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From its inception in the 1870s, the Rock Church served its community as a religious center, school, and Masonic lodge.  The school soon became known as Marvin's Chapel, although the origins of this name have long since faded from memory.

The photograph above is presumed to depict the students and teacher(s) of Marvin's Chapel.  The year is estimated to be about 1900, based on the apparent ages of Isaiah WALTON (standing fourth from the left with both hands on his stomach) and Joel "Joe" JACKSON (fourth person to the right of Isaiah with white hat pushed back on his head).  Both boys were born in 1887 and appear to be about 12 or 13 years old here.  The photograph could not have been taken much later than 1900, as the WALTON family moved to Scurry County in 1901.

Paluxy River Valley Historian Janet L. SALTSGIVER of Fort Worth, Texas, recently tracked down the county's early school records, including several Teacher's Daily Attendance Books from this time period.  She conjectures that the list below identifies those students who attended Marvin's Chapel between November 1900 and March 1901.  All of these children can be found on the 1900 U.S. census, either in Hood County (primarily in Precinct No. 3) or in neighboring Erath County (Precinct No. 5).

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In the photograph, the only recognizable adult is the man standing at far left.  He is presumed to be a teacher, if not the teacher.  The Attendance Books did not list the names of any instructors.  More research is needed to resolve this matter.

The roll of known Marvin's Chapel students closely corresponds to the number of children in the class photo.  Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the identities of most, if not all, of those pictured above have been established.  All that is needed now is to match the names with the faces.

[ Photograph courtesy of Grady Early, San Marcos, Texas ]

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14 Nov 2005  |  02 Dec 2009