Jacob De GEURIN

The following bio was taken from page 176 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

My great-grandfather, Jacob Guerin, was an early settler of Rusk County. Following the death of his wife, Abigail Henderson Guerin, in South Carolina, he and some of his children, including Nathaniel, Elias, and daughter Abigail, and what slaves he owned, moved to East Texas about 1855 and settled in what is now known as Rocky Mount. His daughter, Abigail, died in 1857, and probably was the first to be buried in what came to be known as Rocky Mount Cemetery. I saw slips of paper kept in an accordion-type leather pouch by Jacob, showing he bartered for staples at the Overton community general store with corn liquor made from corn produced on the farm, sending his slaves to make the trade. My grandfather, Elias, was married to Nancy Rosie Petrel. They had five children: J.G. (Jake), George, Murray, Perry, and Annie. My father, Perry, married Sarah (“Miss” Sally) Elizabeth Russell, a member of another pioneer Rusk County family. They had five children: Pirtle, Ralph, Elias (Mack), Mary Ann, and Raymond. Before Dad and Mother married, he worked awhile in California. His oldest brother, Jake, preceded him there and was known as “Jessie Hope.” Before finding each other, Jake recognized Dad when he noticed a Colt-45 pistol showing from Dad’s pocket and said, “Perry, put that thing out of sight. You are not in Rusk County now.” They both were there supposedly because of “friendly advice” from the then Rusk County sheriff. Before going to Washington to work for the then Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson, I married Marguerite Smith from South Texas, been in private law practice, and worked for NYA and OPA. I like to think I was working for Johnson when he was “in training” to become President later. I retired from Government service in 1972, after serving as an Assistant to three different Attorney Generals. Marguerite and I have two sons, Dick and Mike, who are both lawyers. They do not agree on the spelling of their last name. There is now, and always has been, many spellings: Geurin, DeGeurin, Guerin, DeGuerin, Garing and Geurrant. Our most recent reunion was held on August 8, 1981 in Overton at the old homestead, and it was well attended by cousins and friends from surrounding counties, and one from Las Vegas, Nevada. My sister, Mary Ann Schultz, and my brothers Pirtle, Ralph, and I all were glad to participate. Our youngest brother, Raymond, was unable to attend. Of interest to some of the older readers of this book, is the fact that my Grandfather Elias had a big mole in the center of his forehead, about the size of an East Texas acorn. He lived to be ninety years of age. Some people say he might still be around had he not changed his brand of liquor from “Paul Jones” to “Four Roses.” He died in 1920 and is buried, along with a number of DeGeurins, in the Rocky Mount Cemetery. Written by Elias McDowell (Mack) DeGeurin (Ed. Note: Mr. DeGeurin died in 1982 after this account was submitted.)