William T. Gracey, pioneer rancher and cattleman of Stephens County, died at his home at the age of 84, following a long illness.
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GRACEY, W. T.
M. D. L. Gracey, the father of our subject, was born in Bond County, Illinois, October 22, 1831. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, the family being originally from North Carolina. His father died in 1842, and the mother a year earlier, and in 1845 he came to Texas, living until 1891, five miles south of Dallas, then moving to Mineral Wells, his present home. He was married September 7, 1854, to Miss Amanda Harris, who was born in Warren County, Kentucky, August 9, 1836. Her father, Thomas H. Harris, came to Texas in 1852, settling in Dallas County. He died in 1875; his wife in 1861. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gracey, five sons and three daughters, and they have lost but one child by death. Their names are: W. T., R. R., J. L. (deceased), A. S., G. H., Mary B., Lucy and Cora. The four living sons are all in the cattle business, as is also Mr. Yokley, the husband of the eldest daughter. Lucy and Cora are residing at home. M. D. L. Gracey settled in Dallas County before its organization, has seen four court houses built on the public square of Dallas, and assisted in burning down the first one, a log structure, which was converted into ashes on Christmas night of 1848. He has been an estimable and respected citizen wherever he has made his home, and has reared his children to be honest and honorable men and women. He has been a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for thirty years, and a Royal Arch Mason since he was twenty-one. His wife died January 18, 1893, her death being deplored by a wide circle of relatives and friends.
Our subject, W. T. Gracey, was born in Dallas County, June 29, 1855. The war coming on at a time when he should have been kept constantly in school he was deprived of even the ordinary chances for an education; but, when he was about fifteen he attended a school in Mansfield, Tarrant County, for one or two terms, in this way laying the foundation for an education which he has since completed by cultivating a natural aptitude for study and observation. In his eighteenth year he made a crop of wheat and corn on the home place which netted him $300, and with this money he began buying fat cattle to supply to the butchers at Dallas. It was a business which could only be successfully carried on by one who was a good trader and was besides a perfect judge of cattle, but Mr. Gracey managed it successfully and rapidly added to his available capital.
His first transaction of any importance took place in 1873, and consisted of the purchase of forty head of prime two-year-old steers which cost him $11 a head. He bought these cattle and fed them for a time on corn and then shipped them to New Orleans, where they sold for seven cents a pound, gross weight. The next year he bought a herd of 100 head in Navarro County and drove them to Palo Pinto County, holding them in Loving's Valley for three years, and then selling the herd for $1,000. In the years that followed he pursued the cattle business very much on the lines that he had first adopted, buying cattle wherever a "trade" was offered him, and always ready to sell out every hoof in his possession if offered what he considered a good price. He chose for his motto the first part of the old saying: "Quick sales and small profits," and while turning his money over as often as possible, generally managed to derive a good net return from each sale made.
Having fairly established himself in business, Mr. Gracey next allowed his mind to wander to ventures of a matrimonial nature, and was married on the 13th day of August, 1882, to Miss A. E. Goodnight, whose father, J. P. Goodnight, was one of the original settlers of Dallas County. Mr. Goodnight came to Texas when the town of Dallas could boast of a single house, or cabin, and helped to organize the county of that name, being one of the first county officers. He died in Dallas County in 1885. After his marriage, Mr. Gracey disposed of a 107 acre farm in Dallas County, which had been given him by his father, and in 1885 moved to Stephens County, locating a ranch on Caddo Creek, sixteen miles east of Breckenridge, and one and one-half miles of Caddo P. O. He brought 250 head of yearling steers to this place, and as the system of enclosed pasturage was then coming in vogue, he purchased 1,000 acres to be used for grazing purposes. He has since found this amount insufficient by reason of the increase in the volume of his business, and at present leases 10,000 acres, upon which he is holding 1,500 head of two and three-year-old steers, 125 of which he is feeding for the market. He has also several hundred head of horses, and is breeding mules, selling about $1,000 worth of them annually. He has always made it a rule to deal strictly on a cash basis, and in all his transactions has never asked a friend to endorse his paper, and has never been made a party in a suit in law.
Mr. Gracey is a good citizen in every sense of the word. He is progressive in all things, and is very much interested in the advancement of his county and State. He is a liberal donator to all public charities, and never turns a deaf ear to deserving applicants for assistance. He is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, as is also his wife. They are the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living, namely: Ula, Roy H., Lucy L., Myra M., Fay, Lum C. and Ola. (Historical and Biographical Record of the Cattle Industry and the Cattlemen of Texas by James Cox, Published by Woodward & Tiernan Printing Co, St Louis, 1895
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GRACEY, W. T.
M. D. L. Gracey, the father of our subject, was born in Bond County, Illinois, October 22, 1831. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, the family being originally from North Carolina. His father died in 1842, and the mother a year earlier, and in 1845 he came to Texas, living until 1891, five miles south of Dallas, then moving to Mineral Wells, his present home. He was married September 7, 1854, to Miss Amanda Harris, who was born in Warren County, Kentucky, August 9, 1836. Her father, Thomas H. Harris, came to Texas in 1852, settling in Dallas County. He died in 1875; his wife in 1861. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gracey, five sons and three daughters, and they have lost but one child by death. Their names are: W. T., R. R., J. L. (deceased), A. S., G. H., Mary B., Lucy and Cora. The four living sons are all in the cattle business, as is also Mr. Yokley, the husband of the eldest daughter. Lucy and Cora are residing at home. M. D. L. Gracey settled in Dallas County before its organization, has seen four court houses built on the public square of Dallas, and assisted in burning down the first one, a log structure, which was converted into ashes on Christmas night of 1848. He has been an estimable and respected citizen wherever he has made his home, and has reared his children to be honest and honorable men and women. He has been a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for thirty years, and a Royal Arch Mason since he was twenty-one. His wife died January 18, 1893, her death being deplored by a wide circle of relatives and friends.
Our subject, W. T. Gracey, was born in Dallas County, June 29, 1855. The war coming on at a time when he should have been kept constantly in school he was deprived of even the ordinary chances for an education; but, when he was about fifteen he attended a school in Mansfield, Tarrant County, for one or two terms, in this way laying the foundation for an education which he has since completed by cultivating a natural aptitude for study and observation. In his eighteenth year he made a crop of wheat and corn on the home place which netted him $300, and with this money he began buying fat cattle to supply to the butchers at Dallas. It was a business which could only be successfully carried on by one who was a good trader and was besides a perfect judge of cattle, but Mr. Gracey managed it successfully and rapidly added to his available capital.
His first transaction of any importance took place in 1873, and consisted of the purchase of forty head of prime two-year-old steers which cost him $11 a head. He bought these cattle and fed them for a time on corn and then shipped them to New Orleans, where they sold for seven cents a pound, gross weight. The next year he bought a herd of 100 head in Navarro County and drove them to Palo Pinto County, holding them in Loving's Valley for three years, and then selling the herd for $1,000. In the years that followed he pursued the cattle business very much on the lines that he had first adopted, buying cattle wherever a "trade" was offered him, and always ready to sell out every hoof in his possession if offered what he considered a good price. He chose for his motto the first part of the old saying: "Quick sales and small profits," and while turning his money over as often as possible, generally managed to derive a good net return from each sale made.
Having fairly established himself in business, Mr. Gracey next allowed his mind to wander to ventures of a matrimonial nature, and was married on the 13th day of August, 1882, to Miss A. E. Goodnight, whose father, J. P. Goodnight, was one of the original settlers of Dallas County. Mr. Goodnight came to Texas when the town of Dallas could boast of a single house, or cabin, and helped to organize the county of that name, being one of the first county officers. He died in Dallas County in 1885. After his marriage, Mr. Gracey disposed of a 107 acre farm in Dallas County, which had been given him by his father, and in 1885 moved to Stephens County, locating a ranch on Caddo Creek, sixteen miles east of Breckenridge, and one and one-half miles of Caddo P. O. He brought 250 head of yearling steers to this place, and as the system of enclosed pasturage was then coming in vogue, he purchased 1,000 acres to be used for grazing purposes. He has since found this amount insufficient by reason of the increase in the volume of his business, and at present leases 10,000 acres, upon which he is holding 1,500 head of two and three-year-old steers, 125 of which he is feeding for the market. He has also several hundred head of horses, and is breeding mules, selling about $1,000 worth of them annually. He has always made it a rule to deal strictly on a cash basis, and in all his transactions has never asked a friend to endorse his paper, and has never been made a party in a suit in law.
Mr. Gracey is a good citizen in every sense of the word. He is progressive in all things, and is very much interested in the advancement of his county and State. He is a liberal donator to all public charities, and never turns a deaf ear to deserving applicants for assistance. He is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, as is also his wife. They are the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living, namely: Ula, Roy H., Lucy L., Myra M., Fay, Lum C. and Ola. (Historical and Biographical Record of the Cattle Industry and the Cattlemen of Texas by James Cox, Published by Woodward & Tiernan Printing Co, St Louis, 1895
William T. Gracey, pioneer rancher and cattleman of Stephens County, died at his home at the age of 84, following a long illness.
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GRACEY, W. T.
M. D. L. Gracey, the father of our subject, was born in Bond County, Illinois, October 22, 1831. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, the family being originally from North Carolina. His father died in 1842, and the mother a year earlier, and in 1845 he came to Texas, living until 1891, five miles south of Dallas, then moving to Mineral Wells, his present home. He was married September 7, 1854, to Miss Amanda Harris, who was born in Warren County, Kentucky, August 9, 1836. Her father, Thomas H. Harris, came to Texas in 1852, settling in Dallas County. He died in 1875; his wife in 1861. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gracey, five sons and three daughters, and they have lost but one child by death. Their names are: W. T., R. R., J. L. (deceased), A. S., G. H., Mary B., Lucy and Cora. The four living sons are all in the cattle business, as is also Mr. Yokley, the husband of the eldest daughter. Lucy and Cora are residing at home. M. D. L. Gracey settled in Dallas County before its organization, has seen four court houses built on the public square of Dallas, and assisted in burning down the first one, a log structure, which was converted into ashes on Christmas night of 1848. He has been an estimable and respected citizen wherever he has made his home, and has reared his children to be honest and honorable men and women. He has been a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for thirty years, and a Royal Arch Mason since he was twenty-one. His wife died January 18, 1893, her death being deplored by a wide circle of relatives and friends.
Our subject, W. T. Gracey, was born in Dallas County, June 29, 1855. The war coming on at a time when he should have been kept constantly in school he was deprived of even the ordinary chances for an education; but, when he was about fifteen he attended a school in Mansfield, Tarrant County, for one or two terms, in this way laying the foundation for an education which he has since completed by cultivating a natural aptitude for study and observation. In his eighteenth year he made a crop of wheat and corn on the home place which netted him $300, and with this money he began buying fat cattle to supply to the butchers at Dallas. It was a business which could only be successfully carried on by one who was a good trader and was besides a perfect judge of cattle, but Mr. Gracey managed it successfully and rapidly added to his available capital.
His first transaction of any importance took place in 1873, and consisted of the purchase of forty head of prime two-year-old steers which cost him $11 a head. He bought these cattle and fed them for a time on corn and then shipped them to New Orleans, where they sold for seven cents a pound, gross weight. The next year he bought a herd of 100 head in Navarro County and drove them to Palo Pinto County, holding them in Loving's Valley for three years, and then selling the herd for $1,000. In the years that followed he pursued the cattle business very much on the lines that he had first adopted, buying cattle wherever a "trade" was offered him, and always ready to sell out every hoof in his possession if offered what he considered a good price. He chose for his motto the first part of the old saying: "Quick sales and small profits," and while turning his money over as often as possible, generally managed to derive a good net return from each sale made.
Having fairly established himself in business, Mr. Gracey next allowed his mind to wander to ventures of a matrimonial nature, and was married on the 13th day of August, 1882, to Miss A. E. Goodnight, whose father, J. P. Goodnight, was one of the original settlers of Dallas County. Mr. Goodnight came to Texas when the town of Dallas could boast of a single house, or cabin, and helped to organize the county of that name, being one of the first county officers. He died in Dallas County in 1885. After his marriage, Mr. Gracey disposed of a 107 acre farm in Dallas County, which had been given him by his father, and in 1885 moved to Stephens County, locating a ranch on Caddo Creek, sixteen miles east of Breckenridge, and one and one-half miles of Caddo P. O. He brought 250 head of yearling steers to this place, and as the system of enclosed pasturage was then coming in vogue, he purchased 1,000 acres to be used for grazing purposes. He has since found this amount insufficient by reason of the increase in the volume of his business, and at present leases 10,000 acres, upon which he is holding 1,500 head of two and three-year-old steers, 125 of which he is feeding for the market. He has also several hundred head of horses, and is breeding mules, selling about $1,000 worth of them annually. He has always made it a rule to deal strictly on a cash basis, and in all his transactions has never asked a friend to endorse his paper, and has never been made a party in a suit in law.
Mr. Gracey is a good citizen in every sense of the word. He is progressive in all things, and is very much interested in the advancement of his county and State. He is a liberal donator to all public charities, and never turns a deaf ear to deserving applicants for assistance. He is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, as is also his wife. They are the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living, namely: Ula, Roy H., Lucy L., Myra M., Fay, Lum C. and Ola. (Historical and Biographical Record of the Cattle Industry and the Cattlemen of Texas by James Cox, Published by Woodward & Tiernan Printing Co, St Louis, 1895
~
GRACEY, W. T.
M. D. L. Gracey, the father of our subject, was born in Bond County, Illinois, October 22, 1831. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, the family being originally from North Carolina. His father died in 1842, and the mother a year earlier, and in 1845 he came to Texas, living until 1891, five miles south of Dallas, then moving to Mineral Wells, his present home. He was married September 7, 1854, to Miss Amanda Harris, who was born in Warren County, Kentucky, August 9, 1836. Her father, Thomas H. Harris, came to Texas in 1852, settling in Dallas County. He died in 1875; his wife in 1861. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gracey, five sons and three daughters, and they have lost but one child by death. Their names are: W. T., R. R., J. L. (deceased), A. S., G. H., Mary B., Lucy and Cora. The four living sons are all in the cattle business, as is also Mr. Yokley, the husband of the eldest daughter. Lucy and Cora are residing at home. M. D. L. Gracey settled in Dallas County before its organization, has seen four court houses built on the public square of Dallas, and assisted in burning down the first one, a log structure, which was converted into ashes on Christmas night of 1848. He has been an estimable and respected citizen wherever he has made his home, and has reared his children to be honest and honorable men and women. He has been a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for thirty years, and a Royal Arch Mason since he was twenty-one. His wife died January 18, 1893, her death being deplored by a wide circle of relatives and friends.
Our subject, W. T. Gracey, was born in Dallas County, June 29, 1855. The war coming on at a time when he should have been kept constantly in school he was deprived of even the ordinary chances for an education; but, when he was about fifteen he attended a school in Mansfield, Tarrant County, for one or two terms, in this way laying the foundation for an education which he has since completed by cultivating a natural aptitude for study and observation. In his eighteenth year he made a crop of wheat and corn on the home place which netted him $300, and with this money he began buying fat cattle to supply to the butchers at Dallas. It was a business which could only be successfully carried on by one who was a good trader and was besides a perfect judge of cattle, but Mr. Gracey managed it successfully and rapidly added to his available capital.
His first transaction of any importance took place in 1873, and consisted of the purchase of forty head of prime two-year-old steers which cost him $11 a head. He bought these cattle and fed them for a time on corn and then shipped them to New Orleans, where they sold for seven cents a pound, gross weight. The next year he bought a herd of 100 head in Navarro County and drove them to Palo Pinto County, holding them in Loving's Valley for three years, and then selling the herd for $1,000. In the years that followed he pursued the cattle business very much on the lines that he had first adopted, buying cattle wherever a "trade" was offered him, and always ready to sell out every hoof in his possession if offered what he considered a good price. He chose for his motto the first part of the old saying: "Quick sales and small profits," and while turning his money over as often as possible, generally managed to derive a good net return from each sale made.
Having fairly established himself in business, Mr. Gracey next allowed his mind to wander to ventures of a matrimonial nature, and was married on the 13th day of August, 1882, to Miss A. E. Goodnight, whose father, J. P. Goodnight, was one of the original settlers of Dallas County. Mr. Goodnight came to Texas when the town of Dallas could boast of a single house, or cabin, and helped to organize the county of that name, being one of the first county officers. He died in Dallas County in 1885. After his marriage, Mr. Gracey disposed of a 107 acre farm in Dallas County, which had been given him by his father, and in 1885 moved to Stephens County, locating a ranch on Caddo Creek, sixteen miles east of Breckenridge, and one and one-half miles of Caddo P. O. He brought 250 head of yearling steers to this place, and as the system of enclosed pasturage was then coming in vogue, he purchased 1,000 acres to be used for grazing purposes. He has since found this amount insufficient by reason of the increase in the volume of his business, and at present leases 10,000 acres, upon which he is holding 1,500 head of two and three-year-old steers, 125 of which he is feeding for the market. He has also several hundred head of horses, and is breeding mules, selling about $1,000 worth of them annually. He has always made it a rule to deal strictly on a cash basis, and in all his transactions has never asked a friend to endorse his paper, and has never been made a party in a suit in law.
Mr. Gracey is a good citizen in every sense of the word. He is progressive in all things, and is very much interested in the advancement of his county and State. He is a liberal donator to all public charities, and never turns a deaf ear to deserving applicants for assistance. He is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, as is also his wife. They are the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living, namely: Ula, Roy H., Lucy L., Myra M., Fay, Lum C. and Ola. (Historical and Biographical Record of the Cattle Industry and the Cattlemen of Texas by James Cox, Published by Woodward & Tiernan Printing Co, St Louis, 1895
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