The Five Criswell Sisters of Forney
By Cheree Townsend Cargill
2013
L to r (front) Amy Criswell Tapp; Bessie Criswell Hatley; (back) Ola Criswell Feagin; Polly Criswell Townsend; Christine Criswell Shaw.
On November 5, 2013, a part of Forney history quietly slipped away in her hospital bed in Kaufman. Christine Brown, aged 95, was the last member of a remarkable Forney family that had included five boys and five girls, all raised on a farm north of town in the area known as Valley View. They were the children of Oscar McPherson Criswell and Zorabelle Venable Criswell, and all but the oldest were born in Kaufman County beginning in 1902.
The extensive Criswell family, which besides Oscar and Belle included the Joe Criswells, John Criswells, and Charlie Criswells, as well as other related families, all moved to Forney around 1901 from Calhoun County, Alabama, near Birmingham. They settled in and around Forney and many family members reside here still.
Three children had been born to Oscar and Belle in Alabama but the first two had either been stillborn or died shortly afterwards. No other information is known about these first two babies. But in 1900 their son, Frank Criswell, was born and made the journey with them to Texas while still an infant. Their second son, Louie, was born in 1902 in Forney and he was followed about every two years by another sibling – Charlie in 1904, Phil in 1906, Bessie in 1908, Buck in 1910, Amy in 1912, Ola in 1915, Christine in 1917, and finally Polly in 1919. All of them grew up and went to school north of Forney.
Four of the sisters made their homes in Forney throughout their lives. Only Amy moved away to Dallas after her marriage to Elmer Tapp, but the sisters all visited as much as possible. In the late 1930s, when Amy was about 26 or 27, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and was forced to undergo brain surgery. This is a fearsome prospect even today and it must have been unimaginable in 1939. Nevertheless, surgery was performed and Amy survived it, but was left physically impaired for the rest of her life. Her mental faculties were damaged as well, but she managed to function and live in her home in Pleasant Grove until her husband died in 1983. At that point, she entered a nursing home in Terrell where she lived until her own death in 1995 at age 82.
The four other sisters – Bessie, Ola, Christine and Polly – were remarkably close and were well known in Forney for their faithful attendance at First Baptist Church, their community activity, and their good cooking!
Bessie, known as “Sis” or “Sister” in the family, married Lewis Hatley, a member of another long-time Forney clan, and to this union was born two children, Nancy Hatley, and Tony Hatley. Both Nancy and Tony are graduates of Forney High School, although neither makes their home in Forney today. Bessie worked for many years for J. C. Penney at Big Town Mall in Mesquite, appropriately in their fabric and sewing department. Bessie was a talented seamstress as well as a wonderful cook. She was also known for her quilting projects. To round out her talents, she regularly played piano for the Sunday School and worship services at First Baptist Church. She passed away in 2001 at age 92.
Ola married Marvin Feagin and they had four children – Leon, Jimmy Frank, Paul and Linda Kay. Marvin owned one of the gas stations in town, originally a Humble Oil station before the company changed its name to Exxon. His stations were part of “gas station row” on Broad Street when it was Highway 80 and part of the Old Dixie Highway. When Interstate 20 was built through Forney (now Highway 80 once again), he continued to operate his Exxon station on the corner of Broad and Burgett until his retirement.
Of the four sisters, Ola was the most boisterous and adventurous one. She always had a fun, lively story to tell and was also extremely interested in Forney history. She and her daughter, Linda Feagin Harwell, are responsible for the invaluable local histories they collected and preserved. The Feagins lived south of Forney in the Markout community and Ola continued to live in her home until shortly before her death in 2012 at age 96.
Polly, the youngest sister, married James Townsend, another Forney native, and they had two children, myself – Cheree Townsend, and my brother, Rick Townsend, the fire chief here in Forney. We both make our homes here and are both graduates of Forney High School. Polly was well known as one of the best cooks in town, especially for her pies, cakes, candy and fried pies. Every holiday season, she would begin taking orders for her old fashioned fruitcakes and other goodies, and she always had numerous orders to fill. For many years, she entered her baked and canned goods in the State Fair of Texas and won dozens of ribbons on her entries, including one Best in Show for her candy. She was also a talented quilter and many of her quilts are cherished by her family. She was a faithful member of First Baptist Church until her health prevented her from attending. She died in 2012, just six weeks after her sister Ola, at the age of 92.
Christine, known to the family as “Tine” (pronounced “teen”), was the glamorous sister. She was always well-dressed in the latest fashions and took pride in being well-groomed. She married Thomas Ivy Shaw after World War II. Ivy had served with James Townsend in the Eighth Air Force and had met Tine through her sister Polly.
Tine and Ivy had one son, Gary Wayne Shaw. Gary grew up in Forney and graduated Forney High, but now makes his home in Canton. After Ivy passed away in 1985, Tine married John “Bill” Brown, who had been her sweetheart before WWII and had moved back to Forney in the late 1980’s. Bill and Tine were close friends with James and Polly and they often travelled together on short trips to Arkansas or Branson, Missouri. Tine was another great cook in the family and would go all out for her Thanksgiving or Christmas get togethers. Her home was always immaculate and well-kept. After Bill passed away, Tine was no longer able to stay in her beautiful home and went to live at Windsor Retirement Home in Terrell.
After Ola and Polly died in 2012, she was the last of the ten Criswell siblings left. With her passing on November 5, 2013, at age 95, a chapter in Forney history closed. Of course, the Criswell family is still here. There are many members who still reside in Forney and many others are scattered around the country, but the remarkable Criswell sisters have left a hole in this town’s history that will never be filled.
Photo & article courtesy of Cheree Townsend Cargill.
