John Overton Trueheart on Findagrave
Birth: 1801
Death: 1874
Western Frontiersman. He served in one of the first Texas Ranger companies under the famous John Coffee "Jack" Hays in 1841. Volunteer mounted forces were gathered to combat Indian raiders and the lawless elements of the colony. They had to provide their own horses, equipment and weapons. Thus became the now famous “Jack Hays’ Texas Rangers”. The Texas Rangers gained a national reputation in the Mexican War. In exchange for his service in The Texas Rangers he was given land grants in Galveston County, Galveston, Texas. He began a partnership in a general land agency in Galveston. This was to lead to a long line of family service to Galveston and Texas. Two of his children, Henry Martyn Truehart, and Charles William Trueheart were to become prominent in their own right, Charles becoming a physician, Henry opening a real estate business. A ranch house just outside of Ft. Davis is still there and has become a bed and breakfast as well as a historical landmark. Charles and Henry served in the Civil War and wrote letters throughout. Their letters to each other were published by the Texas A&M Press and titled ’Rebel Brothers - The Civil War Letters of the Truehearts’ in 1995.
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
Texas Historical Marker Inscription:
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After Coming to Texas from Virginia about 1838, John Trueheart received a land grant for his service with Jacks Hays' Rangers. He then began a partnership in a Galveston General Land Agency with Memucan Hunt and returned to Virginia for his wife Anne Tompkins (Minor) 1804-86 and their children. Trueheart family leadership is reflected in the City's Trueheart-Adrance Building and in several varieties of Oleander named for family members.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Ross Sterling ~ A Biography
| Ross Shaw Sterling on Findagrave |
Birth: Feb. 11, 1875
Anahuac
Chambers County
Texas, USA
Death: Mar. 25, 1949
Fort Worth
Tarrant County
Texas, USA
Texas Governor, Businessman. A farmer until 1896, he owned several businesses during his lifetime. He donated his home in LaPorte, Texas to the Houston Optimist Club in memory of his son, Ross, Sterling, Jr. who passed away in 1924. The home became a boys camp. Sour Lake, Texas was the site of his feed store in 1903. It was in that year that he purchased several banks and began to operate oil wells. In 1910 he purchased the first two. From these two wells he developed the Humble Oil Company in 1911. He served as president of the company until 1925. He then sold the company and went on to develop real estate in the Houston area. Humble Oil Company later became the Exxon Company. The Houston Post newspaper was formed as a later incarnation of the Houston Dispatch and the Houston Post, which he had purchased in 1925 and 1926. The two newspapers were merged to become the Houston Post-Dispatch and later the Houston Post. Inaugurated governor of Texas on January 20, 1931, he served until 1933 when he lost his bid for re-election. After serving as governor he went on to invest in many business opportunities including Sterling Oil and Refining Company, American Maid Flour Mills, and R.S. Sterling Investments. He served as one of the original board members of the Hermann Hospital Estate. He retired in 1946.
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
Yves Saint Laurent ~ A Biography
Yves Saint Laurent on Findagrave
Birth: Aug. 1, 1936
Oran
Oran, Algeria
Death: Jun. 1, 2008
Paris
City of Paris
Ile-de-France, France
Fashion Designer. Leaving his home of Oran at the age of 17 he traveled to France to work with designer Christian Dior. At the time of Diors death in 1957 he was asked to take charge of the business. In 1960 he served in the French Army for a short time, as he suffered from great stress and had to leave for psychiatric treatment. After being released from Dior in 1962, YSL, his own label was started. This was made possible by the financial aide of his companion Pierre Bergé. In 1966 and 1970 Rive Gauche boutiques for women and men were opened. Laurent is best known for feminizing the qualities of mens wardrobes for women. In 1971 he posed nude for his mens perfume, "Pour Homme". The very popular "Opium" perfume was a Yves Saint Laurent product. The fashion house was sold for approximately six hundred million dollars in 1993 to the pharmacuticals company Sanofi. In 1999 he received a Lifetime Achievement award from The Council of Fashion Designers of America.
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
Burial:
Cremated, Other.
Specifically: Ashes buried in the Majorelle Gardens, part of his estate in Marrakesh, Morocco
Birth: Aug. 1, 1936
Oran
Oran, Algeria
Death: Jun. 1, 2008
Paris
City of Paris
Ile-de-France, France
Fashion Designer. Leaving his home of Oran at the age of 17 he traveled to France to work with designer Christian Dior. At the time of Diors death in 1957 he was asked to take charge of the business. In 1960 he served in the French Army for a short time, as he suffered from great stress and had to leave for psychiatric treatment. After being released from Dior in 1962, YSL, his own label was started. This was made possible by the financial aide of his companion Pierre Bergé. In 1966 and 1970 Rive Gauche boutiques for women and men were opened. Laurent is best known for feminizing the qualities of mens wardrobes for women. In 1971 he posed nude for his mens perfume, "Pour Homme". The very popular "Opium" perfume was a Yves Saint Laurent product. The fashion house was sold for approximately six hundred million dollars in 1993 to the pharmacuticals company Sanofi. In 1999 he received a Lifetime Achievement award from The Council of Fashion Designers of America.
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
Burial:
Cremated, Other.
Specifically: Ashes buried in the Majorelle Gardens, part of his estate in Marrakesh, Morocco
William Marsh Rice ~ A Biography
William Marsh Rice on Findagrave
Birth: Mar. 14, 1816
Springfield
Hampden County
Massachusetts, USA
Death: Sep. 23, 1900
New York
New York County (Manhattan)
New York, USA
Businessman, Educator. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Little is known about his childhood. He moved to Texas in 1838. In 1840 he started one of many businesses of which he would become involved. Houston and Galveston Navigation Company was established in 1851 and in 1858 Rice was the owner of a brig called the William M. Rice. It carried ice from Boston to Galveston. Rice also served as a director of the Houston Insurance Company, which insured carriers and freight. He incorporated the Houston Cotton Compress Company, several railroads and a stage line from Houston to Austin. He was the alderman from the Second Ward from 1855 to 1857 and he served on the petit jury and the grand jury in Harris County. He was a member of Liberty Company No. 2, an early formation of a volunteer fire department for the City of Houston, which was organized in 1852. Rice and T. W. House purchased a Hunneman Hand Fire Engine from Boston. The price was $2000.00 and would be the first fire truck that the volunteers acquired. It arrived in Houston in 1852. Serving in many capacities such as, Odd Fellow, director of the Houston Academy, trustee of the Houston Educational Society, the Second Ward School, and the Texas Medical College, Rice was among the wealthiest men in Texas. Rice married Margaret Bremond on June 29, 1850. She passed away on August 13, 1863. For the next two years he stayed in Monterrey, Mexico. He returned to Houston in 1866. On June 26, 1867 he married Julia Elizabeth Baldwin Brown, daughter of an early mayor of Houston. They moved to New Jersey but split their time between New Jersey and New York and took occasional trips to Houston for business. On one of the business trips Cesar Maurice Lombardi who was interested in building a high school in Houston approached him. Having changed his will previously to include a fund for a school for needy boys, Rice was interested. It was decided that he would fund an institute of higher learning. The charter for the William M. Rice Institute for the Advancement of Literature, Science and Art was incorporated in Austin, Texas on May 19, 1891. Due to his wife's health he moved to Houston in April 1896 with hope that the weather would improve her condition. After her death on July 24, 1896 a dispute ensued over her will. During the years of court proceedings, Rice's valet, Charlie Jones, to gain control of his estate, hatched a plan. He began drugging Rice with cyanide pills. Jones eventually murdered Rice with a lethal dose of chloroform. Jones was released although he did commit the murder. When the estate was settled in 1904 there was approximately three million dollars in an endowment for the university. On October 12, 1912, the William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Literature, Art and Science held its inaugural festival. At that time the endowment held a sum of about nine million dollars and all students were able to attend the university without charge. This privilege did not end until 1965.
Cause of death: Murder by chloroform
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
Birth: Mar. 14, 1816
Springfield
Hampden County
Massachusetts, USA
Death: Sep. 23, 1900
New York
New York County (Manhattan)
New York, USA
Businessman, Educator. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Little is known about his childhood. He moved to Texas in 1838. In 1840 he started one of many businesses of which he would become involved. Houston and Galveston Navigation Company was established in 1851 and in 1858 Rice was the owner of a brig called the William M. Rice. It carried ice from Boston to Galveston. Rice also served as a director of the Houston Insurance Company, which insured carriers and freight. He incorporated the Houston Cotton Compress Company, several railroads and a stage line from Houston to Austin. He was the alderman from the Second Ward from 1855 to 1857 and he served on the petit jury and the grand jury in Harris County. He was a member of Liberty Company No. 2, an early formation of a volunteer fire department for the City of Houston, which was organized in 1852. Rice and T. W. House purchased a Hunneman Hand Fire Engine from Boston. The price was $2000.00 and would be the first fire truck that the volunteers acquired. It arrived in Houston in 1852. Serving in many capacities such as, Odd Fellow, director of the Houston Academy, trustee of the Houston Educational Society, the Second Ward School, and the Texas Medical College, Rice was among the wealthiest men in Texas. Rice married Margaret Bremond on June 29, 1850. She passed away on August 13, 1863. For the next two years he stayed in Monterrey, Mexico. He returned to Houston in 1866. On June 26, 1867 he married Julia Elizabeth Baldwin Brown, daughter of an early mayor of Houston. They moved to New Jersey but split their time between New Jersey and New York and took occasional trips to Houston for business. On one of the business trips Cesar Maurice Lombardi who was interested in building a high school in Houston approached him. Having changed his will previously to include a fund for a school for needy boys, Rice was interested. It was decided that he would fund an institute of higher learning. The charter for the William M. Rice Institute for the Advancement of Literature, Science and Art was incorporated in Austin, Texas on May 19, 1891. Due to his wife's health he moved to Houston in April 1896 with hope that the weather would improve her condition. After her death on July 24, 1896 a dispute ensued over her will. During the years of court proceedings, Rice's valet, Charlie Jones, to gain control of his estate, hatched a plan. He began drugging Rice with cyanide pills. Jones eventually murdered Rice with a lethal dose of chloroform. Jones was released although he did commit the murder. When the estate was settled in 1904 there was approximately three million dollars in an endowment for the university. On October 12, 1912, the William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Literature, Art and Science held its inaugural festival. At that time the endowment held a sum of about nine million dollars and all students were able to attend the university without charge. This privilege did not end until 1965.
Cause of death: Murder by chloroform
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
Brian Piccolo ~ A Biography
Brian Piccolo on Findagrave
Louis Brian Piccolo
Birth: Oct. 31, 1943
Pittsfield
Berkshire County
Massachusetts, USA
Death: Jun. 16, 1970
New York
New York County (Manhattan)
New York, USA
Professional Football Player. Famously not picked in the NFL draft after 20 rounds, "Pic", as he was often called, went on to make a career in the National Football League as a running back for the Chicago Bears, despite his small size and slow speed. What he lacked in the usual qualities of a football player he made up in determination and hard work. A letterman in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida High School, he attended Wake Forest University. During his senior year, 1964, he led the nation rushing. This fact may have led Chicago Bears coach George Halas to sign him as a free agent. Halas actually held a press conference to announce the fact. Although on the team, he spent the year of 1965 on the practice squad while the number four pick of that year, Gale Sayers, was chosen as Rookie of The Year. In 1966 he was active in all 14 games with 103 passes caught and 317 rushing yards. Although improved in his play each year it was a struggle for him to make the team. Piccolo and Gale Sayers, the "Kansas Comet", had become the first interracial roommates before the 1967 season. They soon became fast friends and fierce competitors. During the ninth game of the season in 1968 Sayers was felled by a knee injury that put him out for the season. Piccolo stepped in for the last five games and scored his first two NFL touchdowns, gained 450 yards and had 281 pass receptions. Piccolo helped his friend successfully return to the game by helping with his rehab. It was a physical as well as a mental job. He was determined not to win his spot on the team due to an injured player. When the season started in 1969, Piccolo was ready to prove his point, as Sayers had returned, fully recuperated. Suffering from a lingering cough Piccolo continued to play. A pre-season x-ray and physical exam had shown no problems. During a game on November 16th he took himself out of the game. Having never removed himself from the game the team managers and his friends and family were concerned. A rare cancer was diagnosed and treatment began. Although he was determined to continue playing football he was not able to overcome his disease. At the time treatments for such a rare disease were not available. Piccolo died at the Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York, at the age of 26. After his death the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund was founded. It began with a group of friends, teammates and family members. Through the efforts of the fund the cancer that took his life now has a better than 80 percent cure rate. A related cancer to Piccolos disease which the fund also supports, testicular cancer, now has a 95 percent cure rate. In 1991 the fund began supporting breast cancer research. Wake Forest University Students started the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive in 1980 in his memory. As to this date, 2009, in the 29 years of the fund, they have raised over eight million dollars which they donate to the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Brian's life is chronicled in the book "Brian Piccolo: A Short Season" by Jeannie Morris. "Brian's Song", a film starring James Caan as Piccolo and Billy Dee Williams in the role of Gale Sayers was released in 1971. Gale Sayers documented his life and his story with Piccolo in the book "I Am Third".
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
Cause of death: Embryonal Cell Carcinoma
Louis Brian Piccolo
Birth: Oct. 31, 1943
Pittsfield
Berkshire County
Massachusetts, USA
Death: Jun. 16, 1970
New York
New York County (Manhattan)
New York, USA
Professional Football Player. Famously not picked in the NFL draft after 20 rounds, "Pic", as he was often called, went on to make a career in the National Football League as a running back for the Chicago Bears, despite his small size and slow speed. What he lacked in the usual qualities of a football player he made up in determination and hard work. A letterman in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida High School, he attended Wake Forest University. During his senior year, 1964, he led the nation rushing. This fact may have led Chicago Bears coach George Halas to sign him as a free agent. Halas actually held a press conference to announce the fact. Although on the team, he spent the year of 1965 on the practice squad while the number four pick of that year, Gale Sayers, was chosen as Rookie of The Year. In 1966 he was active in all 14 games with 103 passes caught and 317 rushing yards. Although improved in his play each year it was a struggle for him to make the team. Piccolo and Gale Sayers, the "Kansas Comet", had become the first interracial roommates before the 1967 season. They soon became fast friends and fierce competitors. During the ninth game of the season in 1968 Sayers was felled by a knee injury that put him out for the season. Piccolo stepped in for the last five games and scored his first two NFL touchdowns, gained 450 yards and had 281 pass receptions. Piccolo helped his friend successfully return to the game by helping with his rehab. It was a physical as well as a mental job. He was determined not to win his spot on the team due to an injured player. When the season started in 1969, Piccolo was ready to prove his point, as Sayers had returned, fully recuperated. Suffering from a lingering cough Piccolo continued to play. A pre-season x-ray and physical exam had shown no problems. During a game on November 16th he took himself out of the game. Having never removed himself from the game the team managers and his friends and family were concerned. A rare cancer was diagnosed and treatment began. Although he was determined to continue playing football he was not able to overcome his disease. At the time treatments for such a rare disease were not available. Piccolo died at the Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York, at the age of 26. After his death the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund was founded. It began with a group of friends, teammates and family members. Through the efforts of the fund the cancer that took his life now has a better than 80 percent cure rate. A related cancer to Piccolos disease which the fund also supports, testicular cancer, now has a 95 percent cure rate. In 1991 the fund began supporting breast cancer research. Wake Forest University Students started the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive in 1980 in his memory. As to this date, 2009, in the 29 years of the fund, they have raised over eight million dollars which they donate to the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Brian's life is chronicled in the book "Brian Piccolo: A Short Season" by Jeannie Morris. "Brian's Song", a film starring James Caan as Piccolo and Billy Dee Williams in the role of Gale Sayers was released in 1971. Gale Sayers documented his life and his story with Piccolo in the book "I Am Third".
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
Cause of death: Embryonal Cell Carcinoma
Tim Flock ~ A Biography
Tim Flock on Findagrave
Birth: May 11, 1924
Fort Payne
DeKalb County
Alabama, USA
Death: Mar. 31, 1998
Charlotte
Mecklenburg County
North Carolina, USA
Auto Race Car Driver. Stock-Car Racer and NASCAR'S Grand National Circuit Series Champion in 1952 and 1955. In 1955 he won a record 18 pole positions and 18 victories which was thought by some to be unbeatable. His record stood until 1967 when Richard Petty achieved 27 victories. He and his brothers Bob and Fonty raced together and were known as "The Fabulous Flock Brothers". For a time he raced with a monkey named Jocko Flocko in the passenger side of his car. In 1998 he was honored by NASCAR as one of their 50 greatest drivers.
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
Birth: May 11, 1924
Fort Payne
DeKalb County
Alabama, USA
Death: Mar. 31, 1998
Charlotte
Mecklenburg County
North Carolina, USA
Auto Race Car Driver. Stock-Car Racer and NASCAR'S Grand National Circuit Series Champion in 1952 and 1955. In 1955 he won a record 18 pole positions and 18 victories which was thought by some to be unbeatable. His record stood until 1967 when Richard Petty achieved 27 victories. He and his brothers Bob and Fonty raced together and were known as "The Fabulous Flock Brothers". For a time he raced with a monkey named Jocko Flocko in the passenger side of his car. In 1998 he was honored by NASCAR as one of their 50 greatest drivers.
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
Monday, April 14, 2014
Martin Dies, Jr. ~ A Biography
Martin Dies, Jr. on Findagrave
Birth: Nov. 5, 1900
Colorado City
Mitchell County
Texas, USA
Death: Nov. 14, 1972
Lufkin
Angelina County
Texas, USA
US Congressman. Born in Colorado City, Texas, his father, Martin Dies Sr., would be elected to the United States Congress when Martin Jr. was nine years old. He graduated from Beaumont High School in Beaumont, Texas and went on to earn a law degree from the National University in Washington, D.C. in 1920, joining a law practice in Orange, Texas at that time. In 1930he was elected as a Democrat to represent Texas's 2nd District in the United States House of Representatives, and was the youngest member of Congress when he took his seat in 1931. He became well known for his work as the Chairman of the House Un-American Activities Committee, which had been established in 1938 to investigate suspected communists. Starting in 1947 the committee's mission was to prove that the screen writers guild had communist members that were trying to place subversive propaganda into films. He would represent the 2nd District in Congress from 1931 to 1945, and then as an At-Large Delegate form 1953 to 1959, practicing law in the interim. When he was finished with public office he would go on to write magazine articles and an autobiography, "The Martin Dies Story" (1963).
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
Birth: Nov. 5, 1900
Colorado City
Mitchell County
Texas, USA
Death: Nov. 14, 1972
Lufkin
Angelina County
Texas, USA
US Congressman. Born in Colorado City, Texas, his father, Martin Dies Sr., would be elected to the United States Congress when Martin Jr. was nine years old. He graduated from Beaumont High School in Beaumont, Texas and went on to earn a law degree from the National University in Washington, D.C. in 1920, joining a law practice in Orange, Texas at that time. In 1930he was elected as a Democrat to represent Texas's 2nd District in the United States House of Representatives, and was the youngest member of Congress when he took his seat in 1931. He became well known for his work as the Chairman of the House Un-American Activities Committee, which had been established in 1938 to investigate suspected communists. Starting in 1947 the committee's mission was to prove that the screen writers guild had communist members that were trying to place subversive propaganda into films. He would represent the 2nd District in Congress from 1931 to 1945, and then as an At-Large Delegate form 1953 to 1959, practicing law in the interim. When he was finished with public office he would go on to write magazine articles and an autobiography, "The Martin Dies Story" (1963).
(bio by: Julie Karen Hancock (Cooper) Jackson)
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