Antebellum Jefferson, Texas: Everyday Life in an East Texas Town

22. Middle 1850s Merchants

317 The Cass County tax rolls indicate ownership of town lots and value of merchandise as of January 1 for the years 1854 through 1856. Persons with town lots and merchandise from 1854 through 1856 include: W. C. Baker & Company (1854–1855); J. T. Prewitt & Company (1854– 1855); John Sabine (1854–1855); W. P. Torrans (1855–1857); C. G. Peele (1855–1856); and Sabine, Gillian & Company (1856). Persons without town lots but with merchandise and known to have been Jefferson merchants include: Walker & Sayre (1854); J. C. Preston & Company (1855); J. L & S. C. Smith (1854–1857); Henry Schluter (1855); Turner & Jenkins (1855–1856); and J. W. Kemp (1856). William Hodge, who was mayor of Jefferson in 1860, appears in the tax rolls without town lots but with merchandise in 1854–1855; however, this facility appears to have been located on Black Cypress Bayou. Merchants appearing in various newspaper advertisements from late 1853 through early 1857 include: W. Brooks & Brother, receiving, forwarding, and commission merchants (September 1853); Brooks, Brother & Mabry, receiving, forwarding, and commission merchants (February 1854); W. C. Baker & Company, dry goods and groceries (February 1854); Joseph T. Prewitt, dry goods and groceries (May 1854); C. N. Stanley, commission and forwarding merchant (January 1855); W. & J. W. Brooks, dry goods (February 1855); J. C. Preston & Company , drugs (February 1855); Stanley & Nimmo, furniture (March 1856); Mosby, Schluter & Company, receiving, forwarding, and commission 22. MiDDle 1850s merchants 318 Antebellum Jefferson, Texas merchants (March 1856); Sabine, Gillian & Company, dry goods and groceries (March 1856); Mosby & Kohn, receiving, forwarding, and commission merchants (May 1856); Sabine & Frazor, dry goods and groceries (September 1856); Frazor & Company, dry goods and groceries (January 1857); Terry & Rogers, receiving, forwarding, and commission merchants (February 1857); and C. A. Bulkley, groceries (February 1857). Merchants advertising in the March 14, 1857, Eastern Texas Gazette include: J. W. Pitkin & Company, dry goods; R. W. Walker, drugs; L. J. Graham & Company, drugs; C. A. Bulkley, dry goods; Morris & Company , dry goods and groceries; Bryan & Clark, receiving, forwarding, and commission merchants; Stanley & Nimmo, furniture; B. J. Terry, groceries; Hugo Fox, groceries and candy; J. L. and S. C. Smith, staple and fancy goods; and Spilker & Company, dry goods and groceries. When John Sabine mortgaged his property in Lot 6 of Block 21 containing his storehouse in July 1857, he mentions that the storehouse was then occupied by Thomas and O. C. Frazor. Thomas had been in the dry goods and groceries business with Sabine. He joined with his brother O. C. in January 1857 to establish the dry goods and groceries business Frazor & Company. The Frazors purchased the stock of Sabine & Frazor and continued to operate out of the same storehouse, renting from Sabine. Frazor & Company’s advertisement in the January 24, 1857, Texas Republican mentions that the stock included “French and American prints, muslins, delaines, barazes [a striped cloth], silk goods, trimmings, brown and bleached domestic, osnaburgs, kerseys, linseys, fine black and blue cloths, cassimeres, and ready made clothing . Boots and shoes from the common brogan to the finest French calf skin. Hardware, cutlery, china and glass ware. Fine wines, Brandies and imported cigars of favorite brands.” Bagging and rope were on hand at all times and furnished to planters on the usual terms. Frazor & Company advertised in the November 7, 1857, Eastern Texas Gazette as “having just received a large and well selected stock of fashionable fall and winter goods which for beauty and elegance cannot be surpassed by any house in Jefferson,” with liberal deductions for cash sales. Thomas was dead by October 1857. O. C. Frazor is listed in the 1857 tax rolls as owning $7,000 in merchandise and no town lots. 319 Middle 1850s Merchants He is shown in the 1860 census as a 30-year-old clerk born in Tennessee with real and personal estate valued at $4,200. The clerk designation indicates that he was working for someone else. William Torrans is listed in the 1855 tax rolls as owner of half a town lot valued at $800 and $350 in merchandise, in the 1856 tax rolls as owner of half a town lot valued at $800 and $600 in merchandise, and in the 1857 tax rolls as owner of one town lot valued at $500 and $500 in merchandise. An October 23, 1854, mortgage from W. C. Baker & Company to J. Burnsides & Company concerning the east half of Lot 10 in Block 5 mentions that Torrans’ grocery house was on the west half...