Chapter 5: Scogin

The children of James Thomas Scogin and Mary Elizabeth Parker

Nevada Hendon Scogin was the oldest son of James and Mary and was born on November 18, 1877, mostly likely in Garrison, Texas. Also called "N.H.", Nevada owned a warehouse on Commerce Street in downtown Jacksonville, Texas. He was a very successful livestock wholesaler--chickens, pigs, other small animals and cowhides. He married Artie Parker, who was born Artie Missia Starnes, on April 21, 1872 in Lindale, Texas*. She had been married once before to William Harrison Parker* who was unrelated to Nevada's mother's Parker family. She had two sons, Cyril Holt Parker (1893) and Clarence Edelle Parker (1894), from her previous marriage. They bought a brick home on South Jackson Street. Together they had a son, Jessie Arvada Scogin (1909, Arvada is a combination of the names Artie and Nevada). Artie died on January 25, 1925.

Nevada registered for the draft in World War I. I found a scanned copy of his draft card but it is very hard to read.

The 1920 census shows Nevada (52) and Artie (47) living on North Bolton Street in Jacksonville, Cherokee County, Texas with their son Arvada (10). N.H. is wholesale produce dealer. Elizabeth Boaz, his 64 year old, widowed, mother-in-law, is also living with them.

Between 1920 and 1930, Nevada remarried Flora Alice Sullivan who was born on November 9, 1888 (SS# 452-88-0996) and was originally from Palestine, Texas. They lived in Jacksonville, Texas in the house on South Jackson Street. Flora Alice used their home as a shop for floral arrangements and floral supplies. Jeanne Skoglund remembers her as having a eccentric personality and being the "town character".

Nevada H. (51) and Flora A. (40) show up on the 1930 census living in Jacksonville, Cherokee County, Texas in a house valued at $6,000. He is a "produce dealer" and she is the "proprietor of a "ready to wear" shop.

Nevada died on February 25, 1954, many years before Flora Alice, and she moved back to Palenstine. Flora Alice died on January 18, 1980. They are both buried in the Livelyville Cemetery, Houston County, Texas.

Jessie Arvada Scogin, Nevada and Artie's son, was born on October 25, 1909 (SS# 461-05-8478) and grew up in Jacksonville. He married Janice Roland Travis who was born on January 1, 1929. (Curiously, I also found a Janice T Scogin who was born May 4, 1909, died February 13, 1995, SS#449-50-1195, who last lived in Jacksonville.) Janice was related to the family of doctors that founded the Nan Travis Hospital. They had two children, John Travis Scogin and Robert Scogin. Jessie died in February of 1964.

His son John Travis Scogin was a doctor, in fact he became the Scogin family doctor, who lived in Jacksonville and practiced out of Nan Travis for many years. (It is possible that John was born September 28, 1929 and died April 1985, SS# 452-38-9203.) He married a woman named Beverly and had two girls and a boy. After they divorced, he remarried a woman named Francis, who had been his nurse. After a break with the rest of the Travis family, John Scogin moved to Palestine. He died of cancer. Nevada and Artie's second son, Robert Scogin, was married and had two children. They moved to Wink, Texas and he worked in the oil industry. As of 2004, Robert Scogin is thought to still be alive.

Jeppie Harris Scogin, James and Mary's second son,was born on September 6, 1889 in Texas, probably in Garrison. He married Kate Beall Shepherd on August 24, 1914 in Nacogdoches, Texas. We'll come back to their history and family in a later chapter.

Murphy Oliver Scogin was the youngest son of James and Mary. He was probably born in Garrison, Texas on February 4, 1891 (SS#463-10-1291). In 1914, he married Nola Nichols, born in 1896, and they had seven children--Oliver Ray (1915), Vernan Wilson "Bud" (1918), James Edell (1920), Artie Beall (only daughter, 1921), Murphy Jr. (died at 6 months old), George Hubert (1926), Charles Barnett (1928). Nola died in 1931 after the last son was born; she is buried at the New Salem Cemetery, New Salem, Rusk County, Texas. Murphy's mother, Mary Elizabeth Scogin, came to live with them and to help take care of the family.

On the 1930 census, Murphy, Nola, six children and his widowed mother Elizabeth were all living in Rusk, Texas, near Lanceville, Sulphur Springs and Cushing Road.

He was a dirt farmer near Cushing-Garrison, Texas. A dirt farmer is someone who does all the farming on his own property. Mostly, farming provided food for his family but occassionally it provided exta food to sell. He might have had another job in additon because he never had much luck with farming. The families of his two more successful brothers shared food and second-hand clothing with his family. Small in stature, he was a very loveable person. I believe Murphy Scogin died in September of 1975; he is buried at the New Salem Cemetery, New Salem, Rusk County, Texas.

Ray Scogin married Annie McDaniel, they had no children.

Bud married Gracy House and had four children--Ronald Keith, Susan Beth, Cynthia Ann and Verna Lee (died in infancy).

Edell was born on December 26, 1919. He married Ruby Dee Buckner and had three children--Nancy Low, Larry Dean and an infant girl who died. Edell died on May 16, 1983 and his is buried in the New Salem Cemetery, New Salem, Rusk County, Texas. As of 2003, Ruby Dee was still living.

Artie Beall Scogin would grow up to marry a much older, successful businessman in the lumber industry named C.C. Holiday. Given her humble beginnings, it was a surprise to the family when she arrived back in Jacksonville years later driving a Cadillac, wearing a fancy dress and a fur coat. They had two children, Ann Elizabeth and David Brian. Ann lives in Carthage, Texas. David got his Ph.D. from Texas A&M and is now living in Atlanta, Georgia and working for the Center for Disease Control. Artie Beall's husband died many years before her and she remarried E.L. McGuire and moved to Logansport, Louisiana. She died in 2003.

Hubert married Carol Turner and had no children, though he has two from a previous marriage--Hubert Lynn and Sherleene. Charles married Gwen Davis and had six children--Linda Carol, Sharon Lois, Mark Oliver, Debrah Louise, Ether Ruth and Charles Stephen.

Chapter 6: Shepherd