The Johannes Branch of the Fite Family
La Fayette Dorris Fite
(Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes)
Son
of
Thomas Bethel Fite and
Juliann Dorris, was born Nov. 10, 1855, near Princeton, Dallas
County, Ark. He moved with his father and his brother, William Monroe, to
Hood County, Tex., where he was married, July 20, 1876 to Anna Brewer. After
farming in Hood County for a few years he and his father and brother moved
to Throckmorton Co., Tex., where they engaged in the sheep business and
farming. This family had the "Go West" spirit, as the father came from
Tenn., down through Ark. to Texas and about 1887 he and La Fayette followed
William Monroe on into New Mexico. William had settled in N. M. in 1886. La
Fayette and his father settled in Cox Canyon, East of Cloudcroft, in Otero
County, which was then a part of Dona Ana County, N. M. They brought the
sheep with them and sent them to William Monroe at Hope, where there was
good grazing. La Fayette developed a nice farm and cattle ranch on Cox
Canyon, with a winter range in the Rincon. He lived there for many years
with a winter home at La Luz, N. M., where his children went to school. In
about 1905 he followed his brother to the Jornada, in Socorro County, where
he drilled wells and established a large cattle ranch. It is interesting to
note how this family, father and two sons, stuck together. La Fayette sold
his ranch and stock in 1909 and moved back to Texas and settled in
Silverton, Brasco County, where he owned a farm, and lived there until his
death June 6, 1920.
Anna Brewer Wife of
La Fayette Dorris Fite,
was born June 13, 1860 in Talledaga Co., Ala. She was the daughter of James
Jasper Brewer and Elizabeth D. Brewer, who came to Texas in 1875. Anna died
in Las Cruces, N. M., Oct. 23, 1944. La Fayette and Anna were outstanding
individuals of the highest character. Theirs was one of the most thrifty and
prominent families in their community.
Children of La Fayette Dorris Fite and Anna Brewer were:
- Walter La Fayette
- Cora Elizabeth Estella, born July 29, 1887 and died on June
6, 1892
- Ella Mae
- James Orville
- Minnie Edith
- Samuel Houston
- Paul Leonard
Walter La Fayette Fite
(La Fayette, Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes) Son of
La Fayette Fite
and
Anna Brewer, was born in Throckmorton Co.,
Tex., Jan. 23, 1881. He was married in San Antonio, N. M., June 21,1910, to
Edna Earl Bruton. Walter came to N. M.
with his parents in 1887 and was raised on the farm and cattle ranch in N.
M. He was a typical western cattleman. When he retired recently, the only
break from the ranch was a few years just prior to his retirement, when he
owned and operated a wholesale gas and oil business at Magdalena, N. M., and
during this period he was investing his money in a large cattle ranch
southeast of Socorro, N. M.
Edna Earl Bruton, wife of Walter La Fayette Fite, was the daughter of
Charles Bruton and Agnes Cornet Bruton. She was born in Carlsbad, N. M.,
Apr. 6, 1890. Edna graduated from the Loretta Academy in Las Cruces, N. M.,
and taught school for several years.
Children of Walter La fayette Fite and Edna Earl Bruton were:
- William Dean
- Sunshine
- Charles Bruton
- Melba Lea
The present address of Walter and Edna is
Socorro, N. M.
William Dean Fite
(Walter, La Fayette, Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes)
Son of
Walter La Fayette Fite and Edna Earl Bruton, was born Mar. 29, 1911 in San
Marcial, N. M. Dean graduated from the Magdalena High School in 1930 and
went into the cattle business with his father.
He is now manager of their large ranch southeast of Socorro, N. M. They are
still using the old FIT brand which was used by the grandfather. Dean was
married, May 14, 1937 , in Belen, N. M., to
Evelyn Galon. Evelyn is the daughter of Herman and Emma Galon. She
was born, Feb. 22, 1918 in Outlook, Saskatchewan, Canada and came to the U.
S. A. with her parents in 1922. She graduated from Magdalena High School.
Dean and Evelyn have no children.
Their present address is Socorro, N. M..
SunShine Fite
(Walter, La Fayette, Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes)
Daughter of Walter La Fayette Fite and Edna Earl Bruton, was born in
Socorro, N. M., Dec. 11, 1913. She attended the University of New Mexico for
one year and the Arizona State Teacher's College, at Tempe, for a year, and
taught school until she was married, June 20, 1934, to
Paul Edwin Woofter, in Socorro, N. M.. Paul Woofter, son of A. D. and
Kathryn Woofter, was born in Graften, W. Va., June 26,1907. He attended the
University of Oklahoma for three years and the University of Southern
California for one year. He and his father own and operate a large ranch
southwest of Socorro, N. M., where they raise fine Hereford cattle.
Paul and Sunshine have one child:
- Frances, born Mar. 2,1936, in Magdalena, N. M.
The present address of Paul and Sunshine is
Socorro, N. M..
Charles Bruton Fite
(Walter , La Fayette, Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes) Son of
Walter La Fayette Fite and Edna Earl Bruton was born Apr. 4, 1915, in San
Marcial, N. M.. He graduated from Magdalena High School and attended the N.
M. A. & M. College for two years, and spent one year in the army in World
War II, was discharged in 1942. He bought a ranch near Scholle, N. M., where
he is engaged in stock raising and farming. Charles was married, June 21,
1944 to
Charlene McBee, in Albuquerque, N. M. Charlene was born Aug. 18, 1925
in Jerome, Ariz. She is the daughter of Charles Weaver and Ethel Davis
McBee. Charlene is a graduate of the Mountainaire, N. M. High School.
Charles and Charlene have two children:
- Walter Ray, born Dec. 26,1948 in Albuquerque, N.M.
- Charles Richard, born Feb. 15,1950, in Albuquerque, N.M.
The present address of Charles and Charlene
is Scholle, New Mexico.
Melba Lea Fite
(Walter, La Fayette, Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes)
Daughter of
Walter La Fayette Fite
and
Edna Earl Bruton, was born June
20,1918 in Socorro, N. M. Melba attended the University of N. M. for two
years and N. M. A. & M. College for one year, and was married July 8,
1941 to
Maynard Ashby Wingo in Las Cruces, N. M.
Maynard, son of Maynard and Birdie Cox Wingo, was born in 1917 in
Memphis, Tenn. He graduated from N. M. A. & M. College in 1940 and has
been engaged in the stock raising business on his ranches in Van Horn,
Texas and Tillatoba, Miss. ever since.
Melba and Maynard have
three children:
- Turner Ashby, born Sept. 21, 1943, in Socorro, N.M.
- Dean Kirk, born Mar. 25, 1948, in El Paso, Texas
- Terry Lea, born Jan. 23, 1950, in Van Horn, Texas
The present address of Melba and Maynard is
Collierville, Tenn.
Cora Elizabeth Fite
(La Fayette, Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes) Daughter of La
Fayette Dorris Fite and Anna Brewer, was born Oct. 7, 1885 in Throckmorton
County, Texas. She came to N. M. with her family in 1887 and attended school
in La Luz, N. M., and was married Nov. 26, 1901 to
Jesse Austin Brubaker, in La Luz. Jesse was born Oct. 19, 1875 in
Mapleton, Monona County, Iowa. Jesse worked for the Forest Service as Forest
Ranger from 1909 to 1942, when he retired from Civil Service to his farm at
Garfield, N. M.
The authors of this publication are indebted to Cora Fite Brubaker for much
of the data furnished on her family. She was most cooperative in writing
letters and sending questionnaires to members of her family.
Jesse and
Cora have one child:
The present address of Cora and Jesse is
Garfield, N. M.
Paul Leonard Fite,
( La Fayette, Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes )
,
Son of
La Fayette Dorris Fite and
Anna Brewer , was born May 23, 1904, in La Luz, N. Mex. He went North
with some of his older brothers and was married in Bassano, Alberta, Canada,
June 5, 1928 to
Alice Briggs. Alice was born in Emigrant, Mont., Apr. 13, 1907. Paul
and Alice own and operate a dairy farm at Quesnel, B. C. They have no
children.
The
present address of Paul and Alice is Quesnel, B. C., Canada.
Clyde Warren Brubaker
(Cora, La Fayette, Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes) Son of
Jesse Austin Brubaker and
Cora Elizabeth Fite, was born Aug. 26, 1902 in La Luz, N. M.
He attended the Roswell Military Institute and completed study with General
Motors to become a Certified Buick Service Mechanic. He was ten years in
Civil Service, with the U. S. Soil Conservation Service; worked in the Navy
Yards at Puget Sound and with the V2 Rocket research at White Sands Proving
Grounds. At present he is Shop Superintendent in charge of maintenance at
White Sands Proving Grounds, N. M. Clyde was married Feb.21, 1927, in Flint,
Mich.., to
Edith Beardsley. Edith was born March 10, 1910 at Decatur, Mich.
Two children were born to Clyde and Edith:
- Cora, born in Flint, Mich., Sept. 10, 1928
- Carrie Lou, born in Capitan, N.M., March 28, 1930
Clyde was married a second time to
Sarah Green in Roswell, N. M., Aug.26, 1936.
Sarah Brubaker was born in Wartrace, Tenn., June 25, 1917. To Clyde
and Sarah one child was born,
- Nancy Sue
born June 29, 1937 in Roswell, N, M. Carrie Lou Brubaker is secretary for
the Kal Parchment Paper Co., at Kalamazoo, Mich.
Clyde's present address is: Box 3393, Station
A, El Paso, Tex.
Cora Brubaker ( Clyde, Cora, La Fayette,
Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes) Daughter of
Clyde Brubaker and
Edith Beardsley, was
married Sept. 8, 1947 to
Lloyd Raymond Lewis
at Kalamazoo, Mich. Lloyd was born in Kalamazoo, Mich., Mar. 24, 1926.Lloyd
Raymond Lewis finished High School at Kalamazoo and worked for the Kalamazoo
Vegetable Parchment Co., as ink maker. He was in the Navy from Jan. 16, 1944
to July 1, 1946, in the Chemical Warfare Dept., Co. D, under Capt. Voseler,
at Naval Ammunition Depot, Hawthorn, N V When he was discharged he resumed
his work with the Kalamazoo Co.
Lloyd and Cora have on child:
The present
address of Cora and Lloyd is:
2831 McKinley Drive, R. R. 2
Kalamazoo, Mich.
William Joseph Fite (La
Fayette, Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes)
Son of
La Fayette Dorris Fite and Anna Brewer,
was born Oct. 18, 1891, in La Luz, N. M.. He attended school in La Luz and
worked with his father on the ranch in the Jornada until it was sold, after
which he went to California and worked for the Los Angeles Police Dept.,
until he was retired in 1939.
"Jodie" enlisted in the Navy, in World War I, Dec. 15, 1917, was in training
at Dallas, Tex., at Great Lakes, then to Hampton Rhodes, Va., and from there
to Key West, Fla., where he was assigned to U.S.S. Dolphin, Coast Patrol
Service. He was discharged Dec. 21 1918. Jodie was married June 10, 1925 to
Elsie Chapman in Los Angeles, Calif. Elsie was born in Hanover, Ill.,
Dec. 13, 1898. Elsie and Jodie have no children.
Their present address is:
10124 Laural
Canyon Blvd.
Pocoima, Cailf.
*William Joseph Fite died on July 27, 1954.*
Ella Mae Fite (La Fayette,
Thomas, David, Leonard, Johannes) Daughter of
La Fayette Dorris Fite and
Anna Brewer,
was born in Cloudcroft, N. M., Apr. 10, 1893. She was married in San
Marcial, N. M., Apr. 24, 1910 to
Jack Bruton.
Jack was born in Weed, N. M., Dec. 29, 1886. Jack has worked with cattle all
of his life and owns and operates a cattle ranch East of Hot Springs, N. M.
Children born to Ella and Jack were:
Son
of Thomas Bethel Fite and
Juliann Dorris, was born Nov. 10, 1855, near Princeton, Dallas
County, Ark. He moved with his father and his brother, William Monroe, to
Hood County, Tex., where he was married, July 20, 1876 to Anna Brewer. After
farming in Hood County for a few years he and his father and brother moved
to Throckmorton Co., Tex., where they engaged in the sheep business and
farming. This family had the "Go West" spirit, as the father came from
Tenn., down through Ark. to Texas and about 1887 he and La Fayette followed
William Monroe on into New Mexico. William had settled in N. M. in 1886. La
Fayette and his father settled in Cox Canyon, East of Cloudcroft, in Otero
County, which was then a part of Dona Ana County, N. M. They brought the
sheep with them and sent them to William Monroe at Hope, where there was
good grazing. La Fayette developed a nice farm and cattle ranch on Cox
Canyon, with a winter range in the Rincon. He lived there for many years
with a winter home at La Luz, N. M., where his children went to school. In
about 1905 he followed his brother to the Jornada, in Socorro County, where
he drilled wells and established a large cattle ranch. It is interesting to
note how this family, father and two sons, stuck together. La Fayette sold
his ranch and stock in 1909 and moved back to Texas and settled in
Silverton, Brasco County, where he owned a farm, and lived there until his
death June 6, 1920.