Sixth Generation

373. Mary Catherine HAYMES⁴ was born on 20 December 1834 in Danville, Pittsylvania County, Virginia. She died on 20 December 1864 at the age of 30. She was buried in Spring Hill Cem, Henry County, Virginia.

Mary Catherine Haymes, born Dec 20, 1834 near Danville, Virginia. She
married Stephen Palmer Routon on June 1, 1858 in Henry Co. She died
Dec 20, 1864; he died Aug 22, 1874 at age 44. They are buried in
Spring Hill Cemetery in Henry Co., VA.
Issue:
1. Quincey Everett Routon, married Laura Bowden.
2. Horace Mortimer Routon, never married.
3. Mary Gertrude Routon, never married.
4. Joseph Senter Routon, married Minnie Wimbish.
5. Stephen James Routon, married Pearl Sanders.

MARY CATHERINE HAYMES ROUTON
From
The Routons of Paris and Henry County, Tennessee
by Stephanie Routon Tayloe

Mary Catherine Haymes was born December 20, 1834 in Danville,
Virginia, the daughter of William Henry Haymes and Mary Frances Walters. She was the second of nine children. When she was six the family left Virginia and came to Henry County, Tennessee.
She was one of the first teachers in Henry County and at one time she was the governess to the children of Gov. Isham G. Harris. He was Tennessee’s Civil War Governor.
She was married June 1, 1858 to Stephen Palmer Routon, son of Philip Routon and Mary Fuqua Routon. They lived on the farm he had purchased in 1856 in the then-called Albany community, later called Routon.
When she was young she was outgoing and full of fun. It was said that she was a spiritual medium, and held séances to entertain her friends. Her cousin, Thorton Russell, would play the violin and she would“communicate” with the deceased. Once she got a message in the form of handwriting on the table from George Washington “to leave the spirits alone.” The story says the table shook, told to me by Mrs. W. D. Bond, a granddaughter of Mr. Russell.

The Civil War left the Haymes Family devastated. Her mother had just died and her father was already old He told her he would go to war in her husband’s place if she would stay home and raise her younger brothers and sisters. And if anything happened to him, she would have his farm which joined theirs.
On April 2, 1862 on Island # 10 William Haymes was wounded wearing the Confederate uniform. He died later that day near a church being used as a hospital.
The Haymes Family sent five sons to the Confederate Army. Archibald Haymes was killed at # 10 Island with his father. Charles Haymes never returned from the war, being unaccounted for. Mary Catherine Haymes never stopped trying to find out what happened to this brother, writing as late as 1900 to old soldiers for possible information on him. James, Iverson, and Felix Haymes returned from the war, but Felix was deafened from the loud cannon noises. Once during the War the Yankees surrounded the Routon home and made Mary Catherine cook for about 30 soldiers. They repaid her by stealing her chickens and raiding her ham house. She had one Negro slave named Harriet Routon, who returned once after the war to visit. They called her “Aunt Harriet.”
Conditions were hard after the war. In 1860 the Routons’ first child, Quincy Everett, was born, In 1862 Horace Mortimer arrived. In 1864 Mary Gertrude was born. Joseph Senter was born in 1867, followed in 1874 by Stephen James.
Living in the Routon home was Mary Fuqua Routon, mother-in-law, who lived there until 1878 when she died.
The Routons were instrumental in the Springhill Church. Mary Catherine taught a Sunday School class for over 50 years and her son, Q. E., was church clerk for 58 years.
In August 1874, while mending a fence in the rain, Stephen Palmer Routon took a cold and died with pneumonia on August 22nd. He had had consumption for several years. “Ma”, as they called her, held the family together with the help of her two brothers, Felix and Iverson, who still lived with her, and later James (Jim) moved in with them. She raised cotton and corn and farmed several hundred acres.
Her youngest sister, Leannah, married William Greer and moved five miles nearer town. The sisters remained close all their lives, both living to be an old age.
In addition to giving a home to her mother-in-law, brothers and sisters, her doors were open to all. No one was ever turned away hungry. She took in old Routon relatives, left homeless, one being “Aunt Polly”Bush (relative of Walters). One story about Polly is when the minister was trying to get her to tithe, with “Jesus would want you to give Him your money.” Her reply was, “Yes, I’m an old woman, and I’ll see Him before you will, and I’ll give Him my money.” Her husband, Uriah Bush, was instrumental in establishing the First Baptist Church in Paris and also Springhill Church. Ma also took in two orphans of Dr. Philip Routon, one being Grace Routon who married Ollie Watkins. Another orphan took in was the mother of Mr. Moody, owner of Moody Realty.
Ma was known far and wide for her charitable deeds. She was called “Aunt Kate” by the people in the community. She was very strict and known to have a final word in decisions.
Aunt Catherine Routon Burton remembers from her childhood that no one could cut the bread without Ma’s permission.
Her son James would bring her fresh fruit such as oranges, grapefruit, and tangerines which she held and stored behind the books, giving them out as she wanted to. She loved to read and even on her death bed she corrected incorrect English and the mispronounced words of others.
She was not over five feet, five inches tall, with brown eyes, brown hair and a sweet smile. In later life she refused referrals to her once being a seer. She died October 13, 1920 and is buried by her husband at Springhill Church.
Daddy Jim was always a dutiful son to his mother and maiden sister and when he made hurried trips back to the farm where the two women lived, if they needed anything they would tie a white handkerchief on the front iron gate, for him to stop; otherwise he would know they didn’t need him for anything and he would hurry on with his business.
Ma was named for her maternal grandmother, Katie Walters Stamps. Note: She was Katie Stamps Walters....

Mary Catherine HAYMES and Stephen Palmer ROUTON were married on 1 June 1858 in Henry County, Virginia. Stephen Palmer ROUTON died on 22 August 1874.

Mary Catherine HAYMES and Stephen Palmer ROUTON had the following children: