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Corpus Christi History

Corpus Christi History is published Wednesdays. Murphy Givens also sits on the Caller-Times editorial board and can be contacted at givensm@caller.com

Wednesday, May 26, 1999

First person: Thomas J. Noakes

War, famine and hard times

Thomas J. Noakes, an educated Englishman, came to Corpus Christi in 1845 and settled at Nuecestown. He was a farmer, saddle-maker, jack of all trades. He married Mary Ludwig, a neighbor's daughter. In his diaries he recorded the hardships of life in South Texas. Thomas J. Noakes, an educated Englishman, came to Corpus Christi in 1845 and settled at Nuecestown. He was a farmer, saddle-maker, jack of all trades. He married Mary Ludwig, a neighbor's daughter. In his diaries he recorded the hardships of life in South Texas.

Feb. 11, 1861: I have been helping to plough fields for Mr. Ludwig. I rode to Corpus with Mr. Ludwig, bought some seed, a barrel of flour, procured a marriage license at the county clerk's office and left a notice of my marriage at the office of the Corpus papers, then returned home to Mr. Ludwig's. After supper I took the horses, riding one and leading the other, and went home and dressed. And then it being quite dark, I took the horses to Mr. Taylor's in the town, he being justice of the peace, and fetched him to Mr. Ludwig's and there Mary and I were married, unknown to anybody but the old folks and Mr. Taylor, as we did not wish to have any fuss. And for my part, I could not have had a party if I had wished, as 30 cents was the most cash I possessed. I had not even the money to pay for the license, but Marie being willing to take me as I am, I thought it a waste of time to wait for better times.

Friday, June 23, 1864: Weather showery after dinner. Mary and I took a ride on the Blucher prairies and found two of our cows with calves. From information I received, I was induced to bury nearly all my corn in the hole today; the rest of our provisions may have to follow. We hear the Yankees have left the island. If so, it will be bad for families here, who have been supplied with provisions by them.

June 24: Showers all day. I took our last sack of flour out of our secret hole.

June 26: Heavy rain. I went to Corpus to get some sacks. I succeeded in getting sacks and a little bread, soda, and black pepper, which we have not had for a long time. Corpus looks more desolate then ever. The Yankees are preying on Confederate property and the Confederates are making a pounce on Yankees' property. Furniture can be bought for a song. I was paid $5 for the saddle tree I covered the other day.

June 27: Made the boy a cart and after dinner I assisted in killing the Confederate beef. I took one hide. Reynolds and Colney returned, having been to Mexico after cattle thieves with Capt. King. They returned safe through dangerous country, Capt. King to find his family gone and his beautiful house a wreck.

Dec. 31, 1864, Thursday: The last day of a miserable year. Bitterly cold. I sat by the fire mending Mary's shoes. The company that passed me the other evening went to Corpus where they captured a person named Dix, who had been a traitor and communicating with the Yankees. So ends another year.

Jan. 1, 1865: Water froze, milk also. Stayed in and boiled soap -- the first I have had to make -- and I succeeded very well. I drove the cart to Taylor's and borrowed two bushels of corn.

Jan. 2: I am not well. My lungs have bled.

Jan. 5, Tuesday: Exceedingly cold, water froze close to the fire. I put my horse in the old house to keep him from perishing.

Jan. 7: I helped Mr. Wright pull out a cow of his bogged down in the river. For two or three hundred yards along the river, I counted 42 animals -- cows and sheep -- bogged down in the river. Hundreds of thousands of cattle on the other side of the river are starving.

Jan. 8, Friday: Ice everywhere. The river froze. Got three wethers (sheep) from Mr. Wright. Gave one to Mr. Vetters and brought the other two home to kill.

Jan. 9: I killed the two wethers and stretched the hides. Took off as much of the hide as I could get at from the poor dead cows bogged in the river.

Jan. 10: There is a lull in the excitement of war. We have had no news of the Yankees. It may be because of the excessive cold. The cattle are dying very fast on the opposite side of the river. Even deer are quite common in the middle of settlements in search of water.

Jan. 20, Wednesday: There is no mail now and we get no news of the war. Country is in a deplorable state for want of rain. Cattle and sheep are starving and dying all over the country. The long cold spell has killed great numbers of sheep.

Jan. 24, Sunday: No rain worth mentioning for six months. Dead animals meet your gaze in every direction, look where you will, and the atmosphere is quite oppressive on account of decomposition. War and famine and want is all we see, hear, or talk about.

(Noakes and his wife survived the war and he opened a store in Nuecestown, which was burned and plundered in the famous Nuecestown Raid in 1875. The diary of Thomas J. Noakes is in the local history room of Corpus Christi's Central Library. This is the second of two parts on Noakes.)

(Murphy Givens can be reached by e-mail at givensm@caller.com or by phone at 886-4315. Previous columns can be found on-line at www.caller.com/mgivens.)