As the mid-1800’s waned, the Rust Family hitched its wagon to a star and arrived in Blanco County. The parentage of Confederate Joe Don Rust Sr. (1846-1925) came from Ireland through the state of Georgia while his wife Nannie J. (1846-1906) came from Tennessee of Cherokee Indian descent. They purchased land in Blanco County and in the Henly area, where they raised, mostly as farmers and ranchers, eight children: Will, Myrtle who married Boyd Hill and settled in the Corpus Christi area, Don who gained renown as a Phoenix Deputy Sheriff, Annie who married into the Clark Family of Oklahoma, the colorful Henry Rust (1868-1946) who married Jane Turner, Ben who wed Carrie West and settle in Burnet, and rooted locally Joe Don Rust Jr. (1888-1954) and Cicero Alexander “Doc” Rust Sr. (1884-1966). The Rusts provided Blanco with a livery stable and butcher shop then located north side of the current square. Cicero Alexander “Doc” Rust Sr. recalled butchering two cows per week and twice weekly delivering meat, wrapped in cotton seed for preservation up the Blanco River route in a horse drawn Studebaker wagon.

Joe Don Rust Jr., born and grew up in Blanco, after marrying Sallie Hamilton West (1891-1987), moved to Henly and was a cattleman, affiliated with the Baptist Church, and served as Hays County Commissioner 1929-1935. They were the owners of the first indoor bathtub in Henly. Courting consisted of their exchanging letters placed under a rock along the Blanco River. Sallie was fifteen when a small pox epidemic hit the area and a pest camp was started at her uncle’s farm. Sallie was pianist at Henly Baptist for years. Daughter Edith and son Vernon have passed away; daughter Sally Jo Rust Gravenor remains vibrant in Henly.

Cicero Alexaner “Doc” Rust Sr., rancer, realtor, and livestock commission man, married, in 1909, Frances Wuest (1884-1970; they owned land Southwest of Blanco near the buzzard Roost Community and in 1920 purchased 2000 acres East of Blanco. The stagecoach road connecting Blanco and San Marcos passed through this property and is yet outlined in pasture land now owned by Cicero Alexander Rust III. Within a stone’s throw of the Rust cottage, the property housed the one room school Mount View. Its former teachers include Eunice Keiser, Estella and Birdie Glasscock, winifrid and Leona Woods, Mrs. Ira Massey, Jamie Brown Wagner, Ruby Nensly, Tressie Watson, Arthur Heidman, Sidney Cox, Landis Weir. When the school consolidated with Blanco ISD, its building sold to Homer Hattie Mae Coffee in the Peyton Colony area. Most of its students walked to school, rode horses or mules, while few rode buggies. Some of its pupils include Reky V. Lindemann, Roma Schlameus, Jim Watson, Ruth Barker, Edith Smith, Lorene Greenhaw, the Mosels, lisle Page, and from the Linnartz Family: Hermann, August, Thelma, Melitta; Bindseil: Tillie, Clara; Fickling: William, Robert; Weinstrom: Hertha, Edgar, Elsie; Cox: Audrey, Mary Eva, Olen; Preiss: Max, Marvin, Edwin, Arhtur, Willie, Rudy, Pauline; Wagner: Edith, Lois, Opal, Elton; Haufler: Alvin, Thelka, Udo; the A. J. Wagner children: Horace, Hugh, Homer, Leah Belle, Josiah; and two sons of Mr. and Mrs. Cicero Alexander “Doc” Rust Sr.: Garland August (1910-1970)and Cicero Alexander Rust Jr. (born 1915). The Rusts drove cattle by horseback tothe Union Stockyards in San Antonio and to the railroad in San Marcos. The family raised cotton which was processed at the cotton gin mill in Blanco; Alec Upshaw helped. Local shopping occurred at W. Krueger Store at twin Sisters, Edwin Bindseil Store located where 473 West and the Fischer Store now exists.

Garland August Rust was born close by the Blanco River near the old Emil Eibel place He married Estella Martha Danz (1909-1998); they ranched, farmed, gardened, had Rust Trucks, which delivered nationwide, especially cattle, and he served Blanco as Justice of the Peace. Estella loved the local 42 clubs and the Home Demonstration Club, Eastern Star, and Garland the Masonic Lodge. Both belonged to the historic Blanco Methodist Church. Their family included Lula Belle (Wintucky) (1936-1960) killed in a car crash, Sonja Lee (Behn)(1939-1985)succombed to cancer, and PArson Cicero Rust,

Cicero Alexander Rust Jr., born Southwest of Blanco near Clear Springs, married Olla Danz (1914-2005) in Johnson City after eloping from Miller Creek on a stormy May night. The Danz kitchen welcomed young Lyndon Baines Johnson for homemade bread out of the wood cook stove served with hand churned butter. They loved a son: Cicero Alexander (C.A.) Rust III. In 1923, Doc Rust gave Rust Jr.’s, dog to a young Nellie Brill, whose family hunted on Rust Ranch; Nellie returned several times with the pet. She went on to become Mrs. John Connally and Nellie, that ray of Texas sunshine, passed away several years ago. “I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19) Blanco still vibrantly shines. Betty and Parson Cicero Rust still ranch/truck specializing in hay hauling; they are involved in the Blanco Cowboy Church ministry. Cicero Alexander Rust Jr., 92 1/2 still ranches; if there were enough hours in the day, he would use each minute just as he and Olla enjoyed in their 69 1/2 years of marriage working side by side when they sold eggs, cream , firewood, cedar posts, rocks, soil, fruits, vegetables, hosted deer hunters, and raised Black Angus cattle, Angora goats, Spanish goats, sheep, chickens and hogs. Cicero Alexander Rust III ranches in a supporting roles, after his retirement from a perfectly blessed teaching career (Floresville High School: English IV Honors; Bee County College: English Lecturer; Johnson City LBJHS: all level Spanish and English Advanced Placement Literature). Cicero and C. A. both serve the Lord through First Baptist Church of Blanco. Visions still sparkle.