Published in the Garland Daliy News on October 12, 1980 as part of a series by Betty Roberts
J. S. WALLACE FAMILY
J. S. Wallace was born in 1846 in Roanoke, Virginia. He was raised on a large plantation across the river from Maryland. During the Civil War he fought in the Confederate Army. When he returned home after the War, he found that all the buildings had been burned to the ground.
J. S. stayed at home for a year trying to rebuild the farm. He decided there was no future there and left for Texas. He went to Wallaceburg, a small town settled by his grandfather’s brother in the 1840’s.
J. S. did not like the climate along the Texas coast and moved north to Dallas county in 1867. He homesteaded a farm on what is now Buckingham Road. The large house he built for his family burned in the 1920’s.
J. S. married Eliza Routh, daughter of Wash Routh. They were the parents of eight children. Eliza died when her youngest child George was then weeks old. J. S. died in 1891, at the age of 45, George was five years old.
George Wallace and Garland are the same age. George was born March 30, 1886. Except for about four years, George has lived his entire 94 years in Garland.
George lived with his sister in Garland most of his childhood. For the short time he lived with a sister in Hamilton County. He lived with another sister in Oklahoma almost four years.
George returned to Garland and finished school. While in high school he met Vivian McDonald, daughter of William McDonald. Her mother’s father was Colonel Joseph Strothers.
George and Vivian were married October 1, 1907. The first four years they were married, they lived on the homestead on Buckingham Road. In 1911, they moved to what is now First Street. In 1917 they build a large two story house. It still stands on Wallace Drive near First Street.
From 1911 to 1945, George farmed 98 acres. During most of this time he also operated Wallace Dairy. For many years, he sold milk wholesale to Cabell’s in Dallas. Later he had a milk route in Garland for 200 customers.
George’s father had built the first gin in Garland. It was on Avenue A across from the water tower. The gin was sold to Trinity Oil Mill and was later sold to the Farmers’ Co-op. Another gin was built on Walnut where the Post Office is located. For 16 years George was on the board of directors for the Co-op Gin.
George and Vivian lived in the houe they built from 1917 until 1969. They moved to South Ninth Street. They celebrated their 73rd anniversary October 1.
The four children of George and Vivian were born and raised on the farm. They lived in the Centerville School District but went to Garland to school because it was closer. They all graduated from college. Their son went to A&M, and the three daughters went to Texas Women’s College.
The three daughters live in Dallas and Rockwall. The son died over twenty years ago at his home in Miami, Florida. The Wallaces have eight grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren.