Jackson Broocks Osborne Papers

Jackson Broocks Osborne was born on February 27, 1923, to Isham Jackson Osborne and Eugenia Allen Broocks. His father died in 1926, and Jackson and his mother then moved to Beaumont, Texas, to live with her mother and stepfather, Laura Sims Allen and John H. Broocks.

John H. Broocks was originally from San Augustine County, Texas, where he was born on March 15, 1862, to Colonel John H. Broocks and Elizabeth Jerome Polk. The Broocks family was involved there in a family feud known as the Wall-Broocks-Border Feud. The Wall boys were childhood enemies of Lycurgus Border, who was related to the Broocks family. George Wall became sheriff of the county in 1900, and in April, Lycurgus Border shot and killed Wall. He was indicted but never tried for this crime. Retaliation soon followed, with Eugene Wall shooting and killing Ben C. Broocks, one of John H. Broocks' brothers, on June 2. This action sparked an attack on the courthouse on June 4 by Border and other Broocks relatives. In this attack, they wounded Sheriff Noel Roberts, Wall's nephew, and killed his two brothers, Sid and Felix Roberts. No trials were held for this attack. Eugene Wall was acquitted for the death of Ben C. Broocks, on the grounds of self-defense, but he was assassinated by an unknown person on October 25, 1901. Border was killed in 1904 by Sheriff Sneed Noble, after he had threatened to kill Noble.

John H. Broocks, meanwhile, lived in Beaumont with his other brother, Moses Lycurgus (1864-1908). They established a legal firm known as Broocks & Broocks, based in Beaumont and San Augustine, which dealt mainly with real estate law. Of significant importance was they represented Pattillo Higgins in 1901 in his suits against George W. Carroll and Anthony F. Lucas for the money he felt he was due from the oil discovery of Spindletop. In addition to their legal practice, Moses represented the Second District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1905-1907, and John was a principal owner of the Gulf and Interstate Railroad from Beaumont to Galveston, and a director in the Higgins Oil and Fuel Company. They also directed the Jefferson County Abstract Company, a real estate firm, and invested heavily in rice agriculture.

After serving in Congress, Moses returned to San Augustine, where he died in 1908. He is buried in Old Broocks Cemetery.

In 1906, John married his brother Ben's widow, Laura Sims Allen. She had married Ben in 1894, and they had three children together: Ben, Ara Francis, and Eugenia Allen Broocks. John and Laura had one child together, Elizabeth Jerome, born around 1910. John and Laura both died in 1938, and are buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Beaumont, Texas.

Eugenia Allen Broocks was born on November 17, 1900. She married Isham Jackson Osborne (October 21, 1895 - April 1, 1926) in the Dallas area, remaining there until Osborne's death. She then moved back to Beaumont with her son, Jackson Broocks Osborne. She remarried in August 1938, to William Seale (September 2, 1882 - January 29, 1962). Seale was a lumberman and contractor who worked in the Beaumont area. He was an active member of the American Lumberman Society in the 1920's. His sister, Ruth, owned her own pharmacy, R. Seale & Co. Drugs. William and Eugenia's son, William Seale, Jr., became a noted historian and historical preservationist. He has written extensively on the restoration of historic American buildings.

Jackson followed in his grandfather's footsteps and entered the legal profession. He dealt mainly with oil and gas law. He also was deeply interested in history, joining the Beaumont Heritage Society and the Tyrrell Historical Library Association, and serving as president of the Texas Gulf Historical and Biographical Record.

Jackson married Margaret "Peggy" June Wilson (1926-2005), and he served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He and Margaret had two sons. They were divorced on October 31, 1985. Jackson married a second time in 1986, uniting with Yvonne L. Lyle. Margaret also remarried, uniting with Dr. Joseph B. Carlucci, a former conductor of the Symphony of Southeast Texas. Jackson passed away on Febraury 6, 1994. He and his mother, stepfather, and grandparents are buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Beaumont.