When I have a question and need a fast answer, I have found that Wilma (Daniels) Wilson can usually supply the answer, but she says this person was before her time and she couldn’t help me. I am asking if anyone having information about this fine man would contact me.

This man knew the hearts of many of the citizens of Aubrey and was a person that was a friend of the cowboys and horse loving people that made this their home before the automobile found its way into the streets. He was a gospel preaching, family oriented individual. The Reverend A.J. Harris was mentioned as a very talented newspaper editor in the Grapevine Sun in the early part of the 1900's when he was editor and owner of the Aubrey Argus.

Reverend Harris was also a pastor of the First Baptist Church of Aubrey during that time. He spent many years in Denton County as a preacher and editor of the Aubrey paper. He first moved to the area in the 1860's and was familiar with the name of Onega, when he arrived here from his birth place of Gonzales, Texas. He was a native Texan and his birthdate was December 9, 1855.

When he first began preaching he was known all over the state as Gus Harris, the cowboy preacher. This was because prior to his conversion, he was a cowboy and cattle herdsman.

His first pastorate was in the old Jackson school house in Denton County at an annual salary of $75. He later attended The Southern Baptist Seminary at Louisville, Kentucky, and after his graduation he lectured extensively in Kentucky and Texas. He held many important pastorates, among them, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Gainesville, and Cincinnati, Ohio. He was a talented man who was active in religion and politics all over the state.

During his pastorate of the Baptist church in Aubrey, he bought the Aubrey Argus which he owned up to three years prior to his death which occurred on December 24, 1925. Charles Burch became the editor after Reverend Harris moved from the community.

The Aubrey Argus Editor, Rev. A.J. Harris reported the following obituary on January 25, 1918.

The community was saddened Saturday morning to learn of the death of Tom Cagle, which occurred at a sanitarium in Fort Worth Saturday morning about 2 o’clock.

The above story was in the middle of the front page. His obituaries are especially heart warming and spiritually uplifting as he reports sad news. This obituary was written when Rev. Harris was 63 years old.

In this same issue, he wrote an excellent editorial entitled "The Call To Arms." The language in this editorial was also stirring. This call of arms was for the young men at the time which included my dad, Jim Goin and the Cagle brothers who were brothers of the above mentioned deceased son of Mr. and Mrs. T.B. Cagle. The call was for them to answer the draft which depended on the Cherokee descendants to answer the call.

The photo this week is of Garland Housden when he was a teenager and his racing speedster. He was an employee of Olan A. Burks at the Aubrey Garage. The Aubrey Garage was located just south of the current Aubrey Baptist church. The highway came through and took part of the garage building during the early 1920's. Garland Housden was the son of Axha and Wes Housden, who were Cherokees that located in the Aubrey Area. They came from Missouri and settled in this area in the 1870's.