Mary Ausite VAN SICKLE

The following bio was taken from page 419 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

Mary Ausite, my (Mary Melinda Webb) great-great-grandmother, was the daughter of Reuban and Elizabeth Griffin Van Sickle, born February 1, 1858 in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, where her father died when she was sixteen years old, leaving her and little brother Henry and their mother with nothing. The three of them came to Rusk County, to live with her Uncle Absalom King Van Sickle in the Bethel Community. On September 14, 1875, Ausite was married to John Thomas Rogers by the Rev. J. Morris. They started farming and John Thomas got into cotton ginning. To this union were born twelve children: Fanny Gardner (1876-1878); Mary Hudnall (1878-1965), married Joseph Cooker; Drew Williams (1880); Tom Gipson (1881-1959); Annie Hale; Oscar Lawerence (1883-1884); Mattie Hill (1885-1973); Alonza Blanton Hale; Bessie May, twin of Mattie (1975); Mancel Elder Hale; Kos Quinton (1888-1954); Nina McDavid; Alphus Drew (1889-1904); Ruby Amelia, married Edd Gay; John Harrison (1893-1897); John Mark (1896-1944); and Florence Taylor. Ausite’s husband died of pneumonia December 5 , 1895, leaving her nothing but children to take care of. Ausite was a small woman, five feet tall, who wore a size four shoe. She was one-quarter French, a fine manager, and a good homemaker. She educated all of her children except the two oldest boys who stayed at home and helped with the farm. Her first grandchild, Rogers Blanton, gave her a name (Mark’s Mama) that stayed with her to the end. All of Ausite’s daughters were schoolteachers. Mary Hudnall and Rev. Joseph Cooker went to Alaska, serving the Presbyterian Church with their preaching and teaching. Written by Mary Melinda Webb