To start off this monthly task, I selected twelve of my daughters’ sixteen 2x-great-grandparents. Using a random number generator, no. 10 was selected, which is Nell L. Hutson, who married Thomas Newton Johnston. I will deal with her life as a married person when he is selected. For now, I will focus mostly on her parents and work my way back. This will include Hutson and Selman lines.
Background Information
This first part will cover what I already know about the
family of Nell and her parents. This covers census, marriage, deeds, obituaries,
death certificate, and cemetery markers. Laying out the background information
will help see the holes where more research is needed. These will be listed as
action items.
Nell was born on 8 February 1888 somewhere in Texas. This information is from her gravestone.[1] Other documents point to 1889 as the year of her birth. Her parents are Peter H. Hutson and Sarah “Sallie” Selman, though no document states this. [Action1: write proof summary]
The family lived in Comanche County, Texas, in 1900. Peter was a farmer on a farm he owned without a mortgage. He was born December 1853 in Georgia. His wife, Sallie, was born August 1857 in Texas. They had been married 20 years. Four daughters and one son lived with them:
- Pearl, born November 1883
- Nellie, born Feb 1889
- Coreta, born August 1895
- Tennie, born May 1899
- Luther, born November 1897.
Sallie indicated nine births with six children living, so there must have been three deaths of young children and another child living outside the home, perhaps an older child who was married. Peter’s parents were born in South Carolina. Sallie’s parents were born also in South Carolina.[2] [Action2: search for a Hutson marriage before 1900 census.]
Peter and Sallie married by minister of the gospel, R.S. Proffitt, in Hood County, Texas, on 11 September 1879.[3] Marriage records in Texas give little information: no age and no residence. They have not been found yet in the 1880 census.
Peter purchased land from R.L. Selman and his wife, Julia P., on 13 April 1905 in Comanche County. He paid $350 along with three promissory notes for the sum of $400. The land is part of the Christopher H. Clark survey, containing 2 and 1/3 acres.[4] Neighbor bordering the property were E.B. Boyds and I. Sadler. A portion owned by I. Sadler was sold to him by J.E. Palmer and M.C. Palmer, and A.D. Lewis in the southwest corner. [Action3: check for more land transaction]
In 1910, the family consisted of Peter and Sallie, aged 56 and 52. They were married thirty years, and she had 5 children living, with nine total. He was a farmer, owning his land. Two children lived with them: Coreta, 15, and Luther, 13. They had four boarders.[5] So, one more child has died. Was it Tennie? She should have been listed after Coreta and Luther at age 11. [Action4: Check death and cemetery records for Hutson deaths.]
Sallie died on 26 September 1916 in Throckmorton County, Texas.[6] The cause of death is difficult to read. A genetic study done by her niece, Polly Wiggins, at college, said she died of typhoid fever.[7] However, Peter’s obituary stated she died while visiting Throckmorton.[8] She is buried in Union Cemetery and I took a photo of the marker.
In 1920, Peter lived with his son-in-law, Luther Wyatt and his wife, Willie M. He was 65 years old, born in Georgia and had no occupation. Luther and Willie had six children.[9]
Peter died on 9 October 1930 at the home of his daughter, Mrs. J. E. White. He had been ill for four months. Four children survived him: Mrs. J.J. Wyatt, Mrs. J.E. White, L.E. Hutson, and Mrs. B.W. Speed.[10] He is buried in Union Cemetery in Gustine, Comanche County.[11]
No death certificate has been located for him, nor has he
been found in the 1930 census. Though we have a clue to where he might have
been living with. [Action5: look in 1930 census for
J.E. White in Comanche County].
 |
| Union Cemetery, Gustine, Texas, taken by Lisa S. Gorrell, 3 May 2024 |
Finally, I will want to make use of Full-text search at FamilySearch, looking for other documents that might name Peter Hutson or Sallie Selman/Hutson.
Airtable
I want to learn how to use Airtable, so I think this is a
good project to set up a base table. I will enter each of the above facts. I do
not know yet what fields I will use. I have only taken the NGS GenTech Workshop,
“Airtable Essentials for Genealogists.”[12]
I have read Nicole Dyer’s blog post,[13]
and I look forward to Diana Elder's introduction to Airtable webinar to the Contra
Costa County Genealogical Society (CCCGS) on January 8.[14]
I think I will get more out it if I try building my base table first. [Action6: build a base table in Airtable]
Update 24 Dec 2025. I have created an airtable entering the documents noted above. I will continue entering as I research. It turns out that I have tax and deed documents that were not entered into RootsMagic yet. So that will be the next step. Then I'll work with Full-text Search at FamilySearch.
[1] Find a Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64910690/nell-lee-johnston),
memorial 64910690, Nell Lee Hutson Johnston (1888-1919), Union Cemetery,
Gustine, Comanche Co, Texas, photo by Ken Jones.
[2]
1900 US census, Comanche Co, Texas, Justice Prec. No. 2, ED 29, sht 4A & B,
p 133 (stamped), 65/65, Peter H. Hutson.
[3] Hood Co, Texas, marriages, v. B,
p. 42, P.H. Hudson-S.H.S. Selman, 1879, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GP38-9RBD
: accessed 5 Aug 2025), IGN 004820349, image 435 of 736.
[4] Comanche Co, Texas, deeds, v. 111,
p. 283, R.L. & Julia Selman to P.H. Hutson, 1905, imaged, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-YSJV-37T);
IGN 004506447, image 284 of 639.
[5]
1910 US census, Comanche Co, Texas, Gustine Prec. No. 2, ED 5, sht 18b,
dwelling 350, family 357, Pet H Hutson.
[6] Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," digital image, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6SHD-L8);
no. 17663, Mrs. Sallie H. Hutson, Tho1916; citing Texas Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics.
[7] Polly
Wiggins, genetics studies
report, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, 1938. Copy in author’s notes.
[8] “P.H.
Hutson Buried Friday,” Comanche Chief, 17 October 1930, p 4.
[9] 1920
U.S. census, Comanche Co, Texas, Gustine Prec. 2, ED 73, Sht 9B, 181/187,
Luther Wyatt.
[10] “P.H.
Hutson Buried Friday,” Comanche Chief, 17 October 1930, p 4.
[11] Find
a Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64910656/peter-hayden-hutson),
memorial 64910656, Peter Hayden Hutson (1856-1930), Union Cemetery, Gustine,
Comanche Co, Texas; photo by Ken Jones.
[12]
The on-demand record is available at NGS website, https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/gentechtoolbox/.
[13] Nicole
Dyer, “Airtable Research Logs,” Family Locket (https://familylocket.com/airtable-research-logs/),
posted 14 May 2020.
[14]
For details on registering for the CCCGS webinar on January 8, see their
website https://cccgs.net/eventListings.php?nm=47&tf=1#er113.
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