© Kathy Duncan, 2026
Take this to heart. Do not give up in your search for information on your ancestors. It's out there, but it may take some time to surface. I've searched for an obituary for my 2x great-grandfather, G. D. Nevill, for decades. I knew it was a fruitless search because the newspaper where he died burned, but I've continued to look. The old Clarksville, Texas newspapers, prior to about 1944, were consigned to the bonfire by the owners of the Clarksville Times years ago. It's a sore spot among the residents who care about Red River County's history. And I admit, it's a sore spot with me, too.
My 2x great-grandfather was named Grandison D. Nevill after his father. Sometimes the name appears as Granderson. However, for most of his life, he was called Granville D. Nevill. I thought it was originally to distinguish him from his father, but in some records his father is called Granville, too. But, I digress. Nevill is spelled a variety of ways in records: Nevill, Neville, Nevil, Nevills, Nevilles, Nevils, Nevels, etc. The full list has to be kept in mind when using databases, like those for newspapears, that require exact spelling.
As luck would have it, Red River County, Texas, borders McCurtain County, Oklahoma, which also had newspapers. Granville's son, Solomon "Bud" Nevill was a real estate agent in Broken Bow, McCurtain County, Oklahoma. When Bud Nevill's father died, and he went to Avery, Texas, for the funeral, the Broken Bow News reported on it on 13 June 1924.
The paper reported that Granville was injured when "in some way he fell" from the truck his son William "Bill" Granville Neville was driving.
As it turns out, I know how that happened, or at least, I know the Duncan version of what happened. My great-grandmother was Bud Nevill's sister, Susie Duncan of Avery, Texas. My grandfather told me this story several times. Decades later, he still became angry about what happened. My grandfather was seventeen when his grandfather died. He would have heard this discussed at home and probably around town.
Bill Nevill was driving a truck with his father, Granville, in it. They were in Avery when Bill took a sharp curve by the Methodist Church too fast. That curve is still there. During my childhood, there was a railroad track crossing there as well. My grandfather always said that Bill was driving too fast when he took that curve and threw the old man out of the truck. My grandfather emphasized that they were meeting a horse and wagon, and Bill was driving so fast that he spooked the horse.
Of the several states that Granville D. Nevill lived in, I know of Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Were there more??
Every time I take this curve, I think of my great-great-grandfather, Granville D. Nevill, falling from a vehicle and dying from his injuries.
