GEORGE WASHINGTON RICHEY, SR.

The following bio was taken from page 362 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Claudia Schuster

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

George Washington Richey, Sr., born May 18, 1810, was married to Sarah Ann Johnson, born February 1, 1811. The Richeys came to Texas and bought land near Lowe’s Chapel, Cherokee County in 1851 and in Rusk County near Striker Lake in the same year. A family bible records that the family came from Abbeville Parish, South Carolina. Tradition in the family has it that they originally came from County Cork, Ireland.

Children of George and Sarah Richey married into the following families: McCrimmon, McDonald, Pruitt, Avery, Stafford and Cawthorn.

Family tradition also claims that Sam Houston visited the Richeys as a relative.

Two sons of George and Sarah, George W. and Samuel P. lived and raised families in Rusk County.

The wife of George, Missouri Ann Pruitt, had a Revolutionary War ancestor, Captain Jacob Pruitt of Haleyville, Alabama, who was killed while chasing a bear in May 1845 at the age of seventy-seven. His horse stumbled and fell, throwing him onto the saddle pommel. He died of the injuries that he received.

Grandchildren of Missouri Ann talked of her making linsey-woolsey clothing and of her having unraveled worn wool socks during World War I so that the wool could be re-knitted into new socks. These grandchildren were Luther Christopher, Bertha (Parsons), Minnie (Irwin) and Bessie (Parsons).

Also the grandchildren had a happy memory of their grandmother, Missouri Ann, who made "Christmas sweets" for them. Cookies were baked in the form of rails and made into rail fences with plenty of snow icing.

Submitted by Jewel Irwin Shakies