From Drought to Deluge...

I am thrilled to report that we drove home from Texas yesterday afternoon in a downpour. Our area, south to north, received from four to six inches of rain! Of course there are some negative aspects of getting that much rain in a short period of time, but still a blessing. The pond’s water level is already visibly higher this morning.

We had an enjoyable visit to Greenville, Texas yesterday. I lived there for several months in 2000 when I taught at nearby Quinlan. If I had also been active in genealogy at the time I would not have needed yesterday’s visit to the library! But I don’t regret the trip at all. Gary and I had a good time, as always, chatting in the car, seeing the sights, and having a great lunch at a local Italian restaurant. Gary entertained himself in the library for nearly three hours while I researched the Banta, Cooper, and Lynch families who migrated on to Caddo.

Henry Banta, my great-great grandfather, was the first tax assessor of Hunt County, Texas. He also served a term as sheriff before becoming a Baptist minister. His wife Susan Winniford had flaming red hair and was from Indiana. They were married in Greenville in 1849. Their son Calvin Wheeler Banta, and his wife Mary Lettie Coker, were the parents of my grandmother, Della Mae Banta, who married John Lester Springer. I didn’t find a lot of new information about Henry, but did read his “oath of office” from 1846, as well as several land and tax transactions. Located a listing for a photo of him which appeared in the May 9, 1950 issue of the Greenville Morning Herald, and of course that particular issue is missing from the library’s microfilm!! I will try a few other newspaper archives.  Found some new names on the tax rolls. Read a story in “A History of Hunt County”, Master’s Thesis of Margaret Horne, about Captain William Banta witnessing the first hanging in Hunt County, and of course the newspaper issue corroborating it is also missing from the microfilm. More research to do…

Off to town with hubby…more later.

 

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