William Alsie Franks and Julia Ellen (Fountain) Franks are buried in Pleasanton City Cemetery, Pleasanton, Atascosa Co., TX. Thanks to Find-A-Grave for making this image available.

A Twentieth Century History of Southwest Texas, Illustrated, Volume II, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1907

D. G. FRANKS, the popular proprietor of Hotel Franks at Del Rio, was born in Caldwell county, Texas, December 1, 1848. He was reared upon a ranch and his early educational privileges were limited, but as the years have passed he has acquired a good practical education and has worked his way upward financially. He is a son of Benjamin F. and Martha P. (Spears) Franks, both of whom were natives of Alabama but were married in Walker county, Texas. The mother was a daughter of Mrs. Lucinda Spears and she and her husband were natives of Pennsylvania, where they were married. Mrs. Spears was a daughter of Mr. Williams, who married into a Pennsylvania Indian tribe. After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Spears they made their way southward and settled in Alabama, where Martha Spears was reared. The father died there and Mrs. Spears afterward married a Mr. Knight, who removed with the family to Texas at an early day, settling in Walker county, where his death occurred. The members of the Spears family were John B.; Martha P., who became Mrs. Franks; Lemuel; Mrs. Anna Young; Bethenia, and Elizabeth. The last two married men of the name of King and resided in Walker county.

Benjamin F. Franks (father) was born in Alabama and when about four years of age was left an orphan. He had no one to care for him and went to live with strangers but became dissatisfied with the people by whom he was reared and the treatment they gave him, so that he ran away and joined some emigrants coming to Texas. He was then but a small boy. He grew to manhood upon the frontier amid the exciting experiences incident to the settlement of Texas. Deprived of all parental training, he made good use of his opportunities in many ways, becoming a broad-minded, intelligent man of strong determination and progressive spirit. He became one of the highly respected and prominent residents of his part of the state. He owned a number of slaves and was a successful stockman and farmer. In Walker county he married and began raising stock and after the birth of three of his children he removed with his family to Atascosa county in 1852. The range was free and grass good and he carried on business successfully there until 1861, when he established a ranch on the Leona river in Frio county, which is yet known as the Franks ranch. He was active in all matters pertaining to the county and state and was a friend of Sam Houston, and with Houston and others strenuously opposed secession. When the final vote was taken he was one of only two voters in Atascosa county who stood for the Union, his companion being Calvin Musgraves. When the state did secede he removed to Frio county, where he established his ranch and was quietly pursuing his private business interests when in 1864 a "vigilance committee of regulators" arrested him on a false pretext and started for San Antonio, supposedly to place him in prison. Instead of doing this they brutally and cowardly hanged him. He died a martyr for his principles. When told of the fate that awaited him he replied that he was in their power but that he had nothing to retract and that all he had said and done he owed to the Union. He predicted, too, the failure of secession. He was a man of firm purpose, unfaltering in a course that he believed to be right and his honorable manhood was widely acknowledged. Six feet tall and of athletic build, he was very powerful and fearless, especially in defense of what he believed to be right. He died June 6, 1864. Calvin Musgraves. his friend, who voted with him to support the Union, fearing that their lives were endangered, had gone to Mr. Franks and tried to persuade him to go to Mexico but the latter refused, saying that it was his duty to remain with his family. Mr. Musgraves, however, went to Mexico and when the war was over returned to Texas, where he remained until his death twenty years later.

Mrs. Franks survived her husband until January 31, 1865, when she passed away. Her brother, John B. Spears, who had lived with the family many years, continuing with them after his marriage, took charge of the children who were thus orphaned and with his aid and advice the sons did all they could to save the stock and property but much of the stock got away. During the war the Mexicans, abetted by the white thieves, were stealing all of the best stock throughout the country and running them into Mexico. Dan G. Franks, then but a boy, yet a born leader, devised a plan and with his brother and nine companions made many runs after the thieves and brought many of them to justice, over thirty Mexicans being killed. This put an end to cattle thieving in that locality. At times the party went for two and a half days without food or water and all were about exhausted, but they persevered in their undertaking and at length succeeded in ridding the county of the bad men who infested its borders. In 1865, John B. Spears, the uncle, removed with his family to San Marcos in order to give his children educational privileges, after which he returned to the ranch and took care of the family property. He remained in the same county until his death in 1887. He was a worthy member of the Baptist church and a grand, good man.

The children of Benjamin F. Franks were seven in number, five sons and two daughters: John B., who died in 1869; Lemuel A., a stockman of Atascosa county; Daniel G.; William M., a stockman who died at Eagle Pass in 1882, leaving a wife and five children; James M., a stockman of Maverick county, who died leaving four children; Mrs. Lucinda Williams, of Atascosa county, who died leaving one son, Benjamin; Nancy A., the wife of R. Turner, a resident of Atascosa county.

Dan G. Franks spent two terms in school at San Marcos and returned to the ranch in 1867. He made himself useful in many ways, going and returning to the ranch at intervals, and with a brother he spent much time in the brush. In 1868 he married and commenced farming with his wife's mother, who had five children. He reared them all and did a good part by them. Following his marriage he purchased land certificates, securing in this way ten thousand acres, after which he established a ranch ten miles north of Cotulla, where he engaged in the stock business successfully until 1877. He then sold out and returned to Atascosa county, where he built a fine home, remaining there until 1881. During this time the family remained at home and Mr. Franks went to LaSalle county, purchasing and driving large herds of cattle to Kansas for market, but prices were low and he lost all that he had invested but the homestead to which he returned. In 1881 he engaged with a Mr. Camp in sheep industry, purchasing and driving the sheep to Menard county, where he herded. The number of sheep increased until 1883, when he sold out at a loss. He and Mr. Camp then returned to the old homestead in Atascosa county on which he had left a bunch of growing cattle, and he then bought thirty-five hundred cattle and drove them to Pecos county, where he established a ranch and continued until 1885. He then sold out to the Pecos Land & Cattle Company for one hundred thousand dollars, after which he worked for a salary for the Pecos Land & Cattle Company. In the meantime his cattle at home had been doing well and he removed his family and stock to Pecos county. A fine herd was coming up, but during the drought of 1892-3 many of them died. He then sold the remainder for twenty-one hundred dollars, giving the money to his children. He removed from Pecos to Cedar Springs, where in 1885 his wife passed away. The same year he removed with the children and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Elkins, to Wilson county, where they remained until 1888, when Mrs. Elkins died.

In 1887 Mr. Franks was married again and after the death of Mrs. Elkins he took his children to Pecos county, where he lived until 1893, engaged in the stock business. He then accepted a position with the Cattle Raisers' Association of Texas, covering the territory from San Antonio to El Paso to protect cattle raisers. He continued in that position until 1905, or for twelve years, when he resigned. When he took charge of this work, there was much thieving and smuggling at that time and Mr. Franks did much detective work, in which connection he rid the country of many criminals. So effective was his service in this direction that for four years previous to his resignation there was not a single case of thieving to report.

In 1897 his wife came to Del Rio and opened a hotel, while Mr. Franks remained in the employ of the cattle association until 1905, when he returned home and has since given his attention to the management of the hotel. He has built up a large business, which has so increased that he has been compelled to erect two additions, and the Hotel Franks is the pride of Del Rio. In this, as in all other things which he has undertaken, Mr. Franks has displayed a spirit of strong purpose and successful accomplishment that has made him a leader among men.

Mr. Franks was first married to Miss Zezrilda J. Elkins, who was born in Guadalupe county, Texas, and was a daughter of Preston and Jolly Elkins. Her father was a farmer by occupation and died in 1864. His children were: Mary, the wife of J. W. McMains; Zezrilda, who became Mrs. Franks; James W., a stockman; Margaret, who married J. Elkins and died two years later; Miles, who died in childhood; Queen, the wife of James Franks; and Breckenridge. It was these children that Mr. Franks reared, doing a father's part by them. His own marriage was blessed with six children, two sons and four daughters: Alonzo V., who is now conductor on the Mexican Central Railroad in Mexico; Artie and Arrie, twins, the former the wife of H. A. Neal, of San Antonio, and the latter of John M. Doak, a prominent rancher; Lela, the wife of L. F. Hurd, a stockman of Midland, Texas; Oscar, who is paymaster for the International & Mexican Railroad with head­quarters at Diaz, Mexico; and Dannie, now Mrs. T. Shields, of Monterey, Mexico.

Mr. Franks' second marriage, in 1887, was to Mrs. Alva Brite, the widow of Charles Brite. By her first marriage she had four children: John W., a section foreman; Mattie, who married Mr. Friesen, by whom she had a son, Carl, and for her second husband married Mr. Crew, by whom she has one child, Gedney; Bennie and Dan H., both married.

Mrs. Franks was born in Bexar county, Texas, in 1856, a daughter of Rev. H. L. Thompson, a worthy minister of the Methodist church for over forty years. He was one of the pioneer preachers in Texas and was also a stock farmer. He spent the last seven years of his life in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Franks, where he was surrounded with loving care and attention. His children were Mrs. Rosa Renshaw; Mrs. Roana McMains; Mrs. Julia Neal; Mrs. Kate Kurrey; Alva A., now Mrs. Franks; John H., and Florence, who after the death of her first husband, Mr. Clark, married Dr. Barnwell, of Bell county, Texas. Rev. Thompson was twice married and had two children by the second union, Charles and Hiram, both residents of Bell county, Texas. To Mr. and Mrs. Franks have been born three interesting children : Alva, Bob Ingersoll and Penny.

Mr. Franks is an enterprising and public-spirited man and has done much good in the world, being charitable to the needy, while to many children he has taken the part of a father as well as friend. He is a worthy member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Elks. He has lived through the period when lawlessness and strife were very common in the state, when the Indians and thieving white men took the stock and often the lives of the settlers, and has borne his part in ridding the country of such characters. He was a strong supporter of the Democracy until President Cleveland's second administration, when he decided that the nation was too great a thing for the Democratic party to handle and he has since given his support to the Republican party. He is highly esteemed for his many good traits of character and has a genial, jovial, hearty manner which makes him popular with many friends.

UP THE TRAIL TO NORTHERN NEW MEXICO

By L. A. Franks of Pleasanton, Texas

I was born in Guadalupe County, Texas, on the San Geronimo Creek, February 21, 1847. Moved to Atascosa County in 1853. My father, Ben F. Franks, being a cattleman from his boyhood days, I was raised a cowboy from the cradle up and spent my boyhood days in Atascosa County. My father, having passed away in 1862, myself and brother were left to take care of our mother and sisters. I worked cattle and fought Indians for several years, and in 1867 I settled on a ranch of my own in La Salle County. Was married in 1870 to Miss Caroline Chapman of Bell County. After several years raising cattle I started up the trail with my first herd in 1872 for G. W. Chapman and myself. I left La Salle County in March for the Wichita (Kansas) market, and went by way of San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth and straight on up the trail. We left with 1,000 head of steers and, with plenty of water and grass, we had a good trip and lost only a small number of steers on the way, arriving at the Wichita market in June. Returning to my ranch, I remained there until 1886 and started up the trail again for Presnall, Withers & Co., this time for Northern New Mexico. I left Presidio County in April and this trip was full of hardships all the way out to Roswell, New Mexico. We went by way of Alpine and Toyah and struck the Pecos River at Hash Knife Ranch, and the night we got there our herd stampeded early in the night and we did not get them checked until early morning. Again at Toyah we had a stampede that lasted all night and until sunrise the next morning, and this time we lost 22 head of steers. We went up the Pecos to Seven Rivers and on up. Striking the Pecos again, we followed it as far as Roswell, New Mexico. We had a tough time getting there, with no grass and no rain. We suffered heavy losses all the way up the Pecos, pulling and digging cattle out of bogs every day and losing some each day. We were a dilapidated looking bunch, cattle, horses and men, and when we arrived within five miles of Roswell we had a glorious rain and storm that made our trip the balance of the way very good. We left the Pecos at Roswell and went up by old Fort Sumner, crossed over to the Canadian River and by the old Bell ranch, then went on up the Goodnight Trail through the mountains and reached the market in July with 1,600 head of steers out of the 2,200 that we left Presidio County with in April. This was my last trip up the trail and I came back to Atascosa County and am still here.

Early Days On Texas Cattle Trails, By Cora Melton Cross.

TEXAS was in her swaddling clothes and the "49" gold rush to California was at its height when Jonathan M. Doak joined the caravan marching "Westward Ho!" It was a far cry, and a farther distance, reckoned by the mode of travel those days, from Madison, Miss., to the broad stretches of Texas prairie. But the call of the great outdoors had come and the lure of horn and hoof with the open range, was paramount; for it was raising. cattle, not panning pay dirt, that Jonathan Doak purposed and Texas, not California, was the objective point. Weeks of travel in a prairie schooner with household goods and family alike bundled in for the journey, finally ended for the time being in Gonzales County, where two years later we find that same Jonathan Doak recording the D. O. K brand marking his Texas longhorns on the range.

Six years later trekking again fevered his blood, nor did it cool until with family and livestock he landed in Atascosa County and established ranch headquarters, And it was there, surrounded by an atmosphere of danger adventure, hardship, the lure of yellow gold and a constantly increasing murmuring of a Northern market for Texas cattle, that John Doak Jr. was born. He is the subject of this story.

Characters: Jonathan M. Doak, Jim Lowe, John Smith, Jim Currie, Red Jim Harrison, John Dawson, Dick Marshall, Watson Peacock, Jim Mansfield, Burl Musgraves, L. A. Franks, Bob Turner, Babe Willis, R. E. Chapman, John F. Camp, John Abney, W. W. Simonds, Dan Franks, Roger Gillis

Locations: Gonzales County, Atascosa County, Frio River, Dog Town, Tilden, Ouichita River, Pleasanton, Fort Sill, Dodge City, Great Bend, Cotulla, Cibolo Creek, Boneyard Ranch, Pecos County, Dryden, Terrell County, Del Rio, Lampasas, Devils River