From the Handbook of Waco and McLennan County, Texas, Dayton Kelley, editor:
SLEEPER, JOHN. John Sleeper, son of Fabius Hoyt and Clara (Chamberlain) Sleeper, was born at Liberty, Mississippi, on December 12, 1854. The family moved to Waco in 1868. Sleeper attended Waco University and in 1871 became a clerk and bookkeeper for S. B. Humphreys' grocery business. In 1876 he and Jere C. Hutchins compiled the first directory of Waco after numbering the houses in the city. Published by the Waco Examiner Steam Establishment, the directory contained biographical sketches of pioneers in the county and a history of McLennan County by George B. Erath which was probably the first published history of the county. In the same year Sleeper opened the first shoe store at Waco with W. B. McMullin. He later sold half interest in the company to W. R. Clifton and Henry Caufield. Known as the Sleeper and Clifton Company, the firm located at the corner of Fourth and Austin Streets for many years. It was sold to the Miller-Cross company in 1901.
Sleeper was one of the organizers of the Waco dummy railroad in 1890 and was the first man to develop a transportation system for Waco. He was president of the College Heights Artesian Water Company and treasurer of the Waco Electric Railway and Light Company. He also owned extensive real estate holdings in the county and helped organize the Oakwood Cemetery Association.
On June 16, 1881, he married Minnie McMullin. In 1930 he wrote A History of the Sleeper Family of Waco and McLennan County, Texas and in 1934 A Brief History of the Mayors of the City of Waco, Texas, 1849-1934. Sleeper died at Waco on September 13, 1941, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.
+++
The following information concerning the Waco homes of John Sleeper and his father, Fabius Hoyt Sleeper, was provided by Martha Cottingham.
It is my understanding that the street "Sleeper Place" ran between Fort Avenue and Sanger Avenue between 24th and 25th Streets.
The two houses located on this street were on the half of the block that backed up to 25th Street. A driveway between the houses was entered off of Sleeper Place (it didn't go through to 25th). It went between the houses to a shared garage/servant's quarters that was at the back of the property (backing up to 25th).
John Sleeper's address was 612 Sleeper Place. The Killough house was 616 Sleeper Place; it belonged to Minnie McMullen Sleeper's sister, Mary McMullen Killough.
Both houses were two story wood frame houses which had been moved from downtown near the Presbyterian Church.
The half of the block closest to 24th Street was bisected by a creek running from Sanger toward Fort. There were a lot of pecan trees and some sort of field/garden bordering Sleeper Place. A low stone wall ran around the entire block. At some point there was a gate with an arbor over it. Blue flags (iris) were planted all along the stone wall. My grandmother took some iris to her home on Fitzpatrick Avenue. My mother eventually took some from Fitzpatrick to Carrollton, Texas and planted them.
According to my mother, whenever Uncle John Sleeper had a big party, he'd have the front door of his house shellacked and have his field plowed (to look industrious).
Prairie Lea, Fabius Hoyt Sleeper's house, was on South 4th St. That's noted on the 1880 Census, but has no street number. The house was not torn down until many years later.
SLEEPER, JOHN. John Sleeper, son of Fabius Hoyt and Clara (Chamberlain) Sleeper, was born at Liberty, Mississippi, on December 12, 1854. The family moved to Waco in 1868. Sleeper attended Waco University and in 1871 became a clerk and bookkeeper for S. B. Humphreys' grocery business. In 1876 he and Jere C. Hutchins compiled the first directory of Waco after numbering the houses in the city. Published by the Waco Examiner Steam Establishment, the directory contained biographical sketches of pioneers in the county and a history of McLennan County by George B. Erath which was probably the first published history of the county. In the same year Sleeper opened the first shoe store at Waco with W. B. McMullin. He later sold half interest in the company to W. R. Clifton and Henry Caufield. Known as the Sleeper and Clifton Company, the firm located at the corner of Fourth and Austin Streets for many years. It was sold to the Miller-Cross company in 1901.
Sleeper was one of the organizers of the Waco dummy railroad in 1890 and was the first man to develop a transportation system for Waco. He was president of the College Heights Artesian Water Company and treasurer of the Waco Electric Railway and Light Company. He also owned extensive real estate holdings in the county and helped organize the Oakwood Cemetery Association.
On June 16, 1881, he married Minnie McMullin. In 1930 he wrote A History of the Sleeper Family of Waco and McLennan County, Texas and in 1934 A Brief History of the Mayors of the City of Waco, Texas, 1849-1934. Sleeper died at Waco on September 13, 1941, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.
+++
The following information concerning the Waco homes of John Sleeper and his father, Fabius Hoyt Sleeper, was provided by Martha Cottingham.
It is my understanding that the street "Sleeper Place" ran between Fort Avenue and Sanger Avenue between 24th and 25th Streets.
The two houses located on this street were on the half of the block that backed up to 25th Street. A driveway between the houses was entered off of Sleeper Place (it didn't go through to 25th). It went between the houses to a shared garage/servant's quarters that was at the back of the property (backing up to 25th).
John Sleeper's address was 612 Sleeper Place. The Killough house was 616 Sleeper Place; it belonged to Minnie McMullen Sleeper's sister, Mary McMullen Killough.
Both houses were two story wood frame houses which had been moved from downtown near the Presbyterian Church.
The half of the block closest to 24th Street was bisected by a creek running from Sanger toward Fort. There were a lot of pecan trees and some sort of field/garden bordering Sleeper Place. A low stone wall ran around the entire block. At some point there was a gate with an arbor over it. Blue flags (iris) were planted all along the stone wall. My grandmother took some iris to her home on Fitzpatrick Avenue. My mother eventually took some from Fitzpatrick to Carrollton, Texas and planted them.
According to my mother, whenever Uncle John Sleeper had a big party, he'd have the front door of his house shellacked and have his field plowed (to look industrious).
Prairie Lea, Fabius Hoyt Sleeper's house, was on South 4th St. That's noted on the 1880 Census, but has no street number. The house was not torn down until many years later.
From the Handbook of Waco and McLennan County, Texas, Dayton Kelley, editor:
SLEEPER, JOHN. John Sleeper, son of Fabius Hoyt and Clara (Chamberlain) Sleeper, was born at Liberty, Mississippi, on December 12, 1854. The family moved to Waco in 1868. Sleeper attended Waco University and in 1871 became a clerk and bookkeeper for S. B. Humphreys' grocery business. In 1876 he and Jere C. Hutchins compiled the first directory of Waco after numbering the houses in the city. Published by the Waco Examiner Steam Establishment, the directory contained biographical sketches of pioneers in the county and a history of McLennan County by George B. Erath which was probably the first published history of the county. In the same year Sleeper opened the first shoe store at Waco with W. B. McMullin. He later sold half interest in the company to W. R. Clifton and Henry Caufield. Known as the Sleeper and Clifton Company, the firm located at the corner of Fourth and Austin Streets for many years. It was sold to the Miller-Cross company in 1901.
Sleeper was one of the organizers of the Waco dummy railroad in 1890 and was the first man to develop a transportation system for Waco. He was president of the College Heights Artesian Water Company and treasurer of the Waco Electric Railway and Light Company. He also owned extensive real estate holdings in the county and helped organize the Oakwood Cemetery Association.
On June 16, 1881, he married Minnie McMullin. In 1930 he wrote A History of the Sleeper Family of Waco and McLennan County, Texas and in 1934 A Brief History of the Mayors of the City of Waco, Texas, 1849-1934. Sleeper died at Waco on September 13, 1941, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.
+++
The following information concerning the Waco homes of John Sleeper and his father, Fabius Hoyt Sleeper, was provided by Martha Cottingham.
It is my understanding that the street "Sleeper Place" ran between Fort Avenue and Sanger Avenue between 24th and 25th Streets.
The two houses located on this street were on the half of the block that backed up to 25th Street. A driveway between the houses was entered off of Sleeper Place (it didn't go through to 25th). It went between the houses to a shared garage/servant's quarters that was at the back of the property (backing up to 25th).
John Sleeper's address was 612 Sleeper Place. The Killough house was 616 Sleeper Place; it belonged to Minnie McMullen Sleeper's sister, Mary McMullen Killough.
Both houses were two story wood frame houses which had been moved from downtown near the Presbyterian Church.
The half of the block closest to 24th Street was bisected by a creek running from Sanger toward Fort. There were a lot of pecan trees and some sort of field/garden bordering Sleeper Place. A low stone wall ran around the entire block. At some point there was a gate with an arbor over it. Blue flags (iris) were planted all along the stone wall. My grandmother took some iris to her home on Fitzpatrick Avenue. My mother eventually took some from Fitzpatrick to Carrollton, Texas and planted them.
According to my mother, whenever Uncle John Sleeper had a big party, he'd have the front door of his house shellacked and have his field plowed (to look industrious).
Prairie Lea, Fabius Hoyt Sleeper's house, was on South 4th St. That's noted on the 1880 Census, but has no street number. The house was not torn down until many years later.
SLEEPER, JOHN. John Sleeper, son of Fabius Hoyt and Clara (Chamberlain) Sleeper, was born at Liberty, Mississippi, on December 12, 1854. The family moved to Waco in 1868. Sleeper attended Waco University and in 1871 became a clerk and bookkeeper for S. B. Humphreys' grocery business. In 1876 he and Jere C. Hutchins compiled the first directory of Waco after numbering the houses in the city. Published by the Waco Examiner Steam Establishment, the directory contained biographical sketches of pioneers in the county and a history of McLennan County by George B. Erath which was probably the first published history of the county. In the same year Sleeper opened the first shoe store at Waco with W. B. McMullin. He later sold half interest in the company to W. R. Clifton and Henry Caufield. Known as the Sleeper and Clifton Company, the firm located at the corner of Fourth and Austin Streets for many years. It was sold to the Miller-Cross company in 1901.
Sleeper was one of the organizers of the Waco dummy railroad in 1890 and was the first man to develop a transportation system for Waco. He was president of the College Heights Artesian Water Company and treasurer of the Waco Electric Railway and Light Company. He also owned extensive real estate holdings in the county and helped organize the Oakwood Cemetery Association.
On June 16, 1881, he married Minnie McMullin. In 1930 he wrote A History of the Sleeper Family of Waco and McLennan County, Texas and in 1934 A Brief History of the Mayors of the City of Waco, Texas, 1849-1934. Sleeper died at Waco on September 13, 1941, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.
+++
The following information concerning the Waco homes of John Sleeper and his father, Fabius Hoyt Sleeper, was provided by Martha Cottingham.
It is my understanding that the street "Sleeper Place" ran between Fort Avenue and Sanger Avenue between 24th and 25th Streets.
The two houses located on this street were on the half of the block that backed up to 25th Street. A driveway between the houses was entered off of Sleeper Place (it didn't go through to 25th). It went between the houses to a shared garage/servant's quarters that was at the back of the property (backing up to 25th).
John Sleeper's address was 612 Sleeper Place. The Killough house was 616 Sleeper Place; it belonged to Minnie McMullen Sleeper's sister, Mary McMullen Killough.
Both houses were two story wood frame houses which had been moved from downtown near the Presbyterian Church.
The half of the block closest to 24th Street was bisected by a creek running from Sanger toward Fort. There were a lot of pecan trees and some sort of field/garden bordering Sleeper Place. A low stone wall ran around the entire block. At some point there was a gate with an arbor over it. Blue flags (iris) were planted all along the stone wall. My grandmother took some iris to her home on Fitzpatrick Avenue. My mother eventually took some from Fitzpatrick to Carrollton, Texas and planted them.
According to my mother, whenever Uncle John Sleeper had a big party, he'd have the front door of his house shellacked and have his field plowed (to look industrious).
Prairie Lea, Fabius Hoyt Sleeper's house, was on South 4th St. That's noted on the 1880 Census, but has no street number. The house was not torn down until many years later.
