The Methodist Minister They Called "Fightin' Jack"

by Tom Goodman 

Before Texas communities had pastors and church buildings, many depended on circuit riders: preachers who traveled on horseback from settlement to settlement, conducting services wherever people gathered.

Few fit the frontier image better than Andrew Jackson Potter--or “Fightin’ Jack,” as friends and enemies alike called him. 

Potter had hauled freight, driven cattle, prospected for gold, and fought in the army before becoming a Methodist preacher. Beginning in 1866, he served circuits across West and South Texas, preaching in homes, churches, military forts, camp meetings, and even saloons.

His routes reportedly covered about 2,500 miles each year.

Potter made a point of going to rough communities where other ministers hesitated to serve. He frequently carried a gun, sometimes propping it beside the pulpit while he preached to crowds that included drunkards, cowboys, trail drivers, and hecklers. 

A weapon might seem an odd tool for a pastor, but it caused men to think twice before interfering with Potter's meetings or accosting him on a remote road. In the language of his day, he once wrote:

"When God calls me to travel in a region of country infested with lurking savages, my Winchester gun and a full belt of cartridges shall ever prevent distressing alarms about my safety when meeting a savage foe, feeling that in the fearful struggle for life I have some safe means to preserve my God-given manhood."

He spent twelve years riding the Kerrville circuit and later established a Methodist circuit at Fort Concho, where he preached the first Methodist sermon at the future site of San Angelo. He continued circuit riding until 1895, when he died while preaching in a Caldwell County chapel.

By the turn of the century, Texas pastors were more likely to receive an appointment centered on one town or a small group of established churches. But stories of armed circuit riders who braved lawless settlements still lingered. 

Such stories may have fortified the resolve of the real-life preacher behind my forthcoming novel when he faced dangers of his own.

My new novel is called Through Many Dangers. It's based on the remarkable true story of Jesse Lee, whom I renamed Rick Burleson for the novel. In 1905, Lee faced down a violent bootlegging syndicate in Groveton, Texas, to become known as the pistol-packing preacher. 

When I first ran across the tale, it was like someone had taken one of my favorite films, The Untouchables, and dropped it in the remote Piney Woods of East Texas.

Read the back cover copy here. To keep up with the launch, sign up for my newsletter at this page and get a free copy of Ten Texas Tales.

I need some advance reviewers who will read the book before the October 1 pub date and be ready to drop a review at online stores and review sites the first week it's out. 

Members of the Review Team will get a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review. Apply to join the Review Team by clicking on the deputy badge below:

Photo of Jack Potter: H. A. Graves, Andrew Jackson Potter, the Fighting Parson of the Texan Frontier (1881). Courtesy of the Library of Congress and Internet Archive. Public domain. The Houston Chronicle adapted the engraving.
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Sharing My Birthday Month with Some Historical Female Trailblazers

 

In celebration of my birthday, I thought I'd share a few women in history who were born in August. Let's look at four women and the legacies they left behind.

Let's start with a fun historical figure. 

Annie Oakley

Annie Oakley

Born Phoebe Ann Mosey on August 13,1860 in rural Ohio. She learned to hunt as a child, becoming a crack shot out of necessity. She helped support her widowed mother and her siblings by never missing her target. Ammunition was dear, and she couldn't afford to waste it. The need to put food on the table opened the doors to international fame for her.

Wild Bill Hickok discovered her, and she joined his Wild West show in 1885. Taking the stage name Annie Oakley, she delighted audiences across the United States and Europe. Among her demonstrations, she split playing cards, extinguished candle flames with bullets, and hit tiny moving targets with amazing precision.

Oakley was an advocate for women's independence, believing women should learn self-defense and shooting to protect themselves. It is said she offered to organize an all-female regiment to serve during the Spanish-American War. Her idea never took root.

Mata Hari 

Next up is a supposed villain. Born Margaret Geertruida Zelle in Leeuwarden, Netherlands on August 7^th, 1876. She rose to fame as an exotic dancer in Paris by taking the name Mata Hari. She enhanced her stage persona by adding mystery to her backstory, claiming to be of Eastern royalty. Given Europeans' fascination with Eastern cultures, her ruse captivated audiences and boosted her career. Her glamorous lifestyle and relationships with influential military officers and politicians made her one of the most recognizable women in Europe during World War I.

During World War  I, French authorities accused her of spying for Germany. She was arrested in 1917. Convicted by a military tribunal and executed by firing squad. She was forty-one. Historians continue to debate the accusation. Was she really a spy, and if so, how active was she?

Many scholars believe she was a convenient scapegoat during a difficult period of the war when France sought someone to blame for military setbacks. Her story has inspired countless books, movies and legends, making her one of history's most famous alleged spies. Have you ever heard of someone called a Mata Hari? It refers to someone who passes along secrets. 

 

CoCo Chanel

CoCo Chanel

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was born August 19^th, 1883, in Saumur, France. Some sources say she claimed her birth year as 1893 to appear younger. This colorful character never married but poured her life into fashion designing and creating perfume for the elite classes.

 Her mother was a laundress. When she died, her father sent his three daughters to a convent. But Coco preferred her story of a lovely childhood spent with her two aunts when her mother died.

Like Mata Hari, she painted her backstory in whatever way that made her look better to those around her. She had long-time  friendships with both German sympathizers and Winston Churchill.

Coco transformed women's fashions during the twentieth century by replacing restrictive corsets and elaborate Victorian styles with clothes that focused on comfort, simplicity and elegance. She learned to sew when she lived at the convent and used that talent to create styles that drew attention. She opened her first boutique in 1910. Her designs featured clean lines, jersey fabrics, and tailored suits, which allowed women greater freedom of movement while maintaining sophistication. For a time, she created hats as well. Her perfume, Chanel No. 5, is still popular today, representing elegance and style.

When Germany invaded France in World War II, she closed her dress shops and moved to the Ritz Hotel where many elite class German officers took up residence. Suspected of being a collaborator, yet never proven, her reputation was damaged for a time. She moved to Switzerland and lived there for several years. Seeing the post-war fashion trends inspired her to design again. In 1954, she made a highly successful comeback. America and Britain embraced her styles even though France still held the question of her being a collaborator over her head.

Coco Chanel is widely regarded as one of the most influential designers in history. She is listed as one of the top 100 women who influenced the 20^th Century.

Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball

Ah, my birthday twin. For those who have never heard that term it is someone who was born on the same date as you. The year makes no difference. She was born August 6^th, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. I'll not mention what year I was born, but she could have been my mother.

She is known for her star status in movies and later on television. She studied with Buster Keaton, the famous silent comedy star. Moving from romantic leads to comedy leads eventually opened the door for a TV sitcom. The I Love Lucy Show, with her iconic performance as Lucy Ricardo, premiered in 1951, played for several years on TV, and has been in continues reruns since the 1960s. Lucy was noted for her impeccable timing, expressive physical humor, and elaborate slapstick routines. She broke barriers by insisting her real-life husband Desi Arnez be cast as her on-screen husband, Ricky Ricardo. She performed pregnant and gave birth to her daughter Lucille Arnez at the same time her character gave birth to Little Ricky. And the show was performed before a live audience, something that had never been done before. Desi and Lucy formed the DesiLu production company. She became sole owner after their divorce, making her the first woman to run a TV Studio. Would you believe that under her leadership, Desilu produced Star Trek and Mission Impossible, cementing her legacy not only as a performer but also a visionary producer.

These four August-born women had so much more interesting facts about their lives that I haven't mentioned. Three of the four were entertainers, and three worked toward making things easier for women, whether it was clothes, running a business, or encouraging women to learn to defend themselves. Two women were accused of colluding with the enemy during war time.

Have you read about any of these women? Which one is your favorite?

Cindy Ervin Huff is an Award-winning author of Historical and Contemporary Romance. She loves infusing hope into her stories of broken people. She's addicted to reading and chocolate. Her idea of a vacation is visiting historical sites and an ideal date with her hubby of almost fifty years would be the theater. Visit her website www.cindyervinhuff.com Or on Facebook or Instagram

 

Eleanor and Franklin (Part 3)

By Catherine Ulrich Brakefield

         “Someone once asked me what I regarded as the three most important requirements for happiness. My answer was: A feeling that you have been honest with yourself and those around you; a feeling that you have done the best you could both in your personal life and in your work; and the ability to love others.” Eleanor Roosevelt. 

         Eleanor’s wisdom came from her experiences. From an often-chaotic childhood, an unpredictable adolescence, and as a young adult, she was thought of as opinionated.  Suddenly and unexpectedly, she waltzed right into a storybook love. As married people know, after a romantic wedding comes the reality of life. Eleanor and Franklin were no different than what some of us may have experienced: infidelity, sickness, and death. That is, minus the publicity.

When Eleanor’s uncle, Teddy Roosevelt, rode across Cuba with his cavalry group of Rough Riders in 1898, that opened another world. America entered the leadership role, and the industrial age was launched.

As I tell in Destiny’s Whirlwind, this also brought in the Gibson Era and a significant cultural shift for the American woman to become well-educated, independent, and capable in societal expectations and self-expression. Eleanor loved this new lifestyle, as I wrote in my June 15^th blog. 

After Eleanor’s wedding to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1904, her life changed drastically. From balls, dinners, and tea parties to diapers, bottles, and burping babies. Eleanor’s days were now filled with caring for her family. She threw herself into her new role with zeal and a zest that even startled herself. 

Eleanor never cared for social life. As I wrote in my May 15^th blog, as a young child she was shy and withdrawn. Staying home, caring for her children was not a hardship. With her burgeoning tummy, babies needing her attention, and little time, if any, to primp, she thought over her options of what to do with the many social engagements needing her presence—hire a nanny for her children, or employ a lady to fulfill her social obligations? 

Within eleven years after her marriage, Eleanor would mother a total of six children. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1906–1975), James Roosevelt (1907–1991), Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. (1909–1909, died in infancy), Elliott Roosevelt (1910–1990), Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. (1914–1988), John Aspinwall Roosevelt (1916–1981).

Perhaps it was due to her own desires to be a good mother because of the lack of a caring mother in her childhood, or simply a love for mothering, that she hired a social secretary to fulfil her outside roles, thereby giving her more time with her children. After all, the exhausting work of having babies and running a bustling household gave Eleanor little time to afford her attention to the latest fashion trends.

         Lucy Page Mercer Rutherfurd was seven years younger than Eleanor, petite, perky, confident, and beautiful in her own eyes. Eleanor noticed this about her yet liked her and felt she could help Lucy.

Lucy came from a prominent Catholic family who lived in Maryland. She had come to Washington, D.C. looking for work. For though she was educated in private schools, her family had very little money. Eleanor was more than willing to help this young girl get her start. Later, in her column, “My Day”, she would write, “For our own success to be real, it must contribute to the success of others.”

Eleanor lovingly cared for her husband and children and supervised the household, all the while supporting her husband’s career. It was during this decade of her life that she committed herself completely to her family. 

        

She put everything aside, including her personal interests. She ended her volunteer work, her active political agenda, even some family dinners, and participating in luncheons with the
politicians’ wives.

During such an occasion, Lucy met Franklin. Lucy was very helpful and often spent her evenings performing Eleanor’s social obligations that came with Franklin’s position as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Eleanor was elated with her secretary and, because Lucy was always willing, placed more social responsibilities upon her. Oftentimes it proved necessary for Lucy to serve as the extra woman at some of Roosevelt’s dinner parties.

Franklin evidently approved of Eleanor’s selection of a social secretary, for it wasn’t long before a relationship blossomed that was not purely professional.

The truth slapped Eleanor in the face one morning when she found out that her husband was having an affair with Lucy. It was the year 1918 when Eleanor found a package of Lucy’s letters in her husband’s luggage. What hurt was that the affair had happened right under Eleanor’s nose, all the while she was being helpful and dedicated to both her husband and this young girl.

Eleanor had borne Franklin six children, one of whom had died in infancy, and her youngest, John, was only two years old! Needless to say, she was devastated! Eleanor would later write, in “My Day”, “You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.”

Divorce was the word only whispered behind closed doors during the early 1900s. But Eleanor uttered the word divorce in her thoughts and upon her lips repeatedly during her months of mental anguish. There seemed no way out of this adulterous situation. Her vindictive side thought, yes, divorce him; that would serve my husband right for his actions, and I’m certain that would please Lucy!

 But her sensible side thought, I love him, and what would that mean to her children’s lives, and Franklin’s political career?

That is the question every wife ask themselves: should I divorce him or not? See September’s Blog for how Eleanor handles her husband’s infidelities and flawed personality.

DESTINY’S WHIRLWIND: (book 2 of the Destiny Series)

A death-bed promise, a dashing Rough Rider, the parable of the Sower take on unimaginable consequences.  

A disgruntled in-law and a vindictive lawyer place the McConnell clan in the clutches of life’s tangled web of deception and greed. As Collina fights to keep her promise, the words of Esther 8:6 ring in her thoughts. “How can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people?”

Destiny’s Whirlwind by Catherine Brakefield is a beautiful inspirational love story that will reel you in and win your heart…The story is beautifully written and filled with triumph and heartbreak. I couldn’t put it down…” LS  

Catherine is the award-winning author of Wilted Dandelions, Swept into Destiny, Destiny’s Whirlwind, Destiny of Heart, Waltz with Destiny, and Love's Final Sunrise. She has written two pictorial history books, The Lapeer Area and Eastern Lapeer, and short stories for Guideposts Books, CrossRiver Media Group, Revell Books, and Bethany House Publishers. Catherine and her husband of fifty-three years live on a ranch in Michigan and have two adult children, five grandchildren, four Arabian horses, two dogs, two cats, one bunny, and six chickens. See CatherineUlrichBrakefield.com for more information.

 

https://www.loc.gov/resource/hec.47448/

https://www.fdrlibrary.org/er-photos