Horace M. Cate and Friends from Dalton, Georgia, in Texas

Persons from Dalton, Whitfield, GA, living in Texas in 1898, mentioned in a published 'Letter From Texas' by H. M. Cate: 

John Henry King, Denton, TX

Gus Denton, Ellis Co., TX and/or in Millford (town); they met in Ellis County and spent day together in Millford. Dawn Walker was w/them.

Dawn Walker

Ed Eason and brothers (lived or met up in Ennis and Garrett, towns in Ellis County). 'Charlie Eason, the youngest, is city assessor at Waxahatchie, the county seat of Ellis county.' 

'Ed Bivings is in Midlothian in Ellis county, but I did not get to see him.' 

"In Kaufman county I saw Henry Graves and  Henry Sebastion, and some of the Roberts boys, formerly of Whitfield." 

"I saw Judge Gordon Russell last Saturday, and he has agreed to accompany me back to Georgia next month." 

Of the "Dalton boys" (old school friend of Dalton, Whitfield, Georgia, now in Texas), he says, "A large proportion of them are holding offices, and those who are not, are in the same state of mind relating thereto as was Barkis." (He might be alluding to certain political mindsets, or presenting some dry comment on a possible aversion for politics. More research and perhaps an identification of "Barkis" might provide some insight on his seemingly ironic intent.)

"Mother is with me and is enjoying good health. My wife and little girl are in Manitou Springs, Col. My boy, Maples, now ten years old, is in the Texas Panhandle with relatives. Mother and I are here at home." 

He makes a little joke about the expected trip back to Georgia and signs, "Yours, H. M. C., Mineola, Texas, June 22, 1898." 

H. M. C., "Cate's Letter: He Writes an Interesting Letter from Texas" (ltr. dtd. 22 June 1898, addressed "To Frank"), /North Georgia Citizen/ (Dalton, Whitfield, Georgia) 1868-1924, Thurs., 30 June 1898, page 6 (digital image 6), Georgia Historic Newspapers, Digital Library of Georgia (GALILEO). https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034046/1898-06-30/ed-1/seq-6/print/image_570x817_from_1136,6426_to_2300,8095/ (clipping, top half/beginning of letter; full page accessed 02 April 2020 by D.K. Pritchett, contributor). 

[URL for bottom half/end of letter by H.M.C. (H.M. Cate); see far left, beginning "law partner..."]: https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034046/1898-06-30/ed-1/seq-6/print/image_570x817_from_1972,98_to_5507,5164/ (clipping, bottom half/end of letter; full page accessed 02 April 2020 by D.K. Pritchett, contributor). 

Note: The URLs are limited to the clipped sections, but one may navigate from there to the full page or to the database. 

[Research Notes]: 

Horace Maples Cate was the son of Jonathan N. and Martha Malinda (Maples) Cate, of McMinn County, Tennessee. He had siblings, including Junius Cate. The father of the family, Jonathan, a Confederate officer, died of exposure at Savannah, Georgia, in 1862. He was buried in McMinn County, Tennessee. 

Martha Cate and her family later resided in Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia, where Martha taught school. Later, her grown sons, Horace and Junius, moved to Texas (not necessarily at the same time). Later, Martha went out west to join them, living with her son, Horace, and his wife. 

Martha died in Texas in April 1906. Her son, Horace, followed later that year, in November. Junius, the younger son, the Chief of Police of Mineola, had died there in 1898. Several letters, a marriage announcement, an obituary, and other brief mentions of members of this family, appear in the hometown paper, North Georgia Citizen, during the years they lived in Texas.