History

   EDITOR’S NOTE: A ceremony to dedicate a Texas Historical Marker for the Palacios Colored School will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Sanford Community Center (see accompanying announcement on this page).
   In conjunction with this special event we’re again running the story behind the Palacios Colored School that was researched and written by Bonnie M. Benson as part of the state’s historical marker process.

By Bonnie M. Benson

By Kathleen Tatum
Updated by Pat Morrow McMicken (Great, Great Granddaughter 
of Charles W. Rice)
    The sad news reached Geneva, New York, when their newspaper ran this obituary – “Died at ‘Mettagorda,’ (Matagorda) on the 11th of October,1838, after an illness of four months, Dr. Charles W. Rice, formerly of Geneva, New York in the 35th year of his life, brother of Mr. E. O. Rice of Seneca, New York. 
   Dr. Charles W. Rice married Margaret Hester Shaw in the state of New York, where their twin daughters Elizabeth Mars and Eleanor Madden were born.  
   Their other daughter, Calista Winegar Rice was born March 7, 1834 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 
   Dr. Rice applied for a Texas citizenship January 10,1838. 
   He stated he first came to Texas May 5, 1837 and brought his family November 3, 1837. 
   He applied for a conditional land certificate for 1, 280 acres of land March15, 1838. 

    EDITOR’S NOTE: There’s a historical tour of Blessing that highlights seven distinctive locations. 
   We’re sharing most of the tour brochure information in hopes of reaquainting folks with the community’s historical treasures.
    Blessing was founded in 1903 by Jonathan Edwards Pierce, the owner of Rancho Grande on the east side of the Tres Palacios River. 
   An earlier settlement in the area was located at Deming’s Bridge where Hawley Cemetery is located. 
   After Pierce spearheaded the extension of the railroad through the area, the Moore store from Deming’s Bridge was moved to Blessing to serve as the store and post office for the new town. 
   He petitioned the US Postal Service to name the town “Thank God” in gratitude for the arrival of the railroad, but after a rejection, he submitted the name Blessing, which was accepted. 

   The Junior Service League represents a serious endeavor on the part of women to become active and constructive participants in the community. 
   It obligates each member to become an informed citizen, use her education and training to raise the community standards, to promote human welfare and to make efficient her volunteer service. 
   During the month of January, 1959, eight women gathered for the purpose of forming a type of service organization. 
   Thirty-two interested women were contacted to meet with representatives of the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries. 
   Enthusiasm from this meeting sparked the independent organization of the Junior Service League of Bay City, Inc. 
   There were 35 active members at the close of the year. 
   The regular meeting of the Junior Service League began on the first Thursday of March, 1959 and has continued through the years. 

Matagorda County TXGenWeb

Handbook of Texas Online

Matagorda County TXGenWeb

From Handbook of Texas Online

   Prominent Bay City Dentist and the founder of the Bay City Rotary Club, Dr. Samuel Sholars was born March 7, 1885 in Jasper. 
   At the turn of the century, his family moved to Orange. 
   In 1903, he left Orange to enroll in Vanderbilt, graduating from there in 1907.
   He spent the summer of that year living with his married sister in McCool, Miss.
   During that summer he would go around the countryside extracting and filling teeth for farmers and their families, using a rented horse and buggy.
   In the fall of that year he returned to Texas.
    On June 15, 1910, he and the former Allie Jay Hamilton were married in the Episcopal Church in Matagorda.
   It was in late 1923, that Sholars, a young dentist, had been reading about a civic club called Rotary. 
   He became interested in the description of a civic club where business and professional men could meet once each week at a noonday luncheon.