Hatcher: a Virtual Cemetery

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A Virtual Cemetery created by Glenn Myers

Hatcher

Descendants of Stephen Hatcher 1824-1908"Time and Shadows", by L. I. Adams, Jr., Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 77-158116. HATCHER SCHOOL---1885Mr. Steven Hatcher came to the United States and the State of Texas from England, when he was twelve or Fourteen years old. Mr. Hatcher was born in England in 1824. So this would mean that he left his native land and arrived in our midst sometime about 1836 or 1838. He is buried in the China (TX) Cemetery. The headstone reads: Stephen Hatcher, June 4, 1824---October 18, 1908.He was employed by a native of England to aid in the delivery of a shipload of sheep into this country. After landing and successfully dispatching their cargo, little Steve's employer took violently ill and died in a very short while. The bargain in the beginning of the long voyage, to little Stephen, was a given sum of money and passage back to his homeland. After the death of his employer, Stephen Hatcher found himself in a most difficult situation. However, after evaluating his position, there was little else he could do--he adopted the Texas coastline as his new home.From this time on, till the time he became an adult, there is little information to go on or to help follow his many adventures.The mouth of the Trinity River was the place of his new environment. Mr. Hatcher met and married a very attractive lady, a Miss Mary Smith (org. from Miss). She, too, is buried in the China cemetery at the side of her husband. The headstone reads: Mary T. Hatcher, February 19, 1838---February 16, 1906.They settled down and farmed in the area between Moss Bluff and Liberty (TX). The older child, Jack, was born on this old homeplace. Later on , Mr. Hatcher and his family moved to the east and became some of the very first to settle near what was then being called, Tevis Bluff, on the Neches River. The settlement within itself was on Pine Island Bayou and soon was called Pine Island then Westbury, later referred to as North China. Here Mr. Hatcher followed the usual vocation and trades of these early settlers. They were chiefly cattle, hogs and a small bit of farming.Mr. Hatcher was most aware of the necessities of education. This he proved by his thoughtfulness and farsighted views to establish perhaps the earliest school in our entire area in 1885. He offered the initial intent, with the aid of others, to build a one-room school and he provided the property on which it could be located.The one-room school was an 18' x 20' building and provided studies for all of the children of the families in the surrounding area. Some of these folks were the Wests, Schultzs, Kolanders, Stephesons, Pelts and several others. Judge Chassion was the County Judge. He was followed by Judge Grey.The school building became a focal point of the community. Local activities were held at the school and it served most adequately as a church for worship services on Sundays.To Mr. Hatcher and his wife were born two additional sons, Joe and Ed, and one daughter, the baby of the family, Molly. Mr. Joe Hatcher was born in 1870 and Mr. Ed lived out his life in Saratoga, Texas.