Sarah Elizabeth Gallahar
The Wharton Spectator
1948
[Note:All mis-spelled words were left as they appeared in the article.]
Funeral services were held for Sarah Elizabeth Gallahar Tuesday, August 24th, at 10:00 o'clock in the morning at the First Baptist Church with Rev. Paul M. Stevens assisted by Rev. Vernon A. Garrett of Jacksonville in charge of the services. Interment was in the City Cemetery.
Mrs. Gallahar was the first white girl child born on the site of what is now the City of Wharton in a log cabin on the banks of the Colorado where the City Hall now stands. She spent most of her long life in Wharton and several months ago moved to Houston to be with her only immediate surviving relative, her granddaughter, Mrs. S. T. Dyer. A fall Sunday August 15th resulted in a broken hip, and she was taken to Hermann Hospital for surgery. After a week of illness she died Monday, August 23rd at 1:00 a.m. The body was brought to Wharton and the services were held at the Baptist Church which she loved so much.
Mrs. Gallahar was bright and interested in the passing world right to the end of her 95 years. Three years ago an interview resulted in the record of the colorful events of the lives of her parents and of herself which we print below.
Lucinda Burke was born about 1820 and reared in St. Louis, Missouri. She was a beautiful and charming young woman with an education that was superior to most of the girls in that era and when she was 18 years old she went to Mississippi to teach school. There she met and married a colorul personality, one Mr. Flowers, who was a rich farmer and of the union was born two children, Josephine and Lumm. The Flowers were adventurous youg people and decided to pioneer into the wilds of Texas. They with their slaves emigrated to Texas and settled on the banks of the Colorado River on a league of land that is now occupied by the town of Wharton. A log cabin was built and the slaves cleared the land and planted it to cotton and corn. Where the business district now stands was their corn field. Several years of happiness followed, then Mr. Flowers fell seriously ill. As he lay on his death bed soldiers filed past the cabin on their way to war with the Mexicans. As the line of men rode by Mr. Flowers asked a few of them to come in and he reached up over the head of his bed and took down his rifle from its rest on a pair of deer's antlers and told the men that although he was too sick to go with them he would send his gun and that they must go out and select one of his best horses to take along. A few days later Mr. Flowers died and left his young widow with the two little children in the path of the advancing Mexican Army.
As the colonists slowly retreated before the advancing Mexicans a long procession of women and children, slaves and old men passed by the Flowers cabin and Mrs. Flowers with her children joined the throng that was led by Sam Houston and his soldiers. Mrs. Flowers bade her slaves good bye and told them that the Mexicans were coming and that they could disperse into surrounding country for safety or go down into Mexico. (In parenthesis may I note here that on her return not a negro was missing). In the procession riding in one of the wagons was a young girl who was to be Mrs. Hudgins, grandmother of the Hudgins clan, bright cheerful and gay she sat in the wagon idly tossing her bonnet into the air to catch it on the tow of one extended slipper. The bonnet soon fell to the ground and in the words of Mrs. Flowers "She set up such a squawl that the whole procession was brought to a halt so that she could get down from the wagon and get her bonnet".
After the battle of San Jacinto was fought and won the settlers returned to their plantations and with them came Mrs. flowers with her children. The young widow managed her "darkies" and ran her plantation alone, but not for long because she was soon besieged with proposals of marriage. Among her suitors was one Virgil A. Stewart of Brazoria, who fought in the war with Mexico and took part in the battle of San Jacinto, who would mount his horse at frequent intervals and come "a courtin".
Then came a terrible flood and one day as she was out in a boat with the overseer of her plantation directing the anchoring of the bales of cotton with chains to great trees to keep them from floating away up rode Mr. Stewart with a preacher, a witness and a license. He called out to her and said "Lu, if you ever needed a protector, I think you need one now". He lent a hand with salvation of the cotton bales and pursued his quest until the pretty young widow agreed to mary him. Horses were brought up, and dressed in her flowing riding habit with its long divided skirt the procession started back to Brazoria county, for to be legal it was necessary for the marriage to be performed in the county where the license was issued. Floundering through the flooded country, sometimes going briskly along, sometimes swimming their horses the group finally reached the county line and stopping under the spreading branches of a huge tree, with the horses in water up to the saddles and with the bride's long skirts of her riding habit floating in the muddy waters, the marriage vows were said. The bride and groom, the preacher, the witness and the overseer's wife, who came along to chaperone were the unusual wedding party.
To the Stewarts were born two children, Virgil A. Stewart, Jr., and four years later, on November 17, 1853, Sarah Elizabeth. The nearest school was at chapel Hill and when education became a problem, Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Hudgins bought homes in Chapel Hill and took their children there for schooling. The schools for the males and females were on opposite hills in the little town and the boys attended one institution and the girls the other. With Mrs. Stewart were two boys, Albert and Rob George. who boarded with her and went to school. (Another who was in school there at the time was Mrs. Geo. Northington, Sr.) After the two families had lived there for several years a yellow fever epidemic broke out, the schools were closed and Mrs. Hudgins and Mrs. Stewart brought their children back to the plantations.
When Mrs. Stewart made the move to Chapel Hill she had rented out her farms with the understanding that her negroes would stay on the place to make the first crop. They had not been long in Chapel Hill when one day, Uncle Gip, one of the darkies staggered up to the back door, calling for Miss Lu. He had walked all the way from the plantation and with his feet blistered, starved and exhausted he sobbed out his story, that the negroes were very unhappy and would not work for the new renters. He begged permission for them all to move onto the Peach Creek holdings of the Stewarts and build themselves quarters there. Permission was granted and without white supervision they built log cabins, fenced off pastures with rail fences and began a new settlement. When Mrs. Stewart returned from Chapel Hill it was to the peach Creek Planation she came, and Albert George came with her.
Sarah Elizabeth remembered distinctly the big log cabin on the Peach Creek plantation with its long porch where each Christman a long table was set out and the negroes gathered for their Christmas dinner. Christmas dinner with turkeys, with presents for each small pickaninny and with barrels of apples to be passed out to the little black folks.
When the Civil War came Mrs. Stewart called all her darkies into the yard and standing on the porch she announced the proclamation of their freedom. Some laughed and howled with delight when she told them they were free, but some cried and fell down and lying at her feet, told her they would never leave her. Five families were loyal and never left her as long as they lived. Death was the only parting.
Mrs. Stewart died when Sarah Elizabeth was still very young and she left her with her brother and young Albert George. She could not stay at home with the two boys so she went to live with the family of Jim Davis, who was sheriff of the district When Sarah Elizabeth was a young lady she went often to visit with neighbors, the Mentor Georges and on one of these visits she met Mentor Gallahar. A big picnic was planned and her first date was with her new beau. Sarah Elizabeth eventually went up to Brenham to make her home with her half sister, Josephine and after about a year there, Mentor Gallahar followed her and persuaded her to marry him.
As long as the old slaves lived they stayed on the Stewart and Gallahar plantations and would come each Christmas for their Christmas dinner. The last one was Old Uncle Charlie, who would come up to the back door and his place on a fresh white table cloth was laid out in the kitchen with the door into the dining room while the family was seated, remained open. As they sat down Uncle Charlie would rise and stand in the door and offer the prayer of blessing on Miss Lu, long since dead, and his blessing on Sarah Elizabeth, always called Miss Baby.
Mr. Gallaher died in 1902.
Wharton Paper August 1948
BORN IN WHARTON
BURIED HERE TUESDAY
Mrs. Gallahar passed away Monday in a Houston hospital after a long illness. She was the first white girl child born in the Wharton townsite, and during almost a century of life remained alert and interested in people and events.
Mrs. Gallahar was born in a log cabin about where city hall now stands, the daughter of Mrs. Lula Flowers and Vergil A. Stewart, who was known for his capture of a desperado of the 1840's. Mrs. Gallahars brother, the late Vergil Stewart of Hungerford was the first white child born in Wharton.
The family owned and operated a large plantation and were responsible for more than 100 slaves on the place. Mrs. Gallahar loved to recount the tales of her early life, a life that by our standards was rugged but filled with responsibility and adventure. At 19 she was married to Mentor Gallahar in Brenham where she lived until 1898 when they moved to Wharton. Mr. Gallahar died in 1901, leaving her to care for the farms which they established in Wharton County.
Mrs. Gallahar was very active all her life; she saw to her business personally, loved to take long walks and visited the post office daily for news from her children and grandchildren. She was a member of the Baptist Church and took an active part in its programs. Even as late as last year, Mrs. Gallahar was taking interest in civic affairs and rode a float in the Wharton County Fair parade.
As the first white girl born in Wharton, Mrs. Gallahar has been the subject of many feature stories and articles. One of the most beautiful tributes was paid her in an article written by Mrs. Virginia Sorrel of this city for publication in The Houston Chronicle some ten years ago. We quote the last paragraph of that article:
"Mrs. Gallahar is the very epitome of that pioneer spirit of which Texas itself is made. Wharton is proud of its first little white girl born within its ranks, and is pleased to acknowledge with fitin gratitude the rugged strength of character and the courageous life of its truly first lady."
Oldest Native There Succumbs At Age of 95 Years.
Wharton, Aug.24.---Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Gallahar, 95, oldest native of Wharton, died Monday at Herman Hospital in Houston. She was more familiarly known as Wharton's first lady since she was the first white girl born in Wharton.
It was only a week ago that she fell, fracturing her hip. She was born in a log cabin on the banks of the Colorado River only 200 yards from where the Courthouse stands.
FATHER SURVEYED TOWN
The first streets of Wharton were surveyed by her father, Virgil A. Stewart, who was one of those who helped capture John A. Murrell, a slave trader, in Mississippi. She had known plenty of hardships and hard work. Her father died when she was small and her mother when she was in her teens, leaving her and her 16-year old brother to run the plantation. She attended school at Chapel Hill.
When she was 19 she was married to Mentor Gallahar in Brenham. He died in 1901 and again she took over the management of her farms, attending to everything herself.
Mrs. Gallahar joined the Baptist Church in 1903 and was always one of its staunch members.
She is survived by one granddaughter, Mrs. Sam Dyer of Houston, and one nephew, Virgil Stewart, of Hungerford.
Funeral services were held at the First Baptist Church Tuesday by Rev. Vernon Garrett of Jacksonville and Rev. Paul Stevens of Wharton. Interment was at Wharton.
RECALLED MANY INCIDENTS
A hero worshiper in truth, Mrs. Gallahar recalled many well-known stories about her father, who fought in the battle of San Jacinto, and her mother, the first Wharton homemaker.
When a young widow by the name of Lula Flowers came to Texas, she bought a strip of land between the present towns of Hungerford and Wharton. Here she lived while 100 negro slaves she had brought with her from Mississippi cleared the plantation.
She recalled stories of those hard times.
The canebrake first had to be cut down by the negroes before he could lay out the streets. And I still have one of those old knives used to cut the rank growth of the river bottom cane which was over the whole country for miles around. And there were many wild animals in that cane too. I remember my mother telling about one time when I was a baby that she heard a knock at the back door and went to see who it was. Imagine her surprise to see a black bear staring her in the face. She shut the door as quickly as she could, but I guess the bear was about as surprised as she was.
"OUTSMARTED" HER
"My father was living in Brazoria County when my mother moved to Texas. They had known each other back in Mississippi when he helped to capture John A. Murrell. Father had begged mother to marry him for a long time, but she always refused, saying she didn't need a protector.
"But I just have to laugh every time I think about how he outsmarted her into marrying him. It was during the flood in 1843. Water was everywhere and mother was in the yard supervising the negroes as they chained the bales of cotton to trees to keep them from floating down the river. She wouldn't admit she was worried but she was.
"All of a sudden my father appeared upon the scene and told her that if she ever needed a protector it was now. Then up sprang a preacher with the license. Father had brought them with him from Brazoria County on horseback. When mother saw the preacher she had to give in, and several hours later, attired in her best riding habit with skirt that hung to the ground, the party left on horseback to cross the county line for the ceremony. Lots of times the water was up to the saddles and mothers skirt trailed away off on the water.
"Finally they crossed the line and under a big oak tree with the horses deep in water, the ceremony was performed. And thats the way they were married."
"One time," she recalled, "we were out of corn and mother had no idea - or money- where to get more. She was responsible for all the negroes and for the teams that worked the place. That night she got down on her knees and prayed to God, asking him to show her a way out so that none would suffer. The next morning the cribs were full of corn and there was much rejoicing."
She found out, several years later, that the kind settlers of a neighboring plantation, hearing of her need, had slipped in during the night and filled her crib.
The first obituary from a copy of the one appearing in the Wharton Journal Newspaper and transcribed and donated to Wharton County Historical Museum. Transcribed by Kathleen Konesheck. The second and third from Wharton newspaper 1948 and from Houston Chronicle, transcribed by Janet Hobizal.
