Caroline Anderson was the daughter of Elijah Anderson.  She was born 29 Sept. 1813 in Goshen Hill, Union Co., SC.  She married Jesse Evans in 1832.  Caroline died 19 Nov. 1884 in Goshen, Cherokee Co., Alabama
as a result of injuries she received during the Goshen Cyclone that hit
Goshen 19 Feb. 1884.  She is buried Lively Cemetery, Goshen, Alabama.

I look at the photo of this woman, my g-g-g-grandmother, and it comes to mind that this is a woman that could turn you to ice just by looking at you...
but, then, I look at her mouth and realize that she probably laughed easily and often.  She was probably not "conventional" , at least not for the times she lived in.  Her dress is gingham (I wonder what color it was - pity we
don't know) with lace at the cuffs and the ribbon encircling the lace is probably satin, although it could just as easily have been velvet.  Also notice the bow/scarf she has placed at the neckline.  It was probably attached as an adornment because you see the collar is of gingham.  The bodice is close fitting with invisible shoulder (dropped) seams (I don't know how to sew so I don't have the least idea how to describe these
observations, so just work with me on it); the sleeves seem to puff and taper at the wrist.  She chose to adorn her hair with a wreath of flowers for this photo...(again I wonder what flowers did she choose? what color were they? did she make them with flowers from a garden?).  If you look just behind her right shoulder you see what looks like a straight-backed chair.  She's not a conventional woman, this grandmother...not in the somber dress of most women of the times, nor in her pose.  Most photos at the time depict women with their hands clasped in their lap if sitting or hanging beside them if standing.  Caroline posed with her hand raised to her cheek as if in thought...manners are present because she has placed the hand curled with one finger placed lighty against her cheekbone.  She has a lazy eye which can be seen in the photograph.  Her lips and cheeks appear rouged.  I can't see jewelry or rings...but then that could be due to photo
quality.  I wonder where she had the picture taken and who the photographer was.  She certainly appears to be a no-nonsense type of woman.  And I don't imagine she had this picture taken to put in a family album.  Somewhere this photograph adorned a wall in her home.  It is hard to tell how tall she was, but her features were large boned, which can be seen by looking at her raised hand and in particular her small finger. She has a strong, square chin.  Her eyes are probably brown, they appear dark in the photo, but her eyebrows and hair are also dark, which supports brown eyes.  What I also find interesting (and is one of the reasons I believe the photograph was made to hang as a portrait on a wall) is that she posed alone.

Caroline was 71 years old at the time of her death, supposedly from
injuries she received during the tornado/cyclone that hit Goshen.   Caroline and Jessie had been married for 52 years when a tornado changed their lives...perhaps she died from weariness and grief...her children were
grown and Jessie  had died at the age of 77 from injuries he received
during the tornado (exactly one month after it hit).  Caroline managed to hang on for nine months as if to say, "I'll go when I'm damn good and ready"....
 

"Severe thunderstorms spawned sixty tornadoes in the southeastern U.S.,
killing more than 420 persons and causing three million dollars damage.
Georgia and the Carolinas hardest were hit in the tornado outbreak. (David Ludlum)
 
 

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