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Thomas and Mary Glover were brought to Texas from Louisiana by slave masters. The couple later settled in Madison County. The Glover name came from the slave owners. Willis Glover (1871-1965) was their son, and Solen Glover (1905-1998), was Willis’s son. Solen lived in the Rocky Hill community and married Johnnie Mae Haynes in 1940. Their children included John, Melvin, Raymond, Judie, Charles, Cornell, Johnnie, and Floyd. Solen also had son Albert by an earlier marriage. Son Melvin lost his right arm in a tractor accident when he was 18. He was alone and carried the severed arm with him when he walked to get medical attention! Through the years he was a truck driver, a truck salesman, and more, He founded Madisonville’s popular local Glover Rodeo, holding the first in 1981 at his own arena near West End Cemetery. In 1982 he moved the rodeo to the MSCA arena where it was held until the early 2000s. In 2002, he moved the rodeo to Hearne, where it was held until 2020. The 2021 rodeo was cancelled after his death February 21, 2021. His daughter, Melva Glover, has also hosted local rodeos, one in 2008 at Glover Ranch on Glover Lane, and others elsewhere in 2010 – 2015.
