Susan Elizabeth Priest

Susan Elizabeth Priest and Samuel A. Willson

Online Resources:
1850 Census Tyler County, Texas: Willson Family
1850 Census Tyler County, Texas: Priest Family
Handbook of Texas Online
Willson Biography
Cedar Hill Cemetery

Issue of Susan Elizabeth Priest and Samuel Andrew Willson

S. A. Willson

Child	Born	Married	Spouse	Died
Mary Alice	28 Aug 1855		Benjamin Clay Hosmer	1941
Samuel Priest	15 Jul. 1858	24 Oct. 1877	Linnie Naomi Francis	16 Oct. 1932
Frank Sexton	27 Sept. 1860			October 12, 1861
Minnie	26 Sept. 1864			October 12, 1861
Elizabeth (Zee) Lou-Ellen	15 Feb 1866	9 Dec. 1886	John Howard Meeks	1950
Lela	1869		R. A. Barrett
Birdie Vivian	6 Dec. 1874		Walter B. Whitman

Susan Elizabeth

The picture of whom I believe to be Susan Elizabeth , a detail from the picture below, comes from the Willson Family.
Though we do not have this identical picture I feel we have a picture of the same woman.
Sarah Bailey Priest David kept a cigar box with family memorabilia. In this box are several old tin types I feel sure are members of the Priest family. Am currently trying to identify them.

Believed to be Samuel A. and Susan E. Priest Willson
with Mary Alice

Miss Lizzie Lou Willson b. Feb 1866
Sept. 9
Tintype from Sarah Bailey Priest David's trunk

S. A. Willson
Picture from Sarah Bailey Priest David's trunk

Hosmer, Benjamin Clay 1855-8-16-1922 &
Hosmer, Alice Willson 1855-1941
Buried Cedar Hill Cemetery, Rusk, Cherokee County, Texas

Willson, Sam Priest 1858-1932 &
Willson, Linnie Naomi 1860-1910
Willson, Max 5-21-1885 d. 7-1-1885 (son of S.P. & L.N.)
Buried Cedar Hill Cemetery, Rusk, Cherokee County, Texas

Mrs. S. P. Willson died August 1910 at the age of 50. At the time of her death her daughter Fay, Mrs. R. O. Watkins, lived Jacksonville; daughter Zoe, Mrs. W. J. Townsend, Jr., lived Lufkin, and Miss Vi Willson was living at home in Texarkanna.

Zoe Willson Townsend, daughter of S. P. and L. N. Willson was born in 1881 and died 1929. She is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Rusk, Cherokee County, Texas
Zoe married W. J. Townsend and was living in Austin, Texas in 1919.

Strickland, Samuel Guy 1887-1919
Buried Cedar Hill Cemetery, Rusk, Chreokee County, Texas.
Guy died in San Antonio, Texas 1919.
Vi Willson Strickland was born 1891

Watkins, Robert Oscar 11-26-1876 d. 8-17-1915 (WOW) &
Watkins, Fay Willson 9-16-1878 d. 12-12-1957
Watkins, Ruth 5-19-1901 d. 4-15-1903 (daughter of R.O. & Fay)
Buried Cedar Hill Cemetery, Rusk, Cherokee County, Texas
R. O. and Fay had a daughter Ester born ca. 1905.
At the time of Guy Stricklands death Fay ann Ester were living in San Antonio.

Willson, Frank Sexton (dates in ground) (son of Sam A. & Susan)
Buried Cedar Hill Cemetery, Rusk, Cherokee County, Texas

Meeks, Elizabeth Willson. 1866-1950
Meeks, John H. (no dates)
Meeks, Carlyle Willson 8-26-1895 d. 3-25-1957 (Tex Cpl 51 Tel BN)
Meeks, Myrtle S. d. 9-14-1971
Winnie Alice Meeks, daughter of Elizabeth Lou-Ellen Meeks was born 14 Apr 1899 died Jan. 18, 1992, Rusk, Cherokee County, Texas. Buried Cedar Hill Cemetery

Children of Zee and John H. Meeks:
Hazel, Elizabeth, Ray, Carlyle, and Winnie.
Ray Braddy Meeks (b: 6 Nov 1892 in Rusk Co., Texas) married Ras Bateman( b. 8 Mar. 1793) 9 May 1916 in Dallas Co., Texas and had Vivian Elizabeth Bateman who married John Bancroft Lea. Their issue: John Patrick Lea
Hazel Meeks (b. Dec. 1887) married Mr. Robinson and had King Robinson.

Barrett, R.A. 1853-1924 &
Barrett, L.K.W. 1894-1918 &
Barrett, R.A.W. 1892-1945 &
Barrett, Lela Willson. 1869 (only date)
Buried Cedar Hill Cemetery, Rusk, Cherokee County, Texas

Whitman, Walter B. 11-8-1871 d. 10-31-1953 &
Whitman, Vivian Willson 12-6-1874 d. 9-20-1957
Buried Cedar Hill Cemetery, Rusk, Cherokee County, Texas.
Wanda Whitman, daughter of Birdie Vivian Whitman, was born 12 Jun. 1900 and died Feb. 10, 1976 in Galveston, Texas where she was taken for burn treatment after her home in Rusk burned.

On January 11, 2003 the Sons of Confederate Veterans marked the grave of Samuel Andrew Willson. Speakers were Josh David who gave a brief history of the Willson family, Kevin Stingley, who gave information from Sam's service record and read a poem Hood's Brigade written by Mijamin Priest, and Jim Cromwell, D.A. in Rusk, who discussed Sam's codifying the criminal codes of Texas. Images from the marker dedication can be seen by clicking here.