EARLY LIFE IN LINCOLN COUNTY, TENNESSEE (1824-1862)
K.M., born on November 9, 1824, was the eldest son of Lincoln County farmers James and Sarah Pybus, joining an older brother, William Robert. When William was twenty and K.M. nineteen, their father died unexpectedly at the age of forty-one. His will named his close friend, John Landess, as guardian to the boys and executor of the estate. Landess served as clerk at the Concord Primitive Baptist Church in Belleville, where James had been an elder.
At the age of twenty-one, William left Tennessee for Houston County, Georgia. Their mother, Sarah, remarried Joshua Yates, a minister at the same church, and because K.M. was still not of age, Rev. Yates assumed his guardianship.
THE WAR YEARS: RIDING WITH FORREST’S ESCORT (1863-1864)
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Some of Forrest's Escort, Date Unknown |
In 1860, eleven Southern states left the Union after decades of conflict over the institution of slavery. The crisis erupted into open war on April 12, 1861, when South Carolina forces fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.
On January 10, 1863, K.M. enlisted in the Confederate Army and was selected for General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Escort. This small cavalry company was hand‑picked for their riding skill, reliability, and combat ability. They were fast‑moving, disciplined, and trusted
The winter of 1862–63 was one of the wettest Middle Tennessee had ever seen. Soldiers later called it the “Great Rain of 1863,” a month-long deluge that turned roads into knee‑deep mud and flooded every creek and river. Cavalry operations became grueling marches through soaked fields and rising water. When K.M. joined the Escort in January, every march, reconnaissance, and skirmish occurred in cold rain, gray skies, and mud that swallowed horses to their fetlocks.
“Fight at Fort Donaldson on Feb 3rd 1863. Confederates repulsed with heavy loss; Wheeler in command.”
K.M.’s brief note of “heavy loss” doesn't quite capture how serious the disaster really was. Forrest’s own unit faced nearly 250 casualties, and his intense anger during the retreat became legendary. As part of the Escort, K.M. likely saw that anger up close. His comment that “Wheeler was in command” subtly criticizes the leadership that sent so many men to their deaths. The setback at Dover widened the gap between Forrest and Wheeler and eventually led to Forrest being transferred to command independently in Mississippi.
“March 5th, 1863, Heavy fight at Thompson Station, Williamson county, Tenn, killed and captured the whole federal force, about two thousand. Capt. Little killed. Got my horse shot.”
The Battle of Thompson’s Station on March 5, 1863, resulted in a significant Confederate victory but came at a high cost for Forrest's Escort. A Union brigade led by Colonel John Coburn moved from Franklin to investigate Confederate positions. Forrest and Wheeler surrounding them, after five hours of combat, Coburn surrendered his entire force, estimated between 1,200 and 2,200 men. K.M.’s estimate of “two thousand” was notably accurate. Captain Montgomery Little, Forrest’s original Escort commander and a close confidant, was fatally wounded while leading a charge, dealing a heavy blow to the unit’s morale.
“March 6th started home, arrived at home 7th, remained at home until 9th and returned to command.”
After the victory at Thompson’s Station, K.M. probably borrowed a horse to ride the thirty-five to forty miles back to his home in Shelbyville. Forrest often allowed brief furloughs to men who had lost their mounts, as long as they could find another horse and return quickly.
“March 25th, fighting at Brentwood, captured the whole garrison amounting to 810 prisoners with wagons, teams, tents and everything they had.”
“April 10th, 1863. Skirmish near Douglas Church, four miles from Franklin, Tenn. Capt. Freeman killed and his battery* taken; recaptured the battery with small loss. Got my fine horse killed and left all rigging on the battlefield. Four of the escort wounded.” (*A battery was an artillery unit, roughly the equivalent in size to an infantry company.)
The fighting near Douglas Church, just south of Franklin, placed Forrest’s Escort in a rare and dangerous position. While Forrest prepared to strike the Union forces at Franklin, Union cavalry swung around and hit his rear guard. In the confusion that followed, Captain Freeman — a young teacher and law student before the war — was killed at close range. His death enraged Forrest and his men, who counterattacked, recaptured the guns, and drove the Union forces back toward Franklin.
For K.M., the day came at a personal cost. His horse — his second in just over a month — was shot out from under him. In the chaos of the retreat, he lost his saddlebags, bedroll, and all his gear. The Great Rain had not yet ceased, and the Escort had fought for weeks in cold, waterlogged conditions that hurt both men and animals.
“April 13th, went home for another horse, stayed at home three days and returned to the command.”
“April 16, 1863, command started to Decatur, Ala. I started home sick.”
Shelbyville was a major agricultural hub, and K.M. probably depended on his family or neighbors for his horse supply. By April, however, horses were becoming rare across Middle Tennessee as both armies moved through the area. The timing of his illness is significant. After losing two horses, fighting in relentless rain, and sleeping without a bedroll or dry clothes, his immune system probably failed.
“April 25th Very sick and remained at home until May 12th. Left home for the command.”
In 1863, being “very sick” usually indicated a serious illness like typhoid, dysentery, or pneumonia — diseases that caused far more deaths among soldiers than gunfire. Seventeen days at home suggest he was confined to bed. His recovery occurred during a brief pause before the war intensified again in Middle Tennessee.
When he left home on May 12, he returned to a transformed landscape. The Confederate Army of Tennessee had fortified Shelbyville with earthworks, turning it into a large military camp. On his way west to rejoin the Escort at Spring Hill and Columbia, he likely passed tents, felled trees, and churned mud from thousands of soldiers. It was probably the last time he saw his hometown under Confederate control.
“May 13th met the command at Athens, Ala.”
K.M. had left home on May 12 after nearly three weeks of being ill. To reach Athens the next day, he had to travel roughly sixty miles — a tough journey for a man still recovering. His return to duty shows the determination expected of Forrest’s Escort, who were required to stay close to their commander and move quickly whenever they were needed.
“June 4th attacked the enemy at Franklin, drove them into their fortifications; we went to town and remained sometime and then withdrew with no loss.”
Forrest and General Pegram tested the Union garrison’s strength and drove them into Fort Granger, a strong position overlooking the Harpeth River. The Confederate cavalry briefly occupied Franklin's streets, gathering supplies and speaking with locals before withdrawing. The Union commander refused to leave his fortifications, so Forrest gathered intelligence and retreated without loss. It was a successful day of pressure for the Escort, with fewer casualties than earlier in the spring.
“June 9: Had a skirmish at Triune, Tenn.; withdrew in the evening.”
While the eastern armies fought the famous Battle of Brandy Station on June 9, Forrest’s command was engaged in its own series of intense clashes around Triune. These actions were intended to mask Confederate movements and assess Union positions. K.M. and the Escort accompanied Forrest as he personally reconnoitered the Federal lines. Their role was to stay close to him, carry messages, and provide the quick-moving protection he depended on when approaching enemy positions.
“June 11, had a skirmish and charged the enemy and drove them within two hundred yards of their big guns and drove one hundred head of horses and mules out of pasture.”
“June 15th started home from Columbia.”
“June 16, arrived at home and remained there until June 25th then went to the command. June 28th left home on the retreat from Middle Tennessee; arrived same evening at Tullahoma.”
These entries represent an important moment in K.M.’s life. He was at home during the last days of Confederate control in Middle Tennessee, unaware that the region was about to be permanently taken over by Union forces.
After returning from Columbia in mid-June, he found a tense, quiet countryside—the calm before the storm. Union General Rosecrans was planning the Tullahoma Campaign to outflank the Confederate Army. While K.M. was home, Union cavalry took Shelbyville, and by June 28, it was in Union hands. His departure marked not just duty but exile, knowing Federal troops would soon occupy his home.
The retreat from Shelbyville to Tullahoma was chaotic and tiring. Forrest, who had been in Columbia during the initial breakthrough, arrived too late to prevent the collapse. He led his forces—including the Escort—on a perilous night ride to join the main army. At the Duck River bridge, the retreat degenerated into a rout, with horses and soldiers swept into the river as the Union “saber brigade” attacked. The roads, muddy from months of rain, made the march to Tullahoma a brutal ordeal for both horses and men.
“June 29th, skirmish with the enemy; Col. Starns mortally wounded. J.P. Dean mortally wounded of the escort.”
“ June 30th. Col. Starns and J.P. Dean died.”
J.P. Dean, a member of the Escort, was wounded in the same fighting. In a company of only about eighty men, everyone knew one another well. Dean most likely fell during the intense skirmishing along the river or while the Escort covered the retreat. With the army pulling back in heavy rain, there was little time for proper burials. For the Tennessee boys in the Escort, seeing a friend fall with the enemy close behind was a heartbreaking moment during an already desperate retreat.
By June 30, K.M. had lost his home to Union occupation, his early commanders, Little and Starnes, and now his friend Dean. It was also the final day the Confederate army held Tullahoma. As he recorded these deaths, the army was beginning its difficult march over the Cumberland Mountains toward Chattanooga.
“July 22nd, near Chatanooga, Tenn, taken sick. Remained in camp sick four days.”
“July 26th, started to hospital at Athens, East Tenn., arrived there the 27th, remained there until the 27th of August and transferred to hospital at Atlanta, Ga., remained there until Sept 5th, started for the command and arrived at the wagon train on the 7th day of Sept; remained with the train until the 15th then got with the command at Dalton.”
The retreat from Middle Tennessee lasted seventeen days with continuous rain. For a cavalryman already seriously ill in April, exposure, lack of dry clothing, and constant movement were overwhelming. Near Chattanooga, K.M. fell ill again as the Confederate army fortified the city against Union forces. He was sent to Athens due to full hospitals in Chattanooga. A month-long stay in 1863 likely would indicate a severe illness like typhoid, dysentery, or pneumonia, which killed more soldiers than combat.
On August 27, he was transferred to Atlanta as the Confederates evacuated East Tennessee hospitals to avoid Union capture. K.M. left Atlanta hospital on September 5, then spent two days finding the army’s wagon train before rejoining the Escort amid rising tensions between Generals Forrest, Bragg, and Wheeler, just before a major battle.
“Sept. 18th, fighting commencing at Chickamaga between the cavalry and infantry moving up and preparing for battle.”
“Sept. 19th. Fighting commencing at 8 o’clock a.m., lasting until 8 p.m. Federals falling back with loss heavy on both sides.”
“Sept. 20th, battle commencing at 9 o’clock a.m. and continued until 7 p.m.; fighting heavy all day; slaughter heavy on both sides with Rosecrans falling back and Bragg advancing holding the battle ground.”
“Sept. 21st Rosecrans retreating to Chattanooga; Bragg pressing closely.”
“Sept 26th, fighting at Charleston, Tenn. enemy falling back to Athens, capturing seventy-five prisoners of the Federals.”
After the Union center's breakthrough on September 20, Rosecrans retreated toward Chattanooga. Forrest urged General Bragg to pursue immediately, believing the Union army was in disarray. Bragg refused, opting instead to lay siege. This decision widened the rift between the two men. Just days later, Bragg ordered Forrest’s command to be transferred to Wheeler — a move that would permanently damage their relationship.
“Oct 2nd: Went to Dalton to rest and recruit our horses; remained at Dalton one month.”
K.M.’s simple note about resting and recruiting horses aligns with one of the most turbulent moments in the Confederate high command. The day after he arrived in Dalton, General Braxton Bragg issued an order removing Forrest from command and transferring his brigades to Joseph Wheeler. Forrest confronted Bragg in a heated exchange that became famous in Confederate history, and President Jefferson Davis soon arrived to prevent the dispute from tearing the army apart. Davis ultimately granted Forrest independent command in Mississippi and West Tennessee. While most of Forrest’s men were reassigned, his Escort was the only unit he was allowed to keep. Their loyalty in Dalton this month remained unwavering.
The cavalry horses were really worn out after a summer filled with constant marching and intense fighting at Chickamauga. Dalton was one of the few places where the Confederates could still find some grain and fodder. For K.M., who had already lost two horses earlier in the year, this month was probably spent trying to find a way to recover his horse or get a new one.
“November 2, Left Dalton for Okolona, Mississippi.”
Okolona became Forrest’s new base as he left Georgia's siege lines for a roughly 300-mile, harsh winter ride into Mississippi. Cold rain turned roads to mud; men lacked coats or blankets. Despite fires, staying warm or dry was tough, and they endured long, bleak days.
“Nov 20, arrived at Okolona.”
After eighteen days on the road, the Escort reached the Black Prairie region of Mississippi, a fertile area that would become the center of Forrest’s new command. For Forrest, it was familiar ground, and the people of Okolona welcomed him warmly. Local families provided food and clothing to the men of the Escort, who were now the core of what would become a rebuilt cavalry force.
When they arrived, Forrest technically had no army besides the sixty to eighty men of the Escort. Their first task was to start recruiting — often through aggressive conscription — in the countryside behind Union lines. Okolona’s position on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad gave them better access to supplies and mail than they had in Georgia. But their time there was short. Forrest was already planning a raid into West Tennessee.
“Nov 27th, started from Okolona, Miss. to Jackson, Tenn.”
Jackson was behind Union lines, and Forrest planned to set up a temporary headquarters there to gather men who avoided conscription or served as partisan rangers. With fewer than 500 men at the start, Forrest relied on the Escort as his most experienced force. The late November rains made travel difficult, swelling streams and turning the bottom lands into deep mud, risking horses’ lives. Union cavalry would have struggled to catch them in this condition, but Memphis's Union command underestimated Forrest, focusing on the recent Confederate defeat at Chattanooga. Forrest used this distraction to slip into West Tennessee.
“Dec (date illegible) 1863: arrived in Jackson and remained there three weeks.”
With his headquarters in Jackson, Forrest gathered more than 1,500 unarmed men, with many more arriving from nearby counties. The Escort helped organize these inexperienced recruits, many of whom lacked horses or weapons. They also collected cattle, hogs, leather, and wool to send south to the Confederate armies. But by mid-December, Union forces, estimated to number nearly 10,000 men, were approaching Jackson. Forrest had no choice but to begin a fighting withdrawal toward Mississippi with his newly formed, mostly unarmed force.
“Dec 24; Started from Jackson at 4 p.m.; traveled 20 miles to the Hatchie River; crossed at 3 o'clock at night and drove a squad of Yankees five miles to their camp and routed them.
After three weeks in Jackson, Forrest moved his men out at dusk to avoid being trapped. The Hatchie River was the main obstacle between Jackson and safety, and winter rains had made crossing difficult. The “squad of Yankees” K.M. mentions was likely pickets from the 7th Illinois Cavalry, positioned to block the river crossings. The Escort, acting as Forrest’s veteran strike force, drove them back and secured the crossing. This allowed thousands of recruits and a large herd of captured livestock to begin crossing the river before Union forces could react. It was the first step in a week-long running battle that would see Forrest lead more than 2,500 new soldiers and hundreds of wagons back to Mississippi.
“Dec 26th: Left camp on the Hatchie for Mississippi; came upon enemy at Summerville and had sharp fight; drove the enemy back, killing several and capturing about 50 prisoners, 4 wagons and teams. Escort lost 3 men. Dock Boone killed. Lt. Boone's arm broken.”
The fight at Somerville was a key action in the retreat. Forrest cleared a path for his 400-wagon train and recruits. The Escort led the charge against the 7th Illinois Cavalry to prevent the Union from splitting the Confederate column. K.M. suffered personal losses: Dock Boone was killed, and his brother, Lt. Nathan Boone, had a shattered arm. Many men in the Escort were neighbors or kin, so these losses were deeply felt. With little ammunition, Forrest ordered the Escort to charge with pistols and shotguns at full gallop. Their surprise attack overwhelmed the Union, capturing prisoners, wagons, and horses, vital for the recruits. The victory opened the “Southern Gate,” placing Forrest south of the Union line and near the Mississippi.
“Dec 27th, Crossed Memphis & Charleston Railroad; had skirmish with enemy and drove them back.”
This skirmish took place at Lafayette Station, the last major barrier before reaching safety. The Memphis & Charleston Railroad was heavily defended, and if Union forces secured the crossing, Forrest’s entire column would have been trapped. The Escort charged the pickets guarding the station, forcing them back, then tore up rails and cut telegraph lines to delay reinforcements from Memphis.
By this point, the Escort had been fighting or marching for seven grueling days through freezing rain and deep mud. Their horses showed signs of wear, and K.M. likely spent his nights carefully scraping mud from his mount’s legs to prevent painful infections. Surrounded by thousands of unarmed recruits, the Escort had to stay constantly in the saddle to keep the column moving and prevent panic. In the cold rain, K.M. would have been mindful of guarding his revolvers and shotgun, knowing that damp powder could make them useless during a charge.
Losing Dock Boone the day before deeply affected everyone. However, in the Escort, they had no time to grieve, bearing their sorrow as they continued onward. They were tired but committed to safeguarding the vulnerable recruits who depended on them.
“Feby 20, Left camp at Starksville, went to West Point and met the enemy, reconoitered with them; escort captured twenty-one prisoners late in the evening, then of escort sent back with the prisoners. I was on the detail.”
By the end of 1863, K.M. and the Escort had pushed south through freezing mud to cross the Coldwater River into Mississippi, finally placing themselves beyond the reach of the Union columns pursuing them. On January 1, 1864, Forrest established his headquarters at Como, Mississippi, where the Escort oversaw the reorganization of his new command. This was the most stationary period they had experienced in a year. On January 24, Forrest was promoted to major general, and the Escort became the core of a force now divided into four brigades.
These campaigns led to the final, desperate phase of the war in Tennessee. Forrest’s cavalry was attached to General Hood’s Army of Tennessee during the invasion of Middle Tennessee. After the Confederate defeat at Nashville on December 15–16, Forrest was recalled from Murfreesboro to serve as the rear guard for Hood’s shattered army. On December 26, 1864, the day of K.M.’s capture, the Confederate retreat struggled southward through freezing rain, snow, and deep mud. Forrest’s men made their last stand to protect the army as it crossed the Tennessee River at Bainbridge, Alabama. Union cavalry under General Wilson pressed against the rear guard, and K.M. was likely captured in the final chaos.
Once captured, he was marched north with other prisoners through bitter winter weather. Now a cavalryman on foot, he faced an eighty-mile trek to Nashville with inadequate clothing and worn shoes. The Nashville Military Prison — housed in the State Penitentiary and several converted warehouses — was overcrowded after the Battle of Nashville, holding more than 13,000 Confederate prisoners. K.M. and his comrades were confined in poorly ventilated rooms and fed meager rations of hardtack, salt pork, and thin bean soup. Disease was rampant. Smallpox and pneumonia spread quickly among men already weakened by exposure during the retreat.
K.M. spent approximately four months as a prisoner of war. By early 1865, Union authorities started offering the Oath of Allegiance to prisoners deemed non-threatening or willing to cease fighting. Standing before the Assistant Provost Marshal General, he pledged to “support, protect, and defend the Constitution.” Many of Forrest’s men took the oath not out of disloyalty, but because the war was obviously lost, and their families in occupied Tennessee were struggling to survive. K.M.’s oath record mentioned that he “has family,” a detail that likely contributed to his release instead of being sent to a northern prison camp.
The fighting was over. The cause was lost. But he was alive and returning home.
REBUILDING AFTER THE WAR (1865-1880)
K.M. returned to Shelbyville to rebuild his farm after the war's destruction. Since its capture in June 1863, the town had been under nearly nonstop Union occupation. While this prevented the town center from being destroyed, the surrounding countryside had suffered years of foraging, raids, and lawlessness. Fences were burned for firewood, livestock were taken, and both armies stripped the crops. By 1865, many farms in Bedford County were neglected or abandoned due to a shortage of labor and draft animals.
Two years later, on March 16, 1867, K.M. and Ellen welcomed their ninth child, a daughter named Emily Evaline, whom the family called Missie. By the 1870 census, K.M.’s farm was valued at $4,570, with a personal estate of $4,200 — placing him among the top 10–15 percent of households in Bedford County. This was notable in a region where the average farm value had nearly halved since 1860. His total assets of about $9,000 suggest he probably owned between 200 and 300 acres, a significant holding for that time.
The most revealing figure was his personal estate. Livestock, equipment, and cash comprised nearly half of his wealth, indicating he had the capital to hire labor and buy new machinery, even as many neighbors were “land poor” and overwhelmed by debt. Most returning Confederate veterans in Bedford County had little or no personal estate, with land valued under $1,000. K.M.’s financial situation indicates he managed his resources vigorously in the immediate postwar years, taking advantage of high cotton and livestock prices. His economic strength would have made him a respected member of the community, including Unionist officials eager to rebuild the county’s tax base.
In December 1874, a case titled K.M. Pybas vs. James L. Hix reached the Tennessee Supreme Court. K.M. had co-signed a note for Hix, who was married to Ellen’s sister, Huldah Ann Holt. When Hix defaulted, the creditor pursued K.M. for the full amount. Although he made several payments, the court ruled against him. Because the debt was substantial and the 1870s economy was depressed, he was forced to sell his Bedford County property to satisfy the judgment. The loss was a significant setback after years of rebuilding.
This financial setback may have prompted him to take a position as gatekeeper for the Shelbyville and Fayetteville Turnpike Company in 1876. The job offered a steady income at a time when the Hix debt had drained his agricultural savings. For a man who had once been among the wealthiest farmers in the county, it was a tough but sensible step toward securing his family’s future.
THE MOVE TO TEXAS (1878)
By the spring of 1878, K.M. sent his eldest son, Jordan, to Texas to look for land. Jordan bought property in Grapevine, and soon the entire Pybas family prepared to leave Bedford County. The group included K.M. and Ellen; their youngest children, Alice, K.M. Jr., and Missie; their sons, James, Hiram, Ben, and William, along with their families; and James’s father-in-law. They likely left Tennessee between late August and early September, arriving in Grapevine on October 14, 1878.
Improved roads and rail links made the journey quicker than the long pioneer treks of earlier decades, but it remained difficult. The summer of 1878 was an El Niño year, with daily temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s—one of the hottest on record. For the three pregnant women traveling with the family, the heat and lack of clean water made the trip especially arduous.
The weather caused more than just discomfort. The same heat and humidity fueled the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1878, which swept through the Mississippi River Valley as the Pybas family traveled west. By the time they reached Tarrant County in mid-October, theweather had begun to cool, but they had survived a crossing of a landscape marked by disease and extreme heat — one of the toughest environments in the postwar South.
In the summer of 1880, tragedy struck. Three of James’s children died of typhoid, five others fell ill, and his wife suffered a nervous breakdown. Faced with the loss and the unhealthy conditions around Grapevine, K.M. declared, “We’re not going to stay in this unhealthy locality any longer.” He sent Jordan and Ben north to find new land.
They found 500 acres near Sivells Bend, close to Gainesville. The family moved in the fall of 1880, building a four-room house and living in wagons, tents, and half-dugouts beneath a grove of hackberry trees. They arrived too late for the corn or cotton harvest and survived the winter on turnips, late vegetables, and whatever game they could hunt.
Sivells Bend was in a deep curve of the Red River, surrounded by high bluffs and fertile bottom land—the 500 acres offered better grazing opportunities for cattle than the crowded farms around Grapevine. However, the winter of 1880–1881 was severe across the Southern Plains, marked by sudden “blue northers” that brought freezing temperatures and damp winds. The family had little shelter, few supplies, and no margin for error. It was the lowest point they faced together — a stark contrast to the days when K.M. had been a wealthy Tennessee landowner and a member of Forrest’s elite Escort.
THE FINAL YEARS
The winter of 1880 marked the last time the entire Pybas family lived together beneath one grove of trees. When spring arrived, the urgency of survival shifted to the need for independence. One by one, the sons who had built fences in exchange for meat began constructing fences for themselves. K.M., who had survived the charges of Forrest’s Escort and the losses in the Tennessee courts, now watched his family spread across the Texas and Oklahoma frontier.
Their paths were varied, often challenging, and deeply connected to the region's history:
Jordan Cain Pybas, a veteran of Shiloh and Fort Morgan, lived to see Oklahoma City grow from a frontier settlement into a state capital. He died in 1922 at the age of 73 in Oklahoma City, leaving behind a son who served in WWI.
James Blair Pybas, who served in the 12th Kentucky Cavalry and sought refuge along the Red River, drowned there on March 22, 1891, at the age of 40 during a massive flood. He left behind his wife, Emma, and five children in Sivells Bend, Texas.
Hiram Caldwell Pybas, your direct ancestor, became a successful farmer in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, raising his family in Trousdale and Wanette and living to the age of eighty. He and his wife, Carrie, had eight children.
Ben Pybas lost his wife and children between 1891 and 1905 — probably due to fevers and tuberculosis common in the Red River bottoms — before starting anew in Iron, Texas. He remarried Dora Poston in 1906, and they had a daughter named Kenneth Marie, after Ben’s father. He served as county commissioner for Cooke County, Texas, from 1916 to 1920.
Margaret “Alice” Pybas Giddens was abandoned by her husband, Zambry Giddens, who was later found dead along the railroad tracks in Dallas in 1922, suspected of having been murdered. She lived on, raising her four children and passing away in 1947 at the age of 86.
Will and Missie Pybas stayed in Cooke County. Missie lived to be 88 years old, seeing the area's change from dugouts and turnip patches to the modern era of the 1950s. She married twice and had a total of eight children. Will also married twice and raised two children. He died at the age of 60.
K.M.
Pybas, the family patriarch, lived through the Civil War, lost his farm, moved
his family 730 miles from Tennessee to Texas, faced the harsh winter of 1880,
watched his children scatter, and saw the changes on the frontier. As an old
cavalryman of Forrest’s Escort, he experienced the dawn of the twentieth
century, passing away in 1913 at the age of eighty-eight.
By that time, he had watched his family grow from Tennessee planters into resilient frontier survivors and eventually early settlers of two new states. The family of the man who once rode behind Nathan Bedford Forrest and sought shelter under hackberry trees during the winter of 1880 eventually spread out across Texas and Oklahoma. Some were drawn by the excitement of the Land Run, while others stayed rooted in Cooke County. Even though the Red River claimed Blair in 1891, it couldn’t erase the Pybas name.
K.M. lived long enough to see his children face the same hardships he experienced—loss, war, hunger—and then rise again. Many of them are buried at the Bear Head Cemetery near Sivells Bend, Texas, where a sign reads, “They rest together in spirit.”
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