Lester Caves

Birth: He was born in 1894 in Texas.  

Family Information: Brother of Inez Yost.

Married to Ada Caves.

Father of Leon and Esta Caves.  

Description:  

Pre-Colony History: In 1900 and 1910 he was living in Texas with his parents and siblings -- in 1910 he was working as a farm laborer on the home farm. In 1920 and 1930 he was living in Sanger, Texas with his wife and two children -- in 1920 he was farming and 1930 he was a grocery merchant.

In December 1928 he was a new subscriber to the "Llano Colonist" along with J.H. Eggleston, Prof. W.D. Laurie, C.P. Allred, G. C. Campbell and Bert Bertino -- all from Texas.  

Home in Colony:  

Job in Colony: In September 1931 one hundred fifty sacks of beans and peas were picked in the forenoon by a volunteer crew of men, women and children. The crowd gathered a little after 7 am and was divided into different crews to look after different fields; by 11:30 the job was done. Volunteers included: Killian, Butts, Lloyd, Baldwin, Waters, Doc Williams, Quentin, Fred Busick, Roscoe Busick, Byron Busick, Vivian Busick, Graves, Webb, John Allred, Melvina Hullinger, Fred Levan, Goeke, Eldred, Tom Farrell, Claud Allred, Earl Swenson, Mackie, Frank Collins, George Collins, Boydelatour, Cleve Campbell, Mr. Caves, Clarence Long, Harry Rennick, Dee Kurtz, Pittman, Edminster, Walter Fread, Clarence Fread, Mrs. Herron, Woodruff, J.W. Gilbert, H.M. Wood, Winegar, Bert Moore, Lindwall, Ole Synoground, Rohr, Carnahan, Hoens, Mrs. Wooley, John Neill, Robert Roe, Warren Roe, Nesnow, Bartrum and B. Stevens.

In 1935 was working in the Vernon Cash Store that was located in the colony Industrial Building which also contained the Coffee Shop, the machine shop, garage and tin shop.  

Other Info: In October 1931 an old-time musical melange was gotten up by Bill Killian, who played alto on his fiddle while Comrade Banks, who is an old-time showman, played the first fiddle, Les Caves strummed the guitar and Claud Long picked the mandolin. Their snappy numbers were much enjoyed, and a repeat number had to be given.

On May Day, 1935, some dissatisfied colonists -- most of them younger members who had not yet earned their right to vote on colony decisions -- held a meeting while Pickett was out of town and elected a new Board of Directors that didn't include George Pickett. Doc Williams, an on-again / off-again colonist from the early years in California, was elected President; Eugene Carl, a new member who'd only been at the colony about three months -- he was still a probationer and consequently didn't even have voting rights in colony matters, was elected Executive Director; and Walter Robison, also a recent arrival, was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Pickett and his supporters fought the action in the Vernon Parish courts, but even though the courts ruled the new board was not legal, they also refused to name Pickett's board as the legal directors, so the disagreements within the colony only continued to escalate.

Read the Court Judgment dated September 6, 1935.

In order to claim that an official board had been properly elected after the court judgment had been handed down, the new board and leaders held another election. They advertised for former colonists to send in their proxies and adopted a rule permitting all resident members who had been at the colony more than sixty days to vote in the election, provided too few proxies were received to hold a regular stock holders' meeting.

In October 1935 he was nominated to be on the self-proclaimed "legal" Board of Directors, along with (in order of nomination), Robert K. Williams, E.D. Carl, Crockett Campbell, John Szpila, Harold Emery, Charles Lawrence, Chester Peecher, E.O. Joynes, Chester Page, Horace Cronk, George Hullinger, Walter Robison, "Chauncey" DuProz, Mrs. Olive Lentz, Mrs. Mabel Busick, Lionel Crossland, Charles Derleth, J.H. "Dad" Ribbing and Cy Horney.

As expected, less than one fourth the required stock was represented at the Stockholders' meeting, so the colonists proceeded with the election of a new board of directors as planned. Those selected were: Robert K. Williams, E.C. Carl, Lester Caves, Crockett Campbell, Harold Emery, Chester Peecher, E.O. Joynes, Charles Lawrence, and Chester Page. Runners up were Mrs. Mabel Busick, Horace Cronk and John Szpila.

This new board tried to make improvements to colony life, but after the first year, finances were in such a state that the court appointed a receiver to help them straighten out their affairs. Two different receivers tried to calm the colonists and persuade them to work together, but this proved fruitless.

In June, 1937, as disaster loomed, some control was returned to Pickett when he was asked to be, first the Farm Superintendent, then the Ice Plant Manager, and finally in control of all colony industries. Unfortunately, it was too late; within months the receiver petitioned the court for permission to sell the land and soon began to divide the property into smaller lots which were sold at auction for much less than their actual value.

In 1936 Doc Williams took Lester and his sister to Gainesville, Texas where their mother was seriously ill.  

Post-Colony History: In 1937 Roy McLean visited the Caves family in Houston, Texas and reported that Les had opened up a grocery store in Houston and was getting off to a good start there.

In 1940 he was living in Texas with his wife, likely next door to her mother and brother, Susan and Crockett Campbell. At the time he was working as a watchman for a manufacturing company.  

Death: He died in 1975 in Texas.  

Sources: US Census: 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940; "Llano Colonist": December 1, 1928, September 5, 1931, October 3, 1931, August 24, 1935, October 12, 1935, February 29, 1936, August 15, 1936, February 13, 1937; "Denton Record Chronicle": August 21, 1936; Texas Death Certificate