And the History Continues

After a short stop at my brother Christopher's home in Arvada, Colorado (I hate that we did not have more time with him, but the boys are already talking about another trip just to see their cousins!)...we made our way back to Texas.  My mom had her planned visit in Denver so did not continue with us.

This time our family history follows my grandmother's side of the family (my father's mother) in Post.

My Aunt Peggie and cousin Karen met us at the local history museum.  The boys and I have been to this museum three times before but none of the others had been here.  I love this museum...maybe it is because it relates to our family but I always feel at home here.

I also called ahead to find out if the curator would find some of our family history.  I have met with her before and she is wonderful!  I really think she enjoys learning the history as much as we do.  I told my aunt how much she was going to help us, so she brought along some pictures to share (one of the children standing in front of the first school house dating back to the 1920's).

We arrived at the museum just as Ms. Pat was unlocking the doors.  We shared the things we brought and the questions we were hoping to answer by the end of our stay.  Ms. Pat was quick to look up the information needed while we walked through the displays.

For those of you who do not know, C.W. Post was a business man who wanted to start a town in West Texas that would specialize in wheat and cotton.  You might know Post from the cereal boxes you have in your pantry!


He also wanted the community that built up to join together in their efforts.  He believed in strong community.  He had a vision that the town would build up around the fields and everyone would have their needs met.  He would sell a plot of land (160 acres) that would also include all improvements.

My great-grandfather (Peter Watkins) saw this vision as an opportunity to provide for his family.  The family packed up and left Michigan to start a new life.  We found out in this trip to Post that another family (the Colemans) who knew the Watkins moved to Post around the same time.  We are not sure if they talked to each other about their plans but these two families became neighbors in Post.  These families would later be connected by marriage instead of just fence posts.

My great-aunt Catherine (nee Watkins) would marry the eldest son Lewis Coleman.  These two amazing people actually lived a long single life working throughout Texas before settling down to married life when they were in their fifties!  I will forever hold these two close to my heart.  We would visit them in the summers in San Antonio.  I loved to hear their stories of the "good old days."  My biggest regret is that we did not write their stories down or record them.  All of their history died with them.  Maybe that is why I am so determined to record the stories I can from those who are with us.

We also learned that the youngest daughter of the Coleman family married one the Watkins brothers.  So, these families must have enjoyed a special bond.  Somehow I did not come away with their names...I need to go back to the others for the information.

We were growing tired and hungry by this time, so we asked for a place to have lunch.  Michael took the children to the local drive-thru and they were off to the hotel pool.  (I got smart...didn't I?)  The older girls (Aunt Peggie, Karen, Amanda and I were told about a gourmet tea room we should visit.  We arrived to locked doors and a phone number to call.  When we tried the number, we were told to leave a message.  While we waited, we pondered where to go for an alternative lunch.  When behold an energetic young man came rushing up to unlock the doors!  He was so full of life, we could not help but fall in love with his personality!

He opened the doors to his "Christmas Gallery" and proudly shared all his dreams with us.  After a quick tour around the store, he told us how he was so busy with a graduation party that lasted until 1am the night before and a wedding to cater in the afternoon.  I started to wonder how he was going to create a gourmet lunch for us.  And, the answer was...he was not!  LOL!  But, he did have a special treat for us.  His dreams did not end on the sidewalk outside of his store....he had big plans for the small town of Post.  He was creating a miniature village for artisan shops down the street.  He wanted to take us on a personal tour of what he was creating.

We forestalled lunch to make our way to his shops...and it was well worth our time.  This young man was a visionary!  He had such great ideas...and his inspiration was contagious!  The outer shell of all the buildings were complete and the plan is to open the doors officially in September.  By the time we had walked through the grounds with J, we made a promise to be back in the fall!  So I am sure you will hear more of this in a later blog post.

So...finally we are off to lunch and get back to the museum to brag about Ms. Pat's nephew...so she in turn brags about what she learns about the family history.  By this time, there is another woman at the museum looking up information also...Ms. Linda.

Ms. Linda is a write and historian.  She has written three books about the area...one on C.W. Post, another about the families of Post and another about the history of Garza County.  I now have all of her books!  She also happens to be the president of the cemetery committee.  She decided to look up information about our family members buried here.  To our surprise, we found out that Aunt Catherine and Uncle Lewis are buried in Post.  We never knew this because toward the end of their lives other family members took over their care and left us out of the loop. (I hate it when families quarrel over petty things, especially when it causes families to be separated from loved ones at the time of death...so pointless!)  She also told us about several other Watkins and Coleman family in the cemetery.


Ms. Pat shared several articles and such about the families.  While looking through the family pictures, I noticed a familiar face.  I had mentioned that I thought a family painting was in the museum the last time I visited, but no one believed me.  However, Aunt Peggie had brought a photo of my great-grandmother (Mary Agnes Watkins) to show the curator.  Ms. Pat and I both grabbed up the picture and rushed back the the room with the painting on the wall.  It was a match to everyone who saw the two together.  Ms. Pat said she always wondered who was in this painting!  However, Aunt Peggie said it was not her.  Here is the picture next to the painting...tell me what you think.  Remember that a painter would take out all the blemishes and sags that come with age.  Also, we do not know when the painting was completed so it might have been in her younger years.

We were on our way out the door, when I made the comment that it would be nice to see a yearbook from the early days.  Ms. Pat stopped and said she did have some year books from the 1920's!  Then the search was on for more family photos.  We found several of my grandmother's brothers (William and Edward) but none of her.   We enjoyed seeing the stories of sporting events and other high school successes.


Then we were of to the cemetery.  We did find the grave sites for Catherine and Lewis, as well as other Coleman (only related by marriage).  Then we found the Watkins burial plot.  There were many buried here but none that we knew without more research to find the connection.  We suspect the brother of Peter Watkins is buried here but we will need to verify dates to be sure.

It was a fun day and it went by too quickly!  We ended our day with a picture together and a home cooked meal (Aunt Peggie and Karen had a suite with a kitchen, so I volunteered to cook.)  We are already talking about coming again to learn more.  Maybe will convince others to join us!  We might even convince others to have a family reunion here.

We parted ways the next morning to head home with promises to meet again soon!

So there you have the family history tour, but there is still more to tell.  I think I will tell about our fun times at the discovery centers and painted objects next!  You will be amazed at what people are willing to decorate around this country!