Scurry, TX
John A. Stavely was born in 1859 in Travis County, Texas, the son of Bryant Stavely and Celia MCCASKILL. John married Mary Arminda GRIFFITH and settled in Scurry County.
1900: Scurry County, Texas
| John A STAVELY | Head | M | Male | 41 | Texas | Farmer |
| Arminda STAVELY | Wife | M | 35 | Texas | ||
| Robert Lee STAVELY | Son | U | Male | 18 | Texas | Farm Laborer |
| Gerta B. STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 9 | Texas | |
| Kinnith A STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 8 | Texas | |
| John A STAVELY | Son | U | Male | 6 | Texas | |
| Bryant O STAVELY | Son | U | Male | 4 | Texas | |
| Barney STAVELY | Son | U | Male | 2 | Texas | |
| Celia STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 6 Mo | Texas |
1910: Scurry County, Texas
| John A STAVELY | Head | M | Male | 51 | Texas | Farmer |
| Minnie STAVELY | Wife | M | Female | 44 | Texas | |
| Josie GRIFFITH | Step Daur | U | Female | 24 | ||
| Kinnith A STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 18 | Texas | |
| John STAVELY | Son | U | Male | 15 | Texas | |
| Bryant STAVELY | Son | U | Male | 13 | Texas | |
| Barnie STAVELY | Son | U | Male | 12 | Texas | |
| Celia STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 10 | Texas | |
| Minnie STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 8 | Texas | |
| Malcolm STAVELY | Son | U | Male | 6 | Texas | |
| Vera STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 2 | Texas |
In 1915, John A Stavely helped start the Fluvanna Mercantile Company. The following excerpt is from the Texas State Historical Association:
FLUVANNA MERCANTILE COMPANY. The Fluvanna Mercantile Company, a pioneer general store at Fluvanna, Scurry County, sold clothing, fabrics, groceries, hardware, millinery, patent medicines, seeds, and shoes. It also sold quantities of flour, block salt, and other staples. The enterprise was founded in 1915 by D. A. Jones and John A. Stavely, who first settled in dugout homes after they arrived in the area just after 1900. The Jones and Stavely families helped to build the community's first Presbyterian church, a school, and a bank. Original shareholders included J. E. Park, S. P. Smith, and W. R. Craft. Jones was the firm's first president, and Stavely was vice president. The company freighted in its stock on the Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific Railway, which also shipped cattle, and received flour and feed by rail from Sherman. After the tracks were removed in 1942, supplies were delivered by truck. During the Great Depressionqv the company reverted to barter, allowing local people to trade cream and eggs for store-bought goods. |
John died on January 24, 1919 and is buried at Fluvanna Cemetery. We find his widow as follows in 1920:
1920: Scurry County, Texas
| Mrs John A STAVELY | Head | W | Female | 54 | Texas | Farmer |
| Celia STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 20 | Texas | Clerk Merc Co. |
| Minnie STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 17 | Texas | Music School Teacher |
| Mac STAVELY | Son | U | Male | 16 | Texas | |
| Vera STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 12 | Texas |
Daughter Celia married Wallace Houston JONES, and remained in Scurry County until her death in 1985.
John's son Bryant (b. 1896) married Mary Ellen DAVIDSON on November 7, 1915, and is living close to his mother in 1920:
1920: Scurry County, Texas
| Bryant O STAVELY | Head | M | Male | 23 | Texas | Farmer |
| Ellen STAVELY | Wife | M | Female | 22 | Texas |
Later that year, Ellen gave birth to a son, but the child died shortly after birth.
John's son, John Allen Stavely, married Ola CRAFT and is found as follows in 1930:
1930: Scurry County, Texas
| John STAVELY | Head | M | Male | 36 | Texas | Salesman |
| Ola STAVELY | Wife | M | Female | 29 | Texas | |
| Rose Nell STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 9 | Texas |
John died in 1958, and his wife Ola Craft Stavely died in 1988. Both are buried in Fluvanna Cemetery.
His brother Bryant is found as follows:
1930: Scurry County, Texas
| Boss O STAVELY | Head | M | Female | 32 | Texas | Truck Driver |
| Ellen STAVELY | Wife | M | Female | 22 | Texas | |
| John A. STAVELY | Son | U | Male | 7 | Texas | |
| Francis STAVELY | Daur | U | Female | 6 | Texas | |
| Boss STAVELY, JR. | Son | U | Male | 4 | Texas |
Bryant (Boss) Stavely died in Colorado in 1963, and his wife Mary Ellen died a few years later in La Junta, Colorado in 1966.
It appears that by 1930 John's wife has moved in with her daughter Josie from her first marriage:
1930: Scurry County, Texas
| Syrus LANDRUM | Head | M | Male | 49 | Texas | Farmer |
| Josie LANDRUM | Wife | M | Female | 44 | Texas | |
| Cyrus A. LANDRUM | Son | U | Male | 10 | Texas | |
| J. C. LANDRUM | Son | U | Male | 13 | Texas | |
| Joe LANDRUM | Son | U | Male | 8 | Texas | |
| Minnie Sue LANDRUM | Daur | U | Female | 4 | Texas | |
| STAVELY, Mary | Mother-in-Law | W | Female | 64 | Texas | |
| STAVELY, Vera | Sister-in-Law | U | Female | 22 | Texas | Art Teacher |
Mary Arminda Griffith Stavely died December 17, 1943 and is buried with her husband John Allen Stavely in Fluvanna Cemetery.