Forster, James A.

James A. Forster (Foster) Family

J. A. Forster Family, 1919. L to R: Nell, Dub (G.W.) Carl, Eula, and Albert Forster.

James Albert (Al) Forster was born in the community of Liberty Grove (northeast Dallas County) on September 23, 1889. He was the son of George Washington and Mary Emma Lauretta Southworth Forster. George Washington was born October 6, 1853 at Appanoose County, Iowa and Mary Emma was born July 13, 1860. Al married Mary Eula Ross at Happy Home on August 28, 1909. Happy Home was located east of Rowlett on present-day Highway 66 near the East Fork of the Trinity River. The entire area is now under Lake Ray Hubbard.

Eula was the daughter of Samuel (Sam) and Elizabeth (Betty) Bright Ross. Sam was a drover and made several trips up the Chisholm Trail to the railhead at Kansas.

Al purchased a horse driven circular saw during World War I and began cutting Bois D'arc trees into sections about three feet long. These sections were then loaded into a wagon and transported to Rockwall where several wagon loads were accumulated before being loaded onto a steam locomotive and shipped out to government buyers. The Bois D'arc blocks were then cut into smaller chunks and soaked in boiling water prior to being transformed into a solution that was used to dye the soldier's khaki uniforms.

Al bought the Liberty Grove Store from Jim Lewis around 1917 and later traded the store for some farmland near Garland. He was extremely successful at growing cotton and used his profits from farming to open a general store at Wylie in 1927. This was the year that all of the banks failed and Albert lost $33,000 which would be equivalent to $750,000 in 2002.

His first few years in business were during the depression when groceries were sold on credit, as almost no one had money. Richy Burst was about the only one who paid his bill that year; he had bought two wagon loads of corn. When he paid, Albert asked how'd you do it? Richy said, "It's simple, I make good moonshine. People will pay for good whiskey."

Albert and Eula had a total of ten children. They were infant Floyd; infant Baby; Carl Casey, who married Gladys Nita Poor; Nell Loraine, who married Mack Brawley; George Washington (Dub), who married Tommie Jean Boren; Luther Clyde, who married Dorris Lorraine Merritt; Mary Edith, who married Garland Murry; Barney Hamilton, who married Idell Combs; Betty Ladine, who married William E. Burch and then Otis Sherman; and Joyce Lucille, who married Edward Lankford.

Albert Forster died December 1, 1945 and Mary Eula Ross Forster died July 1, 1978. Both were members of the Cottonwood Church of Christ and were buried at Cottonwood Cemetery.