SAMUEL WILLIAM TATE
Samuel William Tate was born in TN on Dec. 29, 1822, the eldest son of Alfred Carter Tate and Elizabeth McDonald. On Dec. 29, 1898 he died at his home in Sandy Mt. Llano County, TX. Burial was in the Sandy Mt. Cemetery in the present-day village of Sunrise Beach, Llano County, TX. Samuel W. Tate’s siblings are: (1) John L. Tate, b. January 28, 1825 in TN, married Elizabeth Ledford, died Sept 26, 1854. (2) Judith Adeline Tate, b. January 29, 1827, married William Anderson Adkins in 1845 in Overton, TN., died April 4, 1919 Bell Co, TX. (3) Sarah Tate, b. 1821, married Jesse Livingston, died 1851 Morgan County, IN. (4) Margaret L. Tate, b. Dec. 24, 1830, married 1) John C. Grayson 2) Stephen McLaughlin, died Jan 27, 1860. Half-siblings were: (1) Minerva M. Tate, b. January 04, 1835, (2) Robert A. Tate, b. July 18, 1836, (3) Clabourn C. Tate, b. abt 1839, (4) James K.P. Tate, b. abt 1841.
We find official documents identifying him as S. W. Tate; Sam W. Tate and Sam Tate. For our purposes, we will refer to him as Sam W. Tate, as this seems to be his most common signature.
On September 30, 1846, in TN, Sam W. Tate married Martha Means. She was born June 25, 1825 in Missouri and died June 03, 1909 in Burnet Co, TX with burial beside her husband in Sandy Mt. Cemetery. Martha was the daughter of Clemens Means and Nancy Carlock.
At the time of his marriage, Sam W. was established in a trading post, grocery store business in Northern Georgia and after the marriage the young couple rode horses back to his business. It is assumed that Sam W. Tate had at least a fair education for the times, as he was engaged in a business. We also find where an uncle, Rev. Robert Tate had left his father, Alfred, a sum of money, “for the education of his eldest son.”
His young bride was very discontented in Georgia and they soon returned to Overton Co, TN where their first child, Adelia Jane was born on July, 27, 1847. Then with a babe in arms, they and a group of relatives and friends left for Texas. They first settled near Nacogdoches, TX where Sam W. purchased 240 acres of land according to records there.
By 1854 Sam W. had moved his family to what was to become Llano County. First to the Long Mountain community, and then south across the river, near Big Sandy Creek and the community known as Sandy Mountain. Records indicate Sam W. Tate chose the area because he recognized it as prime ranch land and he and Mathew Moss were among the first to bring herds of cattle into the county.
His signature is on the original petition for formation of a new county out of parts of Bexar and Gillespie Counties. He was elected first District Clerk of the newly founded Llano County. He operated a trading- post, store and post office from his home which was located at the present day intersection of RR 2900 and RR 2233 near Sunrise Beach Village and Kingsland. He remained Sandy Mt. postmaster until his death in 1898. An old chimney ruin from that original home marks the spot today.
The house was dismantled in the early 1980's and moved to The Jordan-Bachman Pioneer Farm in Travis County where it was reconstructed and remains today, known as the "Tate House”.
Sam W. Tate was active in the politics and affairs of Llano county as well as church and the Masonic Order. His home and store was a gathering place where folks would come for provisions, mail and to discuss the news of the day. His role as a community leader was instrumental in his imprisonment during the Reconstruction Era in 1866.
The Tate home saw Indian depredations in those early days. It is documented in The Haynes Family Papers, how one night in 1869 there was an Indian raid on the Sam Tate house which was aborted by a group of cowboys camped near and resulted in the loss of only one horse belonging to "Code" J.R. Phillips, son-in-law of the Tate's. The men alerted the neighboring ranch and the Indians were trailed the next day and after an encounter Phillips' horse was recovered. It is also written that a young Negro girl who lived in the home was terrified of the Indians and that she slept up under the eaves of the house, pulling her rope ladder up with her.
Sam W. and Martha had twelve children, all of whom lived to reach adulthood. Their children were:
(1) Adelia Jane Tate, b. July 27, 1847, married George Washington Lacy, d. Mar 21, 1935.
(2) Susan Alice Tate, b. Dec. 01, 1848, married John Rufus "Code" Phillips, d. Feb 16, 1942.
(3) John Clemmons Tate, b. Oct. 18, 1850, married Permillia "Emma” Phillips, d. May 09, 1932.
(4) Nancy Adeline (Nannie) Tate, b. Sept. 08. 1852, married John Henry (Harry) Lacy, d. Nov. 03, 1880.
(5) Alfred Cambell (Ally) Tate, b. Oct. 14, 1854, married 1) Laura Hardin 2) Susan Minnie Backues, d. May 29, 1914.
(6) Hickman Lafayette Tate, b. Mar. 07, 1876, married Nancy Elizabeth Latham, d. May 20, 1947.
(7) James William (Jim) Tate, b. Mar. 02, 1857, married Cynthia Ann Hardin, d. Jan 28, 1936.
(8) Robert Lycurgis (Curg) Tate, b. April 29, 1858, married 1) Margaret M. Latham, 2) Flora Bradshaw, d. Dec 07, 1941.
(9) Mary Ellen (Mollie) Tate, b. Sep. 21, 1859, married William Henry Andrews, d. Feb 10, 1886.
(10) Ida Lavina Tate, b. June 2, 1861, married Valsane Gaylord Latham, d, Mar 28, 1928.
(11) Rosa Lee Tate, b. Sept. 28, 1866, married W. H. Roberts, d. Mar 01, 1941.
(12) Samuel McDonald Tate, b. Aug. 11, 1868, married Annie Daughtery, d. Feb 11, 1892.
Sam W. Tate was devoted to the Southern Cause and States' Rights. He invested heavily in the South and at the war’s end was left holding quite a sum of worthless Confederate green-backs. By all accounts, he was a kind man and always willing to help those in need. He provided for the wives and children of the men who were away at war. His granddaughter, Mattie Phillips Halford, wrote that one neighbor woman said of him, "Providence will provide and by providence, I mean Mr. Tate".
In 1864, at age 47, he was mustered into Capt. Frank Breazeale's 3rd Frontier District. In 1866 under the provisional government of A.J. Hamilton, Samuel William Tate was arrested in a sweeping roundup by military authorities of those opposed to Reconstruction and imprisoned in Austin, TX. The charges were never proven and after 78 days they were released. Mattie Phillips Halford wrote that “during this imprisonment in a dark, dank dungeon, Sam W. developed a weakened condition and cough from which he never fully recovered." Imprisoned with him were Dr. Thomas Moore and son, John Moore, Maj. C. Dorbandt and Wm. Wootan. Wm. Wootan and Sam W. Tate were from Llano county and the others from across the river in Burnet County. All were Free Masons.
Samuel William Tate claimed kin to the Flora McDonald of Scotland who aided Bonny Prince Charles at the Battle of Culodeen. While we have not been able to trace this claim; we do know that in both his and Martha's families, we find a strong Cumberland Presbyterian faith and numerous ministers as well as a strong connection to Scotish Rite Free Masonary. Sam W. Tate was a high degree Mason.
Samuel William Tate suffered a fall while dismounting from his buggy, took to his bed and died a few days later in his old home on Dec 29, 1898. He was buried down the road about a mile and half in Sandy Mountain Cemetery (original obituary below). Martha left her home and travelled just across the river to their son Alfred C. "Allie" Tate's home where she died June 03, 1903. She is buried beside her husband in the Sandy Mt Cemetery.
We are able to tell part of Sam W. Tate's story due to his old family Bible called “Sam Tate's Book”, and because his granddaughter, the late Mattie Phillips Halford, recorded the family stories and began to research the family. Her work was carried on by her granddaughter, Lillian Smith Fowler. Then the late, Harry B. Tate, great grandson of Samuel William Tate, recorded extensive research.
Sam W. Tate’s original obituary was found in Bible from the Ida Lavinia Tate Latham Family.
History recanted by Tate Family member Winnie J. Tate-Morgan of Llano Co for use on the Llano Co TXGenWeb pg 2009.
All photos are property of Tate Family – be courteous, please do not copy without permission!