VERNON, MALCOLM GRAHAM (1861-1936). Malcolm Graham Vernon, cowboy and businessman, son of Nancy Amanda (Dial) and Thomas Gaines Vernon, was born at New Danville, Texas, on March 10, 1861. His father died in the Civil War,^qv and his childhood was spent in his grandparents' homes in Rusk and Grapevine, Texas. At age fifteen he left home to work on ranches in West Texas. Most of his years as a young cowboy were spent with the Half Circle Six Ranch, headquartered at Knickerbocker in Tom Green County. In 1891 he left ranch life and opened a general store in Strawn, Texas. He later served on the school board there and also as mayor of Strawn. He was active in city, county, and state politics. He married Emma Lewis in June 1892 at Forney, Texas; the couple had four children. In 1901 he sold his store and organized the M. G. Vernon Insurance Agency, which he operated until his death on February 2, 1936, in Strawn.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Anna Manns Dana, Under the Texas Sun: Adventures of a Texas Cowpuncher (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1986). Strawn Tribune, February 3, 1936.

Anna Manns Dana