The Age: Remembering the early Barrow, Middleton and Moss ranches

By Marie Hughes, Chambers County Museum at Wallisville

The threads of the early Chambers County Pioneer families are intricately woven together, through marriage, creating a rich tapestry that blankets the County from north to south and east to west. Their indomitable spirit forged a way in the wilderness and their fortitude and ingenuity was instrumental in leaving a lasting legacy. Prominent among these pioneers was the Barrow family whose footprint remains clearly visible in Chambers County.

Solomon, Benjamin, and Reuben Barrow, Jr., came to Texas in 1824 with their sister, Sarah "Sally" and brother-in-law, Elisha Henry Roberts Wallis. They crossed from Louisiana into Texas where the present-day city of Orange is now situated.

After crossing the Sabine River, the traveling party followed the Opelousas Road, arriving in the town of Liberty on Christmas Day 1824. From there they headed south, finally settling in what is present-day Wallisville during the first week of January 1825. Their sister, Elizabeth Barrow, married Samuel Barber and immigrated to Texas in 1830, settling in what is now Barbers Hill in 1831. All of the Barrow boys were ranchers and did much to add to the cattle industry of the area.

Solomon, the eldest of the brothers, after his arrival in Wallisville, journeyed to the west side of the Trinity and Old and Lost Rivers with his wife, Elizabeth "Betsy" Winfree and daughters, Salina and Sara, settling on a piece of land that has since been referred to as Barrow Point.

Solomon built a large two-story house there overlooking Trinity Bay at the location of present-day McCollum Park. Solomon, who spoke fluent Spanish, applied for and in 1831 was granted a league of land from the Mexican government, and maintained a cordial relationship with the Mexican government for many years. He went on to build an empire in land and cattle.

Besides the herds of cattle wearing Solomon's "Sh" brand, he raised hogs, sheep and fine-blooded horses. An anonymous author who recorded an 1834 journey in Texas said Solomon was raising mules to transport merchandise. Solomon had about 70 mule colts, the visitor recalled, each worth from $50 to $100, a small fortune in that day. The 1950 census records the value of Solomon's livestock at $15,000, quite a fair sum for that era. His cattle herd was listed as 3,000 head, which he grazed on his 4,400 acres of unimproved range land.

Solomon and his wife, Betsy, became estranged after he killed her pre-teen brother, Phillip Winfree, over a dispute regarding ownership of a hog. Although she never spoke to him, after the killing, she went on to bear him five more children. He died an untimely early death at the hands of his mulatto slave girl, whom he favored and had promised freedom upon his death. She prepared a meal for him laced with poison. Solomon quickly realized this when he watched the pet raccoon, to which he had fed a portion, die. Solomon quickly called his physician, but the doctor could do nothing to save him. Solomon died two days later.

Reuben Barrow, a namesake of his father, Reuben Sr., of Bayou Que Tortue (tail of the turtle), La., married Susannah Dunman, daughter of James Dunman and Sarah White Dunman, daughter of Chambers County pioneer James Taylor White. Reuben and Susannah settled first on a large tract of land near Gilchrist and Rollover Pass on Bolivar Peninsula. Hurricanes and salt grass mosquitoes made the area unbearable, so they relocated to Double Bayou.

Reuben had received a bounty grant for his service in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution. He was given the name "Bully Reuben" due to his propensity for starting a fight. He raised cattle and fine horses, as his brothers did and his favorite pastime was horse racing. The October 1957 edition of the Beaumont Journal described Reuben as a big man of imposing figure.

Reuben took a keen interest in the development of Texas and in the movement to liberate it from Mexican rule. He developed great land holdings and owned thousands of head of cattle. Two of Reuben's sons were killed in the Civil War. One of Reuben's younger sons was only 5 when, upon the death of his father, he shared in the division of his father's estate. He received 11,000 head of cattle for his portion of the immense estate.

Benjamin married Permelia Jane White, daughter of James Taylor White and Sarah Cade, and settled at Turtle Bayou. He, like his brothers, was a prosperous farmer and rancher. Family tradition records that Ben was riding the prairie between Turtle Bayou and Anahuac in 1830, when he was 22 years of age. The weather was stormy and the hour late, so he stopped at James Taylor White's home for a respite from the elements. While there he met their 10-year-old daughter, Permelia and fell in love at the first sight of her.

He determined in his heart to wait until she reached an appropriate age and then marry her, which he did when she turned 15. Ben was ranked among the wealthy cattle ranchers of the day. Permelia and Ben had nine children together. She died of pneumonia when the youngest of their children was only 9 months old. Ben then married Mary Middleton, who died during the smallpox epidemic of 1877.

Richard Barrow, a planter of St. Francisville, La., reportedly was related to the Texas Barrows. He is credited with being the first to introduce the Brahman cattle to the Deep South. In 1854, Richard received the gift of several unusual-looking bulls from the British government as a gesture of their appreciation for Mr. Barrow teaching them the technique of raising sugarcane and cotton. They say his Brahman bulls were shipped directly from India.

Although others were imported first to South Carolina, Richard's were the first to survive and develop into a herd. The cattle were quickly introduced to Texas, the first 120, in 1871, going to the Kennedy ranch in Victoria and the second batch of 15 bulls to the King Ranch where they were crossed with shorthorns. So, Texas owes its Brahman cattle to Richard Barrow of Louisiana. They were popular due to their perseverance in hot climates and resistance to flies, ticks and mosquitoes.

Ben the Bearhunter's son, Solomon "Sol" Barrow, born in 1850, married Decandia Jackson, daughter of Hugh Jackson, in 1873. Decandia inherited one-sixth of her Aunt Letitia Jackson Long's property, and Sol and Decandia raised their children in the legendary colonial style home on the Barrow Ranch. Sol and Decandia's only surviving son, Ralph James Barrow, inherited the ranch in 1916 upon the death of his father and built it into a successful ranching and hunting enterprise.

Ralph was almost born in the saddle and began riding the range at the age of 6. It was said he had a very practical knowledge when it came to handling cattle. He was considered to be one of the most progressive cattlemen in this locality. Ralph had extensive land holdings, inheriting 10,000 acres in 1934 from his uncle, Double Bayou John, adding to his already substantial acreage. His herd numbered 2,000 head of mixed cattle, which were branded with the original brand of the ranch "Sh." Janet Lagow said her grandfather, Ralph Barrow, was close friends with Mr. Kleberg of the King Ranch.

"Mr. Kleberg, Mr. Canada, Ed Moody, and my grandfather, they were characters, they raised good-blooded horses. My grandfather would swap stud horses with Mr. Kleberg of the King Ranch and have racehorses. They would run them down dirt flats. There was a very well-known horse, Rey Jay, he was known for cutting and speed. That was exactly what my grandfather wanted for genetics in the horses he raised. So, King Ranch would send us Rey Jay and my grandfather would send some of his horses back to King Ranch. The Canada Ranch, Barrow Ranch and King Ranch were very close-knit ranching families. When my grandfather passed away in 1957, he had a gray horse named ‘Old Gray’ that I learned to ride on. When Wesley Barrow took over, he started running Boyt horses, from Cecil Boyt. With the passing of Ralph James Barrow came the end of an era for the massive Barrow Ranch, for it was divided between his heirs. RJ had stated before he died that he never wanted it sold, but in the end that is what happened to much of it," Lagow said.

Of the original Barrow Ranch, Janet Lagow, Donnie Lagow family, and Solly Barrow still own a portion of it. Meredith, daughter of Donnie and Wanda Lagow, along with her husband Neal Stoesser, utilize 1,200 acres of the original homeplace, which was received as a Spanish land grant. They own it in conjunction with Meredith's sister, Donna Lagow, and her mom, Wanda Lagow. They farm the land and run a three-quarter Brahma herd on it. Cade Witherspoon has worked for them 14 years and manages the ranch.

Janet, granddaughter of Ralph Barrow, owns 4,400 acres of the big ranch land. She and Chip Lewis run several breeds of cattle: Black Ultras, Brayfords, Brangus, and Beefmasters. Theirs is a diversified ranch on which they also raise hay, farm, and have a hunting business. Chip also operates a Birding and Wildlife enterprise on the land. The other three heirs sold their portions to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife, which is used as a wildlife refuge that Joe Lagow ran.

Erastus Moss was born in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Dec 23, 1831, to Henry K. Moss and Annie Ryan. He was among the first Anglo settlers of Double Bayou, Texas, immigrating there before the mid-1800s. He became a prominent rancher in Chambers County, Texas, and his family who remained in Louisiana left a heavy ranching footprint in Calcasieu Parish as well. You can read about some of them in Bill Jones’ book titled "Louisiana Cowboys." Virginia Mayes Loya discovered the book and donated a copy to our museum. In it you can read not only of Erastus Corning Moss, nephew of Erastus Moss of Double Bayou, but also Barrows and Broussards and a mention of Harmon Saddles as well.

After immigrating to Texas, Erastus married Sarah Elmira Booth, Nov. 30, 1851, in Jefferson County, Texas. Together that had 11 children in the Double Bayou area where Erastus had extensive land holdings. James Taylor Moss, Jr., recorded his grandfather, or "Gampie" as he was called, had about 30,000 to 35,000 acres.

Erastus was a rancher, first and foremost, but was also a storekeeper and the first mail carrier of Double Bayou. He delivered mail on horseback from Charles N. Eley's post office in Smith Point throughout Chambers County and on to Beaumont, a trip that took him two days to make on horseback.

He and Sarah's eldest daughter, Mary Ellen "Molly" Moss, married David Middleton, from whom the Middleton Ranch family is descended. Their daughters Sarah Elmira and Blanche Eva married brothers James Taylor White II and Forest White, respectively, of the legendary White Ranch. Sarah, along with her daughter Molly and son-in-law, perished during the smallpox epidemic. David and Molly's son, Archie, who was barely over 15 months old, was expected to die as well. His coffin was ordered from Galveston, so that once he died, they could get him in the ground quickly. But Archie defied the odds and survived. His grandfather, Erastus, took him in and raised him. They used the little coffin as a feeding trough for cattle and when Archie was old enough, he used it as a boat.

Of Erastus’ children, only one continued in the ranching business in Chambers County under the Moss name, John Erastus "Bud" Moss.

"Uncle Bud, in later years, ran the Moss ranch. He was quite successful and wealthy," said Jim Moss, Jr. "I was told how he built a large herd of cattle by taking care of the little "doggies" (orphaned calves) feeding them from a bottle.

Bud's younger brother, James Taylor Moss, Sr. moved to the area of Orange and had an extensive cattle business there. When his father died in 1918, Erastus left several thousand acres to James Taylor Moss, Sr., but his wife did not want to move to Chambers County, so he sold it to J. E. Broussard.

James Taylor "Jim" Moss, Jr., said of his father, "He had a superb understanding of cattle. He would walk among wild cattle without any disturbance. He could tell when cattle were restless and could even predict stampedes. His ability to judge the weather was amazing. He could predict hurricanes by the orange color of the sky and the strange atmospheric odor. His ability to estimate the weight of a cow on foot was uncanny. It was fun to watch cattle buyers try and get the best of the deal when buying cows from him. He was almost a rope artist. Oftentimes on Sundays he would entertain the grandchildren with rope tricks."

His abilities are a testament to his ranching father, Erastus.

Archie D. Middleton, raised under the tutelage of his grandfather, Erastus Moss, began riding the range at the age of 5 and was engaged in ranching and stock raising his entire life. Orphaned at the age of 15 months when his parents died during the smallpox epidemic, his grandfather took him to raise. When he reached maturity, he took over the management of the ranch he had inherited from his father. The Encyclopedia of Texas states, "Archie D. Middleton…is widely known throughout this section as a man whose practical knowledge of stockraising has played an important part in the development of the ranching industry in his locality."

Archie was married on July 2, 1904, to Effie Clarice Mayes, daughter of Joshua Jackson Mayes, a substantial rancher in Wallisville, and Sarah Dunman. In 1905, the year following his marriage, he built a beautiful southern style mansion on the hill in Wallisville, on the site of the original E. H. R. Wallis home. It was in this home Archie and Effie raised their son, Randall Mayes Middleton, who went by Mayes. Archie ran several thousand head of cattle on 19,000 acres and was constantly improving his herd which was predominately Brahman cattle.

During the freeze of 1935, Archie suffered substantial cattle losses dropping the size of his herd to 1,000 head of cattle. A short three months later, Archie was able to recoup the losses he suffered, as Humble Oil and Refining struck oil on his property, bringing in his well. A. D. Middleton No. 1. Archie, however, did not allow the discovery of oil to interfere with his primary interest and occupation, the management of his ranching business.

Aside from his cattle, Mr. Middleton's only hobbies, according to his friends, were good horses and blacksmithing in his blacksmith shop on his property.

A 1936 Houston Post article reported: "Although never to be one to pay an extravagant price for anything, he is reported always to be willing to pay a premium for a horse he took a liking to." His saddle, of course, was always a Harmon, the stamped star on the fender skirt of his saddle being the most obvious identifying Harmon mark. Archie and Charley Harmon, of the Harmon Saddle Shop in Hankamer, were close friends. Mike Turner told me the two buddies made a pact with each other that whoever died first, the survivor would bring a bouquet of bitterweed to the other's funeral. Archie died in 1949, and Charley, true to his word, carried a bouquet of bitterweed to his friend's funeral service.

Archie placed an unusual order with Charley before his death. He had Charley build two saddle trees for his grandsons, Dave and John Middleton. The order specified that the saddles would be finished and delivered when the boys were old enough to use them, and they were.

After his death, Archie's son, Randall Mayes Middleton, continued managing the Middleton Ranch, eventually handing it down to his two sons, David Mayes "Dave" Middleton I and John Greg Middleton. The ranch has continued through the years as a profitable enterprise, which today is owned by John's son, David Mayes Middleton II, who goes by Mayes. Caleb Cooper is the foreman of the ranch.

Archie Middleton remains a testament to the power of survival. By all rights he should have perished during the smallpox epidemic along with his parents, grandmother, three Middleton aunts, and one Moss uncle, only 1 month older than himself. Unlike his grandfather, who had probably been vaccinated during the War Between the States, there was no known protection for him. One can only claim a divine intervention as he was destined for survival.