Great-Aunt Ruth

Ruth E. Johnson was raised by her aunt, Bertie (Rice) Powers, after Ruth's mother, Katie (Rice) Johnson died around the time of Ruth's birth. Four-year-old Ruthie Johnson was living in the Jasper and Bertie Powers household in 1910 and was properly identified as their niece.  In 1920 Ruth was enumerated in the census as the daughter of the childless couple.

In 1930 Ruth and her husband at the time, W. Homer Paschall, were living in Pontiac, Michigan, with their three-year-old daughter, Patricia.  Ruth went to Michigan for a temporary nursing assignment that turned into a permanent change in her life. Other changes included a divorce and a marriage to Gilbert Smith.

Part of Patricia's childhood was spent dividing her time between living with Bertie, her mother's guardian, in Illinois, and living with her mother in Michigan.  I do not remember ever meeting Ruth, but I did get a chance to visit with Patricia.  Ruth's sister, Katie (Johnson) Garrett Daniel (my grandmother), occasionally flew from Texas, stopped by my childhood home, and then went to visit her siblings in Michigan, including Ruth.

Ruth died in 1964 and was Ottawa Park Cemetery according to her memorial at FindAGrave.

It would be helpful to know what month and day was Ruth born and where was she born (Illinois or Arkansas), in order to find out more about Ruth's mother (my great-grandmother), Katie (Rice) Johnson.