Daniel Calhoun Cogdell
Daniel Calhoun
Cogdell,*
son of Thomas S. Cogdell of North Carolina and Permelia F. Brown of Lawrence
County, AL, was born November 13, 1849 probably in Texas, perhaps in Wise
County. [Thomas S. Cogdell is descended from Daniel Cogdell born May 16, 1779
in Dobbs/Wayne Co, North Carolina. Daniel Cogdell was the son of David Cogdell
born about 1750.] Thomas Cogdell was a blacksmith by trade.
Though born from
fairly humble origins, his father was a blacksmith. Daniel Calhoun Cogdell
became a very successful business man and rancher in Hood County, though in
later years, he did suffer financial reverses. According to his son Buster
Cogdell, his father "was founder and President of The First National Bank
of Granbury. In the beginning, it was the only national bank in the county. It
began with a capital of $50,000 and in 1881 was increased to $100,000. He also
owned the Hood County Milling Company, the Granbury Quarry Company, the Granbury
Cotton Oil Company, the Granbury Peanut Company, and the Haskell Cotton Oil
Company in Haskell, Texas. He had ranches all over the state and his cattle and
horses numbered in the thousands."
Gaston Cogdell* went on to say that his
father bought land to build a house in Granbury around 1872. The Iron Horse
Inn, a B&B, occupies the old house now. As the elder Cogdell became more
wealthy, he would tear down his house and build a bigger and better one.
Eventually his large 22 room home burned down in the early 1900s. His final
house was built on the foundation of the previous house. According to the
story, Cogdell went to East Texas and selected only the best lumber for his
house. He had three master cabinet makers (with their helpers) build the house
to last.
Daniel Cogdell was
a man of "tremendous personality and driving force, a self made man"
who was a go-getter and generous to a fault. He loved buying things for his
family, especially his wife Lucy Norfleet Duke Cogdell, who was born early 1858
in Bowie County. [Her parents were W.
E. Duke and Sarah (perhaps Norfleet) from Tennessee.]
My great-grandfather
Daniel was a large man according to accounts-over 6 feet tall and around
200 pounds. Per his children, he had one major hobby - race horses. On his ranch,
the horse barn was made out of stone. His main stud horse was Harvester. He
paid the princely sum of $10,000 for him. This was a lot of money in those
days. The ranch had a half-mile track on it and he loved going out there on
Sundays and watch his ranch hands race the horses.
Lucy Norfleet Duke
Cogdell,*
his wife, was a lovely woman. Accounts say that she was kind and generous with
an even temper. Her husband must have adored her because he lavished her with
gifts, especially jewelry. Supposedly she wore at least $25,000 in jewelry
around every day. The furniture, rugs, and tapestries in the home were
exquisite handmade pieces.
"To show how
lavishly he lived, in the house that burned, one of the rooms in the house (the
parlor) was done in gold; gold scroll on the walls, cushions in needlepoint of
gold...fireplace and mantel were gold. The library was done in silver, books
bound in leather lining the walls. There were 22 rooms in that house." He
had over 3,000 books in the library.
Lucy died June 5,
1924 in Granbury. I was told she was involved in an auto accident that, after
sometime, resulted in her death. I believe the mill, which had no insurance on
it, burned around 1925. I think Daniel Cogdell fell on financial hard times as
he grew older, probably a result of lavish spending, bad luck and the economic
situation at the time. Daniel died February 2, 1945 in Granbury.
* Photos on file in
Cogdell Folder at Granbury Depot Archive.
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