The History of the East Caney Community

The Alsobrooks Organization is a preeminent multi-cultural family in Hopkins County in the state of Texas. They are the descendants of Mr. Nathan E. Alsobrooks & Family. Their purpose is to educate, assist, develop, and conserve the genealogical history of Mr. Nathan E. Alsobrooks, his descendants and prior ancestors. It is also their purpose to cooperate with local, regional, and statewide genealogical societies in promoting awareness of preserving the Alsobrooks Family Heritage.

"Furthering Humanity by Preserving the Past" is copyrighted by The Alsobrooks Organization.

The History of the East Caney Community

East Caney is an unincorporated community approximately nine miles due east on Interstate 30 from Sulphur Springs, Texas. This community is situated on both sides for seven to nine miles along the East Caney Creek, just northeast of the Como Community in Hopkins County. East Caney was established around the year 1883 or 1885 prior to the turn of the 20th Century. This community was populated by multi-culture families from surrounding counties such as Franklin, Woods and even Titus. Some of the large families that settled in the East Caney Community were names like the Alsobrooks, Askew, Clayton, Dial, Franklin, Hall, Harrison, Johnson, Jones, Lee, Lewis, Nash, Thomas, Washington, Williams and Wright. These families decided to invest time and assets in growing agriculture industry. The primary and most valued crop in northeast Texas was the production of cotton with corn at a close second.

The education system for children in the East Caney Community was highly segregated. A small single room building was built to education the blacks children from 1st grade to either the 7th or 8th. To further a black student's academic studies, he or she would have to relocate to another school in another county that offered secondary education. Center Point High School offered a secondary education curriculum to receive a diploma. Center Point High School was in Camp County, nine miles southeast of Pittsburg, Texas. In the school year of 1935-36 Center Point was highly respected as one of the best black high schools in the East Texas Region. Center Point's physical plant included four buildings with ten classrooms, male & female dormitories, and a cafeteria all valued at $14,000. Students that attended Center Point pursued bachelor degrees at Wiley College, Prairie View A&M University, Grambling University, Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Jackson State University, Alabama State University, Tuskegee University and Fisk University.

A Non-Denominational Christian following convened and held worship service on the hill where the small single room school building was located. The membership grew extensively and became an affiliate of the Missionary Baptist Church. Pastors from other black community churches would visit Sundays and have revivals periodically. Prior to the beginning of the 1930's, the deacon board, members and community erected a new building for East Caney Baptist Church. "Freedom Day" was considered the most memorable event of the year amongst the black citizens. It commemorated the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas in 1865. Affectionately called known as Juneteenth, a name derived from a portmanteau of the words June, eighteenth and nineteenth. The hosting of "Freedom Day" was circulated with other churches and communities such as Mount Vernon, Como and Sulphur Bluff.

World War II was a global military conflict between 1939 and 1945, which involved most of the world"s nations, including all several countries and continents. The war involved the mobilization of over 100 million military personnel, making it the most widespread war in history. East Caney's population was affected dramatically by the Conscription of the United States or referred to as "the draft". This required registration of men between the ages of 18 -25 and the enlisting of these men to active duty, was the decline of the East Caney Community. The world wide exposure and introduction to the rest of the United Stated of America via the U.S. Military Forces gave these men a new vision and perception of a different lifestyle.

The East Caney Cemetery is separated by Hopkins County Road 3345. These two separate divisions are labeled as the "East Side" and "West Side". The east side is the eldest of the two with intermediate dates from the year 1892. Early intermediate names of that same year are Mr. Richard Nelson, Mr. Nathan Pannell, and Mrs. Mattie Towels-Alsobrooks just to name a few. In the year of 1941, the East Caney Missionary Baptist Church purchased an acre of land from The Oliver Askew Family, to expand the East Caney Cemetery on the west side. That initial purchase is only a portion of the entire west side of the cemetery currently. It was been expanded in square feet within the last 15 years.

The Alsobrooks Organization -- "The History of the East Caney Community" document is hereby provided with the expressed written by disclaimer of TheAlsobrooks.Org for use by the USGenWeb Project of Hopkins County Website. This site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All information is correct and protected with all rights and privileges for publication of use by the USGenWeb Project of Hopkins County Website. We submit The Alsobrooks.Org "The History of the East Caney Community" document as of Friday, June 18, 2010.

Respectfully & Sincerely,
Dillard Patrick W. Alsobrooks
Executive Director
The Alsobrooks Organization
6716 Biggs Court
Houston, Texas 77061
info@thealsobrooks.org