John Henry Rasor
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John Henry Rasor | |
|---|---|
 John Henry Rasor in 1880[1] | |
| Born | 22 November 1849 Indiana, USA |
| Died | 5 November 1925 (aged 75) Plano, Texas, USA |
| Occupation | Rancher |
| Known for | Rasor Elementary School |
John Henry Rasor (22 November 1849 - 5 November 1925) was a Plano, Texas, United States cotton farmer.[2]
John Henry Rasor was born on 22 November 1849 in Indiana. He moved to Meade County, Kentucky, where he married Mary Ratchford. The couple were to have ten sons and two daughters. They moved to Iowa, and then in February 1883 moved to Texas, where Rasor rented a farm near Plano, Texas from Texas State Senator James R. Gough. Later he bought the farm and other land around it.[3]
The Rasors were largely self-sufficient. They grew their own vegetables, corn and wheat in the fertile Texas blackland prairies soil, and collected wild fruit and nuts. Depending on the season, they hunted for wild hogs that lived by the creeks, and for squirrels, and deer. Contrary to claims that the Rasors also hunted American Bison and American Black Bear, the ranges of those animals by the 1880s in Texas makes such claims highly unlikely,[citation needed] bison being exterminated in the Plano area thirty years prior to the Rasors' emigration. [citation needed] They dried and preserved the meat for later use.[4] Later they raised their own hogs.[5] The Rasors also raised cattle. Rasor was an extremely capable farmer, running a profitable operation and plowing back his profits into expanding the ranch.[3]
The Rasor family played a significant role in the cotton industry, with what became one of the largest operations in the area. Their ranch grew to cover nearly 4,000 acres (1,600 ha), with huge silos, barns and feedlots. They even had their own smithy. The ranch lay on both sides of what is now called Independence Parkway. At its largest extent the ranch included most of the area between Hedgcoxe Road and Highway 121 from Preston Road to Alma Road.[6]
John Henry Rasor died at his home on 5 November 1925 at the age of 75.[3]