My ancestors, they hail from . . . the redlands of Texas . . . and the marshes of Maine . . .
the plantations of Georgia . . . and the courts of Spain . . .
and from a hodgepodge of places . . . betwixt and between . . .
On this date in our family history . . . the 31st day of January . . . in the year 1872 . . . Edgar and Emma Henry are born at Old Independence in Washington County, Texas . . . Edgar and Emma were the 4th and 5th of eight children born to William Paschal (1836-1912) and Josephine Wingfield (Davis) Henry (1842-1899) . . . Edgar and Emma's parents took up residence in Milam County, Texas c. 1876, when the twins were about 4 or 5 years of age . . .
Edgar married Berta Mary Sharp (1873-1955) on 02 January 1895 in Crockett, Houston County, Texas . . . Berta was born 10 November 1873 in Houston County, the 5th of six children born to Samuel Houston and Mary Alexandrien (Lemaire) Sharp . . . FYI . . . Edgar's twin sister, Emma, had married Berta's older brother, Sam Houston Sharp, Jr., a few years earlier . . .
Edgar and Berta set up housekeeping in Milam County where Edgar's parents lived until their deaths (1899 and 1912) . . . they then moved to West Texas for a while early in the 20th century, but returned to Rockdale ca. 1939 shortly after two of their grandchildren moved in with them on a permanent basis . . . Edgar and Berta both died in Rockdale, and were laid to rest at Oaklawn Cemetery . . . Edgar is the paternal great-grandpa of the Keeper of this family history blog . . . a goodly number of Edgar and Berta's descendants still live in Rockdale and Milam County at this time, and others from across the state sometimes return to Milam County in the Autumn of the year for a family reunion . . .
FYI . . . the above collage was created by very carefully placing a torn and crumbling ledger page on a flat-bed scanner . . . and then layering on top of it a floral file folder from a local discount store . . . those two items were scanned together as one image . . . then using Picasa . . . that image was cropped . . . a second collage was created by adding the photo of Edgar . . . the text was also added using Picasa . . .
That fragile handwritten page came from a ledger belonging to Edgar Henry, and contains lyrics to old folk songs . . . this particular page contains a version of a set of lyrics to a song called The Package of Old Letters . . . as you can see, part of this page is missing, so I'm guessing at the closing lines, but here are the words I think my great-grandpa penned on these pages . . .
In a little rosewood casket That is resting on the stand There's a package of old letters Written by a cherished hand Won't you go and get them, Sister And read them o'er to me I have often tried to read them But for tears I could not see
You have brought them sister Come sit down upon my bed And lift gently to your bosom This poor aching throbbing head
Tell him that I never blamed him Or a word of censure spoke But oh tell him sister tell him That my heart his coldness broke
When I'm dead and in my coffin And my shroud about me wound And my narrow bed is ready In the pleasant churchyard ground
Place the letters and the locket Both together on my heart And the little ring he gave me Never from my finger part.
From September 28, 1840, to November 18, 1851, Nicholas Adolphus Sterne kept a diary of his daily activities, which is a valuable source of information on the period of the Republic of Texas. The names of some of our kith 'n kin are scattered through these pages, including the following mention of Mrs. Elisha Roberts, who is a 4th great-grandma of the Keeper of this blog. Mrs. Sublett is one of her daughters.
Tuesday the 17th January [1843] weather still moderate-- Concluded not to go any further East, Sabine very high-- Mr Hoya went on with C. H. Gibson to Natchitochez-- and myself returned to San Augustin, Stopped on the Road to see my old friend and acquaintance Mrs Elisha Roberts also Mr and Mrs Sublett, arrived at San Augustin at 11 A. M. Dined with Deyoung. heard Miss Morange perform on the Piano-- herself and her Brother performed a Duet composed by Braham it was a treat indeed, such a one as I do not expect again in Texas-- left San Augustin at 2 oclock P. M, and stopped all night at Walter Murrays
Forrest Lee Pounders
born in Texas on 10th October 1927
died in Texas on 17th January 1996
Remembering . . .
Fifty years to the day before his death on 17 January 1996, a form letter was being prepared for then 18-year-old FORREST LEE POUNDERS of Rockdale, Texas. That form letter, dated & mailed 17 Jan 1946, was an Order to Report for Induction, & it was signed by M. N. Stricker, representing Local Board No. 1, Milam County. The letter read, in part, as follows.
Having submitted yourself to a local board composed of your neighbors for the purpose of determining your availability for training & service in the land or naval forces of the United States, you are hereby notified that you have now been selected for training & service therein. You will, therefore, report to the local board named above at City hall, Rockdale, Texas at 1:30 p.m., on the 3rd day of February, 1946.
POUNDERS (aka Fuzzy) was inducted into the U.S. Army on 04 Feb 1946. Six months later, at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, he received an Honorable discharge for C of G to enlist in the Regular Army. His mustering out pay was $200.
One year later, POUNDERS received his second Honorable Discharge at Camp Stoneman, California. At the time of his separation, his Military Occupational Specialty & No. was Message Center Clerk 667. He received a World War II Victory Medal as well as an Army of Occupation Medal - Japan. His mustering out pay was $100.
His Report of Separation indicated that POUNDERS had attended Signal Corps School while at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, as well as Message Center School in Kokura, Kyushu, Japan. This same report listed his prior employment at Jones Grocery & Market in Rockdale in 1945.
As a Message Center Clerk, POUNDERS had . . . Received & logged incoming & outgoing messages, communications & publications in a message center & distributed them in accordance with the prescribed procedures. Coded & decoded secret & confidential messages in accordance with standing operating procedures.
On this date in our family history . . . the 2nd day of January . . . in the year 1895 . . . Berta Mary Sharp marries Edgar Henry in Crockett, Houston County, Texas . . . they are the parents of Rubie and George and Frank and Milton and Robert and Oscar and Nellie . . .
Edgar Henry born 31 January 1872 Old Independence, Washington County, Texas died 25 June 1950 Rockdale, Milam County, Texas
married 02 January 1895 Crockett, Houston County, Texas
Berta Mary (Sharp) Henry born 10 November 1873 Hall Plantation, Houston County, Texas died 06 December 1955 Rockdale, Milam County, Texas
FYI . . . Edgar and Berta are maternal great-grandparents of the Keeper of this family history blog . . . and this collage was created in the same manner as > this < collage . . .
