UNRECORDED HISTORY. 17 



izer in this movement. He did much in bringing about the 

 development of the order in Lampasas, Hamilton, and Coryell 

 counties. Having originated in Lampasas County, its great- 

 est increase was in that county. In fact, this first attempt at 

 organization never extended beyond the three counties named 

 above. The first meeting of the Grand County Alliance was 

 held at Pleasant Valley, Lampasas County, February 22, 1878. 

 Captain L. S. Chavose, President ; W. C. Gober, A. A. Carter, 

 D. T. W. Nance, W. B. Weir, John R. Allen, W. T. Baggett, and 

 William Thompson were also members of this County Alliance. 

 These gentlemen were officers in the County Alliance ; also a 

 committee to form a Grand State Alliance. Their respective 

 offices I am unable to give. One old member puts the number 

 of alliances in this county at nineteen, and another at thirteen. 

 Doubtless neither is absolutely -correct. Captain L. S. Chavose 

 turned over the work in Hamilton County to J. H. Myers, 

 who succeeded in perfecting an organization on Little Cow- 

 house Creek, and another on Neel's Creek. After these were 

 organized, the first County Alliance was held with the Par- 

 tridge Creek Alliance. This was in the spring of 1878. The 

 officers were, Yancey Pierce, President ; H. Carter, Vice-Presi- 

 dent ; T. E. Glover, Secretary ; J. H. Myers, Lecturer and Or- 

 ganizer. 



Some time after this a co-operative meeting was held with the 

 Lampasas County Alliance, on School Creek, at which meeting 

 considerable business of importance was transacted, and an 

 organizer sent into Coryell County, who succeeded in organizing 

 a few alliances there. I have been unable to find the names 

 of the County Alliance officers, and it is said that there never 

 was a county organization perfected in that county. Evan 

 Brooks, D. White, W. White, W. T. Baggett, and H. Lankford 

 were members of the order in that county. As said before, the 

 order was confined to these three counties. 



The Grand State Alliance was organized at Pleasant Valley, 

 Lampasas County, May 4, 1878, with the following officers: 

 L. S. Chavose, President ; J. W. Reeves, Secretary ; W. W. Say- 

 lor, Treasurer ; W. T. Baggett, Doorkeeper ; W. Rodgers and 

 H. Dobbins, Delegates. The constitution called for two other 

 officers called "Grand Smokeys." These were kept secret from 



