CLIFTON AND EDITH WHITEHEAD

The following bio was taken from page 443 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

Clifton and I, Edith Whitehead, are natives of Rusk County. Clifton is the youngest son of Cliff and Katie Phillips Whitehead. Cliff and Katie Whitehead had five boys and one daughter. They were Jim, Bill, Hubert, Jack, and Juanita.

I am the daughter of Roy and Macie Keeling Lawler of Rhodes, and I have a brother, Rayford Lawler.

Clifton and I were married in September of 1950 at the home of Reverend A.J. Kirkland in Henderson. Two sons were born to us, Donald Doy and Clifton Rayford.

After living in Mt. Enterprise and Henderson, Clifton decided to move our family to Minden in 1960. The farm he bought had a lovely old farmhouse. At one time the house was the largest house in Rusk County, so I am told. The house was over one hundred years old at that time. Some will remember it as the Joe Welch place. This was the home of some of our very good friends’ grandparents. The dinner bell that Mrs. Welch still used stands in the yard. After several years and over the protest of our children, we tore the house down and build our present home. We still use water from the old well that was dug possibly one hundred and twenty–five years ago. The well was on a porch and probably the most frightening experience I will ever have occurred when our youngest son, Cliff, became unhappy with me and let the well bucket in the well very forcibly, slammed the well cover closed and hid under the house.

Our boys attended Stephen F. Austin State University. Donny and his wife, Kay Barnett Whitehead, and Donny, Jr. live in Henderson. Cliff lives in Kilgore.

Clifton is a peach farmer. He and Donny also raise cattle on the farm. I retired from teaching school and enjoy the farm and the family. I haven’t decided whether this is the history of the Clifton Whiteheads or the farm, but it really doesn’t matter too much because they are so closely associated that I don’t see one without the other.

Submitted by Edith Whitehead