Albert Franklin Hester, aged 97 died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. John R. Bevil in Beaumont, Texas at six o'clock a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, 1944. Mr. Hester, one of the builders of Donna and the last of the actual Donna pioneer, was visiting in Beaumont having made his home since 1932 with another daughter Mrs. John Lee Collier in Harlingen.
Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Feb 22, 1847, Mr. Hester fought in the Confederate Army under General Bedford Forrest, for whom he named a son. In 1869 he came to Beaumont, Texas. On Nov 7, 1883 he married Miss Mary Jane Richardson in Magnolia Springs, Texas. They later removed to Village Mills where all of their children were born. There he was the owner and operator of large irrigated rice plantations.
In December 1898 Mr. Hester with a group of associates including Dr. J. B. Roberts, T. J. Hooks, W. H. Turner and Sam Reed came to the Rio Grande Valley, where later incorporated as the La Blanca Agricultural Co., they purchased 23,000 acres of land in Hidalgo County almost coincident with the present boundaries of the Donna Irrigation District. In 1902 Mr. Hester moved his family to Brownsville, himself coming to a point near the present Donna River pumps which shortly became the Run post office where he assisted in the supervising the arrangements for irrigation and development of this immense tract.
For two years he left his family in Brownsville driving down with a horse and buggy or traveled on the Mexican National Railroad to Matamoras, every few weeks. In 1904 he moved them to Run. When a St. Louis Trust Co., was promoting the St Louis, Brownsville and Mexican Railroad into and thru the Valley, the La Blanca Agricultural Co. deeded to them as a bonus and in payment for locating a station on their tract, a large acreage. on a fifty-fifty basis. This acreage was transferred to the name of the Lott Town and Improvement Co. and included the entire town of Donna.
In 1911 Mr. Hester completed a large home in the new town of Donna and moved his family to it. For many years he with his sons conducted a Mercantile business, a drug store and a hotel. He was for many years president of the school board, a county commissioner, a member of the city commission, president of the bank and an elder in the First Christian Church where his membership still lies
Mrs. Hester preceded her husband in death on Sept 15, 1932, shortly after he went to live with his daughter, Mrs. John L. Collier in Harlingen. Mr. & Mrs. A. F. Hester, Jr. still occuply the old home built in 1911 in Donna. Mr. Hester is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Mary Bevil of Beaumont and Mrs Margaret Collier of Harlingen and three sons, A. F. Hester, Jr., Thomas I. Hester and Forrest E. Hester, all of Donna; eleven grandchildren, Major K. Bevil of Washington, D. C., Lt. Harold Bevil, Temple, Mrs Elizabeth Ruppert, Mrs. Zoe Talley, Albert Bevil and Mary Martha Bevil all of Beaumont; Mrs. Florence Hester Wood of Austin, Mrs. Virginia Hester Jones of Houston, Lt. John L. Collier of Harlingen, now overseas, Miss Frances Ann Hester of Plymouth, Wis., and Mary Collier of Harlingen and seven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at
Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Feb 22, 1847, Mr. Hester fought in the Confederate Army under General Bedford Forrest, for whom he named a son. In 1869 he came to Beaumont, Texas. On Nov 7, 1883 he married Miss Mary Jane Richardson in Magnolia Springs, Texas. They later removed to Village Mills where all of their children were born. There he was the owner and operator of large irrigated rice plantations.
In December 1898 Mr. Hester with a group of associates including Dr. J. B. Roberts, T. J. Hooks, W. H. Turner and Sam Reed came to the Rio Grande Valley, where later incorporated as the La Blanca Agricultural Co., they purchased 23,000 acres of land in Hidalgo County almost coincident with the present boundaries of the Donna Irrigation District. In 1902 Mr. Hester moved his family to Brownsville, himself coming to a point near the present Donna River pumps which shortly became the Run post office where he assisted in the supervising the arrangements for irrigation and development of this immense tract.
For two years he left his family in Brownsville driving down with a horse and buggy or traveled on the Mexican National Railroad to Matamoras, every few weeks. In 1904 he moved them to Run. When a St. Louis Trust Co., was promoting the St Louis, Brownsville and Mexican Railroad into and thru the Valley, the La Blanca Agricultural Co. deeded to them as a bonus and in payment for locating a station on their tract, a large acreage. on a fifty-fifty basis. This acreage was transferred to the name of the Lott Town and Improvement Co. and included the entire town of Donna.
In 1911 Mr. Hester completed a large home in the new town of Donna and moved his family to it. For many years he with his sons conducted a Mercantile business, a drug store and a hotel. He was for many years president of the school board, a county commissioner, a member of the city commission, president of the bank and an elder in the First Christian Church where his membership still lies
Mrs. Hester preceded her husband in death on Sept 15, 1932, shortly after he went to live with his daughter, Mrs. John L. Collier in Harlingen. Mr. & Mrs. A. F. Hester, Jr. still occuply the old home built in 1911 in Donna. Mr. Hester is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Mary Bevil of Beaumont and Mrs Margaret Collier of Harlingen and three sons, A. F. Hester, Jr., Thomas I. Hester and Forrest E. Hester, all of Donna; eleven grandchildren, Major K. Bevil of Washington, D. C., Lt. Harold Bevil, Temple, Mrs Elizabeth Ruppert, Mrs. Zoe Talley, Albert Bevil and Mary Martha Bevil all of Beaumont; Mrs. Florence Hester Wood of Austin, Mrs. Virginia Hester Jones of Houston, Lt. John L. Collier of Harlingen, now overseas, Miss Frances Ann Hester of Plymouth, Wis., and Mary Collier of Harlingen and seven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at
Albert Franklin Hester, aged 97 died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. John R. Bevil in Beaumont, Texas at six o'clock a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, 1944. Mr. Hester, one of the builders of Donna and the last of the actual Donna pioneer, was visiting in Beaumont having made his home since 1932 with another daughter Mrs. John Lee Collier in Harlingen.
Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Feb 22, 1847, Mr. Hester fought in the Confederate Army under General Bedford Forrest, for whom he named a son. In 1869 he came to Beaumont, Texas. On Nov 7, 1883 he married Miss Mary Jane Richardson in Magnolia Springs, Texas. They later removed to Village Mills where all of their children were born. There he was the owner and operator of large irrigated rice plantations.
In December 1898 Mr. Hester with a group of associates including Dr. J. B. Roberts, T. J. Hooks, W. H. Turner and Sam Reed came to the Rio Grande Valley, where later incorporated as the La Blanca Agricultural Co., they purchased 23,000 acres of land in Hidalgo County almost coincident with the present boundaries of the Donna Irrigation District. In 1902 Mr. Hester moved his family to Brownsville, himself coming to a point near the present Donna River pumps which shortly became the Run post office where he assisted in the supervising the arrangements for irrigation and development of this immense tract.
For two years he left his family in Brownsville driving down with a horse and buggy or traveled on the Mexican National Railroad to Matamoras, every few weeks. In 1904 he moved them to Run. When a St. Louis Trust Co., was promoting the St Louis, Brownsville and Mexican Railroad into and thru the Valley, the La Blanca Agricultural Co. deeded to them as a bonus and in payment for locating a station on their tract, a large acreage. on a fifty-fifty basis. This acreage was transferred to the name of the Lott Town and Improvement Co. and included the entire town of Donna.
In 1911 Mr. Hester completed a large home in the new town of Donna and moved his family to it. For many years he with his sons conducted a Mercantile business, a drug store and a hotel. He was for many years president of the school board, a county commissioner, a member of the city commission, president of the bank and an elder in the First Christian Church where his membership still lies
Mrs. Hester preceded her husband in death on Sept 15, 1932, shortly after he went to live with his daughter, Mrs. John L. Collier in Harlingen. Mr. & Mrs. A. F. Hester, Jr. still occuply the old home built in 1911 in Donna. Mr. Hester is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Mary Bevil of Beaumont and Mrs Margaret Collier of Harlingen and three sons, A. F. Hester, Jr., Thomas I. Hester and Forrest E. Hester, all of Donna; eleven grandchildren, Major K. Bevil of Washington, D. C., Lt. Harold Bevil, Temple, Mrs Elizabeth Ruppert, Mrs. Zoe Talley, Albert Bevil and Mary Martha Bevil all of Beaumont; Mrs. Florence Hester Wood of Austin, Mrs. Virginia Hester Jones of Houston, Lt. John L. Collier of Harlingen, now overseas, Miss Frances Ann Hester of Plymouth, Wis., and Mary Collier of Harlingen and seven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at
Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Feb 22, 1847, Mr. Hester fought in the Confederate Army under General Bedford Forrest, for whom he named a son. In 1869 he came to Beaumont, Texas. On Nov 7, 1883 he married Miss Mary Jane Richardson in Magnolia Springs, Texas. They later removed to Village Mills where all of their children were born. There he was the owner and operator of large irrigated rice plantations.
In December 1898 Mr. Hester with a group of associates including Dr. J. B. Roberts, T. J. Hooks, W. H. Turner and Sam Reed came to the Rio Grande Valley, where later incorporated as the La Blanca Agricultural Co., they purchased 23,000 acres of land in Hidalgo County almost coincident with the present boundaries of the Donna Irrigation District. In 1902 Mr. Hester moved his family to Brownsville, himself coming to a point near the present Donna River pumps which shortly became the Run post office where he assisted in the supervising the arrangements for irrigation and development of this immense tract.
For two years he left his family in Brownsville driving down with a horse and buggy or traveled on the Mexican National Railroad to Matamoras, every few weeks. In 1904 he moved them to Run. When a St. Louis Trust Co., was promoting the St Louis, Brownsville and Mexican Railroad into and thru the Valley, the La Blanca Agricultural Co. deeded to them as a bonus and in payment for locating a station on their tract, a large acreage. on a fifty-fifty basis. This acreage was transferred to the name of the Lott Town and Improvement Co. and included the entire town of Donna.
In 1911 Mr. Hester completed a large home in the new town of Donna and moved his family to it. For many years he with his sons conducted a Mercantile business, a drug store and a hotel. He was for many years president of the school board, a county commissioner, a member of the city commission, president of the bank and an elder in the First Christian Church where his membership still lies
Mrs. Hester preceded her husband in death on Sept 15, 1932, shortly after he went to live with his daughter, Mrs. John L. Collier in Harlingen. Mr. & Mrs. A. F. Hester, Jr. still occuply the old home built in 1911 in Donna. Mr. Hester is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Mary Bevil of Beaumont and Mrs Margaret Collier of Harlingen and three sons, A. F. Hester, Jr., Thomas I. Hester and Forrest E. Hester, all of Donna; eleven grandchildren, Major K. Bevil of Washington, D. C., Lt. Harold Bevil, Temple, Mrs Elizabeth Ruppert, Mrs. Zoe Talley, Albert Bevil and Mary Martha Bevil all of Beaumont; Mrs. Florence Hester Wood of Austin, Mrs. Virginia Hester Jones of Houston, Lt. John L. Collier of Harlingen, now overseas, Miss Frances Ann Hester of Plymouth, Wis., and Mary Collier of Harlingen and seven great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at
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