Grayson County TXGenWeb

Those standing in front of the store, reading left to right, are: Seldon Ragsdale, Mr. Cornelison, Moulder Ragsdale, Mr. Gray, Tom Hudspeth; standing in the door, Joe Doughty, Bob Hudspeth. The justice court was held on the south side if this building which faces west.
The old building pictured above was used for both dry goods and grocreies, serviing as a general store. Tom Hudspeth was salesman. His father, who was known as "Uncle George," came to this section of the country, bringing his wife and a large family. At that time there was plenty of free grass and watr, and Mr. Hudspeth had some cattle, horses and sheep. In order to give employment to his sons, he operated this store as a side line, going to Jefferson for supplies, according to Mrs. Joe Sanders.
He built a wooden house a few hundred yards east of the store. He hauled the lumber from Jefferson saw mills. It was rough lumber dressed on the ground by planes and saws and was hauled in coverd wagons as everything was transported in those days. It was difficult to keep the dry goods from becoming soiled, Mrs. Sanders relates. "One time they brought so much Morenta plaid for the store that it was too hard to sell,but having a large family to dress we finally used it all ourselves in time," she said.
"People lived well lthose days," she tells. "There were plenty of wild gturkeys in the cross timber, and deer were plentiful."
"We had four dogs," Mrs. Sanders continued. "On on special occasion that I recall one of the dogs, Tinker, was killed on a deer hunt. Mr. Ragsdale shot a big buck, and a stray bullet hit Tinker, a dog which belonged to Nancy Sanders."
"People had plenty of fat cattle and ran killing clubs. They took their turns in killing and dividing. And, of course, fruit was not so plentiful, but people started orchards and planted gardens as soon as they could prepare the ground," she further added.
The people revelaed in the picture above are closely related to the history of Collinsville. Mr. Doughty was song leader at church and at the young people's gatherings, according to Mrs.Sanders.
Tom Hudspeth married Emma Eva....Moulder Ragsdale was mail carrier under Carl Collins as post master. He went from Collinsville to Whitesboro twice a week on horesback until the railway was built. Moulder Ragsdale was also a justice of the peace and notary of public for 9 years.
Seldon Ragsdale taught school here and in other places and is now working at the court house in Tishimingo, Oklahoma.

Nancy Jane Hudspeth Sanders Ragsdale was born February 27, 1864 in Hunt County, Texas; she was the daughter of George Ewing Hudspeth and his second wife, Mary Luticia Colley (1839-1918), married 1859, Troup, Smith Co., Texas. George and Mary Hudspeth moved from Graves Co., Kentucky before Nancy was born, she being their first child of their 12 children born in Texas; there were also 6 children born to George Ewing Hudspeth and his first wife, Catherine Hart (1827-1859), married January 25, 1847 in Henry Co., Tennessee.
By June 8, 1880 the Hudspeth family was living in north Texas in Grayson Co., Texas.
Nancy married M.F. Ragsdale in 1879 in Grayson County at the age of 15. Together they had two sons and three daughters, the youngest of whom, Odessa Ragsdale, died at the age of 10 months and was buried next to her father in the small family cemetery on Jordan Creek Road outside of Collinsville.