McDonald and Potts family tree » James Valsain LATHAM (1859-1936)

Persönliche Daten James Valsain LATHAM 

• Er wurde geboren am 7. Juli 1859 in Maries County, Missouri.
• Er ist verstorben am 17. November 1936 in San Diego, California, er war 77 Jahre alt.
• Er wurde beerdigt in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
• Ein Kind von George Washington Allen LATHAM und Sarah Jane Gibson

Familie von James Valsain LATHAM

Notizen bei James Valsain LATHAM

Moved to Blanco County, Texas with his parents in 1861.

Became a Texas Ranger in 1880 at Fort McCavatt, Texas where he served for seven years.

Served in Company D under Captains Frank Jones and John R. Hughes.

From an article in Frontier Times Magazine - Volume 14 - Number 11; August 1937 entitled «b»«i»James V. Latham: a Texas Ranger «/b»«/i»written by his sister Clarinda L. Latham.«b»«i»

«/b»«/i»

"The country was alive with cattle and Jim would help my mother at home

with the cows . She said that she and Jim took care of one hundred mother

cows one spring. I am sure that Jim was a good cow-hand by the time he

was ten years old- He rode his pony, Blue Dog.

Our parents were molested by the Indians so much at this ranch that during

the year 1870, they moved down to Pecan Creek, Llano county, near Joh n

Backues and Mr . Ben Phillips. The citizens would take their guns and

guard their children to and from school. Miss Mary Reams taught a

private school at her home about onemile up the creek from father' s.

After the children got older, they went through a cedar brake about two

miles to what was known as the Cedar Creek school house."

"Jim Latham got a very good common school education at this school . He

attended the Toby school in 1877 under Professor Hill. Mart Phillips,

Violet and George Haynes, Mattie Phillips and Jim and Annie Latham

stayed at Mr. John ffaynes ' and went to school from there, Mr. Haynes

had a store at King Springs, Burnet county.

Llano county was a prosperous county during the seventies . My father

would go to Austin and bring back bags of money, or in the spring of th'e

year, when they would sell their stock, I have seen him pour great piles of

money on the floor and count it out for the neighbors when he brought It .

from Austin. Brother Jim had as his mount when a boy, a little mule called

"Horace Greeley." One day my father put Jill on Horace Greeley and sent

him to Sam Tate's to take or to borrow five hundred dollars. The country was dense

wilderness and not a house on the road for a distance of ten miles. Jim delivered

the money to the one it was meant for. He said that he saw a

strange man on the road and he made Horace Greeley gallop . One day Dick

Pope, Mart Phillips, Jim and the other boys were trying out Horace Greeley 's

swimming ability, but Horace became exhausted and sank. What a time the

boys had getting him out on the bank and how they worked to revive that

mule. They were dreading to meet my father, but Horace Greeley lived and

Rev. Richard Pope lived to tell the story at my father's and mother's golden

wedding at Mountain Park, New Mexico, in 1908 . He and Jim had a

great laugh about it.

Jim was a brave boy and I can remember the confidence that we children

had in him in regard to protecting us from the Indians. He was the oldest

child of twelve and had to take care of the younger ones. He practically

lived for others. Brother Jim had some cattle. Father looked after

them when he was away. His brand was VAL connected.

In the autumn of 1880 he and his old friend, W. H. Dunman, went to Fort

McKavett, Texas, and joined the Rangers, under Captain D. W. Roberts .

Jim was twenty years old then . One long scout that they made that winter

was known as the Potter Scout. Captain Roberts received word that some

horses had been stolen . He detailed seven men as follows : Sergeant R. 0.

Kimble in charge of scout, N. J. Brown, Ed Dozier, William Duncan, J. V. Latham,

R . C. Roberts and M . C. Smith. The scout came west towards the Pecos .

When they reached Fort Lancaster they heard of the men passing there

with the horses . The scout pushed on up the Pecos on their trail .

Their horses were beginning to fail and Sergeant Kimble left five of the men near

Horse-head Crossing on the Pecos. He took William Dunman with him and

they followed on. With the help of Billy Smith of the Hash-Knife Ranch an d

some fresh horses, they succeeded in overtaking them. Here a desperate

fight occurred, in which Jim and John Potter were shot and Mr. Dunman's

and Smith's horses were shot . Jim Potter died within two days. John

lived and was killed by a mob on the head of the Guadalupe River. Brother

Jim was left with the five Rangers near IIorsehead Crossing on th'e Pecos .

The men helped to build a small adobe house while there .

I came by that place in 1894 and in 1898 .

Jim remained with Capt. Roberts until 1881, then returned home . In the

spring of 1884. He and his brother J. Y. Latham, went up the trail from

Llano county, Texas, to Dodge City, Kansas. The cattle belonged to Mr .

Hudson and Watson of Burnet, Texas. John C. Tate, of Llano county, was th e

boss of the outfit. He returned home in June. In August 1884, he went t o

Uvalde, Texas and joined the Rangers under Capt . Frank Seiker who was

soon killed . I think that Lamb Sicker became Captain then. He stayed with

the Rangers until about September 1885, and then came home . He was

in the Ranger service about seven years.

In October, 1885, some of our good neighbors went to Mexico for their

health', and in some way contracted the small-pox. They lived in Blanco

county and we lived in Llano county about three miles away . It was in the

days when country people knew very little about small-pox. Dr. Richard

and Dr. Tom Yett, of Burnet county, were the doctors in charge. Dr. Tom

Yett came one night and wanted a doctor called from Burnet, thirty miles

away. It was a bleak cold November night. Father and I were with our

neighbors. My father rode home to get that trustworthy son of his, Jame s

V. Latham, to go in haste to Burnet for a doctor . Jim mounted his faithful

Grewyer horse that he had ridden while in the Ranger service and went .

He had to cross the Colorado River at a dangerous crossing and it was a

very dark night, but he returned home by noon the next day with Dr . Stewart

Watson from Burnet. Dr. Tom Yett met him at our friend's house and whe n

Dr. Watson saw the patient, he said that he had the confluent kind, the

most malignant type of small-pox . So many of the neighbors had been ex -

posed to the small-pox and the young men who had been exposed were

brought to my father's house and quarantined. Brother Jim was appointed

to be their guard . Virus to vaccinate was in great demand . Nurses had to

be secured. Brother Jim kept vigilant watch between both' places . Our

neighbors lived in Blanco county and we were rendered every assistance that

was necessary . Thirty-six persons outside of this family were exposed to

the small-pox ; six had it and three young men died from it, two noble

young men, sons of our neighbors and another neighbor, Frank Yoast. We

were quarantined for almost six weeks. We went home Dec. 11,-1885. What

a sad time it had been for all of us. Jim and Mother were at home with the

younger men, father and I were with the stricken family, and the little children

were at our uncles' .

In the Spring of 1886, J. V. Latham, Ed and John Hardin went west with

their cattle, as there had been a drouth through Llano and Burnet counties.

They drove the cattle out as far as Colorado Springs, Texas, found no grass

that far out and when some one wrote them that it was raining at home the y

drove the cattle back home.

In August of 1886, James V. Latham united with the Baptist church and wa s

baptized at Flat Rock Spring camp meeting into the fellowship of the

Macedonia church of Llano county. Jim was clerk of the church for some

time and was an active member as long as he lived there .

In the winter of 1887 he guarded convicts at Granite Mountain where

they were quarrying stone to build the new capital at Austin, and was moved

with them when they were transfered to aonther place .

On August 17, 1887 J. V. Latham was married to Miss Mattie Florence

Johnson at the Joe Smith ranch, Blanco county, Texas .

Two daughters were born to this union. Mrs. R. R. Rokahr of El Paso, Texas,

and Mrs. Florence Honstead of Phoenix, Arizona.

Jim's wife died in April,1892, and our parents took the little girls. In the

spring of 1893 the lure of the Ranger camp called him again. He

came to El Paso, Texas, and joined the Texas Rangers under Capt. Frank

Jones, who was killed near Ysleta, Texas. June 30, 1893, by some smugglers

near the line of Mexico. This was Company T of the Texas Rangers.

Sergeant John R. Hughes was made captain of this Ranger company after

Capt. Jones was killed.

Jim remained around El Paso until 1897 and then came to New Mexico

where he was joined by his parents and children in 1898 . He and his father

established a farm and ranch in the Sacramento Mountains near High Rolls

New Mexico. He ws employed by the State Sanitary Boaard for eight years

as inspector of stock. In 1904 he was married to Miss Alma Harrington, of El Paso, Texas . To this union were born two girls . They are Mrs Valma Ezelle, of Imperial, Caliornia, and Mrs. Vola Helen Ford, of San Antonio, Texas .

In 1910 Jim and our father sold their place at High Rolls and came to Alamogordo.

Jim secured a ranch near the foot-hills of the Sacramento mountains

where he had stock for a number of years. He was deputy sheriff and

jailor at Alamogordo for eleven years. About 1927, Jim left here and went

to Imperial, California, where he was made guard for machinery for a bi g

ditch company. He lived there until a few months ago when he and his

wife went to San Diego where they remained until his home-going November

17, 1936. Jim loved New Mexico with its rugged mountains and wonderful sunshine.

He wanted his remains brought back here so he could be buried at the

foot of the Sacramentos by his parents and sister, Mrs . Ed Hardin . His wife

granted the request and brought the remains here where the funeral wa s

conducted by our Baptist minister, Rev. Earl R. Keating and Rev . J. M.

Perry, pastor of the Methodist church. Rev. Keating read from the

ninety-first Psalm and commented on the fifth verse, "and we old Texans know how the arrows did fly by the hands of the Indians in those pioneer

days, and God in his mercy took care of us . "

A pathetic scene occurred at the grave. His wife had the casket opened

so the New Mexico sunshine could bathe his face one more time while

Rev Perry prayed. We know that when the sun was shining in his dear

old face, the sunshine of God 's glory was in his soul, while he was rejoicing

with all the redeemed of this earth around our Father 's throne in Heaven.

He was like the Apostle Paul, whs. said, "I have fought a good fight., any,

I have finished my course . Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of

righteousness." And we believe thathe will hear the great plaudit, "Well

done thou faithful one, enter in for your work is done .""

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