My Scottish third great grandmother Mally Sutherland Buswell had not one but two fresh starts in her life. It is said that she left her home in Kildonan, Sutherland, Scotland because there were too many children in her family. Being the oldest girl, a lot of the responsibility of tending to them probably fell to her.
Sometime between 1881 and 1884 she immigrated to the United States. Family stories say that she came to the U.S. to meet up with her fiance Joseph Emlyn Buswell who was from Leicester, England. Joseph and Mally married in San Antonio, Texas on February 25, 1884 then made their home in a tent in Leakey, Texas. They had two children but moved to nearby town of Rocksprings. She became a widow 11 years later but she was a determined and savvy businesswoman. She owned numerous rental properties in Rocksprings.
Her second fresh start came as a result of the tragic tornado in Rocksprings, Texas in April 1927 that killed about 75 people and injured more than 200. Casualties totaled roughly a third of the population of Rocksprings at the time. Fortunately none of her family was injured. Of the town's roughly 247 buildings, only a dozen remained standing after the storm hit. Her home imploded during the storm. Everyone had to dig out and rebuild. Mally and many other townspeople did just that.
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