Kenney's Fort (eBook)

19th century saga of the first Anglo settlement in Williamson County, Texas

Elroy Haverlah (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
208 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-7569-7 (ISBN)

Infos

'Kenney's Fort' is the gripping tale of Dr. Thomas Kenney, who abandons a promising medical career to chase his dream of settling the wild frontier of Tejas. Facing relentless threats from Native American tribes, a hostile Mexican army, deadly diseases, and savage wildlife, Kenney's journey tests his courage and resolve. As he fights to establish the first Anglo settlement in Williamson County, Texas, readers will be captivated by his perilous quest for a new life.

Elroy Haverlah, a native Texan, earned a Bachelor of Arts from Texas Lutheran University and a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary. He served as a pastor for several Texas congregations, including nearly 20 years at Palm Valley Lutheran Church in Round Rock. After retiring, Haverlah researched and wrote about Kenney's Fort, the first settlement in Williamson County. His work includes three historical novels: Anna's Journey, Answering the Call, and a novel on Kenney's Fort. Haverlah lives in Round Rock with his wife, Rachel, and enjoys spending time with their two children and four grandsons.

---

Dr. Thomas Kenney was a peaceful man with a dangerous dream. As a field doctor serving in the Black Hawk War in Illinois, Kenney witnessed first-hand the brutal slaying of indigenous men, women, and children. Due to these atrocities, he began to formulate a plan that would take him away from war to a more peaceful life as a settler in the wide-open spaces of the western frontier. However, it would mean leaving behind a promising career as a medical doctor in the civilized community of Rock Island, Illinois. It would mean involving a risky move for his sickly young wife and their small girl. It would mean facing outraged Native Americans, a belligerent Mexican army, deadly diseases, and wild animals. For thousands of years before Dr. Kenney's appearance, indigenous people freely roamed throughout a large expanse known today as Texas. Millions of buffalo ranged across the entire North American Central Plains. Within a single generation both the Indians and the buffalo were slaughtered almost to extinction by men intent on making a living by hunting for buffalo hides. In the mid-19th century, Texas was also the scene of Mexico's fight to retain this territory under its rule. "e;Remember the Alamo,"e; and "e;Come and take it!"e; were some of the battle cries of men fighting to secure independence from Mexico. Texas Rangers were created to aid in the fight against the Mexican army and Indian raiders. Into this dangerous vortex, Dr. Kenney sought to establish a foothold on the edge of the Texas frontier and live at peace with his neighbors, who did not share his peaceful intentions. Just getting to Texas from the Mississippi Valley was a risky and exhausting journey as he, his wife, and their little girl drove their burdened wagon through territory that was swarming with fierce Indians and terrifying animals. It was also an emotional journey. The doctor was leaving behind a safe career for an unknown profession in a strange new land, with Comanches, Apaches, and Tonkawas suspicious of their every move. Was Dr. Kenney courageous or foolish to build a fort under such brutal conditions? Each reader can render judgment after reading this true story of the first Anglo settlement in Williamson County, Texas.

Textauszug

Chapter 3

Doctor Kenney and Polly were worn out physically as well as emotionally, but they finally drifted off to sleep, thankful to be together again. Twilight was enough, though, to waken Mary Jane. She climbed out of her bed and was surprised to see Jack sleeping by the fireplace. She was in for an even bigger surprise when she came to her mother’s bed.

“Mama,” she said. Her mouth fell open when she saw Thomas lying next to her mother. “Mama,” she repeated.

Polly finally woke up and saw Mary Jane staring at Doc. “It’s alright, baby. This is your father. He came home last night.”

“No. Not father.”

“Well, he may not look like him now because of his beard and his long hair.”

Doc was awake now also. He raised his head from the pillow and peered over Polly to see his daughter. “Mary Jane. Is that you? What a big girl you are now.”

When she heard her father call her name, her puzzled expression gave way to one of amazement. Yet she hesitated to go any closer.

“I tell you what, Mary Jane. You go with your mother now, and I’ll get shaved. Then we’ll talk some more.”

Mary Jane was not satisfied yet. She pointed in the other direction and said, “Man by fireplace.”

“Oh, yes,” said her mother. “That’s Jack, a friend of your father. He had nowhere to go last night, so we told him to stay here and sleep next to the fireplace.”

“So many men,” she said seriously, which caused her mother and father to laugh.

“Maybe not,” said her father. “Now we have two girls and two boys. See? Two of each.”

Mary Jane was not convinced. Neither did she laugh. “Hungry, Mama.”

“Come on Mary Jane. I’ll feed you,” her mother said. She looked over to her husband and smiled, “Well, that didn’t go quite as I had imagined.”

“No,” he said as he gave a reluctant laugh. “That’s not the only thing that didn’t go as I had expected.” He thought of Polly’s illness and his own personal struggle with doctoring. “Yet,” he said as he looked at his loving wife and his precious daughter, “I have much to be thankful for.”

Several days passed since Doc and Jack returned from the Black Hawk War, as it was referred to now. Mary Jane and her father grew closer as they strolled through the neighborhood admiring the fall colors and examining the leaves from sugar maple and hawthorn trees. Polly seemed a little better, but Doc worried about her. Moreover, Polly showed him a letter from his brother. John Kenney was a Methodist preacher, one of the first pioneer pastors in Texas. He described the place where he lived in glowing terms. That appealed to Doc. In addition, the change of seasons stirred in him an attraction beyond his medical profession. He had thought that dream would fade once the war was over and he returned to reality and his patients, but now he knew that he must either recommit himself to serving as a doctor, or move on to a new chapter in his life. He must decide or go mad.

“Polly,” he said when the day was nearing an end, and Jack was going on a walk with Mary Jane after a brief rainfall. “Polly, we need to talk.”

“About what?”

“I need to decide—WE need to decide—once and for all about our future.”

“I thought we had already decided. We’ll stay here, and you will continue serving as a much needed and admired doctor here in Rock Island.”

“That was temporary. I am still perplexed. For one thing, I’m worried about you.”

She frowned. “About my cough? I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“But Polly, we must. I’ve been taught that a drier climate is good for the health. It helps to clear the lungs.”

“But I haven’t been coughing as much lately. And I’m young, Tom. I’m young and strong.”

“You are young and strong and beautiful and hard-working. And I love you dearly. I want you to stay healthy. But it does rain a lot here.”

“That’s why the grass is so lush, and the flowers are so abundant, and the trees are so tall. Tom, I don’t want to leave all this.”

Doc realized he was losing the argument. Polly was not only beautiful. She was smart. Then she delivered the clincher.

“Besides, Tom, we need the money. You have a steady income, a good income. You have a good reputation. You have patients who look to you and who trust you. Why leave all this?”

Doc sighed. He did not have the heart to tell her that he just didn’t feel content with doctoring. There was something inside him that was pulling him beyond this profession. Everything Polly said made perfect sense, but his yearnings were irrational.

“So what do you think, dear doctor?” She squeezed his hand with her soft hands and looked up at him with her deep green eyes.

“That’s not fair,” he thought to himself. He gave in. “Okay. We’ll stay, and I’ll be the best doctor I can be.”

“That’s the spirit. And I’ll be fine. You’ll see,” she said.

Just then, Jack and Mary Jane came flying in the front door. She was holding a wad of colorful fall leaves. “See, Papa. Pretty leaves!” She ran over to show her mother.

Jack went over to Doc. “I need to tell you somethin’, Doc.”

“What’s that?”

“I met a man in town. Name’s Henry Castleberry. Young fellow. From Kentucky. We got to talkin’. Turns out, he wants to hunt buffalo, too. Told his ma and pa that he wanted to go to the wide-open spaces of Texas. They bought him this really fine horse. Paid a hundred dollars for it.”

Doc’s eyes widened with genuine interest. “Well,” Jack spoke hesitating. “Thing is, Doc. Well, you’ve been great. You and Polly, and Mary Jane. You’re like family to me. But I can’t stay here forever. So—”

“So, you’re leaving.”

“Yeah. In the morning. Me and Castleberry are goin’ to a little town in Texas. Bastrop.”

Doc forced a smile. “Well, I’m happy for you. I’ll miss you though.”

“I’ll miss you, too. We been through a lot together, in a short time. I gotta tell you, though, I’m really lookin’ forward to the wide-open plains, seein’ the stars at night, huntin’ those magnificent creatures, feelin’ the ground shake when thousands of them stampede.”

Doc nodded. “Yeah. I can’t blame you.” Suddenly he realized what he needed.

Spring of 1833 arrived, but old man winter would not let go of his grip. A freezing wind was howling when Doc went out to bring in some more firewood. The wind bit on his face like hundreds of sharp pins. He had to be careful not to slip on the ice while holding the wood with both arms. When he came in with a load, he heard Polly coughing, unable to stop. She was shivering, even with heavy clothing. Doc frowned as he discerned her loss of weight. She tired easily. Winter had seen a lot of sickness with his patients, too. A couple of them had died from pneumonia.

When Polly finally stopped coughing, she was too tired to stand. Doc sat down beside her at the table. He held her shaky hand. She looked up at him and then closed her eyes. Mary Jane was taking a nap, so Polly could take a few minutes to rest.

“My dear Polly. You are so worn out.”

“I’ll be better.”

“No, Polly. You are getting worse. At this rate, I’m afraid you may not last the year. You certainly won’t survive another winter.” He felt that he needed to be brutally honest with his beloved.

She nodded in resignation.

“Polly, we must move. And I know where we can go. I got a letter from Jack this morning. He and Henry are doing fine, hunting deer mostly. They went out several times this winter. He says that west of there, thousands of buffalo roam across the open prairie, but also some Indians. The weather was mild. No snow. Only a few freezes. He says the wildflowers are already starting to bloom. He says if we ever decide to move, we should come to Bastrop.”

“I still don’t want…to leave Rock Island.” She was unable to complete the sentence without stopping to breathe.

Doc felt he must be blunt. “Polly, one way or another, you are going to leave here. I think it would be best if we were to move to a drier climate.”

“Then I guess it’s settled. We move.” She almost formed a smile.

Doc moved over to her and gave her a long and gentle hug. He knew she must feel like crying but would be afraid that crying would set off another bout of coughing.

“When shall we leave?” she asked, still holding onto him.

“It will take some time. We should wait until the weather improves. The roads need to dry out. I need to write Jack and check on places to...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 10.10.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-7569-7 / 9798350975697