Hattie Wallace
Hattie
Wallace
Born
July 14, 1871
Died
May 25, 1872
Photo Credit: Rosa G. Gonzales
1. Obituary
Died—At San Diego, Texas on the 25th day of May, 1872 HATTIE, daughter of Warren and Catherine Wallace. Aged 10 months.
Nueces Valley, 1 June 1872, page 3, col. 4.
Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell
2. Biography
The stone that marks the final resting place of Hattie Wallace reports simply that she was born on 14 July 1871 and died less than a year later on 25 May 1872. There are no surviving local papers from that time to indicate the parents of this child. However, the most likely candidates are Warren and Catherine Wallace whose marriage of 21 August 1870 is recorded in the Marriage Records of Nueces County (Vol. C page 498-9). Catherine is found with her parents, William C. and Harriet E. Dickey, in the 1860 census records of San Patricio County. She initially married John Choate in Refugio County on 15 May 1865 (Refugio County Marriage Records, page 45 of volume A). John was born in Louisiana on or about 25 July 1818 and died violently at the couple's residence on 3 August 1869. He was killed along with his cousin Crockett Choate (1842-1869) and Frank Skidmore when attacked by Jack Helms and a large party of men reportedly looking for horse thieves. However, Paul Lee in his "Leander McNelly and His Death Squad" says it was a part of the Taylor-Sutton Feuds. At any rate John and Crockett are both buried in the old Rockport Cemetery. Thus by 1870 Catherine was a widow listed in the Federal Census in San Patricio County (with Refugio County post office address). Warren Wallace was a native of North Carolina, born reportedly on 18 May 1828. He too had been married and widowed. One record indicates that he was married to a Loretta Higgins who had died about 1869. He reportedly also married a "Viny Wells". However, in 1870 Warren and Catherine married and settled down to raising a family. Hattie would presumably have been their first child. In the 1880 census of San Patricio County (page 388D) they are listed as the parents of three other children: C. A. Wallace (a girl born circa 1873), W. D. Wallace (a son born circa 1875), and Lee V. Wallace (a son born circa 1877). At that time they are listed as living in the Thicket Settlement of San Patricio. Catherine died only a few years later on 8 November 1884, reportedly in Rockport, Texas. William Warren Wallace survived another spouse and died on 12 April 1915.
Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell