It's Saturday Night, time for some Genealogy Fun (with Randy Seaver) after your frustrating week of finding phantom ancestors in online family trees and trying to keep up with everybody on Twitter, Facebook and Genealogy Wise. Here is your assignment for this Saturday Night (if you decide to accept it, of course - you can't have fun if you don't try): (1) Let's go time travelling: Decide what year and what place you would love to visit as a time traveller. Who would you like to see in their environment? If you could ask them one question, what would it be? (2) Tell us about it. Write a blog post, or make a comment to this post, or on Facebook, or in Genealogy Wise.
If I could travel . . . to somewhere else in time . . . I would like to go back . . . to 1843 in Texas . . . where General Sam Houston (President of the Republic of Texas) is said to oppose opening negotations on statehood at this time . . .
- IF John M. Sharp is still alive, he and Mahala Lee Roberts have been married about 5 years, and have two children -- Samuel Houston Sharp (about 4 years of age), and 2-year-old Margaret A Sharp -- and they are presumably living in San Augustine County. I want to know John's birth information -- when and where was he born, and who are his parents. He disappears before 1846 . . . and I have not been able to connect him to ANY of the Sharps living around San Augustine during that time period . . .
- And meanwhile . . . in Liberty County . . . 4-year-old Sam's future wife, Nellie, is born on the 24th day of May in 1843. She is given the name Mary Alexandrien Lemaire. I want to know if her father is indeed the Alexander Lemaire who was the consular agent of France at Liberty in 1843, and who "embarked at Galveston on the brig Amanda for France to look after his affairs" . . . and who "sailed in the brig Amanda in March 1843, and with his vessel was never heard from" . . . and of whom it is written that . . .
Upon the death of LEMAIRE, the French consul of the town of Liberty, Cramayel chose not to replace him, declaring: "Liberty is only a hamlet in the interior of a region that has no direct commerce with foreign countries. In the surrounding area there are only about thirty French residents, widely scattered, & living in a situation close to destitution." . . .
On this date in our family history . . . the 11th day of July . . . in the year 1861 . . . Mary Alexandrien "Nellie" Lemaire becomes the bride of Samuel Houston Sharp in Liberty County, Texas . . . as recorded by James Madison Hall on that hot summer's Thursday . . .
Be it remembered & known that Samuel H. Sharp & Miss Mary Alexandrien Lamier, were united together in the bonds of wedlock, & I rather expect at night there was some very sharp shooting took place, this however is only a surmise. Capt. Wrigley & Ed. Jones came in from their camp to attend said wedding, where all passed off pleasantly & agreeably to all in attendance. Weather clear & warm . . .
This Sam & Nellie are the parents of Berta Mary Henry nee Sharp (1873-1955) . . . who is a great-grandma to the Keeper of this family history blog . . .
- Washington, DC. 11 July 1861. The Senate expells the Senators from Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas, plus one from Tennessee. This was a mere formality, since they had already departed for home.
- Manassas, Virginia. 21 July 1861. "Look, there is Jackson standing like a stone wall."
- Washington, DC. 22 July 1861. The House passes the Crittenden Resolution. The same resolution passes the US Senate on the 25th.
- The US Navy begins a blockade of Galveston Harbor in July 1861, but the town remains in Confederate hands for the next 14 months.
- Washington, D.C. July 1861. Mathew Brady and team of 20 aides begin photographic record of Civil War.
- FREE 1861 news from the New York Times
While we have no idea as to whether or not our Sam & Nellie had a wedding cake, the following recipe from an 1841 cookbook is mayhaps similar to one that might have been used if they did indeed have a cake . . .
The American Frugal Housewife
Dedicated to Those who are Not Ashamed of Economy
By Lydia Maria Francis Child:
The man in the lower left is my 2nd great-grandpa, Atwood F. Smith (1837-1907), who died of blood poisoning following an injury at work.
In the upper right is his son, and my great-grandpa, Thomas Warren Alonzo Smith (1866-1920), who ran a landscaping & florist business in Biddeford, Maine.
The woman is Eva Mae Smith, wife of T.W.A. Smith (& my great-grandma), who carried on for a while with the florist business following the death (by his own hand) of her husband of 25 years.
The word prompt for the 15th Edition of Smile For The Camera is "they WORKED hard for the family." The professions of our ancestors are almost as interesting as the people themselves. Some of our ancestors worked very hard; they took in laundry, worked the land, raised many children, or went to school and became professionals.
Biddeford Daily Journal.
Saturday Evening.
June 8, 1907.
End Came Suddenly.
Death of Atwood Smith at Hospital.
Atwood F. Smith, one of Biddeford's best known & highly respected residents & also a veteran of the Civil war, died Friday night a little after 6 o'clock at the Trull hospital. His age was 69 years & ten days.
Mr. Smith was taken to the Trull hospital a week ago last Wednesday suffering from blood poisoning in his right hand. He cut his thumb while doing repair work in the Pepperell carpenter shop where he was employed for many years. He went to the shellac pot & stuck his thumb in it, which is often done, & covered the cut with the shellac & hiso [sic] put on a piece of leather to keep the dirt out. The shellac, it seems, had been "cut" with wood alcohol.
Mr. Smith took no more notice of it until a week ago Sunday. He attended the G.A.R. services at the Advent church on that day & was enjoying good health. On his return to his home he complained of being sick & said his thumb was bothering him.
Monday morning he was in a bad condition & Dr. Randall was sent for. He found the thumb badly swollen & colored & after learning the facts the physician saw it was a case of blood poisoning. He treated Mr. Smith at his home up to a week ago Wednesday & noticing that his condition was growing worse, the doctor had him removed to the Trull hospital. Mr. Smith made a decided improvement at once, & everything looked favorable for his recovery. The hand appeared to be getting better & Mr. Smith told his son, T.W.A. Smith, the florist, he hoped to be able to return home in a few days.
Friday morning between 6 & 7 o'clock Mr. Smith had a bad attack of heart failure & his son was sent for. The patient rallied, however, & up to 3 o'clock he appeared to be gaining from the morning attack. He had another spell of heart failure at 3 o'clock, from which he did not recover. At the time of his death the private nurse was changing his clothes, which was done at his request. The lady had not finished her work when Mr. Smith suddenly expired.
The deceased has been a resident of Biddeford many years. He was born in Hollis, & was the son of Hiram B., & Betsey T. (Flood) Smith. He received a public school education & during the Civil war enlisted with Company F., 27th Me. Regiment.
He was of a quiet disposition & a rugged constitution. He possessed all the qualifications for a good citizen. He was a member of Sheridan Post, G.A.R. & Laconia lodge, I.O.O.F. Mr. Smith was a regular attendant at the Jefferson street Free Will Baptist church. In politics he was a staunch Republican.
Besides his son, T.W.A. Smith, he is survived by two brothers, Josiah H., of Biddeford & Sylvanus Smith of Concord, N.H. The funeral will take place Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock at the late residence 43 Prospect street. The G.A.R. service will be performed at the funeral by members of Sheridan post.
My maternal great-grandparents -- T.W.A. & Eva Smith -- were in the landscaping & florist business in Biddeford, Maine.
The Smiths had one daughter -- Elizabeth Marilla Henry nee Smith (1912-1932) -- who is my maternal grandma. A childhood friend, Diantha, wrote that, "The whole block from Foss St to Prospect street was filled with gardens & greenhouses I remember from a little girl – walking by to my aunts & grandmothers."
Biddeford Saco. Kennebunk & Kennebunkport. Souvenir. 1907.
T.W.A. SMITH.
York County has many efficient florists & fine conservatories, & among them is T.W.A. Smith whose finely equipped hot houses are at 43 Prospect street & also at 163 Pool street.
Mr. Smith is an experienced & practical horticulturist & landscape gardener, & has an unexcelled reputation for the excellence of his work. Palms, ferns, lilies & potted plants are extensively dealt in, & a specialty made of cut flowers for funerals & social functions. Artistic & handsome floral designs are also supplied with prices always reasonable. Orders are taken & delivered for 15 miles around. Capable & experienced help to the number of four are employed, three acres of land & 10,000 square feet of glass occupied.
Mr. Smith was born in Lewiston, & educated in the public schools of Biddeford. He established his present business in 1895, & has built up a large & lucrative business. Mr. Smith is a member of the Masons, I.O.O.F., Encampment & Rebekahs, K. of P. & Red Men & is a past officer in the I.O.O.F. & K. of P. Mr. Smith is highly esteemed as a business man & citizen.
Mr. Smith is most ably assisted by his wife who has had 12 years experience, which has made her an expert at her chosen vocation.
On this date in our family history . . . the 8th day of July . . . in the year 1929 . . . 16-year-old Elizabeth Marilla Smith becomes the bride of 24-year-old Robert E. Henry . . . the ceremony is performed by Rev. Milford R. Foshay, pastor of East Church (Baptist) . . . at 27 Breed Street in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts . . . Elizabeth and Robert are the maternal grandparents of the Keeper of this family history blog . . . Elizabeth will die at the age of 19 following the birth of her daughter . . . five years later almost to the day, on 7th July 1934, Elizabeth's brother marries Barbara Mae Watson in Lynn . . . this ceremony is also performed at 29 Breed Street in Lynn by Rev. Foshay . . . witnesses are Elizabeth's widowed husband, Robert E. Henry, and her mother . . . guests are Elizabeth's two young children, Robert and Roberta . . .
On this date in my fairly recent family history . . . the 4th of July . . . in the year 1986 . . . my husband and I were spending the day at the Fort Worth Stockyards after riding horseback off and on for six months . . . including the entire month of June . . . on the trail with the Texas Sesquicentennial Wagon Train . . . that's me with my dear Hubbie in the lower right photo of the collage . . . I snapped the photo of the Texas flag wagon at one of our campsites . . . the image in the upper right of this collage is from Fort Worth Stockyards by J'Nell L. Pate (2009). The caption reads as follows . . .
During the statewide sesquicentennial celebration, the 150th birthday of Texas, a wagon train traveled slowly around the Lone Star State. It began in early spring, traveling within 100 miles of each town so citizens could see the train and its participants. The train ended its travels on July 4, 1986, in the Fort Worth Stockyards, as seen in this photograph. (Courtesy Tarrant County College District, Northeast Campus, Heritage Room, Fort Worth, Texas.)
On this date in our family history . . . the 4th day of July . . . in the year 1836 . . . while Texas is at the beginning of her decade of existence as an official country (owing to the Texas Declaration of Independence which was signed 02 March 1836) . . .
My 4th great-grandpa, Elisha Roberts, and many members of his family are living in San Augustine County, Texas . . . so it is likely that they are attending a gathering being held in honor of an old family friend . . . recent events in Texas in 1836 include the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto, where General Sam Houston is wounded in the ankle . . . thankful we are that John Salmon Ford decided to record the following about this event . . .
San Augustine, a town in the county of the same name, stands in the "Redlands" -- so called from the color of the soil. Around San Augustine many former residents of the state of Tennessee had settled. They were men of respectability and influence, and had taken an active part in the war against Mexico. . . .
General Sam Houston stopped on the "Redlands." His home had been at San Augustine. Houston was on his way from New Orleans whither he had gone to have the wound received at San Jacinto treated. His wound was on the ankle. It was still unhealed. . . .
Houston was then a splendid specimen of manhood. A form and features which would have adorned the walks of royalty, a fund of conversational powers almost unequalled, the matchless gift of oratory, a vast grasp of intellect -- all marked him a great man.
General Houston accepted the hospitality of ELISHA ROBERTS and of his son-in-law, Colonel Philip Sublett. The latter commanded the Texians at the "Grass Fight," which came off near San Antonio in 1835 and was one of the hardest contested affairs of the war.
It was arranged to have General Houston meet his friends at San Augustine on the FOURTH OF JULY, 1836. It was a joyous reunion. The fearless pioneers, who had left home and kindred and all their attendant attractions to aid in reclaiming a vast and fertile empire from the predominance of Indians, came together to salute their friend, the successful leader of a revolution, with the laurels of San Jacinto fresh upon his brow. Honest and stout hands were clasped, and true hearts thrilled in response to the promptings of sincere friendship. It was a scene one could never forget. . . .
In this assembly which greeted General Houston were men of note. Colonel James Bullock who commanded the Texians in 1832, when they expelled the Mexican troops under Colonel [Jose de las] Piedras from Nacogdoches, and Colonel Alexander Horton, one of General Houston's aides at San Jacinto, were there.
One splendid old soldier must not be omitted: Donald McDonald was captain of a company, on the British side, at the battle of Lundy's Lane [during the War of 1812]. He went into the fight with eighty odd men and came out with fifteen. Colonel S.W. Blount, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, was also present, if memory is not at fault.
These gentlemen of eastern Texas are mentioned to show the kind of men constituting the class since called "Old Texians." A more candid, friendly, and hospitable population never occupied any country. A stranger was not allowed to pass a house without being invited to stop. No difference how long a guest remained, provided he minded his own business, he was entertained free of cost. If he asked for his bill, he was told a repetition of the inquiry would be taken as an insult. The coffee pot was on the fire at nearly every house in the country from daylight till bedtime. A visitor was invited to take a cup -- a refusal was not taken in good part.
Energy, bravery, a practical view of all matters, self-reliance, moderation, and a disposition to act in concert with their fellow citizens were the characteristics of the early settlers. Danger menaced them unceasingly, rendered them cautious, and molded them into soldiers. Having to take care of themselves gave them an idea of what their far-off neighbors needed to make them comfortable and to protect them. Thus they acquired correct ideas of what was necessary to preserve order and give adequate protection to person and property. Many of those commonsense men rose to the full height of soldiers, legislators, and statesmen. . . .
On this date in our extended family history . . . the 3rd day of July . . . in the year 1884 . . . Britton Valentine dies in Lee County, Texas.
Mr. Valentine was married to Matilda, who was a sister of my 3rd great-grandpa, Richard C. West, Jr., of Mississippi.
The Valentines were a part of a group of people who came to Lee County, Texas from Oktibbeha County, Mississippi shortly following the end of the war between the states.
From A History of Lee County, Texas (1974) as remembered by Mrs. R. L. Vance . . .
The Republic of Texas had granted to Daniel Walker a league of land in north-central Lee County on 10 February 1846 and out of this in a few years developed the small community of Cole Springs.
Records show that Britton Valentine, who had purchased a tract of land from Caroline Hill in 1877, deeded two and one-half acres of it for the use of a Baptist Church in 1879. . . .
A small private cemetery near the church contains three markers that have survived the years. They bear the names of Britton Valentine, Matilda Valentine (his wife), and Siobbell, wife of M.G. Welch. . . .
From A History of Lee County, Vol. II (2000) -- "Some Memories of Old Cole Springs" as remembered by Hallie Mundine McCoy of Rockdale 1978, just after her 80th birthday . . .
Cole Springs was a community in Lee County located about four miles west, and slightly north, of Tanglewood. One building that served as both a church and a school was there. . . . An elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Britton Valentine, are buried in the tiny cemetery there, near where the church used to stand. Mr. Valentine had markers made for their graves before either of them died. On his marker he had the inscription, "Saved by Grace," and on Mrs. Valentine's marker the inscription was, "If ever saved, saved by Grace." . . .
FYI . . . the names in bold print are my direct ancestors.
Shortly after her arrival in Texas (from Mississippi) in 1869, a young orphan by the name of Mollie West became acquainted with Joseph Nettles, a Civil War veteran twenty years her senior. On 02 July 1871 in Burleson County, Miss Mollie became Mrs. Joseph H. Nettles.
Miss Ruby* recalled her little Grandmother telling her that Joseph Helidorah Nettles was born 23 March 1832 in Alabama. He had several brothers and sisters who died in a yellow fever epidemic during the Civil War. A surviving sister married a Muldrew and lived near Houston, Texas.
By 1861 Joseph was in Texas, where he enlisted for the duration of the Civil War in the Grimes Co. Greys, aka Co. G of the 4th Texas Infantry. The Fourth Texas was one of three Texas Regiments to serve in the famous Hood's Texas Brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia. The Texas Brigade was often said to be the best under the Confederate flag.
Having miraculously survived the battle of Antietam (September 1862), which is considered by many to be "the bloodiest single day of the war," Joseph was then wounded on the second day of fighting at Gettysburg (02 July 1863), and again in the battle of the Wilderness (May 1864).
In a letter dated 15 Sept 1871, Della Vick wrote, "I went to the barbecue in Lexington last Saturday was two weeks ago. There was a good many people there but we came home and went to Prospect to preaching that night. It is four miles. There was five joined that night and among them was Mollie Nettles used to be Mollie West."
The newlyweds lived for a time in the Rockdale area with Mollie's relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Billy Perry, and later with Mrs. Courtney Valentine Nalley. Soon they moved to Lexington where Joseph had a woodworking shop in connection with the Hester blacksmith shop. Here their first child, Nona M. (1872-1949), was born. Miss Ruby wrote that . . .
Their home was on Doak Lane, the old Giddings road south of now old-town Lexington, and just across the lane lived Dr. Doak and family. In 1929 this writer had to have emergency surgery for an almost ruptured appendix, and the surgery was done in Taylor, Texas by Dr. Edmund Doak. Later, when my grandmother was told who my surgeon was, she laughed and told me this story.
When my grandmother's Nona was a baby, Mrs. Doak had a baby boy named Edmund. One day Dr. Doak was called out on a case in which he needed the help of his wife. She hurriedly nursed her infant then took him across the lane to my grandmother to tend until they returned. The case took longer than had been anticipated, and baby Edmund began to have hunger pangs. Finally, Grandma could stand his crying no longer and sat down and nursed him as though he were her own. 'I had plenty for both babies,' she laughed.
Other children born to Mollie and Joseph were -- Mary T. (1873-1874); William E. (1874-1947); Beulah A. (1876-1947); Wallace Lee (1880-1881); Emma Patience (1882-1964); Minnie (b/d 1884); Velma I. (1885-1974); and Joseph Alfred (1889-1944).
- Nona married Frank Moore and they had children, Blanche, Earl, Carl, Elva, Maude, Bernice, and Corinne.
- Will did not marry.
- Beulah married Tom Bryant, a widower with children Jim, Ola, Betty, Tommy, and Edna; and they had children Inez, Luther, Dorothy and Claudia.
- Emma married Charlie Muston and their children were Erma, Ima, Gertrude, Stella, Nona, Gladys and Pauline.
- Velma married Oscar Peebles and had children Aubrey, Frank and Shirley.
- Joe married Carrie B. Yeager and their children were Ruby (aka Miss Ruby), Frank, McLarty, Wallace and Carrie Belle.
Mollie also reared a granddaughter, Grace, who married Guy Burroughs and they had children Guy, Jr., Cecil, Vincent, Don and Joanne.
A deed for 100 acres of land in the Daniel Walker League, bought from J. C. Coker, was filed by J. H. Nettles in Giddings on 12 Oct 1882. Later adjoining land was bought and here the family grew up. This was in the Cole Springs community west of Tanglewood.
"J. H. Nettles was not a well man due to hardships and exposure during the Civil War, and 01 May 1890, he succumbed to his illness. He was 58 years of age" and was buried in the Hugh Wilson Cemetery near Tanglewood.
Gene, Grandma's half-brother, had not married so he came to live with the family and help make a crop. To baby Joe he was more like a father than an uncle. He often took the child with him as he rode horseback over the community or to Tanglewood for supplies. The girls began leaving home as they married and established homes of their own. Gene also married, but Will remained at home with his mother.
As the widow of a Civil War veteran, Mollie began receiving a Confederate pension in March of 1916. In the beginning she received $53.50 annually. By the time of her death in 1939, the amount had been increased . . . to $25.00 a month.
Miss Ruby stated that, "It was on this place (in Cole Springs) in a house, the main room of which was of huge hewn logs, that this writer was born in 1910."
Another of Mollie's granddaughters, Ima (Muston) Pounders, recalled that their Grandma would save old newspapers, catalogs, etc., and would then use the papers to fill the gaps between the logs in the cabin walls.
Several granddaughters fondly recalled Mollie's special cookies that were baked in Mollie's old wood burning stove. Mollie had an old tin container which served as her "cookie jar" and was replenished regularly.
Regarding the community switchboard which was operated by Mollie at one time, Miss Ruby said that . . .
I remember exactly on the log wall where that switchboard hung. I also remember the menfolk getting together sometimes to fix the lines when a windstorm or something caused a break in them. . . .
And it was here that my grandmother became ill in 1938 and finally went to Lott, Texas, to live with her youngest child, Joe, and his wife, Carrie. She passed away 01 May 1939, having lived a widow exactly forty-nine years. She was buried beside her husband in the Hugh Wilson Cemetery near Tanglewood.
According to Mollie's obituary, she was known as ". . . one of earth's dearest and sweetest little mothers" and that "from the wisdom of her years she gave counsel, advice and help to all who sought it, and truly will she be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her." Miss Ruby said that . . .
My Grandmother never knew what it was to have an "easy" life, but she knew how to make the best of what she had. She told this writer one time, "You take the good and the bad as they come. But if you look at things the right way, the good always comes out ahead."
*The original version of this family story was compiled by Ruby Lee (Nettles) Vance (1910-2003), and was published in the 19th April 1979 edition of The Giddings Times & News in Giddings, Lee County, Texas. The occasion was the 14th annual Lexington Homecoming. . . .
On this date in our family history . . . the 27th day of June . . . in the year 1885 . . . Mahala Lee Sharp Hall nee Roberts dies on the Hall Plantation in Houston County, Texas . . . this Mahala is a 3rd great-grandma of the Keeper of this family history blog. . . .
Mahala Lee Roberts was born in Washington Parish, Louisiana on 3rd November 1816, the 7th of nine children born to Elisha Roberts (1774-1844) and Martha "Patsy" Gill (1781-1845), who had moved from Kentucky to Louisiana ca. 1811.
By the time Mahala was 10 years of age her family was living in the Ayish Bayou area of Coahuila y Tejas, where Mahala would grow up in a house that fronted on the public highway (El Camino Real / King's Highway) coming into Texas. The Elisha Roberts home was frequented by many overland travelers, and while known far and wide for its hospitality, there is also a record of a murder or two on Elisha's property -- ca. 1826 or 1827 -- when a Matthias Yokum and his brother-in-law, James Collier, were killed by a man reported to be named Charles Chandler.
During Mahala's teenage years, her father was elected as Alcalde of Ayish Bayou (1831), as well as being a delegate to the 1833 convention at San Felipe de Austin. During the Texas Revolution, this household furnished provisions, lodging and transportation for the revolutionary cause. Mahala was 19 years old at the time of the Battle of the Alamo (1836), and when Gen. Sam Houston was wounded at the Battle of San Jacinto shortly thereafter, he spent a part of his recovery period in the household of our Elisha.
On 22nd March 1838, a 21-year-old Mahala became the wife of John M. Sharp (age & further info unknown at this time). Their son -- Samuel Houston Sharp (1839-1885) -- was born the following year, followed by a daughter in 1840, and sometime after that birth, our John M. Sharp disappears from all records we have been able to research.
In 1844, Mahala's father dies, followed by the death of her sister, Elizabeth, in May of 1845, and then her Mother, Patsy, the following December -- just 9 days before Texas is annexed as the 28th state of the Union. In 1846, Mahala is listed on the tax list for San Augustine County, indicating she is head-of-household. In 1847 her sister, Anna, dies in Austin County.
On the 1850 Census for San Augustine County, Mahala is enumerated as living next door to Lt. Governor John A. Greer. In February of 1851, Mahala marries a much older Joshua James Hall, and they set up housekeeping on the Hall Plantation in Houston County, Texas.
. . . In 1850, he (J. J. Hall) married his third wife, Mahala Roberts Sharp, a widow who came to Houston County before 1835. She was the daughter of Elisha Roberts, an early Spanish Alcalde, of San Augustine, Texas. To this union were born two children, a daughter Roberta, born 25 May 1852, and a son, Horace was born 22 Sep 1854. Both of these children were born on the Elkhart Creek Plantation. Horace was called 'Toby' by the slaves. He was very close to these people and he always included them as his friends. Joshua and Mahala were very fond of dancing. They went into Crockett to dancing school. At their Plantation, they had balls for the benefit of the Confederacy. They were active Methodists in the early Methodist church of Crockett. . . . by Esther M. Biggers nee Hall (great-granddaughter of Joshua & Mahala)
Mahala's life between 1860 and 1866 is documented on a sometimes daily basis in the Civil War-era journal of her stepson and son-in-law, James Madison Hall (1819-1866), who had married Mahala and John's daughter, Margaret Sharp, in 1859. Mahala's son and my 2nd great-grandpa, Sam, marries Mary Alexandrien Lemaire in 1861, who dies in 1876. Mahala's 2nd husband dies sometime after the 1870 census, and her daughter, Margaret, dies ca. 1878.
Mahala is enumerated as the head-of-household on the Hall Plantation at the time of the 1880 census. Other family members in the household are her widowed son, Sam, and his 6 surviving children, including my great-grandma, Berta Mary (1873-1955). It is said that Sam as well as his youngest daughter, Willie, died ca. 1885, which is the same year Mahala died.
The deceased family members listed in the last two paragraphs are buried in the Hall Cemetery in Houston County, Texas, which has been designated by the State of Texas as an official historical cemetery.
FYI . . . I created the collage image of our Mahala by starting with a background paper designed by Robyn Gough. I then used Picasa to select that backround page, plus Mahala's photo, plus a brown backer for the photo, and created a new image using the collage feature. I then used Picasa to add Mahala's name as well as the floral frame (dingbat font) around Mahala's face.
On this date in 1930 . . . the 23rd day of June . . . Grandma Cain died in Tanglewood, Lee County, Texas . . . aka Susan / Susanna / Sushannah Cain nee Holland . . . she was born 08 December 1841 in Franklin County, Alabama . . . and she is a 2nd great-grandma to the Keeper of this family history blog . . . the burial location of Grandma Cain is marked with a simple homemade tombstone, which is shown on the left in the photo collage . . . on the right is Grandma Cain holding her great-grandson, James Oscar Beard (1918-1980) . . .
Rockdale Reporter. Thursday, June 26, 1930. Rural News. Tanglewood. June 23 -- Grandma Cain is very low at this writing. [Note . . .she actually died this date, Monday, June 23, 1930. See also: Thursday, July 10, 1930.]
Rockdale Reporter. Thursday, July 10, 1930. Rural News. Cole Springs. Grandma Cain passed away last Monday evening. She had been helpless and bed-ridden since last October. She was ready and anxious to take her departure. She knew in whom she believed, and she was not afraid to die. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Mrs. Cain was a native of Alabama. She was 88 years old the 8th of last December. She leaves one daughter, Mrs. J.M. Pounder of Tanglewood, and a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren to mourn her departure.
Texas Death Certificate. "Deceased was not attended by a Physician during her last sickness. Cause of Death from statements was dysentary. Dislocated hip from which she was confined to sick bed until her death."
"I.C. Shaffer, M.D., . . . am of the opinion that her ailments were results of dislocated hip in October 1929, & the immediate cause of her death was dysintiry."
I still have quite a few questions about this Sushannah. The genealogy info passed on to me by numerous family members said that Sushannah was married to Isaac Cosby Cain and that they had two children -- Thomas Sylvester Cain (1862-1920) and my great-grandma, Mary Susan Pounders nee Cain (1873-1950).
When I started doing my own research, I found Sushannah on the following census records --
- 1850 :: 8-year-old Susan Holland is enumerated in Franklin County, Alabama with her parents, Edward & Mary A. M. Holland
- 1860 :: 18-year-old Susan Cain is enumerated in Marion County, Alabama with her husband, Isaac Cain
- 1870 :: have not been able to locate Sushannah or Isaac or many of Susan's family members on any census records
- 1880 :: 48-year-old (?) Susan Cain is enumerated as a widow living in Belgreen, Franklin County, Alabama with her children, 18-year-old Thoms S. Cain & 7-year-old Mary S. Cain (my great-grandma)
- 1900 :: have not been able to locate Sushannah . . . she is NOT enumerated in Texas with either of her children and not enumerated in Alabama with her widowed mother or with any of her sisters . . . but family tradition says she came to Texas with her married daughter ca. 1896 . . .
- 1910 :: have not been able to locate Sushannah . . . not enumerated in Texas with either of her children
- 1920 :: have not been able to locate Sushannah . . . not enumerated in Texas with either of her children
- 1930 :: 88-year-old Susin Cain is enumerated in the household of her married daughter in Lee County, Texas
Susanna Cain's "Widow's Application for Confederate Pension" was dated 06 June 1930, less than two weeks before she died after being bedridden since October of 1929. In a cover letter (from the County Judge) which accompanied the application, W.F. Schlosshan observed that, ". . . she (Susannah) is very old ~ more than 88 years, and she was not able to furnish all the information in her application. . . ."
In said application it is alleged that Susannah stated that she was married to Isaac Cosby CAIN in 1858 in Franklin County, Alabama. It is also alleged that Susannah stated that her husband had died in 1865 in Alabama. In another part of the same application, it is stated that Isaac CAIN ". . . may have died before being discharged."
Online I found the following . . . Cain Isaack Company I Regiment 42 AL Hospital No.3 DOD 3/28/1863 Grave #951 . . . this Isaack Cain was buried in Vicksburg following his death during the time of the Vicksburg Campaign . . .
HOWEVER . . . IF this is Susannah's husband, "their" daughter, Mary Susan (CAIN) Pounders, was allegedly born 30 September 1873 in Franklin County, Alabama . . . about eight years after this Isaac is said to have died . . . and more than ten years after the death of the "Isaack Cain" at Vicksburg . . . I found Mary Susan on every census record beginning in 1880 . . . and they all support the ca. 1873 date of birth . . .
A letter dated 24 May 1930 from the War Department in Washington stated the following . . . "the records show that one Isaac Cain enlisted August 10, 1862, at Columbus, as private of Company I, 42d Alabama Infantry, C.S.A. . . . The company muster roll for September and October, 1862, . . . reports him absent, taken prisoner and paroled October 5, 1862 . . . another records shows that he was paroled at Bolivar, Tennessee, October 13, 1862 . . . no later record of him has been found. . . ."
Susannah's pension application was approved . . . on a husband that supposedly died during the war (1861-1865) . . . but it appears that the only payment that may have been made would have been after her death . . . when one of her grandsons made an Application for Mortuary Warrant. . . .
Old Rockdale postcard . . .
Main St. north from I & G. N. Depot, Rockdale, Texas
The postcard in the collage has been reproduced in multiple Rockdale publications . . . location / ownership / existence of original unknown . . .
According to a newspaper clipping from the files of my cousin, Peggy, a Henry family reunion was held at the old Hamilton homeplace in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas sometime in 1931. That yellowed and crumbling piece of paper recorded the following about the arrival of my 2nd great-grandpa, William Paschal Henry (1836-1912), and his family in the brand-new town of Rockdale, Milam County, Texas . . .
On Oct. 3, 1876, the Henrys arrived in Rockdale to visit a sister and family of Mrs. Henry's, it being Dr. and Mrs. M. F. Anthony, who at that time had the post office and drug store combined on the corner where the Wolf Hotel now stands.
That is the Hotel Wolf in the lower right corner of the above collage, with an arrow pointing to the same building on the old Rockdale postcard. The Hotel had gone out of business before 1935 when Rockdale's American Legion post purchased the building.
During World War II the building's second story was lopped off and its Main Street front was shortened and remodeled. A stage was added and the hall became the place to be for dances and music for almost 20 years. Rockdale Reporter, 06 Aug 1998
When I was in high school (the 60's), we frequently spent a portion of our weekend hours attending teen dances -- with real live bands! -- in the un-airconditioned bottom-half of this building. My parents were regular fixtures as chaperones at these events.
Directly across the street was McVoy's Grocery Store where my parents shopped weekly. Every Friday, my widowed Grandma, who never learned to drive, had her grocery list ready for Mom or Dad to take with them to McVoy's. There was a large wooden magazine rack near the front door where I would sit and read comic books while Mom checked out. Mr. Galbreath kept the produce stocked and freshly washed, and would give us pieces of fresh sugar cane to chew on. The meat market at McVoy's was where Mom bought steak cutlets for making her infamous chicken-fried steak with cream gravy which NONE of us have ever been able to replicate.
I was back on Main Street just this past weekend while in Rockdale for the 75th Annual Rockdale Homecoming as well as my Mom's 60th RHS Class Reunion, where I was flattered to be told by numerous people (who had known Mom since the 40s) that, "You look just like your Mom!"
At the Homecoming gathering, one lady said to me, "Aren't you the one who found the snake in the bedroom when you were babysitting Delaine?" That was also during high school in the 60s! I was babysitting for the local pharmacist in his home. The baby and I were sitting in the rocker / recliner in her nursery when I saw a snake come crawling in the room! I got out of the room with Delaine and shut the door (which wasn't much of a barrier since it had such a gap at the bottom) and called my trusty Dad at our home (no cell phones in those days). Dad was there immediately, but it took him a while to find and kill the poisonous copperhead -- it had crawled up into the coils under the rocker / recliner!
Before I left town, we (me & Mom & my sister) visited the Dan Kubiak exhibit at the I&GN Depot, and I also took a few photos of Joy Graham's Bit of History building on Cameron Avenue.
The journey back home to Main Street was nostalgic, while somehow filled with the sweet assurance that at Home we are not forgotten. These people knew me as a child. They knew my grandparents. And in some cases, their parents and grandparents knew my ancestors. And many of the families of Rockdale have somehow managed to climb into my family tree!
This 19th of June 2009 blogpost was prepared for Evelyn Yvonne Theriault's June edition of the Festival of Postcards . . . and was also submitted for Postcard Friendship Friday which was formerly hosted by Marie Reed.
This collage features me . . . aka BeNotForgot . . . and my Dad, Forrest Lee Pounders (1927-1996) . . . the photo in the upper right shows my Dad placing a lucky penny in my shoe on my wedding day in 1975 . . . my Mom made my blue velvet gown . . . at my request, my Dad wore the same navy blue suit he wore the day her married my Mom . . . and he then wore it one more time . . . for his final Homegoing on the day of his memorial service in January of 1996 . . . a few years after his death from kidney cancer, I sat down and wrote a letter to my Dad . . . I am sharing it with the blogosphere today . . . for Father's Day . . .
Hey Dad -- Hard to believe it's actually been five years since that last summer with all of us together.
I traveled back to our hometown for my class reunion this past weekend (2000). That reminded me of the weekend of our 1995 class reunion -- a weekend I chose to spend with family instead of former classmates. That turned out to be your last weekend of actually feeling anything like your old self -- for you started those experimental cancer treatments the following Monday. And life was never to be the same again.
That was also the weekend of Rick and Cathy's wedding -- you were to be his best man, but didn't feel up to it. We, your children, attended the wedding as your representatives.
But the best part of that weekend was sitting out in the backyard at the home you shared with Momma for 45 years -- the home we four children grew up in -- the backyard full of so many happy memories. We had the best "private playground" of any of our classmates, thanks to you and Uncle Billy -- a merry-go-round, a seesaw, and a swingset set in concrete so that we could swing high enough to touch the leaves of the shade trees as we aimed for the sky. And the dog trough where we always dumped the tadpoles from Ham Branch, and soon had little baby frogs hopping all over the place.
Nearby were the various garden spots with that wonderful Central Texas sand where you and your Mother grew those wonderful vegies (sure would like some of yall's fresh new potatoes and fresh tomatoes right now!) -- and where we delighted in chasing and catching baby horned toads when we were kids. Remember how we filled our little red wagons with sand and made homes for those baby horned toads? And made beds for them in match boxes?
And then there were the doodlebugs? Funny how that became such a sweet term of endearment in your later years. Guess you started it by calling Jacob "Doodlebug," which he in turn decided to call you. He still (at age ten now) talks about his "Doodlebug." [Did you know they are actually the larva of a winged creature similar to a dragonfly? I didn't!]
As I'm prone to do, I brought in boxes full of scrapbooks and family photo albums, and all of us -- you and Mom, your Mother, your kids and grandkids -- we all sat around the backyard leafing through the pages of memories of our lives together. There was laughter and there were tears, as we all -- somewhere deep inside -- realized that this was a day to burn into our memories, for the odds were against our ever getting to do it again in just that way.
I treasure the photos I took that day -- the central Texas sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees that had stood guard duty over our little family for almost half-of-a-century. Those were the final photos of you really laughing and feeling good. We had ice-cold watermelon, one of the few things you kept an appetite for as your health declined. Many of your lifelong friends kept us supplied throughout that summer.
Anyway -- I could go on and on -- you know how I am!!! But I'll close for now -- just wanted to jot down a few thoughts. Luv you and miss you, Dad . . . see ya next time . . . your "eldest" daughter . . .
Ariana Bratt wrote that,
"This is William Merrill
on the wagon where he suffered a fatal accident."
Ariana is a 4th cousin who descends from William Merrill's daughter, Lucy, who is a younger sister to my 2nd great-grandma, Phoebe, as well as to Elizabeth, who is the woman who raised Phoebe's daughter, Eva, as her own. Eva is my Mom's maternal grandma who helped take care of Mom and her brother during the first years of their lives following the death of their Mother. The two photos of William Merrill used in the above collage were shared by Ariana's mother, Dr. Susan Snow, of Maine. The upper left image is cropped from a poorly-done :( tombstone photo I took in 1998.
Biddeford Daily Journal. Biddeford, Maine, Friday Evening, June 17, 1898. William T. Merrill died Thursday at his residence at Pine Point, aged eighty-two years and two months. He was one of the oldest inhabitants of Scarboro. Four sons and four daughters survive him. The funeral will be held Sunday at 2 o'clock at his late residence.
Biddeford Daily Journal. Biddeford, Maine, Monday Evening, June 20, 1898. The funeral of William Merrill took place at his residence yesterday. Rev. Mr. Goodwin of Pine Point conducted the service and selections were sung by a quartet from Dunstan church. The attendance was large, and many beautiful flowers were given. The entertainment [sic] was at the Dunstan Corner cemetery.
Newburyport Transcript, June 24, 1898. Pine Point, Maine. Mr. Wm. Merrill who fell from his work cart Tuesday, the fourteenth, died at his home Thursday night. It was thought at first he had received no injury, but at midnight he grew worse and continued to fail until Thursday night when he passed away. Mr. Merrill was eighty-two years of age, an old and respected citizen. He leaves eight children to mourn his loss, four sons and four daughters. His funeral was Sunday. Mr. Merrill’s wife died about two years ago.
