JOEL PINKNEY GREEN

The following bio was taken from page 217 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

Joel Pinkney Green came from Alabama to Texas by train in 1891. His parents were Thomas & Elizabeth Ledbetter Green of Alabama. He had one brother, Bill, and four sisters: Ida, Liza, Eula and Gena.

Joel Pinkney, or "Pink" as he was known, came seeking work and soon found it on the farm of Jack Brazil Hickey (1845-1913), and his wife, Kathryn McClain Hickey.

Jack Brazil Hickey was the son of a Baptist Preacher, Hiram Jones Hickey from Kentucky and Alabama. Jack’s mother was Amanda Sharp Hickey of Whitney County, Kentucky.

Jack married Kathryn, "Kathy," McClain from Tennessee. She had two children from a previous marriage, Mrs. Willie (McClain) Howard and J. Columbus, "Lum," McClain. Two other children, Jadie and Nettie, were born before the family moved to Texas.

In 1873, Jack Hickey brought his family from Alabama to Texas, first to Rusk County and later to a small community near Marshall, Texas. Here in 1876, triplets were born to Jack and Kathy. To celebrate the unusual event, the merchants of Marshall gathered together a wagonload of merchandise for the babies. They didn’t reckon on the pride and the independence of Jack Hickey! He sent it all back, saying, "It’s too much like begging!" The triplets were named Alpha, Beta and Omega. Within two years and three days, twins, Ara and Anon, were born to the Hickeys. Kathy died before the younger children grew up, and Nettie took over the job of housekeeping for her father.

Nettie was Scotch-Irish. She was nineteen and "Pink" was twenty when he came to her father’s farm. She was climbing down from the loft with a lap full of eggs when he first set eyes on her. He told his companion, "Look at that redheaded girl! I’m going to marry her!" His friend replied, "You won’t marry her because she’s already engaged and the man is building a house for her."

Only two months later, Joel Pinkney Green and Nettie Hickey were married in her father’s parlor, on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., December 11, 1891.

Pink and Nettie had twelve children. Collie Anderson, the first, was born October 7, 1892. Three babies were lost at birth. Other children born to them were: Mamie Bell (Mrs. Homer Flanagan); Arthur Alvin; Clyde B.; Lonnie Alton (Dude); Fred Lister; Ara Jewell (Mrs. John Pinnell); and Homer Alba. Bertha Lee (1906) died at five months. "Pink" was a farmer and the first to grow watermelons commercially in Rusk County. His sons were taught to work, and together they armed and marketed the melons, first with wagons and mules, later with trucks, tractors and the latest equipment.

As the sons grew up, each had his own fields of melons. Each year more melons were grown. By the 1950’s the Green brothers were growing thousands of acres of melons in Rusk County. Clyde and "Dude" grew melons in South Texas as well. During the 1960’s some of the Green family watermelons were shipped overseas. The Greens were well known and respected throughout the produce business in the entire United States, so it’s natural that the name, "Watermelon Greens," was given to them.

The Greens did not escape the world wars. Collie, the eldest, served in WWI. He caught pneumonia in the battle trenches and was sent to "Dead Man’s Room." He recovered.

Fred fought and died during WWII while stationed on Okinawa. His parents received their son’s two purple hearts in recognition of his injuries and bravery.

Nettie Hickey Green loved flowers and planted many bulbs around her home. Each spring, for many years after her death (April 9, 1948), the bulbs came up and covered the hillside with beautiful yellow blooms.

Joel Pinkney Green died January 9, 1952, but as long as watermelons will grow on Rusk County soil, there will most likely be a Green boy planting them.

Submitted by June Faulkner