Newspaper Articles Tell of Hunting Exploits & Political Party

After locating the usual records for an ancestor at Ancestry and FamilySearch, I look for newspaper articles to fill in details about their lives between the tax, deed, vital, and census records found for them.

Case in point. Many of my mother’s ancestors lived in Texas and I searched recently to see if there were newer articles in the newspapers in Erath County. I look for these at the wonderful website, The Portal to Texas History, which has many digitized records. One of the largest collections is the Texas Digital Newspaper Program. As of July 7, 2023, they have ten million pages.[1] This website is hosted by the University of North Texas Libraries.

I learned something new about my 3x-great-grandfather, James M. Coor, by searching in the newspapers of Erath County. There were two articles in the same newspaper about his hunting abilities. On the front page, we learned that he shot a buck that weighed 160 pounds and that he saw three more bucks.[2]

On page 4, he was referred to as Capt. Coor, and was the “best wing shot in the county.” There were 52 partridges killed at his place the previous Saturday. We also learn that he used a red Irish setter to do his retrieving.[3] Of course, we’re not sure that he shot them all. Perhaps he had a hunting party. In 1884, James Coor would have been about fifty years old.

Another interesting item mentioned in the first article was about Grover Cleveland. James would help celebrate if Cleveland won the election. Cleveland was running for his first stint as President, running as a Democrat.[4] This gives some insight into James’ politics. Most of the south voted for Cleveland over James G. Blaine.[5]

#52 Ancestors: Week 30: In the News

This is my sixth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

[2] “Big Buck Killed—Wants to Join in the Jubilation,” The Stephenville Empire, 22 Nov 1884, p. 1.

[3] No title, The Stephenville Empire, 22, Nov 1884, p. 4.

[4] “Grover Cleveland,” Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/Grover_Cleveland).

[5] “1884 United States presidential election,” Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1884_United_States_presidential_election). 

Copyright © 2023 by Lisa S. Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family, All rights reserved.

Comments

  1. Marian B. WoodJuly 26, 2023 at 10:36 AM

    Wonder why he was called "Captain Coor" but love the turn of phrase about a jubilation!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Coloring Outside the LinesAugust 6, 2023 at 12:33 PM

    I LOVE finding articles in old newspapers about my ancestors. I'm going to check out this new to me newspaper link- thanks for sharing that!

    ReplyDelete

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