Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 163, No. 20, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 11, 2012 Page: 3 of 20
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■ Cljerokeeaij Herald ■ thecherokeean.com ■ Wednesday, July 11,2012 3A
EDITORIAL BOARD MARIE WHITEHEAD TERRIE GONZALEZ
publisher editor
ALL THINGS
historical
flB young man called,
MM asking if I knew
»«what a “dog trot
M ■house” was. He had
heard the phrase from
one of his grandparents
and had conjured visions
of dogs trotting through a
house day and night. He
wasn’t far from the mark.
Dog trot houses were
built and occupied by East
Texas’ earhest settlers.
Many of them migrated
here in the early 1800s
from the old south and
brought southern customs
with them, including the
way buildings were con-
structed.
Made either of logs or
rough-sawn lumber, it con-
sisted of two separate living
areas under one roof, but
separated by a wide gallery
that divided the two fam-
ily areas. One of the living
areas consisted of sleep-
ing accommodations; the
other was where the family
cooked, ate and entertained
visitors.
There were no bathrooms
or toilets in the building.
Outhouses, well separated
from the house, met the fam-
ily’s hygiene needs. Large
washtubs, filled with water
from wells or springs, were
used for baths.
BOB BOWMAN
Ben Anderson of Angelina
County called our attention
to a well-preserved dog trot
house near Ratcliff in Hous-
ton County. It was a beauty
to behold, framed by crepe
myrtles and cedar trees. It
was built by a pioneer family
in the Mount Vernon com-
munity, where Henry War-
ren Payne and W.M. Conner
gave land for a church and a
cemetery.
In 1871, a church house
used as a school was erected.
The custom of fencing cem-
etery plots began in 1872
with the burial in the first
marked grave of the son of
James E. and Ann Payne
Ashby. After a fire, Payne
rode door-to-door raising
money for a new church
house built in 1884.
The Mt. Vernon Baptist
Church was officially orga-
nized in 1888. Land from
the Louisiana and Texas
Lumber Co. enlarged the
cemetery and in 1960 the
church’s present building
was erected.
In our family, my great-
great grandfather, Joel
Harrison Bowman, built a
dog trot house near Sardis
in Cherokee County, but the
building rotted away after he
died in 1936. My wife Doris’
grandparents, the Robert
L. Davis family, also lived
in a dog trot house on Virgil
Street in Lufkin; it vanished
as progress overtook Lufkin.
A two-story log structure
was built by ferry owner
James Gaines on the west
bank of the Sabine River
in the 1830s. When Toledo
Bend Reservoir was built,
the old house was moved,
and it remains an important
landmark in Sabine County.
Another dog trot, built
before 1842, is known as the
Trammel Trace Cabin and
is a recorded Texas his-
toric landmark at Marshall,
where it was moved in 1938
by the Hobart Key family.
Dog trot houses are a
unique part of our East
Texas heritage, and hope-
fully other buildings of the
same style are alive and well
in the Pineywoods.
DIS PATC H E SI fiom the cifydesk
M ■ V hen I was asked
MIIM to write this
Mf 1M article, my first
h V instinct was
simply to write about all
of the wonderful items we
have in our collection, and
the great services we offer
our patrons. However, since
the main purpose of librar-
ies is to promote reading, it
makes sense to focus on the
importance of reading; in
particular, the importance
of reading with, and to, children. After all,
a lifelong love of books begins with stories
read to us as children.
What could be better than sharing a favor-
ite story with your children, or older broth-
ers and sisters sharing a favorite childhood
book with their younger sibling? Children
love to be read to, and if the truth were to
be told, so do adults. That’s one reason why
audiobooks are so popular.
Children’s reading experts agree that
reading aloud to children is the easiest and
most effective way to turn children into
lifelong readers. Research shows that avid
readers:
• Read better, write better and concen-
trate better.
• Have an easier time processing new
information.
• Have a better chance for a successful,
fulfilling adult life.
• Have many interests and do well in a
wide variety of subjects.
• Develop an ability to understand how
people think and feel.
• Tend to be more flexible in their think-
ing and more open to new ideas.
• Weather personal prob-
lems better.
Reading aloud to your
children is an expression
of love; it shows you care
enough to share your time.
The bond created with your
child through the time you
spend reading to them is one
that cannot be broken.
Any time they encounter a
book that you read to them,
they will be reminded of the
time you spent together,
especially if that book was one of their favor-
ites.
When the time comes later that they share
the book with their children, or with a little
brother or sister, that bond is carried on,
from one generation to the next.
Regular visits to the library are an impor-
tant part of this. Attending storytime or par-
ticipating in the Summer Reading Program
give children a wider view of the world of
books than they can get from the bookshelf
at home.
Letting them discover new books and the
new adventures they contain gives them
both a sense of freedom and accomplish-
ment. It encourages them to explore the
world through someone else’s eyes, and
allows them to visit places they have never
been; or indeed, that may not exist except
through your child’s imagination.
Remember: reading to a child is important,
but it is just as important for your child to
see you read.
Seeing a parent who loves reading, who
takes time away from watching television
or surfing the Internet to do so, will make a
lasting impression.
BARBARA CROSS MAN
Library Director
TAXING I thoushts
Unlock the ‘back-door’ Roth IRA
f you can’t contribute
to a Roth IRA the
conventional way,
it doesn’t mean that
you’re locked out of this
attractive vehicle for re-
tirement savings. The key
is to take a “back-door”
approach using a nonde-
ductible IRA.
First, here’s some
background information.
Contributions to a tradi-
tional IRA may be tax-
deductible, but deductions
are phased out if your
modified adjusted gross
income (MAGI) exceeds a
specific level and you (or
your spouse) are an active
participant in an em-
ployer’s retirement plan.
Contributions made on a
nondeductible basis are
tax-free when withdrawn,
although any earnings are
still taxable.
In contrast, contribu-
tions to a Roth IRA can’t
be deducted, but “quali-
fied distributions” from
the Roth in existence at
least five years are 100
percent tax-free. This in-
cludes distributions made
ANITA L. WOODLEE
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
after attaining age 59Z>.
Furthermore, unlike tra-
ditional IRAs, you’re not
required to take annual
distributions from a Roth
after age 70Z>.
The problem is that
ability to contribute to a
Roth IRA is phased out
for certain high-income
taxpayers. But there’s a
potential solution: If you
establish a traditional
IRA with nondeductible
contributions, you can
then convert it to a Roth
IRA, effectively circum-
venting the prohibition on
Roth contributions. Previ-
ously, conversions were
restricted to taxpayers
with less than $100,000
of MAGI, but this barrier
was removed in 2010.
The only drawback to
this back-door strategy is
that any distribution from
a traditional IRA is taxed
under a “pro rata” rule
based on the total amount
in all your IRAs. Thus,
you can’t simply designate
a nondeductible IRA for
the conversion. If you have
multiple IRAs, this could
result in a larger conver-
sion tax than anticipated.
Contact us if you would
like details about the Roth
option in your specific
situation.
pel. advertising
ANITA L.
WOODLEE,
CPA, PC
CERTIFIED PUBLIC
ACCOUNTANT
111 Henderson
Rusk • 75785
Phone: 903-683-1002
www. anitawoodleecpa.
com
Visit our web site for
new tax tips and financial
calculators
Cbei*okeeau
iA:" Hk @1X1^ GD
Texas’ Oldest Weekly Newspaper
Published weekly each
Wednesday by
E.H. WHITEHEAD
ENTERPRISES, INC.
Texas’ oldest continuously published
weekly newspaper, established as the Chero-
kee Sentinel, Feb. 27,1850, and consolidated
with The Cherokeean, The Alto Herald and
the Wells News & Views
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Rates payable in advance:
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Outside Cherokee County $25/year
Outside Texas $29/year
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PO. BOX 475
RUSK, TX 75785
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Texas 75785
CONTACT US:
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FAX (903) 683-5104
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Quinten Boyd
publisher
general news, sports
(903) 683-2257
(903) 683-2257 ext. 109
mwhitehead@mediactr. com
chreporter@mediactr. com
Terrie Gonzalez
Brenda Davis
editor
advertising, receivables
(903) 683-2257 ext. 107
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Susan Burch
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Tara Crosby
general news
advertising sales
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classifieds, general news
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classifiedads@mediactr. com
U|QU POINTS | fromReal
^Holks along El Camino
Real celebrated the
Fourth of July around
pools, lakes and along
river banks to try and beat
the heat of another Texas
summer and do their part to
show their patriotism. The
lucky ones stayed inside
in the air conditioning, in
front of the television and
watched someone else cel-
ebrate in all the traditional
ways. Fireworks have been
shot, and the homemade ice
cream is only a memory on your waistline
- a dead spot is in the yard where some-
one poured the saltwater from the freezer.
We’ll tackle that waistline with a New
Year’s resolution in January, the grass will
grow back eventually and maybe next year
it will be cooler in July. You know that’s
going happen. Turn up the AC and enjoy
your six bits’ worth of news.
We were saddened at the passing of our
friend Doyle Click late last week. Doyle
was a nice guy, and I always enjoyed a
good visit with him. Please keep his wife
and family in your prayers.
Billy Burrows had kidney surgery in
Dallas last week and was doing well from
the report I got from his girls, Rachael and
Elizabeth. Hopefully he’ll be headed home
by the time you read this. We need to keep
Billy in our prayers until he is back to full
steam.
A benefit for Cooper Low will be July
14th from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at First Baptist
Church. Cooper is the son of Lisa and
Heath Low. The little fellow was born with
a serious heart condition that requires
medical attention. They are calling the
event, “Carrying Cooper’s Cross Fam-
ily Fun Day.” The day will consist of a
concert, bounce house, water slide, pony
rides, face painting and temporary tattoos
designed especially for this day, along with
horseshoes, washers, kiddie pools, a con-
cession stand with cotton candy, popcorn,
sno cones, nachos, frito pie, hotdogs, chips,
drinks and desserts. They will also have a
cake auction and silent auction. The event
will be inside and out so all will be able
to enjoy. The fund raiser will help with
medical expenses that the Lows continue
to have for Cooper. Cooper has been on
most of our prayer lists since before he
was born, so helping with this event ought
to just come natural. If you have any ques-
tions call Amanda Collie. She has been
working on the event and giving me all the
information to spread around.
Zane and Charlotte Gholston celebrated
41 years of marriage on July 3. In those
41 years, they have accumulated three
children, nine grandchildren and one
great-grandchild. This makes me feel
old because I remember when Charlotte
was pretty young and was my substitute
teacher in high school. I want to congratu-
late Charlotte and Zane on their wedding
anniversary, and in just nine more years
we can talk about their 50th.
The 115th Holcomb fam-
ily reunion will be held this
weekend at the Cold Springs
United Methodist Church
west of Alto. As usual the
Holcombs have planned an-
other big one in anticipation
of the annual kin gathering.
The reunion was started
in 1897 as a chance for the
descendants of Zachariah
and Joseph Holcomb, early
Texas settlers, to keep fam-
ily ties strong. The formal
part of the reunion starts
about 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning in
the church when the Holcombs gather to
sing, brag about new family members and
mourn the loss of family members that
were called to a Heavenly reunion since
last year’s meeting. As soon as the service
is over inside the church, a covered dish
feast is “uncovered” at the pavilion, and
the Holcombs go on a feeding frenzy. If
you are kin or have ties to this family don’t
dare miss this year’s reunion. Do your part
to keep a great family tradition in East
Texas strong — 115 years of family pride is
definitely something to take note of.
The Felix Ross Family Reunion is going
to be Sunday in the Weeping Mary commu-
nity. I haven’t been in several years, but I
remember they had some good food. The
Felix Ross family has gathered every sum-
mer about this time for many years, but I
don’t’ know exactly how many. A covered
dish lunch will be served around noon.
Come and enjoy some family fellowship
and revive some old memories.
Beverly Milner is already hard at work
on the Alto Yellowjacket Football Programs
for the upcoming season. We’ll be heading
to football games in about six weeks, so it’s
time to get started on the programs. If you
want to put an ad in the program then you
need to contact Beverly at (936) 858-3836.
The sale of football programs benefits our
athletes and is a great way to advertise
your business or grandchildren.
The wife had our family vacation
planned for the Redneck Riviera (aka
Crystal Beach) last week, and I was in a
real dilemma with all the watermelons I
had in the field. I decided the only thing to
do would be to haul a load of watermelons
to the beach and peddle them down there.
Sitting on the beach selling watermelons
is a lot more pleasant than sitting at the
red light at the intersection of El Camino
Real and 69. I had a blast and sold all but
a few of the watermelons I carried. I met
lots of interesting folks and had a great
time doing it. Before I left the beach, I was
trading watermelons for shrimp with the
locals.
I had better wind this up before I run off
the page or put you to sleep. The summer
months can get awfully slow and news
becomes scarce, so please don’t forget about
me. I’ll see ya next week! And remember,
If you care about what other people
think, you will always be their pris-
oner.
CHRIS DAVIS
elcaminoreal@consolidated.net
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Gonzalez, Terrie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 163, No. 20, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 11, 2012, newspaper, July 11, 2012; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth614685/m1/3/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.