Headed to Beaumont

I have always wanted to go to Spindletop because my grandfather was there! 

 My grandfather on my dad's side, Shelby Banks Goodman, was born in Corscicana, Texas in 1880.  When he married my grandmother, Mary Alice Strother, he was 60 and she was only 30.  My father, Shelby Lee Goodman, was born when my grandfather was 62, and my dad was the oldest of five children.  My grandfather died when my dad was 13, leaving him to help raise his four younger siblings.  What little we know about my grandfather comes from the few family stories we have heard over the years, his obituary, and a few pictures that one of my aunts was able to locate and restore. 

My grandfather seems to have lead a very interesting life.  His obituary says that he worked on the second oil well to be drilled at Spindletop.  I have two pictures with him standing in front of an oil well.  He would have been 21 years old at the time.  He is second from the right in both pictures.

I have always wanted to know more about Spindletop because I feel like the more I know about Spindletop, the more I'll learn about my grandfather's life.  It's so hard to imagine what life was like in Texas in the early 1900's, but I'm hoping the museums I visit will give me a better feeling for what it was like back then. 

Here is a picture of a house in Corsicana, that my grandfather lived in.  I'm not sure if he lived here as a child or as an adult.  There's a lady on the front porch with two children.  I've often wondered if that may be my great-grandmother with my grandfather and a great aunt.  The family picture is of my grandfather with his first wife, who is not my grandmother, and his first daughter, my half-aunt. 

  



Grandfather's
Obituary
(back)

Grandfather's
Obituary
(front)















  







Dad, Grandmother, Uncle



I have been reading the book, The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes by Bryan Burroughs.  I have really enjoyed reading this book.  I love reading books that mention places that I am familiar with or have visited.  The book gives you a glimpse into the lives of some of Texas' richest oilmen.  It's been a fun read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a little Texas history!

From my visit to Beaumont, I hope to learn more about Texas oil, Spindletop, and what life was like when my grandfather was a young man in Texas.