Submitted by Clay Riley – A pioneer of the sixties (1860s), who lived sixty-seven years in Brown and Mills counties, experiencing in his later years the thrills of the turbulent twenties and some of the throes of the thirties, was Robert D. Forsythe, native of Arkansas who settled here in 1866. During his long residence in the eastern part of Brown County he became one of the Gibraltar-like figures of the early days, and until his death in 1933 was revered by countless people who honored him for his sturdy citizenship and his unfailing goodness.

 

He was an outstanding figure in the life of the Williams Ranch community throughout the years when that settlement was headquarters for much of this territory. Mr. Forsythe was born in Polk County, Arkansas, August 23, 1847, and his parents moved to Texas in 1851, settling first in Ellis County. With his brother, Bud Forsythe, he came to Brown county in 1866, and established his home at Williams Ranch, with a big herd of cattle.

Later he and his brother engaged in merchandising at the Ranch. His ranch at first was in Brown County, but when Mills County was established a part of his holdings were included in the new county, including his home place. In 1917 he moved to the Zephyr community, however, and spent his remaining days as a citizen of Brown county.

The Forsythe store at Williams Ranch was a trading post for a great area of the new country, and the cattle operations of the brothers were both big and spectacular. Mr. Forsythe’s grandfather was killed in the war of 1812, and his father fought in the Mexican war. It was during this war that the elder Forsythe became acquainted with Texas, and determined as soon as possible to move his family here.

Of the Forsythe home at Williams Ranch Henry Ford wrote:

” … a frontier trading post which inspired many of the legends that have come down to us of fights and tragedies; the swish of Indian arrows; legends that tell of the friendliness of that other day, of such open-handed hospitality, as in the instance when a stranger stopped and asked for a night’s lodging. The genial host responded, ‘Well, sit down and commence staying. Door locks and bells were not fashionable but the proverbial latch-string hanging on the outside was.”

Mr. Forsythe made two cattle drives into New Mexico, disposing of his herds at a ranch on or near the present site of Roswell*. There were 1,500 cattle in the first drive and 1,800 in the second. Good steers cost him $10 and the best cows $3, and he doubled his money by driving the cattle to New Mexico. It was on the first cattle drive to New Mexico that Mr. Forsythe met Henry Ford, then a young man wanting to come to Texas, and was instrumental in bringing to this county a citizen who exercised great leadership here throughout the remainder of his life.

Mr. Ford joined the wagon train and came home with Mr. Forsythe, living for a time at San Saba and Williams Ranch and later moving to Brownwood, to become county clerk for nine years and then a banker who served until his death in 1910. Ford accompanied his friend on the second drive to New Mexico.

The story of the period of tragedy and turmoil at Williams Ranch near the final years of that community’s life is shrouded in more or less mystery, and is colored by legends many of which probably are inaccurate. Mr. Forsythe was reluctant to discuss the matter, but in a booklet published a few years ago by Tevis Clyde Smith, he was quoted at some length upon certain phases of the three-county feud.

‘”Willis Johnson was one of the pioneers of this district who worked for me at the old Williams Ranch,” Mr. Forsythe was quoted as recalling. Later he bought him some land of his own and as the years passed became enormously rich. ‘”While apparently within the law most of the time, Johnson had many friends who were not, and when these friends got into trouble Johnson always gave them a helping hand. He went on the bonds of more cattle rustlers than anybody who ever lived in this section of the state. He did more than go on their bonds, too. When the time for their trials came, he always hired good lawyers for them, and as a general rule these outlaws succeeded in beating their cases. Finally, Johnson got into a kidnaping scrape. He took a sixteen-year-old girl away from her parents and assisted her in marrying a man much older than herself. As far as the girl was concerned, she wanted to marry the man, but her parents objected to the match and took the suit to court, charging Johnson with abduction, and with swearing a lie in regard to the girl’s age.

“Johnson’s trial never came off. A few days before he was to appear in court he was ambushed near his home in Mills County. He was riding a $500 race horse at the time and the man killed both Johnson and his horse.

“Johnson’s murder started the famous San Saba, McCulloch and Mills counties feud, a reign of terror which lasted more than two years, eventually developing into a wire cutting war. I do not think I’m exaggerating when I estimate that one hundred men were killed in the three counties during these two years, back in the turbulent eighties. Most of them were the victims of ambuscades-neither side gave the men they were after a chance to defend themselves.”

*Magdalena, NM a railhead near present day Socorro, NM and more than 6500 feet above sea level. The western herds of cattle from Texas, were driven there using the historic “Magdalena Trail”.

From: THE PROMISED LAND – A HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY, TEXAS by James C. White

Photo: The spur from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Depot at Socorro to Magdalena was built in 1885. Photo: Suzanne Smith, Joseph E. Smith Collection.

This and many other stories are available at the Brownwood Public Library – Genealogy & Local History Branch at 213 S. Broadway. Volunteers from the Pecan Valley Genealogical Society are there to assist you in your family or local history research.

Clay Riley is a local historian and retired Aerospace Engineer that has been involved in the Historical and Genealogical Community of Brown County for over 20 years. 

Should you have a comment, or a question that he may be able to answer in future columns, he can be reached at; pvgsbwd@gmail.com.