J. E. HENDERSON

J. E. HENDERSON, CONCHO PIONEER RANCHMAN, DIES
Widely Known Cattleman Came To this Area 57 Years Ago
    Fifty seven years ago a 25-year old frontiersman, J. E. Henderson, Sr., moved 1,000 head of cattle across a county filled with buffalo, antelope, and deer to a spot where he was to teach an new country how to produce dollars. he was the firs of four Henderson brothers, John, Sam, and Will all of whom had made fortunes in the ranch business to come to the region . Of the group, Will of El Paso only is left.
    Mr. Henderson who came to Concho county in 1876 and settled at Burr Oak springs not more than miles from where he lived since coming here, died at San Antonio yesterday and his body will be buried in the family plot on the ranch this afternoon. The active pall bearers will be Russell Donaldson, Lloyd Whitley, Ed Speck, Ted Bunger, Bert Smalley, Bill Woffenberger. The honorary pall bearers are: Sol Mayer, R. A. Hall, George E. Web, Dan McCrohan, Charley McCrohan, Arthur Martin, Sam Jones, Jared }P. Hill, Ira Yates, Lee Pfluger, R. G. Armor, Herbert O'Bannon, Charley Latham, W. F. Ford, G. R. White, M. B. Pulliam, W. M. Hemphill, D. K. Martin, Jess Key, John Hill, Enoch Hill, C. A. Barron, James Collan, Henry Jackson, Pat Jackson, Wren Jackson, Will A. Davis, W. D. Ake, George Neill, J. Willis Johnson, Jr., Sam Hill, Will Hill, Seaton Keith, Charles Hobbs, Abe Mayer, J. D. York, D. E. Simms, Judge O. W. Sims, Dr. W. P. Menzies, Dr. Burleson, George Allison, W. M. Bevans, Thom Hunt, Fred Speck, Harold Opp, Dr. McIntosh, the minister will be the Rev. L. D. Hart of Paint Rock.
    Mr. Henderson's father had come from one of the states east of the Mississippi two or three weeks after the battle of San Jacinto and had joined a ranger company serving in the capacity for four or five ears he accumulated land scrip which enabled him to locate 4000 acres of land in the valley of the Guadalupe river. Before the Civil War. He came to San Saba county and located 15 miles west of San Saba on the 300 acre irrigated form, now the property of the Sloan heirs. Soon he had other land including a track at the head of Wallace creek.
                                                        Open Range Days
   It was from the San Saba country that the Tom Green and Concho county pioneer came, with Calvin Sloan, bringing along some common cattle, soon to be increased by a half carload of registered Durham bulls, the firs registered cattle in the country. They stopped on the Brady creek for four or five months, and then came to Burr Oak springs and the Kickapoo. It was open range in those days and neighbors were few. There were Ike Mullins, the Tankersleys and a few other cowmen. Mr. Henderson had chosen the spot of ground on which he settled during trips he had made as a boy under 21, driving cattle from San Saba to Brady, then again to San Angelo, to the Horsehead on the Pecos and to New Mexico where they were sold. The cattle sold he came back carrying the money in gold hidden in his belt. On one trip while he and a cook were bringing up two stray cows, they were chased by Indians, and to escape they swam the Pecos. The cook took off his boots, explaining that the Indians could track them better if he wore shoes and in that fashion they walked to camp 20 miles. The first house built on his 24,000 acre ranch near here was made of one-inch undressed lumber hauled from Round Rock. That house with additions still stands on the ranch today. In 1879 he married Miss Cora Loftin, a sister of E. W. Loftin of Big Lake. The wedding took place in San Saba county. Mrs. Henderson died 36 years ago.
    In 1879 Calvin Sloan sold his cattle which he had in partnership with Mr. Henderson to the Smithson Company which moved them to the Middle Concho. In 1880 Mr. Henderson sold his cattle to Mr. Sloan and then bought the remnant of the Gordon brothers cattle about 600 head. Soon he began to buy land, acquiring 12 sections from one man and 16 from another. Then he bought the Joe Moss ranch and cattle located ten miles east of the site of Eldorado. In the late 80's he fenced his ranch in this county and in 1891 fenced the Moss ranch. Later he sold the Moss ranch.
                                                    Drives Cattle to Fort Worth
   In 1887, E. W. Loftin helped him take a load of steers to Fort Worth driving the cattle from here to Brady, to Brownwood, to Comanche, to Fort Worth and finding only two spots where there were lanes as long as three or four miles.  When the T. and P. built to Abilene they drove their herds there until the railway came to Ballinger and that became the shipping point.
    When Mr. Henderson bought the Moss ranch, it was located in what was then Crockett county, the counties of Val Verde, Schleicher, Sutton having been carved from that county since that time. The only wells from the present north line of Schleicher to Del Rio was the George Bird well two mikes from the west line of Menard county located on the head of rock and the McNeil well on the divide between the San Saba and the Devils river draws, a spot now located in the Thompson Brothers pasture.  E. W. Loftin, who was outside man for Mr. Henderson, remembers one big roundup of from 25,000 to 50,000 head of cattle on Fuzzy creek north of Paint Rock. Jim Rose was chosen the roundup boss. In 1890 the big roundups ceased as free range days were over. 
    When Joe Moss sold his ranch in Schleicher to Mr. Henderson, he moved to Johnson draw five miles from the present site of Ozona. It was getting too crowded for Moss. First Moss had been a ranchman on the spot where Eden is located but two or three farmers came in and he moved on. Mr. Moss wanted to see water located in the country and assisted Mr. Henderson in paying for the drilling of a well on the old Moss ranch east of Schleicher. A driller from Pennsylvania, a new set of drilling tools were brought in and the water drilling contract let. The water was struck at a depth of 185 feet but the driller had a contract at $3 a foot and kept going to 215 feet. It was a revelation that water could be found on the divide. Then Mr. Moss got the driller to sink a well for him near Ozona and found water in 1885. A brother of J. E. Henderson, the late John Henderson, got the driller to drill two wells for him and in five years the Ozona country was covered with windmills and Ozona was born.
                                                                Brother Settles Nearby
    Sam Henderson came from the San Saba country in 1878 or 1879 and settled 12 miles below the elder brother, J. E. on the Kickapoo. Before his death he owned, about 100,000 acres of land, his motto being to acquire land in volume. he owned ranches in Menard, Tom Green, Schleicher, Concho. When the land rushes came and settlers came and then desired to move on he bought them out. Like the other three brothers he was an exclusive cowman, who had nothing to do with sheep. his cattle had been part of the 1,000 that J. E. Henderson had bought a few years previous.  At the same time the elder brother had taken a string of cattle on the shares from Dave Lemons of Carrizo Springs.  Sam Henderson died a few years ago.
    John Henderson died a few months ago after creating an immense ranch, the only exclusive cow ranch in Crockett county.
    he came to this country in 1880, and began ranching on the Kickapoo, one half mile east of his brother Sam.
    Will Henderson, the youngest of the famous quartet of brothers came here when Sam Henderson did, took cattle to New Mexico and now has a ranch near Alpine. It is under lease to the Kokernots while he operates a 1,000 acre irrigated farm about 15 miles below Alfalfa. he has become a well known feeder of cattle and sheep.
    Survivors of J. E. Henderson include five children and three grandchildren. The children are J. E. Henderson, Jr., of Tierra Alta, S. L. Henderson of San Angelo, Arthur Henderson and Miss Cora Henderson of Van Court, and Mrs. A. M. Slator of Brackettville. The grandchildren are James and Baker Henderson, sons of J. E., Jr. and Miss Catherine Henderson, daughter of S. L. Henderson.
    In addition there are two sisters, Mrs. T. A. Sloan and Mrs. N. R. Sloan of San Saba. He is also survived by numerous nephews and nieces all of whom are leaders in ranching or business life of the west.

San Angelo Times
March 31, 1933

J. E. Henderson
Called By Death
    J. E. Henderson, 82, pioneer cattleman of Concho county, died last Friday morning in a San Antonio hospital.
    Mr. Henderson was born in Comal county Texas, June 2nd 1851. Came as a child to San Saba county. In 1876 he came to Concho county and engaged in the cattle business. Because of ill health he retired some two years ago. He was successful as a ranchman and deserves much credit for developing the ranch business. He was a man that commanded the respect of the best citizens of this great section of the state as was attested by the large number of prominent business men from all of the surrounding country. A large number of people from Paint Rock attended.
    Mr. Henderson was a charter member of the Paint Rock Methodist church. The funeral services were conducted by the pastor, Rev. L. D. Hardt, assisted by Rev. C. T. Hardt, of Eden. Burial was in the family plot on the ranch at the head of the Kickapoo.
    Surviving Mr. Henderson are three sons: J. E. Henderson Jr., Tierraaha Texas; Loftin Henderson, San Angelo; Arthur Henderson, Van Court; and two daughters, Mrs. A. M. Slator, Bracketville and Miss Cora Henderson, Van Court. Two grandsons and one grand daughter; two sisters and one brother.

Paint Rock Herald
April 6, 1933