Ancestors

Samuel Dale Myres Sr.

Samuel Dale Myres was born on 22 November 1871 in Johnson County, Texas, near the Cordova Bend of the Brazos River. His parents, David Rittenhouse Myres and Mary Jane Dale, had settled there that July. His father was from Pennsylvania and had been a Confederate soldier; his mother was from Kentucky. In 1945 the Fort Bliss News, the army paper at El Paso, said he was "born back in 1871 in a little two-room log cabin on the banks of the Brazos river in Johnson County." His death certificate gives his birthplace as Cleburne, the county seat.

He was the first of six children. His brothers were Morris Carlos, William and Charles Clifton, and his sisters Fannie and Annie. The 1880 census found him at eight on the family farm, spelled "Samueal D. Myres".

He had three terms of school in all. By fifteen he was working as a scout and guide for families coming to look for land. He wanted to go west as a cowboy, but a fall from a horse hurt his knee and ended that plan. Instead he served a three-year apprenticeship with T. R. James and Sons, Saddlers, in Cleburne. After it he traveled, working by the piece. In 1893 he settled at Weatherford and began to draw and carve his own designs in leather.

On 14 October 1894, in Johnson County, he married Druza Ann Rogers. The state index spells the couple "Samuel D. Myers" and "Duza Rogers". They had three children: Samuel Dale Jr., called Ted, in 1899; William James, called Bill, in 1903; and a daughter, Melrose.

In March 1897 the family moved to Sweetwater, a young railroad town in Nolan County, West Texas. In 1898 he bought a saddlery of his own. His saddles became known for an oak-leaf pattern and for carved western scenes in the manner of the cowboy painter Charles M. Russell. He made saddles for movie stars, for Wild West show performers and for the Texas Rangers.

He was mayor of Sweetwater from 1908 to 1911. The Handbook of Texas credits him with bringing the Santa Fe Railroad through the town and with keeping Sweetwater the county seat. He served on the school board in 1914 and 1915. The Fort Bliss News said in 1945 that he had also been a deputy sheriff and had served with the Texas Rangers.

During the First World War his shop made McClellan saddles, the standard saddle of the United States cavalry. In 1920 the government gave him a citation for the work. The Fort Bliss News put the order at 5,000 saddles.

In 1919 the Sweetwater saddlery burned. In 1920 he opened a new factory in El Paso, on the Mexican border, and lived there for the rest of his life. His marriage to Druza ended in divorce. The Handbook of Texas speaks of "a generous divorce settlement for Drusa." He then married Eva, full name Evangeline Teresa Forkner, about 1921. She had tuberculosis and died in 1928. He had been raised a Presbyterian and joined the Mormon church when he married her.

The 1920s left him deep in debt. Between 1934 and 1936 his son Bill and his nephew Dace Myres joined the business. They moved it toward holsters and gunbelts. By 1941 the company was solvent, and by 1950 it advertised itself as "Cowboy Headquarters for the Southwest." He was a Mason and a Shriner. He led almost every parade in El Paso in a frock coat and string bow tie, and the children of the city called him Tio Sam.

He died at eight in the evening on 2 July 1953, at Southwestern General Hospital in El Paso. He was 81. The cause was a myocardial infarct, a heart attack, and his doctor had attended him for ten days. His home was 5030 Alameda Avenue. His son Bill signed the death certificate as informant. Kaster and Maxon handled the funeral, and he was buried on 6 July in Evergreen Cemetery, El Paso, in Section Z. His headstone is carved with an open book and reads "'TIO SAM' S. D. MYRES 1872-1953". His son Ted was buried beside him in 1987.

If Samuel Dale Myres Sr. is in your family, start your own tree.

Cite: Heirology, "Samuel Dale Myres Sr. (1871-1953)", https://heirology.com/ancestors/samuel-dale-myres-sr-1871-1953-2d4f32.