Thomas and Martha Hix

Thomas Joshua Hix

Our great-grandfather Thomas J. Hix was born 14 February 1875 to parents Christopher Columbus Hix and Lucinda Stanfield Hix in Bedford County, Tennessee. As one of nine children, Thomas grew up in Bedford, probably working on his dad’s farm.

Between 1900 and 1905, Thomas moved to Fort Worth, Texas where he likely met his future wife, Martha Ann Whitt. It’s not clear why Thomas moved to Fort Worth, but it appears that he moved out there with two of his brothers (Ervin/Bob and Frank) as census data indicates they were all living together in 1910. It’s possible that the 1902 death of their father prompted them to move. Another potential reason for the move could have been the difficulties Tennessee farmers faced after the Civil War:

Before the Civil War, Tennessee’s farmers had grown a wide variety of crops. After the war, farmers concentrated on growing cash crops such as cotton, tobacco, and peanuts. Falling farm prices, high railroad rates, and the Depression of 1873 all worked against independent farmers. As a result, many farmers became sharecroppers, renting land to farm and paying the landowner with a portion of the crop.

Information from Tennessee State Library and Archives Education Outreach Program

Martha Ann Whitt

Our great-grandmother Martha was born 20 January 1877 in Kentucky (probably the Monroe County area judging from census data) to parents Andrew Whitt and Cecelia Taulbee. Martha’s family moved to Travis, Texas around 1881. Interestingly, her family conducted a move similar to Thomas’ family in geographic relocation and timing, suggesting they may have moved for similar reasons, such as farming difficulties in the area and/or new industries and opportunities in Texas such as oil and cotton as a cash crop.

Married Life

2501 Rosen Ave., Fort Worth, TX

Martha and Thomas met between 1900 and 1905, and shortly thereafter moved into 2501 Rosen, Fort Worth, Texas, where they ultimately lived for the next 30 years until their deaths. According to family notes, the two married shortly after moving into the house on 2 September 1907.

Together Thomas and Martha had the following children:

  • Oscar C., our grandfather (1910- 1975)
  • Sarah H. (about 1913- )
  • Ellen/Ellis J. (about 1917- )

Thomas worked as a coach cleaner for the railroad in the Fort Worth area. The railroad industry saw tremendous growth in northeast Texas between 1870 and 1916.

In the 1870s, in northeast Texas, the Texas and Pacific Railway Company acquired the Southern Pacific and finished a line from Texarkana to Dallas and Fort Worth. By the end of 1879, railroad mileage in Texas had reached 2,440 miles. The railroad system in eastern Texas was becoming well developed, but there was less than 100 miles of track west of a line drawn from Denison through Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Cuero. All this was about to change as during the next ten years more than 6,000 miles of railroad was constructed in the state. In 1911 Texas became the state with the most railroad mileage, a position it still maintains.

Information from the Texas State Historical Association

Thomas died on 21 April 1935 at the age of 59. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth. Martha died shortly after Thomas on 7 December 1935 in Fort Worth.