Before the city of Manor was named Manor, it was once known simply by the name of one of the very few businesses in the area. It was officially known, even to the postal service, as “Wheeler’s Store.” A story In the July 23, 1899 edition of the Austin Daily Statesman newspaper states that old settlers in the area told of a letter to a Swedish immigrant from his ancestral home which reached the proper person, even though it had no address other than his name and the words, “Wheeler’s Store, Nord America.”
 |
| JOHN GILL WHEELER |
John Gill Wheeler, born in Marshall County, Alabama, March 13, 1834, came with his mother and brother and settled in Hays County, Texas in 1854. At the beginning of the Civil War he was editing a paper at La Grange, TX, but closed the paper and on September 12, 1861, he enlisted in Company C, 1st Regiment of the Eighth Texas Cavalry, better known as Terry's Texas Rangers, going from Houston, where he enlisted, to Nashville, TN where he was given a furlough on October 21st due to illness. Suffering from a severe case of pneumonia for all of November and December, he was discharged from the army on January 4, 1862.
He came home to recuperate, and, after fully recovering, on April 7th, 1862, at Austin, he enlisted in Company B, (the Tom Green Rifles) 4th Regiment of the Texas Brigade, also known as Hood’s Brigade, going to Virginia, and participating in many battles there, including the Battle of the Wilderness in Spotsylvania County, in which Wheeler lost his left arm. His service record for May & June, 1864 contains the following remark; "Absent - Left arm off - wounded May 6/64 at Wilderness".
After the war he returned to Texas, and when the Texas state constitutional convention met on Feb 7, 1866, Wheeler was chosen as their first assistant clerk. The convention set June 25th as the day for state and district elections. At this time Wheeler, running against 3 opponents, was elected County Clerk of Travis County. In March of 1867, the southern states that had been part of the Confederacy were placed under military law by the U. S. Congress and all elected officials were required to take an “iron-clad oath” before they could hold office. Wheeler, being unable to take this oath, which said in part, …”I have never voluntarily borne arms against the United States since I have been a citizen thereof; that I have voluntarily given no aid, countenance, counsel, or encouragement to persons engaged in armed hostility thereto;…”, was removed from office on November 6, 1867, along with several hundred other elected officials, including the Governor.
On page 153, Volume 9 of Frank Brown's "Annals of Travis County and the City of Austin (from the earliest times to the close of 1875)" Brown wrote the following:
Shortly after that, Wheeler built a storehouse where Manor is now located, and "Wheeler's Store" officially became the post office for those people living in the area.
An article in The Austin American Statesman on March 22, 1894 reads as follows;
“Mr. J. G. Wheeler is probably one of the best known merchants in the eastern portion of Travis county. He began business in Manor in 1868, before the railroad was built, and today has one of the largest mercantile emporiums in the county. His large and commodious establishment on Main street, 25x100 feet in dimensions is replete with a large and diversified assortment of general merchandise. Passing into the next room which is 25x100 feet we found a large stock of molasses and case goods. Next door to this room is a similar one and here will be found a large and well selected stock of furniture. Just in the rear of these buildings another warehouse contains a large stock of salt and barbed wire. Last year Mr. Wheeler handled 2500 bales of cotton and the year previous some 3000 bales. Personally, Mr. Wheeler is a pleasant gentleman, who is known for his honesty and upright business methods, as well as for the interest he takes in the onward march of Manor.“
On February 28, 1867 he was married to Miss Margaret (Maggie) Brown, of San Antonio, Bexar County, TX. This marriage produced 10 children.
A story in Confederate Veterans magazine for 1903 said this; "Although having but one arm, Mr. Wheeler has always been, and yet is, a crack shot, and shooting quail is his favorite recreation. He uses a No. 16 Parker, bringing it to his left shoulder stump very dexterously, not withstanding he is a man now verging upon three score and ten."
John G. Wheeler died at this home in Manor on February 22, 1909. The San Antonio Daily Express newspaper ran the following story on February 25th ;
No comments:
Post a Comment