Question: Why is Tours, Texas important to you?

Answer: My grandfather, Anton John Jupe, came to Texas as a child. His parents, Johann and Theresia Jupe were part of the group of settlers that founded Tours, Texas. I have always been interested in genealogy and my research led me to write this history. Tours is a small town and I didn’t want its story to be lost, so I wrote a book about.

Question: Where you born in Tours?

Answer: No, I was born in Lott, Texas but I lived in Tours from 1920-1926 and from 1928-1931. My father was from a family of 16 children. All of them lived in Tours so I have a large number of relative in Tours. My parents are buried there.

Question: Do you have a favorite story about Tours?

Answer: When the area was first settled, the pioneers named it St. Martinsville. They arrived there on November 11, 1873 and that is the feast day of St. Martin who was the bishop of Tours, France. When they applied for a post office, they were told the name of St. Martin had already been taken. The group decided to change the name to Tours. It would still honor St. Martin. Plus the Church was named St. Martins Catholic Church.

Question: Is there something about Tours that you are really proud of?

Answer: Tours has been the birthplace of many religious orders – priests and nuns. I am proud of that.

Question: Why are your parents buried in Tours?

Answer: They considered Tours their home. Plus I had a brother who died when he was a small child and he is buried in Tours. They wanted to be buried with him.

Question: How did he die?

Answer: When he was 4 years old his appendix ruptured. It was in 1940. He had to be taken to the hospital in Waco and that took a long time. By the time my parents got him there it was too late to save him. We didn’t have the technology then that we have now.

Question: What was life like in Tours when you were young?

Answer: As children, we worked very hard. My dad was a farmer. Back then farmers didn’t have tractors and machines like farmers have now. Mules pulled the plows and most of the work was done by hand. The whole family had to work to make a living. My family grew cotton. We had to work all summer long in the fields. We had to chop the cotton first. This was done to thin the plants and get rid of the weeds. After the plants matured, we would then pick the cotton and put it in large bags to be taken to the cotton gin. It was very hard, hot work and we worked all day long. On Saturdays we did chores and on Sundays we rested. We went to church and visited with family, friends and neighbors. We didn’t have electricity and the only light was from coal oil lamps. At night, we read or sewed or did handwork. We had an outhouse because we didn’t have an indoor bathroom.

Question: What was school like?

Answer: The school year began when the farm work for the children was over and ended when they were needed to chop corn or cotton. School began at eight in the morning and ended at four. After school we all walked home whatever distance that might be. It was fun because we all walked as a group with relatives and friends who lived in the same direction. We all brought our lunch to school in small molasses buckets. If there was anything left over, it was shared with your favorite friends on the walk back home. Once we got home, there were chores to be done. The boys usually milked the cows and fed the cattle. The girls might gather the eggs or help with the housework. Someone was usually assigned to shucking the corn, putting the ear through the corn grinder and feeding the kernels to the chickens and turkeys. The cobs were used to build the fire in the heating stove the next morning. By the time the chores were done, supper was ready. In the winter it was the heartiest meal of the day. It usually consisted of some form of pork and home canned vegetables. In the summer, the meal was lighter and consisted of a bowl of milk and bread. We usually had green onions or radishes for flavor with this meal. Before we went to bed, we had to do our homework, pack our school bags and get our clothes ready for the next day. We had to get up early to walk to school in the morning.

Question:Why did you enter the convent?

Answer: It was really popular to enter the convent when I was young. I wanted an education because I really liked to read and liked to school. The convent offered me a chance to do that.

Question: What would you like me to know about the early settlers of Tours?

Answer: The early settlers were not poor people. They were educated and skilled, smart people. They came to Texas because they admired the farm life as a good life and a good way to raise their families. The opportunity to have land at a reasonable price is what probably motivated most of them to come to Texas. What they found here was very difficult. The work was hard and it was very different from what they were use to. Some didn’t like it and left but many stayed and made a life and a home for themselves and then us.

Question: Why have so many people left Tours?

Answer: Many of the young people cannot make a living in farming. World War II took so many of the young men away and after the war they moved to cities where there were more jobs and more opportunities.