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Veto Benjiman Austin was born in Dickens, September 19, 1901. His parents were Charley Edward and Lucinda Brock Austin. He had 3 brothers; George, Jay, L.D., and 3 sisters; Edna May (deceased), Pearl, and Emma. They were farmers.
I was born in Geraldine, Texas in 1908. I came with my parents (Richard Montford "Dick" Slack and Ruth May Derbyshire) and 2 other families in covered wagons from Archer county. We settled on the bank of White River in 1913, just below where the dam is, and lived in tents until they dug wells and built houses. Mama cooked quail and rabbit (which were plentiful at that time) by dishpans full. I had 2 brothers, Orville and Montford; 5 sisters, Alta, Lila, Laura, Bessie and Ivey.
I met Veto in 1924 in the Palace theatre. We married May 15, 1926 at Spur, by Judge Brummett. Roy Holly (Veto´s cousin) was our witness. The judge and Roy sat in the front seat of our Ford car and Veto and I in the back seat. Judge Brummett said, "Veto, she isn´t very big so I´ll just charge you $1.75".
Our first son, Billie Joe, was born July 2, 1927 at my parents home on White River. Veto worked for Swenson Land and Cattle Co., Spur. We moved to SMS Ranch at Throckmorton in 1929, lived there 29 months, moved to SMS Ranch, Stamford, moved to Y Ranch (under Fred Snyder) near Whiteface in 1936 where our second son, Charles Dickie Austin was born February 28, 1938. After moving back to Spur, our little girl, Peggy Joan was born May 31, 1940, at my parents house at White River. She died in 1945.
Our career with the Pitchfork Ranch began at the headquarters cookhouse in 1940. In 1942 we moved to the Purebred camp for the next 3 years. We moved back to headquarters where we retired in 1969 and moved to our present home in Spur. We worked under three managers on the Pitchforks; Rudolph Swenson, D. Burns, and Jim Humphreys.
Billie Joe finished high school at Dumont in 1945, went into the Air Force and was an airplane mechanic instructor for 3 years at Boloxi, Mississippi. He came home and married Micky Waltz in 1951. They moved to Ft. Worth where Joe worked for General Dynamics. He retired in 1976 and came back to Spur. They have 2 children; a boy, Ronald Lee and a girl, Thresa Gail.
Charles Dickie finished high school at Guthrie in 1956, stayed with Joe at Ft. Worth and went to Draughon´s Business College and worked. He married Elizabeth Turner in 1958. He worked on the Tallye Windham ranch, later the Dale Bradshaw ranch. He is now a stockfarmer near Dumont. They have 3 children, Pamella, Allen, and Russell. Pam married Shayne Powell at Childress. They live at Paducah and have 2 children; Lowell LaShawn and Brandy Michielle. Bret married Reena Burrow from New Home. They have 2 boys; Chase Allen and Chad Landon, and live in Lubbock where he works for the fire department.
Veto lived in this county all his life and passed away in 1975. He loved the church, his family, and good horses.
....Aleene AustinSource: Dickens County History...its Land and People © Dickens Historical Commission; Printer: Craftsman Inc. Lubbock, Texas 1986
Funeral services were held Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Hill Street Church of Christ for Veto Benjamin Austin, 73, Mr. Austin, a retired ranch hand, died March 14 in the Crosbyton Hospital.
Van Cash, minister of the Hill Street Church of Christ, officiated. He was assisted by Harold Fits, Lubbock minister.
Mr. Austin had resided in Dickens County all of his life. He worked for 23 years at the Pitchfork Ranch where he had charge of the purebred cattle operation. He was a member of the Church of Christ.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Aleene Austin Spur; two sons, Billy Joe, Ft. Worth and Charles Dickie Austin, Paducah; three brothers, Jay and George of Spur; L.D. of Eager, AZ; two sisters, Mrs. Pearl Stovall, New York City; Mrs. Emma Witt, Crosbyton; five grandchildren.
Pallbearers included Robert Williams, William Sedberry, Edgar Robinson, Rex Holder, Henry Slack, and Willie Rushin. Honorary pallbearers included D. Burns, Jim Humphreys, Ola Miller, Earl Thomason, J.B. Gambrell, Bob Allen, L.C. Rushin, Jim Offield, Elmer McCombs, Roy Cross and Jinks Wilson,
Burial was in the Spur cemetery.
©The Texas Spur, March 30, 1975
from the records of Lillian Grace Nay
Services for Aleene Austin, 83, Spur, were at 10 a.m. March 29, 1991 in the Hill Street Church of Christ with Van Cash, Afton, officiating.
Burial was in Spur Memorial Cemetery with Campbell Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Austin died about 6:45 a.m. March 17, 1991 in St. Mary of the Plains Hospital., Lubbock., following a brief illness. She was born March 14, 1908 in Archer County, Texas and married Veto Austin in Spur on May 15, 1926. He died in 1975.
She was a homemaker and had been a resident of Spur most of her life. She was a member of the Church of Christ.
Survivors include two sons, Dickie Austin and B.J. Austin, both of Spur; one daughter, Peggy Joan Austin preceded her in death in 1945; one sister, Ivy Slack, White River; five grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Pallbearers included Bret Austin, Russell Austin, Ronald Austin, Shane Powell, Shaun Powell and Ray Faubus.
©The Texas Spur, April 4, 1991
from the records of Lillian Grace Nay
© Dickens County Historical Commission 1997-2022
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