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Note: Lillian always said she was born in Water Valley, Mississippi. Her family lived close to Water Valley and Sarepta. According to tax rolls and census records they lived in Calhoun County and Lafayette County. Water Valley is in Yalabusha County. Water Valley may have been the closest town to them. Lillian taught at several community schools. The first year that records show that Lillian taught was 1926-1927 at the Alsa school. Lillian received $85 a month for her salary. She was still at the Alsa school the follow year, but, her salary that year was for $80 a month. In the 1928-1929 school year she taught at the Center School Community #81. She made $80 a month. There were 71 students at the school. She made $80 month according the Van Zandt County Treasurers School Account Register for that year. She continued to teach at the Center school through the 1934-1935 school year. Her monthly salary varied greatly from $60 to as much as $100. For the 1929-1930 School year, Lillian again taught at the Center School. There were 76 students. She was paid for a "2 Day Institue" $8.50. Her monthly salary was $85. During the 1932-1933 school year, she again taught at Center. Enrollment was 70 students. Lillian attended an "Institue" and was paid $9. Her monthly salary had increased to $90. The third Voucher (or payment of her monthly salary) was made in two parts. The first was on December 26, 1932 for half of her salary-$45. The second part was paid on January 16, 1933, was the other $45. Also of note, the payments were not on a routine schedule for any of the school years. For the 1935-1936 school year Lillian taught at the McBee School. It was listed as School Community #31. There was another teacher there by the name of Lee Baucum. Lee made $76 monthly. Lillian made $66 monthly. During the 1936-1937 school year she taught at McBee for $93 monthly. By the 1937-1938 school year Lillian was making $107.50 at McBee. On April 16, 1938 Lillian married Eugene Langston in Athens, Texas. Lillian and Gene didn't tell anyone that they were married for a while. Nobody knows for sure why they didn't tell, but, it is speculated that it was because of her teaching. Lou Jean Beck first told me the story of the delayed announcement. "When Lillian did finally tell Mamma and Pappa Rankin of the marriage, Mamma Rankin just said ' I knew it!'" For the 1939-1940 school year Lillian taught under her name as Mrs. Lillian Langston at the Enterpirse School Community #114. I did not find any records for Lillian during the 1940-1941 or 1941-1942 school years. In the 1942-1943 school year she taught at Center. Her salary varied from $99.38 to $102.15. It appears that Lillian stayed at home with the children again for the 1943-1944 and the 1944-1945 school years. She returned to the classroom at Enterprise for the school year of 1945-1946. She made$111.40 starting off, and by the end of the year was making $113.30.30. Also of note that year, Lillian received her vouchers throughout the year. The last one for that school year was dated August 31, 9146. That was the first year that she received pay when school was out. Previously, she only got paid when school was going. In earlier years, school didn't start until November, and let out as early as April or May. The final year that we have records for Lillian working as a teacher was for the 1947-1948 school year. She taught at the Alsa School. Her monthly salary was $158.32 and was paid throughout the year. In 1951 when Lillian began working at Terrell State Hospital she began as an attendent making $80 a month. In 1967 when she retired she was a nurse technician and was making $315 per month. The obituary for Lillian follows: Lillian Langston
Funeral services for Lillian Rankin Langston of Wills Point were held August 4 at 2 p.m. at the LyBrand Funeral Home with Rev Donald Tisdale officiating. Mrs. Langston died August 2 after a lengthy illness. Burial was at the Union Grove Cemetery. Mrs. Langston was born August 23, 1905, to J.M. and Emma Lewellyn Rankin in Water Valley, Mississippi. The Rankin family moved from Mississippi to Edgewood when Lillian was 6 years old. She attended Texas Women�s University in Denton and obtained her teaching certificate July 18, 1932. She taught school in Alsa and the surrounding communities for 14 years. She married Eugene Langston April 16, 1938. Mrs. Langston then returned to school through a program offered by Navarro Junior College. She received an associate degree and became a nurse technician. She worked as a nurse technician for 17 years at Terrell State Hospital. Mrs. Langston was a member of the First Baptist Church of Wills Point and the Help Thy Neighbor Club. Survivors include two sons, William C. Langston of Wills Point and Jerry R. Langston of Edgewood; daughter, Linda J. Krantz of Senath, Missouri; brother, Charlie Rankin of Austin; four grandchildren, Jerry Krantz of Grady, Arkansas, Kelli Hulsman and Philip Langston, both of Wills Point, and Trina Langston Taylor of Stonewall, Louisiana; and two great-grandchildren, David Wayne and Joshua Hulsman, both of Wills Point. Pallbearers were Johnny Beck, Rowayne Sledge, Jimmy Don Wilson, Eddie Fletcher, Gordon Mott, and Rex Rankin. Memorial gifts can be made to the Amy Harris fund at the Wills Point banks.
Taken from the Wills Point Chronicle, Friday, August 9, 1991, Page 9A.
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