Rev. John Powell

Submitted by Host GFS Dae@aol.com

John Powell was my father's great-granduncle. Living in Texas, I've taken it upon myself to research him locally and a bit more closely, just because I can.

CENSUS: 1900, Texas, Johnson, Alvarado, vol-65, ED-62, Sh-3, Line-65:
"POWELL, John W M Mar 1813 87yr England England England
Johnson County, Pct 7, Alvarado
Enumerated with SANSOM, Marion, son-in-law"

In Fort Worth, a section of the community was donated by Mr. Sansom and today is called Sansom Park.

OCCUPATION: HISTORY OF THE EXPANSION OF METHODISM, THE YEARS 1898-1902, by Malcum Phelan, (1937), p. 448:
"John Powell was a native of England, born in 1813. His family emigrated to America in 1817, settling first in Virginia, but later in Ohio. The father and mother were members of the Established Church of their fatherland. In a Methodist revival young Powell was converted and joined the despised sect, and received the alternative choice from his father to give up his religion or leave home. He chose to do the latter, and made his way westward as far as Arkansas, then a territory, where he arrived in 1834. He thought to get beyond the range of Methodist preachers and to lose his religion on the wicked frontier. But on one of his first stops in Arkansas he found two Methodist preachers, who encouraged him to join them. During the following year he was licensed to preach, and the same year was admitted to the Missouri Conference, which embraced Arkansas. In 1849 he transferred to the Texas Conference. In 1866 he became a member of the Northwest Texas at its organization. Nothing is said in his memoir about his appointments, but it is indicated that he was for many years engaged in the mercantile business, first at Alvarado, then at Jacksboro. He died on July 12, 1900."

ORGANIZATIONS: A HISTORY OF EARLY METHODISM IN TEXAS, 1817-1866, by Malcum Phelan, Cokesbury Press, pub. 1924, chapter 20, The Years 1850-1852, pp. 319-321:
"The East Texas Conference met at Palestine, November 27, 1850. . . .John Powell transferred to this conference from the Louisiana Conference, . . .
Nacogdoches District -- Crockett, John Powell, . . ."

FRONTIERSMAN: The History of Johnson County, Texas, Mollie Gallop Bradbury (1985) C71:
"Ben Bickerstaff...and Joe Thompson...were charged with the robbery of Major E.M. Heath, the deputy tax assessor and collector of Johnson County; of robbing and torturing negroes by roasting their feet, when they disobeyed or failed to have some money when they were visited at night; of threatening the lives of some of Alvarado's best citizens, such as Major Heath, Major Purdom, Colonel Hoyl, Rev. "Parson" Powell; and finally terrifying the lives of the men on the grand jury enough to cause its suspension.

"It was the habit of Bickerstaff and his men to visit Alvarado late in the evening or during the night, to shoot up and rob wherever they pleased. At last their repeated crimes became so unbearable, that the citizens entered into an organization for the purpose of killing Bickerstaff and Thompson. It was learned that the outlaws were coming to town on Monday to get a barrel of flour from the store of Robert Moore. The streets were crowded with citizens who had their guns ready, loaded, and hidden; so on Monday April 5, 1869 the fray took place.

"At about six o'clock in the evening, on Monday April 5, 1869, Bickerstaff and Thompson were seen approaching the town, Thompson in front on a gray horse and Bickerstaff riding a mule. As they rode up on the southwest corner of the square, they saw all the men running into the stores and shutting the doors. The desperadoes attributed this to fear on the part of the people, but in reality the men had run for their guns. As they neared the hitching post, Bickerstaff was heard to exclaim in a loud voice, "Rats to your holes, damn you." Just as they turned and started to dismount, a fusillade of buckshot was rained on them from practically every business house in town. At the first discharge, both outlaws fell, mortally wounded. Some say 42, others say 26 bullets pierced the body of Bickerstaff. Only a few hit Thompson, but they hit him in the breast and he died almost instantly, without even getting his gun out of the scabbard. It seems that the citizens were anxious, if not more, to kill Thompson than Bickerstaff; because he had once been a resident and businessman in the city and had turned against his friends and acquaintances. During the fray, Bickerstaff's right hand was disabled. After falling off his mule, he changed hands with his gun, raised himself on his elbow, and fired several shots at individuals at random. One of the bullets went into the muzzle of Rev. John "Parson" Powell's gun, a Methodist minister, and Bickerstaff's bitterest enemy. With the cry "Finish him," several more shots were fired until Bickerstaff fell on his back, apparently lifeless. The crowd then rushed in on Bickerstaff. They disarmed him, taking from him three six-shooters and two derringers, which were the same pistols that had been taken from Majors Heath and Cathey, when they were robbed of $2800 of Johnson County tax money on January 20, 1868, near Hillsboro. He called for his friend Robert Moore, and asked him to take off his belt, spurs, gloves, guns, what money he had in his pockets, and carry them to his store and keep them until his wife called for them. The wives of Bickerstaff and Thompson were camped together over the Brazos River at the time of the killing. Bickerstaff lived about forty minutes after being shot. He conversed freely with the crowd, cursed Thompson for dying so easily, for not putting up a fight. He asked for water, whiskey and morphine, made no confession, and at one time exclaimed, "You have killed a brave and true Southerner." The bodies were left on the public square until the next day. Photographs were made of the men and an inquest was held, after which both bodies were buried in the northwestern corner of the Alvarado cemetery, there in silence sleep the outlaws, without a tombstone, date, or name."

MINISTRY: The History of Jack County Texas, Jack County Genealogical Soc., 1985
"Gleaning from the Conference Journals [First United Methodist Church], as well as other sources, the ministers from 1866 on were as follows: 1866-Pleasant Tackett; 1879-John Powell; 1880-Iscar Hightower; ...", p.81B.

OCCUPATION: Ninety-four Years in Jack County, 1854-1948, Ida Lasater Huckabay, 1949:
"Mr. and Mrs. John Mathis donated the ground for the cemetery at Wesley Chapel, where their first child and a son of H.B. Massengale were the first persons to be buried. Rev. Powell, a Methodist minister, held weekly services at Wesley Chapel....", p. 367.
"B. Interesting Features concerning the Methodist Church, by Anna StarkDennis.
"The first minister I remember in Jacksboro was Rev. John Powell....", p.248.

TOMBSTONE: Visited and transcribed by Dae Powell
Rev. John Powell
born March 27, 1813
in Leuminster, Eng.
died July 12, 1900
in Alvarado, Texas
Emblem for Minister of Methodist Church
Emblem for Grand Mason
Servant of God, well done.
Rest from thy loved employ.
The battle fought the victory won, 
Enter thy Maker's joy.

OBITUARY: Johnson County Review, Cleburne, Tex.
"Rev. Jno. Powell.

"Rev. John Powell, an aged servant of God, died at the residence of his son-in-law, Col. Marion Sansom, in Alvarado, Thursday, July 12, after an illness of several weeks.

"He was born March 26, 1813, in Wales [sic]. While yet a child he came with his parents to America, settling in Richmond, Virginia. After a time the family moved to Coshocton, Ohio, where the Powells still reside.

"At the age of twenty he went to preach the gospel in the wilds of Arkansas, then a Territory. Four years later he was transferred to the Louisiana Conference where for a while he was presiding elder of his district.

"During the war between Mexico and the United States he was Chaplain of a Louisiana regiment.

"In 1850 he was transferred to the East Texas Conference and at the close of the civil war moved from Madison county to Alvarado. For several years during his early residence in Alvarado he was extensively engaged in mercantile pursuits, first in partnership with Col. Samuel Milliken, and later with L. B. Truelove.

"John Powell was a man of strong character, inflexible virtue, and unimpeachable integrity. He made many and warm friends and had resided in Alvarado so many years as a guide and example that he won the warm attachment of the younger people, who spoke affectionately of him as "Father Powell."

"Few men have so little need of obituary praise. All knew him, and knew him to love and reverence him. His life was ever an open book.

"The writer of this remembers, with gratitude inexpressible, the thoughtful kindness of this good old man to him when he was a young and inexperienced boy, a stranger in a strange land.

"May his sleep be sweet and may God care for the soul of this aged father in our Israel.

"His remains were interred at Jacksboro."

I've traveled to his gravesite where his wife, daughter and 2 grandchildren were buried. The cemetery is well cared for and easy to find. A tribute to the people of Jacksboro after 100 years.

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