General Notes

[basham.ged]
1910 Census Collin County Texas E D 16 Sheet 8
Also 1920 Census Coryell County Texas; E D 57, Sheet 11
Texas Probated Birth Certificate No 575808
Family Picture With Her As Child In Ross Basham Letters
Birth Marriage Basham Document No 19
Social Security Death Index - ## 465-07-6119
Viola Samantha Basham was born August 17, 1907 at Purmela, Texas to J
am es F. and Nancy (Roberts) Basham. She was raised at Purmela and attend
ed P urmela School. She graduated in 1924 from Purmela, the first graduati
ng cl ass to have graduation exercises. She then attended North Texas Sta
te Teac her's College at Denton, Texas. At the age of 19, she taught at Un
ion Scho ol (a one teacher school) as teacher and principal for four year
s. She we nt back to college for a semester, then taught three years at Ca
rden Schoo l, a two teacher school.
While teaching at Turnover, she met and married Claude Richard Cu
lp on De cember 25, 1929. At the outbreak of World War II, Claude enlist
ed and w as injured at Pearl Harbor. He was in the hospital for a long tim
e. When d ischarged, he and Viola made their home at Gatesville. In 1946 t
hey adopt ed a son, C.R. when he was 16 months old. When C.R. was only fo
ur years ol d, Claude died of a heart attack on October 16, 1949. Viola ca
red for h er mother until her death on April 7, 1957. She then went to wo
rk at the C oryell Convalescent Home for five years as a cook. In 1963 s
he went to wo rk at the State School for Boys as cook and food superviso
r. There she m et Rob Cathey. and they married on November 27, 1963.
C.R. enlisted in the Marine Air Corp in 1965 and was sent to Vietn
am in 1 966. While at home on leave he was killed in an automobile accide
nt on Nov ember 25, 1967. Viola retired in 1968 from the State School, a
nd she and R ob made their home at Turnersville, Texas. She was very acti
ve in church w ork and community activities. She was well known for her co
oking and for h er handmade quilts. She hand pieced almost all of the qui
lt tops and th ey were quilted at the quilting club which she belong
ed to for many year s.
Viola was very interested in the early history of Coryell County, and r
es earched and wrote two books. They both sold very quickly. Her first bo
ok w as on the early days of Purmela, as her grandfather was one of the fi
rst f ifty families to settle in Coryell County in 1854. He settled in Pur
mela a round 1869. Coffey Basham was instrumental in the starting of a chu
rch a nd school there first known as "Basham School". Later the building w
as mov ed to the town of Purmela and the name changed to Purmela School. H
er fath er James F. Basham lived on the old homestead and his children we
re rais ed there on the Cowhouse Creek.
Her second book was on the history of the town known as Pancake, Texa
s. H er great-grandfather Thomas Birtrong had land surveyed there in 18
38 on Co ryell Creek. The town of Babbville, later known as Pancake, was b
uilt on t he Birtrong survey. All the Birtrong children inherited la
nd in the Panca ke area. Her grandmother Mary Ann (Birtrong) Roberts liv
ed several yea rs on her inheritance, before she and her husband Travis Ro
berts mov ed to Hamilton County near Evant. The only child to remain on h
er inherita nce was Elizabeth Birtrong Cathey. She was Rob's grandmother.
Viola researched her family histories for nearly 30 years and comp
il ed a lot of material on them including stories, pictures and dates of b
irt hs, marriages, and deaths. She left a remarkable legacy for her fami
ly a nd friends. Viola (Basham) Culp Cathey died on September 10, 1992 a
nd is b uried at the Turnersville Cemetery. Information provided by Lin
da Logan Br own, niece of Viola Cathey.