letter from my grandmother Ruth Barry Ricketts

This was written August 6, 1958, five days after the birth of my daughter, Anne Flavia Reese by my grandmother Ruth Barry Ricketts to my mother Anna Louise Ricketts Atwood.

Dear Anna,

I am sending you a list of the names of "Ann's" in my branch of the family as follows:

Mary Anna Fisher Barthel   …my mother's mother 1st generation (nineteenth century)

Anna Mary Barthel Barry…..my mother    2nd generation

No Ann's in my generation (my mother goofed.) I was eldest child, and a daughter however.

Anna Louise Ricketts Atwood   4th generation

Patsy Ann Atwood Reese    5th generation

Anne Flavia Reese     6th generation

Ruth Barry at age 12

The Barry Family History

This document is not particularly striking but if you have any interest in the family my mother was from it can be interesting.  It is the history of the family of John Barry, who was my great grandfather and the father of my grandmother, Ruth Barry Ricketts.  It seems that Commodore John Barry was the "Father of the American Navy."

a letter from Grandmother Ruth Ricketts written 1980

This is a letter from my grandmother, Ruth Barry Ricketts, to her younger sister written in 1980.

She writes about where they lived growing up, and about the time after her mother, Annie Barthel Barry, passed away.  It fell to grandmother to try and take her mother's place in the household, and it was such a strain that she had a stroke 2 weeks after Annie's passing. 

She also says, "Brother (Erwin Barry) didn't talk till he was four hears old.  The first thing he said was 'Look at the mule.' "  Below is a picture of Mother and her parents, Donald and Ruth Ricketts, in front of their ouse in Hooks, Texas in the 1960's.

My maternal grandparents Ruth and Donald Ricketts

These are pictures of my grandmother Ricketts and her husband William Donald Ricketts.  They were married in 1913 with the wedding featured in an earlier blog.  I thought maybe you might like to see how they looked later on in life.  The first picture includes my mother, Anna Louise Ricketts Atwood.

Mother's parents, the RIcketts

This is how my grandparents looked late in their lives.  Grandmother RIcketts lived to be 90.  That is her in the first picture.  Second is Mother with them both, then Donald and Ruth in 1959, and last Grandmother in her own home in Hooks, Texas.

They lived for many years in a tiny house in Hooks because Granddaddy worked for the Red River Arsenal nearby.  By the time these pictures were made, he had retired.

Both were fond of me and treated me with respect.  Their home was small but they always welcomed as many of us as could squeeze into it.

My grandparents' courtship

Not in the best of condition, but I do love this picture of Ruth (standing on left) and Donald, looking back over his shoulder at her.  Her smile shows the affection she held for him, I think.

Both women wear the large, unusual hats of the era which was 1912.  Ruth's hat appears to have an entire bird's wing applied to it on her left side. The bow on the friend's hat at right is unbelievable, isn't it?

Donald and Ruth about 1954

 Ruth and Donald had three daughters:  Anna Louise, the eldest who was my mother,  Elna, and then Clare Jean.  In this picture Donald have two of their grandchildren between them.  They are both children of Clare Jean.  The taller girl is Ruth Ann ("Cookie") and the little girl is Patty.  

I think this picture was probably made in the 1950's.

Devil's Den outing 1927

Around 1927 or so, Donald and Ruth Ricketts took their girls on a vacation.

They went to a park in Arkansas called "Devil's

Den."  With them were a large group of friends, also Donald's brother Sam and his wife Ruby, and their two girls, Ona Mae and Marian.

In the photo of the large group, my mother Anna Louise is seated in the far left corner of the picture.



In the second picture at left, where Anna Louise is in the center, the couple on the left is Sam and Ruby Ricketts, and the couple seated on the rock are Ruth and Donald Ricketts.





Seated on the rock below are some friends and cousins.  On the far right is Anna Louise, in front of her is her sister Elna.

Among the bathing beauties in the picture below, Anna Louise is second from left.