He's a brother of my great great grandfather, Richard R. Booth who was killed in a gun fight. (See my blog post HERE)
This blog is about Great Great Grand-Uncle William Legrand Booth, and the reunion in 1905 of Confederate Veterans.
Strangely enough, people have used the photo of no.29, William P. Booth (I wonder who he was?) for the photo of our William Legrand Booth. There's only so much you can get from this newspaper photo!
Great Great Grand-UncleWilliam Legrand Booth had the same initials as his father, so unless a date is clearly given, he may have been credited with memberships that meant for his father's glory. And Col. William Lewis Booth (of the Home Guard) was full of glory, I'd imagine. He had been an attorney, after moving through Indiana and Illinois (from New York State) with his brother Charles M. Booth...and both their families.
William, the father, settled in Hillsboro, Hill County, Texas, and in the 1860 census the father, as an Attorney, had 8 in his household, with his oldest son Charles T. (20) studying the law. William Legrand was just 19, and is listed on the census as stockreser. I'm not sure what that occupation might be, but in Texas it probably had something to do with cattle. I would also guess the census taker might have meant stock raiser.
He also is likely to be the listed Postmaster in Hillsboro TX but it's not really clear what year he was appointed. If anyone is familiar with script from those days, perhaps you can tell me when that was...second line on left.
It might be possble that he performed this task as of 16 Nov, 1857, but he was only 16 at the time. And it clearly looks like the Le had been added later to the name, but it looks like it also says Jr. What year is 185? with a very strange numeral at the end.
I'm glad his descendants had more to say about him, including posting his divorce. But I'm getting ahead of his chronological story.
He served in the Confederate Army, as all able bodied men did from Texas.
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| Name | William L. Booth |
|---|---|
| Side | Confederate |
| Regiment State/Origin | Texas |
| Regiment | 12th Regiment, Texas Cavalry (Parson's Mounted Volunteers) |
| Company | A |
| Rank In | Private |
| Rank Out | Private |
| Film Number | M227 roll 4 |
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By the 1870 census William Le (29) has married Mary Frances "Fannie" Holman.Booth (29) and he is a farmer by occupation. They have a 6 month old daughter, Carrie. They go on to have 5 more children and only the youngest doesn't live to her second year.
IN 1873 Wm. Le. and his brother R. R. (Richard) were delegates to the Texas Republican Convention, with directions to elect E. J. Davis as governor. (C.T. Booth was Charles T. Booth, elected secretary.)
Davis, a Texan who had supported Gov. Sam Houston in voting against Texas becoming a Confederate state, also fled to New Orleans when they were outvoted. Then Pres. Lincoln appointed him Col. for the 1st Texas Cavalry Unit (Union). Following the war, Davis had been elected a reconstruction Governor of Texas in 1869, with efforts to provide civil rights to the freed Blacks. But in 1873 he was not reelected, and there were so many irregularities in the election, he refused to leave the ground floor of the capitol. The legislators had to use ladders to reach the 2nd floor where legislature convened. When Pres. Grant refused to send troops to the defeated governor's rescue, he left with the key to the governor's office, so the elected Governor Coke had to use an axe to get in. Yes Texas has always been unruly. (Info from Wikipedia)
Ruby, their last child was born in 1880, and that was the year of the 1880 census. At that time Fannie's mother was also living with the family, the six children and William Le is still a farmer.
By 1881 July, little Ruby died. And in 1882 Sept, Fannie and William Le are divorced (see the court document below)
That was in Sept. 1882, and by Jan 1883 Fannie remarried to B. C. Brittain, and had a daughter in May 1883. The youngest living Booth child was 5 by then.
In the 1900 census Uncle Billy, as some called him, at 59 was living alone as a carpenter at 109 Pasche St., while a single woman, Ann Wiging (47) a washerwoman, was living at 109-R1 Pacshe St. They lived in a mixed neighborhood with everyone from a minister to a button-classer to an attorney and a farmer shared the area.
There had been the Veterans Reunion in 1905. In 1906 Uncle Billie applied for veterans benefits and was approved.
Thursday, August 15, 1907
Page 2
DEATH OF WILLIAM M. BOOTH
Special to the News
Hillsboro, Tex., Aug 11 - William M. Booth, known far and wide as "Uncle Billy". and one of the best-known residents of this section since 1854, died this afternoon on the courthouse lawn of congestion. He was a son of Col. William L Booth, who in reconstruction days was the foremost Republican politician in this section. His son, Frank Booth is prominent in San Antonio. "Uncle Billy" was a widower and about 70 years of age.
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