It was during the Civil War that the Nichols Family traveled from Alabama to
Waller County to seek new beginnings. It was a long hard trip traveling with just a few cattle, sheep and hogs that were herded with their wagons that carried their belongings and family but they found it to be worthwhile and prosperous.
John Anderson Nichols, along with his mother and father settled in Waller near the Montgomery County line. It was there that John Anderson Nichols married Melinda Davis, purchased 600 acres for farming and raised his family. John and Melinda raised two sons, Harvey Close and Herbert Edgar.
In the early 1900’s John and his son, Harvey started a sawmill near the Lloyd’s place on Three Mile Creek and later they moved the mill about five miles out of Magnolia near the original Nichols home.
Harvey Close then married Edna Dinkins. It was always said that she taught Harvey all he knew about estimating and measuring the timber. Harvey Close and Edna Dinkins had two sons, Harvey Lester who married Annie Laura at age seventeen and they had a family of four sons, Wayne, Harvey, Gerald, and John. Herbert Edgar, Harvey’s brother, married Florence Ready and they had two daughters, Wilma and Pauline. Wilma married Ashford Miner. James Anderson “Chuck”, brother of Harvey Lester, married Floradel Yelverton.
Back in those days, they used very large, strong mules to pull the logs from the woods to the mill for harvest. Everything was done by hand, with strong, hard working men. This type work was very much needed, as new families arrived, they depended on the mills. Harvey Close ran the mill along with his brother James Anderson “Chuck” and also had employees, some listed by name were Roy and Earl Oliver, Bud Collier, and son Adolph. Harvey Lester, son of Harvey Close worked in the mill starting in his teenage years. Annie Laura, wife of Harvey Lester was still living on the home place at age 78 built by Harvey Close Nichols on, what we still know as, Nichols Sawmill Road.
Written By
Bernadine Thomas
Circa 2013