Benjamin Franklin Erwin 

Birth: 25 NOV 1845, Alabama
Death: 4 JUN 1911, TX
Oakwood Cemetery Tyler TX

Laura Buckner Hoskins 
Birth: JAN 1846 Kentucky
Death: 9 DEC 1908

Married: 23 SEP 1863 (During the civil war)
Place: Smith County Texas

 

Frank enlisted in the Confederate army on June 19th 1861 with his brothers James Robert and Charlie He was 16 years old, James was 22 and Charlie was 19. All three entered with the rank of private in Douglas' Texas Artillery Battery. James came down with pneumonia eight months later, and died. Charlie died in battle less than a month later. This was most likely the reason that 17 year old Frank was discharged and sent home. The commander, who was an acquaintance of the Erwin family, did not want to take the chance of losing a third Erwin brother under his command, especially since Frank was really too young to be there anyway. Many years later this caused a problem when Frank applied for his pension. Records showed him present on the company roll in November and December 1961, but he doesn't appear on later records. 

Frank returned home around January 1863 after serving 18 months. He married Laura Hoskins on 23 September 1863. One month later in October, the Thirty-fifth Texas Cavalry was formed and Frank joined them. He was assigned to Company H which was made up with men from Galveston and Fayette counties. He served with them in the Galveston area until the South's surrender.

Frank was turned down for his pension in 1906, but re-applied in 1909. I cannot find any documentation showing that he was approved or denied the second time. See documents below.

Texans Who Wore The Gray by Sid S. Johnson
Page 154: Frank B. Erwin was born November 25, 1845, in Chambers county, Ala., and removed to Texas with his father's (Col. Thomas B. Erwin) family and settled in Smith county in 1850. At the early age of sixteen he joined Douglas' Texas Battery in Tyler, participating in the battles of Elk Horn Tavern and Farmington. Being under the conscript age, after serving one year with the battery, he was honorably discharged and, returning to the Trans-Mississippi department, enlisted in one of the regiments that composed Walker's division, making as gallant a soldier there as he did in the artillery service

 

When 20 year old Frank returned home from the war, he had a 10 month old daughter waiting on him. Delia had been born on 24 July 1864. Daughter Stella was born 19 Dec 1867, and daughter Lottie Belle on 10 Jul 1875. Frank was a farmer in his younger years. He then became a carpenter, and in his last years he was a manager at the city wagon yard in Tyler. Some time after 23 April 1910, probably in frail health, he moved to San Antonio with his two daughters. He died soon after on 4 Jun 1911 of a Cerebral Hemorrhage caused by Autointoxication, which is a condition of poisoning by substances generated by one's own body, as by toxins resulting from a metabolic disorder. Frank had been hospitalized on May 20th until he died two weeks later at 4:10 am on Saturday June 4th. He is buried in San Antonio with his wife and daughters in Knights of Pythias Cemetery.

 

Laura Buckner Erwin died in Tyler on 9 Dec 1908 of  heart disease. She was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, however she was later moved to San Antonio to be buried with her family. She was 63 years old.

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Frank's Children

Delia Marie Erwin: Married Andrew Bonaparte Reilly from Sulphur Springs Texas on 6 December 1883. She was 19 years old. He was 22. Andrew was a salesman. They moved to San Antonio after they got married, and they lived there the rest of their lives.

Delia died 19 August 1922 of Bright's disease, which is kidney disease frequently accompanied by high blood pressure and heart disease. She was 58 years old.

Children: Langston Erwin Reilly, Annie Louise Reilly, Twins James & Mattie Reilly

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Stella Erwin: Born 19 December 1867.  Was never married. She lived at home with her parents until her mother passed away, then she, her sister and father moved to San Antonio and bought a house right across the street from Delia. There she opened a boarding house. Her sister Lottie also lived with her. Stella was a seamstress. She died 27 May 1937 of Tuberculosis. She was 69 years old. No children.

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Lottie Belle Erwin:  Born 10 July 1875. Married 10 Dec 1891 to Edward Lee McFadin when she was 16 years old. He had just turned 19. They divorced some time before 1898 when he remarried. Lottie never remarried. She was a Millinery (Hat maker) and she owned her own business. She also worked at Joske's in the Millinery department. She died six days before her 86th birthday on 4 July 1961 of heart disease. Her place of residence at the time was 626 E. Quincy St. which was the house that Stella had bought. No children.