"Uncle Charlie" topped the Caprock in 1890, as a boy of seven riding a horse. " He´s been at it ever since" according to Tanner Laine in his "Cattle Call" book.He came to the plains of West Texas with his parents, the late Mr. and Mrs. H. H. McDermett. He was an early day rancher, with interests in West Texas and New Mexico. He resided in the Roswell area 20 years before moving to Dexter and returning in 1923 to Crosby County, settling on the north rim of Blanco Canyon.
Charles P. McDermett and Annie Josephine Smith were married Sept. 1, 1907 in Crosbyton. She was the daughter of the late "Uncle and Aunt Hank" Smith, the first permanent settlers of Crosby County. The couple exchanged wedding vows in the fable Hank Smith Rock House.
To this union were born two sons, J. Wilson McDermett of Morton and Charles McDermett Jr. of Snyder, and two daughters, Mrs. Nettie Edwards of Lubbock and Mrs. Agnes Robinson of Crosbyton. Annie Josephine Smith McDermett died in 1926.
Mr. McDermett and Macy Kincaid of Floydada were married in October 1927 and moved to Ralls the following year.
©Source: The Crosbyton Review, December 19, 1977
Charlie McDermett was born Nov. 26, 1882 in Erath Co. His parents were Hugh Henry and Jeanette (Snell) McDermett. He had five brothers and four sisters: Troy, Fred, H.C. Linnie, Ethel, Annie, Nora, John and Rosa May. when he was seven the family moved to the Plains and he vividly remembers riding horseback.The McDermetts learned the meaning of the word "nester" when many of the ranches refused to let them rest their cattle, fearing they would "nest" on their range.
One such encounter was with a range boss on Matador Ranch. He boosted them across the ranch as quickly as possible without allowing the cattle to drink from ponds that were only a couple of miles off course. There was plenty of grass for the cattle but water was scarce.
When they finally reached Mt. Blanco, Hank Smith, recommended they settle in Blanco Canyon but McDermett liked the looks of the tall, waving grass on top of the caprock, so in June, 1890 he settled on the windy Plains. McDermett´s place was located a mile above the caprock in the vicinity where F.M. road 61 drops into the canyon the west side of the road, about 7 or 8 miles north of Crosbyton.
Two bachelors had a one-room box house that was 12 or 14 ft. square on a 160 acre claim. H. H. gave these men some cattle for the house and a chance to live on the place.
"Papa built about the biggest dugout in the this country in 1891." In the winter they ate and slept in the dugout. They had no trouble keeping warm, the dugout had about a 40 inch fireplace where Mrs. McDermett prepared the meals. The room was large enough for a table and two beds. They used mesquite roots and cowchips for fuel, hauled up by wagon loads from the canyon. "The mesquites had been burned off and often times a wagon could be loaded from the roots of one tree." Charlie recalls.
Charlie remembers making a trip by wagon to Colorado City before the road was laid to Amarillo. His father brought back a load of lumber to be used on the inside of the house, and he drove the team and wagon with the household supplies.
Charlie´s first wife was Hank Smith´s daughter, Annie Josephine. They were married by Judge E.B. Covington, Sept. 1, 1907. They had four children: J.W. born in 1909; Agnes Robinson, born in 1911; Nettie Edwards, born in 1913, Charles P. Jr. born in 1923.
Children of four families attended the nine month school at Mt. Blanco. These were the McDermetts, Smiths, Potters and Poes.
"The school house was right there by the Hank Smith place. We felt as much at home there as in our own house, at the Potters or Poes either, as far as that goes."
In 1916 Charlie bought his first car, a Model T. Ford.
Charlie, H.C., Fred, and Ethel all filed on land in New Mexico in 1916. Charlie shipped his stock, and he and his family went by car to his claim 20 miles north of Roswell.
Charlie recalls, "The situation was about the same there as it was here when we first came to the Plains -- good grass, no water and no people."
Charlie also owned a garage while in Roswell. Charlie moved to Dexter, NM for a couple of years where he farmed for wages until he was able to start farming for himself again.
In 1923 Charlie moved his family back to Crosby Co. and settled on a half section of land Annie had inherited, located on the north rim of Blanco Canyon.
Charlies wife, Annie, died in the spring of 1926 and was buried in Emma cemetery.
A young widow, Macey Kincaid, and her 10-year-old daughter, Thelma, were working a farm nearby in Lakeview community. Charlie and Macey had much in common and they were married Oct. 17, 1927 by Judge J.M. Mabe.
In 1928 the McDermetts moved to Ralls where Macey kept the children in school while Charlie went on the road working pipelines in Teas oil fields.
Charlie remembers working on several cattle ranches, SR Ranch, Jim Barr´s outfit, Tom Montgomery´s ranch, and the -N- of C.B. Livestock Co.
(Written from taped interviews with Mr. and Mrs. McDermett in 1970-71. Tapes are in the Pioneer Memorial Museum, Crosbyton.)
Source: "A History of Crosby County 1876-1977" © Crosby County Historical Commission 1978; Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas.
Services for Charles P. "Uncle Charlie" McDermett, 95, a Crosby County pioneer of Ralls, were held at 2 p.m. Monday in Emma Church of Christ, with Loyd Hall, minister of Crosbyton Church of Christ officiating.
Burial was in Ralls Cemetery under direction of Carter Funeral Home.
McDermett died at 7:08 p.m. Friday in Crosbyton Clinic Hospital after a lengthy illness.
The Erath County native came to the West Texas Plains in 1880. The rancher had interests in West Texas and New Mexico. He lived in the Roswell area 20 years where he owned a garage, before moving to Dexter and returning to Crosby County in 1923 where he settled on the north rim of Blanco Canyon.
McDermett married Annie Josephine Smith, daughter of Hank Smith, Sept. 1, 1907 in Crosbyton. She died in 1926. He married Marcy Kincaid in 1927, and they moved to Ralls in 1928.
Survivors include his wife, Macy of Andrews; two sons, J. W. of Morton and Charles Jr. of Snyder; two daughters, Mrs. T. B. (Nettie) Edwards of Lubbock and Mrs. Agnes Robinson of Crosbyton; a stepdaughter, Mrs. Thelma Lucado of Andrews; two brothers, H.C. of Abilene and Fred of Pueblo, Colo.; three sisters, Mrs. Nora Freeman of Hale Center, Mrs. Ethel Trammel of San Angelo and Mrs. Rosa Mae Grant of Abilene; 15 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren and a great great grandchild.
©Crosbyton Review, June 5, 1975
Record provided by Crosby County Pioneer Memorial Museum
transcribed by Linda Fox Hughes
Graveside services for Macey M. McDermett, 88 year old Andrews resident, were at 2 p.m. Thursday in Ralls Cemetery. Roy Shave, Church of Christ minister from Ralls, officiated.Mrs. McDermett was claimed by death Wednesday afternoon in Andrews Care Center following a prolonged illness.
She was the widow of Charlie McDermett, who died about six years ago at the age of 95. He was well-known in this area and had a number of Crosbyton relatives.
An Arkansas native, Mrs. McDermett moved to Andrews seven years ago. She previously had resided in Ralls.
Survivors include a daughter, Thelma Lucado of Andrews; two stepdaugthers, Agnes Robinson of Crosbyton and Nettie Edwards of Lubbock; two step sons, Jay W. McDermett of Morton and Charles McDermett of Snyder; and 19 grandchildren.
©Crosbyton Review, November 24, 1983
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