Brazos River Whatley Wife

The Texas Story Project.

This story passed from my Uncle Dean about when Great-grandfather Whatley was homesteading land near present day Mineral Wells.

Great-grandfather was living alone in a dugout along the bank above the Brazos River and one day heard a commotion from down near the river. So he went to check it out and found a group of wagons trying to find a low water crossing. As he went to help them, he met a young woman who caught his interest.

After Whatley left the group, he rode into town and found a judge who wrote him a letter of introduction. Whatley could neither read nor write. He took the letter back to the wagon train at the river and found the young woman's father and handed him the letter. But being shy and somewhat embarassed and not knowing what to do, he soon got on his horse and rode away back to his dugout. The next morning the father appeared at Whatley's place and presented him his new wife. And, as a result, I am here today to tell this story.


Larry Brannon is of Irish, English, and Czechoslovakia descent. He graduated from UT Austin in 1976 and lives in Dallas, TX. He and his wife have one beautiful daughter.

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