INTRODUCTION
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Herein is an attempt to record when families arrived in Sweeny in the early days between 1833 up until the 1920's. The family trees of some of these families are contained in the website genealogy section. The names and dates come from many different sources and some inaccuracies may exist.
This is a work in progress and public input is encouraged. Are you from an early Sweeny family and have information? CONTACT US!
ARRIVED BEFORE CITY OF SWEENY WAS NAMED 1833-1908……..
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Name Year From Notes Ref Armstrong, George 1850 Tennessee Wife Ann Baugh. Armstrong-Baugh Cemetery on Phillips plant land by old recreational club site. 1 Black, James Elliot 1845 Bought plantation @ Black's Ferry. Little known cemetery near Black's Ferry bridge. See his family tree in genealogy 2 Grovey 1800's Former slave(s) or descendant(s) 1 Grovey, J T 1897 Former slave(s) or descendant(s)Buys some of John Sweeny Jr property. Lean released 1911 2 McGrew, John abt. 1850 John Sweeny Sr plantation overseer, married his daughter Sophia. The son of their daughter Ella is Ashley Fly Wilson as in Ashley Wilson Road.
Sweeny, John Sr 1833 Tennessee City named after him. See THE CITY OF SWEENY AND HOW NAMED. See genealogy for his family tree and pictures every Sweeny family tombstone in Brazoria County along with genealogy information. Are you a descendant and not on the tree? CONTACT US. We want to add you
Waddy, Eli 1848? Former slave(s) or descendant(s). Tie to Sweeny needs more research. See his family tree in genealogy.
1 Waddy, Larkin 1891 Former slave(s) or descendant(s). Born 1863 in Sweeny area??(more research needed). Bought 100 acres from Will Sweeny in 1891. One of the survey stakes was in a large pond later to become Markle Lake by Phillips plant. His descendants show up in land records after city of Sweeny was named. See his family tree in genealogy. Sweeny-Waddy cabin moved to East Columbia. Google it
2, 1 Various 1898 Rees Porter Sweeny sells land to Methodist Episcopal Church which is still in use on Staggs Road. Names Henry Boone, Larkin Waddy, Shedd Boone, Andrew Webb, George Boone.
2 REF
1) Genealogy research
2) Property records, lot or land purchase
3) "Early Sweeny Families" by Maxey Brooke 13 March 1975. See Story Here
4) "A Trip Over The County By A Times Man", newspaper article 22 March 1912 See Story Here
5) "Moving to Texas 1919", written for Ausgburger reunion 12 June 1965. Author unknown. See Story Here
6) Sunlight & Shadows, book by Etta Lindsey Allen. See Story Here
7) "This Is Sweeny", A Bicentennial Project 1976 See File Here
ARRIVED AFTER CITY OF SWEENY WAS NAMED 1909- 1920's……..
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New city begins to grow & prosper See The City of Sweeny And How Named
Name Date From Notes Ref Arrington, Banks, Dr J G, Thomas 1913-1916 Texas
Tennessee
Dates vary slightly depending on source. James Gray Arrington was a doctor but no record of him practicing in Sweeny. Dry goods store, auto garage. 3, 7 Augsburger, John 1919 Tennessee See account of moving from Tennessee to Sweeny by train in Moving to Sweeny 1919 , stories & articles. Brought 2 cars which made a total of 4 in city limits with 2 others outside of town, Locals called them DAMN YANKEES when they unloaded a gasoline powered washing machine. 5 Augsburger, Amos 1919? Tennessee Already there when John's family arrived in 1919. 5 Bagley, George 1911 Bought lot in Sweeny 2, 7 Bagley, John D 1911-1912 Nebraska Planted corn in March which he could never do in Nebraska. 4, 7 Ballard, W D, Bertha, Charles
1911 Mississippi Hotel. farm raising cantaloupes 3, 4 Brockman, J C
1911 Missouri 100 acres of bottom land being cleared for farming 3, 4, 7 Carter, Velma
1912 3, 7 Chenault, Billie & M F
1911 Texas 3, 7 Churtz, Fred
1910 Texas Farming 1 mile east of Sweeny. Apparently none of the family stayed
in the Sweeny area4 Clark, E R
1911? Texas Carpenter/truck farmer who had house in town & farm just outside of town. 4 Copeland, George
1912 3, 7 Creel, Enos Coleman bef 1925 Mississippi Hasima area 1 Dailey, Clarence M
1911 3, 7 Eades, Dr Moses
1911 Missouri Bought lots on Main Street. Sweeny's first doctor 2, 7 Ellis, Charles and Marie
1911 Indiana Marie instrumental in starting Sweeny Civic Club in 1912 3, 7 Engberg. Louis Walter Bef 1913 Minnesota Trustee named on cornerstone of 1st Sweeny school 1 Fenner, R
1911 Nebraska Had little home in town and loved the winter. 4 Friday, M F
1913 3, 7 Garrison, H C
1911 Kansas Truck farmer 4 Gibson, Rev H W
1921 Bertie Gibson & George Baugh buy lot in Sweeny 2, 7 Grovey, Charles
1911 Buys lot in Sweeny 2 Hammond, W C
1914 Buys Hurd Garden tract 2, 7 Hankins, Levi
1910 Missouri Married to Emmitt Rimmer's daughter Vivian 3, 7 Hobson, T M
1911-1912? Colorado Intended to raise potatoes 4 Holmes, H L
1916 Leases 60 acres Breen league 2, 7 Jobe, F W
1911 Colorado getting his 50 acres under cultivation while farming other land. 4 Joyner, Oscar M
1912 Texas Ran sawmill. He & J G Arrington owned Sweeny garage. Ended up as a rich oil man in Harlington. 2, 7 Jones, W P
1911 Jones Mercantile. Said "Business was good, extremely good." 4 Jones, G E
1911-1912? Texas From Bay City/Manvel. built home in town. Carpenter, farmer 4 Kellerman, John
1911 Illinois Illinois Carpenter going into farming. Already growing potatoes, cabbage & cantaloupes in 1912 4 Lindsey, Dick
1917 Tennessee See account of the family moving from Tennessee to Sweeny by train with Lige Meadors family in 1917 and their new lives in the city in "Moving to Sweeny 1917" in stories & articles 6 Lindsey
1917 Tennessee Came by train. Updated 03/08/2015 3 McNeil, Joe
???? More research needed as to who this is. 7 Meadors 1911 Source Maxey Brook. Need info Which Meadors in 1911? 3 Meadors, Lige & Alice
1917 Tennessee On same train as Dick Lindsey family. 6 Nugent, George
???? More research needed as to who this is 7 Moen, A A
1911 Tennessee Truck farmer potatoes, canteloupes, sweet peppers 4 Orr, John, Franklin T, Rossette, Mack
1915-1921 Tennessee All siblings. John bought lot in 1915, F T in 1917. Rosette ran Rosie's Boarding House, Mack last sibling to arrive 1921. 2 Parton, M J
1910 Missouri Farmer, 200 acres 1 mile east of Sweeny 3, 4, 7 Plunk
1918 Buys lot in Sweeny 2 Presley, J W
1928 Buys lot in Sweeny. Related to ELVIS. See family tree in genealogy 2 Reeves, Perry James 1910 Alabama Hasima area 1 Reddin, Grover C
1917 Tennessee From Henry Hanson: Grover Cleveland Reddin was born in Hardin County Tennessee. He left Tennessee for a better way of life and came to Sweeny, Texas. His wife Bertha brought the children a short time later on the train. They arrived in March 1917. Grover Cleveland and his family lived and he worked in and around Sweeny, West Columbia and Brazoria. In 1925 he had an opportunity to go to work for "Texas Company" in Port Arthur as an electrician. The man who filled out his employment papers told him his name needed a "G" on it and he didn't argue with them. All his descendants became Reddings. Grover Cleveland was killed while on his job 12 March 1927, when his head hit a live wire on a light pole. Bertha moved her family back to Sweeny where her eldest daughter Devorah had married William Alfred Orr two years earlier. Bertha never remarried. Reynolds, J W
1911 Missouri Owner of the two story Reynolds & Reynolds general merchandise & grocery 3, 7 Rice, Miss May
1911 Ohio 1st school teacher in Sweeny School. University of Ohio graduate. 3 Rice, Francis S
1911 Missouri Civil engineer involved in building bridge across the Mississippi River and 2 bridges across the Brazos River at East Columbia & Brazoria 1911-1912. 4 Richardson, B W
1910 or 1911 Alabama From Charlene Finley: B. W. Richardson moved to Lane City area around 1907 or 08; Lane City is not too far from Bay City, where they went next. They would have moved to Chance's Prairie sometime in 1910 or 1911 to the Sweeny Jr. plantation, because 1911 was the year my Dad was born there; his parents lived in a slave cabin and his grandparents, B W Richardson's rented the big house from Judge Holland (Wesley Mastin Holland/Musetta Sweeny). So they all lived there and farmed until moving to Hasima in late 1912. I remember
distinctly my grandmother, Lemma, talking about living there, which would be John Sweeny Jr. (See Old Ocean Fades Into History) place pretty long before the area became known as Old Ocean, as we now know it. For his family tree see genealogyRiley, S A
1911 Texas Singing master who had singing school @ Sweeny school house. 3, 7 Rimmer, Emmet
1910 Missouri By 1912 had 115 acres of woods cleared and planted in corn. Cattle, hogs, very nice house. Poster boy for land sales. See San Bernard River Land Development Company sales brochure under Grab Bag 3, 4, 7 Rogers
1912 3, 7 Sanford,Lewis
1912? 7 Sanford
1912 3 Schadler, Oliver
1912 Ohio Schadle's store, later Meador's. Building replaced by Benedict's later My Cousin's restaurant. 3, 7 Scott
1912 3, 7 Semones, K L
1912 Colorado 90 acres about 1 mile north of Sweeny. When asked how he liked the country, said: "Fine! Fine! Fine!. Think he liked it. 4 Sewell, George Lester
1907 From Charlene Finley: married Lemma Richardson in 1908. See details in Benjamin Franklin Richardson above. Sewell family in genealogy. Smith, Travis & Randolph
1909 3 Starks, George abt 1910 Louisiana Hasima area. Ran one of the sawmills 1 Vezey, Herman Brose
1913 Oklahoma Postmaster 1941-1958. Maxey Brooke had 1911 in his writings. 3, 7 Waddy
1912,1913,
1918
Larkin Waddy descendants Shed, Jessie, George & Maria (?) buy lots in Sweeny 2 Wallace, Dr
1912
3 Warters, Andy
1911
Kansas Farmer, packing shed owner 3 Wichmann, Herman
1911
Wisconsin Truck farmer 4 Wilson, N E
1910
Agent First Texas Insurance Co. bought several lots to improve & sell 4 Woodrum, William & Bertha
1911
Missouri Had nice home just out of town with land under cultivation. 3, 4, 7 REF
1) Genealogy research
2) Property records, lot or land purchase
3) "Early Sweeny Families" by Maxey Brooke 13 March 1975. See Story Here
4) "A Trip Over The County By A Times Man", newspaper article 22 March 1912 See Story Here
5) "Moving to Texas 1919", written for Ausgburger reunion 12 June 1965. Author unknown. See Story Here
6) Sunlight & Shadows, book by Etta Lindsey Allen. See Story Here
7) "This Is Sweeny", A Bicentennial Project 1976 See File Here