The Junior Historian, Volume 8, Number 4, January 1948 Page: 19
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THEI JUNIOR HISTORIkN
ELISHA STEVENS--A PIONEER OF TEXAS
by JEANNINE BELL
Cuero High SchoolFriends, friends, I've been thinking
What a queer world this would be,
If we never bragged on or thought about
Any of the limbs on our family tree.
H OW much does the average per-
son know about his ancestors?
All of us have colorful, fas-
cinating ancestors that we should really
appreciate and acknowledge. An inter-
csting ancestor of mine was Elisha
Stevens, my great-grandfather, who
was one of the pioneer citizens of
D)e \Vitt County.
In October, 1848, when 'T'exas was
still young and sparsely populated,
Elisha Stevens. son of Colonel and Mrs.
Joseph Stevens of South Carolina and
Concrete. Texas, was born in a little
()log cabin one mile south of Concrete.
Later thle log cabin was replaced by a
stone house which provided more com-
firtable and adequate facilities for
Colonel Stevens's large family. Around
this stone dwelling young Elisha spent
the early part of his boyhood.
In 1857 Colonel Stevens had lumber
hauled from the port of old Indianola
to his plantation. Here it was properly
seasoned in a specially built kiln to be
usedl in the erection of his permanent
dwelling. This two-and-a-half story
colonial residence was built in the midst
of a group of huge oak trees draped
with Spanish moss.
The structure consisted of ten spa-
cious rooms with high ceilings which
na(lc thle rooms exceedingly cool during
tlhe hot summer. In the winter months
the rooms were kept warm by double
fireplaces. A wide hall extended from
the front entrance to the rear of the
house. IHere a 1)road winding stair led
to the upper floor and the bedrooms.
Th'le wide veranda extending across the
front of tile house furnished an ideal
place for the afternoon tea and socialhours for the many friends who gath-
ered to enjoy the hospitality of this
typical Southern family. One of the dis-
tinguishled guests of the family was
General Robert E. Lee.
At the rear of the "Big House"
stood the smokehouse filled with meat
that had been killed and cured at home.
Farther away were the barns laden with
grain c.nd freshly mown hay. In the
barnyal d, chickens, turkeys, geese, cows.
and ho ses were kept. Colonel Stevens
was a substantial slaveowner, and the
negro quarters beyond the barns formed
a small village in themselves. On the
plantation a vast stretch of farm land
was planted in cotton. A mile north of
the house was the family burial ground,
which is still well kept.
Before young Elisha reached his
teens, his mother died. A year later his
father died and left three girls and
Elisha, who was the youngest. The vast
estate was divided among the four chil-
dren, x ho continued to live on the plan-
tation and were looked after by "Old
Uncle Charlie," an overseer who had
come to Texas with the family.
At the outbreak of the War between
the States, young Elisha, fired by the
urge to fight for the cause he believed
right, left home and joined the Con-
federate Army. Although only fifteen
years of age, he proudly wore his gray
uniform. He was in a cavalry division
which was successful in routing a party
of Union soldiers in a skirmish near
Brownsville. Earlier in the war he had
seen a tion when the Confederate Army
under the leadership of Captain Bill
\WTeiseiger captured the Federal gar-
rison on Saluria Island near Port La-
vaca, where a detachment of the Union
Army was stationed.
The capture of the garrison was ef-
fected in a very dramatic manner.19
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Texas State Historical Association. The Junior Historian, Volume 8, Number 4, January 1948, periodical, January 1948; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391365/m1/21/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Texas State Historical Association.