Texas History Minute

Success sometimes comes from the most unlikely places Those intrepid souls willing to take a chance are the ones who change the course of their own lives and sometimes their own communities Sarah Cockrell, an early Dallas settler, was one of those figures, who went from living in a tent on the Trinity River to becoming one of the most powerful business owners in Dallas

Dr. Ken Bridges

She was born Sarah Horton into a large Virginia farming family in 1819 Few details are known about her early life, but she moved with her family to Texas in 1844 She married Alexander Cockrell in 1847

Alexander Cockrell was a Kentucky native who arrived in Missouri with his family when he was still young At the age of 14, he left home, lived with the Cherokees for a time, and picked up a few trades along the way

After the two married, the Cockrells moved to the Dallas area But what would become Dallas was only a small town of only about 800 people nestled along the Trinity River Most of the county was largely farmland or unsettled The staked a claim just west of what is now Dallas and operated a ferry service across the Trinity River, living for months in a tent near the riverbank They bought an additional patch of land that included portions of Dallas in 1853 and moved into town

The Cockrells established a brickmaking business and began branching out quickly, moving into construction and other enterprises Before long, they had also acquired a sawmill and a flour mill Cockrell never learned to read or write. However, he trusted his wife’s judgment, and the two worked closely together to build a successful series of businesses

Sarah Cockrell was literate and was an effective bookkeeper, handling all their finances on their move upward Dallas was emerging as an important center for agricultural distribution and processing, and the Cockrells were determined to put themselves in the middle of it

By 1854, they had acquired a charter to complete a wooden toll bridge across the Trinity River, crossing on their own land They also built rental houses and business space for the many people coming to Dallas In 1858, they completed a new hotel, which added to their holdings

Tragedy struck in 1858 when Alexander Cockrell was shot and killed by the city marshal With her husband murdered and with four young children to care for, Sarah Cockrell was not about to let the business they had built together fall apart The situation grew even worse when a massive fire wrecked much of Dallas in 1860 The ravages of the Civil War made it even more difficult to operate her businesses Nevertheless, she became determined to turn their holdings into an empire. For the next tree decades, she relentlessly bought, sold, and traded properties to increase her family’s fortunes

Women at that time were never expected to become involved in business at all Cockrell was not going to let the social conventions of the time dictate how she would provide for herself and her children

She built another hotel and bought several more flour mills She continued to buy property across the area She ran the Dallas Bridge Company, which in 1870 pulled together enough investors to construct one of her most significant projects – a new iron toll bridge across the Trinity River, replacing the now lost wooden bridge Construction was completed in 1872

The new bridge connected Dallas first to the growing community of Oak Cliff on the south side of the river and to all the roads heading south to Houston and Austin and to Fort Worth to the west The new bridge helped Dallas expand its economic reach for distribution of agricultural and industrial products as well as banking and other financial ventures This put it in a major position to capitalize on the coming oil boom at the beginning of the twentieth century and helped it later absorb Oak Cliff entirely.

She was known to be kind and generous She co-founded the First MethodistChurch in Dallas and donated a considerable amount of money for its construction She also gave to many local charities

By 1885, she completed a fivestory office building, one of the tallest in the city at that point By 1890, Cockrell was one of the most powerful and most respected business figures in Dallas, a city now past 38,000 residents

She ultimately owned a quarter of the properties in downtown Dallas as well as land in Cleburne, Mineral Wells, and Houston By the end of her life, she had become the first millionaire in Dallas and one of the first in Texas With a fortune well past $30 million in modern dollars, Cockrell had surpassed the most astute and able business minds in the state In a city known for its millionaires and titans of industry, Sarah Cockrell had beaten them all She died in 1892

Dr. Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor. He can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail.com.

Do you have God’s joy in your heart?

Do you remember that old song in vacation Bible School that said, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart? Well, I do agree that humanity is searching as hard as they can to find contentment and desperately longs to discover peace, but rebellion and the lack of knowledge is preventing them from having it What type of knowledge are you talking about?

y Holland

Spiritual understanding and holy wisdom about God and His instructions In the first part of Hosea 4:6, the Lord declares, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:” and He continues to talk about how the masses reject His truth We notice God uses the word “destroyed” because without knowing about the divine realities of absolute truth, we will not comprehend the danger of living and dying without spiritual security Oh sure, people can be moral and even somewhat religious, but many have never experienced a real encounter with the one that created them On the outside they might seem to be normal but spiritually they are not building from the blueprint that God has planned for them to become

One reason why people are not filled with joy is because they do not understand God’s plan for them and when left to controlling their own destiny, they become dirty on the inside Another reason is that since their spiritual eyes have not been opened, they cannot understand how happy they would be if they would surrender their old life and accept God’s new way of living This passage actually reveals how much He loves all people and wants them to realize what the meaning of life really is He is waiting for someone to ask Him for this knowledge and He will graciously give them all they want There is no limit to how far we can go with God or how close we can be to Him When we begin to have a vision of this revelation, we realize how crucially important joy is within the life of the believer It’s not an option where we can pass on it or try and struggle through life without it If being filled with God’s joy makes our spirit strong and fills our mind with confidence, then we must conclude that being empty of joy causes us to be spiritually weak, lukewarm, and generally miserable

Let us observe three important steps toward becoming filled with joy Joy is spiritual strength, joy is easily accessible and joy is our responsibility to maintain Let us look at the first one in Nehemiah

8:10, “Then he said unto them, go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength ” Scholars agree this verse is probably Nehemiah telling the people to enjoy themselves on this day and be happy as they celebrate the abundance of God’s blessings He also reminds them that sharing and blessing others is a vital part of our Christian demonstration of love Let us consider the last part of this verse which refers to joy being associated with our ability to stand strong in our faith There are also several commentaries which reveal the original language to be, “Delight in Jehovah as a strong refuge or stronghold” which makes wonderful sense and continues to bring an emphasis to having confidence in God’s Word and to know that He desires for us to be filled with His Spirit

But how does joy transform into strength? Well, this is an excellent question I think we could sum it up by saying that we cannot be saturated with joy and sin at the same time. Joy and purity go hand in hand and it goes all the way to back to when we were innocent children When we were young we did not have evil motives or hidden secrets and generally speaking we were happy Good news! We can have this clear conscience again as an adult if living holy is at the top of our priority list A consistent prayer life will make sure that we are on the right path as it keeps us in constant communication with God and the awareness of His presence It is possible to live with a clear

Verse of the Week

John 3:5

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

Can we afford to buy a house?

Living with children

Hi Taylor - My husband wants to buy a house and get out of our rental I want to do the same but have a lot more questions about how much it’s really going to cost How do we figure out if we can afford to buy a house? - credit score, so that’s you’ll need to assess really get into the pro Poorer credit means have more cash on h taking a year to impr score while saving u capital can make a hu difference

Taylor Kovar

Carol

Hey Carol - Buying a new home requires a big mental shift for a lot of people You have to understand that the huge tab that comes with ownership replaces the rent you’re paying now, that it eventually leaves you with something of value, and that there are tons of extra fees that pop up during the process

Start by looking at your monthly expenses - what you pay now and how much you can afford to add onto that If your current rent is $2,000 and you struggle to put anything into savings once all your bills are paid, taking on a mortgage could be tricky You’ll need to get a monthly payment below $2,000 so you have something left for the taxes, insurance and maintenance costs

Once you determine a monthly amount that makes sense, you need to figure out what you can afford as a down payment Different lenders will allow for different amounts; some require 20% payment up front while others let you start with as little as 3% of the total cost Don’t be overly enticed by the lower down payment, as that ends up costing you a lot more down the road The more you can pay at the outset, the better the terms of your loan and the more you’ll save in the long run

Your required minimum down payment hinges largely on your

As you look at what the bank and what yo to spend, you might yourself It might turn out you’re closer to buying than you had expected With a little bit of savings and a good mortgage provider, lots of people end up getting nice homes more quickly than they expected However, if you assume the process will be as easy as signing for a loan and then getting a set of keys, you’re in for a rude awakening

Landing a good mortgage can be a real process, so I’ve posted a five-step guide at GoFarWithKovarcom That article will give you a little more insight as well as some information about potential lenders Hope it all works out, Carol!

Taylor Kovar, CEO of Kovar Capital Read more about Taylor at GoFarWithKovar com

Disclaimer: Information presented is for educational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein To submit a question to be answered in this column, please send it via email to Question@GoFarWithKovar com, or via USPS to Taylor Kovar, 415 S 1st St, Suite 300, Lufkin, TX 75901

John Rosemond

Living with Children

John Rosemond

Copyright 2019, John K Rosemond

Q: I appreciate your traditional, call it oldfashioned approach to child rearing, but I’m a tad confused and hope you can help straighten out my thinking I’ve been reading your column for maybe twenty years and have used many of your suggestions with success Your recommendation that consequences be huge has been especially helpful, but I recently read an online interview that caused me some confusion The psychologist being interviewed, who has very impressive credentials, said that when it comes to consequences, a few minutes in time out or taking away a privilege for a few hours or the rest of the day will suffice. He cited what he implied was the best research Why should your readers, me included, believe your opinion over science?

A: My colleagues – not all, but certainly most – seem to be stuck in the late 1960s, when they began making these ridiculous claims (which I, a graduate student seeking to please my professors, believed as well) concerning punishment, consequences, rewards, self-esteem, letting children express their feelings freely, and everything else parenting that has contributed to child mental health being in freefall since that time I cannot think of even one thing “they” have collectively recommended that has worked out well for children and parents

To your question, I’m a certified heretic in my field As such, any research paper I might submit to a journal isn’t going to be published So, I don’t waste my time Nonetheless, I’ve been doing parenting research since 1976 when I began writing this column Known as “field research,” it consists of anecdotes collected from parents all over America which almost without exception affirm that the best outcomes (happy kids who possess good social skills and do their best in school) are obtained by parents who adhere to a traditional parenting model involving unconditional love and unequivocal authority The latter includes powerful, memorable consequences for misbehavior

If you want to still be dealing a year from now with the same behavior problems you’re dealing with today, all you have to do is follow the advice of the psychological mainstream (I believe I read the online article to which you refer, by the way, and found it to be nothing but the same-old, same-old ridiculousness “they” have been dispensing for fifty years )

Concerning misbehavior, the punishment should NEVER fit the crime Multiply the “size” of the crime by ten and voila! you’ve got yourself a suitable consequence If the pre-delinquent in question doesn’t scream, “THAT’S NOT FAIR!” and break out in hives, the consequence wasn’t large enough The point is to create a memorable experience, one the pre-delinquent – now a responsible citizen – will tell friends when he or she is fifty years old, to everyone’s amusement. Thus, one of my more brilliant parenting maxims: You need to give your kids things to laugh about when they grow up They won’t laugh about you handing them the keys to a $60,000 sports car when they turned sixteen, but they will laugh about the outrageous discipline you handed out The point, mind you, is not to be mean It is to prove to your kids that you mean what you say, not sorta-kinda, but right down the line

As for my opinion versus science: First, I’m not pulling arbitrary opinions out of thin air That’s what “they” have been doing since I was a grad student I’m passing along what worked for thousands of years until parents started listening to mental health professionals tell them how to raise kids (and child mental health went into a nose-dive) and, according to a consensus of parents, still works Second, most of the parenting “research” being done today would have been used by my very logical experimental psychology professor as examples of junk science

Third, this year marks the fortieth year my column’s been in syndication Let the free market of ideas speak for itself!

Family psychologist John Rosemond: johnrosemond com, parentguru.com.

John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology In 1971, John earned his masters in psychology from Western Illinois University and was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society