Genealogy Data Page 1969 (Notes Pages)

Johnson Carrie Ola [Female] b. 6 MAR 1908 Panola County Texas - d. 17 JAN 1982 Irving, Dallas County, Texas

[spiers.GED]

Carrie ola was named after her grand parents - Caroline (Carrie) Pugh Murry Johnson and Theola Wood Pou. She was as dedicated to education as the rest of her family. She graduated from Tenaha High School as Salutatorian in the spring of 1927 and entered Sam Houston State Teacher College in the fall of 1927. After two years of college she began her teaching career in Evergreen, San Jacinto County, Texas, near Cleveland, in the fall of 1929. In the fall of 1930 she began teaching at Swab City, Liberty County, Texas but in Jan. of 1931 she resigned and married Robert Lee Welch of Cleveland, Texas. Mother never worked again as a full time teacher, but, would substitute in the Cleveland School system as needed. Mother was a person who looked for practical solutions to every day problems. I remember her telling this story: " Robert Jr. had a very bad habit of leaving the yard with out permission, and going far enough away that he could not hear Mother calling to him. (even after Daddy built a fence !!) On wash day this was a real problem because Mother's washing 'facilities' were out in the back yard, under a shed roof at the side/back of the detached garage. After about the second or third time Mother had to stop and go looking for Robert Jr., she solved this problem by tying a rope to Robert Jr., and tying the other end of the rope to the clothes line !!@@@@##$" One of the very first people that Mother met, after she married, was Minnie Wells, who remained a friend for the rest of Mother's life. As Minnie is still with us (1999) I have talked with her many times about Mother and Daddy's life in Cleveland, and she has provided me with a lot of information that other wise would have been forgotten and lost in time. She told me of the time Mother and Big Mama (Minnie's Mother) were berry picking in back of our house, near the San Jacinto River, and Mother was bitten by a copper-head snake. They ran to the house, Big Mama yelling ' Ola's been snake bitten', and Mother holding her right wrist with her left hand. Minnie ran to meet them and was trying to get Mother in the car - Mother refused !! she insisted on removing her 'berry picking pants' and putting on a dress before going into town !!%%** Minnie was with Mother when old Dr. Leggett 'home delivered' Lenora Ann, Jack, and myself. After I was born in Feb. of 1939, Minnie became pregnant, and Mother was at her side when Gordon was born Dec. 1, 1939. I remember that Mother baked a pan (or two) of biscuits every morning - the left overs Gordon and I would fill with syrup and eat for a snack. Mothers biscuits were the best, hot or cold.! Mother was a Faithful member of the First Baptist Church, and over the years held many offices: WMU leader, Sunday School Teacher, Kitchen Hostess, and of course, a member of the choir. Mother sang alto, and had learned to sing from 'shaped' notes, and each time they ordered new song books, they would order one with shaped notes for Mother. Mother loved to bake and would always have some 'home-made' sweets for us to eat, and her meals were simple but ever so good. Lenora Ann and I had to learn to cook on our own because Mother never wanted any one helping her prepare food; neither can I remember washing dishes very often; the kitchen was "MOTHER'S".
Ola and Robert celebrated 50 years of marriage just 10 days before Daddy died. Ola lived nearly another year. In September of 1981, Ola and Minnie Wells, flew to visit Ted and I in Beaver Valley, Penn.; In october of 1981 Ola was visiting Lenora Ann (for Kerry and Tommie's wedding) in Heidelberg, Miss.; In November of 1981, she was with Jack and Gerrie in Lake Jackson, for Thanksgiving; and in December she traveled to Robert Jr.'s and Pat's for Christmas, in Irving Texas. While in Irving she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and remained in a coma for three weeks, before her death on January 17, 1982, in the Irving Community Hospital. by: Vivian Welch Sharit

Back to Main Page

Johnson Evie Leigh [Female] b. 14 AUG 1910 Panola County Texas - d. 2 OCT 1993 Center, Shelby County Texas

[spiers.GED]

Evie attended Old Center School, as her older siblings had, before the family moved to Tenaha, Shelby County, Texas. She then attended Tenaha High School and went on to attend 'sub-college' at Sam Houston State Teachers College of Huntsville, Tex. in the fall of 1927, with her sister Ola. (Ola graduated Tenaha High in the Spring of 1927, and was a freshman at S.H.S.T. College) Evie received a B.S. Degree in Education from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas in 1948. She taught school for forty years and also served as Principal part of those years. The first twenty years were spent in the rural schools of Polk, Panola, and Shelby Counties; the last twenty years she taught in Center Public Schools, Center, Shelby County, Texas. Evie was an accomplished pianist, even tho she received very few piano lessons. She helped her youngest sister, Grace, when she became interested in learning to play the piano, and she also helped three of her great-nieces, Cheryll, Susan, and Joyce McDaniel, when they were learning to sing. She played the piano for a Singing School one summer which Jewel Edward Moody was conducting (whom she married) and for many summers there after she played in these singing schools. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Center. by: Rosa Lee Hancock Edge

Back to Main Page

Johnson Samuel Peter [Male] b. 16 NOV 1912 Panola County Texas - d. 3 FEB 1999 Lovington, New Mexico

[spiers.GED]

S.P. JOHNSON INTERVIEW - JANUARY 1999
(This was the last time I saw Uncle S.P. before his death in Feb. 1999. Ted and I spent two nights with him.)

"Grandpa (Peter Lazarus Johnson) was with the Calvary in Virginia, when Civil War ended and was given an old gray mule to ride home. It took about 3 months to travel from Virginia to Old Center. I am sure you know that Papa (Sam Johnson) had a half brother, Jim Murry, there is a picture of Jim and his wife in Cora's book. I lived with Ola and Robert for several months in 1934 and was there when Lenora Ann was born. At that time Robert was driving a cotton truck back and forth to Houston, for the Pressley Brothers. I didn't graduate from high school; I attended the eighth grade two years, the ninth grade two years, and the tenth grade two years; then they said I could not play football, so I quit. Rosa Lee (Hancock-Edge) was a friend of Mary Ellen Dubose. The Dubose house was only a short distance from the Bob Hancock house. While Rosa Lee was living with Mama and Papa (grandma Nora and grandpa Sam Johnson), and attending Tenaha High School, she brought Mary Ellen home to visit. When they arrived I was laying on the front porch with out a shirt or shoes. I ran inside to get "properly" dressed, because I knew right then that I wanted to get to know this good looking girl. When we married, in December of 1936, we lived for a short while with Mama and Papa, and then we went to Cleveland and lived with Ola and Robert. (Ola Johnson and Robert Welch - my parents) Minnie's (Collier-Wells) said her sister's husband Rex Griffen was looking for help in running his gas station. (Rex was married to Maddie Pearl Collier). I went to work for him and would walk to work each morning, walk back home for lunch, back to work after lunch, and then walk back home after work in the evening, rain or shine. (This was from down town Cleveland to the Pineland Addition, about 2 miles ?) Soon Robert built a little two room house between their house and Billy and Edith Kirkham's house. It had one 'necked' light bulb in each room, and the 'necessary' house was out back. Robert charged us $8.00 a month rent, which covered the loan payment each month for the building materials. I held many jobs during the latter part of 1930. At one time I tried driving a taxi cab at the bus station in Houston, this didn't last too long and I returned to Cleveland and the service station job. Mary Ellen's brother and I worked in San Antonio for Leo Walker, (a man from Tenaha that had married a lady that owned a freight dock) in San Antonio. I was working 60 hours a week at this job in 1941, and then in Oct. of 1942 I joined the Army. (Aunt Cora's notes -- S.P. was sent to Victoria, Texas; Gulf Port, Mississippi; Longbeach, Calif.; Kearnes, Utah; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; New York City; Brownsville, Texas; Memphis, Tenn.; Santa Monica, Calif.; St. Joseph, Mo.; Casablanca, Africa; Cairo, Egypt; Karachi, India; La Hat, India; Calcutta, India. He mustered out in San Antonio, Texas, in March of 1946.) I remember when Papa sold the old home place in Old Center to Bob and Stella (Hancock). I have heard two different stories; He needed the money for the girls to go to college; (maybe just Cora - she went to Marshall Baptist College for two years, starting in the fall of 1925) I also heard that Papa borrowed the money from Bob to send the girls to college, (maybe for Ola and Evie - they entered Huntsville College in the fall of 1927) he borrowed $1,000.00 and had $300.00 left so he bought a touring car.!! Another memory; Papa bought an old race horse, and Ray and I wanted to ride him. Ray was the first to try, with out a saddle, and all the horse would do was 'run'!! (at this point Uncle S.P. broke into laughter - he said he didn't try to ride him) A colored man that lived close by and worked for Papa, was deaf and dumb and he could hook up this old race horse to a plow and the horse would not give him any trouble at all. !! One of the places that Mama and Papa rented in Tenaha, was a farm with about 200 Acres. The house sat up next to the highway with a creek running across the back part of the land. We had a neighbor in the back that had a few cows and raised a few crops, including sugar cane. The man never kept his fence repaired and the cows would end up in our pasture, eating our grass, but Papa didn't really care. Every few days the man would come get his cows, but would never mend his fence. One day Ray and I rode the two old gray mules down to the back fence of the neighbors, and 'picked' four stalks of sugar cane -- the old man (neighbor) went to the court house and pressed charges, saying we stole from him. (he didn't even come to speak to Papa about it, before he filed the charges) The Judge called us all into court to clear up the problem - he asked the neighbor what the 'four stalks of sugar cane was worth, and the neighbor said $1.00 a stalk.' Papa paid the money and every one went home - Papa didn't say a word to Ray and I about what we had done. The next day the neighbor's cows came through the fence and was enjoying our grass, and Papa said, ' boys, go get those cows and bring them up to the pen and lock them up.' WELL - when the neighbor came for his cows, Papa informed him his cows had been eating his grass and that he owed him 'feed money' !! when the neighbor asked 'how much?' Papa said $4.00 !!!
The next day the fence was mended.!!@@@@##$$%% In 1946, 1947, and 1948, I had several jobs. One was working for Mr. Hooker of Tenaha, driving an oil tanker truck. He sent me to Silver City, near Robert Lee, and I carried the FIRST load of crude oil from that field, to a train tank car at Brunt, Texas. At or near this time, Mr. Russell and Ess (Mary Ellen's sister) offered me a job in Mr. Russell's Auto Parts store in Brady, Texas. Mr. Russell soon sold the parts house to his brother and I was working for him, but sometimes it was less than a 40 hour week. One Friday morning in 1950, the Lord woke me up, and told me to move back to East Texas. On Sat. morn, the same thing happened. Miss Ellen (Mary Ellen's mother) was living on the old home place with Mary Ellen's sister, Sissie (Claudie Fleming) whose husband had been in the 1st. war and had died. Sissie had a farm also, but was living with her mother. I laid off from work on the next Monday morning, bought a 2 wheel trailer, and started loading up our belongings. We stopped the proceedings on the purchase of a house on my G.I. Bill, and I had carried one load to East Texas, when Ray called and said there was a job delivering milk from Baytown to Texas City. I worked this job for 2 or 3 months, it got too hot and I quit, and went on to East Texas to Miss Ellen's house. E. Baldwin ran a grocery store in Tenaha and I worked there for 3-4 weeks. Sissie and Miss Ellen were fighting like 'two tom cats'. Sissie moved out, back to her Farm where her oldest son lived. (here my notes are not clear - I don't know how long they lived with Miss Ellen before they moved to Baytown) In Baytown I worked as counter man at a parts house, and then had the 'Jewel Tea' route during the early 1950's. (I don't know how long they stayed in Baytown - I'm not sure when they had the 'Post newspaper' route in Cleveland or when they moved back to Brady - both children were born in Brady) I bought the service station and ran it from about 1955 to 1960; at this time the station was closed because they were building a bridge. I reopened this station for a short time and then sold it. Mobile had built a new station on the other end of town and I ran it for a while, and then bought a '66' station from Mr Russell and a small grocery store. We ran this until 1974 when I had a heart attack. After my heart attack, Mary Ellen ran the store for about one year by her self and then we sold it; the next year, she worked as cashier at a cafe for Billy Jack O'Neal; While she was working there the 'Mode O'Day' dress shop came on the market and we bought it, and in the next eight (8) years, built up the gross sales to one hundred thousand dollars a year. (this brought us up to the mid 1980's and my notes stop) Uncle S.P. and Aunt Mary Ellen sold their home in Brady and moved to Midland, Texas to live near their daughter Mary Beth and family. When Doug (Mary Beth's husband) was transferred to Lovington, New Mexico they moved to New Mexico too, where they lived until they passed away. Both were buried in Brady, Texas.

Back to Main Page

Johnson Robert Ray [Male] b. 12 DEC 1914 Panola County Texas - d. 18 OCT 1987 Branson, Missouri

[spiers.GED]

Aunt Cora's book, again, tells us the Orgain of Uncle Ray's name and his military service. He was named for a Baptist Minister, Rev. Robert Ray of Marshall, Texas, and was in the service from Aug. 21, 1935 until Dec. 14, 1936. The Uncle Ray I remember was a kind, sincere person and fun to be around. My earliest memory is visiting Aunt Ila Mae and Uncle Ray on E. Republic St. in Baytown. I suppose he was already working for Humble Oil County at this time. I remember a '42' game and us kids running in and out of the house playing and I think Aunt Gracie and Uncle Orville dropped by to visit while we were there. Another memory is of the building of their home on Bush Rd. in Baytown and several 'gatherings' of the Johnson's, for one reason or another, at this address. I know I attended Jennie and Reed Foster's '25 th.' wedding anniversary party in their home. Uncle Ray and Aunt Ila Mae, for many years, provided a home for Mrs. Nelson (Ila Mae's Mother) and when Aunt Clara Bunyard had a stroke and sold her home at Sun City, AZ, she moved next to Uncle Ray. When Uncle Ray retired and moved to Tyler they built a new home that had an apartment attached to it for Aunt Clare where she lived until she passed away. ( Again we see the dedication to 'family' that these Johnsons' possessed) Although I am not a 'golf person, I understand that Uncle Ray loved this game and played as often as he could. His children, Bobby and Peggy and their families, now hold an annual golf tournament in loving memory of Uncle Ray.
By: Vivian Welch Sharit

Back to Main Page

Johnson Grace Vivian [Female] b. 12 JAN 1921 Panola County Texas - d. 7 NOV 1997 Baytown, Texas

[spiers.GED]

The first thing that comes to mind about Aunt Gracie is her piano playing. She was a joy to listen to and I (and most everyone else) envied her natural ability. I can remember her saying she never had any formal lessons until college, she wanted to major in music and they were shocked by this fact. Aunt Gracie, as her siblings, had many other abilities - oil painting, teaching, writing, and singing are a few that come to mind. My Mother named me after her and I only wish I had acquired a few of the talents of my namesake. I am the proud owner of one of her oil paintings that is signed 'G. Johnson', so it was one of her earliest oils. I have, through the years, collected the articles she has written that appeared in some of the local newspapers and of course the speech she made at Uncle Orville's 75 th birthday 'bash'. The Christmas sing-a-longs were started by Aunt Gracie and which one of us will ever forget the 'PURPLE HIPPOPOTAMUS" ????
Uncle S.P. told me that when Aunt Gracie was ready for college she planned her curriculum, estimated the cost to acquire a degree and borrowed that amount. She figured it so accurately she did not have to borrow any more money ! and Janice, her daughter, said she had the 'exact' number and type of credits to get her desired degree.!! If I remember correctly, she had a double major - music and English.

By: Vivian Welch Sharit