Graham, George (b. , d. ?)

Given Name: George

Given Name: William

Given Name: Walter

Note: Moved to Texas. Descendants may live near Cameron, TX.

George Graham, He came to Texas before we did, married MissSarah Cox. He was a great hunter. He found a white deer. Hetried to run it down and rope it. He was very expert with therope, but his horse fell and fell on him, hurt his back. Helived several months, but never recovered. He left a widowwith four children. Edward (Ned) Graham married his widow andhad two children of his own. George Graham lived in BellCounty. Ned Graham settled in Milam County. The next was mymother Sarah Graham;

Given Name: George A M

Change: Date: 18 Jan 2009
Time: 16:23:01

Note: George Graham, He came to Texas before we did, married MissSarah Cox. He was a great hunter. He found a white deer. Hetried to run it down and rope it. He was very expert with therope, but his horse fell and fell on him, hurt his back. Helived several months, but never recovered. He left a widowwith four children. Edward (Ned) Graham married his widow andhad two children of his own. George Graham lived in BellCounty. Ned Graham settled in Milam County. The next was mymother Sarah Graham;

Given Name: Sarah

Change: Date: 15 Mar 2005
Time: 01:00:00

Given Name: John Peter

Given Name: Frank

Given Name: Mary

Note: Received 03-02-2002
Yes, I do have quite a collection of notes on my Graham ancestry.But, have not resolved the many conflicting 'facts'.I think this file - a transcription of a family history writtenby my Grandfather's sister Virginia Caroline Durant Nettles inthe late 1930s - is the best place to begin my Graham ancestry.Aunt 'Ginny' was about 85 years old when she wrote her story.Her mind was 'sharp as a tack' right up til the time dhe died.

Here is the file:-DurNtls1.txt -- Volumes Durant--A01 and Durant--X01DURANT and GRAHAM FAMILY HISTORYwritten by Virginia Caroline (Durant) Nettles(the hand-written original typed by her Grand-daughter, VarinaDurant (LeGalley) Hatcher, reproduced and filed by M.E. Durant)--------------------------------------I shall write in this little book all I know about myancestors. I know so little, I am sure this little book willhold it all. --VirginiaMy Father, Bethel Durant, was born October, 12th, 1824.He was named for his Father who died when his son, my Father,was only three years old, My Grandmother married a Methodistpreacher, James Howren. She raised two sons that were Howren's,William Denis and Aaron Sharp. My Father had two half brothersand a half sister by his Father's first marriage. Uncle HenryDurant was a Methodist preacher of some note. Uncle John was alawyer and politician for years. He was a member of the Legis-lature at one time. He quit the practice of law when he beganto get old and went to preaching. He was a fine lawyer and afine Methodist preacher. Aunt Mary Ann, my Father's half sistermarried a Durant, her second cousin, George Durant. They livedin Georgetown, South Carolina, and raised a large family. MyGrandfather lived in South Carolina. All of his children wereborn there. Their ancestors came from France with the Huguenots.They formerly spelled their name DuRant. My Father had one ownsister. She married her step-brother, Robert Howren, a Methodistpreacher. They lived in Georgia and Florida; where ever the Con-ference sent hin. They raised a large family, But I never saw anyof my Father's people, except his half brothers, Uncle John Durantand Uncle Aaron Howren. They have been at my Father's house, to-gether, when I was a child, and it was very strange to me. Theywere no kin, and both my Father's brothers. My Father's mother wasa Hankins. She was Grandfather's second wife. She was Miss HannahHankins. She had a brother, Denis Hankins that married my mother'saunt. My father loved his uncle Denis and his sons, William andBethel, the Doctor, so well. He declared first cousins were asmuch kin as half sisters and brothers. They lived in Florida. MyFather visited them last in 1881 and his sister, Martha Howren methim there. My mother was Sarah Ann Rebecca Graham. She was born inHorry (Oree) District, South Carolina, February 27th, 1829. MyFather and Mother were married May 20, 1846. My Grandfather Grahamwas drowned in Winyah Bay before mother was married. He left mygrandmother a widow with seventeen children. The oldest two were married. The youngest was a baby. She had fifteen with her. Theyall lived to be grown and married but one, she died when she was17. Grandmother's name was Jane Conner. Her father was a Captainin the Revolutionary War under Francis Marion. Grandfather owneda great many Negroes. The Negro quarters looked like a town. Hismother was a Bellamy. Grandfather's name was William BellamyGraham. My mother did not like the Bellamys. My people were allfarmers. Nearly all the Durants were highly educated, professionalmen, but owned plantations and Negroes. They were South Carolin-ians, but my Father came to Leon County, Texas in 1856. Uncle Johnwas here then. I do not know when he came. Texas was very thinlysettled at that time and it was said the majority of its citizenshad come because of some trouble they had got into. My father wasasked several times what he had done that he had to come to Texasto his lawyer brother. Uncle John was a very successful lawyer atthat time. But my Father had not done anything illegal. He was notrunning from the law. He came to Texas on account of the abundanceof wild game. He was very fond of hunting and always kept a packof hounds and, nearly always, several men to hunt with him. Mymother was dissatisfied with the wild ways of the people and wanted to go back to South Carolina, but my father, the childrenand Negroes were delighted.Everybody rode horseback. Even my mother would go six orseven miles to church with a baby in her lap and a little one be-hind her, and we older children would frequently attend a revivalat Red Land, 10 miles away, and Concord, 14 miles. My father andmother frequentaly went to Centerville, eleven miles, to buy whatwas needed. They always went horseback, and a wagon went along tobring back the supplies.My mother had ten brothers in the Confederate army. I re-member a letter my mother got from her mother. She said she couldhear the bombardment at Charleston. She had ten sons in the South-ern army and she wished she had ten more. Grandmother died soonafter writing that letter. She was found dead in her bed. It wasthought to be her heart. Soon after, her fine plantation was alldestroyed. Her Negroes set free. But, Sherman's army did not spareeven the Negro houses. They were burned. One of my mother'sbrothers, Uncle Cornelous (Neal) was killed. Uncle Franklin wasshot through his arm, and the bone was taken out from his elbow nearly to his shoulder. They wrote to my mother it was wonderfulhow he could use that arm. It hung by his side. He had to raiseit with his other hand, but he had a family, his Negroes were freeand he had to make a living for his family. Two of my mother'sbrothers died like their grandmother, Uncle William and UncleAsberry. Uncle Asberry's wife heard him making an unusual noise,but before she could get a light, he was dead. None were killed inthe war but Uncle Neal.My mother's oldest sister, Betty Jean (Elizabeth Jane)married a Phillips first. He died and left her a widow with twosmall boys. The children both died with scarlet fever. She thenmarried Tom Sessions and they had ten children in 1856 when myfather moved to Texas. Uncle John Graham married and moved toFlorida before I could remember. I remember all my mother'sbrothers and sisters except Uncle John. My Mother's people wereall farmers except Uncle Daniel. He went to Alexandria, Louisanabefore we came to Texas. He was a carpenter. He married there andraised a family. He visited us in 1859 here in Texas. My brotherDaniel was born that year and was named after him. When he left,he gave my mother a horse, bridle and saddle, that he had boughtfor his own use while he was with us. Then he gave her 500 dollarsin gold.My Mother's family:-1) Betsy Jane (Graham) Sessions, She lived and died in HorryCo. SC;2) John Graham, He lived in Florida;3) Edward (Ned) Graham, He came to Texas before we did, marriedhis brother's widow;4) Daniel Graham, He made his home in Louisiana;5) William Graham, He lived and died in Horry Co, SC, marriedMargaret Beatty, was sheriff for many years;6) Cornelous Graham, He married in Darlington, SC, I only knewhis wife's name was Sarah;7) George Graham, He came to Texas before we did, married MissSarah Cox. He was a great hunter. He found a white deer. Hetried to run it down and rope it. He was very expert with therope, but his horse fell and fell on him, hurt his back. Helived several months, but never recovered. He left a widowwith four children. Edward (Ned) Graham married his widow andhad two children of his own. George Graham lived in BellCounty. Ned Graham settled in Milam County. The next was mymother Sarah Graham;8) Sarah Graham, She married Bethel Durant. They came to Texasin 1856. Then . . .9) Hosea Graham, He married his cousin Martha Graham. They cameto Texas in 1859. Lived in Leon County untill 1869, then wentto Limestone County, lived there two years, came back to Leonand lived here until he died on October 7th, 1907. He was bornApril 6th, 1830. He was 77 years and 6 months old. His wifedied in 1911. They raised eight children. The next was . . .10) Eliza Graham, She married John Floyd. Then . . .11) Margaret Graham, She married her cousin Sam McQueen. They cameto Texas to Milam County. I never saw them after I was sixyears old. Next was . . .12) Louisa Graham, She died when she was seventeen years old. Shewas engaged to young Doctor McQueen, Sam McQueen's brother.Next was . . .13) Asberry Graham, He married *Joana Pitman. They had severalchildren. Next . . .(*according to several sources, Aunt 'Ginny's' memory failedher here. All others say Kenneth Asberry Graham marriedAvey Jane Grainger and that Franklin Bellamy Graham (next)married Joannah Pitman. --m.e.d.)14) Franklin Graham, I do not know who he married. Then . . .15) Lorenzo Dow Graham, The youngest boy. He visited in Texas in1870, but did not come to see us. Next was . . .16) Mary (Polly) Graham, She married Levi Moody. They came toTexas in 1869. They raised a good sized family. Next . . .17) Katherine Graham, The youngest. She marrried a Mr. Inzer.That is all of my mother's brothers and sisters. They wereall industrious, energetic, law abiding citizens. I never heardof any of them being arrested or accused of anything illegal.(Aunt 'Ginny's' writing, about life and conditions in Leon County,Texas before, during and after the Civil War, continues in fileDurNtls2.txt. As it contains little of genealogical significance,it will be sent only upon request. It is a gold mine of genuine,eye-witness, first person H I S T O R Y ! --Melton E. Durant)------------------------------------------------------------------>From many sources, I have notes (and several files from some) onthose Grahams who came to Milam County, Uncle Hosea Adelton (whomarried his 1st cousin Martha Graham) Graham and came to Leon CoTx. Also Aunt 'Polly' who married Levi Moody in Horry Co SC thencame to Leon Co Tx. And Uncle John Conner Graham who settled inMarian Co Florida in 1848. None of the notes have been compiledand transcribed to computer files - hope to get that done soon.(the problem is that I am working every fork of every tree in bothmine and my wife's ancestry - all at the same time! A BIG mistake!)I do have several files supplied by other Graham researchers, somego back to Scotland. But, there appears to be descreptancies whichI hope to get settled before putting them on plain-text files. Always glad to hear from another cousin.more later from a Great Great Grandson of William Bellamy & Jane(Conner) Graham,Melton E. Durant Route 4 Box 580 Jacksonville, TX 75766-9436

DurNtls2.TXT - Volumes Durant--A01 and Durant--X01Continuation of file DurNtls1.txt - the Writings ofVirginia Caroline 'Aunt Ginny' Durant NettlesMy father and mother came to Texas in 1856. They were both born and raised in South Carolina, and their four oldestchildren were born there. My oldest sister, Hannah Jane was bornJanuary 11, 1849. I was the next oldest, Virginia Caroline, bornApril 23, 1850. The oldest boy was William Bethel, born May 21,1853. The next was John Marsden, born August 21, 1854. These wereborn in Horry County, South Carolina. We came to Texas in 1856.We started in February. Stopped in Mobile, Alabama awhile, thenin Alexandria, Louisiana. I do not know how long we stayed, butwe got to Centerville, Texas April 1st, 1856. My Father rented aplace near town that year and there sister Mellie was born. Shewas born September 1st, 1856, and was named for Mrs. Jake Horn andMrs. Irvin Barnes, and, our nearest neighbors, Mary Millicent. Welived on the Jerry Horn place and went to school in Centerville.Sister Hannah and I were six and seven years old. The only onesold enough to go to school. My father bought a place 9 miles fromCenterville, we moved there the 24th of December. There was acrowd of young fellows came there that night and cut up much.They stole some of mother's hens, caught the only rooster shehad, tied a shuck to his tail and set it on fire. When they gotout of gun shot of the house, shot off their guns, you would havethought it was a battle. My mother was much displeased. Said shewas going back to Carolina. My father was tickled. I believe hewould liked to have been with them. He said they were only havingsome Christmas fun. They had done no damage. my mother said theyhad stolen her best hens, chickens were scarce and hard to get,and tried to set the place on fire, but the buildings were all newand would not burn. The Stegalls were our nearest neighbors. Myfather learned that Tom Hardy led the gang of rowdies that visitedus on Christmas Eve night. He had been in Milam County severalyears at Uncle Ned's. He did not like the prairies. In LeonCounty there was water and timber in abundance. My parents hadknown him from infancy. My father hired him. He was a good worker at almost anything. Our house was his home for severalyears. People were coming to Texas. There was a demand for menwho could work in timber. Tom Hardy only hired to my father oneyear, but my mother had his washing and ironing done and he calledmy father's house home. Several years after the war he marriedBettie Long, a pretty girl, Rueb Long's daughter. They had a largefamily. They lived near us for many years. He lived to be an oldman and died in Leon County.There was no school near us and my mother taught us athome. In the later part of 1857, an Englishman named Nicklesonstarted a school at Union, three miles from us. Sister and Iwalked and went the first week. Sister was eight and I was sevenyears old. One morning there was a great bunch of deer acrossour path. They would not run from us and we were afraid of them.We went as close to them as we would venture. There must havebeen a hundred or more. There were many big bucks with big horns.Sister shook our dinner bucket at them. The bucks would rear up,come down on their fore feet, kick up and whistle. We retreated.We went home as fast as we could and told about the deer. Myfather sent Tom Hardy with us, but the deer had gone. He said itwas the red in our shawls that attracted them. Some of the men wore red hunting shirts. My father then got out an old mule forus to ride to school. Brother Billy was only four years old, butbegged and cried to go to school every morning. He wanted to ride.They first let him go. All three of us rode old Jack to school. Itwas my job to stake and water him. But Nickleson only taught twoweeks. He stole a mule from Mr. Adkisson, where he boarded, andran away. He was the illest, cruelest man I ever knew. He made asmall boy lay a sore finger on a bench and came down on it with abig switch untill the bench was so bloody it had to be washed. Allthe children were glad when he ran away . We never heard of Nickleson again, but Mr. Adkisson's mule came back necked to abetter mule. Mr. Adkisson advertised for the owner, but neverfound him. In 1858, Joe Moody got up a school at the same place.He was very unpopular with the pupils and patrons, provedincompetent, he only taught for a short time. Then anotherEnglishman, a Mr. Blatmerwick taught a ten month school at Union.He was a good man, a competent teacher, respected and loved bypupils and patrons. In 1859 they built a school house near us, notmore than a half mile. John Lewis Shaw, a young man from Georgiataught there in 1859, then again in 1860. He had a full school,but some did not like him. Mr. Shaw put in good time. He taughtthe young men to be polite. We all had to bow when we entered inthe morning. At noon he taught singing. Every Friday afternoon andevening he had dialogues and speaking. I think he did more topolish those rough Texas boys than any teacher ever had. He got aschool in 1861, but the country was all stirred up for war. Therewas about twenty young men in the school. They kept going tofight. Mr. Shaw dismissed his school and went too. Mr. Shawboarded at our house.In 1859 Uncle Daniel G. (Graham) was visiting us, thenUncle Hosea Graham moved from South Carolina to Texas. He broughthis family to our house untill he bought a place. Uncle AaronHowren came to Texas, and Mr. Shaw's brother, Jim Shaw, and hisbrother-in-law, a Mr. Barnett, visited him from Georgia. We hada full house all that year. The men had a fine time hunting. Myfather kept a pack of hounds. He would get on his horse, blow hishorn, the dogs howled. Then the neighbors for miles around wouldjoin in the hunt. My mother would prepare a big dinner, for acrowd was certain to be there for dinner. Tom Hardy killed theonly bear that was killed in our neihborhood after we came toTexas. There were bears, panthers, deer, turkey and other game inabundance here then. I think it was in 1860 the deer took theblack tongue and were never so plentiful afterwards, but thewolves are here yet. Occassionaly, a panther passes through andwill kill a calf or two. There are only a very few wild turkeysin 1870. Wild geese and ducks used to be abundant, but they arescarce now. The wild geese nearly destroyed a crop of corn forMr. Josh Rosser. His farm was on Blisses Creek. He poisoned themwith strychnine and got all the feathers they wanted. Mr. Rosserpoisoned a great many wolves. My father said they were the largestwolves he ever saw. The coyote or prairie wolves are small, notlike the wolves of Leon County.My father bought the place we were living on from Stegall.There was five hundred acres of land and a little cabin was theonly house. He paid 500 dollars in cash for the place, but Stegallwas slow in giving him a deed. After awhile the deed came from theLand Office in Austin. Stegall had sold him public land. (Stegall)had got 2 witnesses to swear my father had lived on and cultivatedthe place for three years before he had been here three months.The deed was made to my father as a Pre-emption. He (my father)was very angry. He went to Stegall for his five hundred dollars hehad paid for the place, but Stegall had paid his debts with it. Myfather went to the witnesses. One was Stegall's son-in-law, aCampbellite preacher named Harbison. The other was a very ignorantman named Rance Raynor. Raynor could not read or write and hedeclared his mark was a forgery. My father forbid Harbison preach-ing anymore, but he left our county and preached on.A young man came here from South Carolina. He had a littlenegro boy six years old. His name was George Platt. He sold thelittle negro to my father for the place, but father was not togive possession for several years. My father said he could makePlatt a deed, but it had been fraud and was hateful to him. Hethen Pre-empted a home, had 160 acres run out, and began buildingon it. We lived on the place he got from Stegall for five years then moved two miles north of there on the Centerville and Fair-field road. We moved February 21st, 1861. My mother had plantedpeach seed and had small trees enough to set out a good sizedorchard. There was only enough land cleared for a garden. So thepeach trees were set out in the garden the first year. My motheralways wanted at least an acre for a garden. I was eleven yearsold in April of 1861. We liked the new place, but there was notenough land for my father. He bought 640 acres from George Butler,a man living in New York. Everything on the place that could helpwas put to clearing land and by 1862 there was a good sized fieldof rich bottom land cleared. My mother's five hundred dollars thather brother, Daniel, gave her made the first payment on the land.The field was a half mile from home, but my father prosperedthere, although the war had come on. My father got to drinkingbefore I could remember, signed heavy securities for irresponsiblemen and had to pay their debts. His negroes were all sold, butfive. My mother selected a family, two boys, Frank and Bill andtheir sisters, Mary Jane, Lavonia and Louisa, from a number ofothers. I never knew how many. My father had their ages, Frank,the oldest, was eighteen when we came to Texas. They were alllikely young negroes. My mother did not think it right for myfather's negroes to be sold for other people's debts. She triedto get him to send his negroes to her brother George in Texas. Myfather wanted to come to Texas, but he said he would pay all hisdebts if it took the clothes off his back. He would not leave asingle debt unpaid. My father had his father's name and grand-father willed him all his personal property. Nearly everythingwas marked with the monogram BD. All the silverware had BD on it,the trunks, chests, bureau and dining table had the monogram insilver headed tacks. The dining table, and the end table that wentwith it, a small center table and the bureau were mahogany andquite a lot of pure china dishes. I have never seen any like themsince. No wonder everything looked coarse and common in Texas tomy mother. But, when she heard how Sherman's army had destroyedhomes and farms, everything where she had been raised, she didnot want to go back there anymore.In 1861 the war clouds darkened the homes of all Texas.Our State was never invaded like Georgia and the Carolinas, butthere was gloom and sadness in every household. When a relativeor friend crossed the Mississippi River they rarely ever cameback. Many of our best young men died or were killed in Virginia.It seemed we never heard from them, only when they were mortallywounded, killed or died. The Dezell family in our neighborhoodwas very unfortunate. There was Tom, John, Young, Egbert, Ira andWill, all in the Confederate Army. Young was killed in Virginia,Egbert sent home mortally wounded and after he got home, broke outwith small pox, at that time a very dangerous disease. It killedhis mother. He died regretting he had come home, but he said whenthe doctors told him he would die of his wounds, he felt like itwas so hard to die away from home and mother. One of his hips wasshot away. He did not know he had small pox untill he got home. Hewas isolated, none of his friends were allowed to see him. WillDezell died in Arkansas. I don't know what became of Tom. John andIra were the only ones that came back from the war. Some peoplethought that there was a benefit in Texas and came here for refugewhen their homes had been destroyed. We called them Refugees. Someof the best citizens came from Mississippi and Louisiana. A greatmany came from Missouri and Arkansas where there was guerilla war-fare at home. Texas was no longer thinly settled. We were glad wehad near neighbors. But so many had friends and relatives in thearmy that there was always news of some death or some one lostthat they could not hear from. I was only eleven years old in1861, but when they began to spin and weave cloth, I did my part.Some of the most helpless people I ever knew were those that hadhad servants to do everything all their lives, were learning tocook, milk, spin and weave and every kind of work. But all seemeddetermined and tried to make the best of the situation. Whensoldiers came in for clothes and blankets our people flocked tothe rescue. Made clothes for him and sent clothes and socks to hiscomrades. My mother was adept at cutting mens clothes. She hadlearned from a tailor. She cut by measure. If whom she cut for wasabsent, she would measure someone about his size. She was alwaysbusy working for the soldiers. There was a small bunch of sheepon the place, Charles, the negro boy my father bought, was theshepherd. He had to follow those sheep all day to keep the wolvesfrom getting them. There was a carding factory in Corsicana. Nota pound of wool would my mother sell. She had a good part of itcarded, but some of it was carded at home and made into jeans andblankets for the soldiers. We knit a great many socks, wool andcotton, for the soldiers. Some of them, in fact, most of them pre-ferred cotton socks. When my father joined the army my mother toldhim to take Bill with him. She could not manage Bill and my fatherhad always been used to a waiting boy. He told Frank to manage thefarm, everything about the place, hogs, cattle and horses. Frankwas a valuable servant. My mother said he was a better farmer thanmy father. He made big crops of cotton, corn and Irish potatoes.At first it was difficult to keep enough Irish potatoes for seed.Frank would cut down a large hollow tree, saw it in four and fivefeet lenghts, work out the inside smooth, nail a bottom of oakboards that would hold sand. He would fill some of those gums (hecalled them gums) with dry sand in summer and after curing them,stow away the Irish potatoes for seed. He also used those gums toput peas in. I have seen a whole row across the smoke house fullof thrashed peas. He then would hew a wide gum or linn puncheon tocover them to keep the mice and rats out. We had plenty duringthe war. They could readily swap a bushel of sweet potatoes for abushel of wheat, have it ground and bolted in Dallas. We got ourcoffee and sugar and some dry goods from Mexico. The Mexicanswould come in a great train of wagons, our money was no account,but my mother always managed to sell them corn or peas, some timesa little gold or silver for coffee, when she could get it no otherway. She was liberal with the coffee for very few were able to getit. When a neighbor came, she would have coffee made, and theywould drink it before the neighbor left. Times were very differenthere from times where the country was invaded by the mercilessfoe. Some of those refugees told us pitiful tales of how they hadbeen treated before they came to Texas. Their houses with theirclothes and bedding, everything they had had been burned. Someof them did not have a change of clothes, but the people herewere ever ready to furnish them homespun with which to make themclothes. No doubt it was coarse and ugly to those who had alwaysworn the finest, but they all seemed to make the best of their badsituation. Some of our best citizens now, are descendants of thoserefugees. All of them that I know are in good circumstances.My father volunteered in 1862, but he could not stand acamp life. I think he spent most of his time in the hospital. Hewas discharged, came home a few days before brother Henry wasborn, January 9, 1863. A recruiting officer came in February thatsame year and he volunteered again. He belonged to Liken's Regt., Company A, Capt. Jerome Black. I think he joined the same commandhe had been discharged from, anyhow, he had the same Captain. Theywere in active service then in Louisisana. My father was only intwo engagements, the Battle of Mansfield and Yellow Bayou. He wassent to the hospital again, and sent Bill home for fresh horses.My mother happened to see Bill first, riding up, leading hismaster's horse and she fainted. Bill knew at once what caused it.He dismounted, rushed up to where we were all around mother andsaid, "Master is not dead, he ain't goin' to die. He's in thehospital a little sick, and sent me home for fresh horses. Ourhorses about give out. Hard work and not much feed." My motherroused up, put Mary Jane and Lavonia to cooking. She had newclothes, socks, blankets and towels. She had Bill on his way toLouisisana before day the next morning on a fresh horse for him-self and leading the beautiful black horse Uncle Daniel gavemother for father to ride. The war did not last much longer, butfather was discharged the second time before the war ended.On June 20, 1864, Bill and Frank, his brother, ran away.They could both read and write. They knew that Lincoln's Procla-mation had declared them free the 19th of June. My father was notsurprised, said he intended to tell them they were free. He thencalled Mary Jane, Louisa and Charles, told them they were free,could go where they pleased. We thought they would be glad, butinstead, the two women busted out crying. Mary Jane spoke aftera minute. She had a little girl 3 years old. She said, "Master,I am your nigger. I was born yours, this child is yours, and nowyou goin' to turn us out without a home. Let us be yours tillwe die." She had married Abe Loper, a very black man, but quit himbefore their child was born. She said he was no account and toldher so many lies. She could not believe anything he told her.Father told her they could stay there until she found her a home.She was smart, a good cook, milkmaid or washer woman. It would notbe difficult for her to find a home. She replied that she had asgood a home as she wanted right here. They remained until 1869.The women left, but Charles stayed several years longer. Lavoniadied January 6th, 1885.My father had to hire men to cultivate the land and seemedto get along as well without the Negroes as he did with them. Hemade good crops and had two large freight wagons, and I do notknow how many oxen broke (oxen he had broken for hauling.) It tooksix yoke to pull one loaded wagon. He hired a young man, aneighbor, Ebby Wadford, to drive one wagon, and brother Billy,then twelve years old, to drive the other. He would carry potatoeswest, swap them for wheat, then send flour to Houston and bringback freight for the merchants in Centerville. But very littleflour got to Houston. It was generally sold on the way. Thereseemed to be a great demand for it everywhere. My father had richbottom land and he and one of the neighbors, Hiram Smith, plantedwheat. But it rusted and smutted so bad, it did not pay. I thinkthey planted it three years before they gave it up.But father drank worse all the time. Whiskey was his ruin.August 9th, 1868 my mother died. There was eight of us leftmotherless, with a father that was seldom sober. It seemed hecould not resist his craving for drink.( con't in file DurNtles3.txt Volumes Durant--A01 Durant--X01 )------------------------------------------------------------------DurNtls3.txt -- Volumes Durant--A01 & Durant--X01The Writing of Virginia Caroline 'Aunt Ginny' (Durant) Nettles:----Continued from file DurNtls2.txt---There was a creek running through the field. It was notstraight and sometimes caused the best land to overflow. Fatherhad a huge ditch made where he wanted the creek to run and then itwas necessary to have some levies made. He went to Centerville andhired three Irishmen to make those levies. Two of them were raisedin New Orleans and one, the youngest, was just from the ocean, hadbeen born and partly raised in Ireland, but had been a sailorseven years. Their names were Sam Kegan, Jim Dailey and WilliamJohnston. They finished their work but still lingered on. Kegandid little jobs of carpentry work around the place. Mr. Johnstonwas learning to work. He said he had never done anything butfollow the Sea. He found that father hired at least 2 farm handsevery year. He hired to my father for the next year. He did notknow how to work on a farm, but was sure he could learn. Wediscovered Mr. Johnston had fallen in love with my sister - shereturned his affection. Sister was good looking and Kegan wantedher too. Kegan tried to get Mr. Johnston to try the other one(me). There was only fifteen months difference in our ages butsister was much larger. Mr. Johnston said he always liked a shipwith a breadth of beam. He preferred sister. He had been therea few months when he asked my father's consent to their marriage.My father was opposed to it, and told them he would not consentuntil they had known each other a year. Then father got after meto break off the match. But I told him no. He said he could notinfluence sister, but he thought I could. I told him I neverintended to make or break a match. He was very indignant. Said hehad hoped sister would marry well. But she was going to marry awild Irishman, and he would leave her in a short time and go backto the Ocean. On the 10th of December 1869, they were married. Inall that time Mr. Johnston had not been drunk. He pre-empted apiece of land. Father helped him build his dwelling, barn, smoke-house, cow pen and horse lot. After living in the house with myfather a year, they moved to their own house about a mile fromfather.Mary Jane, our cook, milkmaid and washer woman, and hersister Louisa stayed with us until sister married. She was veryindignant about Miss Hannah marrying an Irishman. She began to bevery impudent and my father made her and Louisa leave. Charlesstill remained. The cooking, washing and milking and care of thechildren all fell on me. Dan (Pet), Henry and Sallie were allsmall. Charles was no account in the fields, so father told himto help me around the house, and he was a great help, got woodand drew most of the water.Sometimes before the War, I have forgotten the year, myfather saw an Italian in Centerville without employment, huntinga home. Father took him in and he (the Italian) lived with us formany years. I was a child when he came there. He helped draw someof the water and build the fires on wash day and when I made soap.He said his name was Valentine Solker. We called him Soker. He didnot know how to do anything but ditch. He made the big ditch thatstraightened the channel of the creek through the field. When myfather was in the Army my mother told him he must go to the fieldand help chop cotton. He went, but in a short time Frank camerunning from the field on the plow horse, and told my mother Sokerwas hoeing up the cotton. He (Soker) said, "the Madam told me tochop the cotton, she said nothing about the grass.." While Frankwas gone for my mother, one of the Negro women tried to stop him(Soker) from hoeing up the cotton. He ran after her with his hoe.She ran where it was boggy, thinking he would not follow, but shesaid he would have killed her, if she had not thrown mud in hisface with both hands as fast as she could. My mother came to thefield, told him he must not hoe up the cotton. He said, " You tellme to chop cotton. You no say grass." She tried to show him, buthe said, "I no can work wid Nagger. I think me kill um." Thenegroes were afraid of him. My mother told him to go to the house.Not long after that, he volunteered and went into the army. Mymother made him a new outfit, blankets and everything he couldcarry. Soker joined the infantry, he said he had no use for thehorse. My father thought a great deal of Soker. He was so honestand truthful and Soker would cry for hours, "I no see the boss anymore, the best friend I have in America. I no have home any more."My father broke up house keeping. My mother had been deadthirteen years. The older children were all married. He put Sokeron the County. He lived with my father's children, called us hiskin folk, and seemed to be a happy old man. He said he lay inprison seven years before he would consent to being banished toAmerica. He liked the government here. He said,"Damn Pope, damnKing." But he did not want to leave his wife and baby. He neversaw his child, only through iron bars. Poor old man. He had noother way of expressing contempt for the Pope and the King. Thechildren all loved Soker and would run to meet him when they sawhim coming. When he joined the army, he was gone 3 years beforewe saw him. He returned and seemed perfectly at home. He diedwhen he was 79 years old. He made a good soldier. He was in activeservice from the start. He was at the siege of Vicksburg. He wasin several battles, but never was wounded.----------------------------------------------------------------Thus ends the writings of my Grandfather's sister, VirginiaCaroline (Durant) Nettles - Aunt 'Ginny' - in the small book inwhich she thought would hold all she knew about her ancestry.Would that she had a much larger book!-----------------------------------------------------------------Three descreptances in Aunt Ginny's writings should be noted:-1. The 500-acre Tract bought from Stegall was 320 acres;2. The 640-acre Tract bought from George Butler was 660 acres;(from Leon County Texas Deed Records)3. The Will of Bethel Durant Sr does not agree with Aunt Ginny'sstatement " . . . grandfather willed him all of his personalproperty. . ." (substantial, yes but not ALL. I have copiesof the Will and the Deeds. --m.e.d.)-----------------------------------------------------------------Forever grateful I am to cousin Varina Durant* (LeGalley) Hatcherfor sharing her type-written transcription of her Grandmother's(Aunt 'Ginny's) writing. (*yes, Varina's middle name is Durant.)--8 December 1998Melton E. Durant Route 4 Box 580 Jacksonville, Tx 75766-9436Phone 1 - 903 - 586-8233 e-mail:- mdurant@sat.net

Given Name: Sarah Ann Rebecca

Change: Date: 14 Aug 2008
Time: 15:41:17

Given Name: Bethel

Change: Date: 15 Mar 2005
Time: 01:00:00

Note: ! Married his cousin.
They moved to the Leon or Jewit area of Texas.

Hosea Graham, He married his cousin Martha Graham. They cameto Texas in 1859. Lived in Leon County untill 1869, then wentto Limestone County, lived there two years, came back to Leonand lived here until he died on October 7th, 1907. He was bornApril 6th, 1830. He was 77 years and 6 months old. His wifedied in 1911. They raised eight children. The next was . . .

Given Name: Hosea A

Change: Date: 18 Jan 2009
Time: 16:23:01

Given Name: Martha Ann

Change: Date: 13 Aug 2008
Time: 15:21:40

Given Name: Eliza C

Change: Date: 18 Jan 2009
Time: 16:23:01

Given Name: John R

Change: Date: 15 Mar 2005
Time: 01:00:00

Given Name: Quince

Given Name: William

Given Name: Maberry

Given Name: Asberry

Given Name: Sandy

Given Name: Jane