The Dorward Family Making History (Excerpts)
Dedicated to Our Beloved Teacher and Friends, Mr. and Mrs. Dave Dorward who have devoted their lives for the Spiritual and Moral training of the Citizen's of Gail and the Development of Borden County.
Author: Adella Shaw Drew, Plainview, TX and Zadie Mae Bills Miller, Snyder, TX
Publisher: Drew-cilla Memeograph Shop, Box 1414, Plainview, TX, 1953
The Dorward Story
The story of the beloved man and wife we have gathered to honor today is, in large measure, the history of Gail and Borden County---- a community and a county that have given their heritage to many of us who were born within their borders.
This county, devoted almost entirely to the raising of livestock, but sparsely settled and was populated by some of the finest people on earth, was created from Bexar County in 1876, but was not organized until 1891, a few months before David Dorward came here with his father the late David Dorward, and his two brothers, the late Jim Dorward, and the late Rob Dorward.
Our heritage of prairie grass and mesquite was named for a distinguished Texas patriot, surveyor and man of science, Gail Borden who invented the process for condensing milk, and who thus contributed greatly to the happiness and well being of all peoples everywhere.
Ideally situated is this community and county; our heritage and our home, no matter where else we may roam. The scarp of the cap-rock crosses the northwest corner and lies along old Borden's Western border. The remainder is rugged terrain, marked by such topographic sentinels of such historical significance as Gail Mountain and Cordove Peak, sometimes, and perhaps more familiarly known as Mushaway or Muchakooga. Our county is drained by the Colorado River and its tributaries.
{History of becoming a county skipped.}...
It was in 1892, or the year following the organization of this county, that the Dorwards came here to soon win, and to perpetually hold, the love and respect and affection of all the other people of this wide area.
David Dorward's father, or Grandfather Dorward as most of us knew him, had landed in Galveston, Texas from Scotland in 1867. There he saw his first watermelon, and was recognized as having the burr under his tongue. In Washington County he was united in marriage with Miss Ann Atkinson, whose family had come to Texas form Tennessee, as colonists in 1832, and who had fought through the Texas War for Independence. Following their marriage the couple moved to Burless County where our David Dorward was born on the 15th day of December, 1872.
When the Dorwards arrived in Borden County they settled on the 49 Ranch at what is still known as the old Dorward place. There were five major ranches in operation in this county at that time. The Jumbo Ranch had bee established by H. D. (Nick) Beal who had settled here in 1879 after leaving Falls County, in East Central Texas, because of the drought. (Yes, they had them then). The Slaughter Ranch herds grazed the Southwest corner of the county, while the Cattle of the Triangle Ranch, founded by Bush and Tiller fattened on the grass in the southeast corner. There was the TJF Ranch of Frank and Will Bob Evans of Kansas, and the old MK, known as the Magnolia Land & Cattle Company, or more properly as the Louisville Land & Cattle Company. In 1893 David Dorward started his range career as a wagon cook for the Square & Compass Ranch which had J. D. Mitchell as Ranch Foreman; J. K. Mitchell, Wagon Boss; Jim Watherford also worked there. While working for this ranch he helped shape up the last herd that the well-known pioneer cattleman Ab Blocker ever drove up over the High Plains to the Black Hills, S. D. In 1894 David Dorward went to work for the MKs or Magnolia Ranch. From the period of 1893 to 1902 he participated in four cattle drives, three of them were with cattle from the White Mountains, received at the Cape Willingham pens on the Pecos River in New Mexico and driven to Amarillo, and one with cattle driven to Kansas Pastures...
In the year 1895 the family of Miss Minnie Russell moved to Mineral Wells form their home Scyene, Dallas County where she was born. But Minnie Russell feeling the call of West Texas, tarried but a short while in the family's new home and then came on to Borden County to the Home of her Aunt, Mrs. John Doyle, with the arrangement of teaching a rural school. This school was in the 49 Pasture about 2 1/2 miles from the Doyle residence which placed it about ten miles north of Gail. The Shaw family living five miles from the Doyle home- a half dug-out school house was built or dug and was known as the Salt Springs School on the half-way line between the Doyle home and the Shaw home, which placed it on the Salt Creek. This was built in 1894. The first term was taught by W. L. Danner who then lived in the 49s and was also county commissioner. Miss Minnie, as she ws affectionately called, taught this school in 1895-1896-1897. The Doyle children and Miss Minnie would meet the cheerful Shaw children there. During the summer and fall the Shaw children would bring water-melon and tomatoes, and Oh! what a feast for all. They would want Miss Minnie to have the choice tomatoes...
It was inevitable that soon after the arrival of the beautiful young school teacher and the handsome young cowboy should become acquainted in the best and truest of the story tradition, this acquaintance quickly blossomed into a love that has mellowed and grown all the more beautiful with the passing of more than a half century.
Then Miss Minnie returned to Mineral Wells where she taught school for two years while love letters all to infrequently and all too slowly, wended their way back and forth between Gail and Mineral Wells. In the fall of 1900 Miss Minnie unable to resist the lure of David Dorward and West Texas any longer, returned here where she had again accepted a school at Gail and taught three years. Some of the pupils were as follows: {names skipped}
A matter of months later on May 26th 1901 just a week after the first Dorward Drug Store had been opened on the West side of the Square, this devoted couple became man and wife and from that day until this it had been ordained that the Dorward Drug Store should be the hub of Gail's community life, and that David and Minnie Dorward should devote their time, their talents, their money and their energy to the service of their fellowmen--- a hallowed trust in which they have not failed or even faltered...{Easter egg hunt skipped}
Mr. & Mrs. Dorward have three sons; Russel is ranching in Old Mexico, one hundred miles south of the border; Maurice lives in Dallas, and Kelvin is with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Maurice and his wife, Margaret have three sons; Don, David Allen, Russel Kelvin and his wife, Fay have two sons; Kenneth and David; Russell and wife have no children.
Mr. Dorward gained his education in pharmacy by studying at home with the aid of his wife and friends, using books furnished him by a drummer for a wholesale drug house. He has what is probably the lowest serial number registered pharmacist’s license still in use in Texas.
The path of this beloved couple, we know has not always been an easy one, but in the companionship of each other and their children, it has been a Christian and happy trail down which they have traveled through time together. They have provided a spiritual and material leadership which none of the rest of us could offer in the life of this community. Mr. Dorward has served us not only as friend and counselor, not only as a man of medical science to administer to our wounds and ills, but as a public servant--- as county treasurer and county judge of Borden County. Also as a communication exchange as there has never been but one outside telephone in the county for making outside calls and that has been in his store since 1918. His friends say he has 'traipsed' all over the county delivering messages. He now has an extension in the Court House which save him trips over there.
Last September marks fifty-two years that Mrs. Dorward has worked in the Gail Sunday School, for thirty-five years she has devotedly served as Sunday School Superintendent of the Methodist Church. She has in her Sunday School Class some of the third generation. Mr. Dorward taught the adult Sunday School Class for thirty years, resigned last year after serious illness. He has been a steward of the Methodist church thirty years. At the present time he is a steward and treasurer of the church. Both have held many other positions which have contributed immensely toward making Gail and Borden County a finer place in which other generations have been born and where they have grown up into manhood and womanhood of Christian distinction.
The town of Gail has less than 100 population, during the boom days of 1918-1920 it had 1500 which is more than are in the County now.
The Dorward Day Homecoming, April 26 1953
From as far away as South Dakota former residents of Borden County came to honor Mr. and Mrs. David Dorward--- at which time she served in the usual capacity of Sunday School Superintendent, then went immediately into church services with Dr. O.P. Clark as minister. The church building was well filled, the yards full and people continued to come, finally the minister asked that windows be opened that the people might hear. No sooner than the windows had been opened, they were filled with heads eager to not lose a word. {Barbecue description skipped}
It was a day of reminiscing and renewing acquaintances--- almost at every turn you would hear someone say, "Yes, you remember me, I'm so-and-so's child and the manner in which Mr. and Mrs. Dorward did remember those people that they had not seen for quarter of century or longer was amazing. {End of book skipped}
The afternoon program closed with an endearing response from Mrs. Dorward expressing appreciation of the gala Wonderful Homecoming and that we would have another Wonderful Homecoming in Heaven.
