John Willis "Jack" Rasberry was born on July 18, 1848 in Tennessee to Allen Rasberry and Elizabeth Weatherford Rasberry. He migrated to Texas with his family sometime between 1850 and 1860, settling in Washington County, Texas near the town of Evergreen. He married Josephine "Josey" Thompson on October 11, 1868 in Washington County. Josey gave birth to six children while they were living in this area but three of them died between 1878 and 1881. The surviving children were Sallie, India, and Lee.
In 1882, Jack and his family moved to Fisher County, settling in the new town of Roby around 1885. He was well known in the new community. While living in the Roby area, Josey gave birth to two more children, Alice and Albert. Jack and several of his friends enjoyed hunting. On one of their hunting trips they came across a large tract of vacant land in the valley of the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River which would later be called the Longhorn Valley. Jack filed for a homestead on 160 acres and the family, made up of Jack, five children, and Josey, who was 8 months pregnant with her ninth child, made the move to the new homestead in early April, 1888. Josey had two more children while living in the Longhorn Valley, Ella Louis and Alfred Davidson.
Jack homesteaded another 160 acre tract in newly formed and sparsely populated Dickens county in 1892. This homestead was on the northwest side of the town of Dickens, which was chosen as the new county seat of Dickens County in 1891. Josey had one more child, Anna Leeper, born on April 7, 1893. Josey died 8 months later on November 30, 1893 and is buried in Dickens. Jack sold the homestead in 1895 and died a few years later in 1897. He is buried in the Cottonwood Flat Cemetery along with many other early settlers of the Longhorn Valley.
Notes: Information on the children of John Willis Rasberry is provided from a transcription of a family bible of his youngest daughter, Anna Leeper Rasberry Whitaker. This is also the source of his middle name, Willis, which is also the first name of his maternal grandfather. Many trees give his middle name as Wesley or Wilkens but I have found no documentation to support that. The family bible gives his death date as 29 Feb, 1897 but 1897 was not a leap year so 28 Feb 1897 is used.
In 1882, Jack and his family moved to Fisher County, settling in the new town of Roby around 1885. He was well known in the new community. While living in the Roby area, Josey gave birth to two more children, Alice and Albert. Jack and several of his friends enjoyed hunting. On one of their hunting trips they came across a large tract of vacant land in the valley of the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River which would later be called the Longhorn Valley. Jack filed for a homestead on 160 acres and the family, made up of Jack, five children, and Josey, who was 8 months pregnant with her ninth child, made the move to the new homestead in early April, 1888. Josey had two more children while living in the Longhorn Valley, Ella Louis and Alfred Davidson.
Jack homesteaded another 160 acre tract in newly formed and sparsely populated Dickens county in 1892. This homestead was on the northwest side of the town of Dickens, which was chosen as the new county seat of Dickens County in 1891. Josey had one more child, Anna Leeper, born on April 7, 1893. Josey died 8 months later on November 30, 1893 and is buried in Dickens. Jack sold the homestead in 1895 and died a few years later in 1897. He is buried in the Cottonwood Flat Cemetery along with many other early settlers of the Longhorn Valley.
Notes: Information on the children of John Willis Rasberry is provided from a transcription of a family bible of his youngest daughter, Anna Leeper Rasberry Whitaker. This is also the source of his middle name, Willis, which is also the first name of his maternal grandfather. Many trees give his middle name as Wesley or Wilkens but I have found no documentation to support that. The family bible gives his death date as 29 Feb, 1897 but 1897 was not a leap year so 28 Feb 1897 is used.
John Willis "Jack" Rasberry was born on July 18, 1848 in Tennessee to Allen Rasberry and Elizabeth Weatherford Rasberry. He migrated to Texas with his family sometime between 1850 and 1860, settling in Washington County, Texas near the town of Evergreen. He married Josephine "Josey" Thompson on October 11, 1868 in Washington County. Josey gave birth to six children while they were living in this area but three of them died between 1878 and 1881. The surviving children were Sallie, India, and Lee.
In 1882, Jack and his family moved to Fisher County, settling in the new town of Roby around 1885. He was well known in the new community. While living in the Roby area, Josey gave birth to two more children, Alice and Albert. Jack and several of his friends enjoyed hunting. On one of their hunting trips they came across a large tract of vacant land in the valley of the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River which would later be called the Longhorn Valley. Jack filed for a homestead on 160 acres and the family, made up of Jack, five children, and Josey, who was 8 months pregnant with her ninth child, made the move to the new homestead in early April, 1888. Josey had two more children while living in the Longhorn Valley, Ella Louis and Alfred Davidson.
Jack homesteaded another 160 acre tract in newly formed and sparsely populated Dickens county in 1892. This homestead was on the northwest side of the town of Dickens, which was chosen as the new county seat of Dickens County in 1891. Josey had one more child, Anna Leeper, born on April 7, 1893. Josey died 8 months later on November 30, 1893 and is buried in Dickens. Jack sold the homestead in 1895 and died a few years later in 1897. He is buried in the Cottonwood Flat Cemetery along with many other early settlers of the Longhorn Valley.
Notes: Information on the children of John Willis Rasberry is provided from a transcription of a family bible of his youngest daughter, Anna Leeper Rasberry Whitaker. This is also the source of his middle name, Willis, which is also the first name of his maternal grandfather. Many trees give his middle name as Wesley or Wilkens but I have found no documentation to support that. The family bible gives his death date as 29 Feb, 1897 but 1897 was not a leap year so 28 Feb 1897 is used.
In 1882, Jack and his family moved to Fisher County, settling in the new town of Roby around 1885. He was well known in the new community. While living in the Roby area, Josey gave birth to two more children, Alice and Albert. Jack and several of his friends enjoyed hunting. On one of their hunting trips they came across a large tract of vacant land in the valley of the Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River which would later be called the Longhorn Valley. Jack filed for a homestead on 160 acres and the family, made up of Jack, five children, and Josey, who was 8 months pregnant with her ninth child, made the move to the new homestead in early April, 1888. Josey had two more children while living in the Longhorn Valley, Ella Louis and Alfred Davidson.
Jack homesteaded another 160 acre tract in newly formed and sparsely populated Dickens county in 1892. This homestead was on the northwest side of the town of Dickens, which was chosen as the new county seat of Dickens County in 1891. Josey had one more child, Anna Leeper, born on April 7, 1893. Josey died 8 months later on November 30, 1893 and is buried in Dickens. Jack sold the homestead in 1895 and died a few years later in 1897. He is buried in the Cottonwood Flat Cemetery along with many other early settlers of the Longhorn Valley.
Notes: Information on the children of John Willis Rasberry is provided from a transcription of a family bible of his youngest daughter, Anna Leeper Rasberry Whitaker. This is also the source of his middle name, Willis, which is also the first name of his maternal grandfather. Many trees give his middle name as Wesley or Wilkens but I have found no documentation to support that. The family bible gives his death date as 29 Feb, 1897 but 1897 was not a leap year so 28 Feb 1897 is used.
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