George Early MCCANN

The following bio was taken from page 292 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Gloria Riley

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

George Early McCann, son of Hugh Malcolm McCann and Julia Ann McLemore, was born September 2, 1880, in Jones County, Georgia. In 1885, the family moved to the Longbranch Community, Panola County, Texas. As sons of a cotton farmer, George and his brothers worked with their father in the field. George, a strong and sturdy youth, could pick as much as six hundred pounds of cotton a day; however, since he was the youngest child, his daily chores centered around the home, and the hours spent helping his mother were influential ones. Her genteel bearing and intelligence instilled in George a respect for education and a proud bearing. George was trained as a millwright, and the McCann brothers worked in and maintained cotton gins throughout Panola and Rusk Counties. During the slack winter months, they served as carpenters for the nearby communities, and during parties and dances they served as musicians. The older brothers married, but George, feeling a responsibility to his parents, built them a home and lived there with them until his mother’s death in 1909. At the age of twenty-nine, George Early McCann was still a bachelor when he was introduced to Leah Erin Patrick. Leah, daughter of John Currence Patrick and Martha Jane Heath, was born August 15, 1884, in the Patrick Community, Rusk County. When Leah was three years old, her mother died. An elderly black servant, a former slave, took care of the family for many years, but Leah assumed responsibilities early. At the age of eleven, Leah took over the household tasks in the home. This girl of small stature proved to be an efficient and hardworking homemaker. Young Leah managed the many daily chores, did her own sewing, and in many ways, filled the role of a mother for her siblings. This capable and pretty girl suited George, and on June 1, 1910, they were married. Soon after their marriage, George and Leah moved to Hammond, Louisiana. While they were there, their oldest daughter, Cecile Betty McCann, was born in 1911. The family returned to Texas in 1912, and soon after the birth of a second daughter, Hattie Mae McCann, in 1913, they moved into Leah’s childhood home in the Patrick Community. Two other children who lived to adulthood were born in this home—Opal Belle McCann in 1915 and Chester Franklin McCann in 1923. George Early McCann soon established himself in the Patrick Community and proved to be a good provider for his family. He and two associates, Spencer and Newton Orr, bought the cotton gin in the nearby town of Brachfield, and together they operated the business, serving the cotton farmers of that area for thirty years. In addition, George McCann farmed his own land and put his carpentry skills to use in the months after cotton had gone to market. George Early McCann was a well-read man with a special interest in history and politics. He had a deep concern for his children’s schooling and for the community school, serving for twelve years on the Board of trustees for the Patrick School. In 1946, George retired from his cotton ginning business, and he and his wife moved to Henderson. Leah Erin Patrick McCann died on November 9, 1960. George returned to the Patrick Community to live with his daughter Hattie until his own death on July 27, 1964. Leah and George are buried in the Boynton Cemetery, Panola County, Texas. Written by Cecile McCann Tyler