Living

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Living
2. Living
3. Living

Guy married Johnnie Mae Speights on 5 Sep 1941. Johnnie (daughter of Mermond Leon Speights and Rutha Elvie McLemore) was born on 6 Feb 1922 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas; died on 2 Feb 2007 in Bossier City, Bossier Parish, Louisiana. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The Sabine County Reporter
February 14, 2007, Page 9

Johnnie M. Speights Hughes

Johnnie M. Speights Hughes died Friday, Feb. 2, 2007 in Bossier City. Mrs. Hughes was a beautician for 35 years and a graduate of Guy's Beauty School. Survivors: a daughter, Sharon "Guyann" and husband Wilbur Gayle KEENE; son Mark Mermond HUGHES and wife Cindy FERRAN; grandchildren, Robin KEENE and husband Chuck WILLIAMSON, Brady KEENE and wife Stacy, Benjamin Mark HUGHES, William Maxwell HUGHES, and Andrew Phillip HUGHES; five great-grandchildren; and sisters, Ruth Dorine ROBINSON and Ruby Laverne GELLATLY. She was preceded in death by her husband, Guy M. HUGHES; and parents, Ruth Elvie McLEMORE and Mermond Leon SPEIGHTS. Funeral services were held Monday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m. at Boone Funeral Home with Pastor Al Eden officiating. Interment followed at Forest Park West Cemetery. Services were under the direction of Boone Funeral Home Chapel in Shreveport.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, March 2007)

Mermond married Rutha Elvie McLemore on 22 Dec 1913. Rutha (daughter of John F. "Finn" McLemore and Rutha Triphene White) was born on 4 Dec 1893 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas; died on 19 Mar 1980 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas; was buried in Hemphill City Cemetery, Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The following obituary appeared in the 27 March 1980 issue of the SABINE COUNTY REPORTER HEMPHILL, TEXAS (Courtesy of Kay Parker McCary)

Ruth Speights

Funeral services for Ruth Elvie Speights, 86, of Pineland were at 2 pm March 20 in the Starr Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Hemphill Cemetery.

Mrs. Speights died at 12:45 am March 19 in Hines Nursing Home in Pineland.

She was a lifelong resident of Sabine County.

Survivors include three daughters Mrs. Dorine Robinson of Pineland; Mrs. Laverne Gellatly of Beaumont and Mrs. Johnnie Hughes of Shreveport, La; one sister Mrs. Emma Cammack of Hemphill, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Notes:

(Research):
Census Listings:

1900 Census
Texas, Sabine County, Precinct 1
Enumerated 4 Jun 1900
SD 8 ED 68 Sheet 1A Stamped 92
4-4
Speights, John W Hd W M Oct 1856 M 16 Tx Miss Miss Farmer
Speights, Sallie Wf W F July 1865 34 M 16 5/5 Tx Ga Tx
Speights, Tom G Son W M Feb 1885 15 S Tx Tx Tx Farm Laborer
Speights, Dora E Dtr W F Feb 1886 14 S Tx Tx Tx
Speights, Orin W Son W M Feb 1887 13 S Tx Tx Tx Farm Laborer
Speights, Mermod L Son W M Dec 1891 8 S Tx Tx Tx
Speights, Buford A Son W M Jan 1898 2 S Tx Tx Tx

John married Sallie Wilson on 20 Jan 1884 in Sabine County, Texas. Sallie (daughter of William Cregg Wilson and Bethie "Bettie" H. Lawhorn) was born in Jul 1865 in Texas; died about 1904 in Texas; was buried in Speights Cemetery, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Some researchers show that they also had a daughter named Emily Ann that died young.

In an article dated September 12, 1963 about Susan Arnold Nichols, Virgie Speights stated that on one trip home "they stopped by the home of a cousin, out on Palo Gaucho Creek, Dr. Johnny Speights and his wife, Sally Wilson Speights." Susan was the daughter of Jim Arnold, and granddaughter of Hanna Davis and J. M. Arnold. He was also a godson of Cadwaller Davis and Amelia Lee. (Speights, Old Timers of Sabine County, p. 21).

Notes:

Finn's middle name could have been Fenton (based on a poll tax receipt from Jasper) or Finerel (based on the middle name of his son, Rufus) or Finn, as he was commonly called.

At the time of the 1880 census, he was widowed, and living in the home of his in-laws with his young daughter.

He was a farmer. On the 1900 Sabine County census, he is shown in household 22, next to the Henry S. White family, his wife's brother. Household 36 is that of Thomas E. McLemore, his half brother.

Finn died in at the home of his son, Vessie McLemore. Vessie and Nina had been caring for him. Granddaughter Evon remembers she and some cousins going out into the woods to gather wildflowers for him while her father built a coffin. Her father and his brothers took the coffin by cart to the Gravel Hill cemetery a few days later.

(Research):Census information:

1880 Census
Census Place:Precinct 3, Jasper, Texas
Source:FHL Film 1255313 National Archives Film T9-1313
Page 14 Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace
J.F. MCLEMORE Self M W W 25 Texas Occ: Laborer Fa: AR Mo: GA
Vilona MCLEMORE Dau F S W 7 M Texas Fa: Texas Mo: MS
Frances WIGLEY Self M M W 69 GA Occ: FarmerFa: VA Mo: VA
Sarah WIGLEY Wife F M W 67 SC Occ: Keeping House Fa: SC Mo: SC
Martha WIGLEY Dau F S W 31 MS Occ: At HomeFa: GAMo: SC
Alexander WIGLEY Son M S W 25 Texas Occ: Printer Fa: GA Mo: SC

1900 Census
Texas, Sabine County, Pr 1
Enumerated 5 Jun 1900
SD 8 ED 68 Sheet 2A Stamped 93
22-23
McLemore, John Head W M Dec 1853 46 M 17 Ga NC NC Farmer
McLemore, Ruth T Wf W F Dec 1859 40 M 17 7/6 Tx Miss Miss
McLemore, Vessie E Son W M Feb 1885 15 S Tx Ga Tx Farm Laborer
McLemore, Rufus F Son W M July 1886 13 S Tx Ga Tx Farm Laborer
McLemore, Earnest Son W M May 1887 13 S Tx Ga Tx Farm Laborer
McLemore, Mellie Dtr W F Feb 1891 9 S Tx Ga Tx
McLemore, Ira Son W M Jan 1896 4 S Tx Ga Tx

1910 Federal Census
Texas, Sabine County, JP 1
Enumerated 16 Apr 1910
SD 2 ED 131 Sheet 1B
Milam Road
12-13
McLemore, John F. Head M W 51 M2 26 Ga Ga Ga Farmer
McLemore, Ruth T Wf F W 50 m1 26 8/7 Tx Ala Miss
McLemore, Ernest E Son M W 20 S Tx Ga Tx Farmer
McLemore, Mellie M Dtr F W 19 S Tx Ga Tx
McLemore, Elvie R Dtr F W 16 S Tx Ga Tx
McLemore, Ira W Son M W 14 S Tx Ga Tx Laborer Farm
McLemore, Emma L Dtr F W 9 S Tx Ga Tx

John married Rutha Triphene White on 11 Dec 1883 in Sabine County, Texas. Rutha (daughter of Henry Strickland White, Sr and Mary Etta "Polly" Vardeman) was born on 27 Dec 1859 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas; died on 11 Jun 1939 in Sabine County, Texas; was buried in Gravel Hill Cemetery, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

According to her obituary, Ruth White McLemore "slipped in her home in Hemphill, and fractured her left thigh on June 2nd. She was carried to . . . hospital in Jasper (and then) transferred here to the home of her son, Mr. V.E. McLemore of San Augustine, where she passed away on June 11, 1939. She was born December 27, 1859 at Hemphill. She joined the Baptist church when a young girl and was a faithful Christian worker all of her life. She married to J.F. McLemore on December 13, 1883 and was the mother of eight children, four boys and four girls. Six children survive: namely V. E. McLemore, San Augustine; Earnest and Ira McLemore, Miss Mellie McLemore, and Mrs. Herman Commack of Gravel Hill, and Mrs. Mermon Speights of Hemphill. She is also survived by seventeen grandchildren and three great grandchildren. In addition to relatives, local people attending the funeral were: Mr. and Mrs. T.F. Read, Mr. and Mrs. E.B. Jacks, Mr. and Mrs. John D. Clark, Mr and Mrs W.F. Stephenson, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Burkhalter, Mrs. Rosalie Polly, W.L. Polly, Mr. and Mrs. Rob Horn, Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Mitchell, Mrs. E.M. Boyett, Theo Boyett and others."

Melinda McLemore Strong has a maroon and white quilt made by Ruth circa 1880. At Ruth's death, the quilt was passed on to her daughter Millie. Millie added a calico border to the quilt edges which had apparently frayed. At Millie's death, the quilt was passed to her older brother, Vessie McLemore. After Vessie and Nina died, Evon McLemore Tisdale used the quilt. She later gave it to her niece, Melinda McLemore Strong.

(Research):Triphene is a "pseudo-classical" name, often whimsically given to the third child in a family.