Saturday, July 7th, 1866

To day I am at work at the warehouse. Col. Wrigley arrived on the cars from Beaumont and left again on the cars for Houston. Hicks is at work making an axletree for the little wagon. Weather variable & hot with a shower of rain. Ther. 88°.

Friday, July 6th, 1866

To day I am at work at the warehouse. Hicks still hauling lumber from the flat boats. Col. Wrigley left on the train for Beaumont. The hands finished shingling in the wood shop. Florence [aka Pet aka Fawn aka Florence Mahala Hall] missed the fever. Weather variable and hot with showers of rain. Ther: 86°.

Saturday, June 9th, 1866

The forenoon of to day I worked at the warehouse. The evening I spent at home and painted another shutter. The cars brought me from Beaumont 32,000 shingles, which Hicks is engaged hauling. I am yet suffering with the itch and cough. I however missed the fever again. Weather variable and hot. Ther : 86°.

Saturday, January 27th, 1866

To day I am at work at the warehouse. Col. Wrigley received a load of lumber from Beaumont to build a school house with. Hicks & Albert set out some more trees, and hauled some lumber from the cars to the school house. They also hauled some palings for Mrs. Beale* [Elizabeth Lemaire Beale nee Waring]. Frank [Stewart], Burt [Roberta Downes Halyard nee Hall] & Jimmy [James Wrigley Hall] are still sick. Weather clear & pleasant, but cold at night with another frost.

*This Mrs. Beale is a 3rd great-grandma to the Keeper of this family history blog.

Wednesday, January 17th, 1866

To day I am at work at the store house. The little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp] drove up town & purchased some articles. Col. Wrigley finished covering in the Cotton shed. The rail road commenced this day to make tri-weekly trips from Houston to Beaumont. Mrs. Beale* [Elizabeth Lemaire Beale nee Waring] still has her horse here. Negro boy Albert is now at work in the garden. Weather variable and rather warm.

*This Mrs. Beale is a 3rd great-grandma to the Keeper of this family history blog.

Saturday, January 13th, 1866

To day I am at work at the store house. The train from Beaumont brought over the lumber to build the Cotton shed, and in the evening the wagons hauled it down to the river. Frank Stewart and Roberta [Downes Halyard nee Hall] are both quite sick, do not improve any. The little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp] drove up town after a few articles. Mrs. Lund came over and spent the evening with the little woman. I purchased two shoats, for which I paid 5$ specie. Weather changeable with drizzling rain.

Saturday, November 11, 1865

To day I am still at work at the warehouse. The Steamer Col. Stell arrived from Galveston, we loaded her with 184 bales of Cotton. Ed. Jones returned from Beaumont sick & is confined to his bed. Hicks hauled 2 loads of wood. Negro boy Stephen had a chill and fever. Frank Stewart is still quite sick. The little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp] drove up town and paid Messrs. Fontaine & Co. 15$ on my account and $8. on a/c of Billy Stewart, it being the full amounts which we owed them, for some clothing. Weather variable and pleasant.

Friday, November 10, 1865

To day I am still at work at the warehouse. Hicks is engaged hauling corn. He made one load for me and one load for Ed Jones. Frank Stewart is still quite sick. Ed Jones left on the cars for Beaumont. Weather variable and a little cool.

Saturday, August 12th, 1865

To day I drove up to the cars in company with Col. Jim Wrigley, and waited until the Beaumont train arrived. Negro man Charley went to the mill for me & carried 2½ bushels of corn. The little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp] had another fever. Jemima also had another fever. Wolf was taken sick with fever and in consequence I became my own ?. The Steamer Col. Stell left for Galveston. Weather clear & hot. Ther: 92°.

Monday, June 5th, 1865

To day the trains on the T.&N.O.R.R. commenced making regular daily trips from Houston to Beaumont. I went out hunting with Capt. Hanson & succeeded in killing several squirrells. Weather clear & hot. Ther: 90°.

Monday, May 29th, 1865

To day I am still at Booth's. Capt. Harrison and I took a long hunt after squirrels. In fact I am now willing to hunt all the time in order to occupy my mind and keep it from dwelling all the time upon home. A large party of gentlemen came over on the cars from Beaumont and put up at Booths, entirely crowding us out. Be it remembered that the President of the United Sates (Andrew Johnson) issued his proclamation liberating and freeing all the negro slaves in the south. and by this high handed and unlawful act I am deprived of nearly all my property that I have been working for for the past 30 years nearly all the Capital that I had being invested in that species of property. Weather clear & hot.

Thursday, May 25th, 1865

To day I am still at Booth's. Today another large party of soldiers after stealing all they could find around in the County left for Beaumont on the cars. Capt. Harrison, Lt. Edwards, Mr. Felkins & I went down to Mr. Cole's and found him gone to parts unknown. Weather clear & very hot.

Wednesday, May 24th, 1865

To day I am still at Booth's. The soldiers who destroyed and carried away all the property they could find left on the cars for Beaumont in order to sack that place. Be it remembered that Genl. E.K. Smith surrendered to Genl. Canby the Trans-Mississippi department which finally winds up the war ingloriously to the South. Weather clear and very hot.

 

Saturday, July 19th, 1862

To day I am engaged in the office. In the evening the Mayor & Council of the City of Liberty met, and as Mayor & ex officio President of the board of Alderman had to attend said meeting. The boys are engaged in digging the grave for poor old Charley Bealing who died in Beaumont and whose remains was brought over on the cars for burial here. He was buried in the Roman Catholic burial ground with the usual ceremonies of that church. weather clear & very hot. Ther: 94°.

Tuesday, December 31st, 1861

To day I am busy in the store acting as salesman. The cars arrived from Beaumont bringing 7 more of the long looked for cannon, three of the seven being Columbiads and weighing as follows: 13,224. - 13,226. & 13,328 lbs. weather clear and pleasant. 

Thus I close the records of daily events for the year 1861, and whether God will permit me to live to keep the records of another year, is more than poor mortal man can know, but trusting in his mercy I shall enter upon the trials of another year, with hopes of future success & prosperity through his goodness & favor.

Sunday, August 4th, 1861

To day I remained at the store. The Ruthven left for Galveston after the arrival of the Beaumont train. Sam Sharp still sick. weather cloudy with occasional showers of rain. Ther. standing at 92°

Saturday, June 22nd, 1861

To day the Liberty Guards had a dress parade and went out on the cars to Beaumont. I did not drill the K.G.C.'s in consequence of the absence of so many of the members with the Guards. weather clear & warm.

Friday, September 14th, 1860

To day we left Hardin, and after riding 18 miles we ? at the ferry over Pine Island bayou. Thence 9 miles to Beaumont. While there I examined the records touching several land claims. expenses of the day $3.10. weather warm & changable.

---

According to W. T. Block . . . There were three ferries at early day Beaumont, Tevis Ferry at the townsite of Beaumont, William Ashworth's ferry at Santa Ana, about three miles to the south, and Pine Bluff Ferry (later Collier's), five miles to the north. The latter was the preferable crossing point because of the high land there on both sides of the river. In 1842, Pine Bluff was allowed 3 cents each for swimming cattle, horses, mules, or hogs. Between 1846 and 1848, the crossing fee was still 3 cents per head at Nancy Tevis Hutchinson's ferry at Beaumont and at John Sparks' ferry over Taylor's Bayou. However, the crossing fee at Amos Thames' ferry over Pine Island Bayou in 1846 was only 2 cents a head. . . .

After Jefferson County became a political entity, many pioneers sought to establish ferries, which meant a guaranteed income. Soon John Sparks operated the ferry across Taylor’s Bayou on the dirt road to Sabine Pass. James Chessher owned the ferry across Pine Island Bayou on the dirt road to Woodville, and Brown’s ferry crossed Village Creek.

Many of the earliest county records are ferry licenses, including the requirements of ferry operators. During the 1830s Richard Ballew owned the ferry across Sabine River, several miles north of Orange, and W. C. Beard and William Ashworth owned the Santa Ana ferry (at Mobil refinery). Each was permitted to charge “short ferriage” or “long ferriage” rates. “Long ferriage” at Santa Ana meant traveling 2 miles to high land up Beard’s Bayou. “Long ferriage” at Ballew’s was a 4-mile voyage up the old Sabine River channel to Niblett’s Bluff.

In 1847 the Santa Ana ferry franchise was revoked and passed to Nancy Hutchinson. After Ballew died about 1840, his ferry franchise passed to Ursin Guidry.

During the 1830’s Henry Millard operated the “Pine Bluff” ferry about 3 miles north of Beaumont. After Millard moved to Galveston, his ferry franchise was transferred to John and Person Collier.

The early ferries were allowed to charge a specified fee for a horse and rider, a buggy or wagon, and 2 cents for each head of cattle crossed. Ordained ministers crossed free of charge. Often ferrymen were required to provide food, lodging, and cattle pens, and some ferries were licensed to sell liquor. Each ferryman paid a percentage of his receipts as a county tax. . . .