Information taken from Wild Rose; A folk History of a Cross Timbers Settlement; Keller, Texas by Joyce Gibson Roach, Page 33-34.

John Erastus Pearson, son of Richmond Pearson was born May 24, 1863, near Bell Buckle, Bedford County, Tennessee. He grew to manhood in his native state. In 1885...he was married to teenage Margaret Ann Brown, also a native of Tennessee, born November 1, 1871, the daughter of William Brown and his wife. (They had seven children).

In the mid 1890's the family came by covered wagon to Texas. The first stop was near Greenville, Hunt County, where the father had his first experience in blackland farming. Here the fourth child, Ivy Watson, was born...When he was two years old the family moved to Matagorda County, but the lure of prosperity proved to be only a dream. One year of farming in the Gulf Coast area brought financial disaster. Torrents of rain and a scourge of bull weevils destroyed the cotton crop.

In an effort to provide additional income, Mr. Pearson and a brother-in-law, Oscar Brown, drove ox teams and freighted supplies for Shanghai Pierce, the man who made the first importation of Brahman cattle from India. When additional oxen were needed, they were rounded up on the open rage, and broken to the yoke. Finally, the hurricane of September 8th and 9th, 1900 which dealt disaster to Galveston and much of the coastal area, left the Pearsons no choice but to seek a new home.

After the birth of (another son) the family packed their belongings in a covered wagon and started the long journey to the Oklahoma Indian Territory. Heavy down pours of rain for the first several days, made it impossible to build a campfire to cook any food.

In addition to the weather, the serious illness of the baby, only days old, made the trip a very difficult one. The most trying hours provided a story to be told years later to children and grandchildren. For a little protection against gale winds and torrents of rain, the wagon was stopped at dusk close by a high cliff of rock. There was no sleep-in store for the parents who took turns caring for the tiny infant, whose every breath they feared might be his last. To seek medical help seemed hopeless. For many miles along the trail, there had been no sign of life, and there was no way of knowing how far they might travel to find a village that afforded a doctor. Circumstance forced them to wait out the night with only the aid of hope, faith and loving care. As daylight came the baby's condition seemed improved, the storm had passed, and the family moved on. When they reached Sherman, Grayson County, they camped and picked cotton to earn enough money for the remainder of the trip. With winter coming the Pearsons moved on across Red River into the Indian Territory and settled near Marlow in Stephens County. Their home was a half dugout with a sod roof, typical of the times in that frontier country.

It was here that the father turned ill fortune into success. With favorable seasons and hard work, he accumulated enough money to buy a farm. Since land in the Indian Reservation was not for sale, he came alone to the Cross Timbers of Tarrant County, and purchased land east of Keller...

Returning to the Territory, he prepared his family for their last covered wagon journey, this time with a new member, (a baby girl) born in 1903.

The trip was not an easy one. Many roads were little more than cattle trails. Hills meant hard pulling for the horses. Steep downgrades presented a problem for the driver. Brakes on the rear wheels were operated by a metal handle attached to a ratchet on the side of the wagon. The frequent locking and releasing of the brakes, produced severe hand bruises for Mr. Pearson that required the services of Dr. E. T. Read when the family reached Keller.

Soon Mr. Pearson found another farm for sale which was more to his liking as a home site. He sold his first purchase to John (Grandpa) Peterson for "cash in hand," and bought the tract of land east of Keller. This became the permanent home of the Pearsons and the birthplace of Charlie Allen, born ...in 1909, and named after two family friends (in Keller), Charlie Whitley and Tine Allen.

Prosperity enabled the father to purchase adjacent farms toward the east until his holdings reached the Smithfield Road. In addition to farming, he engaged in the grocery business, having one store at the northeast corner of the intersection of the Smithfield Road and ...Farm Road 1709, and another in Keller. He also owned and operated a cotton gin in Keller for several years.

He had 7 children:

Walter (El) Ellis Pearson

Fanny F Pearson

Clifford (Poke) Pearson

Ivy Watson Pearson

Pauline (Auntie) Lou Pearson

John (Ras) Erastus Pearson

Charles Allen Pearson

Death Certificate

John Edmond Pearson

Born: 5-24-1864 in TN

Died: 11-5-1932 in Smithfield, Tarrant CO, TX

Cause of Death: Paralysis, ??

Male, White, Married

Occupation: Farmer

Wife: Marg A. Pearson

Father: Richmond Pearson

Mother: Jane Brown

Informant: Marg A. Pearson

Address: Smithfield, TX

Buried: White Chapel Cemetery,