Lewis Gainey Hurst
Last updated 12 Mar 2008
derived from the Germanic
name Ludwig, which means
famous warrior. Lewis is the
English of Louis, which is of
French and Dutch origin.
From www.behindthename.com
Lewis' middle name Gainey
was his grandmother's
maiden name. Gainey is
sometimes spelled Ganey in
different records.
LEWIS GAINEY HURST, son of Phillip James Hurst and Mary Gainey, was born 01 May 1880 in Chesterfield, SC. Lewis moved with parents Philip and Mary and brother Thomas to Kingsland Co., AR sometime before 1900.
According to daughter Margaret, Lewis met future wife MATTIE KATE MCKINNEY at a party in Colbert, OK. Lewis was visiting his brother Marion who owned owned a grocery store there. "Mattie Kate was tall, blond, blue-eyed with fair skin and reputed to be quite a beauty."
Mattie Kate McKinney, born 14 Nov 1886 in Grayson Co., TX, was the daughter of THOMAS RATTAN MCKINNEY and MARY ROBERTS. Thomas is descended from Hiram Carroll McKinney, nephew of Collin McKinney, early Texas settler, statesman, and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Lewis and Mattie were married 02 Aug 1903 in OK. After their marriage, they lived on his parents' farm in AR.
Their first son, Vernest Virgil, was born in 1906, a second baby boy died during birth in1908, and oldest daughter Hayden Eugenia was born in1909.
Mattie was unhappy with life on the farm in AR and packed her bags to leave. Daughter Margaret explained, "This was out of character for her. She usually followed the lead of her husband, but she was a woman to of deep strength and conviction where her children or principle was involved. Lewis decided to go with her."
Lewis and Mattie moved back to Colbert, where they both had family. Lewis got a job with the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT/Katy) rail road. The family later moved back to Calera with the railroad. Carroll Woodrow was born 15 Jan 1917, followed by Margaret Louise (the Baby) 5 Mar 1921.
Lewis was later promoted to Railroad Foreman for the MKT Railroad. Their granddaughter Patsy recalled, "They lived in a company house, near the depot. I remember this house better than our homes. It was a two-story yellow house, with a fence in the front yard. We would sit on fence and wave to hobos as the trains went by. Seeing my Grandparents and my cousins was a very special time in my life."
Mattie was a devout Christian, known for her kindness and generosity. Granddaughter Mary Jo said, "I remember her feeding the hobos at her door. They would get off the train and knock on her door. She always fed them and had some work for them to do. I helped with their garden sometimes, and grandmother canned some of it. She always gave away a lot of it. She kept the jars of food in the cellar. When a storm came Granddad was afraid and wanted to go to the cellar, but Grandmother did not want to go. She just said: Say a prayer."
Lewis died died 12 Mar 1958 in Grayson Co, TX. Granddaughter Mary Jo recalled, "Granddad later had a stroke. He would not let Grandmama call a ride for him; he walked to the section house limping and caught a train to Denison, Texas. He walked from the train to the MKT Railroad Hospital. He had another stroke and didn't recover. Grandmama lived by herself for a while, then sold the house and took turns living with her children."
Mattie died 30 Jul 1963 in San Diego, CA, while visiting son Carroll. She is buried in the Garden of Memory Cemetery in Colbert, OK, where her husband Lewis and parents Thomas Rattan Mckinney and Mary Roberts McKinney were buried.
Descendants of Lewis Gainey Hurst
Children of LEWIS GAINEY HURST and MATTIE KATE MCKINNEY are:
- VERNEST VIRGIL HURST, b. 21 Dec 1906, Kingsland, Cleveland Co., AR; d. Apr 1970.
- INFANT HURST, b. 02 Dec 1908, Kingsland, Cleveland Co., AR; d. 02 Dec 1908, Kingsland, Cleveland Co., AR.
- HAYDEN EUGENIA HURST, b. 07 Nov 1909, Kingsland, Cleveland Co., AR; d. 07 Feb 1997, Denton Co., TX.
- EDGAR LEWIS HURST, b. 30 Jul 1914, Calera, Bryan Co., OK; d. 12 Aug 1989, Diamond City, AR.
- CARROLL WOODROW HURST, b. 15 Jan 1917, Calera, Bryan Co., OK; d. 06 Apr 1997, San Diego, CA.
- MARGARET LOUISE HURST, b. 05 Mar 1921, Calera, Bryan Co., OK; d. 21 May 2007, Collin Co., TX.
