Dr. Robert Duff DULIN

The following bio was taken from pages 184-185 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

ranscribed by Gloria Riley

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

Dr. Dulin was born October 23, 1859 at Minden, Rusk County, Texas, the son of Daniel and Dorcas Ann (McCall) Dulin, who came to Texas after a nine-year migration from York County, South Carolina. Robert’s mother died when he was still an infant, and his father placed him in the home of Mr. James Bowling, who saw to Robert’s education and upbringing. Robert attended school at Old Minden and later, it is believed, he attended the Rock Hill Institute, named after a similar academy back in Robert’s father’s native York County. Robert was a practicing physician by 1886 as is attested by his marriage license to Miss Jessie Mae Evans, issued on December 5th of that year. Jessie Mae Evans (1863-1946) was the daughter of Jessie E. and Catherine Elizabeth (Wells) Evans. Both families were descended from early Rusk County pioneers who settled in the old Gould Community, near present-day Laneville. Robert and Jessie Dulin were the parents of two sons: Oma B., born in 1888, and Robert DeCosta Dulin, born in 1890. Dr. Dulin first served the Minden-Pine Hill area of Rusk County and at one time owned a corner block of the town of Minden as recorded by a deed issued to Dr. Dulin by his sister, Emma Dorcas Wallace, and her husband William Thomas Wallace, on November 24, 1887. The deed granted to Dr. Dulin a general mercantile business situated at the junction of the Pine Hill and New Salem roads for “as long as the mercantile business may be continued . . . provided that no intoxicating liquors, spiritous malt or vinious shall be sold as a beverage at or on said lot for the length of the time specified (45 years).” It is also believed that Robert and his family were early members of Maple Grove Presbyterian Church at Minden, now a Baptist facility. They owned eight and one-half acres of land adjoining the early church property. This land sold to F. P. Sinclair on October 12, 1897, when Dr. Dulin moved his practice to Mt. Enterprise. In 1887 Robert’s father died in Texarkana, Arkansas, leaving a daughter, Armintie Manolia Dulin, age fourteen, an orphan. “Mintie” boarded a train for Rusk County to meet and live among her half brothers, and sister, whom she did not know. She was met at the railroad station in Henderson by Dr. Dulin. In his home she found much needed love and security. She remained in Dr. Dulin’s household until 1889 when she married Mr. Lewis Althis Miller. Shortly before the turn of the century, Dr. Dulin moved from Rusk County to Calhoun County, Texas where he established his medical practice in the town of Olevia. On November 17, 1904 Dr. Dulin died of pneumonia at the age of forty-four and twenty-five days. His widow moved to Gruver, Hansford County, Texas to raise her sons on the ranch of Robert’s brother Bradner Joseph Dulin. Written by John R. Dulin