Side Trip During Mother's Pregnancy

 My parents always took a vacation in early August. Mother was in late pregnancy, so they took a short trip to Possum Kingdom Lake. Mother was still holding me in her belly. This is at the overlook at the dam at PK on the Brazos River.

Frank McNair - Pastor of Lockett Baptist Church

Papa founded this church in 1924 with 12 other people.

I remember passing through Lockett every time that we visited Mimi and Pappy in Crowell. This church was always loved and well maintained during my growing up years. At the time, I didn't feel the gravity of what this place meant to my rich family history. 

This picture would have been taken in the mid 1990s.

 

In 2022, Lockett sustained much damage from a severe tornado. My heart was at unrest until I could make a trip up to see what was left standing. This tornado cut a path between the church and Papa and Mama's home, but both of them were still standing. Pictured below is the church building as I found it in April 2023. I can't remember if it had a church sign out front. I was just relieved to find it in good condition.

April 2023

Frank McNair - Pastor of First Baptist of Thalia

 In early 1920 - 1921, Papa (Frank McNair) preached at the First Baptist Church of Thalia. He moved to several other churches, but Mimi (Frank's daughter, Ava Ella) and Pappy (J.C. Jones) eventually made Thalia their home and this was their church home for many years. This was the church that my mother (Carolita Jones) grew up in. 

The top picture is the Thalia Baptist Church. Mother attended this church until she was married. (1928-1946) She said there was no air conditioning, so they used hand fans. These pictures were taken c.1991.

Below: picture taken of the page from my mother's scrapbook. Her description tells the story, and I love how she signed each one in her own handwriting. 

Below is a picture of my scrapbook, with a description of my Memory Lane trip with Daddy in 1991.

Daddy was baptized in this church in 1948. 

The next two pictures are from Mother's scrapbook. They are old photos taken on the steps of her church. She explains them in her typewritten note.

Below: Mimi (Ava Ella McNair Jones) is first row, fourth from the left.

Sadly, when I returned in April 2022, the small country town of Thalia was in a state of decay. It has weathered many days of storms and neglect. This building no longer functions as a church. It saddens me to see how we are such an urban society today. These small communities where so important to the growth of America, when people were surrounded closely with friends, good neighbors and family. 

Papa - The Preacher

 Papa is baptized c.1902

Photo courtesy of Carolita Jones Quillin 

Uncle Perry baptizing Papa. Papa is just to Perry's left. Mama is standing on the bank with a blanket. Perry King was Mama's (Ella Vermell King) brother. 

Photo courtesy of Carolita Jones Quillin

Frank McNair baptizing converts c.1920

In my blogpost date July 23, 2023, I give the recollections of Papa's granddaughter, my mother, Carolita Jones Quillin. She gives a full account of Charles Franklin McNair's ministry. Below, I will list the places and dates as given to me by Mother. As far as accuracy, I can only go on what was written by her. 

• 1902 - called by God to preach
• preached first sermon while visiting his father in Jones County, Texas
• began to pastor small churches that couldn't support a full time preacher
• pastored at Guion, 26 miles SW of Abilene
• served as Associational Missionary from Guion, traveling by horse and buggy
• 1920-1921 Thalia Baptist Church in Foard County, Texas
• Margaret, a small town north of Crowell for 10 months
• 1924- Locket, 10 miles west of Vernon, Texas. He organized the Lockett Baptist Church with 12 members. They met in the Lockett School facilities. The church was built under his leadership. He lived in Lockett for about 13 years.
• Moved to Electra, Texas and preached at a church outside of Delhi, Oklahoma. This was the largest church he pastored with a membership of 500. 
• moved to Hess, Oklahoma and retired from there in 1948 at the age of 70.
• 1948 - returned to Lockett and built his retirement home where he lived until 1968.
• 1968 - died at the age of 90

For any history buffs, I had never heard of Guion. I found it in the following website as a Texas ghost town. Quite interesting. 

Guion, Texas, Taylor County ghost town. (texasescapes.com)

Guion was formed in 1879 as a stage and mail stop. The Lemon's Gap Baptist church moved to Guion in 1883 and held its first service in the Union Church on September 12, 1886. When the railroad came through in 1910, the original settlement became known as Old Guion and the community was moved three miles to be near the railroad. 

http://texasescapes.com/Counties/Taylor-County-Texas.htm

The map is courtesy of the Texas General Land Office, Taylor County 1920

Frank McNair - The Teacher

 

Charles Franklin McNair (Papa) was born on 5 February 1878, at Saint Jo, Arkansas.  He was one of 10 children born to Mack Manilus McNair, who farmed 165 acres of land.  Seventy of those acres lay at the side of Boston Mountain, part of a mountain range in Arkansas.  Papa attended a rural school finishing formal schooling at an academy in Valley Springs.  He did not have a degree but was a certified schoolteacher.
 
Papa moved to Texas in 1900 at the age of 22. He worked in a General Store and taught school at Blevins.  Papa said that God called him to preach in 1902, but he continued to teach school.  He taught in McLellan County, and one of his pupils was Ella Vermell King.  He married her June 6, 1903. Ava Ella was born on April 21, 1904.  She was only 19 days old when Papa moved to Taylor County.  He continued teaching school and did some carpenter work.  He lost one of his eyes when he was struck by a flying nail.  He had one glass eye, but you really couldn't tell it was false.  He taught school in Shackelford County.  A son, Bernie was born sometime along in this time frame.  This child died in childhood 6-8 years old. He had some kind of kidney disease.

Papa's Education

 Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.   ~William Butler Yeats

Education for Charles Franklin McNair

Following a lead after I re-read Mother’s memories of Papa. I investigated her recollections of Papa’s training at a rural school. Mother recalled that Mack, his father, had farmed 165 acres near Boston Mountain in the vicinity of St. Joe. This all proves to be correct as I investigated a map. Mother mentioned that Frank had attended a finishing school at an academy in Valley Springs. I researched the history of Valley Springs and this is all correct. Boston Mountains are on the map nearby. The website mentions a Boat Mountain that I will investigate.  See the below information from the website:

https://valley.k12.ar.us/our-school-history/

Twin Springs, as Valley Springs was originally called, was so named because of the two springs that ran to the surface in this small Ozark valley. It may have been the source of fresh water that led the original families to settle here in the shadow of Boat Mountain. Not a great deal is known about the origin of the Valley Springs community, but what is clear is that the first citizens saw an important need for educating their young. It is apparent that the educational process has always been at the center of the community's interest. Soon after the Civil War, three learning academies were established in Boone County: Bellefonte, Rally Hill, and Valley Springs. Around the turn of the century, great improvements were noted in the academy at Valley Springs, and it emerged as the leader of the three. In 1912, the North Arkansas Conference of Methodist Churches felt a need to establish a high school in the Ozarks. Valley Springs, with its academic background, was selected, and it became Valley Springs Training School.

 There was much more history of the schools there, but only the early history applied to my research of my great-grandfather, Charles Franklin McNair…for me, he was Papa.

My Ancestry Page - Frank McNair & Daughter Ava

 I am so thankful for my earthly roots. Here is part of my humble beginnings.

My Grandmother - Ava Ella McNair Jones

aka: Ava, Mimi

My Great-Grandfather 

Charles Franklin McNair

aka: Frank, Papa