HUFF- KEELING

The following bio was taken from pages 249-250 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

Grandfather, Leonard W. Keeling, and his wife, Frances Ann Briley Keeling, moved from Georgia to Texas following the Civil War. They sailed on the Mississippi River to New Orleans, then drove a covered wagon to Pine Hill, where they lived a year before purchasing acreage in southeast Rusk County, where they built a log cabin house. The house burned one night, but by daylight, neighbors brought tools to rebuild the home.

Grandfather’s motto was: "Make your word as good as your bond." His children—William Briley, Jim, Sarah Frances (Whitmire), Nancy Elizabeth (Barnes), and Nehemiah—purchased adjoining farms. John lived in Timpson, Texas, and George died young.

My father, William Briley Keeling, born in Georgia, clipped his hair at age five and joined the Confederate Army with his father. Father’s farm contained a thousand acres with many tenant houses. The crops were mostly cotton, grain, food crops, and fruit. There were also horses, hogs, cattle and fowl. He imported white cattle with red ears from an island. Located on his place were a syrup mill, Stone’s Sawmill, and Rhodes Post Office, of which he was Postmaster. He served as trustee of Rhodes School and sat on the County’s Grand Jury.

Father’s first wife, Sarah Atwood Clinton, bore: William Worthy Keeling, Annie (McLeroy), George, John, May (Sledge), Elsie, and Zula.

His second wife, Zorado Turner, bore: Donnie, Macie (Lawler), Gracie (Keeling), Jim Frank, and Lelia.

Driving his new surrey, Papa brought home his third wife, Ethel Clinton, dressed in white wool and satin. She bore: Ethlee (Morris), Ima (Huff), Leonard, Mable (Byrne), and Jewel.

Tradition says the first Keeling in American was a colonist schoolteacher. Five of Papa’s children and sixteen of his grandchildren became schoolteachers.

After my parents’ deaths, I lived with my oldest brother, where I was encouraged to become a teacher. While teaching in Henderson in 1932, I met Gustave Jasper Huff, new to Henderson from Oklahoma. With his deep bass voice, he wooed me with love songs and hymns. We married in 1935, purchasing land and building a home on the Tyler Highway.

I finished work at Stephen F. Austin College, Nacogdoches, the last six weeks of that summer and received my Bachelor’s Degree.

Gus came to Henderson as a car top and upholstery tailor, but added automotive repair to his business. I put my paternal inheritance, my school teaching fund into the business and also kept books. We bought a business place on Tyler Highway Circle. When this burned in 1955, we built a new stone and brick building. Our Frame Shop with its excellent operator became known throughout East Texas. We sold a share to this operator in order to keep him.

Mr. Huff liked to bowl and sponsored a team in the Business League, winning many trophies.

Our children: Gustave Jasper, Jr., Ima Gene (Thomas), Harold Conn, William Floyd, Margaret Ann (Bee)—all finished college. Three became schoolteachers, one, a civil engineer, and another, an insurance underwriter. The three boys have Gus’ bass voice and grew up with devotional singing many evenings at home.

Returning to the schoolroom in 1950, I taught twenty-four years before retiring. The college allowed me to use my original poems as part of my Master’s Degree thesis.

My books of poetry include: "Shadows of Wings" (1955), "Cherry Ripe" (1971), and "Somewhere Violets" (1977). I helped organize the Rusk County Chapter of the Poetry Society of Texas, serving ten years as Councillor.

Since Gus passed away in 1970, I still live in the house we built, writing, gardening, quilting, doing substitute teaching, and loving my fourteen grandchildren.

Written by Ima Keeling Huff