1870 Census of Seguin, Guadalupe Co TX

Name Age
P W Hobs 52
Caroline Hobs 36
Ella F Hobs 14
Wattie Hobs 12
Emma Hobs 10
Anna Hobs 77 b NC
Sallie Butler 21

Central Texas was still rugged frontier country when the Hobbs family lived there. On July 6, 1872, Preston Hobbs was shot in the back and killed while riding back to Nockenut from the County Seat in Seguin. Local legend has it that he recognized the horse being ridden by a young man as stolen, and was murdered to insure his silence. In a letter to P. H. Baker, Commissioner of the Pension Office, dated May 10, 1873, Lawson Hobbs stated that, in addition to Preston, Anna Hobbs had two other sons "waylaid and killed in the South." More insight into Preston's death is found in a letter from his father-in-law L. H. Dillard to one of his sons, dated July 28, 1872.217 The letter is quoted herewith:

"Dear Son,
I herewith acknowledge the reception of yours bearing the sad intelligence of the death of Brother. Our loss no dout is his infinate gain for the has gon from the troubles to come, to set down at the right hand of the Father and to hear the welcom approbation come ye blessed of Father enter thou into the joys of thy Lord. I expect to follow in a few days more. O what a happy time it will be, if I should be permitted to meet him just over Jordan in that happy land where parting will be no more. Let us strive to make our calling and election shure. I often feal that it is my greatest desire to get well out of this land of the dying, into the land of the living. If you wish to write to Sister Maria in Tenn direct. Nashville Tennessee car of Rev. C. C. Mayhew. Waylaid him and shot him five times on his way from Segene home. We alre all in good health. Mary, Bob & Hence is gon up in Cook & Jack Counties so I have not seen them since I recd. your letter. Crops good but vary hot & dry. As ever your affectionate father.
L. H. Dillard"

A slightly different story is told by Jesse M. Jones.179 “William Preston Hobbs (sic) was born in Daviess County, Indiana on 6-17-1818. [Note: By this time Daviess County Indiana was created out of Territory belonging to Knox County Indiana.]

“From early in life William Preston Hobbs was designated to be a Methodist Minister. William Preston Hobbs had what was known in a ‘Biblical’ term as a ‘thorn in the flesh’, as he was club-footed. When William Preston Hobbs migrated to Texas from Indiana with his parents, Joseph and Anna (Jones) Hobbs, Jr., in 1841 he stayed in the home of his uncle and his wife, Lewis (Louis) and Rebecca (Raper-McDonald) Jones in Shelby County Texas and was studying to be a Methodist Minister. [Note: William Preston Hobbs was a member of the Luling Texas Circuit of the Methodist Episcopal Church.]

“William Preston Hobbs was married to Caroline Kate (Dillard) Hobbs of Cherokee, Texas ca 1855. Caroline Kate (Dillard) Hobbs was born on October 6, 1834 and was the daughter of Lewis H. Dillard.

“The Rev. William Preston Hobbs was killed on July 6, 1872 and family tradition says the Rev. William Preston Hobbs was killed when he, William Preston Hobbs, recognized a horse that had been reported stolen and as he approached the horse he was shot and killed. The ground was soft and muddy and his tracks were recognized (remember, he was club-footed) and it was here his body was found. Rev. William Preston Hobbs must have recognized the horse and approached on foot. The assailant was never caught.”

By the Waco, Texas Register, we see that Rev. Preston W. HOBBS, a prominent Methodist preacher was murdered in Gaudaloupe County, that State on the 8th of last month. Mr. HOBBS formerly resided in this county, and in boyhood days we were well acquainted with him. Many of our citizens will remember the HOBBS family. It appears that rebel hatred of Methodist preachers has not all died out yet. Of course this was the work of Ku-Klux. We mention this case simply because Mr. Hobbs has many friends here who will remember him.218

Also given as Caroline Kate Dillard.216