Tennessee to Texas
John A. Rutherford
John Rutherford set out for Texas in early October, 1835. With him came his wife Jane, who was with child, their daughter Amanda and sons Clinton and Milton. The children were ages 7, 6 and 2. The family also included at least one other child.
When the Rutherford family arrived in Texas on December 19, 1835 , it was the 10th birthday of little William McEwin. In November of 1832, Rutherford had made bond in court in Franklin County, Tennessee, agreeing "to learn William to read, write and cipher as far as the 5 first rules of the Arithmetic and to be learnt the trade of a saddle tree maker and to have at the end of his term a decent suit of clothes. Mary Ann to be learnt to read and write."
William and Mary Ann McEwin were "bound to John A. Rutherford until they arrive to the age of 21 years William seven years of age on the 19th of December next and Mary Ann 4 years old the 26th of December next."
At the same court session, "Nancy McEwin of the age of 11 years on the 29th day of December next" was bound to James Lusk. The Lusk family later moved to Missouri, according to a story told in A. W. Neville's newspaper column, "Backward Glances" in the Paris News. Neville wrote, "for years neither heard anything of the other. William McEwin married here when he grew up, and in Missouri the sister married Perry Garner.
"When connection was established years afterwards, the sister and brother learned that each has six children, three boys and three girls, and that queerly enough four of the six in each family had almost identical names. The oldest daughter in each family was named Mary. The other girls had different names. The oldest boy in each family was named William Edward. Of the others there were John Aikin and James Robert McEwin, and John Frazier and James B. Garner, a slight variation in the middle name only. It was indeed an unusual coincidence."
Mr. Neville thought it merely coincidence, but it may be an indication that the parents of William and Nancy McEwin were named William Edward and Mary.
John Rutherford kept a journal much of his adult life. Fortunately, parts of his writings have been kept by his family. Some of his journal was reprinted by A. W. Neville in his "Backward Glances" columns in the 1930's. Although William McEwin is mentioned in several places, no mention has been found of his little sister, Mary Ann. She, like so many others of that time, must have died young, probably of a common illness which we no longer fear.
The parents of the McEwin children were not mentioned in the court's papers of indenture. Besides Nancy, William and Mary Ann who were "bound out" in 1832, George W. McEwin was bound to William Lusk in Coffee County, Tennessee. Coffee County is just north of Franklin County, whose boundaries changed around 1836. No age or birth date was given for George McEwin in the court's record which is dated July 4, 1836.
John A. Rutherford's own experiences as an orphan may have made him sensitive to the plight of young William McEwin. John's grandfather was Griffith Rutherford, a prominent citizen from Rowan County, North Carolina, who moved his family to Wilson County, Tennessee, about 1792. John's father was Newton, the seventh of ten children, who died a drunkard on November 2, 1814. John A. wrote that his mother died about 1824, but never mentioned her name in his remaining diaries. John's parents lived in Franklin County, Tennessee, and had two children. John Alfred was born on January 31, 1799. His sister was named Maria. She married Thomas Jefferson Woods and lived in Scottsboro, Jackson County, Alabama.
When the census was taken in 1880, William McEwin gave the birthplace of both his parents as North Carolina. Many of the settlers of the Franklin County area of Tennessee came from North Carolina, including John Rutherford's family. The Rutherfords and McEwins could have been friends of long standing or relatives. If the McEwin children were orphaned, a relative would be the logical choice to care for the young children. It was certainly a generous move for John and Jane Rutherford to take on the care of two more young children, having two of their own already, aged 5 and 3.
Military Service
| Company G | recruited primarily from Lamar and Fannin Counties, was mustered into service on July 2, 1846 and mustered out September 5, 1846. |
| John Long's Company | recruited primarily at San Antonio was mustered in on May 3, 1847 and mustered out June 2, 1847, age 21. |
| Company H | recruited primarily at Austin was mustered in June 5, 1847 and out June 15, 1848, age 22. |
Marriage and Family
On May 28, 1850, William McEwin married Catherine Reynolds in Lamar County. The marriage license spells William's surname "McEwin" very plainly. On the back is written, "Rite of Matrimony duly performed between the within named parties" signed "James Graham Minister of the Gospel in the M.E.C. south" and dated May 28th 1850.
Catherine Reynolds came from Tennessee. She was born May 22, 1829. She came to Texas in 1849 with her mother Elizabeth Emberson Reynolds, two sisters and four brothers.
By 1853, William McEwin was able to purchase 320 acres of Lamar County land from Isaac Hobbs. The deed is dated June 29, 1853. The actual deed was apparently in the possession of John A. McEwin in 1925.
Two acres of this tract of land were given by William McEwin, in 1857, for an interdenominational meeting house which was named Mt. Tabor. William McEwin, a Cumberland Presbyterian was one of the trustees for Mt. Tabor.
The Methodist trustees bought the Cumberland Presbyterians' interest in Mt. Tabor on April 22, 1872. Part of the price paid for the Mt. Tabor property was "a deed to a certain property
known as the New Hope Camp Ground". William McEwin was still a trustee for the Presbyterians and he signed the deed. This signature uses the "McEwin" spelling.
What may have been the first Mt. Tabor cemetery is now in the pasture which was, in 1996, owned by Mr. Mark Buster. It has been known for some time as the Old McEwin Cemetery. The curiosity is that no McEwin is known to have been buried there. Apparently, it acquired the McEwin name because of the land donation for Mt. Tabor. The cemetery was left open to cattle for many years, which ruined most of the markers. With Mr. Buster's help, it has now been fenced and cleaned, but many markers were destroyed before it was restored.
The personal diary of John A. Rutherford records on March 26, 1879, that "William McEwin came here last night and stayed until 10 o'clock today. His visit was very pleasant to Jane and
myself. We have promised to go and see him and his wife and children this spring."
Catherine Reynolds McEwin died April 27, 1880 of dysentery. She was 49 years old, according to the 1880 Mortality census of Lamar County. She was actually nearly 51. Her death was also
reported in the St. Louis Christian Advocate, a weekly newspaper of the Methodist church.
On March 2, 1882, William McEwin married Sarah E. Dodson. Sarah Elizabeth had been married to William Seth Dodson, on 22 January 1859, by whom she had five children. Her first marriage was
apparently to Hezekiah Reynolds on 17 October 1855. Hezekiah is believed to have been a brother to Catherine Reynolds, William McEwin's first wife. Sarah's son, George W. Reynolds was born about 1857.
The probate records of William McEwin's estate show that a son, Charlie McEwin, was
born of this marriage in December 1883. Charlie had two daughters: Mable Eads and Helen McCullough.
The marriage of William McEwin and Sarah Dodson apparently ended in divorce. The district court records which would prove this were destroyed in the last great fire in Paris. A paper in the probate file for William McEwin states that after his father's death, Charlie McEwin was living with his mother. The 1900 census shows Charlie McEwin living with Sarah Dodson, age 61. Charlie was then 16, on June 1, 1900.
William McEwin married once more before his death. His third wife was Sarah A. Faubion. They were married on September 26, 1883. The only child of that marriage was Perry Marvin McEwin, who was born in 1885.
Sarah A. Faubion was the daughter of Spencer Faubion of Tennessee, born about 1805, and his wife Luvinia, also born in Tennessee about 1817. Sarah was born in Tennessee about 1842, and came to Texas with her family who lived in Lamar County in 1880. They are found in the 1880 census of E.D. 73, #201/211 p 23.
William McEwin died December 30, 1893. He left no will, but his estate was administered by J. F. Garner. His third wife, Perry's mother, appears to have died before that time, as he "left no widow surviving him".
Children |
William and Catherine McEwin had six children. In order of their births they were:
|
Mary Elizabeth McEwin |
Mary Elizabeth McEwin was born in 1853 and died in 1880. She married Joel Harrel and then John L Phillips. |
Sarah Elizabeth McEwin |
Sarah Elizabeth McEwin was born 3 Aug 1855 and died 17 March 1901. She married James Brown Dodson. |
Alice or Amanda Elizabeth McEwin |
Alice or Amanda Elizabeth McEwin was born about 1858 and married J. D. Morgan. Her date of death is unknown. |
William Edward McEwin |
 William Edward McEwinHis first wife, Virginia Lee Wooldridge was a descendant of Daniel Boone. She was born to Thomas J Wooldridge and Luticia Bryan on 16 June 1862 and died 22 Feb 1894, leaving three children. William was unable to maintain the family and the children went to live with relatives. The children of William E. McEwin and Virginia Wooldridge were James Weaver, Effie and Alice.
 Alice,Weaver, Effie McEwin |
John Aiken McEwin |
John Aiken McEwin was born 19 Sept 1864 and died 2 Oct 1938. He married m. 1st Alice Etta Bell Click 2nd Elizabeth Agnes McArthur. |
James Robert McEwin |
James Robert McEwin was born about 1868 and died after 1895. He was a music teacher. He was killed in Arkansas, according to a family story. Annie McEwin, the widow of Edgar McEwin reported that James was mistaken for someone else and shot as he got off a train. His belongings were shipped back to his brother, John, whose family had them for a long time afterwards. John was Annie McEwin's father-in-law.  James Robert McEwin |
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