Tom Ramsay’s Unexpected Link to Ima Hogg Through Franklin County History
Texas State Representative Tom Ramsay, above, has been ordered off a church roof by a woman once married to Governor Jim Hogg’s baby girl’s great nephew. His brother, District Judge Lanny Ramsay, refers to” Mac” Wilmeth as “the best hind catcher we ever had.”
From The East Texas Journal, February 1995, by PAT HAMILTON, Journal Correspondent
Tom Ramsay and a Franklin County Legend
MT. VERNON, Texas — State Representative Tom Ramsay has spent decades serving
Northeast Texas. Yet one of his most unusual connections reaches back to a Franklin County woman whose family history intersected with that of Texas legend Ima Hogg.
The connection surfaced through a museum donation that helped bring several strands of local history together.
According to local recollections, Tom Ramsay once spent enough time climbing around the First Baptist Church that Orva Mae “Mac” Stinson-Wilmeth occasionally had to order him off the roof.
“As principal of Vacation Bible School,” Mac recalled, she collected young Tom Ramsay from the church roof numerous times.
His brother, District Judge Lanny Ramsay, later joked that Mac was “the best hind catcher we ever had.”
Those memories became part of a larger story linking the Ramsay family, Franklin County, and one of Texas’ most famous families.
Tom Ramsay’s Connection to Ima Hogg
The link begins with Dr. David L. Stinson, the dentist who arrived in Mount Vernon in 1939 and purchased the dental practice of Dr. Conn Smith.
As it turns out, both Dr. Stinson and Ima Hogg descended from plantation owner Col. James Alexander Stinson.
Col. Stinson was the father of Sarah Ann “Sallie” Stinson Hogg, the mother of Ima Hogg. Dr. David Stinson was also a descendant of the Stinson family line.
Ima Hogg, daughter of Governor Jim Hogg, became one of Texas’ most respected philanthropists and preservationists. Throughout her life, she championed education, mental health initiatives, and the preservation of Texas history.
The Death of Dr. Conn Smith
The story of Dr. Stinson’s arrival began with a tragedy that longtime residents still remembered.
One morning, Dr. Conn Smith walked into Crescent Drug and ordered a Coca-Cola.
“I need a pick-me-up,” he reportedly told his brother Roy, who managed the store and soda fountain.
Dr. Smith then rested his head on his arms.
However, when Roy returned a few minutes later with the drink, the town dentist had already died.
Soon afterward, Dr. Stinson’s aunt, Lilly Stinson Burkett, purchased the practice. Family members said she wanted her favorite nephew, a recent Baylor graduate, to establish his career close to Winnsboro, Texas.
Dr. David and “Mac” Stinson Build a Life in Mount Vernon
Dr. Stinson arrived in Mount Vernon with his new bride, Mac Richards Stinson.
“Oh, he was a charmer,” Mac recalled. “He insisted on meeting my mother, and when he did, he said, ‘I’m so glad to meet you, Mrs. Richards. I’m going to marry your daughter.'”
“I was as surprised as Mother,” she said. “I’d just met this guy, but oh, he was a charmer.”
Soon after the couple arrived, World War II began.
As a result, Dr. Stinson closed the practice while serving five years in the military.
Meanwhile, Mac became deeply involved in community life. She served as Vacation Bible School principal for 19 years and became well known to generations of local children.
When Dr. Stinson returned from military service, he resumed his dental practice. He later served 17 years on the school board and 30 years as a church deacon.
Mac worked alongside him as his nurse, secretary, and dental assistant. She helped sterilize equipment, unpack supplies, and manage the office.
Because of his dedication to dentistry, Dr. Stinson eventually became president of the First District of the Texas Dental Association.
A Museum Donation Preserves Franklin County History
During the 1950s, Dr. Stinson built a new office next to the local hospital. At that time, he retired much of the equipment originally purchased from the widow of Dr. Conn Smith.
Among those items was an unforgettable dental chair.
Many local residents remembered the rich red velvet upholstery and ornate brass frame.
At least four generations of Franklin County families sat in that chair.
The office overlooked the courthouse square from above the First National Bank. Patients climbed a steep staircase and walked a long hallway before reaching the treatment room.
The chair faced north. From it, patients could see the courthouse clock while gripping the velvet armrests in nervous anticipation.
Even after replacing the chair, Dr. Stinson kept it because he believed it belonged in a museum exhibit.
Unfortunately, he died before making that happen.
Years later, after remarrying and moving to a West Texas ranch, Mac Stinson-Wilmeth preserved the equipment. Then she brought it back home to Franklin County.
The donation finally fulfilled Dr. Stinson’s vision.
Today, the chair remains more than a piece of dental equipment. It serves as a tangible link between Franklin County history, the Stinson family, Governor Jim Hogg’s daughter Ima Hogg, and the community that helped shape young Tom Ramsay.
As local historians might say, some of the most interesting Texas stories are connected in ways few people would ever expect.
