ALEX ARON ASHBY

The following bio was taken from page 98 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Shirley Koym

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

Alex and I, Annie Marie Irwin Ashby, were both born in Rusk County. He was born in the Good springs Community in 1921 to Willie Oscar Ashby and Emmie Frances Wilkerson Ashby. She was born in Arkansas and later moved here. Mr. Ashby was born and reared in Good springs Community. I was born to Walter Newton Irwin and Mattie Belle Walton Irwin (See their story.) in 1925 in the Crims Chapel Community. My mother was born in Vallent, Oklahoma, McCurtain County in 1894. My daddy was born in Rusk County in Crims Chapel Community in 1885 and has lived there all of his life.

Alex’s paternal grandfather was John Peyton Ashby, and his paternal grandmother was Mattie Jones Ashby. His step-grandmother was Mary Pool Ashby, whom he called Grandmammy, was the only grandmother he knew. His maternal grandfather as Sherd Wilkerson, and his maternal grandmother was Ellen Tillman Wilkerson, who lived in the Pleasant Grove Community. His great-grandmother was Francis Emily Tillman.

My paternal grandfather was Joseph Anderson Irwin of Crims Chapel, and my paternal grandmother was Martha Louisiana Honeycutt. My great-grandmother was America Crim Honeycutt (See John W. Crim account.); and my great-grandfather was George Newton Honeycutt. America Honeycutt was one o the charter member of the First Baptist Church of Crims Chapel. My maternal grandmother was Martha Lynn Thompson Walton and my maternal grandfather was Alfred Hesikiah Walton.

Alex and I were married in 1945 and our first child, a daughter, Annell Marie, was born in 1946. Then our second child, a son, Alan Aron, was born in 1950. Then in 1952 our third child, a son Mark Stephen was born, all three children were born in Henderson Memorial Hospital. Annell married Jerry wade Clamp in 1966, and our first granddaughter, Angela Marie, whom we call Angie, was born that year. They live on Rayford Road and have their own business, Jerry’s Auto Sales. Alan is in Toledo, Ohio on the teaching staff of the Physical Education Department in the University of Toledo. Mark is the manager of J. B. White Company Store in Dayton, Texas. He plans to be married soon to Linda Herman of Waller, Texas. She has two children, Matthew Mark and Michael Stephen.

Because of information given to two of my brothers, Forrest and Wayland Irwin, by my Uncle Otho Irwin, I think Grandpa Irwin’s ancestors came from Scotland. The Irwins moved to this country and settles somewhere in Pennsylvania. One of the boys moved to Tennessee and reared a family of four boys. Three of these boys were Harvey, Clark, and John. Harvey Irwin was involved in the establishing of the first Cumberland Presbyterian Church somewhere in the Cumberland River area of Tennessee. He was a Presbyterian preacher. Another boy, my great-grandfather, moved from Tennessee to Hopkins County, Sulphur Springs, Texas and was living there when Joe Irwin, my grandfather, was born. My grandfather’s mother was a Killingsworth from around the Cherokee County area. My grandfather, Joe Irwin, moved to the Crims Chapel Community, with three sisters, after their mother died, to live with Uncle Clark Irwin. John Irwin, my great-grandfather, later moved to Van Zandt County, where John is buried in Providence Cemetery. John Robert Irwin was a wagoneer, hauling freight from Shreveport to Dallas.

We have lived in Henderson all of our lives, except for about three and on-half years in Carthage, Texas from 1946 to 1950. We feel that God has blessed us mightily to be born and raised here in this part of the world.

Submitted by Marie Ashby