Frank Lea was an early settler and prominent figure in White Oaks, New Mexico in the late 19th century. According to the search results:
- Lea arrived in White Oaks in May 1880 to open a drugstore and soon took up mining.1 He served as the town’s first treasurer.1
- Lea was a Justice of the Peace first in White Oaks, and later in Roswell.5 In the early 1830s, he established the Lea Cattle Company.5
- Lea was described as “one of the first settlers of the Pecos Valley” who “did a great service and accomplished a wonderful work for the Territory of New Mexico.”3
- The search results provide details on Lea’s involvement in the early development and governance of White Oaks, as well as his cattle ranching business in the region.1345
- 1 https://www.whiteoaksnmgoldrush.com/frank-lea/
2 https://www.whiteoaksnmgoldrush.com/lincoln-county-ownership-frank-lea/
3 https://www.whiteoaksnmgoldrush.com/early-white-oaks-n-m-business-1880/
4 https://www.historynet.com/white-oaks-billy-the-kid/
5 https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/publications/guides/scenictrips/downloads/12/Scenic_Trip-
In summary, Frank Lea was an influential early settler and leader in White Oaks, New Mexico in the late 1800s, serving as a Justice of the Peace, treasurer, and establishing a prominent cattle company in the area.1345
When Franklin Houston Lea was born on July 18, 1843, in Cleveland, Tennessee, his father, Pleasant, was 35 and his mother, Lucinda, was 22. He married Susan Caroline “Sue” Whetstone Lea on November 14, 1866, in Louisiana. They had seven children in 12 years. He died on July 10, 1905, in Roswell, New Mexico, at the age of 61, and was buried there.
JUDGE LEA IS DEAD
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PASSED TO HIS LAST REST EARLY THIS MORNING
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A PIONEER
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Judge Lea Was One of the Early Settlers of the Pecos Valley, Doing Much for
Roswell. A Sketch of His Life. The Funeral Service on Sunday.
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Though not unexpected, the announcement of the death of Judge Lea this morning came as a shock to nearly every citizen of Roswell. While his decline has been steady for a year past his condition became serious two weeks ago today. Frank Houston Lea was born at Cleveland, Tennessee, July 18th, 1843.
When but five years old his parents, Dr. Pleasant J.G. Lea and Lucy Calloway Lea, moved to Jackson County, Missouri. When only eighteen his father was shot down in his own yard, and he and his older brother, the lamented Capt. Joseph Lea, were forced by the exigencies of conditions on the Missouri-Kansas border to flee from home, joining their fortunes with the Stars and Bars, and for four years Frank Lea, refusing many offers for promotion, fought as a private. At the close of the war he settled in Moorehouse Parish, Louisiana, and in 1866 married Miss Sue C. Whetstone.
In the spring of 1871 they moved to his former home at Lee’s Summit, Jackson County, MO. Then in 1879 they moved to New Mexico, lived in Roswell for a short time, and then moved to White Oaks. 1884 they returned to Roswell. On the organization of Chaves County in 1890 Judge Lea was elected Probate Clerk and held the office for two terms, this being the only county office he ever asked for. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace for a number of years
Since the death of his wife, which occurred some three years ago, he has made his home with his daughter, Mrs. J. Rowland. He leaves seven children, Joseph D. Lea, Mrs. McDowell Minter, Mrs. Lucius Dill, Mrs. Lea L. Wells, Mrs. W.T. Joyner, Mrs. Jennie Rowland and Mrs. V.R. Kenney, who have all been with him at his last illness, except Mrs. Wells who resides in Henrietta, Texas. Judge Lea was a man of marked individuality, strong in his convictions and opinions; a loyal, law-enforcing official. His friends were every good citizen in the county.
As one of the first settlers of the Pecos Valley, Judge Lea did a great service and accomplished a wonderful work for the Territory of New Mexico. He was the original settler of White Oaks, having staked off the town with the use of a tape measure in the early history of the Territory. He came to the present site of Roswell in 1881 and built one of the first houses in the town. This house was the ancient adobe building that stood on the alley back of the Joyce-Pruit store and was washed down during the last flood.
| Name: | Frank Lea | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | Abt 1843 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||||
| Home in 1880: | White Oaks, Lincoln, New Mexico, USA | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dwelling Number: | 36 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Self (Head) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Marital status: | Married | ||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse’s Name: | Susan Lea | ||||||||||||||||||
| Father’s Birthplace: | Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mother’s Birthplace: | Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Merchant | ||||||||||||||||||
| Household Members: |
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Newspaper Clippings
Lincoln County Ownership
See Interactive Map Ownership
Ancestry.com
- LISTED
White Oaks Pioneer From 1880-1900?
- No
Gold Miner?
- No