Submitted by LuAnne and Rankin Hobbs from a book called Georgrphical Cyclopedia of Interesting Personalities. From The Who's Who Publishing Company, Dallas.
Joseph Albert Staley
Joseph Albert Staley was born on a farm on Denton Creek in WISE County, Texas, on December 30, 1860, the son of the late Martin Luther and Rebecca (Morrow) Staley. His parents settled in Wise County in the pioneer days and experienced the many hardships common to those who laid the foundation upon which the State has been builded (sic).
Mr. Staley's father lost his life during an Indian raid when the son was only three years old and shortly after his death Mr. Straley and his mother moved to a farm in Grayson County.
As a lad of nine Mr. Staley began assisting in the support of his mother, but even in those youthful years he exemplified an extraordinary keeness of mind which later was to stamp him as a man of rugged honesty and character. When he was twelve years of age he was working on a stock farm in Montague County for the small salary of ten dollars a month. Although the hours were long, the toil strengthened him physically and instilled in him a poise and self-reliance which were to prove invaluable to him in mature years. It was here, too, that he was awakened to the necessity of working for himself if he were to reach the goal he had determined upon.
When he was thirteen Mr. Staley and his mother homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in Montague County, to which they later added forty acres. Remaining in that county until 1886, Mr. Staley then purchased a substantial stock farm in Mills County where he successfully engaged in breeding fine stock for four years. He next rented a large tract of land from the Indians near Fleetwood, Indian Territory in 1890 and spent the next ten years in supervising his holding, which was largely sub-rented to tenants on shares. He then returned to Texas and settled in Ringgold, where he farmed on a rather large scale for seven years, during the last year of which he owned and operated a general store.
He attended the town lot sale in Burkburnett, Texas in 1907, and becoming convinced that the community offered great opportunity for expansion and development, he established a grocery and later a drug store, which was his principal interest until 1917. He then turned it over to his son, L. M. Staley, and during the ensuing two years looked after his farming interests in Oklahoma. However, it was upon the discovery of oil in the Burkburnett field that he came to the front as on of the foremost businessmen of that section. He assisted in the organization of the First National Bank of Burkburnett and was the original trustee of the Fowler Farm Oil Company. He established his home in Wichita Falls in 1919 and became an important figure in the business life of that city, particularly with reference to real estate development.
Mr. Staley was twice married. He married as his first wife, Miss Joanna Payne, in Montague County, and to this union was born one son, Luther Martin Staley, who married Miss Belle Hughes and is the father of five children as follows:
Opal, Maurine, Anna Belle, Luther Martin, Jr., and Joe Albert Staley.
Mr. Staley's second marriage was to Miss Alice B. Blair, a native of Missouri, on September 17, 1884. Mrs. Staley is a daughter of Hugh S. Blair, who passed away in Kansas, and Annie (Fish) Blair. She was reared in Kansas and later moved with her mother to Montague County, arriving there some five months before her marriage to Mr. Staley.
Mr. and Mrs. Staley became the parents of six children:
1) Carr Hugh, who married Miss Selma Thomas and is the father of two children: Hazel and Alice, and resides on one of the farms in Frederick, Oklahoma;
2) James Irven, a prominent business man in Wichita Falls, who is married to Miss Delia Hawkins ant the father of three children,Joe, J. I., Jr., and Jack.
3) Annie, who is married to Will Hawkins and is the mother of three children; Eloise, Jonnie Green, and Staley, and resides in Wichita Falls.
4) Eloise, now Mrs. Freed Zimmerman, who has one daughter by a former marriage, Helen Ramming, and resides in Floydada.
5) William Jennings Bryant, deceased at the age of four.
resides in Wichita Falls.
Mrs. Staley, for forty-eight years was her husband's constant companion and confidante, and during his lifetime he called upon her many times for advice in regard to his varied interests. She was thoroughly conversant with all of his affairs and fully able to give practicable opinions and to take an active part in the formation of his policies. In addition to rearing the family and seeing to the exacting household duties, Mrs. Staley
Was also in supervision of a large part of Mr. Staley's farming properties. Since his death, she has assumed the complete management of his varied enterprises.
The untimely death of Mr. Staley on September 30, 1932, at the family home, 2201 Avondale Avenue, Wichita Falls, Texas, brought forth many expressions of sympathy and deep regret. Typical of the may was the following tribute by Tarlton Morrow, eminent Texas lawyer and personal friend of Mr. Staley:
"Mr. Staley was truly a great man--not great in the sense that he loomed large in public affairs, but great in the sense that he possessed of those traits of character which all people recognize as real marks of greatness. As a citizen he was always keenly interested in public affairs and found holding fast to the fundamental notions of rights of the individual. He was thrifty without being penurious, acquisitive without being harsh in business matters. He was solid and dependable and always had his feet on the ground. At all times he was the same, neither swept off his feet by the craze of good times nor shaken by the gloom of depression. He was always courteous and solicitous of others--always willing to walk with the common man. His attachment for his friends was striking and he frequently made substantial sacrifices for them. If such be a fault, it was the fault of Mr. Staley. Of his life it may be said, "Well done, good and faithful servant."