She was feted by over 100 of her descendants and relatives on her 100th birthday and Ruby Lee Davis Betsill tried to hug them all.

The youngest blood relative was two-week old Levi Betsill, son of Brad and Jennifer Holloway Betsill, and the oldest blood relative present was Martha Stinchcomb Schell Harris, who is 87 years old.

“Gran-Ruby,” as she is known, was born Jan. 1, 1908 to Oscar Strickland and Mary Malitta Hill Davis. Her earliest years were spent in Henry County, near where the Atlanta Motor Speedway is located, but by the age of four she called Fayette County home.

She was able to attend the Gilbert School, located near Ga. Highway 54 and Banks Road, until the sixth grade, when helping in the fields became necessary.

Her teacher was George Pierce Stinchcomb, who married Miss Ruby's aunt, Ellie Jane Hill, a few years later in 1918. “Spelling was my favorite subject,” she said. One of the teachers she remembers as a favorite was a Mrs. Alford.

With three girls and one boy in her family, Christmas was slim. They did not have a tree, but would find greens and holly to decorate with. She received a doll twice for Christmas that she remembers. She also remembers that at age 13 she was told that Santa would be coming no more.

The year was 1913 and she rode in her first automobile. The occasion was the death of her grandfather, John William Davis. Her grandfather, James Harbard Hill, died just two days short of his 77th birthday and was proud never to have ridden in a car. Just before his death, he said he didn't want to be taken to the cemetery in one, and Blalock Funeral Home in Fayetteville still had a horse-driven hearse, which accommodated his request.

James Harbard Hill was 18 years old when he joined Company E, 44th Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry, Army of Northern Virginia, in June, 1862. Nearly a year later, he was so debilitated with rheumatism that he was discharged. He then walked the 516 miles home from Guinea Station, Virginia.

When Willie Lem Betsill entered Miss Ruby's life, it was in the midst of some confusion. She had a favorite cow, and he asked her if he could have it. She said no several times, until it dawned on her that he was really asking her to marry him. She finally said yes, and they tied the knot on Nov. 29, 1928. Until his death in 1974, he had pretty much lived in Fayette County on Betsill land.

She made her wedding dress from material she ordered from a catalog. It was light blue in color and was made of a chiffon material.

Willie and Ruby had eight children, two of whom, Mary Josephine Betsill Fuller and Paul Robert Betsill, are still living. Those deceased are Walter Clarence, Davis Webster, William Herman, Virginia Marjean, Oscar Horace, and James Harbard.

Currently, Ruby lives snug as a bug in the house on Inman Road she and her husband moved into in 1965. It was built in 1922 as a home and was later used as a school.

As for the changes she’s seen in her 100 years, she’s not overly fond of the growth in Fayette County. She says the traffic is scary, and she really doesn’t see a need for so many stores.

She is fond, though, of her 24 living grandchildren, approximately 59 great-grandchildren, and approximately 48 great-great-grandchildren. And needless to say, all of them are more than fond of “Gran-Ruby.”