William Wiley Price

Since William W. Price brought milk cows and enough work stock to operate a farm, he began to buy land at fifty cents per acre.  As time passed, he became an extensive land owner by adding to his holdings, tracts varying from five to one hundred acres, at prices that reached ten dollars per acre by the 1880’s.

The site which he chose as a permanent home was a portion of the J.R. Knight survey, owned in later years by Mrs. A.T. Armstrong.  The first house was a log cabin, which was soon replaced by a four room frame house built on the gentle sloping lawn in front of the Armstrong home site.  Four large native cedars stood in the front yard.  Three have been destroyed by wind and lightening, leaving only one to mark the spot.  When the house was demolished in 1940, its construction was an interesting salute to the ability and determination of pioneer men who built with materials and equipment available in a sparsely settled community.  The nearest mills were in East Texas and lumber was hauled by ox drawn wagons.  In the Price home, luxurious for its time, the floor joists were hewn logs.  The rafters were neatly trimmed poles supporting a roof of hand made shingles (shakes).  Square nails and wooden pegs were used throughout.

The barn, pride of its owner and much larger than the house, stood north across the road and provided shelter for stock, feed and farming implements, as well as a play area for children and grandchildren.

Farm products were not thought of as money crops, since transportation was poor and there was no near market.  The farmer’s main objective was to produce the essentials for survival.  When marauding Indians stole his work stock, William Wiley lost no time going back to Missouri to buy more mules and horses, so necessary for the operation of his farm.

Milk butter, meat and lard were abundant.  Cabbage and potatoes were ‘hilled up’ for winter.  Sugar and coffee were the principal items purchased, usually in hundred pound sacks.  Coffee beans were roasted and ground fresh for each meal.  Enough corn was planted to insure enough meal for the family, feed for the stock and seed for next years planting.  About forty acres of wheat provided flour and bran.  The clothing and textile needs of the family determined the cotton acreage.

Since gins were not easily accessible, raw cotton had to be seeded by hand.  This became a family project usually carried on around the fireside on winter evenings.  In this household, it was customary for each member to participate, the share for the little children being to clean enough cotton to fill one of their own shoes with seeds.  On the following day, the mother carded and spun the cotton into thread and yarn to be used later in knitting stockings and weaving material for clothing.

Schooling for the younger children involved some anxiety for the parents.  The log church at Mt. Gilead served as a place of worship on Sundays and a school house on week days.  It was here that William Allen and David Richard began their study of the three R’s.  The school term, which lasted only three months, was scheduled to begin after the crops were gathered and to end before planting season.  On winter days, the two little boys began their five mile walk at daybreak and hurried to get home before dark.  Their dog, Bulger, made the daily trip with them and served as their protector against predatory animals.  On one occasion, Bulger fought an attacking cougar while the boys ran for their lives.  No one expected to see Bulger alive again, but eventually he came limping home, bloody and battle scarred, to receive a hero’s welcome.

John Traitor, a well remembered teacher lived in the homes of his school patrons, board and room often being considered a part of his salary, since the school was supported by subscription.  He was always a welcome guest in the home of his good friend, William Wiley Price.  During the vacation months, he sold Bibles and other books from house to house.  A Bible still in the possession of Price descendents was purchased from him.  Many of the births, deaths and marriages of this family are recorded in John Traitor’s fine Spenserian hand writing.

By 1880, William W. Price decided his grandchildren and others of the community needed a more conveniently located school.  On August 15, 1881, he sold one acre of land for ten dollars “to R.E. Beckham, County Judge of Tarrant County and his successors in office, for a public school house for Bear Creek School.”  This acre was one quarter mile west of the home site, on a hill covered by some twenty acres of timber known as Price’s point.  The school was often referred to by this name.  Normal attendance was eight or ten pupils.  The first teacher was J.T. Forgy.  When he decided to give full time to the ministry, his wife, “Miss Jennie”, took over the duties as teacher.  Finally, the school was abandoned in favor of a two room school at Keller, which offered better educational opportunities.  The acre of land was sold November 15, 1897, for twenty eight dollars to Nathan M. Davis, who was the owner then of the Price homestead.

Eliza Ann Mason Price preceded her husband in death, October 11, 1878.  Almost twenty six years later, William Wiley Price passed away at the home of his son, William Allen, August 17, 1904.  Husband and his wife are buried at Mt. Gilead Cemetery.

1) Martha Jane, eldest child of William W. and Eliza Ann Price was born August 30, 1844.  She was married to George Evans. She died in Arkansas at the age of ninety years.

2) Nancy Rebecca, the second child, was married September 27, 1868 to William A. Evans.  They were the parents of a daughter, Eliza Jane, who became the wife of Tom Reasoner.  Nancy Rebecca died at her home in Enid, Oklahoma in 1905.

3) Mary died in infancy, June 28, 1849.

4) George Thomas, born January 1, 1850, died August 13, 1850.

5) Sarah Ann, the fifth child, died March 17, 1873 and was buried at Mt. Gilead Cemetery.

6 & 7) William Allen and Daniel Richard, the two youngest sons, established permanent homes in the Keller community and spent their entire lives as farmers.  They became land owners at the ages of seventeen and fourteen.  According to legal records dated October 9, 1874, William W. and Eliza Ann Price “sold” one hundred acres of land to William A. and Daniel R. “for love and affection of our two sons.”  Through the years, the sons added to their holdings in the area lying west of present day Keller.

The histories of these two brothers and their families are given more in detail in separate files.