RUBY WILDER GESSEL

The following bio was taken from page 209 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, Cemeteries of TX

On July 1, 1910 I was born near Laneville to Johnny S. Johnston and Ada Hilton. I married Jones Wilder in May 1925, and we farmed until World War II. We moved to Orange, Texas, where we both worked until the end of the war when we returned to Henderson.

Jones and I had four children. Clara married Watson Hall and had Sharon Escue, Watson L., Jr., James Nathan, and Jerry Glen. (Now Clara is an Oldham); J. W., Jr. married Elsie Hays and had Donna Lou Pool and Billy J.; Otis married Vivian Tillison, and their two sons are Mark and Joe; Billy Ray married Marilyn House, and their children are Clay, Brant, and Amy.

I married Frank Gessel in 1964.

My grandparents were Nathan B. Hilton and Lucinda Fenton. I stayed with them and my Aunt Al (Alice) as much as Mama would let me. Sometimes we visited with Uncle Alan and Aunt Emma Fenton, who lived on the old Fenton home place. My grandmother Lucinda’s parents were Harrison and Comfort Ferguson Fenton.

On my father’s side, my grandfather was Charlie B. Johnston. Papa’s mother died when he was young, but our step-grandmother was Emma Rountree.

Many of my ancestors have been here for over a hundred years.

Submitted by Ruby Gessel