Telling our family's legacy in my own words
Sharing generational histories holds meaning when voices from within the story bring it to light. By recounting our lineage from my perspective, I hope to honor the inheritance passed down through adversity, resilience and love. First-hand experience lends an intimate understanding of the trials and triumphs which have shaped our path. It is my desire to keep alive both the challenges overcome and lessons imparted, so that our roots may continuously nourish new growth. This heritage belongs to all who will continue the journey. I share it as both a recipient and steward, bridging past and future through one member’s eyes witnessing this cherished legacy unfold.
Nettie Taylor: Oil, Legacy and Love in Early Texas
My Great Grandmother was Nettie Taylor, a cattle and oil heiress from the legendary Taylor Ranch on in Houston, Texas. Nettie was the granddaughter of E.R. Taylor and Ann George.
In the 1860s, when my great-great grandfather Edward Ruthven Taylor enlisted in the Confederate army at just 16 years old. He was captured during the Battle of Vicksburg in 1863 and contracted tuberculosis while imprisoned. Nursed back to health by a young slave named Ann George, the two fell in love against the tide of racism and oppression.
Though they could not legally marry due to oppressive Jim Crow laws, Edward and Ann committed their lives to one another, establishing a 600-acre farm just outside Houston where they raised six children. One of them being my great grandmother, Nettie Taylor.
In 1921, oil was discovered on the property, transforming it into a bountiful field that would help fuel the nation’s energy needs. Industry titans like Hugh Roy Cullen and Howard Hughes developed the field, proving ground for revolutionary drilling technologies.
Houston history was made when drilling there led to the innovative rotary drill bit, designed by the Hughes Tool Company to pierce rock. Today there are many landmark and historic dedications to E.R Taylor, Ann George, and the legacy they laid for generations to come.
A portion of the old family farm remains the working Taylor-Stevenson Ranch today. Run by descendants, it maintains the agricultural heritage of raising cattle, horses and crops.
While time and progress change the landscape, the strength of spirit and resilience and community cultivated here persist. Its fruits will always nourish the future, as generations to come build upon this legacy of tenacity, compassion and progress.
Jerome Aredell Williams: Preserving our Stories of Texas Cattle and Oil
My illustrious great-grandfather, Jerome Aredell Williams was a native son of Goliad, Texas – the epicenter of early cattle ranching history. He became a leader in Houston’s bustling community through his dedication to agriculture and real estate. Jerome achieved success in industries central to Texas’ economic growth.
Yet his most enduring contribution was preserving our shared story. In “The Tin Box, A Tale of Texas Cattle and Oil”, Grandfather Williams crafted both a work of fiction and an important chronicle of the real lives and labors of life on Texas ranches and oil fields. His novel secured our family’s place in the annals of Black and Texan history. Today university libraries from UCLA to Tuskegee feature the book among rare pieces of our collective narrative.
A pillar of Houston’s Third Ward, Grandfather Williams lent his talents to civic, religious and professional networks as well. He epitomized the strength, vision and initiative that my ancestors before me instilled. Through his example of determination and community building, Jerome Williams lit the path I aim to follow – honoring history by continuing the march towards justice and prosperity for all. His timeless novel ensures our roots and resilience can never be forgotten.