THANKSGIVING by Ellen M. Ferris

Happy Holidays to everyone! Please enjoy a reflective Thanksgiving poem written by Ellen M. Ferris (1843-1876), daughter of Charles Drake Ferris (1812-1850) and niece of Warren Angus Ferris (1810-1873). This poem was published in a Buffalo, New York newspaper (date unknown). Ms. Ferris clipped this and over a 1000 published poems which she admired (including her own) and placed them in her commonplace book collection. The poetry can be found in the Ferris/Lovejoy collection of family papers at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

THANKSGIVING

 By Ellen M. Ferris

Through sombre aisles and vaulted roof

    The organ-tones are swelling,

Their grand and solemn harmonies

    Of some high service telling;

And now in murmurs soft and low,

    And now in cadence thrilling,

With under-tones of melody

    The singers’ voices filling.

“All glory be to God on high”-

    So chant the choral voices-

“In whom we live and breathe and move,

     In whom the world rejoices;

Who sends the sunshine and the rain,

    With food for all the living;

To Him our grateful hearts we raise

    With praises and thanksgiving.”

A mother to the chancel rail

    Her little child is leading,

With rich thank-offerings to God,

    Who heard her anguished pleading.

But while for mercies great and strange

    Her costly tribute paying,

Forgets the mercies day by day

    Upon her path arraying.

For each day is a miracle

    Of blessing and forgiving;

God’s tender pity, like the sky,

    Enfoldeth all the living.

We take the gifts His bounty sends

    Ungrateful and cold-hearted,

Without a thought of love or praise,

    Till from us they are parted.

We set aside one meagre day

    Of all our yearly treasure,

Wherewith to pay the homage due

    For blessings beyond measure.

But Thou be merciful, O God,

    Consider Thou our weakness;

Accept the tribute which we pay,

    Though late, with awe and meekness.

Turn Thou our hearts, that we may see

    All things are of Thy sending,

And lift an endless song of praise

    For mercies never-ending;

Till all the radiant angelhood

    Shall aid our poor endeavor

To magnify the Lord our God,

    And praise His name forever.

 Blog written by Christine Cohen. Great granddaughter (X3) of Warren Angus Ferris. Great granddaughter (X2) of Henry Ferris.

Descendants of those buried in the Warren Ferris Cemetery and anyone interested in sharing historical information about the cemetery are encouraged to write with stories, additions, and corrections.  Please contact me at greyhairfarm@yahoo.com

Ferris Line of Mayflower Descent

FERRIS:  Those of this name derive from Henri de Ferrers- a great Norman-English lord – who came from Ferriere de St. Hilaire in Normandy.  He took part in the Conquest of England by William of Normandy in the year 1066-his rank in the army was Master of the Horse.  His arms bore six horseshoes-argent-on a field sable.

This is the introduction to the book entitled “The Ferris Ancestry”, which was compiled by Sarah Louise Ferris Austin around 1896.  The book was later type written in 1934 by Mrs. Franklin E. Scotty.  Sarah Louise Ferris was a resident of Buffalo for almost nine decades.  She was born in March of 1850 and died in August 1938. She was the daughter of Charles Drake Ferris (brother to Warren Angus Ferris) and Hester Ann (Bivens) Ferris.  Her father had dreamed of taking his mother, wife, and children to join his brother in Texas, but was never able to break free of financial difficulties in Buffalo.  In 1849, he boarded a ship that is believed, but not proven, to have been lost at sea near Nova Scotia. Sarah Louise was born shortly after his departure, so she never met her father.  Perhaps this is why she had such deep curiosity and passion for researching her family’s ancestry.  She was a lifelong member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Society of Mayflower Descendants of New York. She shared her father’s love of writing and served as the managing editor of the Buffalo Commercial.  Although she left no surviving children, she did leave a labor of love in the research and documentation she prepared for future generations. Her book is considered by scholars as culturally important and is available through Google Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. 

Within the book, the author meticulously outlines the Ferris line of Mayflower descent revealing that Warren Angus Ferris (WAF) and Charles Drake Ferris (CDF) are direct descendants of eight Mayflower passengers. This is fascinating and enlightening information for descendants of the Ferris brothers.  Please refer to a reproduction of the diagram she prepared.  Mayflower passengers are highlighted in yellow and include Frances Cooke, John Cooke, Richard Warren, William Mullins, Alice Mullins, Priscilla Mullins, John Alden, and Thomas Rogers. One could speculate that the Warren line was the inspiration for Warren Ferris’ and Warren Angus Ferris’ given name. The book is full of personal information and history of these ancestors and is definitely worth reading if you’re interested in the Ferris line. Thanks to Sarah Louise (Ferris) Austin’s tenacity, this work is preserved and available to the descendants and the public.

Blog written by Christine Cohen. Great granddaughter (X3) of Warren Angus Ferris. Great granddaughter (X2) of Henry Ferris.

Descendants of those buried in the Warren Ferris Cemetery and anyone interested in sharing historical information about the cemetery are encouraged to write with stories, additions, and corrections.  Please contact me at greyhairfarm@yahoo.com

Julia N. (Judy) Davis reflects on tales of family history

Growing up in a small sleepy Texas town, whose claim to fame was “Sausage Capital of Texas,” left plenty of time to get into trouble or harass your parents because you were bored. My mother was determined that my sister and I would learn historical stories about our ancestors during our free time.

My mother, Nell Been Davis, first introduced us to our great-great grandfather, Warren Angus Ferris, who soon became a “regular guest” at our dinner table. We learned why Grandpa Ferris left his home in New York and became a “Mountain Man” in the Wild West. The reason is still a modern-day problem in families - he and his mother argued about his smoking. We heard outrageous stories about his travels throughout Wyoming and the area that is now known as Yellowstone National Park.

These stories led us into the elementary elements of basic historical research. These were pre-computer days and no internet. That left reading books, visiting Cemeteries and Court Houses. Today, my sister and I still report that we grew up in cemeteries.

In 2019 the Texas Historical Foundation held a board meeting in Jackson, Wyoming. Why Jackson? Back in 1836 this area was considered part of Texas. Fifty miles to the south of Jackson is a small town named Pinedale, home of the Museum of the Mountain Man. A cousin of mine (also a great-great granddaughter of WAF) was traveling with me and we made the scenic drive to see the museum.

The museum was much more than we ever expected. Not seeing WAF’s name among the names mentioned, I sought out the executive director and asked him one question: “Does the name Warren Angus Ferris mean anything to you?” His response was “MEAN ANYTHING?!?! If it were not for Ferris, we would not have this museum. He was literate and wrote beautiful descriptions of the wildlife, geography and the different Indian tribes. Most mountain men were illiterate and could neither read nor write.” The descriptions Ferris sent to his family back in New York eventually became the book LIFE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. And, yes, my mother had me reading the book when I was 10 years old.

My plea to you is to tell stories of your ancestors to the young members in your family - children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews - and build the excitement of your ancestors in their young minds. I felt sorry for my childhood friends who knew nothing of their extended families. And most of them hated history when they were forced to take history classes in school. Me? I was a history major in college.

Julia N. (Judy) Davis

Great-great granddaughter of Warren Angus Ferris

Descendants of those buried in the Warren Ferris Cemetery and anyone interested in sharing historical information about the cemetery are encouraged to write with stories, additions, and corrections.  Please contact greyhairfarm@yahoo.com

Dean Keller - Been Around a Long, Long Time

We are thrilled to have new information on one of the persons known to be buried in the Ferris Cemetery. The SMU archaeological study in 1986 indicated over 100 persons buried there, but we have only thirty or so names, and little is known about most of them. Now long-time Forest Hills residents Jacquelyn Keller and her brother Jack Keller, Jr. have given us interesting information on their ancestor Frederick M. Dean who is buried in the Warren Ferris Cemetery.

Frederick Dean (1810-1867) came to Texas toward the end of the Civil War, taking up land in Southeast Dallas County near William Beeman, not far from present Forest Hills. He met his wife, Elizabeth Brakebill Dean (1814-1884), while living in Monroe County, TN near Knoxville.  Faced with a court case involving the burning of his brother-in-law’s barn, Fred moved west to Nashville and then Memphis. Elizabeth, who was over 40 years old, had two children along the way, Mary Ann “Mollie” and Tennessee “Tennie”. Two adult Dean offspring stayed in Tennessee; five Dean children moved to Texas with their parents. Fred died shortly after coming to Dallas  County and was buried in nearby Ferris Cemetery. His widow Elizabeth lived another seventeen years and was buried in Cox Cemetery, west of White Rock Creek. Her daughter “Mollie” married Marc Patton, a farmer of Old Duck Creek (Garland); daughter “Tennie" married W.M. “Bud” McCommas, son of preacher Amos McCommas of East Dallas.

When Mary Ann “Mollie” Dean (1856-1928) married Marcus Perry “Marc” Patton (1854-1928) she was 23 and had a 4-year-old daughter, Willie Elizabeth “Lizzy” who was adopted by Marc Patton. The Pattons had eight more children. They were a prominent family in early Garland. Marc, Mollie, and their children are buried in Garland’s Pioneer Cemetery.

Willie Elizabeth “Lizzy” Patton (1875-1951) married well. Zachary Lee “Bob” Simmons (1865 - 1928), a successful South Dallas farmer, was ten years  older than Lizzy. On his farm near Lisbon, Bob grew cotton, grazed cows, and sold milk to a nearby dairy. He was thrifty and prospered. Lizzie died in the home which Bob purchased in University Park. Their oldest daughter, Lottie Faye Simmons (1894-1979), was born in Lisbon, TX. Lizzie enjoyed a long, interesting life. She is the grandmother of Jacquelyn and Jack Keller, Jr. Lottie married Ridgell Keller (1886-1985) who came from a family of lawmen in Kaufman County, TX.

The Keller family was well-known in Dallas. In the late 1800’s, Ridgell’s father Jacob “Jake” Keller owned the popular Coney Island Turf Club in downtown Dallas. Located in a two-story building on Main St., this saloon/pool hall/gambling parlor/restaurant was noted for its huge Kansas City sirloin steaks. Ridgell Keller was an entrepreneur whose business interests included an athletic club, a garage, and the Mexican Village restaurant on East Grand Avenue. It was Ridgell who first bought property in Forest Hills. He purchased land at Forest Hills Blvd. and San Rafael Dr. and built a house in the early 1930’s. Lottie died while residing at what became the Keller family compound on Garland Rd. at Lakeland Dr..

One of the sons of Lottie and Ridgell Keller was Ridgell Jackson “Jack” Keller (1928 - 2016).  Jack Keller bore the family name Ridgell and the name of a family friend, Dr. Rueben Jackson,  owner of the original Pig Stand restaurant. Jack Keller grew up knowing folks influential in the Dallas restaurant scene. He was a gambler from the age of 12, always figuring the odds in his quick mind and daring the bet. During World War II, Jack was in the Merchant Marines where he would bet on anything and usually won. He traveled Asia, Africa, and Europe, absorbing the culture of distant lands and collecting many interesting pieces of art. On his return to Dallas, in 1951, Jack Keller married Wilma Springer who was his wife and partner for 65 years.

Jack Keller in Merchant Marines - 1940’s

Jack Keller’s restaurant chain was born in 1950. The first Keller drive-in was on Samuells Blvd. across from Tenison Park. It was extremely successful -  selling no-frills hamburgers and beer (as well as package beer) - since it was the last (or first) place to buy beer between Dallas and Shreveport. Jack and Wilma worked as a team to locate and purchase property for business expansion, establishing two additional drive-ins on Northwest Highway and Harry Hines Blvd. Keller’s signature cheeseburger on a poppyseed bun, with onion rings and a cold beer - all for under $3 - was a Dallas hit!

Jack and Wilma Keller - A Team!

Historically, early drive-ins restaurants hired male servers who came to be called “carhops” for their exuberant behavior; they eagerly ran out to the still moving car, jumped on the running board before the vehicle parked, installed the tray on the window, and took the order. During WWII, young women took over most of the jobs as carhops.

Keller’s, friendly female carhops served the customers as they sat in their cars. Each had carefully folded dollar bills between their fingers for making change. On a Saturday night in the summer, the NW Hwy. drive-in was packed with regular customers, families, and their dogs. Classic car clubs (sometimes as many as 200 cars) met in the back while bikers on flashy motorcycles gathered on the side. Jack was a hard worker who often sat in his car out on the lot to see how things were going. Consistency, quality, and a low price were the secret of his success, he often said - but, admittedly the beer license didn’t hurt. Wilma and their four children, Sharon, Jacquelyn, Jon, and Jack Jr. all worked in the family business. In 2013, shortly before Jack’s death in 2016, Keller’s was named #29 among Dallas’s 50 best restaurants. Oprah Winfrey called the Keller burger one of the nation’s best.

Jack had many friends - from pals of his youth to celebrities. He was a good listener, extremely social and genial, who took time to be a mentor for young people just starting in business. He was known as a “high roller” in Las Vegas where he introduced the halftime bet on football games. He knew Dallas and Vegas figures like Benny Binion, Herbert Noble, Joe Campesi, and hotel owner Steve Wynn. 

Photo - Jack knew many celebrities - Jack with Jimmy Buffet under Keller’s sign (don’t have)

The Keller family has deep roots in the Forest Hills neighborhood. Their ancestor Fredrick Dean and his family settled near White Rock Creek on their arrival in Dallas County.  Starting with Ridgell Keller’s purchase in the early 1930’s, the Kellers have gravitated to Forest Hills. In the 1960’s, Jack Keller purchased four houses and a vacant lot on Garland Rd. across from the DeGolyer estate, now the Dallas Arboretum. Some of the Keller family still live on that property. Jack started the Forest Hills Neighborhood Fourth of July parties which were held annually on the Keller property for 35 years before COVID struck. Many adults who attended the events remembered coming as children. The Kellers are so appreciated by folks in Forest Hills that the Homeowners Association named the circle at the intersection of Breezewood Dr. and Forest Hills Blvd. - Keller Circle!

Photo - Jack and Wilma at 4th of July party (don’t have)

Our informants, Jacquelyn Keller and Jack Keller Jr., now run the three Keller drive-in restaurants; on Northwest Hwy., on Harry Hines Blvd., and on Garland Rd. They vow that the secret burger recipe will not change, but they have introduced some new technology for delivering the burgers. Today the carhops carry iPads and you can pay with a credit card.

Photo - Jacquelyn Keller and her brother Jack Keller, Jr.(don’t have)

Jacquelyn and Jack, Jr. both live in Forest Hills. Their mother, Wilma lives in the Keller compound as do other family members. Now, a fifth generation of Kellers, Jacquelyn’s children, William and Juliette, live with Jacquelyn in her Forest Hills home and work in the business when they are not in school. The sign at the Northwest Hwy. Keller’s saying, “Been around a long time” might well be applied to the Kellers’ long association with the Forest Hills neighborhood.

By Susanne Starling, based on interviews with Jacquelyn Keller and Jack Keller, Jr. in May, 2022.