William H. McCulloch
By J. Kevin McCulloch
Submitted at the request of the Selma Historical Foundation
Copyright © 2005 J. Kevin McCulloch
William was the son of William G. and Margery (Lee) McCulloch.[1] He was born on 6 November 1819 [2] in Montgomery County, Alabama where his parents had settled earlier that same year. The state of Alabama was opened up for settlement in 1819 and it was in this wild and untamed area that William grew up. whatever schooling William may have had was undoubtedly from the country schools established among the settlers in the area.
By the time he was twenty, William had left home and established himself in his own home although he still remained in close proximity to the rest of his family.[3] By 1840 William's father had fallen on hard times brought on partly by the financial panic that swept the young nation in 1837 and plummeting cotton prices that came about due to a bumper crop in 1839. William's father decided to join the droves of people heading west in search for new land and better opportunities. William's father and one of his older brothers, James Harvey McCulloch along with some of their slaves went to Texas to secure land. William remained behind in Alabama probably to help look after his mother and younger siblings but William's restless spirit could not be contained long in Montgomery County, so he likewise set out for Texas where he joined up with his father and brother.
In 1841 William and his brother James went to Victoria County, Texas probably to search out opportunities of their own.[4] Whatever their reason for going to Victoria County, they did not tarry there long before going back to Montgomery County, Texas.
By 1846 William was married to Sarah Ann Whitesides.[5] Sarah Ann was the daughter of John J. and Elizabeth (Wallace) Whitesides.[6] The Whitesides were from Missouri and were part of Stephen F. Austin's colony.[7] Sarah Ann was born sometime after 1826, probably in Texas.[8] William and Sarah Ann began their married life in Grimes County on three hundred acres with one slave and seventy-four head of cattle.[9] This property was probably Sarah Ann's inheritance from her mother. While still living in Grimes county, William appeared before the Board of Land Commissioners of Harris County, Texas and made application for three hundred and twenty acres as his head right. On 4 March 1846, the Commissioners issued him a cerificate (#618) for three hundred and twenty acres, which he sold for $50.00 a few weeks later.[10] The deed was signed in Houston and witnessed by William's younger brother, George Robert Dabney McCulloch.
In September 1847, Sarah Ann sold her half of her deceased mother's property to James T. Patterson for $500.[11] Shortly thereafter they moved to Victoria, Texas. In December 1848 William and Sarah Ann sold two hundred and fifty acres that they still owned in Grimes County for $300.[12] This land was originally part of James Wallace's (Sarah Ann's maternal grandfather) head right which he had conveyed to her earlier. In January 1849 William purchased a town lot in Victoria for $100.00 and another town lot with a house about one month later also for $100.[13] He did not keep these properties long as he sold them a few months later for $100 each.[14]
William began a stage coach company which ran between Victoria and Indianola (later known as Port Lavaca). He announced his new company by running the following advertisement in "The Texian Advocate" on 11 January 1850:
Wm. H. McCulloch informs the public that he has commenced running a good four-horse stage between Indianola and Victoria, for the accommodation of the traveling community. His stage is strong and comfortable and being well covered, passengers will be securely protected from rain and cold. He will leave Indianola immediately after the arrival of the steamer and arrive at Victoria in time to connect with the stage for San Antonio. Returning will leave Victoria after the arrival of the stage from San Antonio. A liberal share of the traveling custom is respectfully solicited.
Victoria, 21 December 1849
W. H. McCulloch
William's new business venture was without is competition. There was another stagecoach company in town by the name of Harrison & Brown who ran a stage line from Port Lavaca to New Braunfels. It was also a four-horse stage.[15] A stage coach business undoubtedly required money to start up and run and cash was one thing that William was a bit short of, so in July 1850 he borrowed $350.00 from Jesse O. Wheeler and pledged his twelve year-old slave girl named Sarah as collateral for the loan.[16] William did not remain independent for long before merging with his competition. The newly formed Harrison & McCulloch stage line provided service from Port Lavaca to New Braunfels.
William and Sarah had one daughter whom they also named Sarah Ann. Her birth date has not been ascertained. Unfortunately, William's family life was short lived as both his wife and daughter were deceased by 22 August 1850.[17] No doubt devastated by the loss of his family, William moved to Bexar County [18] where on 15 February 1851 he married his second wife, Laura Morris.[19] They were married by Father Aplhonsus M. Zoeller, a Roman Catholic Priest from San Antonio.[20] William was from a Protestant family and the fact that he and Laura were married by a Catholic Priest is probably due to that fact that they simply needed someone qualified to perform the marriage or perhaps Laura was Catholic. Shortly after his marriage to Laura, William sold all of his right, title, claim and interest in the estate of J. J. Whitesides (his recently deceased father-in-law) for $1,000 to his business partner, John S. Harrison who was also living in Bexar County at the time.[21] According to family tradition, William's death came prematurely as he was "assassinated" in Victoria, Texas, probably around 1854.[22]
Endnotes:
1. Last Will and Testament of William McCulloch, Montgomery County, Texas, Probate Volume 3, page 4.
2. McCulloch-McDaniel Family Bible.
3. Montgomery County, Alabama census of 1840, page 183.
4. Victoria County, Texas Tax Rolls of 1841.
5. 1846 Tax roll of Grimes Co., TX as transcribed by JKM, shows W. H. McCulloch owning 300 acres of land that was originally owned by James Wallace who was Sarah Ann's grandfather. Deed from Sarah W. McCulloch to James T. Patterson dated 21 September 1847, Deed Records of Grimes Co., TX, Deed Book B, page 22, transcribed by JKM, Sarah sells an interest she has in her mother's property and Sarah states that she was formerly Sarah Whitesides, the daughter of Elizabeth Whitesides and John J. Whitesides. William H. McCulloch also signs the deed. JKM assumes William H. McCulloch and Sarah Ann Whitesides were married around 1846.
6. Deed from William H. McCulloch to John S. Harrison, dated 3 April 1852, Grimes Co., TX Deed Book C, page 17; transcribed by JKM. William H. McCulloch sold all of his right, title and interest in the Estate of J. J. Whitesides of Grimes County, Texas to John S. Harrison for $1,000. William stated that his interest in Whitesides' estate derived from his wife Sarah Ann, the daughter of said J. J. Whitesides and also through Sarah Ann McCulloch, the daughter of my said wife.
7. Blair, E. L., Early History of Grimes County, page 161.
8. Ibid. In John J. whitesides' application for a Texas land grant dated December 1826, he states that he and his wife had one daughter. John's first child was Nancy Rachel Whitesides, so Sarah was born sometime later.
9. 1846 Tax Roll of Grimes Co., TX.
10. Land Certificate #618, Bexar 3-359, Original Land Grant Collection, Archives and Records Division, Texas General Land Office, Austin. Michael DeChaumes purchased this certificate and located this land on the San Miguel branch of the Rio Frio about 60 miles SSW of the city of San Antonio de Bexar. Transcribed by JKM.
11. Montgomery County, TX Deed Records, Book B. page 22, dated 21 September 1847.
12. Montgomery County, TX Deed records, Book A, page 7, dated 12 December 1848.
13. Victoria County, TX Deed records, Vol. 3, pages 783 & 794.
14. Ibid., Vol. 4, pages 13 & 103, recorded 1 June 1849 & 6 March 1850.
15. "The Texian Advocate," No. 37, Friday, 11 January 1850, page 4 under the heading: 'Mail Line of Stages' appears an advertisement for the Harrison & Brown Stage Line.
16. Ibid., Vol. 4, p 212, recorded 7/17/1850.
17. U. S. Federal Census of Victoria Co., TX, page 240. William appears alone in this census enumeration. In a Petition filed by John S. Harrison in Grimes Co., TX in December 1852 and recorded in Grimes Co., TX Probate Minutes Book 3, pages 150 & 151, John states that he was an assignee of William H. McCulloch with regard to McCulloch's interest in John J. whitesdies' estate by virtue of McCulloch's marriage to _____ Whitesides and a child now deceased.
18. In a deed recorded in Montgomery County, TX Vol. C, page 17, dated 3 April 1852, William states he is now living in Bexar County.
19. Marriage Licenses of Wm. H. McCulloch and Laura Morris, 15 February 1851 (recorded 21 August 1851), Comal County, TX; Comal County Marriage Records, Book A 1846-1853, Certificate #195, transcribed by JKM 7/96.
20. Easley, Thomas A. & Jack H. Douglas, Marriage records of Comal County, TX 1846-1864, published by Comal Co. Family Histories, New Braunfels, TX.
21. Montgomery County, TX Deed Records, Vol. C, page 17, dated 3 April 1852.
22. JKM assumes William died around 1854 because no later records that pertain to him have been found.
Copyright © 2005 J. Kevin McCulloch
Bexar County, Texas AHGP Home