A History of Ervin Westbrook and the Walker-Westbrook Cemetery, Milano TX

The Westbrook Connection

The John Westbrook Family

The Westbrooks came to the New World from England and settled on the Atlantic

Seaboard. During the 1700s Georgia remained rather isolated from the other 12

colonies. When Georgia began to offer inducements in order to lure new settlers

into her borders this news reached Mecklenburg County, Virginia and caught the

attention of John Westbrook. He packed his wagon and moved his family and slaves

to a part of Georgia known at that time as Ceded Land and is now known as Franklin

County, Georgia.

His application for land stated that his family consisted of a wife and seven

children. The children ranged in age from two to twenty. His sons were Stephen,

Gilliam, Carroll, Basil, and Glen. The names of his wife and daughters are unknown.

He was granted his first hundred acres on Coody’s Creek, a tributary of Broad River

on October 13, 1773. John and his son Stephen fought in the Revolutionary War.

After the war John and Stephen turned their energy toward building their estates.

With the land grants received for military service and by buying and trading land

John managed to acquire more than 2000 acres. His cotton and tobacco crops were

maintained by a small army of slaves.

The Stephen Westbrook Family

Stephen, who had also received land grants for his services as a soldier, bought,

traded and sold land until he owned about the same amount as his father. Stephen

married Amphilady Hudson who was from Elbert County, Georgia. Their children were

William, Elizabeth, Martha, Bathsheba, Rhoda, Polly, John, Hudson, Joshua, Thomas,

and Stephen. It appears Amphilady died and Stephen married Mary Chandler of Franklin

County, Georgia. Their children were Ruben, Wiley, Milton, and Thompson. In order

to shelter a family with 15 children Stephen maintained two dwelling places on his

plantation.

The William Westbrook Family

William was born February 5, 1786. William’s first wife’s name is not known, but their

children were Gylliam, Stephen, Martha, William, and Joshua. After William lost his

first wife, he remained unmarried for a few years and then married Susannah Lee of

Greene County, Georgia on February 12, 1816. Their children were Lucy, Armanda, Ervin,

Washington, Thomas, and Nancy. William’s militia service records show that William was

in Greene County in 1816. In 1823 he was granted 252 acres of land (for service in the

Georgia State Militia) and the 1830 census shows he was still living in Greene County,

Georgia. In 1833 his family moved to Lowndes County, Mississippi and he paid taxes

there through 1841. After that no trace of him can be found, but it is believed that

those still living at home went back to Franklin County, Georgia, as two of his sons

were married there in 1842. William died August 13, 1843, place unknown.

The Ervin Westbrook Family

Ervin (sometimes spelled Irvin) Westbrook was born in Green County, Georgia in 1821.

He married Mary Jarvis in Fayette County, Georgia on January 8, 1850. The 1850 census

revealed that he and his sister Miranda were living with their brother Washington and

his wife Sarah in Smith County, Mississippi. No mention is made of his wife Mary.

There is a statement, presumably written by one of his daughters, to the effect that

Ervin was a ‘slave driver’ in his younger days. This could be correct, for he grew up

among slaves, his father and grandfathers being owners of a goodly number of them.

Then on January 23, 1851 in Smith County, Mississippi Ervin married Rachel McCorra

Walker who was born in 1833, also in Greene County, Georgia. Although they lived in

the same county, they did not meet until they were grown and had moved away. Rachel’s

father Martin moved to Mississippi and bought land where Meridian is now located. He

also owned the land where Nashville, Tennessee is now (if only he had kept that land!)

A rumor on the family grapevine was that Rachel was an Indian or part Indian and that

we are descendants of “The McIntosh” who was a half breed. There is a reference to a

mixed blood McIntosh fighting for Jackson and crushing Minawa’s forces at Horseshoe

Bend. (Westhorp and Collins, “Pocket Guide to Native Americans”, page 22, Crescent

Books, New York-Avenel, N.J., 1993 Edition, Salamander Books LTD, 129-137 York Way,

London N79LKG, U.K.)

Ervin and Rachel had 11 children. Joe, Dick, Sallie and Tom were born in Mississippi

and Albert, Rachel, Elizabeth, Lucy, Mary, Ervin, and Lola were born in Milam County,

Texas. Rachel was considered an angel by many because she also reared or helped to

rear seven orphans, including nieces, nephews, and one granddaughter. She was obeyed

by all of these children “or else”. All of the family were Baptists.

Although Ervin had many skills, his most amazing skill was his use of the bull whip.

Old-timers would look you in the eye and tell you with a straight face the Ervin

Westbrook could strip the bark off the toughest oak with “that thar whup of hisen”.

Rachel is said to have told of an incident that happened on the way to Texas which

would confirm Ervin’s reputation.

When they began their trip to Texas in their wagon, they had four horses which made up

two teams. Each day one team was used to pull the wagon while the other team was led

behind the wagon for a day’s rest. Now three of those horses were good horses, but the

fourth horse was better than good. He was young and spirited, truly a thing of rare

beauty. He set every old horse wrangler that ever laid eyes on him to drooling. They

reached the Mississippi River on this fine horse’s day of rest. He was tied to the

back of the wagon, just following along. Of course, they would cross the river in a

ferry boat. When this fine horse saw that contraption he refused to set foot upon it.

Ervin got out of the wagon with whip in hand to see if he could persuade that stubborn

beast to change his mind.

At this very moment two shady looking characters appeared on the scene and offered to

help. Ervin did not like their looks, so he told them he could handle the horse and

for them to just stand out of the way. The strangers continued to offer to help and

got a little closer to the horse with each offer. Finally one of the men did just

what Ervin had expected and made a quick grab for Ervin’s pride and joy. Here Ervin’s

skill with his whip served him well and amazed all who saw the action. Now remember

that Ervin had nothing but utter contempt of horse thieves, so with undiluted malice

he lashed out in full fury and saw the flayed end of that rawhide land right on target

with devastating effect. After that one blow, Ervin was in command of the situation.

He saved his horse and struck an effective blow against thievery and skullduggery.

And maybe this was enough to scare that fine horse onto the ferry.

When Ervin came to Texas, so did his brother-in-law John Walker and his family. In

December 1859 Ervin and John pooled their assets, stretched their credit, and purchased

a section of land from R. S. Wiley. They each took half (320 acres) of the land which

was along Cannon Snap Creek about four miles north of the present town of Milano.

In June, 1861 during the Civil War Ervin joined S. M. J. Benson’s Company of the Texas

State Militia. After training he was assigned the duty of buying and delivering beef

cattle to the Confederate Army. He performed this duty for about three years, 1862-

1865.

Ervin died November 4, 1874 and was buried in a private cemetery* on his own land.

Rachel died Mar 24, 1924 and was buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Denton, Texas.

*On November 4, 1995 a historical marker was dedicated at the Westbrook-Walker Cemetery

which began with the burial of Walker’s wife Mary Frances Wells in 1864. It served as

a graveyard for these two families and some neighbors until the early 1920s. There are

20-30 people buried there and all but two graves are unmarked. The cemetery is located

about 4 miles north of Milano, Texas. It is off Hwy 36 on County Road 236 east and

just past Cannon Snap Creek inside a little neck of woods about 400 yards south of the

county road. It is unfenced and permission to enter the cemetery has been denied.

The Dick Westbrook Family

Dick was know to our family as Daddy Dick. He was born in Natches, Mississippi on

November 27, 1852. When Dick was six years old, his father Ervin Westbrook moved the

family to Texas and Dick remembered the trip. Dick also remembered an incident that

happened when he was 10 years old. When Texas joined the Confederacy, Ervin was buying

horses for the Confederate Army. He had a lot of Confederate money in the house which

was to be used to purchase horses. Ervin was warned he might be robbed when he went to

pay for the horses, so he put the money in a meal sack and tied the bag on the back of

the saddle on Dick’s horse. Dick rode the horse to the grist meal where corn is

ground into meal. The miller replaced the money with meal, hid the money, and Dick

went back home. No one ever noticed that 10 year old courier. Word was gotten to the

army and troops were sent to the miller to get the money to purchase the horses. Daddy

Dick would tell his children about his ride and when they asked him if he was scared,

he would always say he was so scared, his hair stood on end and he had never gotten it

to go down since. His hair always did stand up. He just couldn’t make it stay down.

Submitted by Sharon Sumners Davis, El Paso, TX

ShannieA@elp.rr.com

All credit for this article and photos
along with our Thanks go to
Sharon Sumners Davis
El Paso, TX

This story relates to the
Westbrook-Walker Cemetery

Rachel Westbrook was buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Denton, TX

Taken at the Westbrook picnic at Milano, July 20, 1916

Dick Westbrook

"Taken at the picnic at Milano, July 20, 1916.
Mozell, daugher of Daisy, daughter of Aunt Sally Westbrook Hensley daughter of Grandmother Rachel Walker Westbrook"

Left:
Ervin and
Rachel McCorra
Walker Westbrook

Right:
Rachel Westbrook was buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Denton, TX