In Remembrance - Myrtle Rutherford Jones

Family Search has a calendar feature with the option of having them send you a message on the anniversary of birth dates and wedding anniversaries of your ancestors. Today I was notified that my paternal great grandmother Myrtle Lurie RUTHERFORD JONES would have been 120 years old. Honestly, I didn't need the reminder because for some reason her birth date always stands out to me. I'm not really sure why because she lived in Texas and I rarely got to see her. If I had to guess, it's most likely because of the time I spent with my Mammy (her daughter).

Myrtle RUTHERFORD (Grandma Jones is what I grew up calling her) was the first born and oldest child of James Walter RUTHERFORD and Ora Frances McCLUNG. She was born 2 October 1899, in Santa Anna, Coleman County, Texas. *Her obituary says Mount Pleasant, Titus County, Texas -- Where her parents married in 1898* The earliest photograph I have of her is from around 1902. She is standing between her parents. The baby is her brother Jesse Newton RUTHERFORD who was born New Year's Day, 1902 (this helps date the picture).

 The next photograph I have was taken in 1904 when the next baby came along, Glennie Lillian, who was born 1 July 1904. Grandma Jones is standing on the right, Jesse on the left and baby Glennie is in the middle.

In January of 1908, when Grandma was only 8 years old, the family loaded up their covered wagon and headed North to an area known as Antelope Flat, in Foard County, Texas. At this time she was the oldest of four siblings, the baby, Flora was 9 months old.

Around 1912 Grandma's dad, J W RUTHERFORD, gave the community an acre to move the one room school house. Grandma attended school there. According to one of my favorite books, my husband bought me, Between The Wichitas, Grandma wrote that her first teacher was a Mr. Jim Burnson. (page 200).

I can remember this book sitting on the little wooden shelf on the back side of Mammy's brown sink. I didn't inherit it. My wonderful husband bought me one of my own. It isn't in circulation anymore.

Grandma must have met Grandpa John Arthur JONES at that school because according to John's brother Frank they also attended school there for a time. (page 416)

"The teacher at Antelope Flat lived over at Foard City. He drove a one-horse buggy without any top on it. We didn't miss any school days. Neither did the teacher.  Albert Haynie's children, his brother C. H. Haynie, Will Glenn, the Rutherfords, Henry Black, Bullions, Moody had kids in school there. The Joneses also. It was quite a while before we got to know everyone around for we didn't get to visit like they do today."

On Sept 18, 1916, one month before Grandma turned 17, she married John Arthur JONES at Burkburnett, Wichita County, Texas.



In early May 1918, the two had their first baby, a boy. Unfortunately, he didn't survive.  I'm not certain if Grandpa served in the war. There are many accounts of his brother Frank serving, but I haven't found any evidence that John Arthur did. He did however, register. He was self employed 1 mile SE of Truscott.



Around that time John found work with a childhood friend, Walter COODY. The two of them worked for a doctor in Burkburnett butchering and selling beef. They drove a Model T truck. During this time there was an oil boom. (page 334) While living in Wichita County Myrtle gave birth to two more children who born in 1923 & 1925.

I'm not sure when the picture below was taken but I wanted to include it here, since there are so few pictures of Grandpa JONES. It's taken from Between The Wichitas. My grandmother always had dark hair and so did her husband, Charles, but my dad had really blonde hair. According to John Arthur's WW1 registration he was tall with light hair and light blue eyes.



Around the year 1930-1931 John and Myrtle operated the chuck wagon for John's brother-in-law, J. M. CHOWNING's threshing crew. (page 327) They also worked  for the Charles HAMILTON Ranch for some time.

In 1934 the family moved to San Antonio where Johnnie went to work for the Humble Oil Company. Six years later, when their oldest child was 17 and their youngest child was only 6 months old, Myrtle became a widow. John died tragically in a vehicle/train collision.

Grandma then had to support five children ages 17, 14, 5, 3 and the 6 month old baby. She managed to remain in San Antonio for a few years before moving her little family back "home" to Truscott.  She used every dollar she had to buy a home, the old Mrs. Sam TURNER (Ollie Jane CAMPSEY) home, which served as a boarding house. (page 278). She even had to support her little family during WW2 when lean times were made even worse by rationing. My cousin Mike, shared this photo of her ration book with me a few years ago and I thought this is a great place to post it again.




While looking through my book, I noticed on page 50, where they mentioned Grandma chaperoning a hay ride. It said during those days it was an accepted fact that an adult was to always accompany group outings and that Mrs. Myrtle JONES frequently did so. I couldn't imagine with all that was on her plate she still found the energy to want to chaperone events.

"One week the springs of 1942, the boys decided to give a hay ride. They worked Saturday for Carl Haynie to get the use of his wagon and team. Everyone chipped in money and the girls bought food for a wiener roast. 

Mrs Myrtle Jones chaperoned that outing, as she frequently did, taking her young children and sitting calmly by the campfire wile the teenagers played walking games." 

Grandma also worked for eight years in the Truscott school lunchroom. I can remember Mammy telling me that someone gave them a pig and Grandma would feed it using the left over scraps from the school lunchroom. I seem to also remember she did laundry for extra income, but I'm not certain of this last memory.

Here is a photograph shared by my cousin Kaye from 1957. The women are wearing collages so it could have been Mother's Day or Easter.




I remember one trip to Texas to celebrate Grandma's 90th birthday at the nursing home. My Aunts Jeannie and Cathy served a large beautiful cake and there was punch. There was a small mention of it in the Munday Courier. I was hoping for a picture. I was only 9 at the time but I remember it was a big celebration. I did find where her 75th and 77th birthday was celebrated as well.

I've posted on Facebook and even made mention in a blog post that my grandmother, Myrtle's daughter, moved with her family to Arkansas in the mid '60's. I can still remember long distance phone calls between my Mammy and her older sister Frances. I'm sure there were phone calls to her mother too, but what I remember most were the cassette tapes that she would record and mail home to her mother. I even had to record a few (when I was too young to fully grasp why). As the years wore on Grandma JONES' hands became too arthritic to write and her eyesight was failing, long distance phone calls were expensive so to communicate they would mail cassette tapes back and forth. I was lucky enough to inherit Grandma's last tape she sent Mammy. You can watch the video below to listen.

Before she gave up writing all together, Grandma sent this letter. It was in short hand, which it is my understanding, how she would often write. She was 91.  My Dad's cousin Gayle transcribed it for me below.

Grandma died in July of 1994. I remember her funeral well. It was so hot. July in Texas.We gathered at a small white church. They sang 'In The Garden' and she was laid to rest in the Truscott Cemetery where the rest of her family is buried.

The Nalls gathered at the Seymour Motel before the service.
Back Row: Dad (Johnny Nall) Cathy Gardisser, Mitch Nall, Mike Nall, Bampy (Charles)
Middle Row: Me (Becky), Mammy (Sue) Jeannie, Jeff, Jennifer, and Tom Calvert
Front Row: Matthew and April Gardisser, and Jeremy Calvert.

Before wrapping this up, I thought I would include a picture I have of one of her few visits to AR.

Maybe 1981

Until next time,
Becky