Beverly Johnson (B.J.) Quillin History Sheet

 

History Sheet

Beverly Johnson Quillin

Source: B.M Quillin

Date: 1990   Recorded by Nancy Quillin Long

 

B.J. often claimed a background of Scot-Irish and Black Dutch.  According to B.M. Quillin, “Beverly Johnson Quillin was a kind and gentle man.”  Buster (B.M.) was raised by his grandparents, B.J. and Polly.

 

B.J. was born in Lee Co. Virginia, now Scott County.  Later in Lee County, he worked as a wagon master carrying freight by horse and wagon.  On a trip through VA down to Bristol, Tenn., B.J. spotted a pretty girl of about 18 or 19 years of age who had platinum blonde hair.  Her name was Polly Ann Sprowls, and he knew right away that he wanted to marry her.  It appears as though they ran away together to Texas to get married.  They arrived in Texas in the early 1880’s by train and were married in Leonard, Texas.

 

Shortly after B.J. and Polly arrived in Leonard, Texas, Polly’s mother, Millie Wright (known as Grandma Sprowls), came to live with them.  Millie had been alone for quite some time because her husband had deserted her in Tenn., hence the decision to move to Texas.  Her sons (Polly’s brothers), Sam and Jim Sprowls, also moved to Leonard, Texas.  Sam died in Leonard, but Jim finally settled in Seymour, Texas, and married a lady name Kara.  Millie died and was buried in Leonard, Texas.

 

B.J. never owned any property in Leonard, but he worked a hay meadow and bailed hay on property that he rented from a man in New York.  He was also the deputy sheriff/city marshal in Leonard.  All of his children were born in Leonard.  He suffered from severe hay fever so Grandpa Moses convinced him to move to Little Rock or Hot Springs, Arkansas.

 

In 1904 when B.J’s youngest child, Opal, was one year old, B.J. moved his family to Hot Springs, Ark.  There he tried raising cattle, but rustlers continued to steal his cattle so his life as a cattleman was short lived.

 

B.J. decided to move his family to Clyde, Texas, Callahan County, and there he farmed a piece of land for a short while until he moved to Haskell, Texas.  In Haskell, B.J. operated and managed a hotel.

 

In 1910, B.J. moved his family to Seymour, Texas, and continued living there until his death in 1936.  Only for a short time did he move to Peoni, Oklahoma to pick cotton.   But Seymour was where he settled and worked as a night watchman.  Both B.J. and Polly were buried in the Seymour cemetery.