San Antonio. Greenbury was
the only child of Walter Scott Stewart that was not
buried in Matagorda.
Walter and Arthur Stewart married
sisters, Addie and Lillian Cookenboo, daughters of
Captain Henry and Catharine Cookenboo.
Arthur Cheeseman Stewart was born in
1873. On December 26, 1894, he married Lillian Cookenboo.
They had one son, Warner Watson Stewart. Arthur owned
the dry goods store in Gulf, Texas. He died in 1921.
Lillian lived until about 1955, and was much a part of
the lives of the Walter Stewart family. Warner, a
student at The University of Texas when World War I
began, left college to be in the first Officer's
Training School and Newport News, Virginia. In 1918 he
married Mary Hart of Austin. He ran the family store in
Gulf until about 1932, and then moved to Austin. They
had one son, William Hart Stewart, born on December 20,
1926. He attended the Coast Guard Academy at New
London, Connecticut, and was a Rear Admiral, U. S. Coast
Guard, stationed at New Orleans. He had one daughter,
Mary, living in Germany.
Walter Scott Stewart II was born on
October 5, 1877. He attended West Texas Military Academy
in San Antonio, and then returned home to marry Addie
Cookenboo on December 28, 1898. They had two sons,
George S., born on October 7, 1901, and Arthur Cheeseman,
born on March 9, 1905. Annie died on May 5, 1919. Walter
died on August 5, 1936.
Historic Matagorda County,
Volume II, pages 524-525
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Walter Scott Stewart, son of Walter
Scott and Minna Jane Stewart, was born in Matagorda on
October 5, 1877. He attended West Texas Academy, now T.
M. I., in San Antonio from 1893-1897. On December 28,
1898, Walter married Addie Cookenboo, born on May 8,
1879, the tiny, auburn-haired daughter of Captain Henry
Cookenboo. They built their home at 401 Fisher Street in
Matagorda. Addie's sister, Nettie, and her husband,
George Sargent, lived on the bay front one block south;
her sister, Lillian, and her husband, Arthur Stewart,
lived one block north. The family spent much time
together. Walter and Addie had two sons: George S., born
on October 7, 1901, and Arthur Cheeseman, born on March
9, 1905. They were members of Christ Church, Matagorda.
Walter was a lumber merchant. He was active in the
Oddfellows Lodge. Addie died on May 5, 1919, and Walter
died on August 5, 1936.
Their son, George Stewart, married
Bernice Baird, she died about 1931. He then married
"Monty" Montgomery. They raised her son, Vernon, but had
no children of their own. George and Monty died about
1980, and were buried in Tucson, Arizona, where they had
lived for many years.
Arthur Stewart attended Austin
College, and received his degree in Civil Engineering
from The University of Texas in 1926. He met Mary Cecile
Kaine about 1927 when she came to visit friends in Gulf.
They were married on July 15, 1929, and moved into the
Stewart family home in Matagorda, where they shared the
home with Arthur's father. Mary was born on October 29,
1907, in San Antonio, Texas, and reared threr. Life in
Matagorda was different, but happy. Mary and Arthur had
three children: Mary Cecile, born on July 22, 1931;
Walter Scott, born on August 18, 1935; and George David,
born on November 22, 1938. Arthur and Mary were devoted
parents, and Walter adored his grandchildren. Cecile was
her grandfather's constant companion, and little Scott
had just begun to know his "Grandy" when Walter died in
1936. The children attended elementary school in
Matagorda, and were graduated from Bay City High School.
Arthur worked for many years for Matagorda Shell
Company, and Southern State Construction Company. He was
always active in civic and school affairs. His
sons were involved in athletics, and Arthur was always
on the sidelines encouraging them. As a tribute to his
time and interest, the baseball field at Bay City High
School was named for Arthur Stewart.
Cecile attended Stephens College in
1947, and was graduated from The University of Texas in
1951. While she was attending The University of Texas,
she met David Fort Crawford, Jr., of Beaumont, who was
also graduated from that University in 1951. Cecile and
David were married on February 2, 1952, and they
resided in Houston from 1955. They had two children:
David Fort III and Mary Lynn.
Arthur Stuart died of a heart attack
on March 17, 1953, at the age of forty-eight, and was
missed by his family and many who knew him. Mary Stewart
served as the school secretary at Peirce Elementary
School in Bay City for fifteen years. Mary lived alone
in Bay City, but maintained a close relationship with
her children and grandchildren, with Christmas being a
time for the family to be together.
Mary Stuart died suddenly on August
23, 1969.
Additional information can be found
in Historic Matagorda County, Volume II, pages 523-524
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