George Warren Straw

  General Notes:

per 1880 census
Name: George W. STRAW Age: 30 Estimated birth year: <1850> Birthplace: New Hampshire Occupation: Dry Goods Merchant Relation: Son Home in 1880: Coryell, Texas Marital status: Single Race: White Gender: Male Head of household: Henry F. STRAW Father's birthplace: NH Mother's birthplace: NH

Coryell County, Texas, Families 1854-1985 by Dallas Taylor 1986.
"George Warren Straw (1849-1904), in addition to the mill, owned and operated a general store at the Bosque Mill and Straw's Mill. In 1889 he married Ervine Olson of Norway by whom he had one child, Fenno Warren Straw. Ervine died 1889 and Mr Straw married Fannie J. Powell. To this union four children were born: Ruby, Hazel, Ivy and Henry. Mr Straw had five grandsons: Fenno Warren jr; Harry George and Henry Fenno Straw, Stanley H. Peavy and Albert George Wilson...."

1900 Dist 39, Coryell county, Texas
George Straw b. Mar 1849 NH - married 10yrs
Fannie J. b. Mar 1864 TX -married 10yrs [c1890]; ch: 4/3
Fenno b, Jan 1889 TX [son]
Hazel Nov 1892 TX
Henry b. July 1895 TX
Ivy b. July 1897 TX

HX of Coryell co by Frank Simmons
Chas. H. and Geo. W. Straw, in 1875 moved from McLennan County to Coryell County and bought the old Cox Mill, which had been established by J. M. Cox, who settled the adjacent lands in 1856. The Straws made extensive improvements and had a fine flour mill and carried a large stock of general merchandise. The place became known as Straw's Mill.

STRAW'S MILL, TEXAS. Straw's Mill was four miles south of Gatesville on the Leon River in east central Coryell County. It was first known as Cox's Mill, for Joe Cox, who had a water-powered corn mill. It was renamed for Henry Straw and his sons, George Warren and Charles H., who moved from New Hampshire and settled on the Leon River in 1870. The family operated a flour mill, gin, store, and blacksmith shop. George Warren Straw, a Republican, was first postmaster in 1886; during the Grover Cleveland administration the office moved across the river to Democrat Richard A. Culp's store and continued to move back and forth with changes of administration until the post office was discontinued in 1908. At that time local mail was sent to Gatesville. The Straw's Mill community reported a population of 110 in 1900. The old mill was washed away in 1908 by a flood on the Leon River. During World War II the Straw estate was included in the North Camp section of the Fort Hood military reservation.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Coryell County Genealogical Society, Coryell County, Texas, Families, 1854-1985 (Dallas: Taylor, 1986).


POSTMASTERS & POST OFFICES OF
CORYELL COUNTY, TEXAS
1854 - 1930
COX'S SPRING (STRAWS MILL) 1886 George W. Straw
STRAW'S MILL (Coryell)
Straw, Geo. W., 6 Jan 1886
Cg'd to STRAWS MILL, 13 Oct 1893
STRAWS MILL (Coryell) (see also STRAW'S MILL)
Culp, Rich'd. A., 13 Oct 1893
Straw, Geo. W., 9 Oct 1897
Straw, Lee O., 8 Mar 1904
Discontinued 15 Apr 1908; mail to Gatesville

Rootsweb research lists a second wife for George with two known sons: Harry and Jack (could Jack be Fenno?)

www.findagrave.com

George married Frances Jane Powell, daughter of Fletcher Lane Powell and Mary Frances Lambert, circa 1890. (Frances Jane Powell was born on 15 Mar 1864 in Texas, died on 2 Mar 1933 in Coryell County, Texas and was buried in Gatesville City Cemetery in Coryell County, Texas.)

George next married Evine Olsen circa 1889 in Texas. (Evine Olsen was born in 1866 in Norway, died in 1889 and was buried in Gatesville City Cemetery in Coryell County, Texas.)