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Veale influences Part II

Wed, 10/14/2020 - 5:00 am

William Penn Veale was greatly affected by his brother Jesse’s death, at the cruel hands of the Comanche Native Americans, which led him to draft legislation that passed in 1873, by the Texas Legislature, where he served as a representative of this area.

The legislation demanded protection from the Native Americans who continued to terrorize this area well after the Civil War ended. Many pleas were sent to Washington D.C. asking for the return of Federal troops to help reign in the Native Americans on the frontier, but it had all fallen on deaf hears until this point.

Finally, Veale’s legislation got the attention of General William Tecumseh Sherman, who put a contingent of Federal troops together and led them to make his own inspection of the frontier and decide for himself about what was required as far as Federal troops back on the frontier to help protect the settlers. He also brought along Gen. Randolph Marcy, who had mapped this area back in 1848.

As it turned out, Sherman and his troops were watched as they passed by the Kiowa Chief Satanta and the Comanche Chief Little Buffalo for the combined raiding party of 100 warriors.

A half-day later, the Native Americans attacked the Warren Wagon Train, which was delivering supplies to Fort Griffin, and massacred everyone, better known as the Salt Creek Massacre.

The massacre received the immediate attention of Gen. Sherman, who had spent the night at a nearby fort. The attack brought immediate Federal troops to pursue the Kiowa-Comanche warriors and was led by Col. Ranald Mackenzie, who spent the next five years in pursuit of the Native Americans, who had participated in that horrendous massacre. Those who weren’t killed were sent to reservations in Oklahoma.

Gen. Sherman also saw the need for Federal troops to return to the frontier forts to help quell the Native Americans and groups of white men marauders. They helped restore order on the frontier, and western expansion could once again proceed westward with the Native Americans in check.

Historic accounts had Native Americans cited on the streets of Breckenridge as late as 1881, but those were probably the more friendly Tonkawa Native Americans, who provided scouts for the Federal troops back before the Civil War.

Historic records indicate that Judge Warren Veale was instrumental in getting Clara Barton and the Red Cross to come to Stephens County and other area counties in 1886 when the severe drought hit this area. The drought caused cattle to die and the pioneer families close to starvation, which forced many to leave and move further east in Texas until the drought ended.

Clara Barton came to Stephens County and went to other area counties to inspect the regional disaster for herself, riding around in a two-person hack. As a result of Veale’s plea and her own inspection, Barton quickly mobilized trainloads of food and supplies to this area.

The Red Cross established their reputation on a national level from their decisive actions in this Regional disaster caused by the extensive drought that lasted until March of 1887.

Another Veale cousin, Jim Veale, purchased land in the LaCasa community and raised his family there with wife, Nancy (Browning), who was from the historic Browning family.

They had 15 children, with 13 surviving to adulthood. Their land was later purchased by Keith McDonald. A sister of the older Veale brothers, Modena Veale, married E.Y. Jennings, and they had 13 children.

The Veale family and their descendants made a tremendous contribution to Stephens County history, and, oddly, no town was named for them.

However, there is a Veale Cemetery located on FM Road 1148 E towards Possum Kingdom, east of Ivan about six miles. The cemetery is located about a quarter of a mile south of the main road. There are approximately 190 graves in the cemetery, with 32 unmarked. The oldest grave is that of Susan Ada Browner, who was born in 1848 and died in 1873, at the young age of 25, possibly in childbirth.

There also is Veale Creek, located between South Prairie and Yanceyville in the northeastern part of the county, where an earlier Veale Creek School was established. There also are two different locations for Veale Schools. One is located east of Frankell, and the other was located south of the Union community, along the road to Strawn.

The historic Veale Ranch North Breckenridge Division is approximately 2,500 acres and has been in the same family for generations.

The Veale family arrived in a caravan of wagons before the Civil War, and descendants still manage the ranch. Then, there is a much larger Veale Ranch about 11 miles northwest of Fort Worth in the Aledo School district and can be viewed on a YouTube video under Republic Ranches.

It has 3,790 acres, with two large homes of 8,000 sq. ft. and 3,500 sq. ft. and both have pools. There also are two other residences on the ranch, which is part of the former Jim Corn Ranch of 55,000 acres. This Veale Ranch was established in 1935 and continues as a working cattle ranch to this day.