State Congressman William Means

Abt 1810 - Abt 1876  (~ 66 years)

• Name	William Means  [1, 2, 3]
  Prefix	State Congressman
  Birth	Abt 1810	Georgia   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Death	Abt 1876	Meansville, San Patricio County, Texas   [2]
  Notes	Middle name variously shown as ADDISON and MARSHALL. Per "The Handbook of Texas, Vol II" William Means was a native of Georgia and he came to Texas in 1832 and settled in present Sabine County, where he received his headright certificate on February 4, 1838. He served in the Texas Army from January 21 to April 21, 1836. During the battle of San Jacinto he was assigned to guard the baggage at a camp near Harrisburg. He was sheriff of Sabine County in 1836, and served as tax collector sometime before 1846. He represented Sabine County in the Eigth and Ninth Congresses, 1843-1845. He sold his headright certificate to H.M. Kinney. (He moved to DeWitt County by 1850.) Per "Refugio" by Hobart Huson (appendix) Wm. Addison Means was a State Legislator from Refugio County in 1863. Wm. Means was a member of the Texas Republic Congress in 1843 and 1845.....in 1860 he is in San Patricio Co, also for 1870. So he must have been representing both San Patricio and Refugio in 1863. He died in 1876 in San Patricio. On the 1860 San Patricio, Co TX census, he and his wife Francis are shown living with their son William, age 19, and four younger children Eliza (4), Hugh (4), Sam (2), and John (1). MEANS - GARNER FUED taken from " The history of Patricio County Texas" A former sheriff and the sheriff in office were shot and killed in San Patricio County in the early 1870s in a bitter controversy that disrupted the entire Meansville community and may have caused its abandonment. William Means was the son of Rachel Means, who came to Texas from Georgia with three children in 1832 and received a head right to 4, 605 acres in 1838 on land that is now part of the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch. Means served in the Texas army and was later a Representative from Sabine County and served as the County's first sheriff before moving his family to San Patricio. His son, W. B. Means, was sheriff of San Patricio when Josiah Rodriguez was tried for murdering John Savage. Means was a law-abiding citizen, respected in the community, however his three younger sons, John, Hugh and Alley, were in constant trouble with the law. Ed Garner was elected sheriff in 1874. The trouble between Garner and Means was supposed to have started as an outgrowth of an effort to stem the epidemic of Mexican cattle ticks. The loss in cattle was trememdous, and to combat the ticks cattlemen built dipping vats to treat the animals. All ranchers in the San Patricio area participated except the Means family. Finally ranchmen petitioned the sheriff to get a group of cowboys to round up and dip all of the Means cattle. This was done, and Means was billed for an amount said to be less than $35, which he refused to pay. On January 30, 1876, Means' three sons rode to Papalote where they made the rounds of the saloons, rode up on the porch of one of the general merchandise stores, and began shooting up the store, hitting such targets as a barrel of lard, and a barrel of black strap molasses. The young men then retreated to their father's home in Meansville. Since Papalote was in Bee County, Sheriff W. K. Clark was summoned. He answered the call and sent word to Sheriff Ed Garner to meet him at Means' home. It was evidently in the early morning hours when the posse arrived. Sheriff Clark called out to Means to send the three sons out. After some time, Means appeared on the porch, wearing a long white nightshirt and carrying a rifle. Words were exchanged. No one seems to know who fired the first shot, but members of the posse reported that all Hell broke loose. Means went down. His daughter, Sarah, requested permission to go to her father, and, seeing that he was dead, ran back in the house screaming, "Pa is dead!." After the posse threatened to burn the house, the three fugitives filed out to be arrested. As Alley Means passed Sheriff Garner he said, "You killed my father. This isn't the end of it." On Sunday, August 26,1876, the Garner family joined others in the community for evening worship at the Meansville church, Ed Garner saw Alley Means through the window and got up to go to the rear, leaning over to whisper to Marion Garner. "Alley Means is out there and I believe he is going to shoot me right here in church." These were the last words the Sheriff spoke. As he neared the door, a shot rang out from outside the double front door. Garner was hit. He turned and started back as another shot was fired, hitting one of the pews and ricocheting upward . Garner fell across one of the benches and died without saying a word, in full view of his wife, his children, and the entire congregation. Alley Means was arrested for the murder and tried in Nueces County after the case was moved from San Patricio County. The Criminal Court of Appeals upheld the guilty sentence. Means family tradition holds that John Means, rather tha Alley, fired the shot that killed Ed Garner, anf that Alley was set up since he was young and single and more likely to draw a lighter sentence. In the report of Alley Means versus the State, Means descendants claimed that Means' body was riddled with double O buckshot, even in the soles of his feet. Both sheriffs turned themselves in after booking the Means boys. Both were no-billed by the Grand Jury. After Garner's murder, a reign of terror prevailed in the community. No one lit a light at night in fear of attack by the Means family. Conditions eventually reached the point that the Texas Rangers were called in and an ultimatum was issued to the Means Clan to pack up and leave the County. Oldtimers said that 23 covered wagons headed up the trail as they left. Deed records bear out the fact that members of the Means family sold all their possessions in San Patricio County and were gone by the early 1880s. Gov. John Irciand granted Alley a full pardon on May 9, 1885, after he served four years and two months of a life sentence. Means descendants have contended that $500 was paid for the pardon. Alley and his wife raised a family in Real County, apparently without anyone knowing about his past record. Other members of the Means family settled in Real County. (Research): Census Listings: 1850 Census Texas, Dewitt County, Enumerated 11 Sept 1850 48-48 William Means 40 M Farmer $10,000 Ga Francis Means 39 F Miss Ferdinand B. Means 19 M La Margaret L. Means 17 F Tx Sarah F. Means 13 F Tx Napolean F. Means 11 M Tx William B. Means 9 M Tx Francis Blackburn 82 F SC 1860 Cemsus Texas, San Patricio County, Enumerated 7 July 1860 Page 24? 623-623 Britton Means 29 M Stockraiser $2000 $642o La Virginia Means 24 F Tx William Means 5 M Tx Missouri Means 2 F Tx Napolean Means 21 M Stockraiser Texas 624-624 William Means 50 M Stockraiser Ga Frances Means 48 F La William Means 19 M Tx Elizaa Means ( F Tx John Means 6 M Tx Hugh Means 4 M Tx Sam Means 2 M Tx 1870 Census Texas, San Patricio County, Subdivision 4, P.O. Refugio, Refugio County Enumerated 18 Aug 1870 Page 6 41-41 Means, William 61 M W Farmer $500 $1000 Georgia Means, Frances 58 F W Keeping House La Means, John 16 F W Tx Means, Hugh 14 M W Tx Means, Allison 12 M W Tx Means, Britton 38 M W Retail Merchant ---- $1000 Tx Roberts, Williams 40 M W Laborer La Roberts, Rachel 20 F W Keepign House Miss Roberts, Reece 2 M W Tx
  Person ID	I2212	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

  
  

  Family	Frances Amelia Blackburn,   b. 10 Apr 1812, Marion County, Mississippi d. 14 Jul 1875, Meansville, San Patricio County, Texas (Age 63 years)
  Marriage	8 Mar 1830	Marion County, Mississippi   [2]
  Children	1. Fernando Britton Means,   b. Abt 1832, Louisiana d. Yes, date unknown   2. Margaret E. Louiser Means,   b. 16 Nov 1833, Sabine County, Texas d. Aft 1880 (Age 47 years)   3. Sarah Frances Means,   b. Aft 1834, Texas d. Yes, date unknown   4. Napoleon Bonaparte Means,   b. Abt 1839, Texas d. Yes, date unknown   5. William B. Means,   b. Abt 1841, Texas d. Yes, date unknown   6. Eliza Jane Means,   b. 11 Apr 1851, San Patricio County, Texas d. 14 Sep 1933, Medina, Bandera County, Texas (Age 82 years)   7. John Helms Means,   b. Abt 1854, Texas d. Yes, date unknown   8. Hugh Means,   b. Abt 1856, Texas d. Yes, date unknown   9. Sam Allison "Alley" Means,   b. Abt 1858, Texas d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F1275	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	22 Jun 2010

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - Abt 1810 - Georgia Marriage - 8 Mar 1830 - Marion County, Mississippi Death - Abt 1876 - Meansville, San Patricio County, Texas  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S350] Schluter, Helen Gomer "1835 Sabine District, Texas Census" c. 1983 Distributed by Ericson Books, p 18 (Reliability: 3). [S451] Wagstaff, Bettye Bragg-Family Researcher [bfwag@jas.net], Correspondence and Family Group Sheets dated August 1995 exchanged between Bettye Bragg Wagstaff of Bronson, Texas and Mary Frances Smith Fisher of Jackson, Mississippi, copies in files of Melinda McLemore Strong of San Antonio, Texas (Reliability: 3). [S144] 1850 United States Federal Census [Ancestry.com database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005, (Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1850. M432, 1,009 rolls. This database is an index to individuals enumerated in the 1850 United States Federal Census, the Seventh Census of the United States. Census takers recorded many details including each person's name, age as of the census day, sex, color; birthplace, occupation of males over age fifteen, and more. No relationships were shown between members of a household. Additionally, the names of those listed on the population schedule are linked to actual images of the 1850 Federal Census.), Texas, Dewitt County, Enumerated 11 Sept 1850 48-48 (Reliability: 3).