AKA: "The Father of Roswell."
Married 3 times:
(1) Ellen Dougles Burbridge, b. abt 1845 MS, d. 5 Dec 1871, MO
m. 18 Apr 1867, Warren County, Mississippi
Said to be the widow of Mr. Dougles, however I think she could be the widow of Mr. Burbridge. The 1867 marriage record shows Ellen D. Burbridge married J. C. Lea. Headstone reads Ellen Dougles Lea.
(2) Salie Edith Wildy, 1849-1884
m. 5 Feb 1875, Mississippi
Children:
Harry Wildy Lea, 1877, NM, d. 1938, NM
Eleanor "Ella" Laurena Lea, 1881-1962
(3) Mable Monroe (Doss) Day, aka "Cattle Queen of Texas, 1854-1906
m. 1889, Roswell, Chaves, New Mexico
Captain J. C. Lea was the first Mayor of Roswell. Known as the "Father of Roswell." He held the office of mayor only a few months before his death.
Obit -
Roswell Daily Record, Thursday Evening, February 4, 1904
MAYOR JOSEPH C. LEA DEAD
Just at noon today the beloved pioneer breathed his last, and his spirt passed to its reward.
ONE OF EARTH's NOBLEMEN
Captain Lea was one of the first settlers in the Pecos Valley. He was a man Universally loved and respected. For years he has labored for the growth and development of Roswell and his death brings sorrow into every home. Proclamation Issued by the City Council. Funeral Arrangements not yet made.
Proclamation.
City Council Chambers, Roswell, New Mexico
WHEREAS, Death has removed from our midst our worthy mayor and beloved fellow townsman and citizen. Hon. Joseph C. Lea, and
WHEREAS, The City of Roswell, County of Chaves and Territory of New Mexico, has lost one of its most influential, worthy and respected citizens: and
WHEREAS, This community in which he has resided for about 28 years has been deeply moved and grieved by the death of its leading citizen.
THEREFORE, Our of respect for his memory, it is ordered by the City Council of the City of Roswell, that all city offices and buildings be closed until after the funeral and burial of its mayor and proper and usual emblems of mourning be placed upon such buildings and offices, and the City Council requests that all places of business and public schools in the City of Roswell, be closed during the funeral and burial of the Chief Executive of the City.
By Order of the City Council, L. B. Tannehill, Acting Mayor
F.J. Beck, City Clerk
Roswell mourns today not only the loss of its chief executive, but the passing of its foremost and most beloved citizen. Captain Joseph C. Lea. Just at noon today when the sun was at its zenith and the two hands of the dial marked the mid-day hour the spirit of Joseph C. La passed to its reward. He had been sick with pneumonia but a few days, and few of his friends realized that death was so near, until this morning when the friends who visited his bedside came away with little hope that his life would last to the end of the day. Only at intervals during this morning was he conscious, and death came most peacefully. At his bedside when death came was his daughter Mrs. E. L. Bedell, nurses and attending physicians.
No arrangements have been made for the funeral. The wife of the deceased, and her daughter Miss Willie Ay will arrive on the train this afternoon. Immediately on learning of the death of Mayor Lea, the proclamation herewith published was made by acting Mayor Tannehill. The council is holding a meeting as THE RECORD goes to press.
In another number of THE RECORD will be given the life and the work of this pioneer, a man whose life is inseparably linked with the growth and the development of Roswell, and who occupies a place in the affections, respect and esteem of this townsmen that no other citizen can fill.
Joseph C. Lea was born in Cleveland, Tennessee, on November 8th 1841. When eight years of age he moved with his parents to the present site of Lea's Summit, Missouri. Here he acquired his education, and when the war broke out he joined the Confederate service, and became a member with his brother F. H. Lea of this city of the Sixth Missouri Brigade, Marmaduke's division. At the end of the war Captain Lea went to Georgia, and then to Louisiana where he engaged in cotton planting for the period of two years. He then went to Mississippi where he lived for three years, and in 1875 he cam to New Mexico. He first located in Colfax county. Two years later he came to the Pecos Valley and has since lived here. He was one of the first settlers in the Valley, and from the beginning until now he has labored most enthusiastically for the growth and development of Roswell and the Pecos Valley. At the time of his death he was a member of the Board of Regents of the New Mexico Military Institute, and Mayor of Roswell, having been selected last December by the citizens of Roswell as the city's first mayor.
This is the first death in the family of seven. He is survived by four brothers and two sisters, Thomas Lea , Independence, Mo.: Judge F. H. Lea of Roswell; A. E. Lea of Los Angeles, California; John G. Lea of Cleveland, Tennessee; Mrs Carrie Hayes, St. Louis Mo.; Mrs. M. L. Pierce of Roswell. Also by his wife and two children, Wildy Lea and Mrs. E. L. Bedell, of Roswell.
++++
Note: Mrs. M. L. Pierce of Roswell is Elvira "Ella" (Lea) Calfee Pierce the wife of Milo Lucuis Pierce.
++++
Captain Joseph Callaway Lea is known, and spoken of, as the father of Roswell, New Mexico, and the founder of the New Mexico Military Institute.Participated in the Confederate guerrilla movement that grew out of the Missouri-Kansas border war - a prelude to the American Civil War in that area in the 1860's. He served under Quantrill and Shelby, but for much of the war Lea was a captain in charge of his own men in Louisiana.
Soon after his marriage to Sallie Wildy, he left for New Mexico Territory, while she stayed behind with her parents. He took over the old Cooper Ranch on the Red River in Colfax County and started raising sheep. Lea's ranch was near the gold mining area around Elizabethtown in the high county north of Wheeler Peak, New Mexico's highest mountain. Sallie joined Joe in Colfax County in 1876. Harry Wildy Lea, their first child, was born on the Cooper Ranch on April 23, 1877.
J. C. Lea, played a major role in establishing Goss Military Institute in Roswell in 1891. It later became New Mexico Military Institute and is one of the premier military schools in the nation. Lea was the leader in the creation of Chaves County in 1889. In 1903, he was drafted to run for mayor but died two months after taking office. He was a remarkable man. As a ranchman, developer, and patriarch, he had a great impact on one of New Mexico's most important regions. He enjoyed a full active life, being involved in the cattle business with partner Horace Thurber, of NY, the real estate business, the New Mexico Military Institute, the City of Roswell, the Masonic Lodge, the Democratic Party, the Confederate Veterans, his family, and numerous other activities and issues that arose from time to time in the Pecos Valley.
He married three times; 1st to Ellen Burbridge, widow of (_?_) Douglas, and or Mr. Burbridge?
2nd to Sallie Wildy, and 3rd to Mabel Monroe Doss, "the Cattle Queen of Texas". By Carole Gardner
+++=
K75evad made the link of the first wife of J. C. Lea. Thanks K75evad for good history research work.
Married 3 times:
(1) Ellen Dougles Burbridge, b. abt 1845 MS, d. 5 Dec 1871, MO
m. 18 Apr 1867, Warren County, Mississippi
Said to be the widow of Mr. Dougles, however I think she could be the widow of Mr. Burbridge. The 1867 marriage record shows Ellen D. Burbridge married J. C. Lea. Headstone reads Ellen Dougles Lea.
(2) Salie Edith Wildy, 1849-1884
m. 5 Feb 1875, Mississippi
Children:
Harry Wildy Lea, 1877, NM, d. 1938, NM
Eleanor "Ella" Laurena Lea, 1881-1962
(3) Mable Monroe (Doss) Day, aka "Cattle Queen of Texas, 1854-1906
m. 1889, Roswell, Chaves, New Mexico
Captain J. C. Lea was the first Mayor of Roswell. Known as the "Father of Roswell." He held the office of mayor only a few months before his death.
Obit -
Roswell Daily Record, Thursday Evening, February 4, 1904
MAYOR JOSEPH C. LEA DEAD
Just at noon today the beloved pioneer breathed his last, and his spirt passed to its reward.
ONE OF EARTH's NOBLEMEN
Captain Lea was one of the first settlers in the Pecos Valley. He was a man Universally loved and respected. For years he has labored for the growth and development of Roswell and his death brings sorrow into every home. Proclamation Issued by the City Council. Funeral Arrangements not yet made.
Proclamation.
City Council Chambers, Roswell, New Mexico
WHEREAS, Death has removed from our midst our worthy mayor and beloved fellow townsman and citizen. Hon. Joseph C. Lea, and
WHEREAS, The City of Roswell, County of Chaves and Territory of New Mexico, has lost one of its most influential, worthy and respected citizens: and
WHEREAS, This community in which he has resided for about 28 years has been deeply moved and grieved by the death of its leading citizen.
THEREFORE, Our of respect for his memory, it is ordered by the City Council of the City of Roswell, that all city offices and buildings be closed until after the funeral and burial of its mayor and proper and usual emblems of mourning be placed upon such buildings and offices, and the City Council requests that all places of business and public schools in the City of Roswell, be closed during the funeral and burial of the Chief Executive of the City.
By Order of the City Council, L. B. Tannehill, Acting Mayor
F.J. Beck, City Clerk
Roswell mourns today not only the loss of its chief executive, but the passing of its foremost and most beloved citizen. Captain Joseph C. Lea. Just at noon today when the sun was at its zenith and the two hands of the dial marked the mid-day hour the spirit of Joseph C. La passed to its reward. He had been sick with pneumonia but a few days, and few of his friends realized that death was so near, until this morning when the friends who visited his bedside came away with little hope that his life would last to the end of the day. Only at intervals during this morning was he conscious, and death came most peacefully. At his bedside when death came was his daughter Mrs. E. L. Bedell, nurses and attending physicians.
No arrangements have been made for the funeral. The wife of the deceased, and her daughter Miss Willie Ay will arrive on the train this afternoon. Immediately on learning of the death of Mayor Lea, the proclamation herewith published was made by acting Mayor Tannehill. The council is holding a meeting as THE RECORD goes to press.
In another number of THE RECORD will be given the life and the work of this pioneer, a man whose life is inseparably linked with the growth and the development of Roswell, and who occupies a place in the affections, respect and esteem of this townsmen that no other citizen can fill.
Joseph C. Lea was born in Cleveland, Tennessee, on November 8th 1841. When eight years of age he moved with his parents to the present site of Lea's Summit, Missouri. Here he acquired his education, and when the war broke out he joined the Confederate service, and became a member with his brother F. H. Lea of this city of the Sixth Missouri Brigade, Marmaduke's division. At the end of the war Captain Lea went to Georgia, and then to Louisiana where he engaged in cotton planting for the period of two years. He then went to Mississippi where he lived for three years, and in 1875 he cam to New Mexico. He first located in Colfax county. Two years later he came to the Pecos Valley and has since lived here. He was one of the first settlers in the Valley, and from the beginning until now he has labored most enthusiastically for the growth and development of Roswell and the Pecos Valley. At the time of his death he was a member of the Board of Regents of the New Mexico Military Institute, and Mayor of Roswell, having been selected last December by the citizens of Roswell as the city's first mayor.
This is the first death in the family of seven. He is survived by four brothers and two sisters, Thomas Lea , Independence, Mo.: Judge F. H. Lea of Roswell; A. E. Lea of Los Angeles, California; John G. Lea of Cleveland, Tennessee; Mrs Carrie Hayes, St. Louis Mo.; Mrs. M. L. Pierce of Roswell. Also by his wife and two children, Wildy Lea and Mrs. E. L. Bedell, of Roswell.
++++
Note: Mrs. M. L. Pierce of Roswell is Elvira "Ella" (Lea) Calfee Pierce the wife of Milo Lucuis Pierce.
++++
Captain Joseph Callaway Lea is known, and spoken of, as the father of Roswell, New Mexico, and the founder of the New Mexico Military Institute.Participated in the Confederate guerrilla movement that grew out of the Missouri-Kansas border war - a prelude to the American Civil War in that area in the 1860's. He served under Quantrill and Shelby, but for much of the war Lea was a captain in charge of his own men in Louisiana.
Soon after his marriage to Sallie Wildy, he left for New Mexico Territory, while she stayed behind with her parents. He took over the old Cooper Ranch on the Red River in Colfax County and started raising sheep. Lea's ranch was near the gold mining area around Elizabethtown in the high county north of Wheeler Peak, New Mexico's highest mountain. Sallie joined Joe in Colfax County in 1876. Harry Wildy Lea, their first child, was born on the Cooper Ranch on April 23, 1877.
J. C. Lea, played a major role in establishing Goss Military Institute in Roswell in 1891. It later became New Mexico Military Institute and is one of the premier military schools in the nation. Lea was the leader in the creation of Chaves County in 1889. In 1903, he was drafted to run for mayor but died two months after taking office. He was a remarkable man. As a ranchman, developer, and patriarch, he had a great impact on one of New Mexico's most important regions. He enjoyed a full active life, being involved in the cattle business with partner Horace Thurber, of NY, the real estate business, the New Mexico Military Institute, the City of Roswell, the Masonic Lodge, the Democratic Party, the Confederate Veterans, his family, and numerous other activities and issues that arose from time to time in the Pecos Valley.
He married three times; 1st to Ellen Burbridge, widow of (_?_) Douglas, and or Mr. Burbridge?
2nd to Sallie Wildy, and 3rd to Mabel Monroe Doss, "the Cattle Queen of Texas". By Carole Gardner
+++=
K75evad made the link of the first wife of J. C. Lea. Thanks K75evad for good history research work.
AKA: "The Father of Roswell."
Married 3 times:
(1) Ellen Dougles Burbridge, b. abt 1845 MS, d. 5 Dec 1871, MO
m. 18 Apr 1867, Warren County, Mississippi
Said to be the widow of Mr. Dougles, however I think she could be the widow of Mr. Burbridge. The 1867 marriage record shows Ellen D. Burbridge married J. C. Lea. Headstone reads Ellen Dougles Lea.
(2) Salie Edith Wildy, 1849-1884
m. 5 Feb 1875, Mississippi
Children:
Harry Wildy Lea, 1877, NM, d. 1938, NM
Eleanor "Ella" Laurena Lea, 1881-1962
(3) Mable Monroe (Doss) Day, aka "Cattle Queen of Texas, 1854-1906
m. 1889, Roswell, Chaves, New Mexico
Captain J. C. Lea was the first Mayor of Roswell. Known as the "Father of Roswell." He held the office of mayor only a few months before his death.
Obit -
Roswell Daily Record, Thursday Evening, February 4, 1904
MAYOR JOSEPH C. LEA DEAD
Just at noon today the beloved pioneer breathed his last, and his spirt passed to its reward.
ONE OF EARTH's NOBLEMEN
Captain Lea was one of the first settlers in the Pecos Valley. He was a man Universally loved and respected. For years he has labored for the growth and development of Roswell and his death brings sorrow into every home. Proclamation Issued by the City Council. Funeral Arrangements not yet made.
Proclamation.
City Council Chambers, Roswell, New Mexico
WHEREAS, Death has removed from our midst our worthy mayor and beloved fellow townsman and citizen. Hon. Joseph C. Lea, and
WHEREAS, The City of Roswell, County of Chaves and Territory of New Mexico, has lost one of its most influential, worthy and respected citizens: and
WHEREAS, This community in which he has resided for about 28 years has been deeply moved and grieved by the death of its leading citizen.
THEREFORE, Our of respect for his memory, it is ordered by the City Council of the City of Roswell, that all city offices and buildings be closed until after the funeral and burial of its mayor and proper and usual emblems of mourning be placed upon such buildings and offices, and the City Council requests that all places of business and public schools in the City of Roswell, be closed during the funeral and burial of the Chief Executive of the City.
By Order of the City Council, L. B. Tannehill, Acting Mayor
F.J. Beck, City Clerk
Roswell mourns today not only the loss of its chief executive, but the passing of its foremost and most beloved citizen. Captain Joseph C. Lea. Just at noon today when the sun was at its zenith and the two hands of the dial marked the mid-day hour the spirit of Joseph C. La passed to its reward. He had been sick with pneumonia but a few days, and few of his friends realized that death was so near, until this morning when the friends who visited his bedside came away with little hope that his life would last to the end of the day. Only at intervals during this morning was he conscious, and death came most peacefully. At his bedside when death came was his daughter Mrs. E. L. Bedell, nurses and attending physicians.
No arrangements have been made for the funeral. The wife of the deceased, and her daughter Miss Willie Ay will arrive on the train this afternoon. Immediately on learning of the death of Mayor Lea, the proclamation herewith published was made by acting Mayor Tannehill. The council is holding a meeting as THE RECORD goes to press.
In another number of THE RECORD will be given the life and the work of this pioneer, a man whose life is inseparably linked with the growth and the development of Roswell, and who occupies a place in the affections, respect and esteem of this townsmen that no other citizen can fill.
Joseph C. Lea was born in Cleveland, Tennessee, on November 8th 1841. When eight years of age he moved with his parents to the present site of Lea's Summit, Missouri. Here he acquired his education, and when the war broke out he joined the Confederate service, and became a member with his brother F. H. Lea of this city of the Sixth Missouri Brigade, Marmaduke's division. At the end of the war Captain Lea went to Georgia, and then to Louisiana where he engaged in cotton planting for the period of two years. He then went to Mississippi where he lived for three years, and in 1875 he cam to New Mexico. He first located in Colfax county. Two years later he came to the Pecos Valley and has since lived here. He was one of the first settlers in the Valley, and from the beginning until now he has labored most enthusiastically for the growth and development of Roswell and the Pecos Valley. At the time of his death he was a member of the Board of Regents of the New Mexico Military Institute, and Mayor of Roswell, having been selected last December by the citizens of Roswell as the city's first mayor.
This is the first death in the family of seven. He is survived by four brothers and two sisters, Thomas Lea , Independence, Mo.: Judge F. H. Lea of Roswell; A. E. Lea of Los Angeles, California; John G. Lea of Cleveland, Tennessee; Mrs Carrie Hayes, St. Louis Mo.; Mrs. M. L. Pierce of Roswell. Also by his wife and two children, Wildy Lea and Mrs. E. L. Bedell, of Roswell.
++++
Note: Mrs. M. L. Pierce of Roswell is Elvira "Ella" (Lea) Calfee Pierce the wife of Milo Lucuis Pierce.
++++
Captain Joseph Callaway Lea is known, and spoken of, as the father of Roswell, New Mexico, and the founder of the New Mexico Military Institute.Participated in the Confederate guerrilla movement that grew out of the Missouri-Kansas border war - a prelude to the American Civil War in that area in the 1860's. He served under Quantrill and Shelby, but for much of the war Lea was a captain in charge of his own men in Louisiana.
Soon after his marriage to Sallie Wildy, he left for New Mexico Territory, while she stayed behind with her parents. He took over the old Cooper Ranch on the Red River in Colfax County and started raising sheep. Lea's ranch was near the gold mining area around Elizabethtown in the high county north of Wheeler Peak, New Mexico's highest mountain. Sallie joined Joe in Colfax County in 1876. Harry Wildy Lea, their first child, was born on the Cooper Ranch on April 23, 1877.
J. C. Lea, played a major role in establishing Goss Military Institute in Roswell in 1891. It later became New Mexico Military Institute and is one of the premier military schools in the nation. Lea was the leader in the creation of Chaves County in 1889. In 1903, he was drafted to run for mayor but died two months after taking office. He was a remarkable man. As a ranchman, developer, and patriarch, he had a great impact on one of New Mexico's most important regions. He enjoyed a full active life, being involved in the cattle business with partner Horace Thurber, of NY, the real estate business, the New Mexico Military Institute, the City of Roswell, the Masonic Lodge, the Democratic Party, the Confederate Veterans, his family, and numerous other activities and issues that arose from time to time in the Pecos Valley.
He married three times; 1st to Ellen Burbridge, widow of (_?_) Douglas, and or Mr. Burbridge?
2nd to Sallie Wildy, and 3rd to Mabel Monroe Doss, "the Cattle Queen of Texas". By Carole Gardner
+++=
K75evad made the link of the first wife of J. C. Lea. Thanks K75evad for good history research work.
Married 3 times:
(1) Ellen Dougles Burbridge, b. abt 1845 MS, d. 5 Dec 1871, MO
m. 18 Apr 1867, Warren County, Mississippi
Said to be the widow of Mr. Dougles, however I think she could be the widow of Mr. Burbridge. The 1867 marriage record shows Ellen D. Burbridge married J. C. Lea. Headstone reads Ellen Dougles Lea.
(2) Salie Edith Wildy, 1849-1884
m. 5 Feb 1875, Mississippi
Children:
Harry Wildy Lea, 1877, NM, d. 1938, NM
Eleanor "Ella" Laurena Lea, 1881-1962
(3) Mable Monroe (Doss) Day, aka "Cattle Queen of Texas, 1854-1906
m. 1889, Roswell, Chaves, New Mexico
Captain J. C. Lea was the first Mayor of Roswell. Known as the "Father of Roswell." He held the office of mayor only a few months before his death.
Obit -
Roswell Daily Record, Thursday Evening, February 4, 1904
MAYOR JOSEPH C. LEA DEAD
Just at noon today the beloved pioneer breathed his last, and his spirt passed to its reward.
ONE OF EARTH's NOBLEMEN
Captain Lea was one of the first settlers in the Pecos Valley. He was a man Universally loved and respected. For years he has labored for the growth and development of Roswell and his death brings sorrow into every home. Proclamation Issued by the City Council. Funeral Arrangements not yet made.
Proclamation.
City Council Chambers, Roswell, New Mexico
WHEREAS, Death has removed from our midst our worthy mayor and beloved fellow townsman and citizen. Hon. Joseph C. Lea, and
WHEREAS, The City of Roswell, County of Chaves and Territory of New Mexico, has lost one of its most influential, worthy and respected citizens: and
WHEREAS, This community in which he has resided for about 28 years has been deeply moved and grieved by the death of its leading citizen.
THEREFORE, Our of respect for his memory, it is ordered by the City Council of the City of Roswell, that all city offices and buildings be closed until after the funeral and burial of its mayor and proper and usual emblems of mourning be placed upon such buildings and offices, and the City Council requests that all places of business and public schools in the City of Roswell, be closed during the funeral and burial of the Chief Executive of the City.
By Order of the City Council, L. B. Tannehill, Acting Mayor
F.J. Beck, City Clerk
Roswell mourns today not only the loss of its chief executive, but the passing of its foremost and most beloved citizen. Captain Joseph C. Lea. Just at noon today when the sun was at its zenith and the two hands of the dial marked the mid-day hour the spirit of Joseph C. La passed to its reward. He had been sick with pneumonia but a few days, and few of his friends realized that death was so near, until this morning when the friends who visited his bedside came away with little hope that his life would last to the end of the day. Only at intervals during this morning was he conscious, and death came most peacefully. At his bedside when death came was his daughter Mrs. E. L. Bedell, nurses and attending physicians.
No arrangements have been made for the funeral. The wife of the deceased, and her daughter Miss Willie Ay will arrive on the train this afternoon. Immediately on learning of the death of Mayor Lea, the proclamation herewith published was made by acting Mayor Tannehill. The council is holding a meeting as THE RECORD goes to press.
In another number of THE RECORD will be given the life and the work of this pioneer, a man whose life is inseparably linked with the growth and the development of Roswell, and who occupies a place in the affections, respect and esteem of this townsmen that no other citizen can fill.
Joseph C. Lea was born in Cleveland, Tennessee, on November 8th 1841. When eight years of age he moved with his parents to the present site of Lea's Summit, Missouri. Here he acquired his education, and when the war broke out he joined the Confederate service, and became a member with his brother F. H. Lea of this city of the Sixth Missouri Brigade, Marmaduke's division. At the end of the war Captain Lea went to Georgia, and then to Louisiana where he engaged in cotton planting for the period of two years. He then went to Mississippi where he lived for three years, and in 1875 he cam to New Mexico. He first located in Colfax county. Two years later he came to the Pecos Valley and has since lived here. He was one of the first settlers in the Valley, and from the beginning until now he has labored most enthusiastically for the growth and development of Roswell and the Pecos Valley. At the time of his death he was a member of the Board of Regents of the New Mexico Military Institute, and Mayor of Roswell, having been selected last December by the citizens of Roswell as the city's first mayor.
This is the first death in the family of seven. He is survived by four brothers and two sisters, Thomas Lea , Independence, Mo.: Judge F. H. Lea of Roswell; A. E. Lea of Los Angeles, California; John G. Lea of Cleveland, Tennessee; Mrs Carrie Hayes, St. Louis Mo.; Mrs. M. L. Pierce of Roswell. Also by his wife and two children, Wildy Lea and Mrs. E. L. Bedell, of Roswell.
++++
Note: Mrs. M. L. Pierce of Roswell is Elvira "Ella" (Lea) Calfee Pierce the wife of Milo Lucuis Pierce.
++++
Captain Joseph Callaway Lea is known, and spoken of, as the father of Roswell, New Mexico, and the founder of the New Mexico Military Institute.Participated in the Confederate guerrilla movement that grew out of the Missouri-Kansas border war - a prelude to the American Civil War in that area in the 1860's. He served under Quantrill and Shelby, but for much of the war Lea was a captain in charge of his own men in Louisiana.
Soon after his marriage to Sallie Wildy, he left for New Mexico Territory, while she stayed behind with her parents. He took over the old Cooper Ranch on the Red River in Colfax County and started raising sheep. Lea's ranch was near the gold mining area around Elizabethtown in the high county north of Wheeler Peak, New Mexico's highest mountain. Sallie joined Joe in Colfax County in 1876. Harry Wildy Lea, their first child, was born on the Cooper Ranch on April 23, 1877.
J. C. Lea, played a major role in establishing Goss Military Institute in Roswell in 1891. It later became New Mexico Military Institute and is one of the premier military schools in the nation. Lea was the leader in the creation of Chaves County in 1889. In 1903, he was drafted to run for mayor but died two months after taking office. He was a remarkable man. As a ranchman, developer, and patriarch, he had a great impact on one of New Mexico's most important regions. He enjoyed a full active life, being involved in the cattle business with partner Horace Thurber, of NY, the real estate business, the New Mexico Military Institute, the City of Roswell, the Masonic Lodge, the Democratic Party, the Confederate Veterans, his family, and numerous other activities and issues that arose from time to time in the Pecos Valley.
He married three times; 1st to Ellen Burbridge, widow of (_?_) Douglas, and or Mr. Burbridge?
2nd to Sallie Wildy, and 3rd to Mabel Monroe Doss, "the Cattle Queen of Texas". By Carole Gardner
+++=
K75evad made the link of the first wife of J. C. Lea. Thanks K75evad for good history research work.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
