James Franklin Sweazea

1850 - 1923  (73 years)

• Name	James Franklin Sweazea  [1, 2, 3]
  Born	12 Mar 1850	Shelby Co., Texas   [2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Died	14 May 1923	Crosbyton, Texas   [2, 3]
  Person ID	I1145	Merged Tree

  
  

  Father	Mathias Sweazea,   b. 1823, Wayne County, Missouri ,   d. 1865, Shelby County, Texas  (Age 42 years)
  Mother	Hannah Lucinda Stephenson,   b. ABT. 1825, Wayne County, Missouri ,   d. AFT. 1907, Clay County, Texas  (Age ~ 81 years)
  Married	3 Jun 1847	Panola County, Texas   [2, 3]
  Family ID	F477	Group Sheet

  
  

  Family	Sarah Ann Posey,   b. 25 Dec 1850, Benton Co., Alabama ,   d. 18 Dec 1915, Dimmitt, Texas  (Age 64 years)
  Married	26 Jan 1869  [2, 3]
  Children	1. Ferbie Lou Sweazea,   b. 5 Feb 1870, Shelby Co., Texas   2. Ziddie Sweazea,   b. 19 Jan 1873, Robertson Co., Tx. ,   d. 10 Jan 1944  (Age 70 years)   3. Mattie Sweazea,   b. 2 Mar 1875,   d. 27 May 1944  (Age 69 years)   4. Ada Sweazea,   b. Jun 1879, Bellevue, TX ,   d. 9 Mar 1954  (Age ~ 74 years)   5. John Sweazea,   b. 25 Feb 1881, Bellevue, TX ,   d. 10 Apr 1914, New Mexico  (Age 33 years)   6. Ettie Sweazea,   b. 10 Jan 1883, Bellevue Tx. ,   d. 18 Sep 1911, Montoya, N.M. Buried Tucumcari, N.M.  (Age 28 years)   7. Deannea Dell Sweazea,   b. 19 Sep 1887, Bellevue, Tx. ,   d. 1 Jan 1939, Albuquerque, N.M.  (Age 51 years)   8. Claude Sweazea,   b. 30 Nov 1889,   d. 10 Oct 1913, Ranger Lake N.M.  (Age 23 years)   9. Jimmie Agnes Sweazea,   b. 25 Jul 1896,   d. 1963, Dimmitt, Texas  (Age 66 years)
  Family ID	F498	Group Sheet

  
  

• Notes

  [18212.ged] [sweeze~2.FTW] From a history of the Sweazea Family, by J. E. Sweazea, 1986 James Franklin Sweazea, another to be reckoned with, arrived in Clay County, Texas, in the same wagon train with Thomas, and likewise, drove up a stake and made his claim. James, as did Thomas, started a family, from a "dugout", farmed, raised cattle and horses, good horses, but was not quite the judge of outstanding horses that Thomas was. Thomas and James were close neighbors. Seven of James Franklin Sweazea's children were born in Clay County, Texas, but about the year 1897, he heard of endless grassy plains in west Texas. There a man could homestead on two sections of land, so James went prospecting, and there he found "what he had been looking for". In 1898, he loaded his family and all his worldly possesions onto wagons, gathered his livestock [cattle], sold his holdings in Clay County, and moved west to Castro County. He filed on land in the S.E. area of Castro County, established a home, and from all accounts was prosperous. When the German community of Nazareth was settling up, James got the chance to sell out to German settlers, and at the same time, buy more land, a part of the Lite Knight and Slaton ranch, 10 to 12 miles west of his original place. The new location was center of Castro County- from east to west, and was about 7 miles SE of Dimmitt, the county seat of Castro County. On the new site, he built a very nice home [for that day and time], and apparrently, continued to prosper. James Franklin Sweazea was shot to death on the courthouse steps at Crosbyton, Texas, May 14, 1923.

  
  

• Sources

  [S01463] 1850 - 1860 Census Shelby Co. Texas Family Records. [S01648] sweeze. Date of Import: Aug 1, 1999 [S12068] 18212.ged. Date of Import: Jun 7, 2001