Summers in North Texas were hot and the winds only fanned the heated air as they blew across the gently flowing prairie. The jangle of the harnesses could be heard that summer day, as the horses pulling the wagon slowly made their way across the rolling land and through tall grasses. Small animals, rabbits and squirrels, scurried away from the unusual sounds made by the travelers, while startled field larks and quail flew away in a flurry of wings. The long trip from Missouri was nearly over as the small group approached the trees marking the course of the creek. The creek would become known over the years as Honey Creek. And by its banks the young family would make its home. The dogs, which had trotted alongside the wagon all the way from Missouri, with occasional side trips to chase small animals, now drew closer to the man guiding the horses, as they sensed that soon the wagon would stop. From back in the wagon, a cat stretched lazily in the heat. Pulling the wagon to a halt by the east bank of the creek, Thompson Helms, 23, looked toward the land, which sloped downward to the creek. The kettle, hanging under the wagon, slowed its swinging, as Abby, 21, lifted her toddler, John, onto her lap. Over her shoulder, slightly older Axie Ann looked out over the heated landscape. In the next few months, in the midst of settling in and preparing for winter, Abby would give birth to her third child, the first of their family to be born in the new home. The promise of 640 acres had drawn the young family to North Texas, but their story had started many years before.

Honey Creek: The Story of Thompson and Abigail Helms, Peters' Colonists of Texas

History

Patterson, Sue Parks

Americas

Beta Books

The Gillilands were a typical southern Scot-Irish family but at the same time they were also unique. They lived American history from the memorable Battle of King's Mountain during the American Revolution, where John Gilliland and the other 'Over the Mountain Boys' helped thwart the British invasion of the southeastern colonies, to the War of 1812 where Eli Gilliland served with the later famous David Crockett, a sergeant in Eli's company, to the Texas Revolution in 1836 where James Eli Gilliland participated in the San Antonio Expedition, the opening salvo of the fight for independence. The Gillilands, like other Scot-Irish families, suffered illnesses, the death of family members and other events which tested their minds and souls, but they continued seeking economic opportunities for themselves and for their families and determining their own destinies. The future would bring trying times for the Gillilands, as they were beset by more deaths, Comanche and Kiowa Indians, varying and sometimes brutal weather and a devastating war, but although they were buffeted by the winds of history, they, like their forebears, adapted and maintained their family culture

A Scots-Irish Migration (Revised 2015 B&W): The Gillilands - From King's Mountain to East Texas

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Books by Patterson, Sue Parks

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Patterson, Sue Parks. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Honey Creek: The Story of Thompson and Abigail Helms, Peters' Colonists of Texas

A Scots-Irish Migration (Revised 2015 B&W): The Gillilands - From King's Mountain to East Texas