Ruby Davis, Dallas, Texas 1900's

Ruby Dee Davis was born August 1890 in Italy, Texas, to parents Nancy Fleming and Daniel Davis, a farmer from Tennessee. She was their youngest, with four children having come before her: Effie, Mary Lee, William Thomas, and Daisy. Their grandfather, David Fleming, also lived with the family. By 1910, Ruby and her sister Daisy were the only Davis children left living at home.

Though not labeled, I believe this photo is of Ruby
and her older sister Daisy.

1915 was a complicated year for 22-year-old Ruby. She was married that year to Daniel F. Stellman, who worked on a dairy farm with his twin brother, William. The Stellman brothers were born in Kentucky to German immigrants. On his WWI draft registration card, Daniel is described as having brown eyes and black hair- he is also marked as being "physically unfit," though they don't give any further details.  That same year, in March, Ruby's only brother William died at age 36.  The next year, in 1916, Ruby lost her father to tuberculosis.

In 1920, Daniel was working at Bluff View Dairy Farm as a "milker." Daniel and Ruby had no children and lived together at their home on Lemmon Avenue in Dallas. Also living on Lemmon Avenue at the time was a man named Ed Halbert. Ed eventually moved in with the Stellman's as a lodger while working as a clerk in a phonograph store. Ed must have become close with the Stellmans. On his 1941 draft registration card, Ed listed "Miss Ruby Stellman" as someone who would always know his address. This makes sense considering the addresses given for Ed and Ruby are the same- 6919 Lemmon Avenue. Ed has also given his occupation as being self-employed at a dairy. Photos of Ed and his family were found with these photos of Ruby, and I will tell more of his story in a later post.

Daniel Stellman died in 1948 at age 73 after suffering from "Bright's Disease". By this time, Ruby's sister, Daisy, had moved in with them, perhaps to help out as Daniel's health declined. Daisy had never married and Ruby was now widowed. The two moved into a house together at 6634 Forest Park in Dallas. As far as I can tell, they lived together until Daisy's death in 1969.

Ruby Davis Stellman passed away in February 1978 at age 88.

If you know who this may be, let us know in the comments!