From Proud Heritage, Volume I by DCPA, currently out of print.
In 1863 the Rev. James Truss became pastor of the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Trussville, Alabama. The family remained in the area where they served the church and the community until after the War Between the States. James Lamberth and Priscilla Truss Lamberth, daughter of James and Priscilla, and their unmarried children and married children and families started for Texas in a forty wagon caravan and settled in Mesquite, Dallas County, Texas, about 1868. James and Priscilla were among the party and they were all shown there in the 1870 United States Census.
The seventh child of James and Priscilla Truss, Enos Truss born 19 January 1836, with his wife Mary Elizabeth Courson Truss were also among the members of the wagon train. Many difficulties were encountered as each wagon had to be ferried across each river or stream, or rafts built on the site, and each mountain had to be scouted in order to find a route they could take. Mesquite was chosen as their destination with the promise of “the fertile black land of the prairie just waiting to be settled.”
Many interesting events happened to this family as they came into the Mesquite area. One that Ellen often related concerned the “great Mesquite train robbery” of April 10, 1878. The Younger brothers, who had just robbed the westbound Texas & Pacific along with Sam Bass came to their house and spent the night with the Truss family. Conflicting stories say the family were prisoners, or the robbers were entertained as “guests” after the custom of the day to lodge and feed whomever came for the night. Other stories tell of the family’s attempt to tame the prairie where Indians often drifted by.
Enos and Mary Elizabeth Truss are buried at Long Creek Cemetery. Their children were: Eleanor Jane “Ellen”, Lem ual Joel “Joe”, Mary Priscilla, Julia Sibretta, Martha “Mattie” Elmira Nancy Aseneth Cristell and Eva Alice.
Eleanor Jane Truss born 5 May 1861, Alabama, married 14 July 1880 Rev. Samuel Elzie Hatter. They are buried at Grove Hill Cemetery. They had nine children.
1) Deflurie Myrtle (Myrtle Dulaney) Hatter born 21 June 1882, died 1967, buried Grove Hill Cemetery, married 5 August 1902 Guss Franklin Neeley in Rockwall County. Three children died as infants.
2) Dora Mary Elsie Hatter born 10 September 1884, buried Restland Cemetery, married (1) Mr. Williams, no children, married (2) Oscar L. “Bud” Geeo and they had five children: Idelle born 30 September 1910, twins Ananelle and Peter deceased as infants, Roy born 2 July 1921 and Ruby born 16 October 1924.
3) Carl Hatter, 4) Lloyd Hatter, and 5) Cecil Hatter all died in infancy.
6) Boyd Phillip Hatter born 16 April 1889, died 19 May 1980, buried Long Creek Cemetery, married Lorena De Fee, 6 children: Paul Remer born 10 August 1910, Mildred Irene born 25 January 1913, Berniece Thelma born 17 February 1915, Lorene Priscilla born 12 November 1917, Betty Boyd Virginia born 23 December 1923 and Mary Patricia born 10 December 1928.
7) Leonard Samuel Hatter born 11 November 1891, died 1978, buried Grove Hill Cemetery, married Blanche ••••••• , and they had three children: Thetis born 1911, Ruth Nell born 1916 and Samuel born 1919.
8) Ruth Priscilla Hatter born 12 November 1898, died 31 March 1983, buried Grove Hill Cemetery, married 30 April 1919, Brice Edward Ball born 25 August 1895. Brice served with the U.S. Navy at Great Lakes, Illinois, and Key West Florida, 1917-1918. Two children: Dorothy Estelle Ball born 29 June 1920 and David Carter Ball born 25 September 1926.
9) Naomi Vernell Hatter born 15 December 1902, married Archie M. Sloan born 21 March 1902. They had no children.
Lemual Joel Truss born 11 April 1866, Alabama, married Teresa, then Mary. He was blind and was killed by a car in Waco, Texas. He is buried at Long Creek Cemetery. He had no children.
Mary Priscilla Truss born 22 August 1868, Mississippi, married Phillip Lechner. They are buried at Terrell, Texas. They had no children.
Julia Sibretta Truss born 2 December 1871, married Lee Kirkland. They had one daughter, Jewel Lee Kirkland Lindsey. They are buried at Long Creek Cemetery.
Martha “Mattie” Truss born 17 May 1873, married Dee D. Duckworth. They are buried at Long Creek Cemetery.
Eva Alice Truss born 14 March 1875, died 1 February 1892, and is buried at Long Creek Cemetery.
Dorothy Estelle Ball born 29 June 1920 Dallas, married 24 February 1940 Marlin Harper Miller, who served in the U.S. Army Air Section of the Field Artillery, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, 1955-1957. They now live in University Park. They have two children:
Marlin Ronald Miller and Nancy Ellen Miller. Marlin Ronald Miller born 14 July 1941 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, served as Pilot, U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Command and the Aero-Space Defense Command, married (1) Margaret Josephine Butler. They had two children: Michael Scott Miller born 29 September 1963 College Station, Texas, and Stephen Craig Miller, born 19 September 1968 Duluth, Minnesota; they reside in Irving, Texas; Marlin married (2) Yui Mei Chen in February 1975, and they have two children: Elizabeth Ann Miller born 29 November 1977 Irving, Texas, and one adopted son, Mark Andrew Chen Miller, born 20 November 1971, Taiwan, naturalized 1984 Dallas, Texas; both live in Irving.
Nancy Ellen Miller born 29 Septe;n ber 1943, married 29 December 1966 Terry Bob Fontenot. They reside in Louisville, Kentucky, have no children.
David Carter Ball born 25 September 1926, died 16 November 1981, buried Woodlawn Cemetery, Queens, New York, as David Carter (his professional name), married Clara Bess Lorenz. They had two children: David Devon Ball (Carter) born 27 September 1954 and Phillip Kent Ball (Carter) born 30 August 1956, both living in New York City.
Other descendants of the Truss family can be traced through the surnames of Lechner, Kirkland, Duckworth and Vann.
By Mrs. Marlin H. Miller, Dallas
