Harding County, NMGenWeb

The biography of this family has much more information than what is written here. Only information dealing with and around Harding County has been put down. For further information about this family contact Velma K. Winn.

Joseph Laban POOL was born in 1850 in Columbus, Muscogee Co, Georgia. When he was a young man he moved to Texas where he met and married Susan Virginia YARBROUGH, born 1852 in Smith County, Texas. Joseph died in 1900. They had several children and Susan followed them to Bryantine, Harding Co, New Mexico where she died in 1907 from tuberculosis she contracted from a son. The descendents of William YARBROUGH III, a cousin of Susan's, have family in around Roy, Harding Co, NM.
    In 1907 Drury H. HAWKINS filed and bought several homesteads around the Bryantine, Harding Co, New Mexico area. The HAWKINS Family came from Randolph County, Arkansas. Drury set up a mercantile store in Bryantine with the first Post Office until about 1916. He then moved into Tucumcari, Quay Co, New Mexico and set up a mercantile store on 1st and Main Streets.

Joseph and Susan had the following children:

i. William Thomas POOL was born 1875 in Wood Co, Texas. He was a Texas Ranger before he enlisted in the army and became a Rough Rider in the Spanish American War. After serving two years as a soldier he returned and filed a soldier's homesteader claim on land around Bryantine, Harding Co, NM, 31 Dec 1902. He contracted tuberculosis during the war and brought it home with him giving it to his mother and two sisters. He died from it in 1903.
ii. Oscar POOL was born 1877 in Wood Co, Texas. He followed his brother to New Mexico filing homesteads near Bryantine, Harding Co, NM. He died in 1940.
iii. John Calhoughn POOL was born 1878 in Wood Co, Texas. On his brother William's advice he filed a homesteader claim on land around Bryantine, Harding Co, NM. He married Mary "Molly" Elizabeth HAWKINS born 1890 in Maynard, Randolph Co, Arkansas. They were married in a double ceremony with John's sister Lillie Mae POOL 28 Aug 1907 in Tucumcari, Quay Co, NM. John and Molly lived in a dugout while waiting until their house was finished. Their first son and daughter were born here. The family went to Earlsboro, Pottawatomi Co, Oklahoma for work and a son and twins were born here. They came back to the homestead in 1915 about the same time the HAWKINS family were getting ready to move to Tucumcari, so the Post office for Bryantine was moved to their ranch. He held jackrabbit roundups every year with his neighbors, where they would try to corral bunches of jackrabbits to kill due to an over abundance of them to try and prevent the damage to crops. He and his neighbors would also have rattlesnake round ups every year.
iv. Robert E. Lee POOL was born 1884 in Montague Co, Texas. He also filed for a homestead near Bryantine, Harding Co, New Mexico. He married Renia Mellisa TAYLOR, born 1882, died 1927. They had a son Joseph Laborn POOL, born 1904 in Logan, Quay Co, NM and died 1992.
v. Jessie POOL was born 1885 in Montague Co, Texas. She married Harvey Edward BRYANT born 1882 in Logan, Quay Co, NM and moved to Oklahoma.
vi. Elizabeth POOL was born 1888 in Montague Co, Texas. She took over William's homestead after he died and improved it. She died 1912 in Bryantine, Harding Co, NM from tuberculosis she contracted from William.
vii. Lillie May POOL was born 1888 in Montague Co, Texas. She married Willie P. WEEKS in a double wedding with her brother John Calhoughn POOL 28 Aug 1907 in Tucumcari, Quay Co, NM. She died from tuberculosis she contracted from William.
viii. Susan POOL born 1891 and died 1935 She married Tobe HEATH born 1889 in New Mexico.

Drury had the following children:

i. John Henry HAWKINS had a mercantile store at Obar, Quay Co, New Mexico between Logan and San Jon, Quay Co, NM.
ii. Travis HAWKINS had a mercantile store in Logan, Quay Co, New Mexico.
iii. Emma HAWKINS married Will F. JOHNSON and their ranch was at Logan, Quay Co, New Mexico.
iv. Jesse L. HAWKINS born 1881 in Arkansas died 1920 in New Mexico.
v. I.H. HAWKINS born 1888 in Arkansas. He had a number of land transactions in New Mexico but died in Redondo Beach, Los Angeles Co, California in 1975.
vi. Roy HAWKINS born 1899 in Arkansas and died 1916 at Bryantine, Harding Co, New Mexico.
vii. Mary "Molly" Elizabeth HAWKINS born 1890 in Maynard, Randolph Co, Arkansas. See John Calhoughn POOL above.

John and Molly had the following children:

i. William Thomas POOL born 1908 in Bryantine, Harding Co, New Mexico. He married Florence Lee TURNER born 1912 in Union Co, NM In 1918 he was trampled by a horse while his father was in Oklahoma. His mother had to borrowed an old model "T" from a neighbor to drive him to the doctors. At Logan the river had washed the bridge away and the only way across was a trestle bridge, without sides, the railroad used. The railroad people stopped trains in both directions so she could drive the car across and get him the 40 miles to Tucumcari and the Doctors. He was mechanically inclined and one day he and his brother Hank built a car that worked pretty well. The steering was by a single rod, not by a wheel. Hank said it is probably still out on the old homestead against a small hill where they left it when they were through with it. He died in 1985.
ii. Violet Aline POOL was born 1910 in Logan, Quay Co, New Mexico. She married Walter Mose KUYKENDALL born 1901 in Wakita, Grant Co, Oklahoma and died 1937. They were married Sunday 3 October 1926 on a new car bridge across the Canadian River which was the highest bridge in the United States until the next year when the Royal Gorge Bridge was finished. They probably did this partly because of the novelty of it and partly because the circuit minister's, who was the "Logan Circuit Rider", area ended along with her family's area at the county line which was in the middle of the river. The family had some cattle on their place and the "cow chips", after they were dried, were used for heating and cooking. So the chore of collecting cow chips fell to Violet. The Post Office was at their place for awhile and one day feeling sorry for all the people without mail she divided it up equally so everyone would have something in his or her boxes. There is no comment on how much trouble she got into over this. She died in 1958.
iii. John "Hank" Henry POOL was born 1912 in Earlsboro, Pottawatomi Co, Oklahoma and died 1988. He married Lavina ODELL born 1918 in Eagle City, Oklahoma and died 1996.
iv. Roy Paul POOL was born 1915 in Earlsboro, Pottawatomi Co, Oklahoma and died 1958. He was a twin.
v. Bessie "Polly" Pauline POOL was born 1915 in Earlsboro, Pottawatomi Co, Oklahoma. She is a twin and married Ernest John FRANTZ born 1912 in Orienta, Oklahoma and died 1997.
By 1929 the POOL and HAWKINS families were living in Tucumcari, Quay Co, New Mexico. Bryantine is now a ghost town.