My grandmother Ruth fell in love with Donald Ricketts, a shy but steady country boy. He never supported her in the manner she was accustomed, but she stuck with him through thick and thin.
They married in 1913 at the first Presbyterian Church in Clarksville. That church building is still standing, and the largest stained glass window is from the Barry family. On their wedding day it began to rain, so Ruth threw a sheet over her head and dress, and walked across the street to the church.
My grandfather William Donald Ricketts
My grandmother Ruth Barthel Barry
the three Ricketts brothers
Donald and Ruth during courtship
Ruth and Donald on the left
Donald sweeps the sidewalk in front of the Barry home
My grandmother Ruth Barry was John and Annie Barry's first child. She was born in 1892 in Clarksville, Texas. Here are 4 photos of her: as an infant, as a toddler, as a schoolgirl and as a young woman.
The Barrys had a maid/housekeeper, cook whose husband tended the yard and took care of the cars, repairs, etc. This was not unusual in that day and time. But Ruth grew up not knowing how to keep house, or cook, because it had always been done for her.
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.)
