So it happened yesterday. I was updating my CV: curriculum vitae—little more than a fancy word for a resume. Anyway, I was going over some of my prior publications. It never fails. We always love to read what we wrote at a time in the past. It has an ability to take us back to where our mind was at that time. Memories can come flooding back. So it was.
Anyway, I was overlooking some of the articles I had written for the Texas State Handbook Association. I had written articles published on both prominent Texas African-Americans as well as lesser known Texas officers who had fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Two positions that seemingly resided at opposite ends of a historical perspective. Perhaps. Close inspection however, reveals some interesting things.
Take for example the history of Marcus George Settle. You can read the article if you want to. His story is pretty interesting. He moved to Texas when it was a republic back in the 1840s. You know, back when Texas was seperate and different from any other part of the United States. Way back then... not like today, right? Well anyway, like any Texan, he made his money anyway he could. For him, he found his trade in tending a farm and raising cattle. He was able to do a little better than scrapping by for within ten years he bought his first slave. Four years later he bought another. In four years he sold both. By the outbreak of the war he had bought two young slaves, a nine-year old boy, and a thirteen –year old girl. Now if the story, and if history ended there Marcus could easily be written off as ‘just another southerner.’ The only problem is… the story doesn’t end there.
Marcus fought in the war. Or at least signed up to. By the wars end he had sold his land. I wasn’t able to find if he still owned his female slave at the end of the war or not, but the little boy… he adopted him. His name was "Little Frank” and they rode together supplying livestock to the US Army. By 1871 he had had enough of Texas and rode out to California. He settled in Norwalk, California and opened the first church that area had seen. Although that community may have been surrounded by the nearby city of Los Angeles it was a prospering city. Now if you read the article you would have gotten that much so why am I writing this?
I am writing this to tell you an interesting story that the article left out. Proof that Marcus loved his son. He had served as lay minister there at the Methodist church for one year before a tragedy struck… his son Frank died. His boy was only fifteen. Indeed, as he was the pastor, Marcus presided over the first funeral that area had. Now here comes the historic point. Marcus was buried in the ‘black’ section of the cemetery. Now all if this is what can be gleaned from the records. Later actions however, show the love that a father can have for his son. Why?
Well ya see this situation was not acceptable to Marcus. He wanted Frank buried by his side as well as the other members of the family. This was unacceptable to the Church board so… Marcus left the church. He returned to raising cattle. When his wife died in April of 1896, he followed her in death eight months later in November. He chose for his wife, and later himself, to be buried next to Frank. At least in death at least they could be reunited. Article didn't print this part of the story, too divisive I suppose. Of course you can check out a picture of the graves of Marcus and his wife. They will show the stones of Marcus and his wife. A close shot. They mention the story that Frank was buried separately, but not the fact that he was re interned. If you did further research you would find the picture of the "original" burial site of Frank Settle. A historic marker placed before he was later reburied next to his parents. Too bad division is always easier for some people when at the end of the day, in every way, we are all just everyday people.
Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting indeed. I was always curious about that decision
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