Pioneers of Ellis County R. A. "Uncle Rufe" McCain Contributed by Karen Trouvat   [Newspaper clipping Milford Weekly News, May 22, 1931 in possession of Mrs. Adam Rosson, Milford, Texas] Next September 29th Uncle Rufe McCain will be 81 years of age.  We doubt there is another man in Ellis County who can outclass him.  He lives just across Mill Creek from Milford and is up with the chickens every morning, makes a regular hand on his farm, rarely [if ever] rides to town - always walks - rain or shine. "I have never been sick except when I had the flu - and never miss a meal, " he stated. "In 1869 I was living in Red River County but decided I wanted to come to this part of the country. I landed at the John Vancleve home between Milford and Maypearl on August 10 [of that year]. I have known the Vancleves in Alabama. That afternoon Miss Fate Vancleve and I saddled up two mules and loped all the way to Milford and back. That was the first time I ever saw Milford and there were only a few stores and residences.  I stayed a few days and went back to Red River County. On the road I saw wagons , loaded with lumber from East Texas, bogged down, and had been there since the spring before. "In 1872 my father's family came and we rented the old Coffey ranch and lived there several years.  Later my father bought the old Peter McCain place  (near the old Dr. Cornwell place) and we lived there several years.  Milford has been my post office ever since 1872, and I have made 39 crops on the W. T. M. Dickson land.  I have two brothers and four sisters  now living.  Jake lives in Fisher County and John lives at Maypearl. Addie married Jim Thomas, lives at Maypearl; Annie married W. W. Darrow and died several years ago;  Manda married Dr. Cornwell and lives at Maypearl and Mary married Robert Harris and lives on their farm near Italy. Some 35 years ago Mr. McCain  He bought a small farm near town , built his home and raised a large family there.  In all these years he has been in Milford only four times after dark.  The first time was when the town turned on electric lights.  "This was a great country until the railroads and barbed wire got here." Uncle Rufe looks to be good for many years and can match yarns with the best of them - in fact he has never been known to fail to have one to fit any occasion."   Copyright © 2004-2016, Ellis County TXGenWeb. All Rights Reserved. This page was last modified: Thursday, 01-Jul-2021 13:30:05 MDT