1989 Letter Written by Manley William Shanahan
to his sister Beulah "Billie" Pearl Shanahan Murrie
on the subject of their sister, Ruby Sallie Shanahan

(Written Nov. 21, 1989)

My oldest sister Sallie Ruby Shanahan Hodges (Mrs. Gene V.)1 who lived in Amarillo many years. She was born in Mt. Pleasant, Texas2 Sept. 14, 1901.

Her children's names follow,

1.   Doris Jean Hodges Walker (Mrs. Jack)
2.   Dean Parks Hodges
3.   Joe Hardy Hodges
      (these three still live in Amarillo, Tx)
4.   Clara Gay Hodges Spinks (Mrs. Bill)
      San Antonio, Tx.

There is an addendum to this letter written in the margin in Billie's handwriting which says the following:

Sister Ruby sold Avon Products in Amarillo for many years. She was the top seller in the Amarillo area. Along the way she helped many of her customers. Baby Sat, waited on sick. Sold her products on credit to some. Never lost a penny.

Notes:

1My original source for Ruby Sallie Shanahan's name was from the Stewart Family Tree compiled by Billy and Dot Byars Stewart. This family tree info indicates that Ruby was her first name and Sallie her second; however, it should be noted here that Manley indicated that Sallie was her first name and that Ruby was her middle given name. I do not know which is correct; only that all of the family members seem to know her as Ruby. I suspect that Ruby was either named for her paternal grandmother, Sallie Margaret Potter Shanahan or for her Aunt Sallie Moina Shanahan Freeze. Ruby did marry a Gene Valery Hodges, however, the marriage date and place are unknown at this time.
2Again, my source for Ruby's place of birth was the Stewart Family Tree compiled by Billy and Dot Byars Stewart which gave her birthplace as Dallas, TX. I believe that the birthplace of Mt. Pleasant is the more accurate of the two as it was known that Ruby's father, Dennis Potter Shanahan migrated from Tate County, MS to Mt. Pleasant, TX immediately after his marriage in August 1900 in Tate Co, MS to Ellen Wilkerson. My own Great Grandmother and Dennis Potter Shanahan's sister, Sallie Moina Shanahan Freeze, also migrated from Tate Co, MS to Mt. Pleasant, TX and bore her first two children there and I believe that Sallie Moina lived near her beloved brother Dennis Potter Shanahan in Mt. Pleasant between the years 1901 and 1906.

Note: Transcribed 14 June 2001 by K. L. Rhodes from a photocopy of a an undated letter sent by Beulah Pearl (Billie) Shanahan Murrie (Mrs. H.C.) to Lowry and Hazel Stewart in Albuquerque, N.M. In this undated letter to Lowry and Hazel Stewart Billie had handcopied the original letter written by Manley W. Shanahan. No corrections to spelling, punctuation or grammar have been made to this transcription; it is presented exactly as Beulah Pearl Shanahan Murrie copied it and it is unknown if any errors are hers or the original author's as I do not have access to the original document. Credit (and many Thanks) to Dan Murrie for sharing this letter with me.
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