Rufus was born in 1869. He passed away in 1949.
- Josephine DeLyon (nee Connor) Schrakamp Wills typed the Connor family history on May 30, 1984. Her story is documented in her profile.
James and Mary “Mollie” Elizabeth Rhodes had five children. The first girl, Lillah(1) born about 1867; then Rufus “Rufe” Meriweather was born on August 23, 1867; Roland Chatam, Albert Rhodes, and Paul James were all between 1870 and 1880.
Rufe and his brothers went to A&M. This is where he met Elizabeth “Bessie” Allen Harvey of Hempstead, Texas.
In 1901 they were married and lived in Madisonville, where all four of their children were born. Lillah(2), the first, girl, was born with a damaged heart and died at 2 years old in 1905. James Lewis Connor was born December 3, 1906, Josephine DeLyon Connor was born September 20, 1910, and Ralph Roland Connor was born August 17, 1914.
About 1915, Rufe moved his family to Connor (named after the family as they owned the Post Office and General Store). He and Albert purchased the old Sloan home and store. Rufe ran the store and Bessie, my mother, taught the first five grades in the Connor school. This was a two-room Schoolhouse built about 1908.
My grandmother remembered the time spent in Connor between 1915 and 1921, as a wonderful happy time of my life. It was during this time that World War I was brewing. I started to go to school in that unique little two-room schoolhouse in 1917 when we went to war with Germany. I remember the farmers were all growing cotton. They had all the tenant farmers doing the same. There was a gin there in Connor that ginned all the cotton and baled it. Also, ground the corn for cornmeal. Everyone held onto their cotton until after the war. When they knew the price of cotton would go up. Bales of cotton were everywhere.
Soon all our boys were returning from World War I. My father (Rufe) talked an Aviator into flying over Connor to give many of us our first sight of a Plane. To our delight, he did a few stunts which we found unbelievable.
Rufe became district clerk in the late 1930s and kept that position until he died in 1949. Rufe loved all Madisonville and Connor people so he made a special project of getting a Government grant to put Tombstones on all the graves of war veterans from all who fought in Wars while they still lived in Madison County.
All of Rafe's brothers and their wives were brought back to Madisonville and laid to rest side by side. They made a large circle.
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Rufus is 26 degrees from Herbert Adair, 23 degrees from Richard Adams, 20 degrees from Mel Blanc, 25 degrees from Dick Bruna, 19 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 32 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 16 degrees from Sam Edwards, 19 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 19 degrees from Marty Krofft, 17 degrees from Junius Matthews, 17 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 21 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.