On This Day, 8 February – Birth of Nell Hutson

Nell Hutson was my paternal great-grandmother. 

She was born either 8 February 1888 as was written on her tombstone[1] or 1889 which is calculated from U.S. federal census records.[2] The best record that might have solved or put into light on this question is the death certificate. She died at the age of thirty-one on  14 July 1919 at home near Gustine, Texas.[3] There is an obituary about her death and burial (even though the paper spelled her name wrong), but no death certificate.[4]

Mrs. Tom Johnson Dead

Mrs. Tom Johnson died on Monday, July 14, at the family residence in Comanche and was buried Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Union cemetery at Gustine. The many friends of the family will learn with keen regret of Mrs. Johnson's untimely death, passing away as she did in the prime of life when so much of her life was yet in the future. We join the many friends in extending our sympathy to the sorrowing husband and relatives.

Nell was born, probably in Gustine, to Peter H. Hutson and Sarah Helena Selman. She was the fourth child of eight. He was a farmer, who owned 40 acres of land in Comanche County.

Nell married Thomas N. Johnston on 6 June 1907 by a minister of the gospel, J.R. Fagan.[5] They had six children, one who died as an infant. 

At the time of her death, my grandfather, Tom, would have been just seven years old. His sister, Beryl was ten. Thomas did not immediately remarry, so she probably took on much of the household chores. The 1920 census gave no additional members of the household, so perhaps Thomas paid for a housekeeper to take care of things during the day, but no one lived with them.[6]

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[1] Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com), Memorial# 64910690, Union Cemetery, Gustine, Texas, Nell L. Johnston.

[2] For February 1889, see 1900 U.S. census, Comanche Co, Texas, Justice Prec No. 2, ED 29, sht 4A & B, pg 133 (stamped) 65/65, Peter H. Hutson, digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com), citing NARA T623.

[3] "Mrs. Tom Johnson Dead," Comanche (Texas) Chief, 18 Jul 1919.

[4] The Comanche County Death Record, v. 2-a, was searched in the index and on the pages associated with 1919 deaths. Her death is also not in the “Texas Deaths, 1890-1976,” index and images on FamilySearch.

[5] "Texas, Comanche County, marriage records, 1856-1951," digital images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org), v. 5, p. 563, Johnston-Hutson marriage, 1907, image 577 of 668.

[6] 1920 U.S. census, Comanche Co, Texas, pop. sched., Comanche, ED 70, sht 7a, p. 47 (stamped), dwelling 136, family 138, Thos N. Johnson household, digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com). 

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