Merry Mildred (Robertson) Thomas (1902 - 1984)

Born 15 Feb 1902 in Pike, Mississippi, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Fred Worth Thomas Sr. — married 3 Jun 1926 in San Benito, Cameron, Texas

Descendants

Died 18 Jul 1984 at age 82 in McComb, Pike, Mississippi, United States

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Biography

This was written by Allan Harl Thomas

Merry Mildred Robertson

Merry Robertson was born in Pike County Mississippi on February the 15th 1902 according to the records indicate. As the daughter of Frank Selden Robertson and Anna Myrtis Conerly Robertson, she grew up, as a young child, on a private railcar in railroad construction camps. While living in a private railcar may sound romantic this was little more that a freight car with bunks.

Her father and uncle were both civil engineers and railroad contractors on the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railroad . James Allhands in his book Gringo Builders gave a vivid description of camp life in the Wild Horse Desert of Texas.

Merry Robertson, Bay City, 1903

Little Merry Robertson's early years were anything but conventional.

Eventually, when Meome for the next 45 years.

" His (Frank Robertson's) was the first Anglo family to settle in San Benito. Arriving in 1907, Mr. and Mrs. Robertson and their five-year-old daughter Merry lived in three tents near present North Bowie Ave. The only building in sight was the newly built railroad section house. " ^[1]

This is a picture of Merry and an albino doe that was given to her as a pet by the locals of San Benito.

Myrtis and daughter Merry remained in San Benito (then Bessie) while father Frank, Uncle Sam and the crew went forward with the point of steel, laying the rails to Brownsville.

One night a rider approached the tents, armed, demanding the payroll. Myrtis, with Merry behind her skirt tails, ran the would be bandit away with a shotgun, shots landing expertly at the feet of his departing pony. The bandits son would years later be the Mayor of San Benito.

After the track reached Brownsville on the Mexican border Frank returned to San Benito and brother Colonel Sam A. Robertson. acquired the lands for the San Benito Land and Water Company.

Merry's mother Myrtis had a horse and buggy and set out to round up support for a church for San Benito. She and three other women organized the Ladies Aid Society which meet in the home of a Mrs. McKinnon. With an ignition donation from Frank Robertson and a land donation from Col. Sam Robertson, plus contributions from Protestants, Catholics and Jews the Rev. W. H. Petty soon had a church. Frank drew the plans, the Nystrom Brothers were the contractors. It was enclosed but not painted. Pews were (2X12) boards on nail kegs. So there was a Baptist Church with no members. Next to obtain members for this Baptist Church, they held the first meeting on August 23rd 1909 with eighteen charter members. Myrtis then formed the Baptist Women's Union of the Valley. Frank would be a member and deacon in this church, pictured below, for the remainder of his life.

This was during the times of the Bandit wars. Regarding the "Bandit Wars" Merry's younger sister, (with her in the picture below) Kate recalled, "During 1915 and 1916 there was trouble in the Valley with bandits from Mexico. They crossed the river and rode through the towns shooting wildly. As an aside, I, Kate, a child of one or two years of age was hidden in the bathtub on the second floor of our home."^[2]

Merry was a graduate of Baylor University, University 0f Mexico, Mexico City, University of Colodado, Boulder and did graduate work at University of Mississippi, Ole Miss, and Southern Mississippi University.

After receiving her M.A. at Baylor and her degree in Spanish at University of Mexico, Merry married her high school sweetheart, Fred Worth Thomas, June the 3rd, 1926. Below is a letter Merry's father, Frank Robertson, wrote to the newly weds, His advice is applicable today. Note the letterhead is that of his wife , Myrtis, then President of the Women's Missionary Union of Texas, Corpus Christi District.

Merry and Fred were to have three sons, Frank Selden Thomas, Fred Worth Thomas and Sam Arthur Thomas.

Fred Jr., Frank and Sam

After Frank was born Merry attended the Colorado School of Mining. Evidently she was working in some capacity for her Uncle, Col. Sam, who not only was developing the Del Mar Beach Resort on Brazos Island but also had various mineral ventures in Old Mexico. This would account for her eclectic educational pursuits.

Below is a picture of Merry and her Aunt Mitzi promoting Col Sam's toll bridge to either Padre or Brazos Island.

The following is a letter written by her father on her birthday in 1930:

San Benito, Texas

Feb. 15, 1930

My darling daughter,

A long time ago, to be exact 28 years ago, on this very date a little girl came to brighten and bless our home.

That little girl has long ago grown into womanhood, but has always been an obedient and altogether a lovely and lovable daughter and an inspiration to her father to do bigger and better things and to be a better man and citizen. I crave to be the kind of man that my daughter may look up to and be proud to claim as her father.

When a man has served his usefulness on earth and passes on there is not much he leaves behind except the remembrance of the life he lived, the examples he has set, in short the greatest heritage anyone can leave their children is a good honorable and clean name, and what ever I may be able to do along that line, I want you to know that you have had your part in in the inspiration to do my best.

My hope and prayer for you is that you have many many more birthdays, that each one will be happier than the preceding one and that your life and influence may count for the most to all who come in your sphere of influence.

With much love from your loving father,

F. S. Robertson

Frank Robertson had kidney failure, he died February 13th, 1943.

Husband Fred had a stroke while working in the oil fields in Old Mexico. His recovery was slow.

She and her family moved to Pike County Mississippi in 1946 from San Benito, Texas to the area of her mother's, Myrtis Conerly, childhood home at Conerly Mississippi, near Holmesville. Fred raised Charolais cattle on their farm and Merry taught school. Their farm is now the Bogue Chitto Water Park and the Bogue Chitto Yacht Club.

Merry, Mrs. Fred W. Thomas, was elected principle of Leggett Consolidated School in 1949. In an article in the Enterprise Journal by Louise Girling about the opening celebrations at Leggett school it says "opening activities at the school were directed by Mrs. Thomas. Featured speaker was the Rev. Robert Girling and he lead the school in song accompanied by Miss Sarah Ann Connerly (Price). The article goes on to say that alumni and friends had attended the schools fall opening exercise for more than 50 years. Old timers recalled when the school was held in an old store nearby and exchanged tales of "horse and buggy" days and "missing the wagon". By that time high school students attended school in Magnolia. Leggett school, located ten miles southeast of McComb, went up to the 8th grade.

For many years she was a high school librarian in Magnolia Mississippi. She was sponsor of the Beta Club and took great pride in the careers of her students

Merry Robertson Thomas testified before Congress in support of the Library of Congress Braille and Talking-Book Program at the request of Senator Thad Cochran in the early 1970's and was instrumental in gaining funding for "talking books". She was billed as "the blind librarian from Mississippi". Merry had lost her vision to glaucoma, but at the time was undergoing experimental laser surgery at Oschner Clinic in New Orleans. She had gained some peripheral vision. Her grandson acted as her secretary and chauffeur during this period. He assisted with preparation for her congressional presentation. He prepared as notes a stack of 5X7 notecards each containing a key word. As Merry stood before Congress she realized she had forgotten her notes. She turned to Senator Cochran and whispered, sotto voce, "THAD! THAD! I've forgotten my notes!" He replied, sotto voce, "MERRY! MERRY!, You're BLIND!"

Back then participants received a "record player" on loan and could order "records" via the local library. Not only did this program provide books for the blind it benefited many actors by providing them work. Today people who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability may now download audio and braille books to their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, if they are registered with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) in the Library of Congress

In 1979 Merry received the Mississippi Library Association's Outstanding Achievement Award for her many years as a trustee with the Pike County Library System and work with other state libraries. She shared an integrative position with Professor A. Coney integrating the Mississippi Public School library systems in 1964. She served on the committee for Public Library Interim Standards and the Library Trustee Manual Committee.

Click three times to read.

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.sanbenitohistory.com/projects/Science_Dept/Water_Control.html
2. ↑ The Robertson Family - Pioneers, Private publication by Kate Robertson Smith

• 1940 Census "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KWJ3-SQ1 : 28 February 2020), Merry Thomas in household of Fred W Thomas, San Benito, Justice Precinct 3, Cameron, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 31-29, sheet 22B, line 70, family 397, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3999.
• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=106786721