Louis and Florence Dumas were Married in 1829
Louis Dumas and his dream of founding a new town are well known in our town that was named after him. Little has been written about his wife, Florence, or of his life before coming to Moore County.
The Dumas and Emberson families lived in the same area near Sherman, Texas. The young couple had known each other for a long time and a romance developed. They were married December 18, 1829. Louis was 23 and Florence was 18.
Mary Dumas Walton, daughter of the couple, shared some of Florence's memories in an interview with her mother. Florence recalled, "Louis and I were married in my home on the ranch and that day we drove a buggy and two black horses to Sister Groves Farm and to the bridal home Louis had prepared for me. I will never forget it! In a storage room, Louis had a barrel of molasses, a barrel of flour, a half barrel of soda, a half barrel of lard, and a round of cheese. In the smoke house, he had hams, sausage, smoked bacon and side meat. He had a half-acre garden plot and a yard full of chickens. In the parlor, Louis had a piano for me."
Florence continues, "I learned two things early in my life with Louis: 1. He wanted biscuits for breakfast, he wanted them yellow with soda, he wanted them early and HE wanted to make them. 2. He loved music with a tune, a piece of lilt, something he could whistle, a march or a happy melody. He was full of music and rhythm."
On a trip to see Louis' mother, Louis jumped off a fence and his pants caught on a nail and tore out the whole seat. Florence told the story, "I had him stand still while I gathered up the hole and tied it with a string and when we got to his mother's, he shoed her my mending. She laughed until she cried. She found him some more pants and had him leave my mending with her."
Florence remembered a time when "my mother was thrown from a buggy by a run-away horse. She sustained a broken hip as a result of it and she sat in a wheelchair the rest of her life."
There were four Emberson girls and tutors were kept during the school months to teach the girls. In the interview, Florence related how the girls school schedule went. "Pa had us all up at 4 o'clock in the morning and the first thing he did was to pass a toddy among us. We'd take a sip and grimace but Pa said it warmed us up and got us ready to work. I would go to the parlor to practice scales while the younger girls were in the classroom. Then, we'd exchange places, each in her turn, and the routine went on. But when each Emberson girl reached the age of twelve, she was sent away to boarding school. I was the oldest and the first to go. I was sent to Stark's Female College for Refined Young Ladies in Paris, Texas."
"The morning I was to leave, Ma sat at my trunk to see that my things were in order when Pa came in with a bottle of whiskey in his hand, 'Daughter,' he said, 'This is for medicinal purposes and you may be needing it. If, at a time, when you don't feel well, take a swig. It will make you feel better.'
"Ma carefully packed the bottle among my things and Pa locked the trunk lid and drove me to Pilot Point where I was to get the stage for Paris."
Florence was the youngest girl at the school and was homesick. She begged her parents to send one of her sisters. When they did not send the sister, Florence begged to have Fleet, her horse. Her father brought the horse and she rode the horse around town and said she felt like "I had part of the family with me."
One of Florence's favorite stories happened one morning when Professor Starks was not feeling well. "One morning at breakfast, the Professor remarked that he hadn't slept well and in fact, that he didn't feel good at all. I excused myself from the table and brought back my bottle of whiskey. 'Take a swig,' I said, 'It will make you feel better.' "Professor Starks looked at me like I had two heads. 'Where did you get this, young lady?' he asked in astonishment. 'Pa gave it to me. He gave us a swig every morning before breakfast, he said it made us ready for work.'
"I'll take care of this, he answered, and I never saw my bottle of whiskey again."
Mary continued the story about her mother and father. "They stayed on Sister Groves Farm for two years at which time they moved to Sherman where Papa continued his interest in farming, cattle raising, and investments -- but his alert mind and roving spirit listed to the strong urge within him. The "West is where a man should go, lots of land out there, cheap. The West needs towns. Someday, I am going out there and build one."
Late in 1890, Louis began his journey west -- to build a town. His journey brought him to stop in Moore County where he purchased two sections of land, staked out the townsite, laid off the streets and started his town.
The Dumas and Emberson families lived in the same area near Sherman, Texas. The young couple had known each other for a long time and a romance developed. They were married December 18, 1829. Louis was 23 and Florence was 18.
Mary Dumas Walton, daughter of the couple, shared some of Florence's memories in an interview with her mother. Florence recalled, "Louis and I were married in my home on the ranch and that day we drove a buggy and two black horses to Sister Groves Farm and to the bridal home Louis had prepared for me. I will never forget it! In a storage room, Louis had a barrel of molasses, a barrel of flour, a half barrel of soda, a half barrel of lard, and a round of cheese. In the smoke house, he had hams, sausage, smoked bacon and side meat. He had a half-acre garden plot and a yard full of chickens. In the parlor, Louis had a piano for me."
Florence continues, "I learned two things early in my life with Louis: 1. He wanted biscuits for breakfast, he wanted them yellow with soda, he wanted them early and HE wanted to make them. 2. He loved music with a tune, a piece of lilt, something he could whistle, a march or a happy melody. He was full of music and rhythm."
On a trip to see Louis' mother, Louis jumped off a fence and his pants caught on a nail and tore out the whole seat. Florence told the story, "I had him stand still while I gathered up the hole and tied it with a string and when we got to his mother's, he shoed her my mending. She laughed until she cried. She found him some more pants and had him leave my mending with her."
Florence remembered a time when "my mother was thrown from a buggy by a run-away horse. She sustained a broken hip as a result of it and she sat in a wheelchair the rest of her life."
There were four Emberson girls and tutors were kept during the school months to teach the girls. In the interview, Florence related how the girls school schedule went. "Pa had us all up at 4 o'clock in the morning and the first thing he did was to pass a toddy among us. We'd take a sip and grimace but Pa said it warmed us up and got us ready to work. I would go to the parlor to practice scales while the younger girls were in the classroom. Then, we'd exchange places, each in her turn, and the routine went on. But when each Emberson girl reached the age of twelve, she was sent away to boarding school. I was the oldest and the first to go. I was sent to Stark's Female College for Refined Young Ladies in Paris, Texas."
"The morning I was to leave, Ma sat at my trunk to see that my things were in order when Pa came in with a bottle of whiskey in his hand, 'Daughter,' he said, 'This is for medicinal purposes and you may be needing it. If, at a time, when you don't feel well, take a swig. It will make you feel better.'
"Ma carefully packed the bottle among my things and Pa locked the trunk lid and drove me to Pilot Point where I was to get the stage for Paris."
Florence was the youngest girl at the school and was homesick. She begged her parents to send one of her sisters. When they did not send the sister, Florence begged to have Fleet, her horse. Her father brought the horse and she rode the horse around town and said she felt like "I had part of the family with me."
One of Florence's favorite stories happened one morning when Professor Starks was not feeling well. "One morning at breakfast, the Professor remarked that he hadn't slept well and in fact, that he didn't feel good at all. I excused myself from the table and brought back my bottle of whiskey. 'Take a swig,' I said, 'It will make you feel better.' "Professor Starks looked at me like I had two heads. 'Where did you get this, young lady?' he asked in astonishment. 'Pa gave it to me. He gave us a swig every morning before breakfast, he said it made us ready for work.'
"I'll take care of this, he answered, and I never saw my bottle of whiskey again."
Mary continued the story about her mother and father. "They stayed on Sister Groves Farm for two years at which time they moved to Sherman where Papa continued his interest in farming, cattle raising, and investments -- but his alert mind and roving spirit listed to the strong urge within him. The "West is where a man should go, lots of land out there, cheap. The West needs towns. Someday, I am going out there and build one."
Late in 1890, Louis began his journey west -- to build a town. His journey brought him to stop in Moore County where he purchased two sections of land, staked out the townsite, laid off the streets and started his town.