Ruth Haston Norwood
May 15, 1929 - April 3, 2021
A Daniel Haston History Hall of Famer
Daniel was my gggg grandfather. David my ggg, Isaac [Isaac T.] my gg, Wm Carroll (not David's son) my g grandfather, Wm Isaac my grandfather.
When I (Wayne Haston) began researching the history of our Daniel Haston family in 1999, it didn’t take me long to come across the name of Ruth Haston Norwood. Then one day, J.D. Haston (of Sparta, TN) said to me, “Wayne, you need to get in touch with Ruth Haston Norwood.” So, I did. Ruth and I exchanged several letters, which I have kept filed away. Saturday (April 3, 2021), when I heard that Ruth had passed away early that morning, I pulled out my file and read through her correspondence with me. Although Ruth and I never met personally, I was immediately impressed by her letters and we “hit it off” right away.
In one of my earlier letters to Ruth, I expressed my gratitude for all that she did in helping me and MANY other members of our family learn about our Haston roots:
Even though I was a novice family researcher, Ruth was always so kind and helpful to me. She regularly expressed gratitude that I was beginning to help carry our Haston family banner–the banner she had carried for us for many years. She always concluded her letters to me in this way:
Earlier this year, when Jane Ritter (also an astute Haston researcher in the Ruth Haston Norwood era) learned that I wanted to honor some of the men and women who laid the foundation for Daniel Haston family research, Jane mentioned Ruth as one who should be recognized…and I agreed.
She did a lot of genealogical work on the Hastons.
Ruth’s son, Eric, said his mother’s favorite saying was…
Don't fence me in.
In Eric’s eulogy to honor his mother, Eric wrote:
Happy trails, Mother. No more fences. You’re free to roam. Enjoy yourself and chart the way. We’ll be there in a little while.
For many years, it was Ruth’s desire to be buried in the Haston Cemetery in Cummingsville, TN. In honoring her wishes, her family made arrangements to transport her body back to Van Buren County from El Paso, TX.
