| Notes |
- From Lola's Book, p. 102:
JAMES ROBERT MCFARLAND married Lyle KEAN. He was born Nov. 27, 1886 in the new house north of Ladonia. When he was eight years old he went to school to Miss Ella Wise. He got his foot cought in the benches in the school room. He went for tow months in Ladonia to Miss Maggie Wise and then came back to Woods School house until the family moved to town. His teachers were Mr. Nat White and Mr. Neeley Holt. An outstanding production was a play called "Out in the Cold.", starring his girl friend, Ira Newbury and his little sister was the poor little child wrapped in an old shawl. He also had his sister Bettie for a teacher in the old school house. In 1902 the family moved to Ladonia and Jim was a pupil in the Ladonia High School with Prof. Briles, the superintendent. He entered T.C.U. at Waco in 1906. During this time, he wrote to his father, to William Jennings Bryan and to President Theodore Roosevelt and asked them for advise as to how their lives had been successful. Br. Bryan wrote to him and quoted tohim form the Scriptures, "Love the Lord Thy God, and thy neighbor as thyself: and from Shakespeare, "To thine own self be true and thou canst not then be false to any man." It is no wonder that he became and remained a staunch Democrat after that notice from the "Silver" tongued Mr. Bryan. He graduated in 1909 from TCU in Waco, majoring in Science and Philosophy. During the school years, he baled hay on the farm and worked in his Uncle Bose's store. In 1911, he became book keeper for the First State Bank at $35 per onth. Jan. 1912 he was promoted to Asst. Cashier at $65. Jan. 1913, he was promoted to cashier at $125 per month and his brother-in-law Edgar Fuller was made assistant cashier. In May 1918 he entered the service of his country and trained at Demming, New Mexico. From there to Fort Dix and over seas from Oct. 12 to July 4, 1919, with the 109 Supply Train, 34th Div. Hdq. Detachment. At Christmas 1918 he and his brother Lt. Gordon McFarland met in Paris, France and lived to tell interesting stories about that occasion. When he returned from the service, he went to the Desdemona Oil Fields and while there he married Lyle Kean of Ladonia, Dec. 27, 1919. While he was overseas the home in Ladonia burned and his sisters, Lola and Tennie were married. June 1920 he and Lyle moved to Dallas where he was vice-president and general manager of the Dallas Storage and Warehouse. His daughter, Nance Marie was born May 11, 1923. In 1926 he traded the interest int he warehuse for apartments, and in 1927 he went to Ladonia and reorganized the Ladonia State Bank. The bank was closed in 1929 and was reopened in 1930 as the Farmers and Merchants State Bank. He worked on the liquidation. During this time the bank was held up by "Mch. Gun" Kelley, a notorious bandit and robber."
From John Allen McFarland's So Tales, 1971, comes this story about the bank robbery:
LXII.
BROTHER JIM AND THE BANK ROBBER
I was Postmaster at Ladonia at the time of this incident. The Post Office was directly across from the back door of the First State Bank. About eleven o'clock, I heard what I thought was a car backfiring several times. I had seen Brother Jim go in the back door of the bank just a very few minutes before. Soon I saw Harvey Bailey come out of the back door with two girls who worked in the bank and made them get in the back seat of his car parked at the door. Another man (later known as Machine Gun Kelly) ran and got in the back seat with the girls with his machine gun across his lap. I got really scared as I felt sure that with all that shooting, Jim was certain to have been shot or killed. I rushed across the street and into the bank. There stood Jim laughing with a bunch of men gathered around him. He was reporting his conversation with the robber who had commanded him to lie flat on the floor on his stomach. Well, it was funny since no one was hurt, for Jim's stomach was so large that he could not lie on it and touch the floor with his head and his toes at the same time. He said that every time the guy punched him with his gun and told him to get his head on the floor he would try to obey him, but his feet would fly up. The robber got about $14,000 but no other damage was done.
Back to Lola's manuscript:
"In Sept. 1931 they moved to Lubbock, whee he sold life insurance and cattle. In 1934 he came to Dallas with the Travelers Insurance Co. He bought ten head of holstein heifers from which he has realized a good income. in 1955 they moved to 6910 Rorthridge. He has been a faithful member of the East dallas Christian Church and Slayter Bible Class. He visits the ill, attends the funeral of his friends, and looks after his brothers and sisters in many thoughtful ways. He was probably his mothers favorite, because he asked her why if he was named "Jim" for his father, was he not named "Mary Jane" for her."
Obituary from Dallas paper: "James R. McFarland, 83, of 6910 Northridge, a retired insurance agent for the Travelers Insurance Co., died here Monday. (July 27, 1970) Born near Ladonia, Fannin County, McFarland had lived in Dallas since 1934 and previously had lived in Ladonia and Lubbock. He was graduated from Tecas Christian University when the school was in Waco. An Army veteran of World War I, he became vice-president of the First State Bank of Ladonia in 1919. In 1934, he began working for the insurance company upon moving to Dallas. He was a Shriner and took his Scottish Rite degree in 1912. He was a member of the Ladonia Masonic Bethel Lodge. He was also a member of the East Dallas Christian Church, where he was a deacon and a member of the Slayter Men's Bibil Class. Survivors: Wife; a daughter, Mrs. C. Jack Wilson, of Dallas; a brother, John A. McFarland of Dallas; two sisters, Mrs. Joe M. Hill of Dallas and Mrs. w. P. Jennings of Lubbock, and two grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in Restland Funeral Chapel. Burial will be in Ladonia Cemetery, Ladonia.
There are a couple of important stories about Uncle Jim. One is that when the stock market crash occured in 1929, and everyone was making a run on the bank, Jim was unwilling to let everyone lose their savings, and so covered their money with his personal money, which depleted his position as well. Also the bank was hit by the famous bank robber, Pretty Boy Floyd, while he was working there.
From the Ladonia paper: "Funeral services at 11:30 o'clock Wednesday morning were to be held in Restland Funeral Chapel with Dr. Patrick Henry and Dr. Sloan Gentry officiants....Named as honorary pallbearers were Ebb Bartley, Bill Wilson, William Clements, Walter Campbell, Sam Wiley Cunningham, J.C. Owens, J.D. Fortner and James E. Fuller."
Obituary from Dallas paper: "James R. McFarland, 83, of 6910 Northridge, a retired insurance agent for the Travelers Insurance Co., died here Monday. (July 27, 1970) Born near Ladonia, Fannin County, McFarland had lived in Dallas since 1934 and previously had lived in Ladonia and lubbock. He was graduated from Tecas Christian University when the school was in Waco. An Army veteran of World War I, he became vice-president of the First State Bank of Ladonia in 1919. In 1934, he began working for the insurance company upon moving to Dallas. He was a Shriner and took his Scottish Rite degree in 1912. He was a member of the Ladonia Masonic Bethel Lodge. He was also a member of the East Dallas Christian Church, where he was a deacon and a memeber of the Slayter Men's bibile Class. Survivors: Wife; a daughter, Mrs. C. Jack Wilson, of Dallas; a brother, John A. McFarland of Dallas; two sisters, Mrs. Joe M. Hill of Dallas and Mrs. w. P. Jennings of Lubbock, and two grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in restland Funeral Chapel. Burial will be in Ladonia Cemetery, Ladonia.
There are a couple of important stories about Uncle Jim. One is that when the stock market crash occured in 1929, and everyone was making a run on the bank, Jim was unwilling to let everyone lose their savings, and so covered their money with his personal money, which depleted his position as well. Also the bank was hit by the famous bank robber, Pretty Boy Floyd, while he was working there.
From the Ladonia paper: "Funeral services at 11:30 o'clock Wednesday morning were to be held in Restland Funeral Chapel with Dr. Patrick Henry and Dr. Sloan Gentry officiants....Named as honorary pallbearers were Ebb Bartley, Bill Wilson, William Clements, water Campbell, Sam Wiley Cunningham, J.C. owens, J.D. Fortner and James E. Fuller."
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1886 - 1970 (83 years)
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