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Ruth Allen (seated) admires her framed certificate from the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, given to her by Carolyn Thomas Raney (standing). Allen will also receive a commemorative medallion on her headstone. Staff photo by Taylor Nye
Pickton native may be organization’s oldest inducted member
History
Patsy Ruth Smith Allen of Pickton, or Ruth to her friends, will be 102 on her next birthday in January. She may just be the oldest member inducted into the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) in the whole state. Allen was honored this past weekend by the presence of the DRT at her Winnsboro home to present her with her membership into the society, which Allen called “a blessing.”
The DRT, a patriotic women’s organization, upholds the values of the Republic of Texas and are the caretakers of the Alamo mission. Induction into the society necessitates that one’s ancestors have moved to Texas on or before March 1836. For Allen and her family, their Texas roots run deep.
In 1770, Allen’s four-times great grandfather, Jehu Stokely, came to the U.S. from Wales, England. He settled the family in North Carolina, where he fought during the Battle of King’s Mountain during the revolutionary war. The Stokely family moved to Tennessee, and in January 1836, patriarch Thomas Stokely came to Texas and immediately signed up to defend the fledgling nation.
Joining the Jasper volunteers, Stokely was commanded to defend Nacogdoches. Perceiving there was no danger, however, the company proceeded south to the Battle of San Jacinto. Along the way, they were stalled, perhaps by high water at the Trinity river, illness or an encounter with native peoples. For whatever reason, Stokely and the company did not arrive at San Jacinto until one day after the famous battle.
Stokely’s widow, Mary, later certified to the Texas government her husband had died either in battle or a non-combat situation some time from April to July of that year.
For her husband’s service, Mary was deeded a bounty of 320 acres in Hopkins County near Miller Grove. According to family historian Chuck Forshaw, the land was quickly sold by Mary, as she had no husband to work the land.
Family members from 1860 onwards are buried in the Harmony cemetery near the Hopkins County line with Franklin County. Just a short distance away — about a mile as the crow flies — sits the Allen family homestead, a two-story farmhouse that Allen has filled with historical artifacts and family treasures.
“I thought my blessings were over until the Lord came to take me home,” Allen told family members and DRT representatives in her home. “This, today, is such a deep blessing.”
Growing up in Pickton in the early 1920s, Allen fondly recalled her earliest memories with no electricity and days spent picking cotton. As an outing, she would put on her Sunday shoes and observed the funerals taking place at Harmony cemetery.
Having attended church all her life, Allen said she “gave her heart to Jesus” at 8 years old.
“God’s hand has been on me ever since,” she said.
At 16 years old, Allen had her first public speaking engagement about her faith and soon after went out to California to attend Bible college. She returned home with her degree to find bounty on the farm, which she credits to God as well.
“You’re standing on holy ground when you come up here,” Allen said.
DRT President General Carolyn Thomas Raney said she was “very proud” of Allen.
Thomas Raney and DRT members confirmed Allen’s membership, and gave Allen an oath in which she swore to uphold “the heritage bequeathed to us by the men and women who secured, established, maintained and defended the Republic of Texas.” Allen vowed to “protect the memory of our [her] ancestors” and preserve the legacy of Texas’s rich history.
Basking in the glow of her family, friends and DRT officers, Allen told the assembled members, “God is so real.”
— Texas historian Chuck Forshaw contributed to this report.
An earlier version of this story referred to Chuck Forshaw by the name Charles. He goes by "Chuck" and the story has been edited to reflect that.