Pioneers of Ellis County John W. Rosson   [Source: Article pub. Waxahachie Daily Light Jan. 15, 1946 by Mrs. Jean Davis Duckworth] Ellis County history is well preserved in the memory of John W. Rosson of Milford, who is 93 years old today [Jan. 15, 1948]. He was born Jan. 15, 1856, near Milford, son of William and Mary Jane Brown Rosson. Their parents and grandparents came to Texas from Tennessee in 1851, first to Washington County, then Waco, arriving at Milford October 14, 1953. There were four boys: Albert, John, and twins, George and Joe. John is the last surviving member of his immediate family. He met Carrie Files, daughterof A. H. Files, after her parents bought his grandfather's farm. They courted for two years, then tied the knot on his 25th birthday, Jan. 15, 1880. The bride was 33. She died March 13, 1899. Grandpa Files built the stately home in which Mr. Rosson lives today with his children, Miss Lula Rosson,  Clemmie Mrs. M. G. Noel and John W. Rosson, Jr. Adam Rosson also lives in Milford.The two eldest children are no longer living. Mary died in infancy and Effie (Mrs. John Parker) died about 1910. Carrie May (Mrs. W. W. Warren  lives in Dallas). Mr. Rosson's hearing is failing, but otherwise he is fairly active. He goes to Dallas on the interurban to visit his daughter, but he likes to sit in the sun of his three-window corner and relive his yesterdays. Most vivid is his memory of the Confederate camp on a nearby creek on one side the Milford Grays, on the other the Waxahachie Blues. Women from surrounding towns would send down pies and cakes to the soldiers and young John, just a boy in knee pants, would ride down to the creek with the colored slave boy. Although he was too young to cast a ballot, he remembers when everyone in the county came to Waxahachie to vote. It was the first election after the War, at least the first for Confederates. The men marched between a line of soldiers to the voting box, voted and left town immediately.   Copyright © 2002-2016, Ellis County TXGenWeb. All Rights Reserved. This page was last modified: Thursday, 01-Jul-2021 13:30:09 MDT