Mary Lucinda Potts

Notes:

Parents born in Ireland per census.

Mary married Hampton Pratt on 1 Jan 1846. Hampton (son of Hopkins Pratt and Sarah Dickerson) was born on 2 Sep 1825 in Alabama; died on 4 Dec 1906 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

It appears he may have remarried. Check for marriage/s and dates.

Family/Spouse: Mary Benena J. Low. Mary (daughter of James Low, M. D. and Susan A. Green Speights) was born on 21 Sep 1848 in Texas; died on 17 Sep 1900; was buried in Speights Cemetery, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Vanderhorst "Van" Bonneau Youngblood. Vanderhorst (son of Michael Youngblood and Anna Maria Bonneau) was born on 4 Jul 1853 in Louisiana; died about 1942. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

A member of Hood's Brigade during the Civil War. (White and Toole, p 79).

Notes:

Gave the land upon which the present First Baptist Church of Hemphill now stands. (White and Toole, p 80).

Emily married James Oswell Toole on 20 Mar 1882. James (son of John Maren Toole and Indiana Virginia Reese) was born about 1858 in Georgia; died about 1940; was buried in Hemphill City Cemetery, Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

George married Sarah "Sallie" Gellatly on 5 Oct 1889 in Sabine County, Texas. Sarah (daughter of William Gellatly and Mary "Mollie" Cassandra Collier) was born on 11 Jan 1870 in Texas; died on 22 Oct 1943 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas; was buried in Hemphill City Cemetery, Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married Dr. Brooks. (White and Toole, p 80).

Susan married Robert Earl Harris on 1 Jan 1890 in Sabine County, Texas. Robert (son of Judge Joseph L. Harris and Cyrenthia Collier) was born on 11 Aug 1868 in Texas; died on 29 Dec 1934 in Sabine County, Texas; was buried in Speights Cemetery, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Might be names James?

Family/Spouse: Thomas Isham Chambers. Thomas was born on 7 Oct 1881 in Sabine County, Texas; died on 7 Aug 1951 in Center, Shelby County, Texas; was buried in Speights Cemetery, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Clara married Eli Low on 9 Jul 1905 in Sabine County, Texas. Eli (son of Samuel Tobias "Tobe" Low and Permelia Estes) was born on 27 Feb 1880 in Texas; died on 22 Mar 1942 in Texas; was buried in Speights Cemetery, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name: William Henry Or Harry Youngblood
Death Date: 04 Dec 1961
Death Place: Hemphill, Sabine, Texas
Gender: Male
Race: white
Death Age: 77 years
Estimated Birth Date:
Birth Date: 30 May 1884
Birthplace: Texas
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name:
Father's Name: V.B. Youngblood
Father's Birthplace:
Mother's Name: Ella Pratt
Mother's Birthplace:
Occupation: Retired Farmer
Place of Residence: Hemphill, Sabine, Texas
Cemetery: Harpers Chapel
Burial Place: Sabine Co., Texas
Burial Date: 05 Dec 1961
Additional Relatives: X
Film Number: 2116859
Digital Film Number: 4166720
Image Number: 2583
Reference Number: 73690
Collection: Texas Deaths, 1890-1976


(Research):
Census Listings:

1920 Census
Texas, Sabine, JP 1, ED 168
Enumerated 10 and 11 February 1920 by Wm. A King
SD 326 ED 168 Sheet 32B
#638-660
Youngblood, William H Head M W 29 M Tx La Tx Farmer
Youngblood, Willie V Wife F W 27 M Tx Tx Tx
Youngblood, Rubie L Dtr F W 1 11/12 S Tx Tx Tx

Neighbors included Edward Youngblood, Larkin Morris, Gilbert Hogan, J. Harper and Van Youngblood.

1930 Census
Texas, Sabine, Precinct 1, ED 3
Enumerated April 8, 1930 by Elbert G. Hart
ED 202-3 SD 19 Sheet 17B
Youngblood, William H Hd M W 45 M @ 26 Tx Tx Tx Farmer
Youngblood, Willie V Wife F W 38 M @ 18 Tx Tx Tx
Youngblood, Ruby L Dtr F W 12 S Tx Tx Tx

Neighbors included Tom Lowe, O. Dupree, Joe Harper

Family/Spouse: Willie Viola Gooch. Willie (daughter of Claiborne Patrick Gooch, Sr. and Roxy Jane Harper) was born about 1891 in Texas; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JDBS-XVH
name: Hattie Virginia Howard
death date: 30 Nov 1961
death place: Beaumont, Jefferson, Texas
gender: Female
race: White
death age: 76 years
estimated birth date:
birth date: 14 Mar 1885
birthplace: Hemphill, Texas
marital status: Married
spouse's name:
father's name: James O. Toole
father's birthplace:
mother's name: Emily Pratt
mother's birthplace:
occupation: Housewife
place of residence: Beaumont, Jefferson, Texas
cemetery: Hemphill Cemetery
burial place: Hemphill, Texas
burial date: 30 Nov 1961
additional relatives:
film number: 2116857
digital film number: 4166611
image number: 1169
reference number: cn 65632
Collection: Hattie Virginia Howard, "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976"

Notes:

"Associated with his father in the Toole Merchantile Company."

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JD56-KBG
name: A. R. Toole
death date: 31 Jan 1941
death place: Hemphill, Sabine, Texas
gender: Male
race: White
death age: 54 years 5 months
estimated birth date:
birth date: 01 Sep 1886
birthplace: Sabine Co., Tx.
marital status: Married
spouse's name:
father's name: J. O. Toole
father's birthplace: Georgia
mother's name: Emily E. Pratt
mother's birthplace: Georgia
occupation: Store
place of residence: Hemphill, Sabine, Tx.
cemetery:
burial place: Hemphill, Texas
burial date: 01 Feb 1941
additional relatives: X
film number: 2138245
digital film number: 4030500
image number: 349
reference number: cn 4920
Collection: A. R. Toole, "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976"

Adrian married Anna Mariah Whitehead on 9 May 1909. Anna (daughter of Owen Fort Whitehead and Mary Adeline Youngblood) was born on 17 Apr 1887; died on 26 Aug 1969; was buried in Hemphill City Cemetery, Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JDY9-B7X
Name: Claude Pratt Toole Sr.
Death Date: 06 Sep 1945
Death Place: Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches, Texas
Gender: Male
Race: white
Death Age: 59 years 5 days
Estimated Birth Date:
Birth Date: 01 Sep 1886
Birthplace: Hemphill, Tx
Marital Status: Divorced
Spouse's Name:
Father's Name: James O. Toole
Father's Birthplace: Tomson, Ga
Mother's Name: Emily Pratt
Mother's Birthplace: Hemphill, Tx
Occupation: Merchant
Place of Residence: Hemphill, Sabine, TX
Cemetery:
Burial Place: Hemphill, Tx
Burial Date: 08 Sep 1945
Additional Relatives: X
Film Number: 2137964
Digital Film Number: 4029643
Image Number: 2870
Reference Number: cn40884
Collection: Texas Deaths, 1890-1976

Claude married Genevieve Chapman about 1910. Genevieve was born on 24 Oct 1892 in Texas; died on 23 Nov 1914 in Sabine County, Texas; was buried in Myrtle Springs Cemetery, Geneva, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Jennie Lena Whitehead. Jennie (daughter of Owen Fort Whitehead and Mary Adeline Youngblood) was born on 3 Mar 1890. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J6KY-QJ6
name: Ira F. Toole
death date: 24 Nov 1923
death place: Jasper, Jasper, Texas
gender: Male
race: White
death age: 32 years 11 months 24 days
estimated birth date:
birth date: 01 Dec 1891
birthplace: Hemphill, Sabine, Texas
marital status: Divorced
spouse's name:
father's name: James O. Toole
father's birthplace: Georgia
mother's name: Emily Pratt
mother's birthplace: Subine C., Texas
occupation: Assisted In Sale Of Auto.
place of residence:
cemetery:
burial place: Hemphill, Texas
burial date: 26 Nov 1923
additional relatives:
film number: 2074923
digital film number: 4167229
image number: 940
reference number: 32891
Collection: Ira F. Toole, "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976"

Family/Spouse: Theodocia Pauline Easley. Theodocia (daughter of Clementine Millington Easley and Theodocia Abia Montgomery) was born on 17 Feb 1893 in Spring Hill Community, Sabine County, Texas; died on 17 Dec 1924 in Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas; was buried in Spring Hill Cemetery, Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

When he registered for the draft during World War I, he was living in Fort Worth, and employed by the Singer Sewing Maching Company. He was of medium heighth and build, with blue eyes and dark hair. His place of birth was shown as Hemphill, Texas.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JDPJ-9BM
name: Justin Rodney Toole
death date: 16 Apr 1963
death place: University Park, Dallas, Texas
gender: Male
race: White
death age: 68 years
estimated birth date:
birth date: 15 Jun 1894
birthplace: Hemphill, Texas
marital status: Married
spouse's name:
father's name: James O. Toole
father's birthplace:
mother's name: Emily Pratt
mother's birthplace:
occupation: Salesman, Janitorial
place of residence: University Park, Dallas, Texas
cemetery: Calvary Hill Cemetery
burial place: Dallas, Texas
burial date: 18 Apr 1963
additional relatives: X
film number: 2117271
digital film number: 4028529
image number: 2698
reference number: cn 23614
Collection: Justin Rodney Toole, "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976"

(Research):

Census Listings:

1920 Census
Texas, Tarrant County, Fort Worth, Ward 12
Enumerated 8 May 1920
SD 12 ED 48 Sheet 7A
106-155-184
(Image on Ancestry.com very faint)
Justin R. Toole M W 26 M Tx Tx Tx
Carrie Toole F W 27 M Tx Va Tx


1930 Census
Texas, Tarrant County, Fort Worth Block 4535
Enumerated April 5, 1930
ED 220-96 SD 9 Sheet 5A Stamped 250
Dallas Pike
5121-31-32
Toole, J R Head m W 35 m19 Tx Ga Ala Salesman Sewing Machine
Toole, Carrie C Wf F W 35 m19 Tx West Va Tx
Toole, Francis M Dtr F W 8 S Tx Tx Tx

1940 Census
Texas, Tarrant County, Fort Worth, JP 1
SD 12 ED 257-159 Sheet 4B
East Lancaster
85
Toole, J P Head M W 46 M Tx Same House Salesman Retail Refridgerators
Toole,, Carrie Wf F W 47 M Tx Same House Pastry Cook School Cafeteria
Toole, Frances Dtr F W 18 S Tx Same House

Family/Spouse: Carrie Edna Cousins. Carrie (daughter of William Daniel Cousins and Mary Frances Woods) was born on 12 Jul 1892 in San Augustine County, Texas; died on 23 Apr 1962 in Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas; was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Funeral Home, Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JF5J-P95
name: W. H. Marie Farmer
death date: 01 Apr 1967
death place: Palestine, Anderson, Texas
gender: Female
race:
death age: 70 years
estimated birth date: 1897
birth date: 9 apr 1896
birthplace:
marital status:
spouse's name:
father's name: J. O Toole
father's birthplace:
mother's name: Emily Pratt
mother's birthplace:
occupation:
place of residence:
cemetery:
burial place:
burial date:
additional relatives:
film number: 2138495
digital film number: 4027135
image number: 2877
reference number: 20948
Collection: W. H. Marie Farmer, "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976"

Notes:

Name Audrey Grimm Pratt
Death Date 14 Feb 1949
Death Place Sabine, Hemphill, Texas
Gender Female
Race
Death Age 52 years 5 months 13 days
Estimated Birth Date 1897
Birth Date
Birthplace
Marital Status
Spouse's Name
Father's Name George E. Pratt
Father's Birthplace
Mother's Name Sallie Gellity
Mother's Birthplace
Informant Mrs. Fay Pratt
Occupation Farmer
Place of Residence Old Pratt House, Hemphill
Cemetery Hemphill Cemetery
Burial Place
Burial Date
Additional Relatives
Film Number 2223120
Digital Film Number 4031764
Image Number 3028
Reference Number cn 8502




(Research):Census Information:

106-106
Pratt, Audrey G Hd M W 36 M 20 Tx Tx Tx Farmer
Pratt, Fay W Wife F W 37 M 21 La Tx La
Pratt, Geraldine Dtr F W 15 S Tx Tx La

(Medical):See attached sources.

Family/Spouse: Faye B. Woods. Faye (daughter of Jefferson Davis Woods and Maude Blanche Montgomery) was born on 23 May 1893 in Texas; died on 1 Sep 1966 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas; was buried on 2 Sep 1966 in Hemphill City Cemetery, Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

In his 2002 book, THE MYSTERY OF LADY BOUNTIFUL, Bob Bowman writes that a $5,000 bond was posted for Lillian Knox, accuses of murdering her husband, timber magnate Hiram Knox. The bond was singed by five Hemphill men, including Dr. Tom ARNOLD, a witness for the prosecution. The other four were E. P PADGETT, a lawyer; J.P. (sic) FULLER, who owned a drug store; L.E. PRATT, a merchant; and John W. MINTON, attorney for the Know family. Another press report listed S.R. Williams as surety. (Bowman, p. 105).

(Research):

Census Listings:

1930 Census
Texas, Sabine County, Pr. 1, Hemphill Town
Enumerated 8 Apr 1930
ED 202-2 SD 17 Sheet 2B
34-45
Pratt, Eldon Head M W 31 M 26 Tx Tx Tx Dealer Timber
Pratt, Pauline L f F W 25 M 20 Miss Ala Tnn
Pratt, Loyd E Son M W 1 9/12 S Tx Tx Miss

Family/Spouse: Pauline Lynch. Pauline was born on 18 Oct 1904 in Mississippi; died on 16 Mar 1991 in Cameron County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Laura Buckmaster shows that he married a CLARK.

(Research):
Census Listings:

1930 Census
Texas, Sabine County, Pr. 1, Hemphill Town
Enumerated 8 Apr 1930
ED 202-2 SD 17 Sheet 2B
46-52
Pratt, Drayton Head M W 30 M 27 Tx Tx Tx Manager Retail Store
Pratt, Kathleen Wf F W 21 m 18 Tx Tx Tx Teacher Public School
Pratt, Lulu B Dtr F W 1 4/12 S Tx Tx Tx

Drayton married Kathleen A. Clark before 1928. Kathleen (daughter of John David Clark and Leila Elizabeth Downs) was born on 8 Oct 1908 in San Augustine County, Texas; died on 8 Sep 2008 in Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas; was buried in Liberty Hill Cemetery, Bland Lake, San Augustine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The Sabine County Reporter
October 25, 2005

Wilma Pratt Logan

Wilma Pratt Logan, 101, of Hemphill died Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006, at Hemphill Care Center. She was born April 30, 1905, as a daughter of the late Sally (Collier) and George Edward PRATT. She is survived by a niece and nephew. Graveside rites were held Saturday at Hemphill City Cemetery with Bro. Gary Leinhart officiating. Services were under the direction of Starr Funeral Home Inc. in Hemphill.

Family/Spouse: Kirby Dickson Russell. Kirby (son of A. B. Russell and Anna Dixie McGown) was born on 8 Mar 1907 in Texas; died on 21 Aug 1973 in Houston, Harris County, Texas; was buried in Halbert Cemetery (Joel Halbert Cemetery / Fox Hill Cemetery), Milam, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

THE SABINE COUNTY REPORTER January 12, 2000

Bena Harris Gellatly, 98, of Milam died Wednesday, Jan 5, 2000, in San Augustine. Mrs. Gellatly was born July 24, 1901 and had been a lifelong resident of the Milam area. She was a homemaker and a member of New Hope Baptist Church. Survivors; daughters and sons-in-law, Claudia and Dan Polley of Sexton, Merle and Oscar Huff of Milam, and Bonnie and Larry Mobbs of Odessa, a sister, Elaine Brown of San Augustine; eight grandchildren a step-granddaughter; nine great-grandchildren; and four step great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband D.C. Gellatly, and a son, Robert Gellatly. Funeral services were held Jan 7 at New Hope Baptist Church near Milam with Bro. Jim Moss and Bro. Lou Dane officiating. Interment followed at New Hope Cemetery. Starr Funeral Home Inc of Hemphill, Directors.

Bena married Don Claude "D. C." Gellatly about 1918. Don (son of David Claude Gellatly and Abbie Ola Mason) was born on 21 Jun 1898 in Texas; died on 19 Sep 1976 in Houston, Harris County, Texas; was buried in New Hope Cemetery, Milam, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Loy P. Neal. Loy was born on 10 Sep 1901 in Sabine County, Texas; died on 23 Oct 1960 in Isla, Sabine County, Texas; was buried in New Hope Cemetery, Milam, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

His FindAGrave memorial page shows he was a MSgt. US Army, and includes a photo of his military marker.

Notes:

The Sabine County Reporter

Ruby Low Smith

Ruby Low Smith, 84, of Hemphill died at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2003, at Hemphill Care Center in Hemphill. Mrs. Smith was born Feb. 7, 1918, in the Sabinetown community as a daughter of the late Willie (Gooch) and Harry YOUNGBLOOD. She was a homemaker and lifelong resident of Sabine County. Survivors; a daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Dean SCHOBER of Dallas; a granddaughter, Dena SCHOBER of Dallas; a grandson Brian SCHOBER of Dallas, a brother, Frankie YOUNGBLOOD of Hemphill; three nieces and three nephews. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Howard LOW in 1974, and Aubrey SMITH in 2001. Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Friday at the chapel of Starr Funeral Home Inc. in Hemphill with Bro. T.A. Lane and Bro. J.R. "Bob" Gwin officiating. Interment followed at Harper's Chapel Cemetery in Sabine County.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong)

Ruby married Thomas Howard Low before 1948. Thomas (son of Thomas Wright Low and Sally J. Howard) was born on 14 Jan 1915 in Sabine County, Texas; died in May 1974 in Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Ruby married Aubrey Elton Smith after 1974. Aubrey (son of James Obie Smith and Mary Evaline "Evie" Arthur) was born on 19 Dec 1910 in Sabine County, Texas; died on 3 Dec 2001 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas; was buried on 5 Dec 2001 in Harpers Chapel Cemetery, Sabinetown, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The Sabine County Reporter
July 17, 1996, page 12

V. B. Youngblood,

V. B. Youngblood, 71, of Route 4, Hemphill, died at 11:50 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, 1996, at Memorial Hospital in Nacogdoches.

Born July 21, 1924, as a son of the late Harry and Willie (Gooch) Youngblood, he was a lifelong resident of Sabine County. Youngblood a retired truck driver in the oilfield industry, was a member of the Baptist Church.

Survivors: wife, LaMerle Compton Youngblood of Hemphill; sons, Revelle Youngblood and wife Donna of Pasedena and Wayne Marshall of Tampa, Florida; duaghters, Vickie Beth Nichols of Temple and Alecia Butler and husband Mike of Pasadena; five grandchildren; a brother, Frankie Youngblood of Hemphill; a sister and brother-in-law, Ruby and Aubrey Smith of Hemphill, an aunt, Ida Gooch of Hemphill; 15 nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the chapel of Starr Funeral Home Inc. in Hemphill with Bro. Richard Bass and Bro. Vance R. Purtell officiating. Interment followed at Harper's Chapel Cemetery near Hemphill.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, February 2011)

Notes:

"Born the night Halley's Comet flashed across the sky."

Comet married Frances Blanche Finley on 30 Jun 1934. Frances (daughter of John William Finley and Effie Beatrice Williams) was born on 17 Jan 1913 in Sabine County, Texas; died on 31 Jan 2008 in San Augustine, San Augustine County, Texas; was buried in Meador Cemetery, Milam, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Lora Ava Woods on 26 Nov 1936 in Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, Texas. Lora (daughter of Cavie O. Woods and Odie Pama Burkhalter) was born on 9 Nov 1914 in Broaddus, San Augustine County, Texas; died on 8 Dec 2001 in Houston, Harris County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Inez Cook. Inez (daughter of George Washington Cook and Rachel Inez Williamson) was born on 11 Mar 1914 in Texas; died on 13 Apr 2000; was buried in Hemphill City Cemetery, Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name: Geraldine Pratt Leighton
Death Date: 29 Mar 1973
Death Place: Hemphill, Sabine, Texas
Gender: Female
Race:
Death Age: 58 years
Estimated Birth Date: 1915
Birth Date: Feb 15, 1915
Birthplace: Texas
Marital Status: Divorced
Spouse's Name:
Father's Name: Audrey Pratt
Father's Birthplace:
Mother's Name: Fay Woods
Mother's Birthplace:
Informant: Audrey Dean Leighton
Occupation: Nurse, Medical
Place of Residence: Parker Blvd, Texas
Cemetery: Hemphill Cemeterey
Burial Place:
Burial Date:
Additional Relatives:
Film Number: 2242621
Digital Film Number: 4167715
Image Number: 1758
Reference Number: 23512
Collection: Texas Deaths, 1890-1976


(Medical):See attached sources.

Family/Spouse: Morgan Barry Leighton. Morgan was born on 6 Jan 1901 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin; died on 6 Aug 1962 in Houston, Harris County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Ruby Laverne Speights. Ruby (daughter of Mermond Leon Speights and Rutha Elvie McLemore) was born on 3 May 1919 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas; died on 20 Jun 2014 in Texas; was buried in Hemphill City Cemetery, Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Obituary

Claudia Jeanette Polley, 93, of Sexton, Texas passed away Sunday, July 26, 2020 in San Augustine, Texas.

Claudia was born in Milam, Texas on November 14, 1926 to Don C. Gellatly and Bena Norine Harris Gellatly.

Claudia was a superior homemaker and excellent cook. She was a member of the Hemphill High School Class of 1944 and also of Liberty Springs Methodist Church. She liked antiquing with her sister, she loved her family and she loved children. She saw the good in everything and everybody.

She is survived by her son, Don Polley of San Augustine; and sister, Bobbie Pratt of San Augustine. She is also survived and loved by her nieces, nephews, and many friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Dan B. Polley, Jr.; infant son, John Mason Polley; brother, Robert Earl Gellatly; and sister, Merle Huff.

Graveside services will begin at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 28, 2020 in New Hope Cemetery, Milam, Texas under the direction of Starr Funeral Home with Bro. Buddy Pratt officiating.

Serving as pallbearers are Doug Fuller, Cole Fuller, Jerry Burrow, Joel Halbert, Amos Hanzel, and Ray Sheard.

Online condolences can be made and memorial book can be signed at starrfuneralhome.com.

Downloaded from Starr Funeral Home website, also published in The Sabine County Reporter, July 29, 2020, page 4.

(Research):

The Sabine County Reporter
October 22, 1997, Page 7

Class of 1944

Hemphill's Class of 1944 recently held a reunion at the home of Phillip and Loretta Sterle in Hemphill. Shown are, from left: Claudine Gellaty Polley, Philip Sterle, Onie Bell Grim Williams, Doris Stewart Walts, Eugene Procella, Margie Watson Nellus, LaTrent Walker, Melba Rue Isom Byley, Charlotta Kign Walker, Bertie Scott, Helen Strickland Murray, Betty Mae Ener McGraw and Patsy Pickley Becka. The Class of '44 donated $100 from their treasury to the J. R. Huffman Public Library.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, March 2011)

Claudia married Dan Bussey Polley, Jr. on 28 Feb 1948 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas. Dan (son of Dan Bussey Polley, Sr. and Mary Clifton) was born on 24 Sep 1920 in Sexton, Sabine County, Texas; died on 22 Aug 2000; was buried in New Hope Cemetery, Milam, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Sabine County Reporter 8 May 2002

Class of 1948 Members of the class of 1948 attending the (Hemphill High School) reunion included, from left, front; Joann (Hendrix) Alford, Bennie Jean (Chambers) Henderson and Thelma (Bass) Henderson; and back: Elaine (Erwin) Hamilton, Jackie Harris, Merle (Gellatly) Huff, Billie Sue (Ziefler) Chambers, Raymond Mattox and Kathleen (Crowell) Zachery.

Obituary

Merle Gellatly Huff, 82, of Milam, died Wednesday evening in the Twin Lakes Care Center in San Augustine. She was born in Sabine County to Don and Bena Harris Gellatly and has lived in Sabine County all her life. Mrs. Huff was a farmer and rancher and attended the Riverside Church near Milam.

She is survived by her sons; David Huff of Milam, Ted Huff and his wife Janie of Laurel, Mississippi, Tommy Huff and his wife Ashley of Henderson, her daughter Susan Sheard and her husband Ray of Milam, grandchildren; Rylie, Poppy, David and Rachel, and three great grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters Claudia Polley of Sexton and Bobbie Pratt of San Augustine.

Visitation will be from 5:30PM until 8:00PM, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, in the Starr Funeral Home, 510 Starr St., Hemphill, Texas. Funeral services will be at 11:00AM, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012, in the Starr Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in the New Hope Cemetery near Milam.

http://www.starrfuneralhome.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=1881157&fh_id=12228

Also published in the Sabine County Reporter, December 26, 2012, page 7

Billie married Oscar Thomas Huff on 15 Mar 1949. Oscar was born on 17 Oct 1921; died on 11 Jul 2001 in Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Joyce Brown, age 90, of Sabine County, Texas passed away Saturday, April 6, 2019 at Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital.

Joyce was born April 14, 1928 in Sabine County, Texas to Loy P. Neal and Marie Harris. She was a housewife and mother.

She is survived by daughters, Linda Smith and husband, Ron, of Lufkin, Texas; Terry Uitterdyk and husband, Hank, of Rock Springs, Wyoming; Marsha Jackson and husband, Butch, of Hemphill Texas; son, Archie Brown of Benwheeler, Texas. She is also survived by grandchildren, Deanna Havard, Darren Smith, Jennifer Brandt, Joni Hinds, Jason Uitterdyk, Bryan Brown, Krystal Fuller, Tricia Jackson, Johnny Jackson, Robert Jackson, and Michael Jackson; great grandchildren, Hayslee, Jade, Camryn, Trevor, Faith, Noah, Slade, Rett, Jackson, Lily, Justin, J.C., Kirby and Keri.

She is also survived by her favorite pet, Summer.

She is preceded in death by husband, Earnest Lindell Brown; brother, Joe Neal; sisters, Doris Ledbetter, and Wilma Richards; granddaughter, Lindsey Brown.

Family would like to acknowledge her loving caregivers Janine Hughes, Sharon Bragg, and Barbara Elliot.

Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at Starr Funeral Home, 510 Starr Street, Hemphill, Texas.

Funeral Services will begin at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at Starr Funeral Home Chapel, 510 Starr Street, Hemphill, Texas with Bro. George Bragg and Bro. Floyd Wright officiating.

Burial will follow at New Hope Cemetery, in Milam, Texas.

Pallbearers are Bryan Brown, Darren Smith, Jason Uitterdyk, James Havard, Cole Fuller, and Randy Hinds.

Guest book may be signed and condolences may be made at www.starrfuneralhome.com

Copied from the Starr Funeral Home webiste. Also published in The Sabine County Reporter, April 10, 2019, page 8

Family/Spouse: Earnest Lindell Brown. Earnest was born on 26 Mar 1925 in Hornbeck, Vernon Parish, Louisiana; died on 29 Sep 2007 in Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas; was buried in New Hope Cemetery, Milam, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The Sabine County Reporter
December 8, 1999, Page 13

Joe B. Neal

Joe B. Neal, 70, of San Augustine died Friday, December 3, 1999, in Nacogdoches.

Neal was born Nov. 11, 1929 in Milam as a son of the late Loy P. and Marie (Harris) Neal and had been a longtime resident of San Augustine. He was a cattle rancher and retired bridge construction superintendent.

Survivors: wife, Bessie Coussons Neal of San Augustine; daughters, Josette Newberry GASKIN of Austin and Suzanne Neal and Carol CARTWRIGHT both of San Augustine; sisters, Doris LEDBETTER of Los Angeles, California, Wilma ROBERTS of San Augustine and Joyce BROWN of Milam; a special friend, Pete GARRETT; and five grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Dec. 5 at the First Baptist Church of San Augustine with Bro. Rickey Wood, Bro. Jim Moss and Bro. Fred Dade Jr officiating. Interment followed at Chumley Cemetery near San Augustine.

Wyman Roberts Funeral Directors of San Augustine, directors.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, June 2011)

Family/Spouse: Bessie Lou Coussons. Bessie (daughter of William Ersell Coussons and Novie Ada Pratt) was born on 15 Aug 1930 in Sabine County, Texas; died on 13 Feb 2006 in San Augustine, San Augustine County, Texas; was buried on 15 Feb 2006 in Chumley Cemetery, San Augustine, San Augustine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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

Notes:

Sabine County Reporter
March 9, 2005

Donna Ruth Toole Hunter

Donna Ruth Toole Hunter, 67, of Milam died at 12:05 a.m. Thursday, March 3, 2005, at Nacogdoches County Memorial Hospital in Nacogdoches. Mrs. Hunter was born Sept. 7, 1937, in Hemphill as a daughter of Blanche Finley Toole and the late Comet TOOLE. She was a member of the Methodist Church and Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Survivors: husband, Thomas H. HUNTER, Jr. of Milam; mother, Blanche TOOLE of Hemphill; sons, Stephen OWENS of Bossier City, Louisiana, Jonathan HUNTER of Bellingham, Washington, and Thomas HUNTER III of San Clemente, California; daughters, Lisa OWENS of Hammond, Washington, Susan RICHARDSON of Somerset, Washington, and Sarah HANDY of Terre Haute, Indiana; eight grandchildren; and one great-granchild. Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the chapel of Starr Funeral Home Inc. in Hemphill, with Reba Barnett officiating. Interment followed at Meador Cemetery near Milam. Memorials may be made to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, 833 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, IL 60607. Services were under the direction of Starr Funeral Home Inc in Hemphill.

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

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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

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

Notes:

Audrey Dean Leighton was valedictorian and Jerry Morris McDowell salutatorian of Hemphill High School Graduating Class of 1968. (Back in Time, 1968, published in the SABINE COUNTY REPORTER May 6, 1998, page 4).

Sabine County Reporter
July 6, 2005

Audrey Dean Leighton

Audrey Dean Leighton, 55, of Hemphill died Saturday, June 18, 2005, at Memorial Medical Center in Lufkin. He was born Feb. 15, 1950 as a son of the late Geraldine (Pratt) and Morgan Barry Leighton and was a lifelong resident of Hemphill, graduating from Hemphill High School as valedictorian in 1968. He was a global twirler and entertainer. Survivors: a great-aunt, Wilma LOGAN of Hemphill; second cousins, Lloyd Eldon PRATT, Jr. of Harlingen and Patsy Clapp SMITH of Beaumont; and numerours third and fourth cousins. A memorial service will be held 9 a.m. Saturday, July 9, at the Hemphill City Park overlooking the Pratt House. Arrangements are being handled by Starr Funeral Home Inc. in Hemphill.

Friends remember, plan memorial for 'The Twirler,' an East Texas fixture who marched to his own beat

By EMILY TARAVELLA, Cox East Texas

Sunday, June 26, 2005

HEMPHILL - He was the valedictorian of his graduating class. He played the saxophone and was drum major of his high school band. A child of privilege, he was a descendant of one of his hometown's most prominent families.Some considered him to be a parapsychologist and a fortune teller. His closest friends say he was "complex" and "multi-faceted." But when Audrey Dean Leighton died a week ago today, most knew him simply as "The Twirler."

With his long beard, short shorts, tall boots, brightly colored shirts and hats, Leighton stood out against the backdrop of the small East Texas towns and cities where he was often sighted toting his trademark baton. Lufkin, Nacogdoches, San Augustine and others may have tried to claim him as a "town character" all their own, but Hemphill was Audrey Dean's home. It is where he was born, and - for all practical purposes - it is where he died.

A group of women gathered Wednesday afternoon in Hemphill at Pace Creek, an upscale gift shop and plant nursery, to plan Leighton's memorial service. At first glance they appeared an unlikely group of peers for an eccentric, 55-year-old hitch-hiking twirler. But as they shared their fondest memories of the things he said and did, it became clear: These women not only accepted Audrey Dean Leighton, they loved him. Shirley Winslow knew him the longest. "I remember when he was just a little kid twirling his baton," she said. "I watched him grow up."

As Kathy DeKerlegand passed around a file folder containing photographs of Audrey Dean, the women smiled at the images: first a pleasantly plump baby, then a young child with striking eyes and finally a handsome teen wearing a graduation gown. Other photographs featured Leighton as a young man. Eight-by-ten glossies showed him performing on stage; snapshots showed him marching in parades, high-kicking as he twirled his baton. This is how the women will remember their friend - not as he looked in his hospital bed a few days ago, communicating only with blinks and nods. "He died of bone cancer," they said, adding that, "He may have also had a heat stroke."

The folder full of Leighton's pictures also contained his hot-pink business card that reads, "Audrey Dean Leighton, Global Twirler," and the e-mail address, "Twirlerextraordinaire@hotmail.com."
After Leighton graduated from high school and attended the University of Texas and other colleges, he began marching in parades and performing for small audiences who would drop coins or dollar bills in a jar. He was as comfortable twirling on the sidewalks of New Orleans, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington and New York as he was in East Texas. His "international tour" included France, Spain, Italy and Sweden. On each of his sojourns (paid for with money from his trust fund), Leighton sent postcards home to his friends in Hemphill. He addressed them to entire groups of people, leaving the decision to the postmaster as to which post office box the card should actually be delivered.

When he returned home, Audrey Dean twirled privately for his friends, in their homes or yards. Ten years ago Leighton settled in his family's old home place in Hemphill, The Pratt House. The Pratt House was built in 1908 at the town's most visible intersection by George Edward "Ed" Pratt - the son of Civil War veteran Hampton Pratt. The 7,000-square-foot building has "Greek Revival design influences with Victorian detailing," according to the Sabine County Historical Foundation's Web site. Galleries sweep across the entire front facade, and a two-story portico, gabled dormers and a central hall on each floor are among the home's distinguishing features, the Web site says.

Thirty years ago Leighton's friend Mary Ann McDaniel would visit the The Pratt House to provide home health care for his three aging aunts. "That was back when Audrey Dean spent most of his time traveling," McDaniel said. "He would come in from time to time, but we didn't see as much of him back then." When Leighton returned to the house 10 years ago, it was empty. The three aunts had moved into a nursing home, and for years Audrey Dean entertained them there with his twirling. Eventually, two of the aunts died. A third aunt is still alive today, but Audrey Dean stopped twirling for her when she stopped remembering who he was.

DeKerlegand said visiting Audrey Dean at The Pratt House "was like visiting the theater." "He would sit at the dining table and speak to the (dead) members of his family as if they were really there," she said.

DeKerlegand's mother, Edna Campbell, said she remembers the first time she went inside the house. Although the house had grown shabby from years of neglect, the antiques and crystal inside it took her breath away. Leighton occupied a single room upstairs that had previously belonged to his mother.

When the other heirs to the Pratt estate decided to sell the house to First Baptist Church in the late 1990s, Leighton had no choice but to move. The church planned to demolish the house to make way for a new family life center. But townspeople rallied, and eventually they raised enough money to move the house to a place where it would be safe. Restoration efforts are ongoing, but after the house was moved Leighton never cared to go back inside.

DeKerlegand and Campbell helped Audrey Dean pack his few personal effects when he left the house for good. Everything he owned fit in a wooden trunk that Campbell allowed him to keep in her living room.

Although he never returned to The Pratt House, Audrey Dean would often sit cross-legged on the floor of the Pace Creek gift shop and tell McDaniel and another friend, Donna Alexander, stories about the things that had happened within the home's walls over the last century. The women took careful notes and asked permission to preserve his stories on audio or videotapes. Leighton did not want to be recorded.

"Sometimes he would tell us he had been 'communing with the dead' at the cemetery," Alexander said. "He would visit his relatives' graves, and he would tell us, 'Those Pratts are as tight-lipped in death as they were in life.'" Audrey Dean promised that if he ran across any forgotten Pratt money, he would give it to the historical foundation for the restoration efforts.

After he lost the house, he often slept at the Super 8 motel in Hemphill. He was also known to frequent the San Augustine Inn, and one of Jasper's bed-and-breakfasts. When traveling through Houston he preferred to sleep under a certain tree, using his backpack as a pillow. He had no permanent residence.

Although he had a driver's license, Audrey Dean usually hitched a ride with his friends. Alexander remembers giving him a ride to San Augustine, on her way to market in Dallas. "As he got out of the car, he told me to be careful," she said. "He warned me that there are lot of 'weirdos' out there, and not to give rides to anyone I didn't know."

Some may have been startled by his unusual appearance, but McDaniel said anyone who took the time to talk to him could immediately sense that he was harmless.

When McDaniel's cousin, a Dallas socialite, met Leighton for the first time, she was enamored of his twirling ability. "She had been a twirler in college," McDaniel said. "They went out in the yard and twirled together for hours." Time passed, and McDaniel's cousin was riding through the streets of Dallas with her "socialite friends," McDaniel said. "When they got to a stop light, some of the ladies started locking their doors and pointing to a man on the sidewalk," McDaniel said. "My cousin looked out, and who was it but Audrey Dean - right there in downtown Dallas."

The Twirler was liable to be sighted any place at any time, according to his friends. DeKerlegand was friends with Leighton for years before she learned that her brother had been giving him rides in Marshall. As the women laughed about their memories, the conversation turned to Leighton's last days.

On June 1, he returned from a trip to Nacogdoches with an upset stomach. Alexander gave him a ride to the Super 8, and he told her he thought he had a stomach virus. When the hotel management hadn't seen any sign of him three days later, they called his friend Donna Wilkerson and asked her to check on him. "I knocked on the door and told him I was coming in," Wilkerson said. "He was coherent to some extent, but he couldn't walk. I told the hotel to call an ambulance." Leighton died in a Lufkin hospital two weeks later. He had just enough money remaining in his trust fund to cover the cost of his cremation. "He told us he didn't want his ashes in one place," DeKerlegand said. "He wanted them spread."

Leighton's parents divorced when he was a baby, and his father was "never in the picture." At the time of his death, Leighton's only family ties were two distant cousins and one aunt.

Although his cousins currently possess his ashes, Audrey Dean's friends are hopeful that they will be allowed to spread them, as he requested. The friends said they would like to take a few of his ashes with them when they go on trips to different states and countries. They also hope to keep a few of his ashes in an urn in his upstairs bedroom at the Pratt House. They hope to make his old room a place people can visit to remember the man who added so much color to the East Texas landscape.

"We have his hats, his boots and his batons," DeKerlegand said. "We also have his journal, but it is filled with his most personal and innermost thoughts. I hope it is something I can share some day, but now is not the time."

McDaniel said she'll never forget the last time she saw Audrey Dean, at the end of May. "He was in the bank parking lot," she said. "I had heard through the small-town grapevine that Audrey Dean had become a Christian. I asked him if it was true that he had made a profession of faith."
He said that it was.

"Oh my goodness, you're my brother in Christ!" McDaniel remembers telling Leighton. He responded, "It sure looks that way." McDaniel was preparing to leave for a mission trip in Africa, the last time she saw Leighton. Because "you never know what might happen," she had prepared her will. She remembers telling Leighton, "If I don't see you again ..." and him finishing her sentence for her, "... I'll see you in glory."

"He was telling me good-bye," McDaniel said. "Without even knowing it, that was our goodbye. It was the end of a 30-year friendship." The Twirler's friends said they accepted him just as he was, because he accepted them just as they were.

"He had a gentle, gentle spirit," McDaniel said. "And everyone wanted his beautiful legs."

Trailer for "Rainbows End"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkz4Hy114-M

Notes:

David Alan Huff, 68, of Milam, Texas passed away Thursday, February 18, 2021 at Sabine County Hospital in Hemphill, Texas.

David was born on July 17, 1952 in Center, Texas to Oscar Thomas Huff and Billie Merle Gellatly Huff. He attended school at Hemphill ISD and later served in the United States Air Force. He worked in the construction business.

He is survived by his son, David Alan Huff, Jr.; daughter, Rachel; brothers, Ted Huff of Mississippi and Tommy Huff of Henderson; and sister, Susan Sheard of Milam.

Cremation arrangements were handled by Starr Funeral Home of Hemphill.

Downloaded from Starr Funeral Home, also published in The Sabine County Reporter, March 3, 2021, page 4

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]