James Davis "Jim" Webb came to Texas about 1870 when his widowed mother brought the family from Alabama to Limestone County.    His father had died when he was just a baby, right before the Civil War.    So, his childhood was not very pleasant.   But he met George W. Farnsworth in Limestone County and the two bought land together when they moved west.    Jim married George's oldest daughter, Mary Araminta "Minta" in 1890 in Limestone County.

The couple's first two children were born there in Limestone County but soon the move to West Texas occurred - first to Hale County and then to Floyd County.     Oran Ewart Webb was born 26 August 1897 in Lockney there in Floyd County.   Soon Jim and his father-in-law bought land in Yoakum County and then went to Frio County where they lived near the town of Dilley for several years.   

Jim was not pleased with Frio County but Oran found his future wife there
when he met Stella Victoria Stewart.

Stella's family had come to Texas from McNairy County, Tennessee (the Stewarts) and from Mississippi (the Adairs).   They lived in Hays County where Stella was
born  on September 29, 1898.   Her father, James Robert Stewart, had
married Mary Coral Adair in Hays County on 22 Sep 1893 .     The
Stewarts moved to the "Winter Garden" area of Frio County
and loved the fertile land that bordered the Frio River.     

Oran and Stella were married in Dilley on March 20th, 1921, and came to Haskell County where they lived the rest of their lives.   Their farm was east of town.    

At first the newlyweds had Oran's father and two brothers living with them.  Stella had to wash all of their clothes using the old-fashioned washboard and tubs.  
Once, after a day of washing all of those work clothes, the
wind blew them down in the dirt and she had to re-wash everything.   
Stella was a pretty, very pleasant young woman but she
 remembers that day as a very bad one, indeed!!

Soon a baby boy blessed the union when James Robert Webb was born.    He helped his father with the farm and enjoyed visits to Dilley at Thanksgiving to have a big dinner with his Stewart relatives.   And he remembers the visits to
West Texas to see his Webb kinfolk as his family made their
 way to New Mexico to camp by a wooded stream.

One day, the Gordons who were friends of Oran and Stella, took James Robert (Jim Bob) for a day of fishing down by Paint Creek.    All day they stayed there
but when they returned, Jim Bob had a new baby sister, Mary Lou.

Jim Bob and Mary Lou attended Haskell High School, riding "Sparkplug", Jim Bob's horse.    Sparkplug stayed (by arrangement) in Mr. Pearsey's backyard
during school hours and then took the children back home.   
Eventually, Oran decided it wasn't dignified
for a girl to wear pants to ride a horse to school. 
He made arrangements for Jim Bob to have a license so he
could drive the old family car to and from school.    

When Jim Bob went away to Texas A & M to attend college, he was in the
Aggie Band.  He had played trombone in the Haskell High School
band - trading eggs and cream for his lessons, taught
by their band director,  Joe Meacham.      

World War II came along and cut Jim Bob's college days short.  
 He joined the Army, served in the Pacific as part of the 158th Regimental
Combat Team, the "Bushmasters", and was fortunate to return from
217 straight days of combat without sustaining any injuries.   

Now he was called Jim and became a married man and a father.    Mary Lou also graduated from High School and married a Haskell County man, 
Burnell Gilleland, of Paint Creek.    

A shocking event occurred in 1948 when Oran E. Webb died suddenly on
April 4th.    He was only 50 years old.  Although he hadn't felt well
the week prior to his death it didn't seem serious.    
Now Stella was a widow and went to
work clerking in a store to help make ends meet.   

Oran was buried at Willow Cemetery.   His children were grown and married. 
Soon some of his property in Yoakum County, inherited from his father,
began to bring in some income for the widow, Stella Webb.   Oil was
discovered there and oil royalties made it possible for Stella to
live comfortably the rest of her life.     When she died on
May 15th, 1990, at the age of 91- she was  buried
in Willow Cemetery beside Oran.

Descendants of the Webb family still live in Haskell County today.