Thomas Ferguson CRUTCHFIELD

  General Notes:

Crutchfield Family History letter (electronic copy with John Allen Pierce, Jr.):

Charles Thomas Crutchfield, father of Bess Patience Crutchfield Smith, wrote down what he could remember of his grandfather. "Grandfather Thomas Crutchfield married Frances Lampton. They lived for a while above Louisville, at Franklin, Kentucky, where Thomas kept a store. They lived in the first brick house built in the town. They afterwards kept a store in Louisville. Frances Lampton had been left an orphan and had lived with her uncle, Henry Lampton, who had been appointed her guardian. Frances was left heir to considerable property which she was to inherit when she came of age or when she married. Her uncle Henry, who had charge of the property and a lifetime interest, sold it. The property was on the Kentucky River. After Frances married Thomas Crutchfield, they entered suit to regain the property, employing Charles A. Meng, said to be the best lawyer in Louisville. The War between the States stopped all legal proceedings. After the war was over, Colonel Meng recovered a lot of this Lampton property. Thomas and his family had moved with Peters Colony to Dallas, and he and his son, JAMES made two trips to Louisville to see Colonel Meng and settle up affairs. Before this Colonel Meng had made several trips to Dallas."

It was about 1850 when Frances Lampton Crutchfield and Thomas Crutchfield came overland with their fine Morgan horses and Negroes. In crossing the Ohio River, the teams backed off the ferry. JAMES, their son, got out and unhitched the horses, rescuing the family. In Texas, they settled at Hoard's Ridge, homesteading a tract of land there. The family moved to Dallas before the Civil War and built a hotel there, the Crutchfield House, on the northwest corner of the Courthouse square. In 1860 this frame building burned in the fire which also destroyed a greater portion of the town. It was thought Negroes had set the fire, and some of the citizens demanded that Thomas Crutch-field hand his Negroes over to them for whipping. Thomas refused. Charles Thomas Crutchfield, grandson of Thomas, told of being on the Crutchfield farm outside Dallas when the fire started and of climbing on top of their smokehouse to watch.

After the fire, the Crutchfield House was rebuilt of brick, and was the first in Dallas to have glass windows instead of wooden shutters. Thomas continued to operate the hotel for several more years after having served in the war for two years under Tom Green. Crutchfield House after the war had such guests as General Sam Houston, Senator Thomas J. Rusk, and John H. Reagan. The Dallas News wrote an article describing the Crutchfield House on October 1, 1935:

In 1885 the business district already was growing away from the Crutchfield, but in earlier days this hotel's position on the courthouse square had made it a natural center for many social and civic activities. The best-known hotel in North Texas for many years it stood - two stories high - on the site of the original Crutchfield House, which Thomas F. Crutchfield had built of logs in 1852 and which was consumed in the fire of 1860. Prince Paul of Williamsburg, Germany, had spent two weeks in the old log tavern in 1852. The new structure was built of brick and lumber, the latter hauled by wagon from Buffalo Bayou.

Mrs. Crutchfield, in addition to sorting letters when her husband was postmaster, 1859-1862, maintained a reputation as a fine cook. Merchants and lawyers often went to the Crutchfield House for dinners of venison, wild fowl or catfish stuffed with cove oysters. One such dinner in the fifties was interrupted with a cry that Indians were coming.

When the News began publication here the Crutchfield House was still in operation, though its proprietorship had passed through several hands since Crutchfield's death in 1868 and newer and more luxurious hotels had drawn away most of the high-class trade. The bell which in earlier days had notified the townspeople that Mrs. Crutchfield had dinner on the table had been shot down by visiting gunmen. The old hotel was burned in December, 1888, and its site is now a part of the new three-way underpass.

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http://userdb.rootsweb.com/marriages/cgi-bin/marriage.cgi?main_id=29447&da tabase=Marriage%20Records&return_to=http://userdb.rootsweb.com/marriages/& submitter_id=:

Marriage Record for Thomas F. Crutchfield
Spouse: Frances Maria LAMPTON
Date: 17 Oct 1824
B/G: Groom County and State: Mercer Co. KY User-Added Notes (click here to add a note): Page Nichols Nickell nickell2@flash.net 2002-08-08 19:47:59
Thomas Ferguson Crutchfield was b. January 23, 1804 in Franklin County, Kentucky, son of John Crutchfield and Nancy Ann West. He moved from Kentucky to Dallas, Texas in the mid-late 1840's where he owned The Crutchfield House, the first hotel in the then village of Dallas, Dallas County, Texas. The Crutchfield's had 6 children: Albertus, James Oscar, Thomas Ella, Ophelia, Minerva, Mary Elizabeth.

Moved to Texas in 1842 (The Fort Worth Record: Friday Morning, October 27, 1905)

(Transcribed by Dorman Holub from John Henry Brown's History of Dallas County, 1892, pp. 151-168.): Crutchfield, Thomas F., and family from Kentucky, 1845. children: · James O. M. · Fannie Floyd · Albertus went to California · Th. Ella married G. S. C. Leonard · Ophelia married John J. Eakins, who died in 1886 · Minerva, married John W. Swindells · Betty married John W. Lane

Built one of the first hotels in Dallas, The Crutchfield House, in 1852

- July 19, 1903, Dallas Morning News, p. 14, col. 3-4: Among the interesting letters is one from Judge Nat M. Burford to Mr. Durgin, who was then at Jefferson. The letter is dated Dec. 17, 1850, at which time he was serving as District Attorney. Judge Burford notes that business of every description in Dallas is flourishing; that town lots are commanding very high prices, Mr. Crutchfield having paid $275 for a lot on which to erect a fine tavern,


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Thomas Crutchfield is listed on the 1829 Franklin Co. KY tax list at <http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ky/franklin/taxlists/1829.txt>

TAXES: Franklin Co., 1829-1830

Submitted by: blattin@mindspring.com (Bill Lattin)

Commissioners Book
South District (of Franklin County)
1829 Collectable 1830
A Copy (for Joseph Clarke) by A. H. Rennick

Notes:
1. Single white males and females 21 years of age and over appear to be listed even if they had no taxable property.
2. Taxable property includes land, blacks, horses, studs&jacks, stores, tavern licences and carriages. Taxed land is not necessarily within Franklin County.
3. Although some houses & lots in Frankfort are included, it does not appear Frankfort residents are included.
4. Property included a total of 1197 blacks, including 1 black woman owned by the Bank of Kentucky.
5. Largest valuation - Isham(sp?) Talbot - $50,000 - 18,582 acres in various locales, 17 blacks, 20 horses, 3 houses and lots, 1 lot, 3 carriages.

NAME | TOTAL VALUE
Crutchfield, Thomas | 1600


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1830 Census Franklin Co. KY: Thomas Crutchfield,
2 males 0-5 [Albertus & James Oscar]
1 male 20-30 [Thomas?]
1 female 20-30 [wife]
1 female 60-70 [a grandparent?]

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TX Family Groupsheet for Thomas Ferguson CRUTCHFIELD Family

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Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://www.usgenweb.org/volunteers/copyright.html
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Submitted by: Page Nichols Nickell
Email address: nickell2@flash.net


Husband: Thomas Ferguson CRUTCHFIELD
Birthdate: January 23, 1804
Birthplace: Franklin County, Kentucky
Death date: February 13, 1871
Place of death: Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Father: John CRUTCHFIELD
Mother: Nancy Ann WEST


Marriage date: October 17, 1824
Marriage place: Mercer County, Kentucky


Wife: Frances "Fannie" Maria LAMPTON
Birthdate: November 7, 1807
Birthplace: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
Death date: November 13, 1875
Place of death: Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Father: Mark LAMPTON IV
Mother: Frances "Fanny" SHIPP


CHILDREN


Child No. 1: Albertus CRUTCHFIELD
Sex: M
Birthdate: Ca. 1827
Birthplace: Kentucky
Death date: Unknown
Place of death: Unknown
Marriage date: October 9, 1848
Marriage place: Navarro County, Texas
Spouse's name: Prudence J. HANLY/HANLEY


Child No. 2: James Oscar CRUTCHFIELD
Sex: M
Birthdate: August 6, 1830
Birthplace: Franklin County, Kentucky
Death date: April 26, 1912
Place of death: Tioga, Texas
Marriage date: September 15, 1851
Marriage place: Union County, Kentucky
Spouse's name: Frances "Fannie" Patience FLOYD


Child No. 3: Thomas Ella CRUTCHFIELD
Sex: F
Birthdate: Ca. 1833
Birthplace: Kentucky
Death date: bef. 1808
Place of death:
Marriage date: February 28, 1849
Marriage place: Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Spouse's name: George Sikes C. LEONARD


Child No. 4: Ophelia CRUTCHFIELD
Sex: F
Birthdate: January 11, 1831
Birthplace: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
Death date: October 26, 1905
Place of death: Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marriage date: October 30, 1850
Marriage place: Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Spouse's name: John J. EAKINS


Child No. 5: Minerva H. CRUTCHFIELD
Sex:
Birthdate: 1840
Birthplace: Kentucky
Death date: After 1884
Place of death: Texas
Marriage date: September 23, 1857
Marriage place: Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Spouse's name: John W. SWINDELLS


Child No. 6: Mary Elizabeth "Bettie" CRUTCHFIELD
Sex: F
Birthdate: 1843
Birthplace: Kentucky
Death date: January 13, 1866
Place of death: Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marriage date: January 5, 1860
Marriage place: Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Spouse's name: John W. LANE


Documentation: 1850 U.S.Census - Dallas County, TX
1860 U.S. Census - Dallas County, TX
1870 U.S. Census - Dallas County, Tx
1850 U.S. Census - Navarro County, Tx
Pioneer Cemetery, Dallas, Dallas County, Tx
Knights of Honor Cemetery, Blossom, Tx
Greater Dallas and Vicinity
Texans of Dallas
Will of Thomas F. Crutchfield - Dallas Texas
Will of Frances M. Lampton Crutchfield - Dallas Texas
History of Old Cemetery by Carlisle
Dallas Herald 1919
Navarro County Marriage, Vol A 1846-1888
The Peters Colony by Seymour Connor
Dallas, Her Golden Years by Barret Sanders
Mercer Co. Kentucy Records by Michael Cook
Dallas Times Herald Dallas, Texas Aug 18, 1949
Dallas Historical Society Files

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http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?thomas,ferguson,crutchfield::crutchfield::619.html
Top of Form 1 Posted by: Richard Crotwell </cgi-genforum/email.cgi?605026978>Date: June 11, 2000 at 17:54:14
In Reply to: Re: Crutchfield Boarding House Civil War </crutchfield/messages/614.html> by June Baker of 1504
Bottom of Form 1

"The Crutchfield House" was the first hotel in Dallas, TX. It was destroyed by fire 10 Dec.1888. The original hotel was built in 1852 by Thomas Ferguson Crutchfield. Thomas was born in Franklin Co. KY, 23 Jan 1804, son of John and Nancy Ann West Crutchfield of Virginia. A reported fight with Indians is related to this facility. I have additional Crutchfield family information. Page Nichols is a descendant of this family. She may have posted a query on this forum.

The OK Corral gunfight took place in Toombstone, Arizona.

The first owner of the "Crutchfield House" hotel in Chattanooga, TN was Thomas Crutchfield, Sr. born 17 Sep 1801 in VA. Wife was Sarah Moore Clegg. During the War of The Northern Aggression, their sons, Thomas and William Crutchfield were active supporters of Union Forces under Gen. Thomas during the siege of Chattanooga. William was born 16 Nov 1824 in Greeneville, Greene Co. TN, wife named Nancy Jane Williams

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http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~jwheat/land7588.html:

AN OLD LANDMARK __________ GOES DOWN IN MIDNIGHT FLAMES. __________ The Old Historic Crutchfield House Burned the Second Time.

About 2 o'clock this morning, the fire department was called to suppress a blaze which had started in the east end of the old Crutchfield house in a room usually occupied by a Mrs. Reese, but last night temporarily vacated. No fire was in the room, and the origin remains a mystery. The building was of wood and brick; the former burned rapidly, and soon the old landmark so dear to the memories of the early settlers of Dallas was reduced to a charred hull. The old building has an interesting history, and its demise has been mentioned on the streets more than once to-day. Judge Nat M. Burford, who came and has been living here over forty years, only two men--Judge Patterson and John W. Smith--living then and now in the city when he came here, in speaking of the history of the Crutchfield house, said: "It was built in 1852 by Thomas F. Crutchfield from lumber hauled from Red River county, and under his and his estimable wife's management, was the foremost hostelry of North Texas. It was destroyed by fire in June, 1860, at the same time that all business houses in Dallas, numbering fifteen, went down in flames. Mr. Crutchfield at once rebuilt it, and it was from the veranda of that house which burned last night that John W. Forney______?, the famous newspaper man of Philadelphia; Col. Tom Scott, president of the Texas & Pacific Railway, then 150 miles east of here, and Robert Garrett, Sr., of the Baltimore & Ohio road, addressed a crowd of Dallas citizens on the subject of extending the Texas & Pacific road into this city. It was during their visit that the present Texas & Pacific depot and round-house grounds were located.

During the Crutchfield management, there was never a scandal, nor a murder, connected with the history of the house. It was the most magnificent hotel in Texas. Among the famous guests who partook of the hospitalities of the place, I recall the names of Gov. Thomas P. Hathaway Bell, Gen. Thomas Rusk, Gen. Sam Houston, Gov. E. M. Pease and O. M. Roberts, the old Alcalde; among celebrated European guests was Prince Paul, the reigning sovereign of Williamsburg, who remained a week in the year '52, and went from here to St. Louis by stage; Victor Considerante, M. Kantagrel, for whom one of the streets in the city has been named, and M. Cosin, all prominently connected with French immigration into this county. It ceased to be the leading hotel after the death of Thomas F. Crutchfield, which I think occurred in 1868. No, it was not the oldest house in the city. The oldest house was built in 1849 and now stands on the south side of Commerce street, just east of the Synagogue, and is occupied by Mr. Davenport. Of the surviving descendants of Thos. F. Crutchfield and wife, there remains now only James O. Crutchfield of Lamar county and Mr[s]. Ophelia Eakins, of this city."

The Crutchfield management referred to by Judge Burford, was succeeded by Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. Johnson was murdered by a gambler by the name of Charles Webb, who succeeded in making his escape. The house then fell into the hands of Mr. McIlhenny, the best known hotel host in the state. It was during his management that an imported and, it is said, the only case of yellow fever, made its appearance in Dallas. The party died and Mr. McIlhenny assisted in arranging his remains for burial. Later day changes were of little note as the famous hostelry of a quarter century gradually grew beneath the notice of distinguished travelers who put up at more metropolitan places which sprang into existence with the flow of increased population and wealth; but many of the leading and wealthy citizens of the city took their first Dallas meal and rested their weary bodies for the first time in the old Crutchfield house, around which clings so much dear to their memories.

The little bell suspended from a china tree on the sidewalk is said to be the first bell that ever did service in Dallas. Originally, [it] occupied a position above the roof of the house, and old timers recall a visit from Quantrell's band along in the sixties when some of his men amused themselves by shooting at the modest little bell of the town.

The property at present belongs to Mrs. Ada Ranch Clark. The loss was in the neighborhood of a thousand dollars, and it is stated there was some insurance.

- December 10, 1888, Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 5, col. 2-3.

- July 12,CITY'S FIRST BIG SETBACK ______ Serious Conflagration Oc- curred in Dallas in July, 1860 _______ Account of the Calamity Taken From an Extra Edition of the Dallas Herald.

Last Wednesday, July 8, was the forty-third anniversary of the first big fire that ever visited Dallas. The blaze came near destroying the entire city, and was the first serious disaster that befell the early settlers. The following account of the conflagration is taken from a copy of the Dallas Herald extra, printed July 11, 1860, at McKinney, the office of the Herald having been destroyed in the fire:

On Sunday last, 8th inst., the town of Dallas was nearly all reduced to ashes, and almost wiped out of existence. Such a calamity has never before befallen this community--so overwhelming a disaster afflicted an enterprising and industrious people; nor, so complete a destruction of valuable property ever occurred in a small town. The fire originated in some boxes in front of W. W. Peak & Bro.'s drug store, and in less than five minutes, the entire building was enveloped in flames. The wind was high, blowing from the southwest, and the thermometer at the time (half-past one o'clock) was standing at 105 F., in the shade. The fire was then communicated to the old drug store, and the building and warehouse of A. Shirek, and the Herald office on the north side of Peak's store, and on the other, to the large brick store of Smith & Murphy, the three-story brick building of Mrs. Cockrell, known as the Dallas hotel. Thus, at one and the same time, the whole west side of the square was a blazing mass of ruins. The Crutchfield House, Wester's barber shop, the frame of the new building of A. Simon, the old tavern stand, the office of B. W. Stone, young Carr's saddlery shop, the large store house of Herman Hirhs, Darnell's livery stable, A. Simons' store house and warehouse (Caruth


June 16, 1907, Dallas Daily Times Herald, Section II, p. 2, col. 4-6. 1907 FIRST HOTEL IN DALLAS AND HOSTELRIES THAT FOLLOWED _______

The Old Crutchfield House and One of Its Managers-- The Present Day Edifices in the Metropolis.

In no way is the evolution of a village into a town and of a town into a city more accurately shown than in its hotels and cafes. As in olden times, men traveled by foot, horse and coach many miles to find an inn where they and their beasts might be properly cared for and they might find good cheer within, so does the traveling public of to-day pass by the city with its inferior hostelries and go, perhaps, long distances further to spend a day or a night at a place where there are bountiful tables and comfortable rooms. In days of old, a popular inn was the central place of a wide community and its keeper was a man treated with kindness and respect by royalty itself. Around its board gathered the mighty and the wise and there are hundreds of old taverns scattered over Europe and along the Atlantic seaboard of the United States in every room of which has occurred incidents noted in history.

Until the civil war in the United States, most men of prominence were more or less addicted to drinking, and the walls of many an old tavern ale room, if they could even whisper, could tell stories of mirth and laughter, of joke and fleeting joy and of wassail and of song. Men met to talk of love and war and politics and every speech and every song was hyphenated with a full bowl.

Popular hotels are as frequented now as a popular inn was when Clay and Webster touched feet together beneath the same table. The way they have of meeting is as different as the modern hotel is different from the old inn, but the methods pursued and the results attained, are much alike. Many a boom from that of an obscure congressman to that of a presidential candidate is started in the seclusion of a richly decorated hotel room, and when a financier wants to interest one or more of his running mates in a big deal, he invites him, or them, to join him at lunch or dinner. Champagne, or its equivalent, is as effective as hard cider and apple jack used to be, and stuffed duck and tender roasts are as appetizing to the men nowadays as venison or planked shad. With these around them, there comes a spirit of compromise to most men and agreements of far reaching consequences are often made. Owen Meredith, as well as the rest of civilized mankind, though nothing absolutely essential to life save cooks, and, without hotels, the race of cooks would dwindle like the Populist party after Bryan's first nomination for the presidency.


First Hotel in Dallas.
The first hotel Dallas ever knew was a historic landmark in this city for many years. It was built about 1850 on the bluff of the Trinity near the eastern end of the present Commerce street bridge. It stood there for years, giving welcome to the weary traveler. The barn behind had a welcome for the traveler's tired horse. Travelers from all parts of the Southwest occasionally stopped there, and within its walls were entertained Sam Houston, John H. Reagan and many another who did deeds for Texans to remember. After an existence of about fifteen years, the old Crutchfield House, together with most of the rest of the town, was consumed by an incendiary fire. Dallasites took the law into their own hands and, finding four negroes believed to be the guilty firebugs, took them quietly across the river and left them hanging to as many trees as there were negroes.

Shortly after this, the Crutchfield House was rebuilt, but in another location. This time, it occupied the site of the present fire station at Main and Broadway. It was run by Mrs. Crutchfield till 1870, when S. E. McIlhenny became its manager. Mr. McIlhenny was then a very young man, but he knew how to run a popular hotel and he made it successful. Since then, he has managed the Grand Windsor, the Windsor, the Oriental and the Majestic. He is now in charge of the handsome South Ervay street hostelry, and has not lost one whit of his immense popularity with the traveling public. The hotel Mr. McIlhenny is managing to-day has 247 rooms and is fitted with the most modern conveniences. From the Crutchfield house to the Majestic is a long stride, but Manager McIlhenny is at his ease as much now as he was then.


Mr. McIlhenny's Career.
Mr. McIlhenny said: "It has been thirty-seven years since I began my hotel career in Dallas. I have seen hotels and hotel men come and go. The Crutchfield house was a good one in its day, but no more to be compared with the best hotels in Dallas now, than was the village of then, with the city of now. But, Dallas has had good hotels ever since I came here. The town grew rapidly and the hotels kept the pace. The traveling public, especially the drummers, early acquired the habit of coming here to spend Sundays. That was because Dallas had, and has, the best hotels in the state. Drummers come to Dallas from hundreds of miles to spend a day or two off the road now. It is due entirely to the superiority of our hostelries. They will continue to come just as long as we continue to keep our hotels in the lead."


Charles Hodges.
Next to Mr. McIlhenny in point of long service as a Dallas hotel proprietor, is Charles Hodges. Mr. Hodges began the management of the old National hotel in 1887. In 1894, Mr. Hodges assumed charge of the St. George. He is still proprietor of the St. George and of the Windsor as well. Mr. Hodges expects to soon add a modern addition of forty or fifty rooms, each with bath, to the St. George. Like the other elder veteran Dallas Boniface, Mr. Hodges says Dallas will be famous just as long as her hotels maintain their present splendid reputation.
From the first Crutchfield House, capable of entertaining on a pinch, twenty-five or thirty guests, to the present splendid and capacious hotels of today, is a long step and a far cry. To-day, Dallas has the Oriental with 250 rooms, the Majestic with 250 mores, the Imperial with 150, the St. George with 100, the Windsor with 100.


The Immense Southland.
By the opening of the next Fair, the Southland, with 200 rooms, will be open to the public. These hotels, combined, furnish 1050 rooms. When needed, hotel men estimate, a hotel can be made to accommodate, on an average, four guests for each room. Thus, it will be seen that the leading hotels of Dallas can take care of about 5000 strangers. Smaller hotels and public boarding houses can easily care for as many more. It is asserted with confidence that, without crowding and with comparative effort, Dallas' public eating and resting places can easily arrange and provide for at least 15,000 strangers. No city of its size can surpass this. Few can equal it. It is no wonder that managers of big conventions like to bring their gatherings here. As they are needed, there will be more hotels. Dallas knows what they mean to all her people and will not be without them. - June 16, 1907, Dallas Daily Times Herald, Section II, p. 2, col. 4-6.


1919 HALF A CENTURY AGO THE DALLAS HERALD WAS WAR-TIME NEWSPAPER
Dallasites who harbor a lingering thirst, and to whom the dilapidated and fast fading signs of "Mike's Place" and "Marble Palace" on a few remaining store fronts, bring faint memories of a free and easy past, would undoubtedly suspect their eyesight, were they to be confronted with a good-sized "booze ad" in a local periodical. There is, however, a copy of a Dallas newspaper in the hands of a local citizen, which has the following advertisement displayed conspicuously on the second page:

"Whisky! Whisky!! Whisky!!! At the Steam Distillery, Cedar Springs, 3 Miles North of Dallas."

Pure, unadulterated whisky, rye, corn and wheat, is now being made at these works and can be furnished in quantities to suit purchaser, from a ten gallon keg to as many barrels as may be required on suitable notice. Whisky changed for grain at the distillery. Address G. R. Wheeler."
It is a copy of an advertisement which appeared in an issue of The Dallas Herald in the year 1862.
An advertisement of this character in the days of "62," caused about as much comment as would be occasioned at the present time by the blowing out of an automobile tire.

Published by J. W. Swindells.
The advertisement quoted above is one which was given a prominent place on the second page of The Dallas Herald, published in Dallas by John W. Swindells and John W. Lane in 1862, and, which is now the property of Charles Swindells, of this city.
The old paper, which was among the first publications, is highly prized by Mr. Swindells and is carefully preserved by him.
A notice from the editor advises that beef tallow will be accepted at the office of the publishers in any quantity for subscriptions. In another place, the editor advises that he is preparing to go to war and respectfully requests that any person indebted to the paper, please call by and settle up their account, as money will be needed for the trip and to take care of members of the family during his absence.

Advertises New Hotel.
In another advertisement, Thomas F. Crutchfield, after whom Crutchfield street, now an extension of Pearl street in South Dallas, was named, tells that after the fire which destroyed the Crutchfield house (which was, at the time of the fire, the leading hotel of Dallas), he wishes to announce that he has constructed a new brick hotel on the site of the old building and is now prepared to serve his old friends and patrons.
"The table will, at all times, be supplied with the varieties the market affords and will be served up in the best of style. In connection with the hotel, is a first rate livery stable, which will always be provided with a good supply of provender of every kind and attended by experienced hostlers," the notice reads.
Compare the services promised there with the Adolphus hotel and imagine Bob Ellifritz, getting up an advertisement for his modern and up to date hostelry dealing with the menu and the garage in connection therewith.
In the days of "62," the Crutchfield house was as much of a hotel in Dallas as the Adolphus, or any other of the leading hotels are today. The paper was published at a time when the noble sons of Texas were casting their lot with the Confederate states of America in the war with the Union army. The call was going out for recruits and organizations were being formed the same as were formed when Texas sent her sons to do battle with the Hun.
There appears a notice in the Herald requesting the ladies to gather at the home of one of the leading ladies of the town for the purpose of organizing a soldiers' benefit association. One can look back and see the women sitting at the old spinning wheel, spinning the yarn with which to knit the sox to be sent to the soldiers, or making bandages the same as they did in the big war.
Another notice advises that a cavalry troop, recently organized, is in need of horses and calls upon those who have animals to spare, to turn them over to the soldiers and accept a due bill from the commanding officer, the money to be paid at the next pay day, which is promised some time in the future.
The old saying, "there is nothing new under the sun," is carried out in a report that a Mr. Howell of Dallas was seriously injured in an engagement between the Confederate and Union soldiers. An official report received later advises that Mr. Howell was wounded, but would recover. The casualty lists for the last war reported, in many instances, men killed in action or seriously wounded, only to be corrected later to read slightly injured or reported for duty.
The paper reports battles fought, weeks before.

- July 6, 1919, Dallas Daily Times Herald, Sec. I, p. 7, col. 2-6. - o o o -


http://www.dallasgenealogy.org/minute/minutemay1852.htm:
DALLAS COUNTY, TEXAS MINUTE BOOK A, 1846\emdash 1855 14TH DISTRICT COURT ABSTRACTS (p. 299) State of Texas vs E. S. Napier. Defendant fails to appear after being called three times.

State of Texas vs E. S. Napier. Assault with Intent to Kill. Defendant called three times and did not appear; therefore, ordered that the State of Texas recover of the defendant and Thomas F. Crutchfield, his security, the sum of $300.00 being the amount of the bond and a scire facias issued herein returnable to the next term of this court.



http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~jwheat/whenyou11.html:

Editor's Note.---Following is the eleventh of a series of articles by Mrs. Foster, a resident of Dallas for many years, concerning interesting people and events here a quarter of a century ago. ___________ Prominent in Activities of Dallas in Former Years
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When Mrs. Octavia Brown, a bride, came to Dallas with her young husband, Stephen Decatur Brown, they lived for a short time on Commerce street, near the old opera house and the old Windsor hotel. This was in 1873. Mrs. Brown was a native of Texas, born in Gonzales. Mr. Brown was from Petersburgh, Va.
Their second home was on Jackson street, at the edge of a cedar brake so dense that frequently people were lost in it. Next, they moved across the river into a house built of logs, warm in winter and cool in summer, and known as "the haunted house."

Picturesque Figure.
It had been the home of Anthony Danning Norton, a picturesque figure in early Texas days. An Ohio boy, a graduate of Kenyon college, among his collegemates were Rutherford B. Hayes, Edwin M. Stanton, Guy M. Bryan of Texas, and Royal T. Wheeler, who, when he died, was chief justice of Texas.
Banning Norton came to Texas in 1848. He was a friend of Sam Houston, and, like him, he espoused the cause of the union. He was adjutant general of Texas in 1860, and went back to Ohio when Texas seceded, returning later. When we came to Dallas in 1890, he was frequently seen on the streets, and his long, white beard, and his long, white hair bore witness to his youthful vow never to shave or have his hair cut if Henry Clay was not elected president.
Banning Norton had bought one acre across the river form a farmer, and in this log house, he lived and published Norton's Union Intelligencer, at Honey Springs, head of navigation, later moving to Ross avenue, beyond Leonard.

Threats Stop "Ghosts."
When Stephen Decatur Brown moved into the haunted house and was told that lights appeared on the gate posts (how convenient that would have been before the days of electricity), and that balls of fire rolled around the yard, and that ghostly faces appeared at the windows, and a woman had been left to die there alone, he promptly said that if any more ghosts came, he would shoot them. As he had a great reputation as a shot, and it was known that he could shoot the head off a turkey while it was running across the yard, the ghosts never did come again.
Later, it was ascertained that the farmer had wanted to reclaim his acre of ground and took this method of making the owners sell back to him, but he did not know the temper of Anthony Banning Norton, nor of Stephen Decatur Brown.

Bought "Brushwood Farm."
The Browns then bought a farm, a "brushwood farm" Mrs. Brown calls it, in South Dallas, and raised stock. This farm was where Colonial Hill now is. When we came to Dallas, it was called Chestnut Hill. I never could find that chestnut tree, and I wonder if it really was there as a material fact, or if some lonely exile saw in imagination the clustering white blossoms and the roasted chestnuts in "the garden of memory."
The only near neighbor of the Browns was a Mr. Fetzer, who had a vineyard and who made wine.
Mrs. Brown finally sold the farm to Mr. Bolanz, who opened up Brown's addition, and Mrs. Brown gave the land in front of her place for Pennsylvania avenue. Ervay street was, at an early day, almost impassable in dry weather because of the deep sand. One had to go over to the Central railway to get a good road to town.
After awhile, many pleasant neighbors settled near the Browns--the Bolanz family, Mainor Shumards, who live now at Hayoke ranch at Boerne, the Henry Lewises, Mrs. Virginia Q. McNealus, the W. A. Callaways, the E. C. Lanes, the A. J. Daniels and others.
When I learned that Mrs. Daniels had been Retta Stickney, I said to her, "Were you related to One Strikney and Two Strikney of Ohio?" and she answered, "Yes, I was. Their names are a tradition in our family. What can you tell me about them?"
Said I: "They were friends of my father's and naturally their names appealed to me and I asked my father about them. He said that their father numbered his boys and named his girls for states. I think the girls were Carolina, Maryland and Indiana."
Mrs. Daniels had come from the East to visit her uncle, J. C. Stickney, for many years with Scarff & O'Connor. He lives now in St. Louis.

The Chandler Family.
Another Colonial Hill family was the Chandlers. the little yellow-haired daughter of the Chandlers who sat in the back yard and moulded tiny figures in clay, is now Clyde Chandler, sculptor, of Santa Monica, Cal.
Mrs. Brown recalls the building of the first street car line. Associated with W. J. Keller in this enterprise was Chas. Dent, a cousin of Julia Dent, wife of President U. S. Grant. Because of their Southern sympathies, the Dents of Dallas never claimed this relationship, though it was known to their intimate friends.

Recalls Primitive Post Office.
Mrs. Brown remembers the primitive post office, a small building having but one or two clerks. The letter boxes were marked N--S---E---W---and you were expected to know the points of the compass and to separate your mail before depositing it.
The first post office had been opened away back in 1845, and the first postmaster was Charles H. Durgin, who was from New Haven, Conn., and whose wife, formerly Elizabeth Thomas, made the cloth pouches, twelve in number, which hung on the white wall, and received the incoming mail. The second postmaster was Thomas F. Crutchfield, who came from Louisville, Ky., in 1847. The Crutchfield family were pioneers in Dallas. For many years, the Crutchfield house, near the river, was the leading hotel. It was kept by Thomas F. Crutchfield, whose wife made hospitable and efficient hostess. Betty, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Crutchfield, married John W. Lane, January 5, 1860. The parents of John W. Lane had come from Kentucky to Freestone county, Texas, at an early day.
John W. Lane settled in Dallas and took an active part in the civic problems of the time. He had the greatest pride in the growth of the city and in its improvement.
He was a newspaper man and owned and published, with his brother-in-law, John W. Swindells, the Dallas Herald.

- February 1, 1925, Dallas Times Herald, Sec. III, p. 7, col. 1-4. - o o o -

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Postmasters and Post Offices of Dallas County, 1846-1930 Sources: Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832 - Sept. 30, 1971; National Archives microfilm M841, NNEB-20 (reels1 - 3) Pickett Papers, Confederate States of America, Volumes 98 - 99; Library of Congress microfilm, reel 52 DALLAS (Nacogdoches, Dallas) Bryan, John Neely, 22 May 1846 Durgin, Chas. H., 12 Nov 1846 (related article) To Dallas County Smith, John W., 8 Apr 1848 Samson, J. L., 17 Aug 1848 Keen, John W., 22 Jun 1849 Patterson, Jas. M., 27 Nov 1849 Crutchfield, Thos. F., 25 Jun 1850 Dunaway, Foster W., 17 Feb 1852 Crutchfield, Thos. F., 25 Jun 1852 Murphy, Wm. L., 23 Apr 1854 Crutchfield, Thos. F., 17 Feb 1855 Crutchfield, Thos. F., 5 Aug 1861 (CSA)
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Texas Land Title Abstracts

District: Nacogdoches; Robertson County: Dallas Grantee: Thos. F. Crutchfield Certificate: 4176/4277 Patentee: Thos. F. Crutchfield Patent Date: 01 Dec 1855 Patent #: 536 Patent Volume: 12 Acres: 640 Class: Rob 3rd File: 1261

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1850 Dallas County, TX Federal Census Page 100B 409 424
Thomas F Crutchfield 47 M inn keeper 400 Ky
Francis M 43 F Ky
James O 21 M farmer ?
Ofelia 12 F ?
Manerva 10 F ? Page 101A
Mary F Crutchfield 7 F Ky
Alexander Harwood 29 M clerk 600 Ten
John J Eakins 27 M lawyer 300 Ky

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From the Kentucky Pioneer and Court Records compiled by Mrs. Harry Kennett Mc Adams The Keystone Printery - Lexington, KY - 1929 Mercer County, Kentucky Records from 1800 to 1870 Thomas F Crutchfield to F M Lampton 10-17-1824 page 308

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Appendix to will, recieved in letter to Allen Pierce on Jan. 31, 1985, from Jackie McElhaney stating "I did mention to you that I have found an appendix to Thomas' will in the papers at the Dallas Library in which he disinherits his son Albertus, who had gone to California to seek gold an was apparently never heard from.":

State of Texas
County of Dallas

Know all men by these [present?] that I thomas F Crutchfield of the County and state of [?] do make and declare this an appendix to my last will and Testament dated 16th day of March 1867.

I hereby desire and hereby direct that the share devised to my daughter Thomas Ella Lenard with certain restrictions shall be given to her with only the same restrictions as my other children.

[Second?] I will and direct that the share set apart for my son Albertus Crutchfield in said will be divided between my other children, and no share or part of a share to be set apart to him or to any of his heirs.
[?], I hereby disinherit my son Albertus and his heirs forever and direct that they receive no portion of my property.

I appoint my wife Fannie M. Crutchfield executrix of my last will and Testament.

Thomas F. Crutchfield
[?] 27th 1871
Thomas Walker (witness)
Mary E. Kerfoot (witness)

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Early Dallas Post Offices
Posted By: M C Toyer <http://www.dallashistory.org/cgi-bin/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;profile=m+c+toyer> <mctoyer@hotmail.com <mailto:mctoyer@hotmail.com?subject=Early Dallas Post Offices>>
Date: Thursday, 1 June 2006, at 10:17 a.m.
Here is an excerpt of an article from the 1 October 1935 Fiftieth Anniversary Edition of the Dallas Morning News:

Founder of Dallas Named City's First Postmaster in 1843
Mail Office Oldest Local Governmental Unit, as It Antedates Incorporation of Town, County
Situated in Home
From Log Cabin to Million Dollar Structure is Transition Here

Dallas has had only twenty-two postmasters, although it post office is the oldest local governmental unit, antedating both the county and city of Dallas.

As a matter of fact, the post office of Dallas was established by the Republic of Texas in the fall of 1843, with John Neely Bryan, the founder of Dallas, as the first postmaster. His home, the one-room cabin now being restored on the courthouse grounds, also was the post office under the Lone Star flag and remained so until the spring of 1846 when, on Texas' annexation, the first United States post office was opened here.

Charles H Durgan was appointed the first postmaster under the Stars and Stripes. He had immigrated to Texas shortly before. His original United States passport is among the treasured relics of the post office preserved today in the $1,500,000 Federal Building by Postmaster W Bruce Luna. It was presented to him by William H Cochran, son of Dr Arch Cochran and nephew of John H Cochran, both postmasters.

The first United States postmaster was first of all a storekeeper, with his store on the west side of the courthouse square in the area now used for the triple underpass. The post office in the store consisted of a rough cotton container hung on the walls with pockets stitched in it to provide spaces for placing letters alphabetically. It is said that persons expecting letters went to these pockets and fumbled for themselves without troubling the postmaster. This historic bag is preserved by Mr Luna.

Wife Did the Work

Thomas F Crutchfield, proprietor of the most famous hotel in North Texas ninety years ago, was the third postmaster of Dallas. The hotel was on the north side of Main street between Houston and the river and promptly became the post office as well. The site is also in the area of the triple underpass. Old-timers say it is more proper to refer to Mrs Crutchfield as the postmaster, however, since she gave more time than her husband to the duties of the office.

The Dallas post office was under its third flag from 1862 until 1865 while Texas was a member of the Confederacy. Harvey Sheppard was the Confederate postmaster. He was succeeded at the end of the war by Sam Seaton, who served until 1868.

The fifth postmaster of Dallas was William Jones, who served from 1868 until 1876. He was the first to employ a deputy assistant. The late Henry H Smith, the first employee, recalled in after years that it was a mere boy's job, however. The post office at the time was on the south side of Main street, two doors west of Market.

With the advent of the first railroads in 1872 and 1873, Dallas grew considerably, but it was not until 1880, when Dr Arch M Cochran was postmaster, that carriers were employed. There were four districts to the city with Al Mann, T Hudson Smith, J M Cochran and Charles F Altermann holding these jobs. It was not until nine years later that civil service was applied to the local post office.
. . . . . . . . . . . . (continued)
1 October 1935, The Dallas Morning News, Section IV, Page 15, Col 1-4
Fiftieth Anniversary Edition

  Burial Notes:

Masonic And Odd Fellows Cemetery, Later Moved To Pioneer Cemetery

  Noted events in his life were:

• Alt. Death: Per Page Nickell, Feb 23, 1871, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas. http://www.rootsweb.com/~kyfrankl/q-oct97.htm
Page Nickell <mailto:nickell2@flash.net> Fri Oct 10 18:43:30 1997
Researching the CRUTCHFIELD Family of Franklin County, Kentucky John CRUTCHFIELD of Franklin Co. Kentucky married Nancy Ann WEST They had children: l. Thomas Ferguson CRUTCHFIELD b. Jan. 23, 1804 in Franklin Co. KY d. Feb. 23, 187l in Dallas, Texas married October 17, 1824, in Mercer Co.,KY Frances Maria LAMPTON b. Nov. 7, 1807 in Jefferson Co.,Ky., died - Nov. 13, 1875 in Dallas Co., TX 2. Martha "Patsy" CRUTCHFIELD b. April 19, 1796 in Franklin Co., d. May 15, 1876 m. Dec. 9, 1813, William OWEN, Jr. 3. Maria M. CRUTCHFIELD b. About 1800 in Franklin Co., KY. m. July 13, 1819 James HACKLEY. Would like to correspond with anyone doing research on these families.

• Migration: Moved to Texas, 1842. ¹⁶²¹

• Land: Bought land to build Crutchfield House hotel, Bef Dec 17, 1850, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas. ¹⁶²² paid $275 for a lot on which to erect a fine tavern

• Land: Built The Crutchfield House (Dallas' first hotel), 1852, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas. Built one of the first hotels in Dallas, The Crutchfield House, in 1852

Thomas married Frances "Fannie" Maria LAMPTON, daughter of Mark LAMPTON IV and Frances "Fanny" SHIPP, on Oct 17, 1824 in , Mercer County, Kentucky.¹⁶²⁰ (Frances "Fannie" Maria LAMPTON was born on Nov 7, 1807 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, died on Nov 13, 1873 in Dallas, Dallas County, Texas and was buried in Masonic And Odd Fellows Cemetery - Later Moved To Pioneer Cemetery in Dallas, Dallas County, Texas.)