Tales from The Brazos

Pond makes a splash for local teens
Sometime about early 1946, my grandfather arranged to have a pond dug for fishing.
July 21, 2008

Seay discovers source of income
When the 1932 hurricane hit Brazoria County, it destroyed all the natural food usually found by squirrels in the river pasture at the Ramsey Prison Farm.
July 14, 2008

Seay fired after 1931 breakout
About half of the 15,000-acre spread of the Ramsey Prison Farm was in cultivation and half in pasture and woods during the time Martin D. Seay lived there with his family.
July 07, 2008

Some horses at Ramsey never completely broken
Martin D. Seay, who grew up on the Ramsey Prison Farm in the 1920s and ‘30s, remembered all of the horses the farm acquired from the Nash Ranch were good-sized, quality animals, but several never were considered safe for the average rider.
June 30, 2008

Mules, stallions of great value at Ramsey
When the black inmates at the Ramsey Number Four Camp were replaced by Hispanics, it took the farm’s mules about a week to learn Spanish, according to Martin D. Seay, who lived on that prison farm with his parents from 1925 to 1935.
June 23, 2008

Prison mules shared unique names, quirks
When Martin D. Seay moved with his parents to the Ramsey Prison Farm in 1925, mules provided the power for farming. The farm had about 500 head of mules, most of which were getting up in years.
June 16, 2008

Large barn at Ramsey unit destroyed
Many years after Martin D. Seay lived on the Ramsey Unit of the Texas Department of Corrections for about 10 years beginning in 1925, he clearly recalled the large barn at its No. 1 Camp.
June 09, 2008

Seay recalls unusual inmates at Ramsey unit
John Lee, who was considered an incorrigible, was one of the prisoners at the Ramsey farm who Martin D. Seay still could recall some 60 years after he lived there while his father was assistant manager.
June 02, 2008

Growing up with inmates
Many inmates had nicknames bestowed by their fellow prisoners that referenced physical characteristics or personal traits. Among those Seay remembered were Hardhead, Blackman, Satchel and Black Cat — the latter two his particular buddies.
May 26, 2008

Man recalls childhood at Ramsey
Tales from the Brazos published in the Facts
May 19, 2008

Lawyer’s assault lands him 6 feet under
The manner and reason given for David Smith Terry’s leaving California a few months after his duel with David C. Broderick varies greatly, depending on the viewpoint of writers with very differing opinions.
May 12, 2008

California politics change after deadly duel
When David Smith Terry, who had grown up along the Brazos River in Brazoria and Fort Bend counties, met U.S. Sen. David C. Broderick to settle their differences on the “field of honor,” Broderick’s seconds won the choice of position.
May 05, 2008

Lawyers face off in a duel
The day after the election in September 1859, David Smith Terry, formerly of Fort Bend and Brazoria counties, resigned his seat as chief justice of the California Supreme Court.
April 28, 2008

Temper lands early Texas lawyer in hot water
In the years just prior to the War Between the States, disagreements about slavery were apt to trigger violent quarrels, even between friends.
April 21, 2008

Frontier lawyer rises to power
Of the three sons of Sarah D. Smith and Joseph R. Terry only the youngest, David Smith Terry, managed to survive his service to the Confederacy.
April 14, 2008