Early Business Men of Chatfield
By L. P. Hodge
Originally published in "The Navarro County Scroll", 1958
Reprinted with permission of the Navarro County Historical Society

A number of people have asked me about where Chatfield got its name, and the early business men of Chatfield.  As some of this failed to get in print, and some I failed to mention,  I will take this opportunity to clear myself.

Chatfield was named for Champion Chatfield, an Indian trader, who ran a trading post at Chatfield Springs from about 1834 to 1844.   Caddo and Cherokee Indians where his chief customers.  Champion Chatfield was a Scot Irish pioneer.  Later he joined the Mormons and went with them on their long journey to Salt Lake City.

My grandfather came to Texas in 1850 and bought the land on which Chatfield Springs was located.

Hodge and Hervey was the first business established in Chatfield.  This was in 1852.  Cloptan and Haney, and Lush Bartlet soon followed.  Others came in also that I do not know.  Soon after the Civil War, W. W. Loop and J. R. Guynes both had business at Chatfield and were both successful.  In the early nineties F. B. LeSueur, Buskirk and Ware, McCants Brothers, Talbert, Clayton and Guynes all operated business at Chatfield.

F. B. LeSuer started a business on a forty dollar capitol, and when he died in 1911 he was a well fixed man.  A. H. Witherspoon established a business at Chatfield in 1900 and operated this business until 1944.   Other business men were C. S. Henderson and W. J. Anderson, Dave Denbow, H. C. Hervey, Hodge Brothers, J. R. Calloway, O. F. Crockett.  The present business men of Chatfield are J. N. Little and Morris Kirby.

I. B. Sessions was one of the earliest church leaders of Chatfield.  he came to Chatfield in 1867.  He was a good farmer and gave much of his time to the church.  he was a close observer of the Sabbath, but when Monday morning arrived he called his boys early saying, "Get up, boys, it is Monday morning, the week is half gone and nothing done".

R. M. McMullen was a church leader from 1869 to 1926.  He was a polished, well-groomed, and influential man.  C. G. Mizell was an active Christian leader from 1890 to 1913.

W. P. Thorp is an active church leader of the community at the present time.