By Jerry M. Flook, April 2013
William Allison Tinsley was born 15 May 1834[i] in Montgomery County, Virginia, son of John and Mahala Tinsley.[ii] William married Margaret Lavenia Whitlock at Blacksburg, Virginia, 23 Sep 1856. [iii] Lavenia was born 26 November 1839 at Roanoke, Virginia,[iv] daughter of John N. and Hanna Whitlock.[v] The couple migrated to Dallas County, Texas, in 1868[vi], bringing their children John, Festus, Jesse, Naomi, and Marion. The Tinsleys settled on Duck Creek near its present-day Kingsley Road crossing.[vii] After coming to Duck Creek William and Lavinia had six more children: William, Calpernia, Lavinia, Franklin, Benjamin and Hugh.
In 1870 William’s brother, Jesse, a carpenter by trade, lived next door to William’s family.[viii] There is also a burial record of Mahala Doss Tinsley, mother of William and Jesse, in the Garland Masonic Cemetery.
In 1871 W. A. Tinsley purchased 73 1/3 acres of the Crumpacker Survey from Daniel H. Blue and presumably soon moved to that location, judging from the neighbors among whom he was enumerated in the 1880 and 1900 censuses. In 1885 he deeded right-of-way to the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe railroad for their north-south route. The Missouri Kansas & Texas railroad also obtained right-of-way across Tinsley’s land for their east-west route. In 1887 Tinsley platted on the MK&T route a new town of Duck Creek, which adjoined the north boundary of the Santa Fe’s town, Embree. Thus began the famous rivalry between Embree and Duck Creek, which eventually led to the compromise formation of Garland.
Most of the facts known about the early history of William A. Tinsley House are known from brief mentions in the Garland News and the 1900 Sam Street Map of Dallas County. On 28 March 1902 the News reported that “R. H. Lyles has purchased the W. A. Tinsley two-story house and nine acres in East Garland.” [The part of town east of the Santa Fe tracks at that time was called East Garland.] Then on 4 May 1906 the paper mentioned that Charley Lyles [son of R. H. Lyles] had moved into the Tinsley residence and still later that year (3 August 1906) that “Charley Lyles has moved the Tinsley house to another lot in East Garland.” Evidence for the original location of the house is found on the Sam Street Map (1900), which shows the house of W. A. Tinsley sitting near the east side of the Santa Fe tracks just north of present-day Main Street. That lot is designated as Lot 1 on Tinsley’s plat of Duck Creek and the street running along its east side Tinsley named Blue Street after the family from whom he purchased the land. Presumably it was from this site that Charley Lyles moved the house in 1906. The Tinsleys later built a cotton gin a few hundred yards to the north of that location. W. A. Tinsley also owned a store here before the formation of Garland.
William A. Tinsley died on 8 Feb 1908 at the home of his son, J. F. Tinsley, and is buried in the Garland Masonic Cemetery. His wife died on 9 April 1913 at the home of her daughter, Mrs. C. R. Nesbitt, in Dallas. She is buried with her husband.
The Tinsley House is built in a Carpenter Gothic style with board-and-batten siding. The main part of the first level of the story-and-a-half structure is a hall-and-parlor arrangement with two rooms across, each of those rooms having its own front door. A porch extends across the front of the house and is topped with a balustraded balcony. Three equal inset gabled dormers face the front of the house, the central dormer having a door opening onto the porch balcony. Each of the rooms of the cross-wing has a front-facing window. The room on the right has a window on its end gable side; the other room has a three-bay window. The cross-gables of the house have a window in each of the upper story rooms. The roof ridges are ornamented with pierced scallop cresting. Windows are double hung two-over-two light sashes. The front doors and the balcony door are four panels. The lower room on the left has a rear door opening which is now boarded up. All windows retain old shutter hardware.
The central room of the house is apparently the oldest portion of the structure, its sill-plate being hand hewn timbers. It is conceivable that this room represents a previously existing residence of the Blue family, to which Tinsley made additions. There is abundant evidence that several rooms have been added to the rear of the house, but who added them and when is not known. However, mention was made in the Dallas Herald of 7 April 1887 that W. A. Tinsley, of Embree, was “making quite a large addition to his residence.” The site to which Charles Lyles moved the Tinsley House in 1906 was on Austin Street between the Santa Fe tracks and First Street. It remained there until it was donated to the City of Garland by its owner at the time, Jay Jones, and moved in 1979 to Heritage Park, where it was known as the Lyles House. The historic significance of the house was recognized in the Dallas County Historic Resource Survey of 1982. Charles Lyles was born 29 August 1876, the son of Robert Harvey and Nancy Ann Raney Lyles. He married Katie R. Weakley on 27 November 1895. When they moved to the Tinsley House in 1906 they had three children, Clay, Carl, and Edith. Four more children were born in the house: Corrine, Nadine, Charles E. and Robert C. Charles Lyles engaged in various business pursuits in Garland, first as a horse and mule trader, later as a cotton broker, and finally as owner of a real estate agency. He died in January 1949.[ix]
[i] Tombstone of W. A. Tinsley, Masonic Cemetery, Garland, TX
[ii] Census of Montgomery Co., VA, 1850, household 571
[iii]Obituary of W. A. Tinsley, Garland News 14 Feb 1908
[iv]Obituary of Lavenia Tinsley, Garland News 18 Apr 1913
[v] Hanna Whitlock d. 1886 at Duck Creek, TX; buried at Masonic Cemetery
[vi] Obit. of Lavenia Tinsley, op.cit.
[vii]Obit. of W. A. Tinsley, op. cit.
[viii]Census of Dallas Co., TX, 1870, households 2130 & 2131
[ix]Biography of Charles Lyles family from Garland Daily News, 8 Apr 1979.
DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM A. AND LAVENIA TINSLEY
I. John Willis M. Tinsley, b. Aug 1857 VA; d. 1939 Van Zandt Co., TX; m. Sarah A. __.
A. Charles Tinsley, b, Sep 1886
B. Margaret Tinsley, b. Oct 1889
C. Claud A. Tinsley, b. Jan 1896
II. James Festus Tinsley, b. 24 Jul 1859; d. 3 Apr 1926 at Mangum, OK; burial Mills Cem.; m/1 Lydia Caroline Jacobs (1860-1892), m/2 Sophronia Groves (1875-1938)
A. Charles W. Tinsley, b. Jan 1880; d. 1880; burial Mills Cem.
B. Edward Roy Tinsley, b. 24 Jul 1881; d. 11 Apr 1953 at Wichita Falls, TX; burial Mills Cem.; m/1 Mary Pressley Garrison, m/2 Jessie ___
1. Edward R. Tinsley; b. 3 Jun 1916; d.29 Oct 1984 Lubbock, TX
2. Corinne Tinsley
C. Hattie L. Tinsley, b. Mar1883; d. 1970 Mangum, OK; m. ___ Squire.
D. John Clark Tinsley, b. Aug 1886; d. 1940 Shamrock, TX; m. Maude Flowers
1. Willa Vaughn Tinsley, b. 28 May 1906, d. 20 May 1981 at Lubbock, TX. Never married.
2. Nina May Tinsley, b. 1916; d. 1979; m. ___ Morgan.
3. Hazel Tinsley, d. 2012 at Lubbock, TX; m. George Davis
a. Sterling Davis (Weatherford, TX)
b. Patricia Davis, m. ___Angeley (Muleshoe, TX)
E. Claud B. Tinsley, b. 1888; d. Amarillo?
F. Byron C. Tinsley, b. Mar 1889
G. Nellie C. Tinsley, b. Mar 1891; d. 2 Dec 1988 Mangum, OK; m. Charles A. Blankenship
H. Donald S. Tinsley, b. 1907; d. 1933 Mangum, OK
III. Jesse Lafayette Dudley Tinsley, b. Mar 1861 VA; d. 3 May 1918 Grayson Co., TX; m. Nancy Adeline Williams
A. Dora Ann Tinsley, b. 1880; m. Lee Moore
B. Marcus Dock Tinsley, b. Nov 1881; d. 1912
C. Loula V. Tinsley, Nov 1883; d. 1977 at Lubbock, TX; m. __ Scott.
D. Willie A. Tinsley, b. Jul 1888; d. 1990 Garland, TX; m. Ira L. Allen
1. Walter Ray Allen b. 1907 at Garland, TX; d. 1985; m. Mary Cole Sears
a. Bobbie Sue Allen b. 1925; d. 1975; m. David Arthur Johnson
(1) Donald Allen Johnson, b. 1947; m. Katherine Hood
(a) Hillary Kirsten, Johnson, b. 1977; m. Jared J. Geilmann
(b) Ethan Barrett Johnson, b. 1980; m. Beckit Hansen
(c) Andrew Reagan Johnson, b. 1980
(d) Emily Ann Johnson, b. 1983
(e) Philip Brent Johnson, b. 1985
(2) David Brent Johnson, b. 1950, d. 1999
(3) Jeffrey Bruce Johnson, b. 1954; m. Denise S. Boeke
(a) Chelsea S. Johnson, b. 1984; m. __ Brooker
b. Walter Ray Allen, Jr., b.___ m. Mary Louise Boquin
(1) Russell Hughes Allen, b. 1963; m. Deanna Anne Monford
(a) Olivia Louise Allen, b. 2001
(b) Laurel Elizabeth Allen, b. 2003
‘ (c) Samuel Ray Allen, b. 2005
(2) Jennifer Rhea Allen, b. 1967; m. Jeffrey Scott George
(a) Alana Cole George, b. 1997
(b) Aubrey Belle George, b. 1999
2. Jessie Chloe Allen, b. 1911, d. 1985; m. Willis Wheat Monroe, Jr.
a. Willis Wheat Monroe, III, b. 1940; m. Dixie Jo Reeder
(1) Teresa Monette Monroe, b. 1960; m/1 John William McDonald (d. 1997)
(a) Pecos Chea McDonald, b. 1992
Tresa Monroe m/2 Stephen Fontenot
(b) Stephanie Fontenot, b. 1999
(2) Treva Marchelle Monroe, b. 1962; m/1 Ronald Butler
(a) Rance Earl Butler, b. 1982; m. Joey Beth Ians
(A) Harper Evan Butler, b. 2013
(b) Raney Jo Butler , b. 1983; m. Anthony Laisure
Treva Monroe m/2 Marty Sharrock
(c) Dalton Rich Sharrock, b.
b. Ronald Allen Monroe, b. 1942; m. Donna Marie Casler
(1) Lorisa Leigh Monroe, b. 1971; m. M. Hammel
(2) Erin Shae Monroe, b. 1974, m. Christopher Turner
(3) Jeremy Patrick Monroe, b. 1977; m. Kelly J. Paul
(4) Paul Jason Monroe, b. 1979; m. Holly ___
c. Madison Scott Monroe, b. 1947; d. 2001; m/1 Carolyn Corley
(1) Stacy Monroe, b. 1968
(2) Mistie Lynn Monroe, b. 1972
(3) Brandon Scott Monroe, b. 1974
Madison Monroe m/2 Kathleen Warren
(4) Troy Scott Monroe, b. 1981
2. Bessie Lou Allen, b. 1913, d. 1993; m. Clyde Wendell Tucker
a. True Tucker, b. 1938; m. Lanny Gouge
(1) Lanny Edward Gouge, b. 1956
(2) Seth Tucker Gouge, b. 1958 ; m. Dede Brown
(a) Jordan Scott Gouge, b. 1991
(b) K. T. Gouge, b. 1992
(c) Levi Hunter Gouge, b. 1995
(3) Sheryl Lea Gouge, b. 1959; m. Dwain Crawford
(a) Randi Lea Crawford, b. 1985
(b) Zachary Allyn Crawford, b.
b. Charles Christopher Tucker, b. 1938; m. Ann Colwell
(1) Jason Tucker, b. 1971
(2) Madeline Rowena Tucker, b.
c. Richard Allen Tucker, b. 1952; m. Shea Burns
(1) Rachel Nicole Tucker, b. 1995
3. Tinsley Donald Allen, b. 1917; d. 1981; m. Dorothy Sherard
a. Sherry Lee Allen, b. 1949; m. Eugene Ellsworth Keller
4. Ira Dell Allen
5. Alys Jean Allen
6. Edna Jo Allen
E. Leslie Grady Tinsley, b. Dec 1891; d. 1924 El Paso Co., TX
F. Heber F. Tinsley, b. May 1894; d. 18 Feb 1930 OK
G. Edgar H. Tinsley, b. Jun 1896
H. Edna B. Tinsley, b. 1904; d. OK; m. __ Jacobs
1. Grady Jacobs
2. Mary L. Jacobs
IV. Martha Ann Naomi Tinsley, b. ca. 1865 VA; d. 1951 Los Angeles, CA; m. ___ McDowell.
V. Francis Marion Tinsley, b. 1866 VA; d. 1878 at Duck Creek, TX; burial Mills Cem.
VI. William Marshall Montgomery Tinsley, b. ca. 1868 at Duck Creek, TX; d. 1960 OK
VII. Calpernia Tinsley, b. ca. 1871 at Duck Creek
VIII. Hannah L. Tinsley, b. 18 Feb 1874; d. 21 Feb 1874 at Duck Creek, TX.
IX. Hallie Lavinia Tinsley, b. ca. 1875 at Duck Creek, TX; d. 1955; m. C. N. Nesbit. No heirs.
X. Franklin Tinsley, b. ca. 1877 at Duck Creek, TX
XI. Benjamin Eugene Tinsley, b. 23 Jul 1878 at Duck Creek, TX; d. 4 Apr 1915 at Mangum, OK; m. Irene Kinnen.
XII. Hugh Tipton Tinsley, b. 26 Oct 1882 at Duck Creek, TX; d. 17 Jan 1904; burial Masonic Cem.