It Happened in April 1935

At the beginning of April 1935, the dust and sand from Colorado and Kansas was blown down to Texas. Initially, people made jokes about the weather up there in the north of Texas.

 Clipping source: Howerton, J. C. The Cuero Record. (Cuero, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 78, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 3, 1935, newspaper, April 3, 1935; Cuero, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1129982/: accessed April 14, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Cuero Public Library.

Soon, citizens of Texas discovered well enough that the sandstorm was not a laughing matter at all.

04 April

Clipping source: The Troup Banner (Troup, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 40, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 4, 1935, newspaper, April 4, 1935; Troup, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth981348/: accessed April 15, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bonham Public Library.

08 April

Clipping source: The Abilene Morning News (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 157, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 10, 1935, newspaper, April 10, 1935; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1745117/: accessed April 14, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Public Library.

The days were passing by, but the situation was not improving.

11 April

Clipping source: McDonald, L. A. Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 34, No. 206, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 11, 1935, newspaper, April 11, 1935; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1539248/: accessed April 13, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Denton Public Library.

13 April  - a cold weather front brought a change for a while

Clipping source: Buell, Ralph L. The Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 43, No. 244, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 14, 1935, newspaper, April 14, 1935; Brownsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1395921/: accessed April 13, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

When it got warner again, the dust storm came back. It ruined the crops/farms, households took human and animal lives.

Clippings source: Buell, Ralph L. The Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 43, No. 243, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 13, 1935, newspaper, April 13, 1935; Brownsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1395920/: accessed April 13, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

Why it all happened?

Clipping source: Bowman, George. Henderson Daily News (Henderson, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 22, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 14, 1935, newspaper, April 14, 1935; Henderson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1315007/: accessed April 14, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rusk County Library.

14 April

Dust Storm, Wheeler Texas, photograph, April 14, 1935; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth36010/m1/1/?q=dust: accessed April 13, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Wolf Creek Heritage Museum.

Clipping sources: Buell, Ralph L. The Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 43, No. 244, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 14, 1935, newspaper, April 14, 1935; Brownsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1395921/: accessed April 13, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

15 April

Clipping source: McDonald, L. A. Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 34, No. 209, Ed. 1 Monday, April 15, 1935, newspaper, April 15, 1935; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1539251/: accessed April 14, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Denton Public Library.

16 April

Clipping source: Buell, Ralph L. The Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 43, No. 246, Ed. 1 Tuesday, April 16, 1935, newspaper, April 16, 1935; Brownsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1395925/: accessed April 14, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

The results of the dust storm were devastating - a dark lesson to learn from regarding land cultivation.

Clipping source: Dietel, William. The Radio Post (Fredericksburg, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 33, Ed. 1 Friday, April 26, 1935, newspaper, April 26, 1935; Fredericksburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1510146/: accessed April 15, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Gillespie County Historical Society.

More about Dust Bowl:Texas Handbook Online

William Todd Sr. & Family

 

William Henry Todd is our distant relation on the maternal side of the family tree.

He was the son of John Moses Todd Sr. and Ann Filgo. William was born in 1787, in North Carolina. His ancestors were of Scottish and Irish descent.

William Todd was married ⚭ Martha (Patsey) Holder in 1813, Wake County, NC. The man signed the marriage bond on 23 November 1813 (1).

Sometime after their marriage, William and Patsy moved to Georgia. Their daughter 🔹Martha was born there in 1815.

More children of theirs came to this world in the coming years.

🔹Samuel born in Wake, NC, in 1816',

🔹Candice, born in Georgia, 1817,

🔹Susan Johanna Eleonora, born  in Georgia, 1822,

🔹Mary Elizabeth, born in 1823,

🔹William, born on 28 March 1828, Georgia,

🔹Thomas Jefferson born on 1 March 1831, in Putnam, Georgia,

🔹John David Elton born on 11 June 1835, Georgia,

🔹Amanda, born 1837, Texas.

⚭ William married ten years younger Sara Elizabeth Hanks, born in Alabama, in 1834. She was the daughter of James Hanks of SC and Susan Caroline Kennedy.

⚭ Candice married her brother-in-law, Joshua English in abt. 1837, in Tennessee. He was the son of James English and Elizabeth Denton.

The eldest daughter ⚭ Martha married Mr. Jonas English, her brother-in-law, in abt. 1838. 

⚭ Samuel married his cousin Elizabeth on 22 August 1840 in Wake, NC (2). She was the daughter of Moses Todd Jr. and Elizabeth Massey.

⚭ Susanna Johanna married Joseph Goodbread, after his death in 1840, she married Alfred Marion Truitt.

⚭ In abt.1840, Mary Elizabeth married David Ruff Cannon, born in in 1811, in South Carolina. He was the son of William Billy Cannon and Nancy Isabella Cox.

⚭ John David Elton married Ann Smith, born in 14 September 1844, in Washington, Alabama. She was the daughter of William Smith and Mary Carlisle Dunbar.

🏡1850 Shelby County TX Census registered William Todd, a farmer, age 53, his wife Martha, age 55, and children – Thoms J., age 20, John, age 18, and Amanda, age 13. The record reads that William also fathered 2 other children, Samuel Heath, born 1838 and Marthy (Martha) born in 1841. They both came to this world in Texas. I did not find out who their parents were.

In 1850, William’s real estate was worth $4163 (3). William Todd Jr, lived with his wife Sara E., and their son William J. not far from Todd parents’ house.

♦ William Henry Todd passed on 23 April 1850, in Shelby, TX. His wife Martha died in circa the same year.

After the parents passing, William Jr., his wife Sara, and their baby son moved in with Sarah’s father’s family who also lived in Shelby County, TX (4).

⚭ In 1855 (5), Thomas Jefferson married Narcissus Mize, born in 1836, in Alabama. She was the daughter of Obediah Allen Mize and Mary McCrary.

---

UPDATE

William’s siblings were

🔸Joshua Robert Todd

Born in 1771, Bertie, North Carolina,

Died on 26 May 1826Wake, North Carolina, 

🔸 Moses Todd Jr

Born in 1775, Bertie, North Carolina

Died in March 1841. Wake County, North Carolina

🔸 Soloman Todd

Born in1777, in Wake, North Carolina

Died in  1838, Wake, North Carolina

🔸 David Todd

Born in 1779, Bertie, North Carolina,

Died on 31 Aug 1853, Lowndes, Alabama

🔸 George Todd

Born in 1783, Wake, North Carolina

🔸 Elijah Todd

Born in 1785, North Carolina, 

Died in about 1865, Craven, North Carolina

🔸 Elizabeth Todd

Born in 1787, Wake, North Carolina, United States

🔸 Nancy Todd

Born in 1791, Wake, North Carolina

🔸Mary Todd

Born in 1793, Wake, North Carolina.

Sources:

1.     1  "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-2011 ", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKJQ-HKNF : Thu Mar 07 10:52:19 UTC 2024), Entry for William Todd and Patsey Holder, 23 Nov 1813.

2.      2. "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-2011 ", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP9J-J73H : Fri Mar 08 16:36:20 UTC 2024), Entry for Samuel Todd and Elizabeth Todd, 22 August 1840.

3.      3.  http://www.shelbycountytexashistory.net/Shelby/Census/1850censusT.htm

4.       4. "United States, Census, 1850", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXLG-G8P : Fri Oct 17 04:40:42 UTC 2025), Entry for James Hanks and Johnathan Hanks, 1850.

5.    5. The Houston Post. (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 358, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 29, 1906, newspaper, March 29, 1906; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth603417/: accessed March 20, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

familysearch.org

S for Sauerkraut

 This post relates both to My Polish and My Texas Alphabets.

A few days before Christmas, we were invited to the Christmas song concert which took place at Pecan Grove Store. While waiting for the program, we ordered something to eat. On the menu, I saw one item served with sauerkraut - it was ”Fred Dog”. The sauerkraut caught my attention so I thought I would  give it a try. I had not eaten good sauerkraut in 15 years. Last time, it was when I was still in Poland. I had tried to find some after I cane to Texas, but with no satisfying result.

T & C Miller at Pecan Grove - Christmas program

To my utter surprise, the Fred Dog was sooooo delightfully  good! It was the good brand of sausage and, most of everything, the super tasty sauerkraut. I ate it all very quickly. That was it! The sauerkraut – not to sour, not too sweet, perfectly thin pieces of cabbage. Just right! It was so delicious and I was so happy having it, I almost ate the aluminum foil the dog was wrapped in.

The music program was very nice and Christmassy. We also really enjoyed the instrumental part presented by T. Miller, not to mention the time spent with friends. However, the culinary experience both unexpected and wonderful.

at Pecan Grove Store

After the music performance, I talked to the owners, praising their sauerkraut. It tasted just like home made stuff served by my mom long time ago. The man showed me a jar of the product – Bavarian Sauerkraut, made in Germany. One of its ingredients is wine, instead of commonly used vinegar. To my total surprise, the jar was also gifted to me. Thank you so very much! I am now enjoying eating the sauerkraut again and again!

Joseph G Goodbread

Joseph G Goodbread has waited long for the post dedicated to him. He was born in 1809, in North Carolina, to Philip R Goodbread and his first wife, whose name is unknown. Joseph’s great-grandfather Philippus Gutbrodt was born in 1725, in Wuertemberg and later, the man emigrated to North Carolina.

There are several land assessment Alabama records which mention Joseph G Goodbread. It was possible that it was ‘our’ Joseph as his family lived at that time in that state. 

31 August 1833, Joseph bought 39 acres for $1.25 in Chickasaw township area, Alabama (1).

On 24 November 1834, he purchased 52 acres in Chickasaw township area, Alabama. He payed $65 and received patent for the land on 27 September 1886 (2).

In 1837, Joseph married Miss Susan Johanna E Todd (born in about 1822 in Georgia). She was the daughter of William Henry Todd, Sr. and Martha "Patsey" Holder. Joseph and Susan had a daughter whom they called Mary, she was born in 1838.

Philip’s family came to Texas in 1838.

From July 9 to 10 August 1839, Joseph served with Captain Inman’s Harrison-Shelby County Volunteers, during the Cherokee War in Northeast Texas (3).

After the service, Joseph came back home to Shelby County. 

In that time, land certificates were issued in the Shelby County. They were signed by local Land Commissioners. Many important lawyers of the area, who signed the certificates, believed they were good and legitimate because they were issued by the Land Commissioner’s Office.

If I had bought such land grants then, most likely I would have believed they were legal. Probably Joseph did think so, as well as he used them as a payment mean in the transaction with his former fellow Militia man, Albert George. Those land certificates amounted for 46 000 acres.

George on the other hand, allegedly put fake grantees names on the certificates which he received from Joseph.

Later, it appeared that despite the common believe, the land certificates were not legal as they hadn’t been signed by the travelling board of land commissioners appointed by the State.

The information about the deal and land certificates got to Charles W. Jackson, who was originally from Kentucky. He was a man of a dubious character and a criminal record. Jackson used to be a steamboat captain on the Mississippi River. Once, his boat was passing another one (named Ben Sherrod). That boat was in flames and sinking. Jackson did not try to help those people. He passed Ben Sherrod by – its passengers and the boat went down to the river bottom. Afterwards, Jackson moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, where he ran a store.  The man was arrested by a group of men and was to be taken to New Orleans. He managed to escape, though and came back to Shreveport. There was a gun fight between Jackson and those ones who were after him. Jackson killed some of his opponents and fled to Shelby County in Texas.  In Texas, the very same man ran for the position of the representative in the Texas Congress. He failed, though, and he blamed land speculators for that.

Jackson wrote letters to the General Land Office in Austin and other persons in Texas, and Louisiana . He also wrote one to Joseph Goodbread. The exchange between the two men was not pleasant, the least to say. Both man were agitated. Joseph wrote to Jackson telling him to mind his own business, otherwise, as Joseph said, he would kill Jackson.

On 20th September 1840 (4), Charles Jackson came to Shelbyville. When he approached Joseph, he was sitting on his horse while Goodbread was sitting on the ground. During the dispute, Joseph apologized for what he had written in his letter and the hasty words. Goodbread also stated he was unarmed. Despite that, Jackson kept demanding that Joseph would stand up. When the latter finally did, Jackson shot him dead. There was a witness of that encounter - Mr. Ephraim  M. Daggett saw and heard what happened, and he later described that in his memoirs.

Soon after the incident, Jackson organized a group of men who were called Regulators. Officially, their purpose was to stop crime. Practically, however, Jackson got that group together to protect himself from Goobread’s friends and relatives, who were expected to retaliate after Joseph’s death. Thus, the Regulators first target, were Joseph Goodbread’s allies.

To make the long story short, Capt. Jackson was taken to trial on 16 July 1841 (7), in Harrison County. Jackson chose trial by Jury. The Judge by the name of John Hansford, was under enormous pressure. Hansford’s father-in-law, Joshua Prewitt, was murdered by the Regulators on 4 July. The old man was killed in in the presence of his daughter, Hansford’s wife. If it was not enough, 150 armed men, friends of Jackson, surrounded the court during the trial. It all led to Jackson’s indictment. 

A contra group was organized by those who were against the Regulators. They were known as Moderators, and that is a subject to be talked about in a later post.

In the following months of the same year, Charles W. Jackson was shot dead by Moderators. It happened  when he was on his way to Logansport.

Clipping source: Cruger & Moore. Telegraph and Texas Register (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 41, Ed. 1, Wednesday, September 8, 1841, newspaper, September 8, 1841; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth48150/: accessed December 5, 2025), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

The two homes mentioned in the clippings were the homes of James Strickland and John McFadden. Regulators burned the dwellings of those families and forced the wives and children out in the cold weather. Strickland and McFadden were called "outlaws" in the above clipping. Apparently, the newspaper editor either supported Regulators, or was afraid of their retaliation. As the previous events showed, it was not safe to openly condemn or oppose to the Regulators' actions.

Albert George was elected a sheriff in 1841. He was not present at the Jackson's trial. Another man by the name of George was (first name Hezekiah). Judge Hansford tried to arrest and prosecute murders of Joshua Prewitt, with no success, though. At the end of 1841, he was to be impeached by the Senate. Hansford resigned before it happened. 

Clipping source: Whiting, S. Daily Bulletin. (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 27, Ed. 1, Thursday, December 30, 1841, newspaper, December 30, 1841; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth80081/: accessed December 5, 2025), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

Clipping source: Whiting, S. Daily Bulletin. (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 26, Ed. 1, Wednesday, December 29, 1841, newspaper, December 29, 1841; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth80080/: accessed December 5, 2025), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

At the end of the year 1844, John M. Hansford was shot dead by Regulators.

Clipping source: The Morning Star. (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 612, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 1, 1844, newspaper, February 1, 1844; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1498026/: accessed December 5, 2025), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .

Clipping source: Moore, Francis, Jr. Telegraph and Texas Register (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 11, Ed. 1, Wednesday, February 28, 1844, newspaper, February 28, 1844; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth78039/: accessed December 5, 2025), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

Clipping source: Moore, Francis, Jr. Telegraph and Texas Register (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 12, Ed. 1, Wednesday, March 6, 1844, newspaper, March 6, 1844; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth78040/: accessed December 5, 2025), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

Joseph’s widow, Susan Eleonor married Mr. Alfred M. Truitt, who was a Moderator and was present at the Jackson’s trial. More about Albert another time..

Sources:

1. "United States, Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1800-c. 1955", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6JN8-VC9G : Fri Oct 31 09:02:26 UTC 2025), Entry for Joseph Goodbred, 31 Aug 1833.

2. "United States, Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1800-c. 1955", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:62X9-JC8B : Fri Oct 31 11:03:10 UTC 2025), Entry for Joseph G Goodbread, 24 Nov 1834.

3. Savage Frontier: Rangers, Riflemen, and Indian Wars in Texas, Volume 2, 1838 – 1839, by Stephen L. Moore, p 275.

4. Texas State Historical Association. The Texas Historian, Volume 35, Number 5, May 1975, periodical, May 1975; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391259/: accessed December 3, 2025), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.

5. Yoakum, H. (Henderson K.), 1810-1856. History of Texas: From Its First Settlement in 1685 to Its Annexation to the United States in 1846, Volume 2, book, 1855; New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth2386/: accessed December 3, 2025), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections. 

6. Texas Gulf Historical Society. The Texas Gulf Historical and Biographical Record, Volume 1, Number 1, November 1965, periodical, November 1965; Beaumont, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1433634/: accessed December 3, 2025), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Gulf Historical Society.

7. East Texas Genealogical Society. East Texas Family Records, Volume 8, Number 1, Spring 1984, periodical, Spring 1984; Tyler, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth38042/: accessed December 3, 2025), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting East Texas Genealogical Society.

Photos taken in 09. 2020