| NAME | BORN | DIED | CEMETERY |
| Joseph "Joe" Thornton #81 Dickens Co., Texas |
12 Sep 1890 Huckabay, Erath, TX |
17 Aug 1963 Ft. Worth, Tarrant, TX |
Moore Memorial Gardens Arlington, Tarrant, TX |
| Married: Oct 1914 Reba Irene Brantner Dickens Co., Texas |
16 Sep 1894 Robertson Co., TX |
7 Dec 1990 Fort Worth, Tarrant, TX |
Moore Memorial Gardens Arlington, Tarrant, TX |
| Children: Joe Lavon Thornton |
4 Aug 1915 Spur, Dickens, TX |
28 Mar 1993 Ft. Worth, Tarrant, TX Memorial |
Laurel Land Mem. Park Ft. Worth, Tarrant, TX |
| I never knew my Uncle as anything but "Joe" until I checked the records. He probably met and married
Reba in the Red Mud Community that straddles the Dickens-Kent County line. in Dickens town. They
operated a dairy in Roswell, New Mexico, but later returned to Red Mud. In the early
1930s, Joe became manager of the Red Lake Camp of the large Matador Land and Cattle Company, located at Afton in
Motley County, adjacent to Dickens. Joe would retire from that job and move to Azle, Tarrant, Texas to be near
their son, Lavon and family.
Russell Lundberg began his cowboy career on the ranch in 1937-1941 and wrote about it in 1966. I transcribed the text (and pictures) for the Dickens County RootsWeb: "My Life on the Matador". (Use your "Back" button outside the page images.) Records: 1900 Census TX Runnels Jun 8 (with parents) Josiah 9, Dec 1893 TX. 1900 Census TX Robertson Jun 14 (with parents): Reba Brantner 5, Oct 1894 TX. 1910 Census TX Runnels May 11 (with brother Roberts Felix) Joseph 19, brother. 1910 Census TX Kent May 12 (with parents): Reba I 15. 1920 Census NM Chaves Roswell 112/126 Jan 27: Joseph Thornton 29, Reba I 25, Joe B 4 4/12 (Joe Lavon). 1930 Census TX Kent JP3 59/61 Apr 15: Joe Thornton 38, Bela (Reba) I 35, Lavon J 14. Death Cert: died 17 Aug 1963 Fort Worth Tarrant, born 17 Sep 1890 TX. Informant J L Thornton (son). |
| Joe Lavon married Mildred "Mickey" Lewis 31 Oct 1936 in Spur, Dickens, Texas. She was born 11 Oct 1919 in Freestone Co. TX, presumably buried with Lavon in Laurel Land Memorial. They had two daughters (living). |
| Pedigree Chart 1 Brantner |
Columbus Thornton Father |
Ambrose Brantner Father |
Home |