Travel Blog - 0123 Woodville, TX
Woodville
Woodville is where the Hicks family held a reunion for many years. Located about an hour from Lufkin, it is located deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas at the crossroads of three U.S. highways: U.S. Highway 69, U.S. Highway 190, and U.S. 287. It is the Dogwood Capital of Texas. Centrally located in Tyler County, Woodville's population in 2020 according to the United States census, there were 2,403 people, 1,084 households, and 724 families residing in the town.
Woodville was established in 1846, when Tyler County was separated from Menard District. The town was laid out on 200 acres in the forks of Turkey Creek that was donated to the county by Dr. Josiah Wheat. The site was selected as the county seat by election and the town was named in honor of George T. Wood, who introduced the bill to establish the county and served as the second governor of Texas. Woodville was incorporated in 1856. The voters elected S. Hough mayor and N.A. Penland, P.A. Work, B.F. Ross and S.B. Johnson aldermen.
Information above was found here: https://www.woodville-tx.gov/index.asp?SEC=EFE3642E-C309-4E23-9B52-C2E447357A06&Type=B_BASIC.
We went into the town of Woodville but the family lived about 15 miles east of town and since we were pressed for time we didn’t explore any of the town.
Again to try to make this less confusing when I’m referring to my John, John Little, I’m going to bold his name.
Our first stop was the Fairview Cemetery where there are 26 Hicks relatives buried.
Here are some of the ones who are most closely related to John:
William Lewis and Mary “Mollie” Boyett Hicks - John’s 2nd great-granduncle and aunt.
James Jackson and Louisa “Lou” Holland Hicks - John’s 2nd great-granduncle and aunt.
Everyone else are 2nd and 3rd cousins.
The thing I really wanted to see on this trip was a dog trot house that I found on a East Texas History Facebook page. If you read this post https://littleowensfamilytreeblog.blogspot.com/2022/07/william-edgar-hicks-1875-1963.html I mentioned the following story:
A few weeks ago when I was working on the blog I said out loud to John that I wished we
Woodville is where the Hicks family held a reunion for many years. Located about an hour from Lufkin, it is located deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas at the crossroads of three U.S. highways: U.S. Highway 69, U.S. Highway 190, and U.S. 287. It is the Dogwood Capital of Texas. Centrally located in Tyler County, Woodville's population in 2020 according to the United States census, there were 2,403 people, 1,084 households, and 724 families residing in the town.
Woodville was established in 1846, when Tyler County was separated from Menard District. The town was laid out on 200 acres in the forks of Turkey Creek that was donated to the county by Dr. Josiah Wheat. The site was selected as the county seat by election and the town was named in honor of George T. Wood, who introduced the bill to establish the county and served as the second governor of Texas. Woodville was incorporated in 1856. The voters elected S. Hough mayor and N.A. Penland, P.A. Work, B.F. Ross and S.B. Johnson aldermen.
Information above was found here: https://www.woodville-tx.gov/index.asp?SEC=EFE3642E-C309-4E23-9B52-C2E447357A06&Type=B_BASIC.
We went into the town of Woodville but the family lived about 15 miles east of town and since we were pressed for time we didn’t explore any of the town.
Again to try to make this less confusing when I’m referring to my John, John Little, I’m going to bold his name.
Our first stop was the Fairview Cemetery where there are 26 Hicks relatives buried.
Here are some of the ones who are most closely related to John:
William Lewis and Mary “Mollie” Boyett Hicks - John’s 2nd great-granduncle and aunt.
James Jackson and Louisa “Lou” Holland Hicks - John’s 2nd great-granduncle and aunt.
Everyone else are 2nd and 3rd cousins.
The thing I really wanted to see on this trip was a dog trot house that I found on a East Texas History Facebook page. If you read this post https://littleowensfamilytreeblog.blogspot.com/2022/07/william-edgar-hicks-1875-1963.html I mentioned the following story:
A few weeks ago when I was working on the blog I said out loud to John that I wished we
knew relatives from the Hicks side of the family. All his immediate family has passed away
and we really don’t have any photos from this side of the family. I kid you not, about an hour
later, a page that I follow on Facebook, East Texas History, had this post:
The location, Town Bluff, caught my eye as this is where William Edger Hicks was born and I know that several others were from there. I commented on this post and told Janis I think that her and John might be related. Come to find out she is his 3rd cousin 1x removed!!! She told me that a man named Dr. Peter Bundgard from MS has done extensive genealogy for William Jackson Hicks and Sarah Rivers Hicks. She has given me his information to contact him because there is a CD with hundreds of photos!!!
Update to this story: Janis ended up sending me a copy of the CD but my computer won’t open it. I have since heard from Dr. Peter Bundgard and mailed me a copy. Janis and Peter have given me a lot of information about this branch of the family, which I am very grateful for.
Here is a map I created to show where the homes are. The blue circles with a house on it are the homes mentioned below and the dark blue circles with the cross are the cemeteries.
Here is some information that Peter sent me to explain the loop.
"On Pedigo Loop road, which is actually County Road 4120 which makes a loop on the west side of FM-92 just north of Town Bluff, you will find the William Lewis Hicks house, which is on the south side of the loop which takes off of FM-92 just across from the Fairview Church and the Fairview Cemetery is on the left as you turn onto CR 4120. Less than a half mile or so as you proceed around the loop there is a dogtrot house on the left side. The last time we were on that loop there was still a lone old gate with no fence associated. That is the entrance to the old Hicks' house. It was owned by a Hicks descendant until fairly recently. I think the guy who bought it placed a sign on the house labeling it as The Old Hick's House."
The house now has a sign that says Aunt Jewel. It’s hard to see because a branch is hanging in the way. Aunt Jewel. I mentioned this to Peter who said “I think the "Aunt Jewel" referenced on the sign on the porch at the William Lewis Hicks house most likely relates to descendant Carrie "Jewel" Hicks, the daughter of Marion "Oscar" Hicks. She may have been the last of the William Lewis Hicks line to have lived in the house.”
At the furthest point west on the loop there is a cemetery (Old Pedigo Cemetery) where some Hicks relatives are buried. I took this photo off of Google Maps. There are a few Hicks relatives there but we skipped it because we were running out of daylight.
"As the loop swings northward there used to be the remains of an old house that belonged to one of the original brothers who came from Georgia. I don't remember which one. But I'm not sure there is anything left of it now." We didn’t see anything either.
"And somewhere in the "center" of the loop there used to be another house (belonging to James Jackson Hicks, I think), but there is nothing left of that." No indication that it is still there.
"Further around the loop on the north side of the road is an old house that belonged to Richard Joel Hicks. The last time we were there it was in very poor shape and was surrounded by a cyclone fence." It was still there!.
"Continuing around the loop on the north side of the road, the last house on the left belonged to either Thomas Collier Hicks or his son Thomas Claude Hicks. There are a couple old buildings on the right hand side of the road." Still there!!!.
"The house on the left side has been extensively remodeled, the only thing that is original is a single room off the kitchen. The Hicks family reunion was held there for several years in the early and mid 2000s, when Tom and Jeaninne Hicks lived there. Tom has since passed away but the last I heard Jeaninne was living north or Houston near her daughter Rhonda and husband. After you pass that house, the road veers to the left and down a rather steep hill and back to FM-92. I heard last year that Tom and Jeannine's place had been placed on the market, but I have no idea if anyone has purchased it. It has been several years since we have been in that area."
For more information on Woodville visit:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/woodville-tx-tyler-county
The location, Town Bluff, caught my eye as this is where William Edger Hicks was born and I know that several others were from there. I commented on this post and told Janis I think that her and John might be related. Come to find out she is his 3rd cousin 1x removed!!! She told me that a man named Dr. Peter Bundgard from MS has done extensive genealogy for William Jackson Hicks and Sarah Rivers Hicks. She has given me his information to contact him because there is a CD with hundreds of photos!!!
Update to this story: Janis ended up sending me a copy of the CD but my computer won’t open it. I have since heard from Dr. Peter Bundgard and mailed me a copy. Janis and Peter have given me a lot of information about this branch of the family, which I am very grateful for.
Here is a map I created to show where the homes are. The blue circles with a house on it are the homes mentioned below and the dark blue circles with the cross are the cemeteries.
Here is some information that Peter sent me to explain the loop.
"On Pedigo Loop road, which is actually County Road 4120 which makes a loop on the west side of FM-92 just north of Town Bluff, you will find the William Lewis Hicks house, which is on the south side of the loop which takes off of FM-92 just across from the Fairview Church and the Fairview Cemetery is on the left as you turn onto CR 4120. Less than a half mile or so as you proceed around the loop there is a dogtrot house on the left side. The last time we were on that loop there was still a lone old gate with no fence associated. That is the entrance to the old Hicks' house. It was owned by a Hicks descendant until fairly recently. I think the guy who bought it placed a sign on the house labeling it as The Old Hick's House."
The house now has a sign that says Aunt Jewel. It’s hard to see because a branch is hanging in the way. Aunt Jewel. I mentioned this to Peter who said “I think the "Aunt Jewel" referenced on the sign on the porch at the William Lewis Hicks house most likely relates to descendant Carrie "Jewel" Hicks, the daughter of Marion "Oscar" Hicks. She may have been the last of the William Lewis Hicks line to have lived in the house.”
At the furthest point west on the loop there is a cemetery (Old Pedigo Cemetery) where some Hicks relatives are buried. I took this photo off of Google Maps. There are a few Hicks relatives there but we skipped it because we were running out of daylight.
"As the loop swings northward there used to be the remains of an old house that belonged to one of the original brothers who came from Georgia. I don't remember which one. But I'm not sure there is anything left of it now." We didn’t see anything either.
"And somewhere in the "center" of the loop there used to be another house (belonging to James Jackson Hicks, I think), but there is nothing left of that." No indication that it is still there.
"Further around the loop on the north side of the road is an old house that belonged to Richard Joel Hicks. The last time we were there it was in very poor shape and was surrounded by a cyclone fence." It was still there!.
"Continuing around the loop on the north side of the road, the last house on the left belonged to either Thomas Collier Hicks or his son Thomas Claude Hicks. There are a couple old buildings on the right hand side of the road." Still there!!!.
"The house on the left side has been extensively remodeled, the only thing that is original is a single room off the kitchen. The Hicks family reunion was held there for several years in the early and mid 2000s, when Tom and Jeaninne Hicks lived there. Tom has since passed away but the last I heard Jeaninne was living north or Houston near her daughter Rhonda and husband. After you pass that house, the road veers to the left and down a rather steep hill and back to FM-92. I heard last year that Tom and Jeannine's place had been placed on the market, but I have no idea if anyone has purchased it. It has been several years since we have been in that area."
It is still for sale. Here is the link to see the inside. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/506-County-Road-4120-Woodville-TX-75979/113053492_zpid/
For more information on Woodville visit:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/woodville-tx-tyler-county
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