Bragg Family - Family Histories - Coleman County, Texas

The earliest known ancestor of the Bragg family line was our grandparents, Samuel M. and Ruth Jane Bragg. They moved from McMinnville, Tennessee, to Coleman County in 1886, making their home three miles west of Glen Cove. The old Bragg house is barely standing now (written in 1983).

Samuel M., August 8, 1840 - April 7, 1901, and Ruth Jane, March 7, 1847 - October 2, 1922, are both buried at Glen Cove. Ruth Jane was the daughter of Edd and Eliza (Liza) Perry, November 6, 1820 - February 17, 1897. She is also buried at Glen Cove. They were farmers. They had four children:

     (1) James P. "Jim," October 3, 1868 - November 13, 1961, buried Glen Cove, single. He farmed and ranched. Lost a hand in a mill when a young man. He rode a beautiful blue gray horse everywhere until he bought a Model T Ford. Jim always wore boots and a Stetson hat.

     (2) Joseph M. "Joe," January 2, 1869 - May 7, 1939, married Zipporah "Zip" Allen, January 8, 1882 - January 2, 1968, was buried at Glen Cove, on December 24, 1903, at the Glen Cove Methodist Church. Zip was the daughter of John and Ida (Ward) Allen, who moved to Glen Cove from Mississippi when Zip was a young girl. Joe had bought a farm, about 160 acres, with a small house on it. They started married life with a team of mules and a milk cow. He bought land every few years, and they built their first home in 1908, where the Bragg home is now (written in 1983). It is on the Runnels and Coleman County line, five miles west of Glen Cove. The house was in Runnels County and the barns in Coleman County. It was torn down and a rock house built in 1944. Joe farmed and ranched. Zipporah raised a garden, canned and made all our clothes. They had nine children. We walked one and a half miles to the Mud Creek School and later the Herring School, no matter the weather. We helped in the field and all had chores to do before and after school. What sweet memories. We always attended Sunday School and church. We attended both Mud Creek Baptist Church (now Hopewell Baptist Church) and the Methodist Church at Crews. Some of us were Baptist and some Methodist. Joe and Zipporah's children are:

       (2a) Joseph Owen, September 13, 1904-August 27, 1975, buried Glen Cove, married July 8, 1928, Hazel Mae Grounds. (See Charles Haygood Grounds). Owen farmed and ranched, and was in the oil business. He loved to hunt and fish. He was a member of Hopewell Baptist Church;

       (2b) Ila Lillian, January 4, 1906 - September 28, 1982, buried Glen Cove, married Ray B. Mulanax, March 27, 1927. (See Stephen Mulanax). They moved to San Antonio in 1943. Ray was a machinist at Fort Sam Houston and lla worked at Kelly Field for 31 years. Both are Baptist. They had no children;

       (2c) Vernon Edd "Jack," July 5, 1908 - December 8, 1980, buried Glen Cove, was a member of Hopewell Baptist Church, never married. Jack lived at the Bragg home all of his life. He ranched, raised a garden, canned his fruits and did his own cooking. Lived alone after his mother died. He was crippled at age nine, but never let that keep him from doing anything he wanted to do. He ran a filling station and grocery store for years;

       (2d) Grace Ida, January 15, 1909, married Ellis H. Madison, born February 24, 1908, the son of Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Madison of Crews, on May 4, 1930 in Coleman in the Methodist parsonage. What a big rain we had that day. Ellis was working for the Southern Pacific railroad in San Antonio. He retired in 1973 after 47 years of service, and San Antonio is home now. We are members of the Hot Wells Baptist Church. Four children: Elsie Elois, Ila Elane, Joe Ellis and Allen Hale, 11 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren;
       (2e) Della Ruth, August 10, 1911, married Carl Bull of the Blanton community, June 7, 1940, born June 28, 1912. He was in the Navy two years, then worked for the highway department in Odessa. They have retired to Tow on Buchanan Lake. They have no children;

       (2f) Sammie Jane, March 1, 1913, married Ted Lindemann, December 8, 1936, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Lindemann of Ballinger, May 29, 1914-June 1, 1975. He was in World War II, and was a cotton farmer at Pecos. Sammie now lives in San Antonio. They had one son, Kenneth, and two grandchildren;

       (2g) Eula Glen, August 11, 1916, married (1) Jimmy D. Handy of Coleman, September 16, 1916-October 26, 1969. Two daughters: Darlene and Pamela, and four grandchildren. Eula married (2) Harold Pruitt, July 6, 1974, born July 20, 1916. They retired from Kelly Field and moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Eula went to school at Talpa.

       (2h) Perry Allen, February 22, 1920, married Margaret Brookshier, December 8, 1940, born November 16, 1922, the daughter of Claud and Maggie (Faust) Brookshier of Talpa. (See Joseph Goode). They both went to school at Talpa. Perry was in the Army two years. He farmed on the Bragg home place several years, then moved to Pecos. He works in the oil field. Six children: Patricia, Betsy Lou, Claudia, Richard, Mark and Rex, four grandchildren;

       (2i) Willene, March 23, 1922, went to school at Talpa, married Bob Ferguson of Pecos. He was a crop duster, and died in 1970. Willene now lives in San Antonio. They had one daughter, Jackie (Spinks) and one grandaughter.

The Bragg family has a reunion in October every year at the Glen Cove Community center. The attendance for the two days is from 50 to 55.

     (3) Edd, May 10, 1880-June 6, 1942, married Lula Stigler. He farmed and had an apple orchard in Hope, New Mexico. He and Lula are both buried in New Mexico. Three children: Jimmy, Wavis and Hershel.

     (4) Hassie, August 10, 1885 at Glen Cove, married Jim Mulanax (see Joseph Riley Mulanax).