79S30155 MDM-D

By:  Gonzalez Toureilles                                          H.R. No. 81 



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The Family Land Heritage Program of the Texas 
Department of Agriculture honors properties in Texas that have been 
owned and operated by the same family for more than a century, and 
this distinguished roster recognizes the Guy H. Smith and Sons 
Ranch for its remarkable 150-year history; and
	WHEREAS, This venerable ranch traces its origins to 1852, 
when Cornelius Smith, a native of Ireland, laid claim to 160 acres 
of well-watered grassland in Atascosa County; "Professor" Smith, 
the cousin of Abraham Lincoln's father, Tom, had arrived in the 
United States at the age of 14 and at the age of 15 traveled with the 
future U.S. president to Alabama to teach school; Mr. Smith's 
interest in Texas was reportedly quickened by descriptions in 
letters that his students would bring to class; and
	WHEREAS, After selecting land in Texas, Cornelius Smith 
returned to Alabama and married Sarah Payte; in 1856 the couple 
moved to Texas with their three children and began cultivating 
forage crops; the Smiths' family eventually grew to include nine 
children; and
	WHEREAS, Following the death of their parents within five 
months of each other in 1890-1891, the children of Cornelius and 
Sarah Smith inherited the family ranch; son Thomas Pate Smith and 
his wife, Susie Hooker Smith, added significantly to their 
holdings; they had nine children, including a son, Guy Hooker 
Smith, who as a young child worked in the cow camps and took part in 
trail rides; and
	WHEREAS, A veteran of World War I and a district clerk in 
Jourdanton, Guy Smith married Hazel Holland, the local 
schoolteacher, with whom he raised a son and a daughter; he acquired 
approximately 1,000 acres following his father's death in 1932, and 
in 1975, the Guy H. Smith and Sons Ranch was recognized by the 
Family Land Heritage Program for 100 years of agricultural 
production; and
	WHEREAS, When Guy Hooker Smith passed away in 1977, his son, 
Guy Holland Smith, acquired 602 acres, which he used to raise 
cattle; Guy Holland Smith was married to Gloria Pfeil, and to their 
union were born six children; and
	WHEREAS, On Mr. Smith's death in 1984, his 1,005-acre ranch 
included 242 acres that could be traced back to the founder; this 
cattle-raising enterprise is currently held in trust for the Smith 
children, with their mother, Gloria Pfeil Smith, serving as 
trustee; and
	WHEREAS, For more than a century and a half, the Guy H. Smith 
and Sons Ranch and the descendants of Cornelius and Sarah Smith have 
made enduring contributions to Atascosa County and to agriculture 
in the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby congratulate all those 
associated with the Guy H. Smith and Sons Ranch on its inclusion in 
the Texas Family Land Heritage Program and that they be extended 
sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the Smith family as an expression of high regard by the 
Texas House of Representatives.