In August 1938, I received an invitation to a meeting to be held in Getzendaner Memorial Park, Waxahachie, Ellis, Texas, at which time a Patton-Haynes-Couch reunion was organized. The time for these reunions, it was specified, would be the fourth Sunday in August at the same place.
At this meeting were nearly one hundred persons. Each one related to me either by blood or marriage; yet only three people with whom I had ever met. Two of Uncle John S. Patton's daughters, Willie and Mina and Jim Davis, then of Red Oak, Ellis County, Texas but now Waxahachie, Ellis, Texas. Mrs. Jim Davis was made president of the organization. She was before Mattie Haynes.
At that time I became greatly enthused over getting a record and writing some bit of history of my beloved Grandfather James Erwin Patton's family. But owing to trouble with my eyes I was then unable to do so.
My personal remembrance of my Grandfather James Erwin Patton is quite limited. He died in the early part of the 1870's (8 Aug 1874) and I, at that time, was quite a small child (6 years old). Possibly a week before his death we were called to his home near Hillsboro, Hill County, Texas; and this was the only time I ever saw him.
My Grandmother, Mary Catherine "Polly" Cowsert, the mother of all his children, I believe, died rather early in life ( 51 yrs old, 11 Aug 1851) I never heard my Father talk much of her. The reason for this was, I suppose, that she died while he was quite young (28 yrs old).
On this visit many things occurred which impressed one greatly, and too, I later heard my Mother and Father (Wm Thomas and Mary Margaret Lindsay Stephens Patton) talk of them.
Grandfather James Erwin Patton died of Tuberculosis and lingered quite awhile. He was 75 or 76 years old at death and at that time it was thought to be wonderful for a person to attain that age. Our family told this fact with great pride and really it was marvelous, after suffering the privation and hardships of a penury country.(extreme proverty)
Some of the things which impressed me on this visit to Grandpas home, near Hillsboro, Hill, Texas were,
~First the fact that he had bought his casket (few factory made caskets were used in those days) and it had been in Hillsboro for four weeks before he died.
~Second a committee of the elders of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church from Shiloh (1 mi North of Ovilla, Ellis, Texas-20 mi South of Dallas off I-35) visited him and requested that his body be buried at Shiloh because of the fact that he had served as an elder of that church. With Grandmas consent he agreed to it.
~Third was the fact that each evening he would have a sinking spell and by administering certain aid prescribed by the doctor he would revive.
One day he called Grandmother in and begged her to just let him pass on when his condition came about again. She concented and when she did he called the hired man in and told him the circumstances and said,
"Now the weather is hot, it's a long drive, so see that the harness, the buggy and carriage are all in fit condition for the trip and do that this afternoon, so that we may leave early".
Grandpa was a surveyor and laid out many of the cities and towns of this state. He owned large tracts of land in West Texas and in making his will instead of bequeathing this land to his children he left it to his grandchildren, setting the date of division at a time when he thought no more grandchildren would be born to him. Each grandchild received about two hundred acres of land.
He was known as COL Patton, and was I suppose a colonel in the Mexican War. He was the only son in a family of 12 children. He said he had eleven sisters and each of them had a brother!
Children of William Thomas Patton and Catherine Bell:
*John Erwin"Jack" married Elizabeth Johnson
James Monroe married Arcadia Isabelle "Katie James
Virginia Isabell "Sis" married Joseph E "Joe" Brown
Joseph died as a young man
Mary Elizabeth "Bettie" married James Kirkpatrick
Children of William Thomas Patton and Mary Margaret Lindsay Stephens Patton:
William Henry married Lula Bell Jones
Janaramie Isadore married Edward S Gantt
David Rusk marrried Sarah ""Sadie" Parker
Edwin Hampton married Florence Jenkins
Ora Lee Patton died l yr old
*Uncle John Patton was a Cumberland Presbyterian Preacher and with his family lived for many years at Dangerfield, Texas. Uncle John became so afflicated with neuralgia that he had to give up his ministery so he became coeparteur of the American Bible Society. In this work throughout the country, he visited in our home quite frequently and he and I grew to be very fond of one another. Mollie, Jim, Lula and Aunt Mollie (wife of John S) are the only ones of his family that I remember to have visited in our family. I have a family bible which contains our record which Uncle John gave as a wedding gift.
I know very little of Uncle Sam's family. I remember of his visiting us once, but I don't think I ever met any members of his family, except his grandson, who I met at Waxahachie at the reunion. He had the Patton stamp on him and impressed me quite favorably.
Uncle Daniel was never married. He was never well. He lived with us for a while after Grandpa's death.
I have a very faint recollection of a visit to the homes of Aunt Catherine and Aunt Margaret. The thing that impressed me most at Aunt Catherines home was a spring. I went with Emma and Lizzie down to this spring where they did the weekly wash. The water flowed in large streams and just underneath was a large basin hewn out of rocks. After boiling the clothes they threw them into this basin and the constant flow of water rinsed them.
At Aunt Margarets the style and location of her home impressed me.(I don't remember Aunt Catherins home). It was the old style type two large rooms in front a chimney at either end. A spacious hall between and a porch completely across the front. A shelf at the north end of the porch for the water bucket and washpan and the roller towel and gourd hanging nearby. A branch ran back of the house and the natural growth of wild plum, redbud, black and red haw in bloom presented a perfect background.
On this trip too, we visited in Aunt Mary Morris' home. I can't recall anything about her but remember Uncle Bill as a great tease. Irvin, their son, was in our house for a time. I remember him very well. I have heard my Father Wm Thomas say that his sister Aunt Mary Morris measured 6 feet 2 inches in her stocking feet. An unusual height for a woman.
AND now I come to the part which gives me great joy to recall and records facts about my dear Father William Thomas Patton. You probably know from actual experience that love for certain people differs. You don't love your wife or husband with the same feeling that you do your children, neither do you love them in the same way that you love your parents. I can say unhesitatingly that I have never loved anyone more than I did my Father. To my mind he was the model of perfection. He was quite handsome, dignified and aristocratic looking. High forehead, beautiful silken white hair and rather long, flowing beard. He was physically, morally and spiritually perfect to me as a child and at the age of 72 years I am still of the same opinion so far as it is humanly able to be. He was just one of us children. He was the victim of tuberculosis and was not able to do very much manual labor. After I reached the age to know about these things, some people said that my Father had a rather obstinate disposition and his little daughter inherited it...so she was quite often reminded!
I can say this that before he took a stand either in action or opinion he was reasonably sure that he was right until sufficient proof was given that he was wrong there was NO compromise. If he was as he felt intentionally wronged by any man or group of men I do not believe he would have purposely harmed them, but in the future he left them religiously alone. As an instance, in the early days of College Mound there were five religious denominations who would worship in the little log church. When it was decided to build a new church, Pa, Wm Thomas, gave five acres of land for the church site and the cemetary. He sent two wagon teams and drivers to Jefferson, Marion, Texas; bought two loads of lumber and donated that to the church. Pa was Cumberland Presbyterian. When the day of dedication arrived a Methodist preacher delivered the sermon in which he stated that he wanted it fully understood that that was no "Tom, Dick and Harry" house but strictly a Methodist Church. My Father never entered it so long as he lived. His body was buried in College Mound Cemetery... but it was not carried into the house. We still respected his feelings in regard to the matter.
When there was a revival meeting held under an arbor he always went and would often carry a chair from home and sit under a tree and listen to the sermon.
He was a man who loved his neighbbors and he held family prayer each evening before retiring. Two expressions which he often used and which did not seem so much, to me as a child, struck me quite forcibly in later years. In one he asked God to make the rulers of our State and Nation God-loving and God-fearing men. The other was thanking God for the right use of his mind and body. Think them over !
He had enough Irish blood to make im enjoy both hearing and telling a good clean joke. He also liked to relate incidents in his life many many times. I hear them retold but I too never failed to enjoy it. Although I could repeat each one verbatum.
I was seventeen yeas old when He went to be with God but I still sat on his lap, combed his beautiful hair and stroked his beard. He died at 63 years of age. I have so often said that I obeyed my Father through love and my Mother through fear. Not unitl I had a family of my own did I realize why this condition existed. In our family, as is the case in far too many fmilies, the discipline was left up to Mother. How very much easier it is to be sweet and pleasing when the other fellow is carrying the resposibility. So often you hear the expression, "My Daddy was a jolly good sport but my Mother was surely strict". Someone had to be, my Mother was a woman of a highly sensitive and irritable nature. She had the responsibility of the children and also the farm, with only boys and tenants to do the farm work; and some of the tenants not too pleasant and the boys just ordinary boys, made it plenty hard for her.
There were two reasons why she had to assume these great responsibilities. As before stated my Father had very poor health and too Grandpa James Erwin Patton named him, son Wm Thomas, Executor of his Estate which was a long drawn out affair and kept him away from home for a big part of the time.
Ma was the youngest of a family of sixteen children. Her Mother died when she was nine years old, her Father having previously died. She and her sister just older, Aunt Ursula Caradine went to live with an older sister, Aunt Delila Anderson who also had a large family. At 18 years of age she married Henry M Stephens. He was called into service in the Civil War, leaving her with four children and one born later but did not long survive. Her husband never returned home.
My Fathers first wife was Catherine Bell. She died of cancer and Ma nursed her and took care of the children Pa had five and Ma had four. Some family to start with, of this union five children came; Will, myself Isadore, David, Edwin and Ora who died at one year old. As I have said my Mother had an ugly temper and while irritated would say some pretty hard things, yet afterward she was humble and repentant and she would have given the last penny and the last ounce of strength to help anyone in need, especially her children and grandchildren. My David was her pet and he could say and do things and get by with it that no one else dared to do or say. Ma had no opportunity for an education as a child but she educated herself. She kept her Bible and dictionary in her work basket and ever so often would lay her sewing down and consult one or the other. And did you know that thus armed you can acquire a pretty good education.
Ma was a well informed woman on the common general topics of the day. She was a good conversationalist, fine observation and had a memory that anyone would be proud of. She was a good nurse and all the neighbors called for her in time of illness. She fell and broke her hip when she was 88 years old and lay in bed 3 years, 23 days and died at 91 years of age. She was a good Christian and is with GOD.
Brother Jack, bless his heart, was so like my Father and a short time ago Mr. Lon Oakly who had known my brother quite well was visiting me and remarked,"Mrs Gantt, you are so like Mr. Jack Patton". I said, "Thank You indeed". I have seen Brother Jack quite seldom in all these years. He and Bro Jim went to West Texas when quite young men. I am so sorry that I have never known either of their families.
Virginia Isabelle "Sis", we called her, married Joe Brown and in an epidemic of typhoid fever died and left three children. Jessie, her baby lived only a few months after her death. Julia the daughter was adopted by Mr and Mrs Jim Rushing. Mrs Rushing was her fathers sister, but she died in young womanhood and was buried in what was made for her wedding dress. Jim Brown, the son is a successful ranchman living near Baird, Callahan, Texas.
Sister Bettie, the youngest of Pa's older family and I have always been very near to each other. I was twelve years old when she was married to James Kirkpatrick, who had three boys, Henry, Hugh and John. Ma and Pa let me go to Techualana, Texas with her and I spent 5 months with her. I had such a good time and although I wanted to go home I regretted deeply to leave her. Mr. Kirkpatrick leaving her with two daughters, Tommie and Mattie. Tommie married Bob Carradine and Mattie married B Coker. She has a nice family of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is an unusually good woman and visits us not often enough. We are always glad when she comes and regret to have her go.Bro Joe died in young manhood of the typhoid fever during the same epidemic in which Sis died. He was pledged to Mis Susie Gardner.
She was greatly greived over his death but later married a Mr. Blankenship.
In my Father and Mother's family were our children, my children and our children.
The eldest of them William Henry and OH! BOY! what a BOY; bless his old heart. So jolly and good,
but as a boy always getting into a pickle. He would always rather pray than pick cotton.
So often in the field we would have a devotional led by him. He married
Lula Jones when they were both quite young. Had 14 children born to them, two sets of twins. They live
in Pampa, Texas now and visited us a year ago. She told me that all their
children including in-laws were Christions and attended church services regularly. You won't find many
if any better woman than she. Will stammers in his talking but never stops and gets mre out of life than most anyone. He's a good old boy!
f
Bro David married Sarah Parker. Edwin, the youngest of us was only seven years old when Pa died and as Ma was away
from home a great deal of the time the care of him fell largely on me. He lived with
us until he was about grown then went to West Texas where he married Florence Jenkins. They had four girls. I never met his wife but have been told
that she was a very fine good christian woman. I have only seen two of his daughters; they visited me since they are grown.
And now comes yours truly. Although being next to Will I deferred this to the last. I was Paul said of himself,"as one born out of due season". My Mother often told me that she had had eleven children born to
her but none so welcome as I. But for some reason I suppose through pity they kept me, and it was great consolaation to me to have her tell me many times before her death,
"I don't know what I would have ever done without you." I was born on Sunday. You know the rhyme,
Sundays child is fair of face and Mondays child is full of grace. I have been told frequentl;y that I was a real pretty girl. That, however, was farther back that I can remember! Yet I have always been
thankful that to my Maker that I had no deformities and that I had the right use of my mind and body.
When I was a child, children worked. Mrs Julie Cox told me once that the first time she ever saw me that I was four years old and that I was trying to get the covers on a bed
and that I was crying. I suppose I must have been an unusually timid and sensitive child.
I cried until I would become thoroughly disgusted with myself.
We children worked in the house also in the field. I could never quite understand why Ma thought the boys were under no
obligation to ever help with the housework, yet I must go to the field and do all kinds of work there
and to milk the cows which I still believe should be the man's job!
We had school for 3 months in the year. We went to school at College Mound for four or five years when a churc was built at Bethany about two miles below College Mound
and the school transferred there. Sometimes the boys didn't go to school and it took
all the courage that I could summon to go by myself through that woods. I loved my teacher and
love the memory of them still.
We youngsters had good times. We visited with Uncle John and Aunt Ursula Caradines family. Also
Sister's family. We always went to Sunday School and Church Service and to school and that was the extent of our going. We never had a penny only what we made working for someone else after our crops were taken care of. The money thus made we were allowed to expend for our clothes which we considered quite a privilege.
We had church services, preaching and Sunday School every Sunday at College Mound and on Saturdays we got
ready for Sunday. All of the baking, dressing of chickens, cutting and bringing in wood, churning and in fact all that world be taken care of
was done on Saturday and never the sound of hammer, saw or axe was heard on Sunday and all the family attended church services.
In November 1884, we moved to Terrell, Texas and David and I started to the Terrell Public School. On December 26, 1886 Ed Gantt and I were married.
Pa died May 15, 1886, school was out in a short time and Ma moved back to the farm.
I went out in the sticks near Ables Spring and taught a months school, primary of course, then that same summer I taught two months at Arch Oak. And by the way, only yesterday I met one of my former students, Annie Click Prichard of Arch Oak and she says she loves me still, 55 yrs later.
All earthly things must come to an end; I therefore, bring this
to a close. I am proud and thankful for my family. No wealth, not much
prominence, just honest honorable folks. Most of my people have owned their homes, earned their bread by the sweat of the brow.
Been so far as I have know, law abiding and most of them Christians.
As for
myself, I enjoyed my childhood. My life as a young lady was quite brief but happy.
As a wife and Mother I have had some shadows but through it all I put my trust in Him who is able under any and all
circumstances to bear you up. Most of the time I have been quite happy. I have
loved my parents, my brothers, my sisters, my hausband and my children and also my dear and many precious friends.
Lifes day is nearly done. If I should be called I am ready for I know in whom I have believed and
know he is able to keep me. Pray for me that I may be faithful to the end. If I should remain for some years yet I hope to be of use
in some way to those whom I might chance to give a helping hand or word of encourgement in the name of My Dear Lord!
We have lived at this place 16 years. I have many fine friends in Terrell and if any enemies I know them not. When I am laid away, I hope that it may be at dear old College Mound with my many loved ones and from Terrell Methodist Church with Harrison Baker, if available, with my local pastor in charge of the service. I have tried my Darling Children to bring you up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and when the start of all days shall come if you don't meet me at the beautiful gates I'll search all over Heaven for you.
* * *Written by Aunt Isadore Patton Gantt sister of my Grandpa William Henry Patton.
* *signed Lorene Black Perrin daughter of William H Black and Iola Patton
mailed to her by cousin Doris Patton Lane daughter of Clyde Patton and Mason Still Patton. Iola and Clyde are brother and sister.
Prepared by:
Jeanette Perrin Coaly
RR 2, Box 277
Hollis, Oklahoma 73550
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~coaly
580 688-2457
[email protected]
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