Louis HALE

The following bio was taken from pages 222-223 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Gloria Riley

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

The Hale family in northern Rusk County descends from James Cornelius McHaney and Mary Ann Woods McHaney, who came from Tennessee to Texas about 1850, settling at Mt. Enterprise. In 1856, McHaney bought land at Crossroads (near Hickory Grove), only one owner removed from the original Texas land grant. Members of the family have lived on and farmed the land continuously since that date. Now known as the Louis Hale Ranch, the property has been recognized by the Texas Family Land Heritage Program of the Texas Department of Agriculture.

The McHaneys had nine children. After Cornelius died in 1865, Mary Ann divided one section (640 acres) of land among her four oldest children, and in 1885, another section among her four youngest children. The latter group included Mollie Virginia McHaney, who married Joel Blanton Hale. It is her portion (124 acres) plus various accumulated holdings of other family members that comprise the Louis Hale Ranch.

Mollie and Blant Hale had sixteen children, twelve living to adulthood and most remaining in the Rusk County area. These included: Willie, Alonza (Lonnie), Ella Kate, Mansel Elder, Howell Pope, Annie Joel Clifton (Cliff), Mary Lois, Dosca, Bonnie, Vallie, Minnie, Lillian, Marvin, and Floyd.

In 1942, Mollie deeded her land to her three single daughters, Mary Lois, Dosca, and Bonnie. In 1974 the daughters deeded the land to their nephew, Louis F. Hale, son of Howell Pope Hale. Dosca now lives in New Mexico, and Bonnie resides at Sunshine Nursing Home at New London.

Louis F. Hale and his wife, Jeanne Denman Hale, live on the family farm, twelve miles north of Henderson on FM 2276, as do their four children: Louis Hale, Jr., wife Nancy and son Louis III; William Denman Hale, wife Rebecca and children Amy and Will; Howell Pope Hale II and wife Anne; and Martha Hale Deen and her husband Duane C. Deen and son Justin.

The Hale family has varied interests. Louis, Sr. and son Bill operate the family ranch, and both are active in First Christian Church, Louis as a member of the Official Board and the choir, and Bill in church school and men’s activities.

Jeanne was a professional actress and dancer before her marriage, later operating dance schools and teaching speech and drama in both high school and college. She was named "Mrs. Texas 1958" and was a finalist in the Mrs. America contest that year. As director of public relations at Kilgore College, she is active in journalism circles. She also teaches a church school class.

Louis, Jr. is the juvenile probation officer of Rusk County and a professional musician on the side. He has written and recorded songs and entertains locally. Nancy plays the dulcimer and sings with him.

Bill and Rebecca have done most of the work on their own home, with Rebecca building all the cabinets and a full dining room suite.

Howell built his own log house and finished it with Anne’s help. Howell works for Getty Oil Company and Anne is a college student.

Martha, Howell’s twin sister, and her husband Duane are the newcomers to the Hale compound. A schoolteacher and dance instructor, Martha has retired temporarily to care for their son, Justin. She teaches in American Drill Team Camps in the summers and plans to open her own dance studio. Duane, a former schoolteacher, is employed in an oil-related industry.

Written by Jeanne Hale