Charles Edward Brannan Family - Family Histories

      My great grandfather, Charles Edward Brannan (1829 - 1910), came to Coleman County from Mississippi in the late eighteen hundreds. He bought 278 acres (located six miles northeast of Santa Anna) from D. T. Munn (an heir of James C. Eccles) in November, 1889, and moved his wife, Adelia C. (1833 - 1893) (his first wife), and four children onto this place. One child died at birth, buried in Mississippi. He was a soldier in the war between the states. He was a Methodist, as were all his family, and was a bishop in the Methodist Church. Children:

     (1) Adelia, named for her mother, 1866-1892, married T. J. Harris and had two small daughters, Izora and Winnie, when she passed away. They were raised by the Harrises. Winnie married W. W. Floyd, and Izora married (1) W. M. Alsup (who, I believe, passed away), and married (2) a man by the name of Johnson. Both girls are dead.

     (2) W. L. (Cap), single, 1861-1896.

     (3) Charles Henry McPherson (Bud), my grandfather, November 9, 1857 - October 10, 1937.

     (4) Laura, single, 1855 - 1936.

     Charles Edward married (2) a lady by the name of Ella, who was a relative of Marshall Riley of Santa Anna. She had been nursing a neighbor by the name of Mr. Cherry when he met her, hired her to take care of him after he was injured by a mule. They had a daughter, Ruth, born October 5, 1905, in Santa Anna. Ruth married (1) Hallie Gee Temple, in about 1924, and had one son, Hallie, Jr., who now (1983) resides in Sweetwater. She divorced Hallie and married (2) Frank Dyer, they had two sons, George and Bill, both of whom now reside in the San Francisco - San Joe, California area. Ruth passed away October 30, 1981, in San Lorenzo, California, buried in Santa Anna.

     Charles (Bud) Brannan bought the 278 acres from his dad and Ella in 1909. He married Alice Mayflower Dixon, in 1889 or 1890, in Navarro County. He was a cowboy and rode the cattle trails across the West. They came to Coleman County, bought a place on Mud Creek, in the Buffalo community, better known as Poverty Flat.

     On this place my father, Ulmer Stanley, was born, November 12, 1891. He went to school at Buffalo, attended graduated, and Byrnes Commercial College in Tyler. After finishing college, he worked at Lometa and Goldthwaite in the railroad depots as a telegrapher. Since Dad also studied accounting in college, he later kept books for several companies in Santa Anna. He married Beulah Thames, daughter of W. C. Thames, of Grosvenor, December 21, 1913.   Mother's family first lived at Burkett.

     I (Chloti) was born October 10, 1914, and lived in the Buffalo Community until December, 1915, at which time, "Bud," with whom we lived, traded places with F. P. Singletary. It joins the original 278 acres. Then, we moved up here, and Dad, Mom and I lived on the north part of the place, and my grandparents lived on the south part. Beulah Faye and Margaret Chrystine were born on this place, August 9, 1916 and January 12, 1918, respectively. We had many wonderful times together while living there. In 1921, Alice (Dixon) Brannan bought the south-southwest adjoining tract of land from Della Campbell. This tract, added to the other two, made 652.91 acres. We lived on this place for many years. Alice died from cancer, February 11, 1926 in Santa Anna, and Bud developed pneumonia and passed away October 10, 1926, while residing with my parents.

   In 1922, we moved into Santa Anna from the farm to attend school. Miss Hilda Harrell was our first grade teacher. The next year, we attended a one-room school called Longview. We had to walk to and from school each day. Our teacher was Mabel Banister.   With the exception of this one year, and a few months in Cross Plains, we attended the Santa Anna schools until May, 1931. In 1928, we built a new home in Santa Anna, just south of the Santa Anna High School. While living there, late one Sunday evening, April 4, 1929, our house was partially destroyed by a tornado. We were all in the house, as was a friend, Ora Lee Niell. Fortunately, no one was injured. Then, on February 27, 1930, our baby brother, Ulmer Porter, was born. After school was out in May, 1931, we moved back to the farm to stay. Faye, Chrystine, Porter and I all finished school at Buffalo.

In the fall of 1934, Faye and I attended Sul Ross State Teachers College in Alpine. Later, Faye moved to Dallas and attended Byrnes Business School, and became a successful executive secretary. In 1950, she became Administrative Assistant to Wm. P. Clements, Jr., owner of SEDCO and later, Governor of Texas. In December 1953 Faye married Afton Pieratt of Santa Anna, and they had a daughter, Tina Michelle, born May 23, 1955, in Roswell, New Mexico. She married Daniel Alexander Roper, and they live in Richardson. Faye and Afton divorced in April 1961, and he passed away in Santa Anna, September 14, 1977. Faye is now self-employed as a Petroleum Consultant. In October, 1981, she married William J. Alexander, a Petroleum Engineer, and they reside in Dallas.

Chrystine attended a beauty school in Dallas, and during World War II, married John C. Evans in Brownwood. They lived in the Los Angeles, California, area, many years. He retired from the railroad and they were living in Modesto, when he passed away in January, 1975. She still resides there. They had no children.

     Porter attended John Tarleton College in Stephenville, and after returning from the service in about 1954 attended and graduated from the DeForest Electronic School in Chicago. In the spring of 1955, he married Marilyn Copeland, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mack Copeland of Coleman. They had a son and daughter: Stanley Mack, January 6,1961; and Marietta Ann, February 24, 1962, in Fort Worth. Porter and Marilyn divorced and he married (2) Edith Cox, who has a small son, Michael, in about 1977 or 1978. They all reside in the Fort Worth-Bedford area.

     I, Chloti, married Charles N. Armstrong on December 8, 1935, and three children were born:

       (1) Jean Yvonne October 29, 1936, married Lloyd A. Halmon of Coleman in 1955, the son of J. C. and Ruby (Thomason) Halmon. Three children: Russell Aaron, July 2, 1964; Cheree Yvonne, November 8, 1974; Corry Lloyd, June 1, 1977. They reside in Santa Anna (See Thomason-Tidmore);

       (2) Charles Kenneth, August 23, 1939, married Patsy Pepper of Early. Children: (2a) Danny Keith, married Debbie Ann Cox, no children. (2b) Debra D'Ann married Paul Tidwell, one son, Justin Paul, about 3 years of age. (2c) Donna Michelle, single, 13 years old. They all live at Early;

       (3) Janice Lynette (December 321, 1954.

     Charlie and I lived at Killeen during World War II and later in Pawnee, Kenedy and San Antonio, as well as one year (1954-1955) in Coleman. We presently live on the south 163 acre tract of land of the original Brannan place.