Chasing Our Tales - Gooseneck, Texas, Ghost Town

Hello, everyone. Sorry I was away last month. I had a total knee replacement, and I was completing the pictorial history of Mineral Wells that I was working on for Arcadia Publishing. If you happen to be interested, the book will come out, I believe, next spring. I want to thank the Boyce Ditto Library’s Weaver and Casper Collections, as well as many, many town-folk who provided me with photos of the proud history of Mineral Wells. Raf and I hope to be working on a pictorial history of Palo Pinto County next year, and we will be calling on everyone in the county to provide photos and stories. We especially would like photos that have not been published before, and stories that have never been told!

In looking around for a good column story, I came upon a story about the ghost town, Gooseneck, up in Young County. I had never heard of Gooseneck, and when I asked my son-in-law, who is from Graham, he said the town is all under water...all except the cemetery.

Gooseneck is on the western side of the Brazos River about five miles south of Graham off Farm Road 1287. It was settled in the 1880’s and was, at first, called Honey Bend because of all the wild bees in the area, especially around the the large bend in the river which reminded folks of the neck of a goose. The town had only a church, a school, and a cemetery, and in 1932 a Gooseneck Cemetery Association was established to maintain the Gooseneck Cemetery.

Land for the Gooseneck Cemetery was donated by Kentucky native George Washington Fore (1823-1903) and his son, John Silas Fore (1851-1931). John Fore was a cattleman who later became sheriff of Wichita County. The Fore family also gave land for a community school and a Baptist church. The school stayed in operation until 1947 when it merged with the Graham Independent School District.

The land for the Gooseneck cemetery had previously been part of the Brazos River Indian Preserve.

The church was originally known as the Macedonia Missionary Bapitst Church, but it later became the Bunger Baptist Church, and although Gooseneck has no population, the town of Bunger, in the Gooseneck Bend area, had a population of forty in 2000.

Bunger, on Farm Road 1287 eight miles south of Graham in southeastern Young County, was originally settled in 1872 by W. T. and Sam Bunger. A post office was established there in 1909, closed in 1920, reopened in 1921, and closed again in 1955. In 1940 Bunger comprised twenty-five residents and one store. From 1974 to 1990 its population was estimated at twenty-six.

The earliest marked graves in the Gooseneck Cemetery was those of F. M. McLaren and Anna Davidson who died in 1876. Others who are buried there include the site’s donor, George Washington Fore, and James James (1764-1878). James was a native of Virginia who fought in the War of 1812.

James James, known as Double Jimmy, died in Young County on 2 December 1878. Born in Prince William County Virginia near the Red House on 10 May 1764, the son of Elias James and Anne Matson, he was 114 years old when he died. For many years, James lived twelve miles south of Weatherford, Texas, with his daughter, Nancy Wheat.

James’ father lived on a plantation near the Potomac River. This plantation adjoined that of Lawrence Washington, the brother of George Washington, and he is quoted to have said, “people can’t say too much about George, for he was a good boy and a good man.”

James James had one brother and four sisters. The brothers joined the Volunteer Militia in 1812, and James’ brother died during the war. James James served until 1 May 1814 when he then enlisted in Captain J. P. Duval’s Company 20, United States Regiment of Infantry. Still later he was on the gun ship 69 Captain Cox on the Elizabeth River conveying people from one shore to the other. He was discharged on 15 May 1815.

James married Elizabeth Newman on 1 Apr 1810, and they raised ten boys and five girls. They first settled in Roan County, Tennessee, then Lauderdale County, Alabama, then White County, Arkansas, and in 1848 came to Dallas County, Texas. While in Dallas James worked as a ferryman on the Trinity River with his son William until 1872 when, at age 108, he decided to live the rest of his days in Parker County, Texas.

I could find no reason for his being buried at Gooseneck Cemetery except that his daughter Nancy, at some point, moved to Brown County, Texas. So, perhaps, they were on their way there when James died.

George Washington Fore, who donated the land for the Gooseneck Cemetery, was born in Kentucky on 1 November 1823. He was the son of Jesse and Nancy C. M. Fore and the brother of Catherine Fore. He married Nancy Jane Hunt who was born 11 Jun 1829 in Kentucky. They were married 1 Oct 1848 at Pulaski County, Kentucky. The marriage bond for George's marriage to Nancy Jane, dated 28 Sep 1848, was signed by Josiah A. Baker, husband of George's twin sister Nancy "Kate" Fore Baker. George and Nancy had six children.

On 12 May 1875 a tract of 160 acres in Young County, Texas, was surveyed for G. W. Fore and recorded in Book F. page 143. The chain carriers were John S. Fore (his son) and J.J. Johnson (possibly a relative of his sister Mary "Polly" Fore Johnson). That land was adjacent to the tract surveyed for his son, John S. Fore.

On 7 Mar 1877 G. W. Fore executed an affidavit of settlement covering the 160 acre tract surveyed for him in 1875. The witnesses were W. T. Bunger and William Wooley. This Bunger was the person who founded Bunger, Texas. He is buried in the Gooseneck Cemetery.

Now here a query about Gooseneck. Can you be of assistance?

“Hello.I'm trying to locate family members I think may be buried in Gooseneck Cemetery in Young County Texas.My grandmother’s name was Narcissa Mae Winborn. She may or may not be buried there, but I believe my aunt is. Her name is Callie Mae Winborn Anderson. Her husband’s name was James J. Anderson. Callie passed away around 1953 and was born around 1880 in Mississippi. I would love to find any children or grandchildren or any family. My grandfather was Callie’s brother. His name was John Winborn. He died in 1917 in Earle, Arkansas, when my dad was only 4 years old. My dad used to say he could remember his dad and aunt Callie but had not seen her since 1917. Dad never knew his grandmother Narcissa and didn't know where she was buried. He always wanted to place flowers at her and Callie’s graves but never got the chance to do it. Now it seems that it has been passed to me to do it. I'm 60 years old and hope I can do it for my dad. If anyone can help me locate the family of James and Callie Anderson it would be a big help.Thanks Bob Winburn.”

Here are some other folks who are supposed to be buried at Gooseneck. If you know about them, let us know, please!

John Spencer McLaren came to Graham, Texas, with his son, Robert Reuben McLaren, in the late 1800's to visit with his kinfolks, Frank McLaren and Robert McLaren. His son went back to Arkansas because his mother had passed away. John Spencer McLaren lived in the Graham area until he died. He is reported to have been buried in Gooseneck Cemetery.

George Washington Birdwell and his wife, Matilda Birdwell, natives of Franklin County, Georgia, died within a week of each other. She on 13 Feb 1880, and he 19 Feb 1880. They are buried in the Gooseneck Cemetery. They came to Young County in 1876 from Tarrant County with their son and his family, settling on Conner Creek. His son, James Mancel Birdwell, patented the farm on which they lived, the J. M. Birdwell survey, located on the Finis Road, southeast of Graham.

NOTE: The Connor Creek community, named after Delaware Indian Chief John Connor, was near the junction of Connor Creek on Possum Kingdom Lake in southeast Young County. It was on part of a league given to Chief Connor on October 13, 1857, by the Texas legislature for his services to Texas. An estimated fifty families lived in the area in the 1880s. The community used the Finnis Cemetery four miles east in Jack County. In 1930 scattered residences were in the area, but Connor Creek was no longer identified on maps. (Handbook of Texas Online)

John Andrew Burk was born around 1862. He had a sister, Nancy Jane, two years older. He was possibly American Indian, born near Fort Belknap, west of Graham, in Young County, Texas. The family bought a homestead near Gooseneck, Texas, after Fort Brazos Indian Reservation was closed. (Remember, Gooseneck was part of the Reservation.) They are supposed to be buried at Gooseneck.

Thomas Ezra Beach is buried in Gooseneck Cemetery along with his wife, Catherine. He died about 1934. His wife died 22 Jun 1941.

Mark Meador died Friday, 24 Jan 1903 and was buried at Gooseneck Cemetery, Young County, Texas.

J. R. Gilmore died on 5 September 1900 near South Bend. He is buried at Gooseneck Cemetery.

Lillie M. Conner, daughter of C. V. and M. J. Conner was born 20 Sept 1891 and died 24 Nov 1892. She is buried at Gooseneck.

This is a fairly good sized cemetery. You can find the Gooseneck Cemetery inventory online at http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/young/cemeteries/goose.txt or at Find-A-Grave, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=3857.

Do you have Gooseneck stories? If so, write to PO Box 61, Mineral Wells TX 76068-0061. See you next time, as we Chase our Tales!