|
Civil War Veterans of Northeast Tarrant County
Compiled by Michael Patterson
Thomas Henton Powell was a Confederate veteran who spent the last decades of his life on the prairie just southeast of
Grapevine. A descendant, Marilyn Shumaker Tucker, wrote a biographical sketch on Mr. Powell and his family, and it was published
in the Grapevine Area History in 1979.
Some excerpts from it follow: "A native of Missouri, Thomas Henton Powell was one of seven children born to Stephen
and Sarah (Toliver) Powell. Thomas' brothers and sisters were Mary, Sally, Jane, Billy, John, and Fayette.
Thomas Powell was born in 1843. He joined the Confederate forces on September 15, 1861 and spent the winter at Springfield,
Missouri. After making a raid through eastern Missouri, his company joined another command and took three hundred wagons from
the Union forces at Camden, Arkansas. He was at Camden guarding prisoners at the close of the war. He was discharged at St.
Louis, Missouri.
Thomas Powell came to Texas from Aurora, Missouri in 1870 with Jessie Mead Wilkes Berry, and Jim Edmondson. Thomas met
Martha Ann Borah; they were married in Tarrant County about 1872. Their children were William Thomas (1873-1947); Fannie
Maude (1875-1925); Stephen Lee (1876-1877); Joseph Perry (1878-1972); John Lafayette (1879); Sarah Catherine (1881- 1969);
and Samuel Cleveland (1884-1962). This list is complete. Mrs. Powell told the 1900 census taker that she had given birth to
seven children, six of whom were still living.
Thomas H. Powell's gravestone at Bear Creek Cemetery in present-day Euless records that he was a member of Co. H, 6th
Missouri Cavalry. Records of the Robert E. Lee Camp of United Confederate Veterans in Fort Worth indicate he was a veteran
of the 3rd Mississippi Cavalry. The National Park Services website listing Civil War soldiers indicates that the 6th Missouri
Cavalry is correct. The gravestone lists his dates as May 14, 1843 and August 30, 1935.
Powell's home is shown on the 1895 Sam Street Map of Tarrant County, Texas. In modern-day terms, it sat in Grapevine on
DFW Airport land, a few yards west of the parking area for Terminal D, west of International Parkway, more or less in a straight
line east from 23rd Street SW east of Airfield Drive West.
An obituary for Mr. Powell appeared in the Grapevine Sun on September 5, 1935: "T. H. POWELL DIES. Thomas Henton
Powell, Confederate veteran and retired farmer, died Friday night at his home in Grapevine. Mr. Powell joined the Confederate
forces September 15, 1861, and spent the winter at Springfield, Mo. After making a raid through Eastern Missouri, Mr. Powell's
company joined another command and took 300 wagons from the Union forces at Camden, Ark. The Grapevine veteran was at Camden
guarding prisoners at the close of the war. He was discharged at St. Louis. Surviving Mr. Powell are four sons, W. T. Powell,
Pueblo, Colo.; Dr. J. P. Powell, Dalhart; John Powell, Los Angeles, and Sam Powell, Fort Worth, and a daughter, Mrs. John
Trigg, Grapevine. Funeral services were held at 3:00 p.m. Sunday at Minters Chapel with Rev. Floyd Thrash officiating. Interment
was made in the Minters Chapel Cemetery."
|
