B.H. AND ANNIE BETH ROWE

The following bio was taken from page 378 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Claudia Schuster

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

Electra, Texas, where B.H. was born, was an oil field town. He grew up on his grandfather’s ranch, and his family was typically West Texas. His father lived his early life in a hotel in Denver, Colorado because Grandpa was a railroad man, who "drove" the first train through the Royal Gorge, Colorado and was the first over the golden spike joining east-west railroads. Grandma thought he was an angel, but B.H. Sr. laughingly stated that he was a gambling man who never drew a sober breath. He gave her all his pay check except one dollar, but she never dreamed how much was in his pockets from gambling all night. When he dropped out of sight, she worried and would hop a train to look for him. Railroad men sent word ahead that she was coming, and Grandpa would be waiting when she arrived! She married him to reform him and spent the rest of her life trying to keep up! One time he brought a young man to spend the night. Grandma said they acted so silly, running to look whenever they heard a sound! Next day when he was gone she learned his name—"Billy the Kid".

Grandpa fought in the Civil War as bodyguard to General Grant. Grandpa’s old buddy from the war didn’t have anyone, so he came to live with them. He and Grandpa fought the Civil War over constantly – almost to blows! When the buddy died, and Grandpa died, they were buried side by side. Grandma had a dream one night that Grandpa couldn’t rest beside the old buddy, so she had Grandpa dug up and moved, and she is now between them! Both Grandma and Grandpa’s fathers left on a wagon train going west and disappeared. They were thought to have been killed by Indians.

Grandma was super proud that her family was one of the First Families of Virginia. B.H. came to Kilgore in 1931 with the Oil Boom, living at Laird Hill from the seventh in the eleventh grade. Then the family moved to Kilgore where he graduated.

I was born in Laneville (see Goodlett family). My parents were Andrew Gibson Goodlett and Zelma Needham Goodlett, the latter born on the home place founded by my great-grandfather, W.H. Needham in 1876. B.H. and I own it now and it is listed in the Texas Archives Family Land Heritage Registry in Austin for being in continuous use by the same family for over one hundred years. Most of my years were spent there with my grandparents, Mich D. and Annie Lowe Needham. Daddy was in college and mother, teaching. Later both were working. I attended school in Henderson and took dancing. I danced from first grade through college. I’ve danced on almost every stage in East Texas and on some ground, so naturally, after marriage I went to school and became a nurse!

B. H. And I met at Kilgore College. He played in the band and the orchestra. We married after graduation. One of my proudest moments was being named "Homecoming Queen" at the college on my sixtieth birthday.

During the first years of our marriage, B.H. worked and we lived on an oil lease. We had a daughter, Lynda Beth. World War II came. B.H. fought in the South Pacific, and Lynda and I lived in Henderson with mother. Daddy was overseas in service also.

In one vivid letter, B.H. told that he was fighting on Luzon and had blood poison in his arm. The unit was cut off from supplies and men, and were surrounded. Most of the men had been killed. He was saying good-bye in his letter. They were sending one more man for help. That man also carried B.H.’s letter. The letter came, but it was six weeks before we heard that B.H. wasn’t dead! He was to be in the first wave to hit Japan in the invasion, but while at sea the men learned that peace had been signed, therefore B.H. became part of the occupation forces. He was gone three years, but Lynda remembered him, recognized him standing in a group of soldiers at San Antonio.

B.H. entered work with the Post Office and now has more than enough years of service to retire. We also have a grown son, Jon David. With my uncle, Roy M. Needham, we have been raising registered Charolais breeder stock on our Needham Ranch since 1952.

Submitted by B.H. and Beth Rowe