| Page 2 THE HAVARD FAMILY For many years I have hoped that some member of the family would write a history of the Havard family of Angelina County, Texas. There is one thing for sure, the writer would have plenty of material to work with for the family is, undoubtedly, the largest in the county. In 1949, there was a great promise of such a history being compiled for us by Charles G. Havard of Liberty County, who was a grandson of Henry Harris Havard. He was a graduate of the University of Texas where he had received his masters degree in Geology. He then enrolled at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York to work on a doctorate of Geology. He had gathered much information about the family and could have written an interesting book. Unfortunately for us he was killed in an accident before he could complete it. It is understood that several others, including Hershell Delbert Havard, have worked some on a history. Hershell is, at this time, in England and since the Havards came to America from Wales, he will probably be able to get some of the early history of the family before they came to America. Until someone does write a history of the family, I shall try to get something "down on paper" for the benefit of future generations of the family concerning the early days of the Havards in Angelina County. All the Havards I have ever known are descended from one of the three brothers who were in Angelina County as early as 1854, These brothers were: Jeremiah, born in 1803; Thomas, born in 1805 and Henry, born in 1811. Jeremiah and Thomas were born in Georgia. Henry was born in Mississippi. Much research has been done trying to find the name of the parents of these three brothers. It is my opinion they died in Perry County, Mississippi and may have a left a will that would have answered many questions, but a court house fire in that country in 1877 destroyed all the early records. Apparently they moved from Georgia to Mississippi between 1805 and 1811 and settled in Perry County. We know that Thomas was in Perry County in 1836 for it was here that his son, Page 3 Thomas, Jr. was born July 11, 1836. In1840, according to the census records, Thomas and Henry were both still in Perry County, while their brother Jeremiah was in the nearby county of Marion. At the 1850 census Jeremiah was still in Marion County but Thomas and Henry had left Perry County and may have been on their way to Texas, although much searching has been done in the census records, no trace of them has been found for the year 1850. They may have left Perry County just before they would have been enumerated there and by the time they got to Marion County it was too late for them to be enumerated there. Marion County is west of Perry County and Thomas and Henry would have passed that way on their way to Texas. No doubt they had had an understanding with Jeremiah and he was ready when they got there to join them. We know that they arrived in Texas in 1854. One can only speculate on the route they traveled to reach Texas, or how long they were on the road and whether or not they stopped along the way, perhaps in Louisiana, for a few months or even a year or two. In the early 1850's there were many pioneers on the move from Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi to Texas and on west. The Havards could very well have been a part of a large wagon train moving west. There is an old family legend that the Havards hid their gold while on the trip by boring deep holes in the base of the wagon tongues and filling the hole with the gold and then plugging the hole up. This was done in the hope that any robbers they encountered along the way wouldn't find it. The first marriage license issued to any Havard in Angelina County was issued to Walter Havard, son of Thomas, on September 4, 1854 at old Marion. He was married to Candacy Parrish on September 7, 1854 by Lewis Crane, J.P. The first Havard born in Angelina County was Tinsey A., daughter of Jeremiah and Elizabeth Cross Havard, who was born in 1854. The first deed recorded to any Havard was one to Henry Harris Havard for 419 acres, the deed being dated April 6, 1858. A copy of that deed is found on the next page of this book. Page 4 W.C. STANLEY, SHERIFF TO HENRY HAVARD THE STATE OF TEXAS COUNTY OF ANGELINA To All Whom These Presents may Come, Know ye, That I, W.C. Stanley Dept Sheriff of said county Angelina County By Virtue of my office, through a judgement obtained by Henry Havard against William M. & James M. Thomas before Joel Banks Justice of the Peace in and for said County, duly elected qualified and Commissioned as such, on the first Saturday in June A.D. 1857 for the sum of Thirty Dollars and twenty five cents principal and Six Dollars interest up to the rendition of said judgment, and also cost of suit, have this day bargained sold released and conveyed unto Henry Havard of the said State and County, All that certain lot Tract or parcel of land, formerly belonging to James M. Thomas containing Four Hundred and nineteen acres more of less, situated in the County of Angelina And State aforesaid, some three or four miles below the Town of Marion and for a more particular description see the records in the County Clerk office of said Angelina County. To have and to hold and for and in consideration of the above said sum of money which I hereby acknowledge fully paid to may satisfaction the receipt is hereby fully acknowledged, paid by the said Havard un to the said Havard his heirs assigns administrators & executors forever. In testimony whereof I hereto set my hand and seal using scroll for seal on this 6th day of April A.D. 1858. W. C. Stanley, Dept Sheriff THE STATE OF TEXAS COUNTY OF ANGELINA Personally came before me the undersigned authority W. C. Stanley Dept. Shff of Angelina County, and to me well known Who Acknowledged that he signed sealed and delivered the above and foregoing instrument for the purposes & consideration therein contained & expressed Given under my hand and seal of office at Jonesville this 6th day of April A.D. 1858. E. Finley Cl Co Ct Ang Co by B.W. Henry Dept THE STATE OF TEXAS COUNTY OF ANGELINA I, TOM L. HAMPTON, County Clerk, in and for Angelina County, Texas, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing is true and correct copy of the sheriff's Deed, for record on the 6th day of April A.D. 1858 and duly recorded in Volume C, page 366 of the Deed Records of Angelina County, Texas, GIVEN UNDER MY HAND AND SEAL OF OFFICE, on this the12th. day of October A.D. 1964, Tom L. Hampton, County Clerk, Angelina County, By: Jewell Stevens, Deputy Page 5 According to deed records of Angelina County as filed in Vol. E at page 195, Thomas Havard was granted 320 areas of land by the State of Texas on July 31, 1861. The land was described as being located on the waters of the Neches River about 16 miles South 23 degrees from the town of Homer. Jeremiah was also granted land in the same general area. The family had hardly gotten settled in Texas and their farms cleared and ready for farming before the Civil War disrupted them. Several members of the family served with the South: Walter, son of Thomas, Sr., and the husband of Candacy died while in the service. He had been home on furlough and while at home, developed the measles. He had to leave to return to his company before he was completely well and relapsed near Little Rock, Arkansas and died there. Charles D. Havard, also a son of Thomas Havard, Sr. was killed somewhere in Tennessee. He had married Miss Rhoda Caroline Page just a few months before he had to leave for service. Charles Havard, a son of Jeremiah, Sr., was wounded in service and lost an eye. There was a "Jerry" Havard who served from Angelina County and this could have been the son of Henry Harris Havard who was known in later life as Jeremiah "Sank" Havard, or it could have been Jeremiah Havard, Jr., who was, of course, a son of Jeremiah Havard, Sr., who was also in the service. Thomas Havard, Jr. was with the Confederates at Mansfield, Louisiana on April 8, 1864, when they defeated the Union Forces. In the battle he was wounded in one of his legs when hit by a musket ball. He was in a hospital in Mansfield for some time and while there was visited b his wife, Lucy, who, when heard of his being in the hospital there, rode horse-back through the woods and over such roads as they had at that time, to be with him. When it is remembered how sparsely the country was settled at that time and the distance she had to travel, one realizes how brave she must have been. Other members of the family may have been in the service whose names I do not have. William Frank Havard, better known as Frank, and Thomas Havard, Jr. better known as Tom, both of whom were sons of Thomas, Sr., worked together in the 1870's in the harvesting of their sugar cane and in making syrup. Frank had settled on Shawnee Prairie and Tom on the Neches River. It is said that Amanda, the wife of Frank, often told him that he worked twice as hard as Tom to make a living; that he should have settled on the river on account of the land being so much better. Many years later, with Page 6 improved methods of cultivation, it was learned that the land on Shawnee Prairie was about the best farm land in the county. Jeremiah Havard, Jr., better known as "Mage", settled at or near the Concord settlement and raised a large family there. He was one of the best farmers in that area and a leader in community affairs. I remember my father telling me of boarding with "Uncle Mage" while teaching school at Concord about 1890. In recent years, before her death, I had the pleasure of visiting several times with 'Aunt Medie' Poulan, the last living child of "Uncle Mage". She was very alert and remembered well the days when my father stayed in their home while teaching school. Just before 1870, a few members of the family moved to Liberty County and settled around Tarkington Prairie. (Jeremiah Sank Havard and Rhoda Caroline Page, and Henry Harris Havard and Eugenia Fredonia Davis). Since that time other members of the family have scattered out until today, you will find them in almost all the cities of Texas and some in distant states. My mother was Drusilla, daughter of Thomas Havard, Jr. My father was Thomas Cary McMullen who taught school in various communities in the county between 1890 and 1903. It was while teaching school in the Havard settlement along the "old river road" that he met and married my mother. Recently, in corresponding with one of my mother's cousins, Mrs. Annie Havard Watson of Dallas, Texas, I ask her if she remembered my mother (my mother had been dead for more than sixty years) and she replied that she certainly did, and stated that "I was present when she married and watched her ride away horseback on her honeymoon. How times have changed. Some of my earliest recollections are of the trips we use to make to visit my grandfather Havard. We lived in Huntington where my father was in business and on our visits we would travel in wagon. My brother Winfred and I would ride in the back of the wagon on quilts. When we got too tired of bouncing around (we didn't have paved roads at that time) we would get out and walk behind the wagon. The road carried us thru Shawnee Prairie and at that time it was just a sea of weeds with a few small groves of oak trees. It's amazing to me how smaller the prairie is now than it seemed to be then. I Page 7 thought we would never get across it in that wagon. But it was nice when we reached the "piney woods" where the roads were shady and with some sand to walk on. If you've ever walked, barefoot, on a hard road that had rocks and pebbles on it, you know why that sand was nice. I always enjoyed these visits because my grandfather had many kinds of fruit and melons growing; there was a clear cool creek of water near the house that was fine for wading and playing in - and I had plenty of cousins to play with. I remember too that he had a blacksmith and wood shop where he worked keeping his farming equipment and wagons in good repair. The forge had the old time bellows on it and I enjoyed seeing him use it. His home still had the old time kitchen which was built apart from the rest of the house with a walkway leading to it. And, while he had bought one of new iron cook stoves, the old kitchen fireplace was still there with its big pots and kettles. In 1903 when my grandfather passed away I remember our being there and seeing him just before he died. With his long whitebeard he looked so old and worn to me. while it is hard for me to believe it, he wasn't near as old as I am! Perhaps the hardships of the war and the hard work of carving a home out of the woods had aged him. In my most recent effort to locate any Havard in Mississippi who might be able to help us with information on the early days of the family in Georgia and Mississippi, I have been corresponding with David E. Havard of Lucedale, George County, Mississippi. He is President of the Personal Motivation Institute, Inc., of Lucedale, and I quote from his last letter. "I ask my father about our ancestors when I was just an old boy and even thought he was considered one of the more learned (he got thru the third reader but was well read) he said all he knew that our people came from Georgia horseback and the wife of the leader had a baby in her arms and that the baby was his grandfather - David Havard, whom I'm named for. David's father was Steve Havard and his wife was named Nancy but called 'Granny' in her senile days," I have been unable to get an answer to my last letter to David. If one had the time and money to go over there it could be that records could be found that would connect this family with ours. I have been told by two or three of the older members of our family that they believed that if we ever found any records of the father of Jeremiah, Page 8 Thomas and Henry - his name would be Steve! And we do know that we have a number of Stephens or Steves in our line of the family. The old log house that was built by Henry Havard for his home in Angelina County has been acquired by Joe and Miriam Havard Tatum and moved to a spot next to their home. It has been refurnished with furniture and other items that were in use about the time the house was built. It has many very interesting things in it and they are to be commended for making the old house into a museum. The old house has been named as a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark and the Texas Historic Building Medallion affixed to it. The Lufkin News had the following story about the historic house just before its dedication: OLD HAVARD HOME WILL GET MARKER The historic Henry Harris Havard home near Zavalla has been named a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark, significant to the history of this community and state and worth of preservation. John Ben Shepperd of Odessa, President of the Texas State Historical Survey Committee, made the announcement. The Havard home is located n Farm to Market Road 1270, just South of Zavalla and is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Joe Tatum. Having completed the requirements for this high official designation the Texas Historical Building Medallion with interpretive plate will be affixed to the structure. A certificate signed by Governor John Connally, John Ben Shepperd and County Chairman Dr. Gail Medford will be presented at the dedication of this marker. The date will be announced later, Dr. Medford said. The aluminum markers with Swedish steel effect are not only durable but beautiful and require practically no maintenance. More than 2,500 historical markers and Medallions with plates have been awarded throughout Texas and daily more histories found which warrants such recognition, Shepperd said. This marker and its location will appear in the next edition of the guide to Official Texas Historical Markers, in tourists guides, and on maps, to stimulate tourist interest in Page 9 the area, provide highpoints on historical tours, and focus attention of the citizens of the county with their unique historical past, Dr. Medford said. Miriam Havard Tatum, who writes for the Angelina Free Press, had had many interesting articles published about life in the Havard community.. With her permission we are using several of them. THE VERY PROUD HAVARD CLAN By Miriam Havard Tatum "The Havards had a fortune and gave it away," Boley Havard said to me Sunday at our Havard reunion. He had driven around the river road from Manning past the Eli Grimes community, the Crain settlement, the Weaver Bend and on through old Belview and the former Havard settlement. "It made me a little sad," he finished, "to think what our fathers once had and practically gave away to the companies." "Yes," little Charlie Havard added, "they owned all the land from the Weaver Bend through a great part of Saron. They settled most of it, "the three brothers, Jeremiah, Thomas, and Henry and their children." And they did. I have in my possession two original land grants, one from Sam Houston and another from Governor Lubbock, I believe. Charlie is the only Havard by name who still owns his fathers and grandfathers land. My husband's mother kept her part of the (Dunk) Henry Harris Havard estate until her death and it is owned by her son Elwin Tatum now, less Joe's part which he kept. It is the only parcel of the Henry Havard original grant that is still owned by Havard heirs. Page 10 Mrs. Aggie Barnes Cryer has the land her mother owned, the Lark Havard old place, heired by Uncle Bill's oldest son Lark. Lark in turn sold it to Aunt Nan Barnes whose grandmother was of the Tom Havard family . My children, grandchildren and I still own all of my father's land up there, part of it heired and part acquired from heirs. My mother's land, given her by grandpa Strain, was also exchanged for Havard land. Papa left all of entailed, from me to my children and so on to their children, etc. Someone has said such law would not hold; however, I have no desire to sell the land so have never considered testing it. The Havards were always a simple people and lived simply. Yet, when one reflects on the land once owned by them in the light of land prices today, it would seem Bolley has something in his statement that "The Havards had a fortune and gave it away." The major (Jeremiah) Havard family, my branch, settled from Belview to the site of old Manning and Shawnee Prairie and had cattle roaming all over this domain. The Tom Havard family settled around the present site of the Tom Havard cemetery , on to Saron toward the river and they buried their dead at the "Dunk" Havard cemetery. Each head of the clan gave his children a portion of his land and houses gradually sprang up along the River Road until at the time I was a child that part of the county was chockfull of Havards. Old man Joe Havard and his brother Will of the Tom Havard clan, along with my uncle Bill, had immigrated to Olive and reared their families there. "Little Steve" had left in his youth and settled around Burke. Then there was a part of the Jeremiah group in Concord. Most of the others had homes on the river. Grandpa Charles Havard's house became known as the 'Aunt Suzy' place, from Granny's long widowhood. Around here were clustered her sons, Leroy, Steve, Marion and farther down near the family's bottom Page 11 fields, my father's place. Aunt Mitt Poland settled near the field but stayed only a few years. Across the branch from Grandpa was his brother, Bill, who lived on their father's old place. Not far away his sons Lark and Charlie settled. An older son, Ples, also settled in the Olive community along with Mary Olds, whose mother was of the Tom Havard family. Nancy of that clan married John Cameron and reared her family nearby. At the Henry Havard settlement Dunk and Henry Harris, Jr. owned quite a bit of land. Sank of this branch was reputed to have ridden with Quantrill's gang during the Civil War. These three brothers - Major Jeremiah, Tom and Henry had come to this young Republic and carved a place in the wilderness for themselves and their children to be. It was a wild country indeed, but it was literally flowing with milk and honey. There was a virgin land, the towering pines, the clear flowing streams merging into the wider rivers. There was the wild turkey and deer for the tables, the rich black loam for the growing of essential food stuffs. Why, then, even tho the land was ravaged and the forest depleted too soon with a loss of wild animals, could not later generations somehow keep it in their possession this good earth from whence cometh their strength. In some instances, it was almost like a birthright sold for a mess of pottage; sometimes sever sickness and death took the home; sometimes it was wanderlust in a family and the lure of greener pastures just over the hill. Papa, who always berated the Ford car, but delighted in riding next to the driver in the front seat of one, used to dissertate on the sin of selling these homes for a car. "The Ford car has gotten more homes than anything else of this generation," he used to say, "They got the car fever." Whatever the many, varied reasons for parting with their homes, Carter-Kelly bought most of them up and down the river, sometimes for a song - which they sang Page 12 themselves. Papa was always distressed as each was sold and no doubt would have bought more of the land himself with borrowed money if he could have acquired them. But the Havards have always been a funny clan. Once one of them found out the other one wanted something he had, the man ready to sell would have walked to Houston in order to sell it to someone else. Papa was no exception, either. Odd lot! These people who once owned so much and never realized it. A noted columnist in Houston once asked Joey Lou if these Havards, of whose colloquial speech Morris Frank is always writing, were outstanding. "You don't know how outstanding," Joey Lou said as she raised he chin. Oh, we are! HOG KILLING TIME ALONG THE NECHES RIVER By Miriam Havard Tatum There is something about the curl of smoke from a farmhouse, as seen on a late fall or early winter evening, that gives one a feeling of security; a warmth of heart; an at-last-I'm-at-home-feeling. It always used to make me long to stop and go in and sit with folks awhile and learn of their joys and sorrows, and in turn speak of them of mine. The year my mother died I went to school in the nearby sawmill town of Manning. And every Friday afternoon Papa would come for me on his old blue mare. As we hurried to the house from the barn I can still vividly recall my mother silhouetted against the firelight as she waited so eagerly for me. Perhaps my love of fire-light and smoke drifting lazily heavenward springs from that lovely memory of her. How I love them. And my oldest grandchild shares that love, for he is always wanting 'Joe to build a fire-place,' which simply means a fire. Page 13 There are so few smokes on the horizon in this butane gas age that coming upon one brings a sudden pleasure. Perhaps a rent house here and there, or an old couple who prefer their faithful range with the build in flavor that only wood cook stoves can give. Mr. and Mrs. Nick Crain of the River Road have their wood stove yet and thought she is my mother's first cousin and the orphan of the teacake lady, I have never been privileged to eat that famous food she cooks on it. We can lift the eye from a modern gas range; place the splinters just so for a fire and light them; set the black pot with water and hog jowl over the eye; add the collards after awhile, generously spooning in more fried meat grease; and bring forth in due season a dish that has become a symbol of the 'pore whites' in the South for generations? Add to this 'dog-bread' pones, made by scalding salted or unsalted meal, shaping it into long pones and baking very fast. If one thinks there is no art in this, a simple trial will prove them wrong. Of course this form of cooking is fast dying out, since the young do not eat food so rich. But for decades after the Civil War collards and rooter hogs, with cone pone and potatoes, kept many families from starvation. Hog-killing time is also becoming a thing of the past. Time was on the Neches when smoke mounted to the sky in blazing fury from a rich- littered fire when the day came to kill hogs. Three or four neighbors might be in to help with ridding the guts, cleaning them, and stuffing sausage. The men would have gone to the bottom before daylight to kill eight or ten hogs in their beds and haul them out. The acorns and mast was usually good and these big three and four year old hogs would be 'mud fat.' Hot wash pots of water were readied by the women for their arrival, and the scalding, scraping and cutting-up began. The best cook would be dispatched to the kitchen with the first set of ribs and tenderloins to be fried for dinner. Wash pots were filled with the cut-up surplus fat in the afternoon to cooked out for grease. If an old hound didn't get in it, this became the lard supply for a year. If times were too hard I don't suppose the little interference of the hound would matter too much. Page 14 The last smoke of the day roared from the huge chimneys that night as they gathered around the fireplace. For who would think, after a tiring day together, of going home until the morrow or even the next day? At long last after all the grubby, greasy fingers had been washed after supper, the dishes done, water drawn for breakfast, stove wood in, the milking done and the milk strained, the women would join the men folk around that roaring, welcome fire. They might stand in their long cotton-stripe dresses and high top shoes before the fire and warm their hands and feet, for hog killing time must always be in the coldest time of the year. And then! Oh joyful remembrance for a child. As we sat and watched the firelight play on the walls the oldsters carried us to the dying Texans at Goliad and the Alamo; to Stonewall Jackson as he lay on the battlefield killed by his own soldiers; to the victory at Bull Run and the crushing defeat at Gettysburg to Grandpa Weaver, Crain, Havard, Ricks, and the thousands more who limped home in despair and defeat from Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Ballads were sung of daring deeds and Rhoda Caroline Page was often the singer. Children who have not set at the feet of these tale-recounting forefathers, before a pine-knot fire, strengthened with back logs of oak, have missed a wonderful experience; an experience that may be cherished and brought out again and relived as one sits before other fires. The fire has died down now, the women folk have made down the beds, the kids have washed their feet in the wash pan on the hearth stones, a 'Sears cloth' put on the croupy ones, and, the women in the one room and the men in another, have all begun to prepare for bed. A child cries out and a mother stoops to pat his cheek, the firelight flickers and the last tiny flame glows in the dark. A dog howls across the field, and is answered by 'ole Tige. Texas history is being made. Page 15 NO LONELINESS IN THE LARGE FAMILY By Miriam Havard Tatum There were autumn afternoons just as serene and beautiful as this when I was a child, and there was a large family in whose home I spent many happy days and nights. Had it not been for this happy household I would have been a very lonely little girl when I was growing up. I can barely remember the father, 'Will Penn' as he was known among the other Havards, for he passed away in the flu epidemic of 1918. But there is hardly a memory of my early childhood that does not include Aunt Ethel and her family. On such an afternoon as this I had probably run on to wade in the deep leaves of the road bed, leaving a boy, Doyle, about my age, to bring my books. There was certainly a scene pulled by a little girl the day Aunt Ethel told him and the older girls not to carry my books. But this afternoon perhaps he is still carrying them and Lula and I have to run on to big mama to let me go to Aunt Ethel's. She has consented and we're running to reach the cool branch where the sweet bays grow. Can't you feel the flow of that old branch over your feet, you who have attended a little country school, just before the first cold spell, when summer is foolishly trying to linger on" Now we are raiding the 'safe' and peeling 'taters and hunting tea cakes. Aunt Ethel is calling for us to go to the 'tater' house for more potatoes for tomorrow, and we grab a dish pan or bushel basket and are off. Before we get to the low 'tater house we hear the sound of wheels, and we rush madly to finish, for Aunt Ethel and the boys are going to the field for fodder and corn and we know we can get some sugar cane. Dark has descended before we return, and the soft glow of the coal oil lamps are shinning from the old house. Zadie has churned, Ruby has cooked supper, Dacus and baby Maurine are coming from the porch and Lula, Doyle and I scamper for the bench and certain places. Aunt Ethel's sharp voice puts us at rights, and we bow our heads. Page 16 Can you not picture the joy of this family scene from forty years ago? If you have ever been a lonely child you will know what it meant to me, and how it has remained so vivid through the years. It is a simple meal, perhaps greens, buttermilk, pork and potatoes with Ruby's famous corn bread muffins. But the pleasure lay in the love and companionship a small girl found here. After the evening meal a small fire is lighted, and perhaps the young man of the family, Leon Havard, now of the Salem community, who had long since flown the family coop, came in for the night. Or the neighbors, Aunt Mary Olds and son Jim, might come over to 'stay awhile.' On Sundays when I was down at Aunt Ethel's, Lula and I always invariably wandered across the draw to the old Tom Havard cemetery, where most of the Havards are resting. We have spent countless hours placing the broken dishes, bowls and vases on these graves, or cleaning and rearranging the snuff bottle enclosure of the grave. Through the years the younger generations have destroyed these relics of the country graveyards; some have been pilfered by greedy collectors, for though the custom was to bring anything beautiful that had been broken to the cemetery, there were a few rare perfect pieces. I regret this desecrating of the long departed dead. After all, we who walk this way today; who dream these dreams; who love and are loved; who laugh with the freedom of youth, and sigh in the decadence of years; who climb the hill swiftly today in youth's young morning of life, and cling faintly to each step as the last; we too shall at long last take up our abode in the silent church yards of our fathers. "We shall not pass again this way. Page 17 705 East Buffalo Street Ithaca, New York November 19, 1949 Dear Mrs. Ellis, Just this week I received a letter from Bishop William Thomas Havard at St. Asaph's, North Wales. His letter gave much information on the Havards in Wales. So I have made a copy of the history part for you. I imagine that he was quite surprised that there are so many Havards in the United States. So now the early history of the family is unfolding. The Welsh line is no doubt our own ancestral line, and we can indeed be proud of our history and ancestry. Someday I would like to go to Wales and see the Havard Chapel there in Brecon Cathedral. Incidentally, I am an Episcopalian which is a branch of the Church of England. Hence you can see that I have more than a passing interest in seeing the Chapel that bears our name. I hope to continue my correspondence with Bishop and tell him more of the American branch. So some of your stories may be used in future letters. However, there is one old story that I would like for you to look into. I heard about it from several members of my family. They say that a Negro family now bears the Havard name. The story went that they worked for the family back in the old days. They liked the Havards so much because of their good treatment by the family that they adopted our name. So would you look into this yarn. If it is true I would like to send it on to the Bishop who would probably be surprised to hear it. I hope you enjoy the story of the Havards in Wales. You might also bring it to the attention of other members of the family who are interested. If you think they might be interested in having something like this read at the next reunion, I will make up a special paper for someone to read to the members of the clan. There is little other news to tell you at this time. The weather is cold here. Yesterday we had some snow. It was so pretty. The flakes were so large and fluffy they looked like pieces of cotton falling out of the clouds. However, most of it melted soon after falling. My very best regards. As the Havard said in olden times and still say, "Faith in God." Your cousin, Charles G. Havard Page 18 THE HAVARDS IN WALES Bishop William Thomas Havard at St. Asaph's, North Wales. Excerpts from a letter from Bishop William Thomas Havard, St. Asaph's Diocese, North Wales to Charles G. Havard, November 2, 1949. Copy sent to Mrs. Hortense Ellis Freeman, November 19, 1949. The first Havard was a Norman soldier of adventure, as were nearly all the officers and entourage of William the Conqueror and his son, William II. The surname derives from La Havre. I have reason to know that Havard is no uncommon name in Normandy and even in Paris. Early in the 12th century, William II sought to subjugate Wales and sent an expeditionary force under Bernard de Neufmarche to conquer south and mid Wales. He had with him six officers, one of whom was William Havard. They came up through Hereford till they reached Brecon, where they established the fortifications which later became the stronghold of Brecon Castle. It appears that there had been a great slaughter of the Welsh and so, following the custom of the Normans, they decided to set up a Church (To be a cell of Battle Abbey, Sussex) to endow it and to hand it to the Benedictines, where the souls of the slain might be remembered and prayed for. So the old Saxon Church at Brecon was pulled down and the Priory Church set up in its place. Most of the Norman soldiers settled in the land they had conquered. The six officers were given a knighthood and a manor of lands; William Havard being given a manor that surrounded the Priory Church. The moated manor house in which he lived is now a very delightful farm house that stands about three-quarters of a mile away from the Priory Church. The moat, of course, is dry. The farm still bears his name, Pont Willym (William's Moat). His grandson, or great-grandson, added a Chapel to the Priory Church, which has always been know as the Havard Chapel, and a very beautiful chapel it is. On the east wall of the Chapel may be found the arms of the Havards, and underneath the legend "Faith in God." The motto usually appeared as "Faith in God quoth Havard". It has always been a matter of interest, if not a problem, to me to know why the Havards, at this stage, had their motto in English, for naturally they were French-speaking and so indeed, Page 19 was the language of the Court. And English remained a peasant tongue until the great Chaucer established its status. And so the Havards settled in Breconshire, and became rather numerous. They remained for the most part soldiers right down to the time of George I. As you will remember from your history, the bowmen of Breconshire played a very famous part in Agincourt, Crecy and Poictiers; numbers of Havards who led them in these famous engagements were knighted on the field of battle. At the end of the 17th and in the 18th Centuries off-shoots of the Havard family settled in Carmarthenshire and in Pembrokeshire. The Carmarthenshire branch has almost ceased to exist but the Pembrokeshire one is still strong. Incidentally, the Pembrokeshire branch is rather noted for the number of outstanding medical doctors turned out. The Carmarthenshire branch turned out quite a considerable number of Clergy, and not few of them held important dignities in the Church. The Breconshire clan was a good deal more numerous than it is today. Physically, they stood out above the natives and this has remained true to this day. The large majority of them are six feet and over, and not the least common feature has been their somewhat ruddy complexion. I personally belong to the Breconshire branch. It may be of interest to you to know that I was at one time a Canon of Brecon Cathedral. (The old Priory Church became a Cathedral in 1923, when the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon was carved out of St. David's Diocese. I was very interested to have your letter and to hear that the Havard family is well and truly represented in America! The Havards have traditionally been interested in the land they have always been regarded as exceptionally good horsemen. I am not, therefore, surprised to hear that many of them have taken to farming and cattle raising. (The above short history of the Havards was included in a letter to Charles G. Havard who was living in at 705 East Buffalo Street, Ithaca, New York. Charles G. Havard, son of Julius Havard of Liberty County. See beginning of McMullen writings. Page 20 Mrs. Andrew Ebb Ellis (affectionately known as 'Cousin Jimmie' by all the Havards) is the daughter of Rev. Stephen James Havard, a pioneer Baptist preacher. Cousin Jmmie's daughter, Mrs. R. D. (Hortense) Freeman, has recently returned from a visit with her daughter in London, England. While there they drove down to Wales and visited at Brecon Cathedral. We are indebted to Hortense for the following account of that visit: MY VISIT TO THE HAVARD CHAPEL IN WALES By Hortense Ellis Freeman: Through the correspondence of Bishop William Thomas Havard of Wales and the late Charles G. Havard of Houston, we have learned much of the history of our family. In 1949 Charles sent a copy of a letter which he had received from the bishop to my mother, Mrs. Jimmie Havard Ellis. Among other interesting facts in the letter was one concerning a special room in Brecon Cathedral in Wales named HAVARD CHAPEL. At that time I never thought that I would ever have the opportunity to visit the Cathedral. This opportunity came, however, at Christmas in 1968 when I went to visit my daughter (Nancy Jane Freeman) who lives in London, England. Together with her family, we made the drive into Wales on Saturday, December 28,a distance of 150 miles from London. We arrived at our hotel in Brecon after dark, too late to try to see the Cathedral. The next morning we drove to the Cathedral which has been standing as it is today for six hundred years, and approached the entrance. We were tugging at the heavy massive doors when an attendant greeted us; I quickly explained my mission and he said, "Come this way and I will show you the Havard Chapel." We walked into the small room which is completely furnished for use as a small auditorium would be. A dark velvet curtain hung behind the pulpit or alter, as it is called in the Church of England, which is the denomination of the Cathedral. The guide took us behind the curtain to show us the Havard headstone set into the wall which he said had once been a grave marker. The stone had R H carved across the top and a cow head carved below the initials. At the bottom of the stone was the family motto: "Hope in God." Page 21 I then explained to the attendant how I had learned about the Cathedral through the letter from the Bishop in 1949. At this point, he said, "Come this way and I will show you the bishop's grave." He has been dead for some fifteen years." Near the building was the grave of Bishop William Thomas Havard. I stayed for the regular eleven o'clock service, but my mind was hardly in an attitude of worship. I was so excited to be there. With the limited time that I had, I listened and learned all that I could of the Havards in Wales. I bought some slides and I was given several souvenirs of the Cathedral. Then the little church man said, "Good-bye. Come again in the Spring." I had a feeling that he did not realize the great amount of water and land that separates Angelina County, Texas from Brecon, Wales. It would be wonderful, I think, if some serious research could be done on tracing our Havard line back through Mississippi, thence to Georgia and on to Wales. It would be a fascinating and rewarding project, but somewhat expensive and very time consuming. Nick names can be confusing. Soon after I started work on compiling a record of the family I took the 1860 and 1870 census records and tried to locate, or account for, all the members of the family as shown on the census records and tried to locate, or account for, all the members of the family as shown on the census records of Angelina County. I soon 'lost' several members of the family and had to do lots of hunting and searching before I could find them. It was a long time before I could find anyone who could tell me who Alexander Singleton Havard was. When I did find out, everyone knew him a 'Dunk' Havard. Then there was Jeremiah Havard, Jr. who, several thought, had died in childhood. I finally learned that 'Uncle Mage' was in reality, Jeremiah, Jr. Then there was a 'Sank" Havard in Liberty County who was said to be a son of Henry Harris Havard. But the census records for 1860 and 1870 do not show anyone named 'Sank' in that Page 22 family. When it was cleared up, 'Sank's' real name was Jeremiah, the second child of Henry and Tinsey, but generally know by all the family as 'Sank'. I supposed that most members of the family know about the story of the two Charles Havards - one called 'Charlie Wolf' and the other 'Honest Charles,' but for the benefit of future generations it might be well to repeat it here. It seems that Mr. James W. Poland who lived in the neighborhood, had two daughters who were married to two Charles Havards One of the Charles eloped with and married his daughter, and Mr. Poland spoke of him as 'Charles Wolf.' (Charles James Havard married Sarah Cordelia Poland.) The other Charles went to Mr. Poland and ask him for his daughter's hand in marriage and Mr. Poland always referred to him as 'Honest Charles.' (Charles Daily Havard married Martha Taressa Poland) Until I started on this work I had not realized that there had been so many Baptist preachers in the family. I may have overlooked some of them but I have the following listed: Stephen James, William Frank, Lonzo Cason, James William, Thomas Oliver, William Joseph (Joel), and James Dalton. The family is noted too for its carpenters, cabinet makers, and school teachers. And many members of the family are in business of some kind. Even so, quite a number have stayed with the family's first love - farming and cattle raising. I have never known of but one Havard holding a political office. In my searches of the early records of the family I find that Jeremiah Havard, Sr. was one of the County Commissioners back in 1859. The records show that he, along with Commissioner Samuel Mantooth and W. G. Largent, signed a deed for Angelina County to sell two lots the county owned in Homer, the deed being dated May 29, 1859. The family just doesn't seem to lean much to politics. Most, if not all of them, are democrats of the old school - sound and solid, instead of the noisy, ultra, liberal branch of the party. They are patriotic and loyal to their country and have served it well from a military standpoint. It is believed that the first members of the family arrived in American around 1790-1800, too late to have served in the American Revolution. We have record of Jeremiah Havard, Sr. being in the military service just before the Mexican- Page 23 American was of 1845. He was in the Tenth Regiment of Mississippi and commissioned a Major in Marion County, Mississippi on November 12, 1841. The family stood with the South during the Civil War, as mentioned earlier, and many members served in World War I and World War II. There are three Havard cemeteries in Angelina County; The 'Dunk' Havard Cemetery located in the Saron community; The Tom Havard Cemetery located near the Tom Havard original old home place on 'El Camino del Rio' (the old river road), and the Bill Havard Cemetery about two miles down the road South of the Tom Havard Cemetery. Again, I express the hope that someday soon, some member if the family will do much more research on the Havards and write a history that will be interesting and with many missing facts filled in. Wood McMullen, August 15, 1969 (Note: Thomas Wood McMullen was born October 17, 1896 and died October 27, 1982, in Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas. He was the son of Thomas Cary McMullen and Drusilla Ann Havard. Drusilla was the daughter of Thomas Havard, Jr. and Lucy Grimes. Thomas Havard, Jr. was the son of Thomas Havard, Sr. and Nancy.) Page 24 CENSUS RECORDS -- 1840 -- PERRY COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI - VOL 3 PAGE 176 HENRY HAVARD 1 male not 5 years (Jeremiah (Sank) Havard 5/11/1839) 1 male 20 to 30 years (Henry Harris Havard 1811) 1 female not 5 years (Elizabeth Havard 1838) 1 female 5 to 10 years old 1 female 20 to 30 years old (Tensey Denny Havard 4/2/1812) THOMAS HAVARD 2 males under 5 years Thomas Havard, Jr. 7/11/1835 Charles D. Havard 1839 1 male 5 to 10 years Walter Havard 1832 1 male 20 to 30 years Thomas Havard, Sr. 5/8/1805 1 female 5 to 10 years Mary Ann Havard 1830 1 female under 5 years 1 female 20 to 30 years Nancy 10/17/1808 (George Havard, born 1842, Sarah Havard, born 1845, William Frank born 6/15/1846, and Susan Havard born 1850) Page 25 CENSUS RECORDS -- 1840- MARION COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI - Vol 3 Page 115 JEREMIAH HAVARD 1 male under 5 years (William Franklin Havard 9/6/1837 ) 2 males 5 to 10 years (Pleasant T. Havard 3/1832) (Charles Havard 12/20/1839) 1 male 30 to 40 years (Jeremiah Havard, Sr. 6/6/1803) 1 female 5 to 10 years (Louisa Havard 1834) 1 female 10 to 15 years (Mary Jane Havard 111/18/1837) 1 female 30 to 40 years (Elizabeth Cross Havard 1/4/1809) CENSUS RECORDS -- 1850 -- MARION COUNTY, MS - 1850 - ENUM. AUGUST 14, 1850 HAVARD, Jeremiah 47 W M Farming Ga. (Jeremiah Havard, Sr) Elizabeth 41 W F Wife S.C. (Elizabeth C Havard) Jane 23 W F Daughter Ala (Mary Jane Havard) Charles 21 W M Son Miss. (Charles Havard) P 18 W M Son Miss. (Pleasant T Havard) L 16 W M Son Miss. (Louisa Havard) William 14 W M Son Miss. (William F Havard) B. 10 W M Son Miss. (Benjamin W Havard) Jeremiah, Jr. 7 W M Son Miss. (Jeremiah Havard, Jr) James 5 W M Son Miss. (Stephen J Havard) G.W.L.H. 3 W M Son Miss. (George W L Havard) West 43 W M Miss. (West Havard) Page 26 CENSUS RECORDS- 1860 -- ANGELINA COUNTY, TEXAS Name Age Occupation Real Estate Born HENRY HAVARD 49 Farmer $1,107.00 Miss. Tinsey C. Havard 37 Miss. Elizabeth Havard 22 Miss. Jeremiah Havard 21 Farmer Miss. Matilda Havard 16 Miss. Henry H. Havard 14 Miss. John W. Havard 19 Farmer Miss. Alexander Havard 11 Miss. David W. Havard 5 Miss. Walter Havard 30 Farmer $260.00 Miss. Kandacia Havard 28 La. Elbert Havard 5 Texas Sarah Havard 3 Texas Mary L. Havard 2 Texas Nancy A. Havard 4 mo. Texas Thomas Havard 56 Farmer $840.00 Ga. Nancy Havard 53 Ga. Charles D. Havard 21 Miss. Thomas Havard 19 Miss. George Havard 18 Miss. Sarah C. Havard 15 Miss. William P. Havard 12 Miss. Susan Havard 10 Miss. Page 27 CENSUS RECORD -- 1860 -- ANGELINA COUNTY, TEXAS Name Age Occupation Real Estate Born JEREMIAH HAVARD 56 Farmer $940.00 Ga. Elizabeth Havard 50 S.C. Mary J. Havard 33 Ala. William Havard 19 Farmer Miss. Jeramiah Havard 16 Farmer Miss. Steven J. Havard 13 Miss. George W. Havard 12 Miss. Tinsey A. Havard 10 Miss. WILLIAM HAVARD 22 Farmer $120.00 Miss. Frances Havard 15 Ala. Page 28 CENSUS RECORDS -- 1870 -- ANGELINA COUNTY, TEXAS Name Age Occupation Real Estate Born BEN HAVARD 30 Farmer $160.00 Miss. Mrs. Nancy Havard 28 Housekeeper Ga. Jennie Havard 3 Texas Sophronie Havard 2 Texas Jane Havard 5 mo Texas THOMAS HAVARD 65 Stockman $1,200.00 Ga. Mrs. Nancy Havard 55 Housekeeper Miss. THOMAS HAVARD, JR. 35 Farmer Miss. Mrs. Lucy Havard 26 Housekeeper Ala. Rose Havard 3 Texas Mary C. Havard 2 Charlie Havard 1 FRANK HAVARD 24 Farmer Miss. Mrs. Amanda Havard 25 Housekeeper Miss. Nancy Havard 3 Texas Susan Havard 2 Texas Joseph Havard 1 Texas CANDACE HAVARD 36 Housekeeper La. Elbert Havard 14 Texas Sarah Havard 13 Texas Mary Havard 12 Texas Nancy Havard 10 Texas Maggie Havard 8 Texas Page 29 CENSUS RECORDS -- 1870 -- ANGELINA COUNTY, TEXAS Name Age Occupation Real Estate Born WILLIAM HAVARD 32 Stockman $75.00 Miss. Mrs. Frances Havard 25 Housekeeper Ala. Pleasant Havard 9 Texas Joel Havard 7 Texas Larkin Havard 5 Texas Charlie Havard 3 Texas Ben Havard 2 Texas John Havard 4 mo Texas CHARLES HAVARD 40 Farmer $300.00 Miss. Mrs. Susan Havard 23 Miss Marion Havard 2 Texas JERAMIAH HAVARD, JR. 27 Farmer Miss. Mrs. Margarie Havard 22 Housekeeper Ala. Isabel Havard 3 Texas Jerry Havard 2 Texas JEREMIAH HAVARD 66 Stockman $1,200.00 Ga. Mrs. Elizabeth Havard 61 Housekeeper S.C. Jane Havard 40 Ala. JAMES HAVARD 24 Farmer Miss. Mrs. Jane Havard 35 Housekeeper Miss. William Havard 4 Texas Susan Havard 1 Texas Page 30 CENSUS RECORDS -- 1870 -- ANGELINA COUNTY, TEXAS Name Age Occupation Real Estate Born HENRY HAVARD 58 Stockman $1.500.00 Miss. Mrs. Tinzie Havard 56 Housekeeper Miss. Alexander Havard 20 Farm Laborer Texas David Havard 18 Texas Martha Cloburn 25 Housekeeper Miss. Lavisie Cloburn 3 Texas James Neal 7 Miss. Page 31 CENSUS RECORDS -- 1880 -- ANGELINA COUNTY, TX , PRECINCT NO. 3. ENUM. 6/23/1880 HAVARD, Harris H. 33 M (Sore Leg) Farmer Miss. Eugenia 29 F Wife Miss. William H. 9 M Son Texas Julian 7 M Son Texas Lorenza 3 M Son Texas Gardner D. 11/12 M Son Texas HAVARD, Alexander S Dunk 30 M Farmer Texas Martha 26 F (Asthma) Wife La. John 7 M Son Texas Buril 4 M Son Texas James O. 1 M Son Texas HAVARD, Thomas, Jr. 44 M Farmer Texas Lucy 35 F Wife Texas Rose Ann 13 F Daughter Texas Mary Catherine 12 F Daughter Texas Charles D. 9 M Son Texas Nancy D. 7 M Son Texas William Penn 6 M Son Texas Oliver Thomas 2 M Son Texas Drusilla Ann 7/12 F Daughter Texas HAVARD, Elbert H 24 M Farmer Texas Texana 21 F Wife Texas Robert W. 3 M Son Texas Sarah E. 6/12 F Daughter Texas HAVARD, Candacy 45 F Housekeeper La. Margaret I. 19 F Daughter Texas HAVARD, Nancy 71 F Housekeeper Ga. Sarah H. 34 F Daughter Miss. Samuel E. 6 M Son Miss. [Type text] Page 32 HAVARD, Jeramiah, Jr. 37 M Farmer Miss. Nancy N. 32 F Wife Ala. Isabell 13 F Daughter Texas Jeramiah 12 M Son Texas Charles M 10 M Son Texas Elizabeth 7 F Daughter Texas Allen 5 M Son Texas John A. 2 M Son Texas CENSUS RECORDS -- 1880 -- ANGELINA COUNTY, TX , PRECINCT NO. 3. ENUM. 6/25/1880 HAVARD, William F. 42 M Baptist Minister Miss. Frances 35 F Wife Ala. William, Jr. 18 M Son Texas Jeramiah Larkin 15 M Son Texas Charles J. 13 M Son Texas Benjamin Wm. 12 M Son Texas John Thomas 10 M Son Texas Caroline E. 8 F Daughter Texas Mary Frances 6 F Daughter Texas Adline Jane 4 F Daughter Texas Lonzo Cason 2 M Son Texas HAVARD, Jeramiah 76 M Farmer Ga. Elizabeth 66 F Wife S.C. Mary Jane 53 F Daughter Ala. Baird, Thomas B 27 M Hired Texas Mosley, Thomas 19 M Hired Texas Ridgell, Elizabeth 37 F Hired La. Page 33 HAVARD, Charles 50 M Farmer Miss. Susan 30 F Wife Miss. Francis Marion 11 M Son Texas Leroy T. 8 M Son Texas James S. 6 M Son Texas William F. 5 M Son Texas Luiza O. 2 F Daughter Texas Charles 1/12 M Son Texas HAVARD, Benjamin W. 38 M Cow raiser Miss. Nancy 37 F Wife GA. Virginia 13 F Daughter Texas Sophronia 11 F Daughter Texas Mary Jane 10 F Daughter Texas Frances Ella 8 F Daughter Texas Clancy 6 F Daughter Texas Bursell, Rufus 18 M Apprentice La. Hambrick, John 24 M Cooper Ala HAVARD, Pleasant L. 20 M Farmer Texas Edie Ann 21 F Wife Texas HAVARD, James S. 34 M Baptist Preacher Miss. Louisa Jane 44 F Wife Minn. P. Wm. P. 13 M Son Texas Louisa W. 11 F Daughter Texas James (Jimmie) 5 M Son Texas Theodosia E. 8 F Daughter Texas Minola 1 F Daughter Texas McIntosh, Effie 25 F Step-daughter Texas McIntosh, Nancy J 23 F Step-daughter Texas McIntosh, Sarah L. 18 F Step-daughter Texas Page 34 HAVARD, W. F. J. 36 M Farmer Miss. Mandy E. 36 F Wife Ala. Nancy J. 13 F Daughter Texas Susan E. 12 F Daughter Texas Joseph Eli 11 M Daughter Texas William T. 9 M Son Texas Stephen J. 7 M Son Texas Marion F. 2 M Son Texas Jefferson F. 7/12 M Son Texas CENSUS RECORDS -- 1870 -- LIBERTY COUNTY, TX , TARKINGTON PRAIRIE, 8/4/1870 HAVARD, James W 33 M Farmer Miss. Sarah 30 F H. K. Miss James 8 M Texas Letha A. 5 F Texas Viola 1 F Texas HAVARD, Jeremiah (*) 31 M Farmer Miss. Rhoda 23 F H.K. Ala. John 3 M Texas Ada E. 2 F Texas Henry Harris 23 M Farmer Miss. (*) This Jeremiah Havard was the son of Henry Harris Havard and better known to his family and friends as Sank Havard. The maiden name of his wife was Rhoda C. Page, who was first married to Charles D. Havard, the son of Thomas Havard, Sr., September 8, 1861, After his death she was married to Jeremiah "Sank" Havard, December 7, 1865. Page 35 CENSUS RECORDS -- 1880 -- LIBERTY COUNTY, TX , TARKINGTON PRAIRIE, June 1880 HAVARD, David L. 23 White Male Farmer Texas Sallie 23 W Fem Wife Texas Robert E . 5 W M Son Texas Jackson 10/12 W M Son Texas Nobles, Curtis 40 W M Worker Miss. HAVARD, Sank 41 W M Farmer Miss. Rodie C. 36 W F Wife Ala. John 13 W M Son Texas Ada E. 11 W F Daughter Texas Ida 9 W F Daughter Texas Norman 7 W M Son Texas Harriet 4 W F Daughter Texas William |
| Thomas Wood McMullen 1896-1982 Author of The Havard Family Book |
