Wood County History

By LOU MALLORY — Chairperson, Wood County Historical Commission

An early Wood County settler   1-21-06

Peter Magnus Gunstream, a native of Sweden, was one of the first settlers of Wood County. He was born November 8th, 1816 and immigrated to America in 1836, landing at New York.

Gunstream worked his way down to Louisiana where he met and married Mary Alitia Davis. While living in Louisiana, their first two children, Gustavas and Belinda, were born.

In 1847, Peter and Mary loaded their children and household goods into an ox wagon and started for Texas. Gunstream’s brother-in-law John Davis, a Baptist preacher, accompanied them.

When they arrived in Upshur County, Mary and the two children remained with relatives who had previously moved to Texas, while her husband and Davis continued west looking for fertile soil, good timber, and plenty of water.

Several miles west of the Upshur County line, Peter Gunstream found what he had been searching for – a dense virgin forest of pine, oak, maple, gum and hickory.

On an elevation overlooking a creek, Peter and his brother-in-law built a sturdy log cabin. Leaving Davis in charge, Peter went back to Upshur County to bring his wife and children to their new home in what later became northeastern Wood County.

When they arrived, they were greeted by a neighbor, Captain Henry Stout, who lived a few miles away on Stout Creek.

To encourage settlers, the last Congress of the Republic of Texas passed an act on January 22nd, 1845, giving preemption titles to 320 acres of land to any person who would settle upon and improve any portion of the vacant unappropriated domain.

The settler would need to prove his claim, survey the land and apply for a patent within three years from the date of settlement or the date of the law. This practice continued until March 7th, 1880, when it was repealed.

Peter Gunstream was sturdy, industrious and determined.

He set about immediately to fulfill the requirements of the law. He cleared the land for farming and split the felled trees for fencing with the only tools available, axes and mauls. It was a slow, arduous task.

Gunstream also experimented with growing rice, flooding his field with creek water. He also tried wheat and oats, harvesting the grain with a scythe. He grew sorghum which is said to have been the first cane produced west of the Mississippi.

During the uncertain period preceding the Civil War, Gunstream foresaw the need of a sawmill to make both timber and shingles. He also saw the need for a gristmill to grind corn for his family and neighbors. By this time, his family had increased and his wife’s mother had come to live with them.

Gunstream, with the help on his place, constructed a dam on the creek and when the pond was in place, he made the long journey to Jefferson to buy a waterwheel for his mill.

The journey would take weeks and a great deal of preparation was necessary. For example, cooked meat had to be packed in its own fat in order to preserve it, using stone jars as containers.

The wheel Gunstream purchased was eight feet in diameter and was termed an overshot water wheel.

Eventually, the mill went into operation and men came by ox wagon to have their corn ground into meal.

Later on, when the mill went into full swing, it furnished lumber and shingles to the surrounding area.

Receiving mail was a problem in the piney woods section of the county. The mail was brought by mail coach traveling from Marshall to Greenville or other points west or north. Employing his native initiative, Gunstream petitioned the U.S. Post Office Department to establish a post office to be called Holly Springs in the northeastern section of the county and he also applied for the job of postmaster.

The Postmaster General granted the request and Gunstream was appointed postmaster at Holly Springs on the 15th of November 1852. The office was discontinued on the 5th of November in 1866.

Peter Gunstream was the first county commissioner of Precinct 4 after the county was organized in 1850. He was re-elected in 1851. He also served as commissioner of the same precinct from 1876 to 1878.

The lumber for the first courthouse in Quitman came from the Gunstream mill.

Gunstream himself helped build the courthouse and he also made the furniture for the interior.   An accomplished cabinet maker, he also constructed the cabinets and boxes for the Holly Springs post office. These were used for storage many years after the post office was discontinued.

Additionally, according to notes found among his papers, Gunstream also operated a cotton gin at his place.

In addition to Gustavas and Belinda, the Gunstreams had three sons who lived to adulthood: Andrew F., Lemuel L., and Jerome. Two other sons, William D. and Peter, died in childhood. They also had another daughter, Mart Christene.

By his second wife, Mary Rogers Gunstream, Peter Gunstream had two more children, Dremus and Mary Gunstream.

Gunstream’s third marriage to Mrs. Ellen Winkle was childless. Peter Gunstream died in March 1882 and was buried in the family cemetery near the old home place overlooking the present Gunstream Lake.

Editor’s Note: If you like to explore, you can find Gunstream Lake by taking CR 2869 from the Hawkins/Holly Lake area to Highway 154. Turn left and proceed about 4 ½ miles and turn right onto CR 3990.