FIRST 100 YEARS NOLAN COUNTY, TEXAS

1985 (Nolan County Historical Commission)

Page 328-329

JAMES MADISON PORTER
 

            James Madison Porter (August 21, 1845-April 30, 1905) was born in Laurel County, Kentucky and married Martha Elizabeth Hylton (October 6, 1856-September 17, 1940) of Letcher County, Kentucky, in Madison County, Arkansas (1871).  They moved to Texas around 1880.  From San Saba County, they moved to Nolan County in 1882 – opening a store in Hylton.  They had ten children – two died in infancy – and all except Margaret and James were born in Nolan County.

Margaret Porter (March 19, 1877-March 21, 1918), born in Madison County, Arkansas, married John Quincy Hanna, Jr., in Nolan County, September 1, 1893.

            James Monroe Porter (September 19, 1881-January 13, 1944), born in San Saba County, married Mary Edna Armstrong in Nolan County, April 10, 1904.  Five children were born in Nolan County, one of whom died at birth.  Ila Mae Porter, born July 19, 1908, married Fred Burfiend in Sweetwater on August 22, 1928.  Iland Noel Porter, born October 6, 1910, married Dennis Nellene Dodgion in Sweetwater on April 24, 1943. Two children were born in Sweetwater:  Richard Wayne Porter on August 8, 1947, and Shirley Ann Porter on June 14, 1949. Wanda Lee Porter (June 2, 1914-September 27, 1976) married Robert W. Rascoe, April 26, 1943, in Roscoe.  One son, Lloyd Clyde Rascoe, was born June 14, 1945, in Sweetwater.  Nina Margaret Porter (December 24, 1917-December, 1982) married Charles Kasinger in Roby in 1940. Three children were born in Roscoe:  James Allen Kasinger on May 17, 1941; Margaret Faye Kasinger on March 14, 1943; and Marvin Lee Kasinger on March 17, 1948. Nina married Herbert H. Smith in San Angelo on December 23, 1954. One daughter, Ila Sue Smith, was born in Pasadena, Texas, December 20, 1957.

            Cora Iora Porter (October 2, 1886-December 7, 1958) married Byrd P. Ragsdale on December 20, 1903.

            Nora Victoria Porter (October 2, 1886-March 2, 1965) married Thomas F. Ragsdale on September 19, 1902.

            George Nevada Porter (born April 1889) married Clarence Donaldson Montgomery in Nolan County, November 30, 1905.  She died in Riverside, California.

            John Porter (December 31, 1892-April 6, 1956) married Della Burns in Runnels County, August 25, 1912.  The three children were all born in Runnels County.  They were Eual Curtis Porter (October 29, 1916-November 15, 1929), Etha Eloise Porter (May 6, 1920), and Walter Clyde Porter (January 15, 1930).

            Mattie May Porter (June 1894-1912) married Walter A. Burns on December 10, 1910 in Nolan County.  Their one child was Lula Burns.

            Lillian Lucile Porter (October 19, 1899-May 24, 1964) married Philip Escoe Sutton in Runnels County, December 23, 1914.  Four children were born in Runnels County:  Charles Clay Sutton, born September 19, 1918; Ray Dean Sutton, born January 1922; Lucile Sutton and Philip Escoe Sutton.

HYLTON-PORTER

            Elisha J. (born 1833 in North Carolina) and Rebecca Huff (born 1832 in Wise County, Virginia).  Hylton came to Nolan County around 1874 before the county was established in 1876 and helped organize the county in 1881.  He helped to build the first lake in Sweetwater.

            In 1876, he had settled in the southern part of Nolan County. His name and the date 1876 are carved in a rock on top of Hylton Mountain, which was on his land.

            He had a blacksmith shop at his home and the town of Hylton built up around him.  He gave land for the first school at Hylton. His wife ran the first post office at Hylton, which was a small room enclosed on the end of their front porch.

            The town of Hylton was named for Elisha J. and Rebecca Hylton. They are listed in the 1800 census as a farmer with five dependents.  One of these was Martha Elizabeth, born 1856 in Norton Virginia.  She married James M. Porter.

            James Madison and Martha Elizabeth Porter came to Nolan County in 1883.  He ran a store in Hylton and also farmed and ranched in the area.  He died in 1905.  After his death, Martha ran a millinery store in Hylton and made hats for ladies in the area.  She also continued ranching until a few years before her death in 1940.

            James and Martha had seven children:  Maggie (married J. Q. Hanna, Jr.), J. Monroe (married Edna Armstrong), Mattie (married Walter Burns), Veda (married Charles Montgomery), Nora (married Tom Ragsdale), Cora (married Byrd Ragsdale) and Lilly (married Cole Sutton).

                                                                                    Submitted by Margarett Hanna Saunders

Page 231

HYLTON FAMILY

            In the early part of the 19^th century, there was a family living in Virginia by the name of Hylton.  The Montgomery family also lived there.  A son of the Hyltons married a Montgomery girl.  One of their children was a baby boy by the name of Elisha Elmer Hylton.  His parents were of Scotch-Irish descent.  His mother also had Cherokee Indian ancestry.

            Elisha was born August 12, 1833, and died in 1901.  This baby was also mentioned in some old court records in Virginia. The Hyltons lived in Virginia when Elisha met and fell in love with Rebecca Huff, who lived in Norton, Virginia.  Rebecca’s father was a Baptist minister.  Rebecca was or Scotch-Irish and Cherokee Indian descent.

            They moved to Kentucky where several of their children were born.  Rebecca was born March 22, 1832 and died in 1916.

            Later, they moved to Arkansas and settled in Madison County, where the Montgomery family settled.

            The Hylton family decided to join a wagon train going west and prepared to leave Arkansas.

            Their oldest son, Johnnie, started out ahead of them and rode on to the country road abound Elko, Nevada, where he settled and became very wealthy.  He was engaged in ranching.

            Some of the children of Elisha and Rebecca too the whooping cough, so they turned south and settled in San Saba County, Texas.

            In the year 1878, Mr. Hylton came to this territory and settled in Sweetwater.  He bought a lot on the corner of Locust and East Broadway and operated the first blacksmith shop in Sweetwater.  A few years later, he moved to Hylton.  He bought some land and put in a blacksmith shop there.  He began to run a mail route, built a room on the front porch, put in a post office and carried mail north, south, east and west.

            The little town took the name of Hylton. The town began to grow. A hotel, grocery store, churches and several houses and a school and several other buildings were built.  It grew to a fairly good sized town.

            Later, Joseph Collin Brownfield, Sr., born November 29, 1821 in Uniontown, PA, married Martha Schipp, born 1826 in Uniontown, PA.  Joseph and Martha moved to Fort Worth, Texas.  He taught in colleges and universities there.  He was a graduate scholar in Greek, Latin and Hebrew.  He helped organize Smithfield, north of Fort Worth.  The town was named for a family named Smith who ran a grocery store, and Mr. Brownfield, the “field” part, to make the name Smithfield.  Mr. Brownfield farmed and taught school.

            One of their sons, Joseph Collen Brownfield, born March 15, 1858 and died 1912, married Mary Ann Hylton, born Jan. 28, 1872 and died 1941.

            They lived on the Turkey Track Ranch owned by three brothers, Joe, Virgil and Willie. After several years, they sold the ranch and divided the cash. Willie moved to Sterling City and bought a ranch; Joe moved to Nolan (Divide) and bought a ranch; Virgil and his oldest son moved to a territory where they organized the town of Brownfield, Texas.

            Joe and Mary Ann had three children: Marion Velta was born Jan. 26, 1887 and died June 19, 1954. Lonsford Dow was born June 15, 1889 and died April 15, 1953.  Velta married Evelyn Horne and had one child, Carolyn Ann (first married to Glen Barton, then to Donnie Sheffield). She had two children:  Jennifer Ann and Lacy Leigh Barton.

            Bessie Elizabeth, born July 1905, married Leo Fields and had two sons, Leo Novelle (married Genevievee Rhoades) and had one son, Dusty.  Dusty married Dynell Quichsal.  They have three daughters named Courtney and twins, Shanna Lea and Lacy Marie.

            Leo and Genevievee had two daughters, Gena Lea (married Byron Etheridge) and Janice (married Mike Lamanna).

            Joseph Collen Field married Dorothy George.  They had two daughters named Sharon Kay and Karen (married Don Opperson).  Karen and Don have a son, Christopher Wayne.  Then Bessie married Floyd Sproul and had two daughters, Marilyn Sue (married Arthur Smith) and Shirley Ann (married J. Roy McAdams). Marilyn & Arthur Smith have a son, Steven Kyle.  Shirley and Roy McAdams have two children:  Kimberly Ann and Sheldon Jay.