Country road on what looks like Sunday afternoon in Red River County. Left to right:
Elna, child of Ruth and Donald Ricketts, Alvina Barry, sister of my grandmother Ruth, and Mabel Barry, second sister of Ruth. On right is Anna Louise Ricketts, my mother.
included in this one minute video are pictures of Annie Barthel, John Barry, and the house John built for his family. In 1894 my grandmother, Ruth (Annie's first child) was born. She had two sisters: Mable and Alvina, and one brother: Erwin, who was always called "Brother" by my grandmother and her sisters.
When my grandmother Ruth married she still lived with her family so my mother was also born in the Barry house. It has since been torn down, probably to make way for some hamburger stand or something.
Also in this slideshow you will see a picture of Barry's mill from the distance and another photo of the owners with their dark-skinned workers standing behind them. The man seated third from the left is John Barry, my great-grandfather
John and a partner named Montgomery became developers in Clarksville, and published a paper that praised their town for its banks, churches, schools and businesses. The paper claimed that there was not a saloon in the county. (Red River County on the Oklahoma line.)
My Great Grandfather on Mother's side was John Barry, who lived in Clarksville, Texas. Clarksville is in northeast Texas on the Red River which borders Oklahoma.
John borrowed money from an uncle in Fort Worth and bought a wholesale grocery business. He planned to operate it with his brother Jasper Barry, whose nickname was "Jap". John spent the summer of 1890 in Louisville, Kentucky to attend Bryant & Stratton business college (the school still exists today.)
While he was in Louisville John met Annie Barthel. She was also attending business school, learning to keep the books for the "Steam Laundry and Carpet Beating Works."
John and Annie went out together a few times and then he had to leave for home. But they began a year-long correspondence that concluded when they married in June of 1891. Here I will post examples of the love letters they wrote on letterheads from each establishment, the Wholesale Grocery Store in Clarksville and the laundry in Louisville. Later on I will post more of their love letters.
