Chasing Our Tales: Salesville

This time we are going visit the northeastern part of Palo Pinto County, Salesville. It was settled by the families of Victor Adolphus Dow and Theopalus Sale in the area known as Loving Valley. It became a stagecoach stop for the Carson Lewis Stage Coach Company heading west from Weatherford to Fort Belknap. Sale built a general store and set up a post office in the back in 1880. Andrew Jackson Grantham donated the land for the first schoolhouse, as well as a church and a cemetery. Salesville prospered as an agricultural community, and in 1914 the Gulf, Texas and Western and the Weatherford, Mineral Wells and Northwestern railroads passed through the town.

However much earlier than Dow and Sale, Oliver Loving moved with his family to Palo Pinto County in 1855 and settled in the eastern part of the county in what today is known as the Salesville/Peadenville area, but when Sale and Dow arrived, it was known as Loving Valley.

Loving's house was in the northern end of the valley against a hill. The historical marker there reads: "Site of the home in 1855 of Oliver Loving (1813-1867) first trail driver of Texas cattle. Loving Valley and a county in Texas bear his name."

When cotton declined in the 1920, due in part to the boll weevil and in part to drought, the town declined. The post office closed in 1954, and shortly after that, the school district was incorporated with that of Mineral Wells. The population has remained at about 50 since 1950.

The Salesville Cemetery was transcribed and indexed in September of 2003 by Elfreida Blocker Hinshaw, Opalehinshaw@aol.com . The surnames in that cemetery are Alcorn, alderso, Ballenger, Barnes, Baucom, Beauchamp, Bethell, Blackerby, Blocker, Blane, Boyd, Brown, Carter, Casey, Chambless, Christian, Clements, Clymer, Corcoran, Cordell, Cotton, Crossland, Davis, Denson, Dixon, Dow, Fowler, Franklin, Garland, Garvin, Grantham, Gilbert, Gonce, Hall, Haney, Harrigal, Harrington, Harris, Herring, Hale, Hay, Hearn, Hasenbuhler, Howell, Ingle, Jenkins, Johnson, Johnston, Kenrick, Kelly, Herry, King, Kite, Ladd, Little, Loftus, Lyn, Mansell, Martin, Miller, Massey, Mitchell, Moore, Morris, Mullins, Obryant, Palmer, Parker, Peeks, Pemberton, Pitts, Reed, Saul, Shewmake, Shoemake, Snow, Smith, Telarico, Walker, Wallace, Watson, Watters, Willis, and Wood. You can see the full transcription at http://www.rootsweb.com/~txpalopi/cemeteries/salesville.htm .

The Salesville Cemetery, also known as Grantham Cemetery, is located in Loving Valley, one mile west of Highway 281 at Peadenville, and one-half mile south of Riad 254. It is northwest of Salesville.

Now for some specific genealogy about Salesville. William Edward Brown, son of James A. Brown, a Civil War veteran, was born in Tennessee in 1840. He lived with Edward and his wife, Lizzie. Edward and Lizzie lived in Boyd, Wise County, Texas, about 1900. Lizzie gave birth to a sillborn baby there in 1903. Shortly afterward their neighbor, Mrs Thomas Cates Hall, (Florence O'Banon Copeland Hall), died, leaving twins, so the Browns adopted the boy, Jesse Homer Hall. They changed his name to Edward Homer Brown.

The Browns moved to Eldorado, Oklahoma, 1906, where Ed ran a jewelry store. Then in 1910 they moved to Salesville where Ed opened a grocer store. His silent partner was his brother-in-law, Will G. Barham. His store prospered, and the Browns stayed in Salesville until after the 1920 census when they moved to Weatherford where Ed was a salesman for Bradfish Flour and Grain Mill. Finally they moved to Anson, Texas, where Ed owned another grocery store.

Another Salesville family story tells of Harold F. Tidwell, Sr. who was born 23 June 23 1922 in Salesville. He was the son of J. D. "James Dee" Tidwell who married Nealy Zula Sanders from Mineral Wells. James Dee was the son of G.M. Tidwell and L.L. Tidwell who were on the Mineral Wells census in 1920. The Tidwell family originally came from Blount County Alabama.

Another family of Salesville was the Hearn family. Charles Thomas (C.T.) Hearn was born in Salesville in 1913. He was the son of Thomas and Maggie Grantham Hearn. Thomas was born in 1885 in Crossville, Alabama, to J. Thomas Hearn and Elizabeth Rebecca Morris. J. Thomas was born in Montgomery County, North Carolina, in April of 1838.

And still another Salesville family is that of Bolin Savage who was born in 1833. He died 2 March 1866 in Parker County, Texas, and is buried in the Dean Cemetery. He was married to Elizabeth Adams who was born in 1838 and died 9 September 1919 in Salesville. They had five children, Francis Marion, James Volentine, Samuel C., Thomas, and Lawrence. Bolin Savage and his brother, James, were the Savages killed by Comanche Indians on 2 March 1866, Texas Independence Day.

Finally, Helen Florence Randall who was born 14 Jul 1905 Monticello, Indiana, married Preston Hill who was born 21 Oct 1909 in Salesville, Texas, and died 21 Jun 1944 in a German prison camp. Preston is buried in Henri Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium. They were married 6 Mar 1941 in Lawton, Oklahoma. I could find no descendants or other mention of them, but I wanted to include Preston Hill, as he died a hero of World War II and needs to be remembered!

On to an email to the Palo Pinto County GenWeb list: "If someone has the time to do a look-up for me from the 1900 Palo Pinto Census, I would deeply appreciate it. I am looking for a Winfred Aaron Penick b. 1867 or 1868 in Tennessee. married to Maggie H. ?, children Winfred Herbert Penick born about 1890; Oscar Bryce Penick born about 1894; Ernest Benjamin Penick born about 1895; Kitty ? died young; Robert Earl Lee b. 1897 in Strawn, Palo Pinto County. Also looking for Oscar Senter Penick on the same census with a wife Maggie. I think Winfred and Oscar may be brothers. If anyone has any information on these families please pass it along. Many Thanks....Patricia (Penick) Gee, geemannzwife@sbcglobal.net."

I looked at the part of the census which I have access to, but I didn't find anything. However, Bobbie Ross had the whole census on CD:

"Patricia, I have the Heritage Quest cencus CD for 1900 Palo

Pinto Co. On Page 226A, the last page of the census, I find #339-342:

Penick, Winfred Head W M July 1868 31 M 26 TN TN TN yes yes yes

Maggie wife W F Jany 1870 30 M 26 TN TN TN no

no no

Winfred son W M Aug 1890 9 S TX TN TN

Oscar son W M Mar 1893 7 S

Ernest son W M Dec 1894 5 S

Robert son W M Aug 1897 2 S

This is the only Penick that I found and there were several Lee families, but I failed to find Robert Earl."

Then Alfred Grieshaber alfredg@charter.net , had the following information:

"Bobbie, I have this also for Patricia. The Margaret Jane Green was my Grandmother's sister. I knew Oscar Senter Penick and his family that lived in Graford, Texas. I lived in Gordon, Texas, at the time. I do not recognize those on the census page. They are on my web site under genealogy, Greens. Margaret's siblings and ancestors are there also, http://www.bluebyyouranch.com .

Al Grieshaber

Blue by You Ranch

Eagle Point Or.

1 E.W. Penick 1827 -

. +M.J. [???] 1838 -

..... 2 I.N. Penick 1861 -

..... 2 Senter Oscar Penick 1871 - 1948

......... +Margaret Jane Green 1876 - 1950

............. 3 Fred Penick

............. 3 May Penick

............. 3 Orval Penick

............. 3 William Gordon Penick 1898 - 1973

............. 3 Lillie Hazel Penick 1899 - 1982

................ +James Thomas Mays 1896 - 1983

.................... 4 Velma Mozell Mays 1922 -

........................ +James Wesley Adams 1913 -

............................ 5 Hazel Linell Adams 1937 -

............................... +XXXX Milstead

................................... 6 Robin Bernell Milstead

............. 3 Bessie Penick 1900 - 1988

..... 2 L.A. Penick 1873 -"

If you have other information on the Penick family, please send it to Patricia and Al, and also share it with us.

Well, that's about all we have time for today. If anyone would like to share information on Salesville, or any other genealogical tidbits you might have, please send them to Sue Seibert, P. O. box 61, Mineral Wells TX 76068-0061 or email them to siouxcitysue@cox-internet.com . See you next time!

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