From the 3rd floor
of the Webb City Public Library
Webb City Area Genealogical Society
The Webb City Area Genealogical Society is all about families and the preservation of our local history. In honor of Mother’s Day, we are pleased to share two wonderful photos of one Jasper County family in particular: the John and Nettie (Stroup) Hodson family, of Purcell.
In the summer of 1947, 12 Hodson siblings, their spouses and children posed for a group photo as they gathered for a reunion at the Hodson family home place, located on the north side of D Highway at Neck City Road, Purcell. Two of John and Nettie’s 14 children were deceased: Othel Hodson and little Bobby, who died in early infancy.
John (1878 -1959) and Nettie (1888-1952) Hodson raised 13 healthy children as well as two grandsons in their home at Purcell. At one point, their descendants numbered 24 grandchildren, 49 great-grandchildren, 58 great-great-grandchildren and 14 great-great-great-grandchildren.
Even though the family is large and some have moved from the area, the Hodsons have maintained a closeness among the descendants that is remarkable. The elderly siblings are revered by the younger set, some of whom travel across the United States for visits.
At the heart and center of each of these photos is mother Nettie, who appears pleased and happy to be surrounded by her attractive, industrious family. Her children remember her as strict but kind.
Everyone had their chores. Her older children were taught to help with the younger ones. There were chickens to tend, eggs to gather, and a garden to keep. When the girls were old enough, they canned their garden crops. Daughter Velda, said that all her mother had to do was point her finger and the kids did what she said, as if her finger “was loaded.” But there was always time to play, too.
Nettie Hodson passed away on Mother’s Day, 1952, at age 64. Through her 14 children, she left a legacy of family love and strength that has reached far past her home by the side of the road in Purcell.
