JOHN WALTER BITTING

Born February 17, 1843 in North Carolina, John Walter (J. W.) Bitting, was known as the leading merchant of Manor by the late 1800’s. 

At the age of 18 he enlisted in the Confederate Army as a member of the Forsythe County Sharpshooters and was made sergeant. He participated in 25 battles, being promoted from sergeant to captain in 1863 after the battle of Bristow Station, Virginia, in which the captain and all of the lieutenants were killed. He was wounded twice (one of which nearly cost him his life) during his 4 years of service. He surrendered with General Lee at Appomattox.

On September 1, 1865 he married Julia Elizabeth Wilson. Ten children were born to them, but only 5 were still living by the early 1900’s.  

After the war he went into the mercantile business in North Carolina until 1873, at which time he moved to Manor and opened a wooden, general merchandise store. 

The above photograph of downtown Manor was taken in 1889. The sign above the upper windows on the store building on the far right reads "J W BITTINGS FURNITURE STORE". (shown in the close-up below)

Julia died in 1885 after a lengthy battle with consumption. The Galveston Daily News carried this announcement on December 11th. 

J. W. was remarried in 1887 to Margaret Ava Griffin, who was described in a biography as "a lady of rare culture and refinement". The Austin Weekly Statesman printed the following announcement on May 5th.

In January, 1889, Governor S. S. Ross appointed Bitting, along with four others, to be the Board of Directors of the State Lunatic Asylum at Austin.

By 1893 he was the owner of a large, brick store, 75 x 100 feet, stocked with $20,000 worth of merchandise and doing $50,000 to $60,000 business annually. He was very involved in the buying and selling of cotton and as early as 1885 was expected to handle about $200, 000 worth of business in this area that year.

At this time in his life it was said that he owned 3000 acres of land, one acre of which he donated to the town of Littig, on which a school and church were built in 1887. Bitting School Road, which runs between Hogeye Road and Littig Road is named for it's connection with him and that school.

Real Estate Transfers listed in the Austin Statesman newspaper for the week ending January 4, 1890  show the following land purchases made by Bitting. Some of the purchases show a dollar amount along with “other considerations”.

65 acres purchased from Doctor J. D. Fields - $1300.

Lots 1 thru 10, block 70, in Manor purchased from Houston and Texas Central Rail Road - $225.

Lot 7, block 39, lot 9, block 43, lots 2, 3, 5, block 49, lot 2, block 52, lot 5, block 31 in Manor purchased from HTCRR - $233.33

137 acres of A.C. Caldwell league purchased from R. S. Willis - $100

Lot 16, block 33 purchased from P. Hellman and wife - $50

Lot 7, block 53 and lot 5, block 39 in Manor purchased from HTCRR - $68.34

Lot 9, block 30 in Manor purchased from J. J. Allison - $75

100 acres of O. Buckman league purchased from A. Zernier - $1000

17 ¾  acres of A.C. Caldwell league purchased from Thomas Arnold and wife - $212.50

74 ½ acres of A. Alexander league purchased from McT. Bush and wife - $400

500 acres of A. Alexander league purchased from R. S. Willis - $10

50 acres of G. C. Jennings league purchased from Hinton Banks –$542.50 

Lot 5, block 51 in Manor purchased from HTCRR - $40

40 acres of A. C. Caldwell league purchased from P. S. Leigh and 10 acres purchased from J. B. Watson - $1

Lots 6 and 7, block 33 and lot 5, block 39 in Manor purchased from S. W. Wolf - $150

23 acres of A. C. Caldwell league purchased from R. S. Willis - $100

In January 1899,  Bitting  purchased lots 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of block 31 in downtown Manor from Powel S. Banner.  The Austin Daily Statesman recorded the sale on January 16th. 

Bitting  sold 3,220 square feet of that same land to Farmers National bank for the sum of $1000. This 28 x 115 feet portion of lots 1, 2 and 3, located at the southwest corner of block 31, was to be the location of the new bank building. The transaction, which took place on February 16, 1907, is shown in Volume 218 of the Travis County Deed Records.

After the successful drilling of an artesian well, The Manor Water Works Company was formed and when it filed its charter with the Secretary of State in September 1895, J. W. Bitting was listed as a member of the board of directors, along with six other leading citizens of Manor. 

Having arrived in Manor in 1873, J. W. became a close friend of James Manor and was one of the two witnesses to James Manor's Last Will and Testament which was written in 1879 and 1881. Court records show this;

When James Manor died in 1881, J. W. was one of three court-appointed appraisers for the property left by Manor. Court records show this;

He was an active member of the Masonic Lodge, the Knights of Honor and the Odd Fellows.

A “History of Texas” published in 1893 said, “The Captain’s prosperity is due to a combination of causes, among which his affable disposition, honorable and upright business principles and courteous, accommodating treatment of his patrons, play a prominent part, winning for him the confidence and esteem of the entire community and State at large, while he enjoys a popularity which is seldom experienced by the prosperous men of the country. With Captain Bitting's career as an index to the worth of a Texas citizen, we are convinced there are giants in these days, not the physical prodigies of ancient and mythological times, but the mental and moral individuals who build commonwealths to endure and form governments which are the wonder of the world."

J. W. died May 9, 1910 and was buried in the Manor Cemetery along with his first wife who was buried there 25 years earlier. His second wife died November 22, 1929 and was also buried in Manor Cemetery.