Taken from historical marker at Pumphrey:
Pumphrey - Founded about 1899. Named for Wm. M. Pumphrey (1849-1937), early settler. A deacon of the Baptist church, he would put his organ in a wagon on weekends and take it, his wife and 11 children to attend services in Wingate. In 1900, as the settlement grew, a one-room frame school was built and named New Hope, to embody the aspirations of the citizens. The community came to have a post office (1901-1912), several stores and 2 churches.

It withstood tragedy in 1906 when 4 men were killed by lightning -- leaving more than 20 children orphans.

Taken from the Ballinger Ledger, Oct 1, 1906

Four Funerals at Winters
The four men killed by lightning laid to rest at the same time. One of the saddest if not the saddest sites in the history of Runnels County, was witnessed last Sunday evening at the Winters Cemetery, when twenty two children and four wives were gathered around four graves and saw the last sad rites performed over their loving husbands and fathers.
Quite a crowd went from Ballinger, and the people from all over the North End of the county attended the funeral of these unfortunate men.
We publish the following particulars of the tragedy from the Garden City Gazette:
Yesterday a party of five prospectors arrived in the city from Pumphrey, Runnels County, and in company with Mr R A Toliver went out to look at a tract of land west of town. On their return a heavy thunderstorm came up and about a mile and a half this side of the Everett place a botl of lightning struck the wagon killing four of the prospectors shocking the two remaining persons and killing the team.
Dead are:
S.J. Peterson, aged 45
J. R. Rich, aged 48
W. A. Ashby, aged 35
Charlie Stamps, Aged 33
The two men who were shocked were J. B. Anderson of Pumphrey and R. A. Toliver of this city. Mr. Toliver being only slightly stunned.
In giving the Gazette reporter an account of the awful occurance, Mr. Toliver stated that the bolt of lightning enterered a rear corner of the wagon, jumping to the other side and ran along the bed killing the team which belonged to Jno. A. Stuart.
Mr. Anderson was rendered unconscious for a few minutes , but Mr. Toliver was only slightly injured and as soon as he realized what had happened he went to work to save what he could.
The bodies had fallen from the seat to the bottom of the wagon bed and the clothing of the unfortunate men had caught fire. Mr. Toliver worked heroically and with rare presence of mind to get the bodies out of the wagon. Mr. Anderson finally came to and the two men finally succeeded in removing the bodies to the ground. Mr. Toliver then walked to the Everett Ranch and sent word to town and a party of citizens went out and brought in the bodies of the four men and placed them in the church where they were viewed this morning by a vast crowd.
The bodies were being embalmed and will be shipped to Punphrey for burial. As Rich and Ashby were Woodmen, the local camp took charge of the remains. Stamps was an Odd Fellow, while Peterson was not a member of any secret order.
Mr. Andrews informs us that Peterson leaves a wife and ten children, Rich had a wife and six children, Ashby, a wife and four children, and Stamps, a wife and two children.
The escape of Misters Anderson and Toliver was a miracle ??? (unclear) the men on the seat by their side were killed outright. One of the dead men lived about two hours after he was struck but never re...... (Image not clear)