Second
son and youngest child ofDavid Fite and his
first wife,Nancy Daughtery, was born in
Smithville, Tenn., Mar. 9, 1826, and died at La Luz, New Mexico, Jan. 24,
1900. He married Juliann Dorris in 1853, by whom he had two sons born in
Dallas County, Ark.Thomas Bethel Fite was
detailed to make shoes for the Confederate Army during the Civil War and
after the war he ran a grist mill at Pine Bluff, Ark.. He and his two sons
later moved to Hood County, Texas where they farmed for a few years, then
moved to Throckmorton County, Texas, where they entered the sheep business,
with some farming.Thomas Bethel's wife, Juliann Dorris, died in April 1874, near Grandberry, Hood County, Texas. Thomas lived with the younger son, La Fayette, most of the time after La Fayette's marriage. The older son, William Monroe, moved to New Mexico in 1886 and Thomas Bethel and La Fayette followed in 1887 with the sheep. Thomas and La Fayette farmed in Cox Canyon, near Cloudcroft, New Mexico for several years and La Fayette gradually went into the cattle business, while Thomas moved to La Luz, New Mexico, where he died in 1900.
Children of Thomas Bethel Fite and his wife, Juliann Dorris were:
- William Monroe Fite
- La Fayette Dorris Fite
Oldest
son ofThomas Bethel Fite andJuliann
Dorris, was born near Princeton, Dallas County, Ark., June 7, 1854.
He moved with his father and brother to Hood County, Texas, where he was
married July 3, 1873, to Lucy Jane Elgar
, in Hightown Valley, near Grandberry, Hood County, Tex.. William Monroe
farmed in Hood County for a few years, then moved with his family to
Throckmorton County, Tex., where he joined his father and brother in the
sheep business. In 1886 he moved on west to New Mexico and farmed for a
short time near Cloudcroft, then moved down on the lower Penasco River and
settled with his family at Hope, N. Mex. There he developed a 320 acre
irrigated farm, and on nearby range grazed the sheep belonging to him and
his father and brother. After the death of his good wife in 1893, William
found it most difficult to operate his large farm and sheep business and
properly care for his seven children (the youngest an infant), and in a year
or so the younger children were placed with other families to live and the
older children had gone on their own, and William Monroe disposed of his
farm and sheep interests at Hope and engaged in the cattle business in the
Sacramento Mountains. Later he and his oldest son, Flennoy, owned and
operated a large cattle ranch on the Jornada, in Socorro County, N. Mex.
After a few years he and Flennoy moved back to Hope and bought adjoining
farms, where he lived with Flennoy and family until he retired from
business. After his retirement he lived with different ones of his children,
making the rounds from San Antonio, Tex., to Denver, Colo. He spent the last
few years of his life with his daughter, Effie Fite Brackett, of Denver,
Colo., where he died March 16, 1947, and was buried. He lacked only three
months of being 93 years old. He often stated that he never had known what
it was to be sick. He was a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church
for about 75 years. All of his children survived him except Amanda who died
at 8 months of age and Charles who was killed in a railroad accident.
Besides the six living children he was survived by 20 grandchildren, 21
great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grand- children. Until his death he
kept his large family of children closely knitted together by a continuous
flow of long newsy letters. His greatest concern was to lead his children
and grand children into the paths of Christian living.Lucy
Jane Elgar Fite,
wife
of
William Monroe, was born in Itawamba, County, Miss., Nov. 5, 1855.
She was the daughter of Lewis S. and Elizabeth B. Elgar. Her father died
when she was young and she moved with her mother to Johnson County, Tex.She professed religion early in life and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, until her death Oct. 7, 1893 at Hope, N. Mex. She followed the teachings of Christ in that if she could say no good of someone she spoke no evil. Her life was one of usefulness, always ready with an assisting hand to the needy and at the bedside of the sick. She was universally beloved and her untimely death, when her baby son, Lewis, was just 7 days old, left her widowed husband with the most difficult problem of carrying on his business and keeping the large family of children together in the home.
The children ofWilliam Monroe Fite andLucy Jane Elgar were:
- Flenoy Elgar
- Amanda Ella, born 1876 and died at the age of 8 months
- William Thomas
- Effie Lenora
- Charles La Fayette
- Arra Burton
- Frederick Leroy
- Lewis Edward
Oldest
son and oldest child ofWilliam Monroe Fite andLucy
Jane Elgar, was born in Granberry, Hood County, Texas, Oct. 19, 1874.
He moved with his parents to New Mexico in 1886. He assisted his father in
the operation of a large irrigated farm and sheep ranch at Hope, N. M.,
until after the death of his mother in 1893. After graduation from the
Roswell High School he worked in Silver City, N. M., as assayer for the Mine
and Smelter Company until his marriage April 20, 1899, to Ethel Ernestine
Newman, at Fresnal, N. M.. Flennoy then worked for a number of years as head
clerk in the General Merchandise store of Charlie Meyers at La Luz, N. M..
During this period of employment he invested in cattle in the Sacramento
Mountains, with his father. Later , about 1905 , they moved the cattle to
the Jornada, in Socorro County, N. M., where they operated a large ranch for
a few years, after which they sold their ranch holdings and Flennoy and his
father bought adjoining farms at Hope, N. M.. Here, Flennoy and his good
wife, who was a constant helpmate, developed one of the finest farms in the
Hope Community. One of the outstanding features of this farm was a
beautiful, highly productive, 30 acre apple orchard. After their children
had married and left home Flennoy and Ethel sold their farm and bought a
home in the city of Carlsbad, N. M., where they still live at 105 First St.Ethel
Newman Fite, Wife of Flennoy, was born in Young County, Tex., Feb. 2,
1882. She was the second daughter of Hanson and Emma Newman. The Newmans
moved from Texas to New Mexico about the same time as the Fite families and
located in the same general area, east of Cloudcroft, where Mr. Newman
farmed and ran a considerable number of cattle. He moved to the Jornada and
drilled the wells which supplied the water for both his and the Fite
ranches. The Newmans were one of the most prominent and prosperous families
in their community. This record of Flennoy and Ethel would be incomplete
without some mention of their delightful Golden Wedding Anniversary
celebration, held in their home at Carlsbad, Apr. 20, 194
9.
Five of their six children were present; the oldest son, Clarence, was in
the hospital in California at the time, so unable to be at home for the
occasion. Present at this celebration, besides their five children and their
husbands and wives, and two grand children, were three ofFlennoy's
brothers
and wives and Ethel's sister, Mrs. Ora Swope, and two of her grandsons; Mr.
and Mrs. Jesse Brubaker, cousins of Flennoy, and a large number of nephews,
nieces and old friends of the family. A big dinner was enjoyed at La
Caverna Hotel at which the youngest brother, Lewis, acted as toastmaster
and proposed the following toast to Flennoy and Ethel:
- Twas in the year 1899
- This couple, for each other, really began to pine
- On April 20, to be exact
- They surrendered and formed this pact
- Flennoy and Ethel were their names
- High and mighty were their aims
- And now that 50 years have passed
- Let's see what fortunes they've amassed
- Only with lasting values are we concerned
- When listing things this couple earned
- First in importance we must not miss
- Four sons, and for each two a sis
- Then grandchildren too numerous to name
- To gladden their hearts and bring them fame
- Theirs was a real home from the beginning
- And the love of many they were winning
- Twas a rendevous for homeless Fites
- To do them honor we are here
- From East and West, from far and near
- There are no tokens in the marts
- That can express the fullness in our hearts
- But to them we say
- May the years ahead hold for both of you
- That full measure of happiness and contentment
- Which is the fruition of so many years, so well spent
- Doing so much for so many!
Flennoy and Ethel not only reared a fine family of their own but contributed much to the rearing and schooling of Flennoy's younger brothers and sister. They were most active in church and community work. For example, Flennoy financed and built the concrete community dam at Hope, which was a God send to that irrigation project.
Children ofFlennoy Elgar Fite andEthel Newman are:
- Clarence Sydney Fite
- William Hanson Fite
- Fred Dorris Fite
- Elgar L. Fite
- Clara Mae Fite
- Effie Myrtle Fite
