1962 Deposition of Ida Halyard

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SURNAMES mentioned in the following document include :: Brightman :: Christian :: Downes :: Hall :: Halyard :: Henry :: Kirkpatrick :: Lamar :: Leaverton :: McCann :: McDonald :: Moore :: Roberts :: Sharp :: Stewart :: Ward

In 1962, Ida Mae (Sharp) Halyard (my great-grand-aunt) recorded the following information (reason unknown at this time). Learning of the existence of this document in a telephone conversation with Stuart Arlington Leaverton (1908-2001) of Gore, Oklahoma, I asked if he would mind sending me a copy . I received the anxiously awaited packet on Thursday, 08 October 1998.

In a follow-up telephone conversation on 11 October 1998, Stuart related that he had received these papers from a Travis Moore (a cousin of Stuart's on his father's side) of Crockett, Houston, Texas. When asked how he thought Mr. Moore might have happened across these papers, Stuart said it something to do with the Halls. Someone had written two notes on page three of this document, identifying Horace O. Hall as "my grandfather" (turned out to be Esther Biggers nee Hall).

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Ida Mae Halyard nee Sharp
03 Nov 1871 ~ 20 Nov 1964

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My name is Ida Mae Halyard and I am 90 years of age. I was born November 3rd., 1871, on the old J. J. Hall Plantation, which is situated about twelve miles Northwest from the town of Crockett in Houston County, Texas, on Elkhart creek.

My father was Samuel H. Sharp and my mother was Mary Alexandrien Lamar [Lemaire] Sharp. They were married but the one time and then on July 11th., 1861, and there were only six (6) children born to this union, namely:

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6. Willie Sharp, a girl, was born in the year 1875, and died about the year 1885. She is buried in the Hall Cemetery on the Ramon de la Garza grant in Houston County, Texas, near Elkhart creek.
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My father, Samuel H. Sharp, was the son of Mahala Lee Roberts Sharp Hall. I do not know my Grandfather Sharp's given name. My paternal grandparents had one other child, Margaret 'Sis' Sharp, and if there were any more children born of this union, I never heard of them.

My mother, Mary Alexandrien Lamar [Lemaire] Sharp, was born in France [Liberty County, Texas] and was of French extraction, but I know nothing about her family history, except that she owned land on the Robeson Survey, Liberty County, Texas, and I still own my inherited interest in this land.

My mother died when I was four years old, and is buried in the Hall Cemetery on the old Hall Plantation on Elkhart Creek, where I was born. There is a marker at her grave. My father never married again again after my mother's death, and died when I was above fourteen years old. He is buried next to and on the right side of my mother, but there is no marker at his grave. My sister, Willie is also buried beside my mother.

My Grandmother [Mahala] and my step Grandfather [J. J. Hall] are also buried in the Hall Cemetery, but I do not know where their graves are located.

My Grandmother [Mahala] came from San Augustine to Houston County, and I believe that my father and aunt were born there before she came to this County. I do not know anything about her family, except that she had a sister named Margaret, who married a McDonald and lived in Houston County, Texas.

My Grandmother, Mahala Lee Roberts Sharp, married Col. J. J. Hall about the year 1850, and there were only two children born to this union; Roberta Hall, a girl and Horace O. Hall, a boy. J. J. Hall had been married before and had a son named James Madison Hall. If he had any children except these three, I never heard of them.

Horace O. Hall married Florene Kirkpatrick when I was about eight years old, and brought her to the Hall Plantation to live. They are both now dead and are buried in Glenwood Cemetery.

Berta Hall, who was one and the same person as Roberta Hall, married John Downes about the same time her brother married, but she and Downes did not live together very long. She then married Marcus M. Halyard, my husband's uncle, and moved away from Houston County in about the year 1902.

James Madison Hall married my Aunt Margaret Sharp about the year 1860, but he died before I can remember [1866] and left Aunt Margaret with one child, named Florence.

Margaret Sharp Hall, the widow of James Madison Hall, married Frank Stewart and they had two children named Ed Stewart and Lou Stewart. She died about the year 1878, but I do not know where she was buried.

Florence Hall married James Christian who was killed by a man whose name I do not recall. She later married again and moved to a place near Dallas and I never heard of her again.

I have been personally acquainted with the facts set forth in this affidavit both from personal knowledge and from family history. At one time I lived in the old Col. J. J Hall home on Elkhart Creek. This was a story and half house and had two large fire-places."

[Signed by Ida Mae Halyard]

Sworn to and subscribed before me, this the 13th day of September, A.D. 1962.

(Signed by Dennis C. Frazier) Notary Public, in and for Houston County, Texas.

THE STATE OF TEXAS
COUNTY OF HOUSTON

BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared, Ida Mae Halyard, known to me to be the person whose name is subscribed to the foregoing instrument, and acknowledged to me that she executed the same for the purposes and consideration therein expressed. GIVEN under my hand and seal of office, this the 13 day of September, A.D. 1962.

(Signed by Dennis C. Frazier) Notary Public, in and for Houston County, Texas."
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