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Note: N4700 Martha Louise Meriwether Huff
Luling Signal (Luling Texas), 5 August 1917
Saturday night at five minutes past eleven o'clock, Mrs. M. L. Huff closed her eyes in death, following a wearing illness that had extended over a period of seven weeks. She passed her eightieth birthday on the sixth of last March.
Mrs. Huff was one of twelve children of the household of George and Martha Meriwether, and her birthplace was in the vicinity of Dyersberg, Tenn., where her father was at the time, Sheriff of the county. The family later moved to Georgia for several years residence, and in the year 1834, after the death of her father, Mrs. Huff, who was then Miss Mattie Meriwether, came to Texas. The family made the trip by wagon train, bringing with them their slaves and cattle and all personal belongings. The old Meriwether home was established on York's Creek in Guadalupe County, and it was known far and wide for the warmth of its fireside and the hospitality of its members. On Dec. 20, 1858, she gave her hand in marriage to L. C. Huff, then one of the wealthiest land and slave owners in this section, and the father by a previous marriage of Mrs. Mary Powell of Luling, Mrs. G. N. Dilworth of Gonzales, Mrs. W. R. Johnson of this city, Mrs. C. R. Chambers of Beaumont, Mrs. W. F. Blunt of Lockhart and of Thos. Huff of this city and Frank and John Huff of Flatonia. To their union were born seven children, all but one of whom are living, and were present at her funeral, as follows: Mesdames A. C. Bridges and J. W. Lipscomb, Miss Jennie Huff and Messrs. D. S., S. W. and L. C. Huff.
Besides the rearing of her own children, Mrs. Huff was called upon to take the part of mother with the younger of her husband's children by his first marriage and Mesdames Chambers and Blunt knew no other mother but her.
Mrs. Huff endured the hardships and deprivations of the Civil War and reconstruction period, when the freedom of the negro slaves with no remuneration to the owners, left the Southern planters land poor, for the lack of men to work the fields. She was called upon to bid good bye to brothers, who were called to the front to fight for the South and bare their breasts to the cruel Yankee bullets, and she bore her share of the burden that fell to the women, much after the manner that they are today organizing their Red Cross work, to take of.
Eleven years after the death of her first husband, she was married the second time to W. H. Ramsey, a well known planter of the Soda Springs community, on Jan. 28, 1886. For the past twenty years, Mrs. Huff had made her home with her son, L. C. Huff of Harwood, and there as in previous communities in which she had resided, she took an active interest in public welfare work and the uplift of the people. She was charitable to the point of a generosity that meant deprivation to herself at times and no worthy appeal was ever laid before her in vain. She gave wise counsel to the weak and defenseless, who sought it, and no woman has ever lived in the Harwood vicinity who was more universally esteemed and loved.
The remains of Mrs. Huff were brought to this city from Harwood Monday afternoon and were laid to rest in the city cemetery at 5 o'clock, the Methodist pastor, Rev. W. F. Weeks conducting the service assisted by Rev. H. O. Launch, Methodist minister at Maxwell. Mrs. Huff had been a consistent member of the Methodist church since her childhood days and died in the triumph of a Christian faith.
Besides the relatives above referred to, Mrs. Huff is survived by one brother, Jas Meriwether of Montell, twenty-four grandchildren, ten great grand-children and numerous nephews and nieces, with all of whom the Signal shares the sorrow of giving her up.
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