Richard Oakford Serrill Family
By John  Barber Serrill
 

     Richard Oakford Serrill (1825-1867) came from Pennsylvania to Galveston in 1836. He served in the Confederate Army from 1861-1865.
 

     Sophia Hess (1829-1906) arrived in Texas at the age of seventeen from Hanover Germany. She, along with other young German women, had come to Texas for the express purpose of marrying a Texas bachelor. Richard Serrill and Sophia Hess were married and settled in Indianola, Texas, a thriving port on the Texas coast. Some years after their marriage they relocated at Matagorda, possibly as a result of the hurricane of 1875 which destroyed Indianola.
 

     The children of Richard and Sophia Serrill were Henry Hess (1854-1937), George (1856-1874), Julius Pratt (1857-1937), John Gorden (1859-1912), and Anna Margaret Sophia (1867-1930).

1. Henry was a rancher in Matagorda County and on April 6, 1882, married Mary Ann “Mollie” Williams (1859-1911), daughter of John Aaron Williams, a native of Denmark, and Katherine Franz Williams, a native of Germany.

2. George

3. Julius lived in Bay City where he was employed as a cotton gin boss and remained unmarried.

4. John was a stockman-rancher in Matagorda County and was also unmarried.

5. Anna Margaret married George Austin and lived in Bay City. George died at the age of eighteen.
The children of Anna Margaret and George Austin were Alma, Julia, Zalie and Nettie.
The children of Henry H. and Mollie Serrill were:
George Edward (1883-1967)
Maud Jesmine  (1885-1885)
Jesse May (1886-1966)
Sonny, (1888-1888)
Muta Catherine (1889-1983)
Henry Douglas (1891-1957)
Richard Rugeley (1894-1969)
Harry Gober (1896-1970)
Ernest Zuch (1898-1978) and
W. B. “Pete” (1901-1969)
 

     George Edward married Minnie Fisher Barber of MacGregor, Texas, and lived in Bay City where he engaged in the insurance business.
     Jesse May married James Du Bose Moberley  (1879-1954) of Matagorda, and they had one daughter who died at birth.
     Muta, unmarried, was employed by Texas Gulf Sulphur Company.
     Douglas remained unmarried and was a clothing salesman.
     Rugeley was in the confectionery and luncheon business in Matagorda and married Frances Pennington (1904-1984).
     Gober married Bettye Erin Payne of Tupelo, Mississippi, and was a manager of the Chicago Coal and Lumber Company in Tupelo.
     Zuch married Marie Margaret Sadler of Mart, Texas, and was also employed by Texas Gulf Sulphur Company.
     W. B. was a bachelor, served in the armed services, and was employed by Texas Gulf Sulphur Company.

     The children of Richard Rugeley and Frances were Marianne Serrill and Richard Rugeley Serrill, Jr., both of Matagorda. Marianne married Louis Dexter Mathis and in 1984 lived in the old Serrill home. Richard, Jr. married Linda Sciba of Matagorda and they had two children, Richard Rugeley Serrill III and Heather Richelle Serrill.
 

     The children of George Edward and Minnie Serrill were George Edward Serrill, Jr., born in 1913
     Jay Oakford Serrill, born in 1915, and Philip Gardner, born in 1925.
     George Edward married Eva Adelle Smith of Ashwood and was employed by Texas     Gulf Sulphur Company, retired in 1978, and lived in Bay City.
     Jay married Helen Wilshire of Fort Meyers, Florida, was later divorced and lived in Galveston.
     Gardner married Janice Landrum of Newgulf. He was a successful shrimper along the Texas coast, and in 1984 was retired and lived in Aransas Pass. Gardner and Janice had no children.

     The children of George Edward and Eva were Judith Ann, a teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina and John Barber, a teacher in Austin, Texas. Judith Ann married Lawton Evans Drake of Newgulf, had two sons, John Evans and Aaron Lee, and was later divorced. John Barber married Mary Katherine Dye of Newgulf and they had two children, John Stacy and Jennifer Ann.

     The children of Jay and Helen were Steven, Kathy, Susan, and Elizabeth. Steven and his wife Nancy had two children, Adrianne and John. Kathy married Gary Caldwell and they had two sons, Shannon and Shawn. Susan married David Lowe and they had two children, Gina and Teddy.
 

Historic Matagorda County, Volume II, pages 478-479, 1984
 

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