“Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County,” published:  
Chicago;  The Lewis Publishing Company, 1892.

JOSEPH O. RICKETTS.  The subject of this sketch has been identified with 
the interests of Dallas county, Texas, since 1847.  A brief biography of him 
is as follows:

Joseph O. Ricketts was born in Warren county, Kentucky, December 16, 
1832, a son of Zedekiah and Margaret (Dews) Ricketts.  His father was born 
and reared in Maryland, and in Virginia was married, Mrs. Ricketts being a 
native of the latter State.  After his marriage he moved to Kentucky, where 
he engaged in farming, continuing there until 1847, when he came to Texas, 
landing in Dallas county on the 5th of April.  He came to Shreveport, 
Louisiana, by water, thence to Dallas by wagon.  He located a headright ten 
miles south of Dallas, improved the property and lived there until June 10, 
1856, when his death occurred, at the age of sixty-three years.  His wife died 
in 1878, aged eighty-two.  They reared a family of eight children, three of 
whom still survive.  This worthy couple were members of the Christian 
Church, and were held in high esteem in the community where they resided.

The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm and received his education in 
the subscription schools.  He was fifteen years old when the family came to 
Texas.  Here he assisted in improving their frontier farm, and continued to 
reside on the old homestead until after his mother’s death.  He was married 
September 27, 1876, to Miss Mary Ann Hustead, who was born in Clark 
county, Illinois, a daughter of Harrison and Prudence (Bartlett) Hustead.  
Her parents were natives of West Virginia.  They went from there to Illinois, 
where they lived several years, and in 1845 came to Texas and settled on 
Duck creek, in Dallas county, having a homestead of 640 acres.  Mr. 
Hustead afterward moved to the vicinity of Lisbon, and here spent the rest of 
his days, and died in 1852.  After his marriage, Mr. Ricketts took his bride to 
the old homestead and lived there until 1884.  That year he purchased his 
present property, twenty acres, where he has one of the most beautiful and 
attractive homes in the county.  He is a member and an Elder in the Christian 
Church, and his wife is a Baptist.

During the war Mr. Ricketts was in the Thirty-first Cavalry and served in 
Arkansas and Louisiana, participating in the battles of Prairie Grove, 
Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, and serving until hostilities ceased.

Submitted by: L. Pingel