James Benjamin (J. B.) Pinson [21003751] and Leta Mae Harris [21003785]
Husband James Benjamin (J. B.) Pinson [24509] [21003751]
Born: 26 Sep 1907 - Goldthwaite, Mills County, TX Christened: Died: 6 Nov 2001 - San Benito, Cameron County, TX Buried: - Evergreen Cemetery, Lyford, Willacy County, TXMarriage: 3 Feb 1929 - Duncan, Stephens County, OK [MRIN:8100]
Wife Leta Mae Harris [11773] [21003785]
Born: 9 Jul 1910 - Wise County, TX Christened: Died: 10 Jun 2004 - Harlingen, Cameron County, TX Buried: - Evergreen Cemetery, Lyford, Willacy County, TX
Father: James David (Jimmy) Harris [11724] [20587616] (1871-1938) Mother: Docia Bell Pyron [11770] [20587642] (1872-1944)
Children
1 F Rita Sharron Pinson [24510]
Born: 30 Dec 1946 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: ? Gilliam [24511] ( - ) Marr: [MRIN:8101]
General Notes: Husband - James Benjamin (J. B.) Pinson [21003751]
from Glenn Gohr
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21003751
Birth: Sep. 26, 1907
Goldthwaite
Mills County
Texas, USA
Death: Nov. 6, 2001
San Benito
Cameron County
Texas, USA
SAN BENITO, TX--On November 6, 2001, J.B. Pinson, surrounded by his wife of 72 years, his daughter and grandchildren, died peacefully in his sleep at Twinbrooke Manor in San Benito, Texas.
J.B. was born in Goldwaith, Texas, to Samuel Jackson Pinson, Sr., and Monte Sisk Pinson. The Pinson family moved from Texas to Oklahoma when he was 9. J.B. graduated from Duncan High School, Duncan, Oklahoma.
He worked with his father on their family farm in Duncan. J.B. met his wife to be riding on a hay baler in 1926 and on February 3, 1929, he married Leta May Harris.
They farmed together in the Duncan area until they moved to Lyford, Texas in 1939.
He worked the suction at the Parker Gin in Lyford and then as a ginner when Parker was purchased by the Lyford Co-Op Gin. J.B. and Leta bought a piece of land east of Lyford in the Stillman Tract area in 1942 and lived and farmed there until J.B.'s retirement in 1972. They built a new home and moved to Lyford in 1978.
Not only was J.B. a farmer, but he was a community-oriented person as well. He was determined to improve his community's way of life. His first endeavor was obtaining telephone service to rural areas.
In the 1940's interest began to grow in obtaining telephone service in Willacy County. A committee, consisting of local people, was formed to contact existing telephone companies to see if they were interested in providing telephone service.
The response was negative, companies found it expensive and unprofitabe to serve the rural areas. The committee determined that the only solution was to organize a telephone cooperative.
Members of the committee conducted telephone surveys to determine the number of farm families interested in organizing a member-owned telephone cooperative.
The committee proceeded to collect membership applications and fees to obtain the amount of equity required in order to obtain a REA loan. J.B. Pinson, along with a host of others, handled inquiries and volumes of government paperwork for REA funding.
On September 28, 1950, a meeting of interested persons was called to formally organize a telephone cooperative.
At this meeting J.B. Pinson was not only elected to serve as an organizing director, after a special meeting, he was elected President.
Valley Telephone Cooperative, Inc. was incorporated on April 22, 1952. The first meeting of the incorporators and directors of Valley Telephone was held May 13, 1952.
The first long-distance call out of Willacy County, made from the Stillman Exchange.
It was made by J.B. Pinson to his mother in Oklahoma. Mr. Pinson served as Board President from 1950 through 1961.
Even though Mr. Pinson was no longer a member of the Cooperative, because he resided outside the service area, his enthusiasm for the benefit of the Cooperative continued through the years until his death.
He lived to see VTCI become a multimillion dollar corporation traded on Wall Street with its own worldwide network.
Water became a problem in the Stillman Tract area when the wells began to produce salt water or dried up, and J.B. found it necessary to do something about the situation.
He, along with others, once again contacted other families who would be interested in having water piped in from Lyford.
Irrigation farmers with water rights sold their water and additional land and water rights were purchased to complete the water trail which would supply the community with the water they so desperately needed.
Armed with water and a government grant, the Stillman Water Exchange was formed. J.B. served as Chairman of the Board of Directors until the Exchange became associated with the North Alamo Water District.
In addition the Telephone Cooperative and the Stillman Water Exchange, He was a pioneer in many others areas. He was youth-oriented.
J.B. was the organizational leader of Stillman 4-H Club and served as the first adult leader along with Doris Cooley.
He was active with the Willacy County Livestock Show and was instrumental in having the livestock show moved from Lyford to its present location.
In addition, he served as President of the Board in 1969 and 1970.
J. B. was one of the original members of the Lyford Lions Club where he served several years as its President and was the oldest active member until his health declined in 1997.
He was elected Lion of the Year in 1968.
J.B. was active in the Willacy and Hidalgo County Soil & Water Conservation Distirct 312 Zone II.
He was the most outstanding Supervisor in 1959, and was named outstanding farmer in 1972.
J.B. Pinson will be remembered by many in the community, but his most treasured accomplishments were his daughter, his grandchildren, and his great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters, Ruth Laminack, May Segler, Mary Rauch, Sallie Howard, Etta Lee hill and Jewel Coate, and a brother, Samuel Jackson (Jack) Pinson, Jr.
He is survived by his wife, his only child, Sharron Gilliam of Raymondville, grandchildren, Stacey and David Zamora of San Antonio, Donna and Don Price of Houston, Joshua Gilliam of Waco, and John Andrew Gilliam of Raymondville; two great grandchildren, James David Zamora and Elizabeth Mae Price, a sister and brother, Vina Moore of Tulia, Texas, and Arthur Clay Pinson of Owassa, Oklahoma, and numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Lyford, Texas, on Saturday, November 10, 2001. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Duddlesten Funeral Home.
(VALLEY MORNING STAR, Nov. 10, 2001)
Family links:
Parents:
Samuel J. Pinson (1876 - 1950)
Montie Sisk Pinson (1880 - 1957)
Spouse:
Leta Mae Harris Pinson (1910 - 2004)*
Siblings:
Ruth J Pinson Laminack (1904 - 2001)*
James Benjamin Pinson (1907 - 2001)
Mary Ethel Pinson Rauch (1914 - 1996)*
*Calculated relationship
Burial:
Evergreen Cemetery
Lyford
Willacy County
Texas, USA
Created by: Family Finder
Record added: Aug 18, 2007
Find A Grave Memorial# 21003751
THROUGH THE YEARS [Leta and James Pinson]
by Stacey (Davenport) Zamora
(written about 1990)
This paper is about two of the greatest people on earth- -
my grandparents. It covers from how they met to why they
came to the Rio Grande Valley . It talks about their
hardships and triumphs and their many contributions to both
the community and to their family .
My grandparents first met in 1923, with the help of my
maternal great-grandfather , James David Harris . Mr. Harris
owned a hay baling machine and did custom work. While doing
a baling job for Samuel Jackson Pinson , my granddaddy's
father , he needed an additional worker so he hired my
granddaddy James Benjamin Pinson . Granddaddy sat on one end
of the hay baler and fed in the hay, while grandmother, Leta
Mae Harris , sat at the other side feeding in the wire that
was used to wrap the bales of hay. After the job for Samuel
Pinson was completed, Granddaddy worked and traveled with Mr.
Harris throughout the summer. This brought Grandmother and
Granddaddy closer together and on February 3, 1929, they were
married.
For ten years, grandmother and granddaddy lived in
Oklahoma. They made their living by planting crops and
selling eggs and cream. During 1929, the economy hit "rock
bottom" and the depression was all around. In 1939, after
severe dry spells and crop failures, Grandmother and
Granddaddy came to the Valley to visit her three sisters and
two brothers, who had already moved here from Oklahoma. When
they got here, my grandmother got work in the cotton fields
picking cotton and granddaddy got a job at the gin in Lyford .
After a little over a week, my grandmother went back to
Oklahoma to check on things and when she came back, they
decided to stay in the Valley .
During their first years , they lived on some rented land
of grandmother's sister and brother-in-law , Avie and Tillman
Williams . After awhile granddaddy applied for and received a
government loan . With the loan, he bought 120 acres of land
east of Lyford , Texas, in a place called "Stillman Tract. "
But, in order for him to keep the loan he had to build a
chicken house and prove that he was going to use his new
found land for raising crops .
He proved his intentions, and with this loan he not only
bought 120 acres of land, he also built a house, garage,
barn, and chicken house, all for $11,000. Although this
almost seems wonderful , there were a lot of problems and
interferences. One problem was most of the land was covered
with brush and trees . Clearing the land and getting it ready
for planting was a difficult job. Another problem was
there was no water system, and granddaddy had to dig his own
water wells . After a while one well would go salty and then
he had to find another place for a new well . Also , there was
no electricity .
The war was the only major interference. My grandparents
were only able to build a barn and garage prior to our
involvement. They couldn't build their house for a few
years, because all of the wood was being used for the war.
Also, granddaddy, along with everyone else who farmed, had a
hard time buying farm equipment and tractor tires because all
of the metal and rubber was also being used for the war. The
only way they could buy a piece of equipment or a tire, was
to prove that the tire or piece of equipment couldn't
possibly be fixed or repaired.
However, the war was of help, too. During the war money
was needed, so even though granddaddy's loan made it
impossible for him to rent any land, he was allowed to. It
was during this period of time that he started to accumulate
his land, and to this day he still has 392 acres of farm
land, including the original 120, in Stillman Tract.
Since the economy was so bad, granddaddy and grandmother
were kept busy raising almost all of their food. Vegetables
were grown and canned; eggs were collected; cows were milked;
and beef, pork, and chickens were raised for meat. Also, my
grandmother sold eggs, cream, and butter for extra money.
This wasn't all that had to be done each day. Water had
to be carried to the animals, the ground had to be worked,
and crops had to be cared for. There was also a lot to be
done around the house. My grandmother made almost all of
hers and granddaddy's clothes, mostly from flour and chicken
or cattle feed bags. If special clothes were needed,
grandmother would buy material for thirty or fifty cents a
yard.
Their transportation wasn't the best either. Granddaddy
bought a second-hand bobbed-tail truck from Tillman Williams'
brother, Zack, who was about to take the truck to the dump.
This was my grandparents' only transportation for several
years.
When the war ended in 1945, normal life began again and
electricity was also installed i n their home.
Throughout their marriage my grandparents tried to have a
child. No matter how hard they tried, i t was virtually
impossible. So like most people who wanted children, but
were unable to have them, granddaddy and grandmother signed
up to adopt. On January 21, 1947, Grandmother and Granddaddy
received the call they had been waiting for. They went to
San Antonio, Texas, and brought home their new baby girl.
This little girl is my mother, Rita Sharron Pinson Gilliam,
born December 30, 1946. With a child now, grandmother and
granddaddy's family was complete and they could now focus on
other things. Basically family was, is and always will be
number one in my grandparents' eyes.
In 1950, Granddaddy heard about a loan that would enable
a rural phone system to be installed in Stillman Tract .
Granddaddy went all around to different friends and farmers
trying to get them to all get together to have a rural phone
system put in. All of this work paid off and a few months
later in 1950, the first contract for the rural phone system
was signed at the Lyford Gin Association.
It took several years to get the money and supplies, but
in 1957, the rural phone system was installed. My
grandfather was the very first person to place a call on the
new phone system. The newspaper press and radio people were
all gathered in my grandparents' living room to watch him
make the call. Who did he call? Well, his mother had been
very ill , so the first phone call was a long distance call to
Duncan, Oklahoma, to my great-grandmother.
Every year since my grandparents moved to their new home
and land , they had to dig their own rural water system.
Granddaddy had to dig his own wells and haul water back and
forth. A few years later, after the rural phone system was
installed, granddaddy heard of another loan. This loan was
to be used to have a rural water system installed out in
Stillman Tract. Granddaddy once again went around gathering
supporters as he did for the phone system. This took a
little longer to install, but in 1967 all of the subscribers
were now bless d with fresh running water.
Granddaddy was a key person in several other ventures,
too. He was a major contributor and President of the Valley
Telephone Co-Op for several years . His picture is still on
the wall there.
He was one of the founding fathers of the Willacy County
Livestock Show. He and several other farmers and ranchers
wanted to hold an event where the young people could show
their animals they worked so hard to raise. The Willacy
County Livestock Show is stil l held annually in January, but
the location is now between Raymondville and Lyford, rather
than Lyford.
In connection with the livestock show, it was decided to
hold a queens contest and add several other events to the
show. A rodeo was held , exhibits such as art were put on
display, and in addition to the animal competition, a bake
show and clothing show also became a part of the once a year
event. The same rules that granddaddy and the other board
members set several years ago have to this day been carried
out; all that is except one. For the past couple of years, a
fee has been charged as people entered the show grounds. The
rule in the beginning was that the show was for the children
of the community and for the community itself. Charging an
entry fee defeats the original intent.
Around the fall of 1958, Grandaddy and Mrs. Doris Cooley
wanted to have a local 4-H program for the kids in Stillman
Tract. Up until then, the 4-H meetings were held in the
various schools, or not at all. So, the Stillman 4-H Club
was made official. It s first adult leaders were my
granddaddy and Mrs. Doris Cooley. Some of its former members
now have children who are active .
Not only was granddaddy a founder of several worthwhile
organizations, he was and is both a wonderful farmer and an
upstanding citizen. In 1956, he was awarded a plaque by the
National Bank of Dallas for Soil Conservation. He was voted
best dryland farmer for several years, too. He was awarded
two plaques in 1959 and in 1972 by the Soil and Water
Conservation District. He was also involved in several
clubs—the Farmers Association, the Beef Syndicate, and Lions
Club. In 1969-70 he was even voted Lion of the Year.
I am very proud of my heritage and my family background.
My grandparents started out with nothing and have ended up
with land that is paid for and well-deserved recognition for
all of their hard work, but most of all they have a family
who loves and respects them with all of their hearts.
General Notes: Wife - Leta Mae Harris [21003785]
FTM BIRT: RIN MH:IF21861
given names from Glenn Gohr
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21003785
Birth: Jul. 9, 1910
Wise County
Texas, USA
Death: Jun. 10, 2004
Harlingen
Cameron County
Texas, USA
LYFORD--Leta Pinson, affectionately known as grandmother, passed away on June 10, 2004. She was born on July 9, 1910, in Bridgeport, Texas, to James David Harris and Docia Belle Pyron. She married James Benjamin Pinson, her childhood sweetheart, on February 3, 1929, in Duncan, Oklahoma. She and James moved to Lyford in 1932, where they settled down to raise their family. In addition to working side by side with her husband, she managed their home and spent a lifetime persuing her passion for quilting. She was an incredibly loving and supportive wife, devoted mother and the ultimate grandmother. Best of all, she was a great-grandmother who was absolutely adored. Through the years, Leta was a member of the Stillman Home-Demonstration Club, a senior leader of the Stillman 4-H Club, as well as being active in the Primitive Baptist Church in Lyford and Combes.
Leta is preceded in death by her parents, her husband and eight of her nine siblings: Earl, Alvin, Olin and Leland Harris, Patie Hix, Avie Williams, Retie Cash and Nona Clay. She is survived by her daughter, Sharron Pinson Gilliam, grandchildren Stacey and David Zamora, Donna and Don Price, Joshua and Heather Gilliam and John Andrew Gilliam, and great-grandchildren James David Zamora, Elizabeth Mae Price, and Franklin Sterling Price, her sister, Theola Williams and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.
Services will be conducted by Elder Bill Waldon on Monday, June 14th at 11 a.m. at Duddlesten Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Lyford Evergreen Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Duddlesten Funeral Home.
(VALLEY MORNING STAR, June 13, 2004)
Family links:
Parents:
James David Harris (1871 - 1938)
Docia Bell Pyron Harris (1872 - 1944)
Spouse:
James Benjamin Pinson (1907 - 2001)
Siblings:
William Earl Harris (1895 - 1967)*
Alvin Luther Harris (1897 - 1969)*
Retie Ceulia Harris Cash (1898 - 1989)*
Patie M. Harris Hix (1900 - 1974)*
Ollin Littlefield Harris (1903 - 1985)*
Avie Elizabeth Harris Williams (1906 - 1979)*
Nona Agatha Harris Clay (1908 - 1984)*
Leta Mae Harris Pinson (1910 - 2004)
James Leland Harris (1912 - 1999)*
Theola Pyron Harris Williams (1916 - 2010)*
*Calculated relationship
Burial:
Evergreen Cemetery
Lyford
Willacy County
Texas, USA
Created by: Family Finder
Record added: Aug 18, 2007
Find A Grave Memorial# 21003785
Notes: Marriage
from Glenn Gohr
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21003751