HAILES, GARNERS, & ATKINSONS

Across the Fence 



By Arvord Abernethy 

I thought that Mrs. Dan Edwards I mentioned last week was kin to Frances Gardner, so I called her. She told me that Mrs. Edwards and her mother were sisters and that there was one remaining of the Jim Haile children, Mrs. O. I. "Babe" Garner. 

Frances introduced me to her and I got to have a most enjoyable visit there. Even though Mrs. Garner (Alma) is in her 92nd year, she is still very keen of mind, young of heart and with a twinkle in her eye. For example, she never did get to ride a bicycle or motorcycle as a girl, so about two years ago when a grandson was here on his motorcycle; she had him take her for some rides. She also quoted me a little poem she recited in a program when she was five years old. 

When she was 87 years of age, she told a nephew a long story of the Hailes and their experience with such clarity and exactness, one would think it was taken from a day to day diary. It make very interesting reading. 

Her father, James Noble (Jim) Haile came to Hamilton County about 1872 and began working as a cowboy for a Mr. Hooker. He soon began getting some stock of his own, and in a few short years bought his first 135 acres of land, which he continued adding to until he had well over 4,000 acres. 

A 25-year old cowboy with a new farm and log cabin needs something to go with it, so it was not long until he asked John J. Atkinson for the hand of his 17-year old daughter Elizabeth (Lizzie). Bright and early on May 6, 1879, Jim saddled his horse and one for his bride-to-be and rode to the Atkinson home. After the ceremony, they rode back to Jim’s log cabin where they enjoyed their meal together. They celebrated that afternoon by going to the field where Jim would dig a hole with a hoe and Lizzie would drop a cotton seed; planting their first crop of cotton. 

Five children had come to the Haile home before Alma arrived, and six more were to follow. Even with a house full of children, the Hailes could find room for a school teacher or even travelers who needed a place to stay all night. After the ranch house was built, Mr. Haile painted in large letters the word “Welcome” on the roof. 

School terms were shorter then than now, as the children would have to help pick cotton before they could go. In 1904, the Hailes made 90 bales of cotton, so a lot of work came before schooling. They often used outside help for this work. Often in the spring, one of the children would have to stay out of school to follow behind the cultivator and uncover any young corn plants that might get covered. 

Alma loved to go to school and she loved all of her teachers. Even after she finished all that they taught there at Gum Branch, she kept going back for some time. She had high respect for Mr. Charlie Wade who was her teacher for eight years. 

The Preacher Cemetery is in the vicinity of the Gum Branch School, so when there would be a funeral and burial there, the children, who had been informed to wear their best, would walk two by two to the services. 

Mr. Haile would nearly always think to bring each of his children a stick of peppermint candy when he went to town. Many of these trips were with a bale of cotton to be ginned at T. T. Gordon Gin at Olin. One winter they were to have a party at the Hailes, so he bought a 30-pound bucket of “fancy candy” gum drops, chocolate drops and things like that. The candy was passed around to all at the party, but Mr. Haile saw to it that there was some left for the Christmas stockings. Alma and her sister hunted for it but couldn’t find it around the house. They then thought of the cotton seed bin and went down there and found it under some seed and boards. Of course they sampled it. 

One of the big events in Alma’s young life came in 1904 when the family went back to Collin County to visit Mr. Haile’s father and mother. She was 13 years old then and ready to see the world. They fixed up a covered wagon with a chuck box on the back, and then fixed a feather bed in the wagon for Mrs. Haile to ride on, as her health was not good. That did not leave room for all the children, so they took a two horse hack for some of them to ride in. Two of the boys rode horses and led another one in case a horse would get lame. Alma said that it looked like a parade. 

The first night out they camped by a cemetery and Alma said she didn’t sleep a wink as she was afraid that some of the dead might come from the grave and get her. Her dad wanted them to see Dallas, so they drove right down through the main street about an hour before sunset. As most of the streets were not paved, it was real dusty and she was glad to get back out in open country. 

She was telling me of one time when she and her younger brother, Jim, started to a party over where Harmon Trammell now lives. They hadn’t gone far before the buggy broke down, so they unhitched the horse and both got on him and rode to the party. She was wearing a blue velvet dress and she just knew that it would be covered with horse hair when she got there, but it was not. 

Alma always rode a horse sideways as it was unlady like to ride astraddle. She like to ride in a man’s saddle better than she did in a sidesaddle, but even then she would ride sideways. 

I asked her when she first met Mr. Garner, an occasion that usually takes place at a party, school program or candy pulling. Such was not the case here. A new family moved into the community, so as was the custom, Mrs. Haile hitched up the horse to the buggy and went to meet and welcome the Garners, taking Alma along. As they walked up to the house, they asked a five year old boy lying in the window if his mother was at home. With a solemn, bashful “yeh” they got acquainted with Babe and the other Garners. 

The Garners moved away later, but Babe came back when he was 19 years old and began working for Mr. Haile. The romance began then, but it was three or four years before they married and established a home of their own and reared a family of five fine children. 

The Babe Garners lived for nine years in the Groomer house that I was telling you about last week. One thing happened there that Alma well remembers. Babe worked out for the public some so she was picking some of the cotton herself. She had about a half a bale picked when a cyclone came along and sucked all the cotton out and scattered it all around. She had to go back and pick up all she could. 

Alma is the remaining one of the original large Haile family, however there are many descendents still living here. They have all had a part in some 110 years of Hamilton County growth. There on the land they loved so much, near where the original cabin was by a live oak grove, are three silent markers that mark the resting place of Mr. and Mrs. Haile and an infant daughter.

Shared by Roy Ables

ACROSS THE FENCE