East Texas Quarterly Magazine Fall 2014 | Página 15

Above; The beautiful Tonahill house as it sets today. Below Left: The living room has been restored to its original condition. Bottom Center: The bathroom off
what is now the chapel looks as it did many years ago. Bottom Right: The staircase leading to the second floor and the offices for Shultz Funeral home.

“The above mentioned instrument appears to be a
certified copy of the original Spanish grant and is written
entirely in the Spanish language,” wrote Smith. Jasper
County was granted to Robert Conn.”

the property were sold by a variety of owners The Spells
bought the property in 1944 and lived there until 1953
when Joe and Violett Tonahill purchased the home.

The history of the property from 1834 to November 1849
was lost according to a statement issued by the Jasper
County Clerk in 1849. “This book opened as a record on the
23rd day of November, 1849. The courthouse containing the
offices of the District and County clerks caught on fire, and
all their contents were consumed by the fire. The county
jail was also consumed on the same night. Both were in
bright flames when first discovered on the night of 29th
day of October, 1849.”
During the span of the next 100 years, various portions of

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