Bryans in Stephenville Papers
 

 
Erath County, Texas
 

Wylie - Bryan Family Clippings

 
Thomas Sumter Wylie was born in Mississippi. I don't know when he left Mississippi for Texas, but his address at the time of his enlistment in the army in 1862 was Stephenville, Texas . According to his son, Milton Wylie, he left Erath County for Coke County in 1899. More information can be learned about time in an interview with Milton Wylie, son of Tom, completed by the WPA in 1938. It can be found at the Coke County GenWeb site by clicking here.
 
Thank you to Cindy Shipman of Erath County, Texas for transcribing and sending many of these articles. Tom Wylie is mentioned frequently in the Stephenville papers.  I will continue to add to this page.
 

Stephenville Empire/Tribune


16 June 1883

Our bachelor friend T.S. Wylie, accolade of Wylieville, was looking around Stephenville last Thursday. Mr. Wylie has 150 acres of cotton and will make an effort to obtain convicts to work it during cotton-picking time. He is full of business push and vim, and we would like to see him become a citizen of Stephenville. He tells us the post office at his place will be opened again. After he returns from Mississippi, we hope some of our charming young widows will capture him and force him to become a citizen of this blessed town.


28 July 1883

T.S. Wylie has just returned from Mississippi. He states when he left that state, cotton was very small. On his farm, before he left his home on this trip, full-grown bolls were to be found. Mr. Wylie tells us that he is not joking about that post office business, that he means to have a weekly line out to his neighborhood. He looks like a man that means business and we now regard the line as a fixed fact.


8 Dec 1883 from "Corinth" news column by J.M.R. Stephens

We learn that a good school was being taught there [near Gordon.] We took in Wylieville on our return, found T.S. Wylie in full bloom, a well finished house, all new and complete and a fine rocking chair. We did promise that we would not tell, as we were old army chums. When we looked at all the table ware and new stove, nice foot mats, etc., we could not but think that Mr. Wylie was the man who planted that mammoth cotton crop of 150 acres, but, owing to some misfortune in the spring, he was not able to procure the help to get it cultivated, consequently he was saved the trouble of procuring convicts to gather it, and also Nath Shand’s proposition.


8 Dec 1883

Tom Wylie tells us that while in Mississippi he found the resting places of the dead even in a more neglected condition than those of our own State. At his old home he tried to get the neighbors to turn out and fix up their neglected graveyard. Failing to awaken an interest he hired some men and cleared about an acre of ground of tangled underbrush and trees, and then put a neat iron fence around his own family burying ground. A monument was also erected over his mother’s grave. She has been dead some 35 years. This speaks well for a son’s love.


8 Dec 1883

Tom Wylie returned from Mississippi a short time since. It was reported that Tom would bring back a bride. He started with one, but the lady was asleep when the train got to Gordon, and Tom is so accustomed to “going it alone” that he got off the train and forgot all about his better half, and she is probably in Mexico. This is the story Tom tells us. If he does get married and don’t send us some of the cake we will wish him all kinds of bad luck.

15 Dec 1883

Wylieville
Our people organized a debating society last Saturday night, and discussed an important subject: “Resolved that water is a more destructive element than fire.” The affirmatives got “___.” Of course your correspondent ___ __ ___ negative side. We visited Mr. Tom Wylie but failed to find the armchair referred to by the Corinth correspondent. Tom tells us that he is expecting his better half to come on the “down train.” The fair sex is rejoicing at the near approach of leap year.


12 January 1884

How about that mail-line to Wylie’s store that Tom Wylie was going to have established? It is badly needed.


16 February 1884

The post office at Wylie’s store has been re-established to take effect on July 1st. Here’s an opportunity for someone to get in his work as mail carrier.


19th May 1884

Coal Mine Discovered

Our friend Tom Wylie tells us that he has struck a vein of channel coal about eight miles northeast of Stephenville on Paluxy. There were two distinct veins, one of them being 12” thick and the other 3’, perfectly solid. Mr. Wylie is sinking another well some 70 yards west of the first one. The land is owned by John Frey and Tom Wylie jointly. This coal is found at a depth of 37 feet.


14 June 1884

Tom Wylie, while he has no children of his own, is a zealous friend of education. He proposes, if the commissioners court will give his people a small district of their own, to see that a good school house is built. The present school law is giving universal dissatisfaction.


12 July 1884


Tom Wylie, governor of Wylieville, was in town last Thursday, mad as a hornet about the way farmers and the mill men are acting. He thinks they have all continued to seriously injure the prospects of the county.
 

7 Mar 1885

Tom Wylie, while in Gordon recently was taken sick and his friends for a time thought that he would pass over to the ranks of the countless throng who have experienced the mysteries of life which are bridged by a grave. He has now recovered.

13 June 1885

Tom Wylie has returned from the Carrizo Mountains. He looks as though he was fed on free grass out there, as he has fattened amazingly.
 


18 July 1885

The post office at Wylie’s store has netted the postmaster for the past quarter just 98 cents.


5 September 1885


The First Bale

On Thursday of last week Tom Wylie ginned the first bale of cotton. It was sold at Gordon where the lucky owner received a premium of $25. We understand the bale realized him over $75.


6 March 1886

Not long since Tom Wylie came home one evening and found a peddler sitting before his fire enjoying himself nicely. Tom’s dog came fawning around and he was told to get away or he would catch the small pox. This remark made the peddler squirm uneasily in his chair. Presently Tom remarked to some of the family that a Negro had died at his ranch with small pox, and wanted to know what they would do with him if he took the loathsome disease. This remark made the peddler very uneasy, and the first opportunity he got he grabbed his bundles and left in great fright. Tom sent a man after the flying peddler to tell him that he had been joking, but the fellow yelled back “you can’t fool me,” and kept on going, notwithstanding the fact that night had already set in and rain was falling.


4 February 1888

Tom Wylie has had the old corner drug store, near Wheeler’s furniture house, overhauled, painted on the inside and put in fine shape. He will start keeping an elegant line of whiskey and brandy for medicinal purposes.
 

July 27, 1889

 T. S. Wyley and Miss Dolly Bryan were married at the Barton creek church at 4 o’clock last Sunday.  Miss Dolly is the daughter of Terrell Bryan who formerly lived near Stephenville, and she appeared at the altar with great advantage in her handsome wedding dress and was as lovely as a queen.  Tom is an old bachelor, rather shy and diffident when surrounded by those of the opposite sex, and his friends feared that he might “flicker” at the eleventh hour, and for this reason H. B. Whitworth, James Beech, Hez Snapp, and the editor of the Empire ate dinner at Tom’s bachelor home, and kept his courage from failing.  Charley Wheeler and Miss Dollie Collier, and Riggs Roberts, and Miss Mattie Cain also attended the wedding.  After the ceremony the bride and groom were conducted to Tom’s residence on Gordon road.  Tom cooked his last bachelor dinner on last Sunday, and he is to be congratulated on securing such a worthy, accomplished lady to preside over the destinies of his household in the future and prepare his dinners, and brighten his home by her presence, love, and affection.  The Empire congratulates the bride and groom, and hopes their lives will be one of unalloyed happiness.   Rev. J. C. Freeman officiated

Note: Dollie Bryan and Thomas Wylie were married on July 21, 1889.

 

November 9, 1889

Tom Wiley Badly  Cut

Last Friday Tom Wylie, an old citizen of the county, who lives 13 miles north of town, was cut by Stephen Turner, and has been lingering between life and death ever since. Drs. Crow and May, of Stephenville, have made several visits to the wounded man. Dr. Crow says that 99 men out of 100, cut as Mr. Wylie is, would die. There is one wound below the right nipple and over the lung, which reaches to the hollow, and is four or five inches long. Below the left shoulder there is a similar wound cut also to the hollow, and one on the shoulder which reaches to the bone.

It seems that John and Steve Turner who had been using Mr. Wylie’s wagon, drove through Mr. Wylie’s pasture gate to their house about 35 or 20 yards distant, leaving the gate open. Mr. Wylie came down, found the gate open and became angry.  He told the boys he was tired of shutting that gate and he had some stock in the pasture and didn’t want them to get out.  The boys told him they would close the gate as soon as they got their horses out.  Several angry expressions passed between the parties, and the Empire Reporter has been informed that Mr. Wylie drew a pistol and punched one of the boys over the eye with it.  Steve Turner then used his knife on Wylie, after which he cut his horse from the wagon and made his escape, but both the boys came in the next day and surrendered, their bonds being fixed at $1000 each, which they gave without any trouble.  The father, A. Turner is well known here and bears a reputation of a good man, and no complaints that the Empire has ever heard of have been made against the characters of Steve and John Turner.  

Tom Wylie has made a statement that both the Turner boys cut him, one inflicting a wound in the breast while the other cut him in the back, but he does not know which one cut him in the arm.  He also states that he was held by the wrist while he was being cut.

16 November 1889

Tom Wylie said to be improving, slowly.

October 30, 1890

Notice - Any person, without my permission, going inside of either of my pastures, hunting or gathering pecans will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

 10  4                                                                                    T. S. Wylie

 Wanted to Rent - 125 acres all in cultivation with good tenant houses and good water, in Bartons creek valley, fifteen miles north west of Stephenville.  Will contract as to kind of crops for 1890. come and see it or call on

11  - 4                                                                                T. S. Wylie         Stephenville

 

 

Erath Appeal

July 28, 1898

After a very pleasant week's visit at the hospitable ranch of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Wylie, Mrs. A. C. L. Hindsman and two daughters, returned home Monday, much improved in health.

King & Vincent are offering the Tom Wylie stock farm on Barton's Creek at a bargain.

August 25, 1898

Capt. Tom Wylie, the father of Wylieville, came down after the big rain Wednesday.  He is still rejoicing over the good work Commissioner Hamilton has done on the Gordon road.

October 6, 1898

A Stock Farm at a Bargain - We have for sale, cheap and on reasonable terms, in a body of in tracts of 60 to 160 acres, the Tom Wylie 1624 acre stock farm on Barton's Creek, 16 miles northwest from Stephenville and 10 miles from Thurber.  It is divided and fenced into six farms and pastures - rich valley and upland, fine grass, and plenty of timber and water. It can be divided into ten farms. We will sell in a body or to 6 to 10 farmers on the most reasonable terms, but must sell all at the same time. The village of Wylieville, with school, store, and post office, is on it, and it will become a railway town when the Stephenville and Thurber railroad is built. There is simply no better landed property in central Texas. Titles perfect, and no incumbrance. The only reason for selling is that the owner is too feeble to manage it. If you want a bargain, here is your chance. Call on or address King & Vincent, Stephenville, Texas.

January 12, 1899

Mrs. Tom Wylie is lying very ill at her home at Xray and her case is reported critical.

August 3, 1899

Col. Tom Wylie was in from his ranch at Wylieville this week and paid the Appeal a visit.

June 15, 1899

Bud Wylie, of X-Ray and nephew of Col. Tom Wylie, was in the city on business on Monday and paid for the Appeal with the remark: "It is the best local paper in Erath and I want the news." Mr. Wylie is one of those big-hearted, goodnatured, hardworking, sturdy farmers and stockmen in whom the whole of Texas delight, and shows his good judgement by taking the Appeal instead of paying $1 or $1.50 for some other paper containing less local news.  Try the Appeal at 50 cents per year.

July 20, 1899

Tom Wyly, of X Ray, was in town Tuesday. (note the spelling of Wylie)

March 30, 1899

Col. Tom Wylie, of X-Ray, was in the city yesterday and handed the Appeal some coin. The Col. is one of Erath's best and most substantial citizens and believes in progress and the upbuilding of Erath County.  He says the Appeal is the warm number and gives all the local news and he would not do without it.

August 24, 1899

That good Texan, Tom Wylie tells the Appeal that he expects soon to go to Coke County and engage in the cattle business.

 

Stephenville Tribune


3 Feb 1911

Col. Tom Wylie, who formerly lived where Exray is now located, died at Bronte, Texas last week. He lived many years in Erath County and was well known throughout the county.

 

 Bryan Family Documents

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