the Cavitt slaves in any agrument or fight. Against explicit orders from
pa, Bud gave one of the colored boys a gun and told him to go get the
Cameron slave who had shot at him the night before. The Cavitt Negro was
a better shot than his adversary and it was thought the wounded boy
would surely die. Until the outcome of the wound could be determined,
the Cavitt offender had to be out of sight. Bud saw to this, too. During
the three weeks it took to see whether the Cameron's man would die or
get well, Bud hid his friend up in the third floor of the old Cavitt
home on State Street, feeding and caring for him, allowing him out of
the attic only in the dead of night. When the Cameron slave recovered
there was no longer any danger to Bud's charge and he went back to work
and there were never any charge brought.
The Mitchell family was very near and dear to the Cavitt family. Three
of the Mitchell sons, John Carson, James Henry and Marsh, borrowed money
from Vol Cavitt to start the successful mercantile business known as
Michell Brothers of Wheelock. These boys and their brother, Harvey, were
sons of James and Jane McIntyre Henry Mitchell from Connersville,
Tennessee. Harvey Mitchell arrived in Wheelock in January or February,
1837 with Captain Griffin Baine's Company of Volunteers to serve on the
frontier of Texas. He later resigned to join Captain Lee Smith's Company
at Tinnanville. Following that he returned to Tennessee before returning
to Robertson Colony for good. Harvey Mitchell married Mary Herndon,
daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Herndon of Springfield, Kentucky.
In 1898 Kate Mitchell, daughter of Marsh Mitchell, was Queen of
Franklin, Texas, at Jacobs Cotton Palace.
The Cavitt families seemed always anxious for their children to receive
the best education possible in the time and place they lived. The place
might be lacking in provisions, then they would send their children back
East or South to college.
Of Volney and Clara Jane Sparks Cavitt's thirteen (13) children, eleven
(ll) grew to adulthood. Those returning to the Old states for schooling
were these:
Sheridan Alexander, called Bud, who went to Roanoke College, Roanoke,
Virginia. He later attended Texas A & M when it first opened. There is a
family story about the fun loving prankster, Bud. He evidently had
finished his junior year at Roanoke ollege when pa (Volney Cavitt)
suggested he attend the college in their own state. Bud entered the
college as a junior without making any statements to anyone about his
previous classification except that he had attended the Virginia
Institution. At the end of the year, he had made the highest grades in
his class, was an outstanding student. He had a wonderful time and the
professors were very complimentary. Finally the president called him
into his office with great solemnity. He complimented the young man on
his scholarship, his interest in higher education, on the fact that each
of his professors had mentioned him as an outstanding young man. Finally
Bud could stand the pressure no longer and said, "Sir, I suppose it is
only fair to tell you that I chose here each and every subject I had at
Roanoke College last year, and I'd have been a fool not to know
something the second time around."
More serious in his student life was William Sparks, called Will, who
attended Washington and Lee University. One of his best friends in the
institution was James H. Sturgis of Waco, Texas, at whose wedding he was
best man when Jim Sturgis married a Virginia girl at the end of the
senior year. Both men belonged to Sigma Nu Fraternity.
James Volney, called Jim, attended Southwestern Presbyterian when it was
at Clarksville, Tennessee. There he knew the family of Dr. C. T.
Caldwell and the Luptons, both of whom later came to Texas to make their
homes. Like Bud, Jim thought he should attend his home state college and
was enrolled at Texas A & M its first year. The picture of Jim in his
"regimentals is a delightful sight. The photograph of the big redhead
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The most beautiful things in the world cannot be
seen or touched. It must be felt with the heart.
Helen Keller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wishes, Wants, and Dreams....a few poetic illusions
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/7068
ICQ# 1280761
For Links to all my Sites
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/7068/mylinks.htm
...It is in silence where music lies...
Yanni
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One ought, everyday, to hear a song, read a fine poem,
and, if possible, to speak a few reasonable words.
Goethe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~