Hood County News from Granbury, Texas • Page 18

TTTT 2B Hood County NewsSaturday, June 25, 2005 Dr. Larry Padget Family Practice Pamela Padget LMFT, LPC, LCDC, i Weight Management MMFT SUMMER HOURS M-TH: 9-5 TUES Evening Late SUMMER SPECIAL $49.51 CASH REPAIR CUSTOM I CAST up DENTORES PARTIAL RELINE 695 FullSet DENTURES $115 ONE DAY SERVICE 113 ea. AVAILABLE a While You Wait! iq 0ff for senior cit. EA- 'He get well except fie? these he iibnt lifze P1' A Dnsibc ihe 1870s eva Lea cevn crtb (above.) an? Us culev slmcluve Leas (Hqkl) en Lan? ence ctone? by Qehn AO. in neav 4ifan SUSAN 'SWEET'S vuv tnuuivnuu mi kmantu manual pATiinntu i OMIUKUMT, JULY 2 by PETE KENDALL Staff Writer Texas Ranger Captain John W.

Middleton was firm yet fair. "He got along with people very well except for those he didn't like," his triple-great grandson Clyde Edmonds said. "He commanded several different companies of 12 to 14 men. He apparently had an ability to lead." Middleton lived life right, not to mention long. He was 90 when he passed from our midst in Hood County in 1 898 and was buried in Acton Cemetery.

Until recently, the exact location of his grave was unknown. Edmonds, a Dallas native and Colorado resident, ferreted out that fact while working in conjunction with the Acton Cemetery Association. Descendants, guests and members of the Former Texas Ranger Association will gather at Acton Cemetery on July 1 6 to celebrate Middleton's action-filled life. Edmonds has composed a moving eulogy for the occasion. Edmonds, 69, was a mere tyke when he became aware of the great Middleton.

"I was 6 or 7," Edmonds explained, "and my grandmother (Maud White Edmonds) in Stephenville had a copy of the book written by her great-grandfather, John W. Middleton. It's called History of the Regulators and Moderators and the Shelby County war in 184 1 and 1842 in the Republic of Texas. It was written in 1 883. "She would read to us from the book.

We lost track of the book, but it stuck in my mind, so when I started doing family research, I attempted to find another copy of it. Finally, I did at the Fort Worth Public Library. "The book covers John W. Middleton's entire life and relates incidents from his lifetime. He lived in Shelby County in his early years in Texas.

That was a lawless no man's land between Texas and Louisiana, and it remained so for many years. "He decided to move a little bit west to Grand Saline, but that didn't improve his lot. So he decided to move his family and what remained of his livestock to what is now the Hood, Erath and Palo Pinto County area. "He had friends in that area ofTexas. Elizabeth Crockett had come there from Tennessee.

She was from a county adjacent to the county where Middleton was born in Tennessee. I feel certain they knew each other, because they all came to Texas at about the same time. "Middleton settled on the Horseshoe Bend of the Brazos River. His family grew sick there. Then he moved to a piece of land west of Lipan known as Middleton's Point.

Eventually, toward the end of his life, he settled on a tract of land adjacent to the tract settled by Elizabeth Crockett." That would be Crockett's Bounty on Temple Hall Highway. It's now owned by history-minded Jon and Becky Brumley. Middleton was appointed a Ranger in 1 837 by Republic of Texas President Mirabeau Lamar. "It's hard to determine from (Middleton's) book how long he served as a Ranger," Edmonds said. "Just prior to the Civil War, he formed a group of men at Double Mountain, north and west of Granbury, to fight Indians.

"That group disbanded just prior to secession. He resigned when secession came. His son, HCE CREAM CONES ISHAKES IBANANA SPLITS ISUNDAES HCE CREAM CAKES Noon-8pm Daily SUSAN'SWEET'S I SUSAN 'WEET BAKERY COUNTRY CAFE ix i Breakfast 7am-2pm 7am-2pm Lunch 1 lam-2pm Pete Kendallpkendall hcnews.com presumed to have been large in stature. "In the book, he makes a comment about swinging off his horse and crouching behind a bush," Edmonds said. "That would take a pretty good-sized individual." Middleton wasn't fond of Indians.

"He didn't have very good things to say about them in the book," Edmonds said. "They were scalping and murdering his friends and neighbors. Indians were the No. 1 nemesis." But white folks could be equally challenging. "He related one incident that rather fascinated me," Edmonds said.

"His group was chasing a group of desperados near the Paluxy River. The desperados were four men posing as Indians. They had carried out numerous atrocities. "One was killed while resisting arrest. Two others were caught and hung.

The other was caught and later executed." 51 5 W. Bridge St. (2 blocks off the historic square) behind Joe's Pasta Nathan Middleton, took his place with that group when it reformed to fight in the war. Nathan went off to war, was captured and died in prison in Illinois. "Middleton didn't say a lot about that in the book.

He did give credit to him for volunteering to take his dad's place." Middleton never joined a Confederate unit. Little doubt where his sympathies were. "During the war, he and a group of Rangers in the area drove a herd of cattle from Hood County to Natchez, Mississippi to feed the Confederate troops," Edmonds said. "His part of the herd was 1 60 head. He doesn't say in the book how big the entire herd was.

They got close enough to Vicksburg that they could hear the cannons. "Apparently, they made it to Natchez. He sold his cattle and was going to return to Texas by rail. Then he was confronted by Union troops and detained for several days before being released. He went to Louisiana before coming back to Hood County." While there is no known photograph of Middleton, he is 817-573-1996 817-573-6202 2L THE WAIT IS OVER GRANBURY! ft The home of the World Famous Oreck XL Hotel Upright is open! Pete Kendall can be reached at (817) ext.

248, or e-mail pkendallhcnews.com Ask the Geologist Outstanding 'Ask the Geologist' has been running in several area newspapers for some time. After seeing my articles in other papers I have had several folks from the Hood County area contact me with Questions and concerns. So Powerful it can lift a 16 lb. Buy any Oreck Hypo-Allergenic i i ll bowling ball! Upright and receive our 4 lb. compact canister FREE! And if you hurry, we Guaranteed Installation also give you our Cordless Iron! FREE! A A A We Honor All Oreck Offers! Pat Fairchild My column will be addressing some of the most frequently asked questions from land and mineral owners.

I also look forward to visiting with you concerning specific questions you might have. I want to be able to develop a working relationship with the people of Hood and surrounding counties. As a geologist, I lease minerals and get wells drilled, but I also welcome questions from folks that have leased to other companies. Many have signed leases and have questions but do not know who to ask, I am open to anyone who has a question. I have said many times, "The minerals are yours, and what you do today will not only affect you, but those in your family for decades to come.

This is a very long term play and you must be careful who you deal with." No question is too small, or any concern too insignificant. Starting with this article I would like to introduce myself. I have been married thirty-five years, have a son and daughter, and one beautiful eight month old grandson! I am a Certified Petroleum Geologist as well as a Certified Professional Geologist with a degree from Hardin-Simmons University. I have been in practice since 1974 with offices in Midland and Weatherford, Texas. I have been involved in all phases of the oil industry.

While I might not have answers for all the questions put to me, I do have professional people and resources upon which I can draw. Please feel free to contact me anytime at 81 7-594-1536. 1 look forward to meeting and visiting with the folks of Hood County, and getting wells drilled in a timely manner. Paid Advertisement Carpet Ceramic Porcelain Tile Wood Flooring Laminate Flooring I Store Hours Mon-Fri 10-6 Thur til 8 Sat 10-6 Sun 12-5 CORNER OF HWY 377 CORPORATE DR. 100 CORPORATE DRIVE GRANBURY L3 6242005, 9:51 AM.