Individual Details
Optimus John Hughes
(24 Jun 1875 - 9 Jun 1957)
Optimus John Hughes was born June 24, 1875, in Falls County, Texas, a few months after his father, John Hughes?, was killed from a fall off a horse. His mother Martha Jane (Patty) Wilson Hughes married Benjamin Dennis Useltin, Dec 5, 1877, in Falls County, Texas.
It was told that one time, a man and woman had a small child who had the "thrush" sickness (associated with small babies mostly in pioneer days) and they came to O.J. (Pa) Hughes to get him to cure it. He put his mouth on the baby's mouth and blew into it. The couple later said that the baby's mouth was cured in a day or so, and the baby had been hardly able to nurse because of its sore mouth. Pa Hughes had done this many times over the years. He was picked as one who could accomplish this cure because he was one who had never seen his father.
John came with his mother and stepfather, Martha Jane (Patty) and Benjamin Usselton, from Falls County to up around Grayson County when he was about 15 years old. According to Mary Hughes Spann, when they were on the road north and nearing Fort Worth, Benjamin was concerned about trying to drive the team wagon through Fort Worth, so John drove through without any trouble.
John worked on ranches around the area of Grayson County, breaking horses and general cowboy work. He married Belle Leeman on December 8, 1897.
Pa Hughes liked biscuits sprinkled with sugar, and coffee poured over it. He liked to gently and good-naturedly tease dogs and cats and children.
When Sam and Jack and Wilmer were still at home they would tease Ma Hughes in all sorts of ways, like tying her apron strings to her chair while she was sitting down to eat.
After Ma Hughes died, Pa Hughes would come to stay with us for a week or two when we lived in Westland on the west side of Fort Worth in the 1950's. We girls were about grown and a couple of us were learning to drive. We'd just climb into the little '39 Chevrolet Coupe and start driving around the dirt roads around Westland. We'd ask Pa Hughes if he wanted to go for a drive, and he'd say "I guess I might as well", and he'd get in the car and go with us. Mother said sometimes he'd been waiting all day long for us girls to come in from work and school, to go for a ride. Sometimes there would be me (driving) and Pa Hughes and Nellie Jean in the one seat, and Martha and Johnny laying up over the back of the seat. - by Mary Ann Spann Perry
compiled by Mary Ann Perry
P O Box 218
Lipan, TX 76462
updated September, 2005
It was told that one time, a man and woman had a small child who had the "thrush" sickness (associated with small babies mostly in pioneer days) and they came to O.J. (Pa) Hughes to get him to cure it. He put his mouth on the baby's mouth and blew into it. The couple later said that the baby's mouth was cured in a day or so, and the baby had been hardly able to nurse because of its sore mouth. Pa Hughes had done this many times over the years. He was picked as one who could accomplish this cure because he was one who had never seen his father.
John came with his mother and stepfather, Martha Jane (Patty) and Benjamin Usselton, from Falls County to up around Grayson County when he was about 15 years old. According to Mary Hughes Spann, when they were on the road north and nearing Fort Worth, Benjamin was concerned about trying to drive the team wagon through Fort Worth, so John drove through without any trouble.
John worked on ranches around the area of Grayson County, breaking horses and general cowboy work. He married Belle Leeman on December 8, 1897.
Pa Hughes liked biscuits sprinkled with sugar, and coffee poured over it. He liked to gently and good-naturedly tease dogs and cats and children.
When Sam and Jack and Wilmer were still at home they would tease Ma Hughes in all sorts of ways, like tying her apron strings to her chair while she was sitting down to eat.
After Ma Hughes died, Pa Hughes would come to stay with us for a week or two when we lived in Westland on the west side of Fort Worth in the 1950's. We girls were about grown and a couple of us were learning to drive. We'd just climb into the little '39 Chevrolet Coupe and start driving around the dirt roads around Westland. We'd ask Pa Hughes if he wanted to go for a drive, and he'd say "I guess I might as well", and he'd get in the car and go with us. Mother said sometimes he'd been waiting all day long for us girls to come in from work and school, to go for a ride. Sometimes there would be me (driving) and Pa Hughes and Nellie Jean in the one seat, and Martha and Johnny laying up over the back of the seat. - by Mary Ann Spann Perry
compiled by Mary Ann Perry
P O Box 218
Lipan, TX 76462
updated September, 2005
Events
Families
Spouse | Belle Smith Leeman (1880 - 1949) |
Child | Johnny Barlow Hughes (1898 - 1988) |
Child | Minnie Faye Hughes (1900 - 1970) |
Child | Samuel Benjamin Hughes (1902 - 1969) |
Child | Nellie "Millie" Hughes (1902 - 1997) |
Child | Edith Loutisha Hughes (1903 - 1991) |
Child | Leslie Lewis (Buck) Hughes (1905 - 1994) |
Child | Fletcher Wellington Hughes (1908 - 1984) |
Child | Little Ora Hughes (1908 - 1909) |
Child | Carl Hughes (1910 - 1910) |
Child | Clarence Hughes (1910 - 1910) |
Child | Cora Edna Hughes (1912 - 1991) |
Child | Hughes (1914 - 1914) |
Child | Mary Hughes (1917 - 2009) |
Child | Wilmer Wade Hughes (1918 - 1999) |
Child | Jack Locker Hughes (1921 - 1997) |
Father | John Optimus Hughes (1837 - 1875) |
Mother | Martha Jane "Patty" Wilson (1849 - 1923) |
Sibling | Minnie Edna Hughes (1873 - 1941) |
Notes
Census (family)
head John Hughes M June 1875, 24 Texas, married 2 yrs, Farmerwife Bell L Hughes F Nov 1880, 19 Texas, M-2, 1 child born & Living, KY TX
son John Hughes M Nov 1898, 1 Texas, TX TX
Census (family)
self Optanun J Hughes M 44y Texaswife Belle S Hughes F 39y Texas
son John B Hughes M 21y Texas
son Sam B Hughes M 18y Texas
dau Millie Hughes F 18y Texas
dau Edith L Hughes F 16y Texas
son Leslie L Hughes M 14y Texas
son Fletcher W Hughes M 12y Texas
dau Cora E Hughes F 7y Texas
dau Mary Hughes F 3y Texas
son Wilmer W Hughes M 1y Texas
Death
name: Optimus John Hughesdeath date: 09 Jun 1957
death place: Jacksboro, Jack, Texas
gender: Male
race: white
death age: 81 years 11 months 16 days
birth date: 24 Jun 1875
birthplace: Falls County, Texas
marital status: Widowed
occupation: Retired Stock Farmer
place of residence: Jacksboro, Jack, Texas
cemetery: Oakwood Cemetery
burial place: Jacksboro, Texas
burial date: 10 Jun 1957
film number: 2135738
digital film number: 4163633
image number: 237
reference number: cn 32441
name: Optimus John Hughes
death date: 09 Jun 1957
death place: Jacksboro, Jack, Texas
gender: Male
race: white
death age: 81 years 11 months 16 days
estimated birth date:
birth date: 24 Jun 1875
birthplace: Falls County, Texas
marital status: Widowed
spouse's name:
father's name:
father's birthplace:
mother's name:
mother's birthplace:
occupation: Retired Stock Farmer
place of residence: Jacksboro, Jack, Texas
cemetery: Oakwood Cemetery
burial place: Jacksboro, Texas
burial date: 10 Jun 1957
additional relatives:
film number: 2135738
digital film number: 4163633
image number: 237
reference number: cn 32441
Endnotes
1. Linda Caviness, "Descendants of John Optimus Hughes," e-mail messages and GED file from
2. Linda Caviness, "Descendants of John Optimus Hughes," e-mail messages and GED file from
3. U.S. Census images. Heritage Quest Online. Subscription database through the Sonoma County Public Library. (ProQuest LLC, 2009.), 1910 > TEXAS > JACK > 1 J-PCT Series: T624 Roll: 1567 Page: 11.
4. Linda Caviness, "Descendants of John Optimus Hughes," e-mail messages and GED file from
5. Linda Caviness, "Descendants of John Optimus Hughes," e-mail messages and GED file from