This past week I was privileged to talk with and interview a stepdaughter of one of the early day residents, Jewel Morgan Edwards. My sister Ina Jones and I visited with Jewel who lives and enjoys a healthy livelihood. As the two of them talked, they discussed things that went on in their youth and teenage years. I was able to hear first hand what these two women were discussing as they reminisced over old photos that were made when they were students at Aubrey elementary and on into their high school years.

I mentioned a few weeks ago about a friend of my father and mother and their families, Mr. John F. Morgan. He was a friend of the family and even though he was a man in his eighties when I was six years old (now I am in my seventies), I can still recall events in my life that help me to account for events that happened 150 years ago.

Now, 150 years ago, back in 1852, John F. Morgan was born in Ashville, North Carolina. He came to Aubrey when he was a young man His stepdaughter, Jewel Morgan Edwards was a young lady in the Aubrey community. She held high honors in her school class in academics and attendance. She attended Aubrey school from first grade to the eleventh grade.

Not many people that I talk to have roots this deep in the Aubrey community. Jewel was a leader in the Baptist Church. She was a leader of the youth fellowship which was called the BYPU. She was the leader in songs and the music program for the youth of the church. As I listened to her and Ina talk, they remembered that all of the youth from both the Christian and Methodist churches met together with the Baptist youth for a weekly program.

I was especially interested in quizzing Jewel Morgan about what she remembered about her stepfather. She has a beautiful collection of old photos that she is sharing with me, and I am in turn sharing with you. The one that I want to share with you this week, is a photo of Mr. Morgan as he appeared about three or four years before his death in his home which was located in the 300 block of North Main Street.

I mentioned last week that Mr. Morgan had a small barn and storage shed for his buggies. He had one buggy that was his business and passenger buggy. He used this buggy for his trips to Denton when he was the County Commissioner during the 1890's. Mr. Morgan was on the Commissioners Court at the old Denton Court house on the square when they voted to build the current court house on the square.

This man’s influence in the county was of a multi-magnitude. He also owned a farm on the Trinity River bottom land west of Onega. So many times we hear of community leaders in other towns, but seldom do we give or hear praises of people that lived in the same block as we did some seventy years ago.

Mr. Morgan left out early every day on his way around to visit with his friends and with the visit he was also on official duty as the tax rendition representative for the county tax office. Through his job as census taker and tax rendition assessor he was familiar with all of the people in this part of the county. He used his passenger buggy with the horse that Jewel just couldn’t remember the name, but promised to come up with it the next time we get together. Ina Jones remembers the name of her grandfather’s horse as Old Snip.

Jewel graciously loaned me several of her old photos, which I am going to share with you in return for enlarging and making copies of her old photos.

I think as I try to put together the words of this early day descendant, that history was so much in the making that we miss many of the facts and highlights. One such visit that Jewel got the pleasure of riding with Mr. Morgan in the buggy when she was a small girl while Mr. Morgan was making his rounds performing tax renditions. Jewel recalled how they would wind down the small little traveled roads where the trees would almost brush across the horse and buggy passengers. She said as they traveled down these small roads they would come upon a small spring of fresh clear water where a group of men and women were rolling the wooden barrels around on the dirt near a small fire that was kept burning. Mr. Morgan would not explain to Jewel what the people were making, and it never really occurred to her what the operation was all about up until her adult life. She recalls that the men would roll the wooden barrels around. The barrels were full of a local beverage that was so prevalent in the neighborhood.

This was a time of diplomacy, when the tax assessor was able to drive up to a fire and a bunch of barrels, assess the value of the property and continue to be friends with the landowners as he went back to the Court House to conduct official County Commissioner business. Mr. Morgan was well respected by all members of the community. This was Onega 150 years ago.

More next week on the same subject.

I would like to remind everyone of the upcoming Northern Towns District Heritage Day that is being planned to take place at the Cagle Hill Farm which is owned by Shawn Cagle. I received an e-mail from the Texas Chief, as he is wising me the best of good health and is looking forward to being here for the event, which include many Cherokees from all over the state of Texas.

We are not recognized as a tribe in the State of Texas, because we are all supposed to be dead and gone, but through the graces of the Great Spirit, we just happen to still be here because we never left. My wishes are that there will be a good way for me to yell out to the Governor of Texas and state representatives to tell them that we are very much in need of an Indian Commission and that we are most definitely a Cherokee tribe of people in Texas. I think I can also state that the people of Texas with Native American heritage are very proud of this fact and that this heritage that we have is becoming more popular and more people are desiring to claim their own Cherokee heritage.