Benjamin F. Neal
In 1852 Corpus Christi was incorporated, and on the first Tuesday in April of that year our good people met at the polls and elected B. F. Neal Mayor. Of this gentleman the writer is glad to be able to give a short sketch, furnished her by an intimate friend of the family, and one time inmate of Judge Neal’s home. B. F. Neal was a Virginian by birth and educated to the law. WE do not recall the year he came to Southwest Texas. That he was learned in his profession is proven by the fact of his many services; that he was fitted for almost any position in life was also proven. We find him serving as Mayor, District Judge, and editor of one of the earliest newspaper, The Nueces Valley. As a soldier he commanded a company during the war between the States. Taking a great interest in the early schools, he was one of the most prominent and useful citizens of eh Corpus Christi of his day. Judge Neal was twice married, his second wife being a Miss Zula Haynes of Philadelphia. Mrs. Neal was a Quakeress by birth, and a noble helpmate to her public spirited, patriotic husband, a veritable leader in all works of mercy, accepting the rough life of he frontier with a meekness inherited from a long line of God-fearing ancestors. She aided the poor, nursed the sick, and by her works was the she known. Should we even have a Hall of Fame, the name of our first Mayor and Zula Haynes, his wife, should occupy a prominent niche therein.
H. W. Berry
In 1854 we greet H. W. Berry as his Honor, and this lead us to believe that the office as held for one year at that time. A sketch of Captain Berry is given elsewhere. He was at this time a comparatively young man, an ex officer of the volunteers who had served under General Taylor. He returned to Corpus Christi at the close of the Mexican War, to lead a long and useful life with us.
Benjamin F. Neal
Our first Municipal Father, Judge Neal, is in office with us again.
H. W. Berry
Again, but apparently for a short time only, as we find from same records (copy furnished writer by City Secretary O. O. Wright, January 1, 1911), that for 1857, 1858, 1859 Mr. Richard Holbein, for many years a prominent ranchero, held this office.
H. W. Berry
During this turbulent time, looked after the interest of the little war-ridden town as Mayor.*
*Ruben Holbien was elected mayor by the city council in an unprecedented action when Mayor H.W. Berry absented himself from the city in a dispute with the council. See Holbein web page.
Dr. George Robertson
A native of Scotland, held the reins of office, and at this time the position was one of peril, as the enemy were often in evidence. On one occasion a scouting party from the fleet espied three men on Chaparral Street and chased them into the home of Mrs. Swift, in the rear of the Robertson home (corner of Schatzel and Water Streets). Two of the men went under beds and were soon captured, but Mrs. Swift, with almost superhuman strength, pulled out a wardrobe and the Mayor slid behind it. She pushed it back into the corner, and he remained through the hunt, safely hidden, the woman and the captured men finally convincing the Yanks that hey had been seeing treble, as only two men were there. One of the captured men was John Riggs. I do not remember the name of the other. These boys drew starvation rations in a New Orleans prison until the close of the War, but the doctor escaped. Dr. Robertson died of yellow fever in ’67. The house of good Mrs. Swift has made place for the elegant home of E. T. Merriman, while the Robertson home, which has for years been the home of his son and widowed daughter, Mrs. Jessie Clark, known to all the old residents for its kindly Scotch hospitality, was removed, and upon its site was erected Lichtenstein’s Department Store, the first department store for Corpus Christi.
Waymon N. Staples
Who opened the first lumber yard in Corpus Christi. Mr. Staples afterward opened a large ranch, and for years he and his good wife were prominent in the social life of this section. Their ranch was ever a welcoming haven, and both of them happy when surrounded by happy children.
John Marks Moore
Notice of this grand man, father-in –law of William Headen, elsewhere.
Source:
Sutherland, Mary A. Edited by Frank B. Harrison. The Story of Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi: Corpus Christi Chapter, Daughters of the Confederacy, 1916.
Research by: Msgr. Michael A. Howell
Transcription by: Geraldine D. McGloin, Nueces County Historical Commission