The first generation of Stobaughs came from Bastrop County, Texas, in approximately 1885. Wylie Jefferson Stobaugh, (August 20, 1849, in Arkansas - 1921), married Elizabeth Petty, April 6, 1850 in Bastrop County, in a little town known today as Pettytown in 1868.  Her parents, Alexander Anderson (served in Civil War) and Sarah Ann (Vaughn) Petty, left Bastrop County about 1876 and moved to Coleman County.  Part of Coleman was built on part of the Anderson Petty farm.  Also, he and a man named Coleman, established the first bank in Coleman. The Pettys got their Indian blood from Sarah Ann's mother, Elizabeth (Dawson) Petty, who was one-half Cherokee Indian (see Petty-Stobaugh-Smith). Wylie Jefferson and Elizabeth settled near Rockwood. Two of their 10 children were born there, Walter Perry, January 6, 1887, and Archibald Bertram (Bert), June 10, 1890 (see Templeton William [Bud] Bartholomew).  Walter Perry attended school at Rockwood.  There are numerous tales around that area of those wild Stobaugh boys."  One humorous story was of a tent prayer meeting at which prayers were being offered for rain.  Perry and Bert attended the prayer meeting wearing heavy slickers.

     In June of 1908, Perry married Willie Edna White, born March 10, 1891.  After only three dates they ran off to Santa Anna with the late Alma Brown, Retamay Gaines' mother, and one of Willie's brothers, Doc White, whose daughter, Addie Rose (White) Gilliam, still lives in Coleman.  The elopement was made in a horse drawn buggy.  It was necessary to elope as Willie was only 17 years old at the time and Perry had such a bad reputation, her father, J. C. White, who was a Church of Christ minister, would have disapproved and forbidden the marriage.

John Carrol White, born May 29, 1853 in Birmingham, Alabama, and his wife, Rosa Lee Wingo, born May 24, 1857 in Tishimingo County, Mississippi, were married September 18, 1873, and came to Texas in 1874 (see White-Ely families). The Whites had 13 children, four of whom were born in Coleman County, after they left Delta County.  These included Willie Edna, Lena Marie who died in infancy, Josephine (Mrs. Bud Cooper), and Bowers May (Mrs. Ross Russell) who is the only surviving White of that generation.  The White family bought a farm near Glen Cove.  John C. left the county after Willie and Perry were married and the whole family went to Oregon, but only stayed six months.  The White clan returned to Coleman County and bought another little farm near Glen Cove.  He was a part time minister and one of his churches is still standing across from the city light plant.  The old white frame building has still been used for a church in the past several years.  He also had a wagon yard located where the Shoppin' Baskit is now located.  Rosa Lee and her children were called upon to help make a living for the family by planting and picking their own cotton and that of their neighbors.  John C. died in 1934, Rosa Lee in 1937, both buried in Coleman.

     After Willie and Perry returned from Oregon, they lived with his parents in the house that still stands at 1002 Commercial Avenue.  Perry worked for his uncle, E. T. Petty, in his bakery.  He then worked for Gober Brothers which was located where Liveoak Real Estate is now.  E. T. Petty gave the bakery to Perry.  He sold the bakery because he thought he might have to serve in World War I.  When he did not, he bought a grocery store located where Tolar Refrigeration is now.  It burned to the ground in about one year and he moved the store to where the Trading Post is now located.

     The Stobaugh family lived in quarters above this store and Willie rented out rooms and also checked in the grocery store.  Some of Perry's first business partners were Henry Horne and H. M. Thompson.  In 1928, he secured the Piggly Wiggly franchise.  In 1929, he purchased the lot on the corner of Concho Street and College Avenue from Judge J. C. White and built the existing building.  The Piggly Wiggly moved into this new building in 1930.  He was in the grocery business until selling his interests in 1944.  During this time, he also operated grocery stores with William Thate in Santa Anna and Goldthwaite.  It was in the Santa Anna store that Ross Russell went to work for Perry, his brother-in-law, working for Perry approximately 40 years.  The home where Ross and Bowers still reside, at 111 East Elm, was the last home of W. J. and Elizabeth Stobaugh.  In 1938, Perry gave his long time employee this home and also gave homes to several employees who "grew up in his store."  Some of these homes are still occupied by those employees or their widows.

     Perry was a deeply religious man and an elder in the First Christian Church, filling the pulpit himself from time to time.  In 1942, he gave the church its first parsonage.  He was also an active Mason and played a big part in erecting the building where the Masonic Lodge is still located.  Perry also had extensive ranching interests.  He had purchased part of the old Overall and Beck ranches and after his retirement from the grocery business in 1944, devoted his time to ranching until his death October 10, 1946.  After his death, his widow continued to be an active member of Coleman society and was an extremely active member in the First Christian Church and one of its most benevolent members.  Willie was a charter member of Coleman's first bridge club, lovingly called "The Thursday Club" and bridge continued to be her favorite hobby and pastime until her death at age 91, May 9, 1982.  The Stobaughs had two children: Doris Camille, born October 7, 1909 in a house on Concho Street, and a stillborn infant son, born in 1912.  Camille lived with her parents over the grocery store on Pecan Street until Perry bought the home at 519 West College Avenue, built by R. E. L. Culp, an early day surveyor who had built the house for his second wife (Camille still resides in this home).  She attended Coleman schools, graduated from Coleman High School, attended Abilene Christian College for a short time, then went to Texas Tech.  There she was a campus beauty and met Gilford Scott.  They were married June 1, 1933 and lived in Lubbock for approximately one year.  Their daughter, Mary Jane, was born there July 7, 1934. T hey then moved to Goldthwaite where Gilford worked for his father-in-law in the Piggly Wiggly.  From there they moved to Coleman and Gilford continued with Piggly Wiggly.  Their son, Thomas Perry, was born October 19, 1938 in Coleman.  His father kiddingly called him "Pedro" which was later shortened to "Pete" which has stuck with him until now.  Gilford worked in the Piggly Wiggly until after Perry's death when he then took over the ranching interest and continued until his death April 30, 1974.  Mary Jane grew up in Coleman, attended Coleman Schools, graduating from Coleman High School in 1951 and attended the University of Texas at Austin for approximately 2½ years.  In December of 1955, she married Ernest Weaver.  He died in March of 1957 with leukemia.  She moved to Midland where she met and married Bill Craddock in 1958.  On July 13, 1959, their daughter, Camille, was born and named for her grandmother.  In 1969, Mary Jane and Camille Craddock moved back to Coleman and in 1971 Mary Jane married T. E. Jamison (see T. E. Jamison).  Thomas Perry "Pete" grew up in Coleman, attended Coleman schools, graduating from Coleman High School with honors in 1957.  He attended the University of Texas at Austin and received his undergraduate and law degrees there.  After a brief tour of duty in the service, he practiced law in the Dallas area until 1974.  He then moved to Los Angeles, California, where he now resides and holds numerous business interests.

     While there are many interesting stories about Perry Stobaugh, perhaps one of the most interesting is about the day the banks closed in Coleman in 1929 during the Depression.  Perry sent Willie to Santa Anna to the bank there and asked Mr. Cheaney to let her have approximately $5000.00.  She returned with the money and Perry opened a bank in the back of the Piggly Wiggly.  He took checks from people who had had money in the closed banks, handed out grocery books so that people could still feed their families, and took I.O.U.'s from teachers who had not been paid.  John Warren of Bowen Drug did the same thing and he says today, "You know, Perry and I did not lose a dime.  Everyone paid us back."  There are older citizens in Coleman today who have remarked, "My dad said he couldn't have made it through the Depression if it hadn't been for Perry Stobaugh."