Fleata Bradley Farris
Lena Fleata Bradley Farris traced her Republic of Texas roots to about 1830 in Montgomery (now Grimes) County. Her maternal grandparents, Caroline Pinion Hill Gilmore and Thomas Gilmore arrived in Texas as newlyweds in 1830. Thomas received a headright grant for 4,605 acres in Grimes County, and established a homestead for his family. The Gilmore family grew to include 5 daughters and 1 son, as well as Caroline’s widowed mother, Catherine Obedience Thornton Hill, who had moved to Texas in Oct 1833.
Fleata’s mother, Melissa, was the 5th child born to Caroline and Thomas Gilmore. Melissa was born in Grimes County in 1842 and was just a toddler when her mother died about 1845. When Thomas Gilmore died in 1855, Melissa inherited a part of the headright grant property. Fleata recalled that Melissa lived her entire life on the original headright grant given to her by her father, Thomas Gilmore, for his services to the Republic and, also, during the struggle for independence. Fleata also described seeing the land grant document:
The original document bore the signature of Anson Jones ... it was written in script on a sheepskin. In the lower left hand corner of the document, suspended from a white satin ribbon, is the seal of the Republic of Texas. The ribbon is of the best quality and in not faded. Glued together on the ribbon, which pieces the document, are two sides composing the seal – one blue and the other white. Superimposed on each side are the figures of a rising sun, a star, a spade, a rake, and a rail fence.
Melissa Gilmore married Epenetus Griffin Bradley. The couple had six children, the youngest of whom was our Real Daughter, Fleata. Fleata was born in Anderson, Grimes County on 20 Sep 1872. She married Robert Lee Farris there on 3 Nov 1895 and immediately moved to Hubbard in Hill County where Robert worked as a cotton broker. They raised two children, Lawrence and Mayme, in Hubbard and lived there for 46 years before retiring to Dallas in 1941. Robert Lee Farris died in Dallas in 1943.
Fleata’s application for membership in the James Butler Bonham Chapter was approved on 10 Apr 1947, with her grandfather, Thomas Gilmore, as her ancestor. In 1950, Fleata submitted a supplemental application for her grandmother, Caroline Pinion Hill Gilmore. Fleata was active in our chapter; she was remembered as being for many years in charge of registering the books for the chapter. Her daughter, Mayme, was also a member of our chapter. Mayme’s application was approved on 19 Dec 1946. The JBB chapter president who signed Mamye’s application was Dollie Hamilton Forester.
Fleata Bradley Farris died in Dallas in 1960. She has no survivors. Her son, Lawrence, married but had no children. He died in Harris County in 1989 and is buried there. Her daughter, Mamye, never married. Mamye died in 1984 and is buried next to her parents in the Garden of Devotion.
| Dollie Hamilton Forester | Elizabeth Love Yeary Bertrand |