William and
Jane Benton
(Ramsey) Pulley
Married 1857
| William
Cassius was born in Wayne
County, Tennessee on November 24, 1837. In 1844 he and his family
moved to Kentucky, where William C. remained until about 1855 when he
moved to Missouri. It was in Greeneville, Missouri in 1857 where he
married Miss Jane Benton Ramsey.
In 1859, their first child, James, was born. Shortly after his birth they left Missouri and relocated to Fulton County, Arkansas. For a short period of time, William and Jane farmed a small piece of land in Mammouth, Arkansas, where their next two children were born; William "Price" in 1861, Sarah "Ellen" in 1865. The start of the Civil War changed their lives. In January 1861, after Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president, the South Carolina legislature perceived a threat. Calling a state convention, the delegates voted to remove the state of South Carolina from the union known as the United States of America. The secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of six more states -- Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas -- and the threat of secession by four more -- Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These eleven states eventually formed the Confederate States of America. In April 1861, after the attack on Fort Sumter, Arkansas, along with Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina, seceded from the union. On May 6, 1861 Arkansas seceded from the Union and, although William had voted against secession, he aided in organizing the first company of Confederate troops from that section. On September 7, 1861, in Pocohantas, Arkansas, William joined Company A, 21st Arkansas Infantry (Confederate). This unit later became 14th (McCarver's) Arkansas. On October 4, 1862, William was wounded five times at the Battle of Corinth. He was taken prisoner by the Union Army and removed to Jacksonport, Mississippi where the Union Army had a prisoner of war camp. On December 24, 1862 he was paroled from Jacksonport and furloughed home, where he remained for the duration of the War. In April 1865 the Civil War ended; on June 9, 1865 William was honorably discharged from the Confederate Army. I have verified that I have the correct Arkansas Pension Record because William Pulley's son-in-law, William F. Huggins, signed the proof of indigency form. William's Civil War military records were ordered based upon information in the pension papers so I'm confident they are correct, also. Once William had recovered from his war injuries, we believe he and Jane resumed farming their land. To the best of our knowledge, they remained on their farm until about 1873 when they moved to Johnson County, Texas. It is believed that one of William's siblings was living in Johnson County at that time which could, in part, account William opened his first grocery store in Breckenridge. They would load their wagons at Old Fort Griffin with buffalo hides, take them to Fort Worth and |
return with the wagons loaded with groceries. The Pulleys owned a lot of land in Breckenridge, much of it in the downtown area, so the grocery business must have done very well. The photograph shown here is what today remains of the Pulley home in Breckenridge The family remained in Breckenridge at least
through 1881. The census for 1880 shows the five Pulley's (William,
Jane, James, Price, and Ellen) living there. The census lists
their son, James as a law student, living in Breckenridge (possibly at
home) . Thus far, I have not been able to locate anything further about
him. It could be that he died, although I have not found a death
certificate for him (vital records were very poorly kept at that time so
the lack of a death certificate really doesn't mean much) or perhaps he
simply moved out of the area. When I was a child I remember my grandmother telling me that her father (William F. Huggins) and her grandfather (William C. Pulley) were in the Civil War together. I know that both men were in the Civil War, but still don't know if they ever served together or not. William C. was severely wounded ( proven) and, the story goes, William F. saved his life. William C. told the slightly younger man that if they should survive the war he (William F) could marry William C's daughter. Now, Sarah was born in 1865 and the battle at Corinth (where we know that William C. was wounded) was in October of 1862 so that in itself would seem to disprove the story. Of course, there could have been another time when William Huggins did save William Pulley's life. Right now, we just don't know for sure either way. However, we do know that both William's were in business together for many years and that they were contemporaries (William C. born in 1837, William F. in 1844). William F. was living in Breckenridge when the Pulley's arrived. Could it be that this was the reason for the move? Whatever the truth may be it's an interesting and romantic story. Within the year the two families, including Sarah's brother, (William) Price Pulley, moved to Cisco, Texas. At this time, Cisco was the last contact with civilization before travelers began their long trek to the Pacific Coast. It began as a typical Western town. The first building was a stage station, with baths and a corral. At that time it boasted 350 residents, six saloons, two hotels, a post office, and two churches. The two families bought several pieces of property, some in the downtown section and one large lot in the residential area. Their two homes were side by side in Cisco and the two Williams were in business together, both being merchants. So, thus it was that the business of "Pulley and Huggins, Staple and Fancy Groceries" was born. (Shown here is an image of their letterhead. Note that the "e" is missing from Pulley.) |
The Children of William C. G. Pulley and Jane Benton Ramsey-Pulley
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