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For Southland Loved  Frances Glassell Ware Elliott– Photo owned by James and Judy Ware As the eldest child of James and Jane, Fanny (as she liked to be called), must have had some vivid memories of the Civil War that had called her father away from home so much. Having been born on June 11, 1859, she was between 15 and 16 when the family left Corpus Christi. Fanny had been named after her father’s mother, Frances Toy Glassell Ware, but her grandmother died before she had a chance to know her. When she was twenty-years old, Fanny married Joel Francis Elliott on October 15, 1879. Joel had been born in Cumberland County, Kentucky, on January 26, 1851, so he was about nine years her senior. He had moved from Kentucky to Texas with his 329
family;
parents (Robert and Polly Kirkpatrick Elliott) and several of his many
siblings. His older brother, Asa, had married Nancy J.
Simpson. “In 1871, they [also]
came to Bell County, Texas, with
his parents, who purchased 1200 acres of land including business
property on the stagecoach route between Waco and Austin. This
property was located at Old Troy on Elm Creek. When this property
was divided, Asa received 410 acres of land including the hotel and
stage stand, which he operated until the business was discontinued when
the railroad extended through the county and the town moved to new
Troy.” (Ref. 1036)Joel’s other brother, Michael Chisholm Elliott, married Sarah Strange. “For two years he operated the family owned hotel and stagecoach stand. When the property was divided, Michael received 400 acres of land which he farmed and on which he ran a flock of sheep. Michael and Asa built a tread-wheel gin and later, Michael bought his brothers share. This gin burned in 1883 and Michael erected a steam-operated gin with improved machinery.” (Ref. 1036) Joel began his retail business in Belton in 1875, shortly before his marriage to Fanny. Then “about January 1, 1880, Miller Brothers closed out their merchandise, amounting to about $5,000, to Ray & Elliott, who moved their own stock of gents' furnishings to the store building then occupied by Miller Brothers. For many years thereafter Ray & Elliott conducted their general mercantile business in that building.” (Ref. Peter Maverick, Nov. 2012)   Newspaper advertisements for Ray
& Elliott Department Store
330
For more than 40 years, J. F. Elliott was a partner in the dry goods firm of Ray and Elliott in Belton. The following article in the Belton Journal – Reporter in 1900 described the business well.  Joel had a beautiful house built for Fanny and their growing family in 1881. Located at 716 N. College Street, the Elliott home remains a showplace of architectural beauty for the town of Belton.  Photos taken by James
& Judy Ware
 Home of Fanny Glassell Ware
Elliott and Joel Elliott
331  Elliott Home in Belton, Texas The census of 1880
for Bell County, Belton:
Joel F. Elliott - male, married, age: 29, Fanny Elliott - wife, married, age: 20 Fanny and Joel spent many happy years in Belton. Their home became a central place for the family to gather, and for some years, many of them lived together. The census record of 1900 shows that Jane was living with her daughter by that year.  The 1910 census reflects the same information, except by this time Jane’s brother, Walter Smith, had also joined the household. Walter had never married.  332
1. Ray The Elliotts provided James and Jane with three grandchildren. Fanny delivered her first baby on June 11, 1884. The proud parents named their son Robert Ray Elliott, but he sometimes just went by “Ray” or “R. R.” Along with his younger brothers, Ray lived with his parents in Belton up until 1910. At some point after that, he moved to El Paso; possibly in hopes that the drier air would help his breathing. In 1915, however, both his mother and grandmother came to live with him in order to help out. Jane wrote a letter to her granddaughter, Sarah Ware, and mentioned, “Ray’s chickens are doing well and he finds no trouble to sell the eggs at a good price. Wish you could see the little Buff Orpringtons he gave $10.00 for after sitting hatched in an incubator.” (Ref. 132) She added in another letter written in September, “There is to be a big poultry show here in December. Ray, as Assistant Secretary of the Association, is helping.” (Ref.121) The following newspaper article appeared in the El Paso News.  In order to help their son, Fanny and Joel were forced to deal with a long-distance relationship like so many other couples did in those hard economic times. As Jane had written in her letter to her granddaughter, Ray’s father was forced to stay in Belton a great deal to keep the family business going while the cotton prices were so unpredictable. When she penned that “we are expecting Mr. Elliott next month for a month or two,” it must have been a rare, joyous time when all the family could gather under one roof. By 1920, Jane had passed away and Ray was working as a ticket agent for the railroad, but his health continued to be a constant problem. In all likelihood, Fanny stayed after her mother’s funeral to help take care of him since he remained a bachelor. In May of 1921, the family got to be together again when Joel was able to get away from Belton long enough to come for a visit. In a 333 crushing set of circumstances, however, on that May visit with his wife and son in 1921, Joel died suddenly on the 16th of that month. As the Belton newspaper reported, his remains had to be transported back home. The funeral was held a few days later and he was buried in Belton. Just one month later, on June 10th, Fanny was dealt another harsh blow when she got the news from her sister-in-law, Lena Ware, that the older brother whom she had always adored (Somerville) had also died suddenly. He, too, was laid to rest in North Belton Cemetery. Poor Fanny must have been beside herself with grief, but at least the two newly widowed ladies (Fanny and Lena) could console each other. Little could she have possibly imagined that, just four days later, Fanny would have to make burial plans for her eldest son as well. It was tuberculosis that had plagued Ray all those years, and he finally succumbed to the disease at the young age of 37. His remains were also returned to Belton where he was buried in the family cemetery.    Graves
for Joel Francis Elliott and Robert Ray Elliott
Photos taken by James and Judy Ware 334 2. GLASSELL It was three years after the birth of Ray before the second baby arrived for the Elliotts – another son. This little boy was named Frank Glassell Elliott, Sr., but he was always known simply as “Glassell.” This was in honor of his mother and his paternal great grandmother. He arrived on April 24, 1897. Jane and James enjoyed getting to see the children of their eldest daughter. Enquiring about his grandchildren in 1894, James wrote from the Old Confederate Home, “I only know him [Glassell] as the chubby little urchin who could not talk and would roll over me and seemed to think I was to be made use of that way - his grandpa for that purpose only.” (Ref. 175) Glassell was also living with his parents in their Belton home in 1910, but after graduating from college, he moved to Waco and joined the Bush and Witherspoon Cotton and Import firm.  Glassell
Elliott Sr.
Photo owned by James & Judy Ware On July 10, 1910, at the age of 23, Glassell married Anna May Herring of Waco, and they eventually provided two great grandsons for James and Jane - Frank Glassell Elliott, Jr., and William Douglas Elliott. On July 24, 1915, Anna delivered her first baby (Glassell, Jr.) in Waco. Just two months later, Grandma Fanny Elliott would help her brother (Somerville Ware) welcome not a grandson, but his own son (James Nathan) – born in September. 335
 Grandpa Sawyers (Lena Ware’s grandfather)
with Baby Glassell Jr. and Baby James
 Frank Glassell Elliott, Sr. and Glassell Jr. – photo owned by James & Judy Ware Shortly after the birth of their first son, the Elliotts made a major move to Liverpool, England, so Glassell Sr. could represent his business firm. They were in England until 1923, and had their second son while in Liverpool. Born on May 27, 1918, this little boy was named William Douglas Elliott, but was often called Douglas. According to an obituary written for Glassell many years later, the family stayed in England for eight years, and when they returned to the United States, they first settled in Charlotte, North Carolina. Then, in 1929, they were able to relocate back to Waco, where one can be sure Fanny was so glad to see them all! It was during their time abroad that Fanny had been required to face the death of her husband (Joel), brother (Somerville), and oldest son (Ray) in 1921. 336
 Glassell Jr. in England – photos owned by James & Judy Ware When he returned to Waco, Glassell “entered the investment brokerage business. Early in 1953, he became vice president of Rausher Pierce Co. and took charge of the Waco office of that firm. Mr. Elliott was a member of the Waco Public Library Board and served on the vestry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He became a member of St. Paul’s soon after coming to Waco.” (Ref. 3141) Waco, once again, became a hub of family activity. The Elliott children flourished, and it must have made Fanny so proud to see her grandson attend Baylor University where he was a member of Delta Sigma Pi. He would graduate from there the year she died in 1937.  Frank Glassell Elliott, Jr. Glassell Jr. would later marry Mary Shelton, who would pre-decease him in 1976. He died in1997, and is buried beside her in Oakwood Cemetery in Waco. 337
     Graves for
William and Mary Ellen Elliott
in Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery Fanny’s son, Glassell Elliott, Sr., spent the remainder of his life serving the community of Waco in many ways. He was a member of 338
the vestry at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and he worked tirelessly for the Waco Public Library as a board member. Glassell died on June 23, 1954, at age 67. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, McLennan County, Waco. Anna lived many more years, dying on April 6, 1981, at age 90.   
 Grave
markers for Glassell Elliott Sr. & his wife, Anna
339  Wallace Elliott – photo owned by
James & Judy Ware
3. WALLACE The third and last child for Fanny and Joel was named Joel Wallace Elliott. He was born on July 10, 1892, and he usually just went by the name of Wallace. In 1915, he was living with his parents and Grandmother Jane in Belton while he finished school. Jane wrote to her granddaughter, Sarah, “Wallace was with us ten days . . . he will graduate in June.” In a different letter, Jane wrote, “Wallace is with us for a few days. He has been near here packing and marketing a big pear crop from a big orchard and will go tomorrow to work on the big apple orchards near the mountains. It is hard work but he likes it and it makes him strong.” (Ref. 99) She also mentioned her flowers and how “Wallace stretched a piece of wire fencing up to the eaves of the house and it will soon reach the top. It lasts from year to year without planting the seed again. I will save some seed for you if they ripen.” (Ref.99) Wallace did graduate from college in 1915, and he must have gone on for even further education. The following is a paper he submitted to the faculty of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in 1921.  340 On June 6, 1922, Wallace married Susie Louise Sanders of Waco. He was 30 years old at the time. At some point, they moved to Columbus, Mississippi, and in 1925, they had a son named Joel Ware Elliott. The name they picked must have pleased Fanny immensely. Cornelia Ware Anker wrote in her memoirs about meeting the Elliotts. She penned, “J. Wallace, lives in Columbus, Mississippi. [He] visited us once and we liked him so much, he was in Washington on a special job with the Department of Agriculture and we teased him about being one of Roosevelt’s “Brain-Trusters.” (Ref.2) Brain trust began as a term for a group of close advisers, often academics, to a political candidate or incumbent, prized for their expertise in particular fields. The term is most associated with the group of advisers to Franklin Roosevelt during his presidential administration. A 1930 census shows the family living in Ithaca Tompkins County, New York, where Wallace was working as a meter clerk for the gas/electric company. It also shows Fanny living with them at that point. At some point, the family moved back to Texas and J. Wallace Elliott died on February 1, 1972. His grave is located in Sunset Memorial Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. Fanny’s grandson by Wallace and Susie (Joel Ware Elliott) graduated with a degree in engineering from a Mississippi college. He served as an officer in the navy and died on May 9, 2010. He is buried in Arlington Cemetery.  Memorial for Joel Ware Elliott – son of Wallace & Susie Elliott, grandson of Fanny and Joel Elliott, and great grandson of James & Jane Ware 341
After Joel and Somerville died, Fanny made great efforts to stay close to her brother’s family, and it was due to her thoughtfulness that the antique cradle that had been made for her father (James Alexander Ware) back in Virginia stayed in the family for his descendants to use. She wrote the following letter to Lena (Somerville’s wife) in 1935, explaining the history of the beautiful antique and also the antique trunk she was sending to them.   Trunk belonging to Fanny Toy Glassell when she went away to school prior to her marriage to Josiah William Ware in 1827 Trunk is now owned by James and Judy Ware 342
 Antique cradle made for James Alexander Ware with one of his great great grandsons in it. Photo owned by James & Judy Ware With Glassell in Europe so many years and facing the loss of her sister (Eudora), mother (Jane), husband (Joel), brother (Somerville), and oldest son (Ray), it must have been a great comfort to Fanny to live with Wallace and Susie those last years of her life. She had been a good daughter to James and Jane, and her devotion to family is reflected in all the letters that were lovingly passed down. Fanny died peacefully July 12, 1937, and she was buried in the family plot of North Belton Cemetery. She had lived 78 very full years.   343 344 |
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