Great Grandparents of Cindy Casey. See Photo
Robert Millington Usry was born in Mississippi in Sep 22, 1869 to John Calvin Usry and Sarah Tidwell. He died Mar 11, 1948 in Cleveland Co., OK. Clara Morrow was born May 11, 1876 in Emory, Rains Co., TX to Benjamine F. Morrow. Clara died Nov 2, 1953 in Cleveland Co., TX. They were married on Jan. 15, 1893, in Rains County, TX, and are both buried in the Lexington Cemetery, Cleveland CO., OK.
11/04/1953- Oklahoman: Obituary page 25
Mrs. Clara Usry- NORMAN- Thursday afternoon services are slated for Mrs. Clara Usry, 76 year old pioneer Oklahoma resident who died in a Norman rest home Monday. Born in Emory, Texas, May 11, 1876, Mrs. Usry came to Oklahoma some 49 years ago and moved to Cleveland county about 1923. She was a member of the Christian church. Surviving are four sons, Cloy, Horace and Kermit of Norman and Herman of Lawton; two daughters, Mrs. Edith Judkins, Mesa. Ariz., and Mrs Edna Suchy, 2946 NW 15th, Oklahoma City; a brother, Dave Morrow, Ft. Worth, and 23 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Services will be at 2 pm Thursday in the First Baptist church, Lexington. Burial will be in Lexington under direction of Primrose funeral home.
Their daughter, Lillie Mae Usry Johnson was my grandmother. Unfortunately, I never knew her as she died on February 13, 1926, shortly after having given birth to my mother, who was born two months premature. In those final minutes of Lillie's life, she and Clara chose a name for mom. Lilly said the baby looked like a little fairy, so the name Fairy was attached with Lillie's middle name of Mae. Thus began the life of my mother Fairy Mae Johnson.
You can imagine the difficulties Clara faced. She had her own immediate family to deal with and Lillie's now orphaned children and a premature baby to try to save. The father, Tom Johnson, was an alcoholic and had disappeared after having beaten Lillie, causing her to go into labor.
Clara and her daughter Edith took turns holding the baby, acting as an incubator, while following their instincts of how to save Fairy. The local doctor offered no hope, stating that mother would die within 2 days. As a result of his belief, a birth certificate was never written for mother, and for some unknown reason, a death certificate was never written for Lillie.