Day 3
Preparing for the wedding on March 5, 1865
Getting ready for the wedding was hurried. There was no point in putting it off and John had talked to Polly, She approved of him and knew that he would be good to her daughter. He was steady and already had land left to him by his father. It was good farming land and bordered the Clinch River. John had started a house next to the river against the granite face of a cliff. Using the granite as the back of the house, it was set on higher ground so it wouldn’t flood when the river was high. They didn’t plan to stay there forever and she imagined that they would have to build a bigger house if they had a few children. She liked it and it wasn’t far from her.
She wished she could provide more. She didn’t get much from James. Sometimes money would appear in a letter but it was nothing to count on. Her wages as a domestic barely keep them afloat. At least she had a few hogs and chickens, which provided meat and eggs. She saved the chicken feathers to use for pillows. She would make some for Martha and John although Martha had made some for her hope chest. The garden provided fresh vegetables in the spring and summer and root vegetables to store for the winter. The girls were busy with all the chores that should have been hers. Still, it was good training for them and they had all the skills they needed.
She had saved enough to buy some pretty lace to make a veil. The peddler who had come through a year or so ago had some fine fabrics. As lovely as they were, she only had a little to spend for frivolous fancies when she really needed the flannel for blankets. Martha’s wedding dress wouldn’t be extravagant. Martha didn’t seem to care, she had decorated one of her best dresses with beads and ribbons and it looked lovely. She was really excited about the lace veil.
The biggest contention came when they were deciding whom to invite. Polly, Martha, John, and his mother Lucy sat down to make a list. It started out quite simple. On Martha’s side, there were only three people: Polly, Caroline, and Sarah. Then there were the Rhea’s.
John Elijah Rhea had passed away six years earlier. Lucy had managed to maintain the farm with the help of the children. There were several still at home and they needed to be invited.
Lafayette was 13 and wanted to be a part of the wedding. They decided that he could be a groomsman opposite of Sarah. John wanted his brother Abijah, who was 29, to be the best man. Martha agreed to that with Caroline as the Maid of Honor.
Sterling, the oldest brother at 41 lived in Sneedville. He was the blacksmith for the town. He and his wife, Samantha had seven children ranging in age from 1-yr-old to 11-yrs-old. John’s oldest sister Elizabeth Ann who was 35-yrs-old and her husband Benjamin Burchett also lived in Sneedville. Their nine children ranged in age from 5-yrs-old to 18-yrs-old.
By the time they had counted up the two families they figured that they would need to have everyone bring food. Polly and Lucy certainly couldn’t afford to feed all those people alone.
They kept counting. James and his wife Raquel lived one county over. They weren’t sure they could make the trip but they counted them anyway, adding their five children.
George who was 30 and Jesse, 26, both lived at home so of course, they needed to be invited. 17-yr-old Sarah and her husband William Parten lived in Sneedville and made the list.
That did not include any of the family friends living in town. They finally decided anyone bringing food would be welcomed.
The weather in March of 1865 was not favorable for an outside wedding. Lucy’s house was bigger than Polly’s was so they decided that the wedding could take place in the parlor and the guest could spill over outside if necessary.
John and Martha picked March 5, 1865 as the date for the wedding. It was good time for a celebration. Succeeding from the Union and the loss of the war had devastated the folks in Tennessee. For one day, it would change the focus and give people a chance to have a good time. While the rest of the country would be celebration the 2nd inauguration of President Lincoln on that day, they would be celebrating something they could endorse.
It wouldn’t be until the 1880’s that the wedding poem would become the standard for all brides
Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something new
And a silver sixpence in her shoe
However, traditions did follow immigrants to America. The Scottish/Irish ancestry that made up most of the families in Sneedville came with its own customs.
“Martha, I have something for you.” Polly said to Martha as she came into the kitchen on her wedding day. She moved to the sideboard and pulled out a small package wrapped in tissue paper. Tissue paper was a relatively new invention used to make clothing patterns. The left over pieces were used to protect precious objects. Polly handed the package to Martha.
“I like the idea of you taking something old into your new life. It has certain merit keeping us connected.” Polly said. “My mama gave that to me on my wedding day. It was her prayer book. You can wrap it in your nicest hanky and carry it with a few flowers.”
“Oh Mama, do your really mean to give this to me?” Martha said with tears in her eyes. “I will cherish it.”
964 words - 6 short
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Research, resources, and ready to roll - Day 2 of the Family History Writing Challenge
“Mama,” she yelled as she slammed the door behind her, “He’s home!”
Polly McCollum looked up from the pot she was stirring. “Who’s home?” she asked.
“John is home. Abijah and John are home,” she said. “Lucy just saw them and couldn’t wait to tell me. I expect their mother is happy.”
“I suppose she is,” replied Polly. “Will you please call your sisters, dinner is ready.”
Martha Jane hurried to find her sisters. Maybe now, he would ask her mother for her hand. He’d been gone almost three years and she’d heard that the Confederate Army was ready to surrender. It didn’t matter to her. John Carter Rhea was home and she was 17- yrs-old, in love, and all grown up. After all, John’s sister Sarah got to get married at 14, the same age that she had been when John went to war.
Polly filled the plates and set them on the table. The girls sat down and offered a prayer.
“I got a letter from your father today,” Polly started but 15-yr-old Caroline interrupted. “Is he coming home?” she asked. Martha and 13-yr-old sister Sarah waited expectantly for the answer.
“No, he said that they were finding gold all over the place and he thought he might have a lead on a vein”, she replied.
“Mama,, if I get married, will he come home?” Martha wanted to know. Caroline and Sarah looked up sharply. “Married,” they squealed. Martha looked a little smug. “John came home today”
The photo is James Northcross McCollum
James Northcross McCollum, born in 1820, grew up in Sneedville, Tennessee not far from the Gray farm. He and Polly Gray spent their early days together. Like his daughter would later do, he married his childhood sweetheart in 1847 when he was 26-yrs-old and she was 22-yrs-old. Polly knew that James had grander plans than living his life in a backwater town. When he came to her in 1853, seven years after they married, and told her he thought that he could make much more money for the family if he went off to California to find gold, she knew she couldn’t stop him. Martha Jane was just five when he left, Caroline was three and Sarah was a year old.
Polly was a little surprised that Caroline and Sarah still wanted their father to come home. Neither of them remembered him. Only Martha had memories of being Daddy’s little girl.
James had not found gold but did find a life that suited him. The weather in Northern California was similar to Sneedville and he lived in the Redwoods that lined the coast. By the time Martha decided she was going to marry John, he had been gone for twelve years. None of them knew that James Northcross McCollum would not return until 1886. By that time, Polly had divorced him and had been working all those years as a domestic servant for a wealthy family. 33 years is a long time to be gone from home but he did well. Even though he wasn’t fond of farming in Tennessee, he owned land that he farmed in Klamath, California.
If I were to write this as a short story, fleshing out the middle, this is how I would end it.
Martha quietly closed the door behind her. It the darkened room, Polly was asleep on the daybed in the front room. It had been a rough year for Polly who was not the robust person she’d once been. She was 61-yrs-old now and time had taken its toll.
The year was 1886 and Polly lived with her youngest daughter Sarah and husband, Henry Depew. She was no longer working and spent most of her time resting. She’d used up much of her strength and energy comforting Martha when John Carter was murdered in 1884. Martha was 8-months pregnant with Lillie on the day that John Brewer shot John Carter.
Martha tiptoed into the kitchen to find Sarah sitting at the kitchen table, pen in hand. Pausing in her writing, she looked up and answered the question she saw in Martha’s eyes. “Yes, I’m writing to Caroline. I imagine she’ll be shocked. I wonder if she and Robert will make the trip all the way from Oklahoma.”
Martha looked skeptical. “That’s a long way to go with all those kids and Robert may not be able to leave his job for that long. The lumber business is volatile as it is.”
“Still,” Carolyn said, “I’m going to let her know. This is the biggest news in years. Do you want to tell Mom?”
“I guess someone has to tell her,” Martha replied. “There’s no time like the present” and with that, Martha headed back to the front room.
She walked over to the daybed and touched her mother on her shoulder. “Mama,” she whispered. Polly opened her eyes and smiled at her.
“Mama, he’s home,” she said softly.
Polly looked confused. “Who’s home?” she asked.
“Daddy’s home.”
It seems to me that the story of James and Polly should have its own place. I like the thought of the ending and the beginning being the same because that’s how it would have gone down. Since this is only Day 2 of the challenge and I have already somehow changed the focus, I am going to leave this as is. Who knows where this will lead but I find myself more than vested in the lives of these people, my family.
BTW, 1886 was the 1st Rose Parade, something that my family attended all the years I was growing up. The first continental railroad transported the first oranges across the country. My husband and I were docents at the California Citrus State Historical Park in Riverside, California and we know all about this major event that made Riverside the richest city in the country at that time. The history that I know about California is colliding with the family history that I am learning.
991 words - 9 short
Polly McCollum looked up from the pot she was stirring. “Who’s home?” she asked.
“John is home. Abijah and John are home,” she said. “Lucy just saw them and couldn’t wait to tell me. I expect their mother is happy.”
“I suppose she is,” replied Polly. “Will you please call your sisters, dinner is ready.”
Martha Jane hurried to find her sisters. Maybe now, he would ask her mother for her hand. He’d been gone almost three years and she’d heard that the Confederate Army was ready to surrender. It didn’t matter to her. John Carter Rhea was home and she was 17- yrs-old, in love, and all grown up. After all, John’s sister Sarah got to get married at 14, the same age that she had been when John went to war.
Polly filled the plates and set them on the table. The girls sat down and offered a prayer.
“I got a letter from your father today,” Polly started but 15-yr-old Caroline interrupted. “Is he coming home?” she asked. Martha and 13-yr-old sister Sarah waited expectantly for the answer.
“No, he said that they were finding gold all over the place and he thought he might have a lead on a vein”, she replied.
“Mama,, if I get married, will he come home?” Martha wanted to know. Caroline and Sarah looked up sharply. “Married,” they squealed. Martha looked a little smug. “John came home today”
James Northcross McCollum, born in 1820, grew up in Sneedville, Tennessee not far from the Gray farm. He and Polly Gray spent their early days together. Like his daughter would later do, he married his childhood sweetheart in 1847 when he was 26-yrs-old and she was 22-yrs-old. Polly knew that James had grander plans than living his life in a backwater town. When he came to her in 1853, seven years after they married, and told her he thought that he could make much more money for the family if he went off to California to find gold, she knew she couldn’t stop him. Martha Jane was just five when he left, Caroline was three and Sarah was a year old.
Polly was a little surprised that Caroline and Sarah still wanted their father to come home. Neither of them remembered him. Only Martha had memories of being Daddy’s little girl.
James had not found gold but did find a life that suited him. The weather in Northern California was similar to Sneedville and he lived in the Redwoods that lined the coast. By the time Martha decided she was going to marry John, he had been gone for twelve years. None of them knew that James Northcross McCollum would not return until 1886. By that time, Polly had divorced him and had been working all those years as a domestic servant for a wealthy family. 33 years is a long time to be gone from home but he did well. Even though he wasn’t fond of farming in Tennessee, he owned land that he farmed in Klamath, California.
If I were to write this as a short story, fleshing out the middle, this is how I would end it.
Martha quietly closed the door behind her. It the darkened room, Polly was asleep on the daybed in the front room. It had been a rough year for Polly who was not the robust person she’d once been. She was 61-yrs-old now and time had taken its toll.
The year was 1886 and Polly lived with her youngest daughter Sarah and husband, Henry Depew. She was no longer working and spent most of her time resting. She’d used up much of her strength and energy comforting Martha when John Carter was murdered in 1884. Martha was 8-months pregnant with Lillie on the day that John Brewer shot John Carter.
Martha tiptoed into the kitchen to find Sarah sitting at the kitchen table, pen in hand. Pausing in her writing, she looked up and answered the question she saw in Martha’s eyes. “Yes, I’m writing to Caroline. I imagine she’ll be shocked. I wonder if she and Robert will make the trip all the way from Oklahoma.”
Martha looked skeptical. “That’s a long way to go with all those kids and Robert may not be able to leave his job for that long. The lumber business is volatile as it is.”
“Still,” Carolyn said, “I’m going to let her know. This is the biggest news in years. Do you want to tell Mom?”
“I guess someone has to tell her,” Martha replied. “There’s no time like the present” and with that, Martha headed back to the front room.
She walked over to the daybed and touched her mother on her shoulder. “Mama,” she whispered. Polly opened her eyes and smiled at her.
“Mama, he’s home,” she said softly.
Polly looked confused. “Who’s home?” she asked.
“Daddy’s home.”
It seems to me that the story of James and Polly should have its own place. I like the thought of the ending and the beginning being the same because that’s how it would have gone down. Since this is only Day 2 of the challenge and I have already somehow changed the focus, I am going to leave this as is. Who knows where this will lead but I find myself more than vested in the lives of these people, my family.
BTW, 1886 was the 1st Rose Parade, something that my family attended all the years I was growing up. The first continental railroad transported the first oranges across the country. My husband and I were docents at the California Citrus State Historical Park in Riverside, California and we know all about this major event that made Riverside the richest city in the country at that time. The history that I know about California is colliding with the family history that I am learning.
991 words - 9 short
Friday, February 1, 2013
Ready, Set, Go - Day 1 of the Family History Writing Challenge
That is the title of the post for the 1st day of the Family History Writing Challenge hosted by The Armchair Genealogist. The challenge runs 28 days, all through February 2013. Each writer pledges to write a certain amount of word daily towards a family history. Since I am wordy, I set my goal at 1000 a day but know I will eventually have to edit out a lot of words. Still, the exercise is to write a comprehensive account of a family member, event, or timeline. I will be doing the writing as blog posts as I think I have greater accountability towards the challenge on something I publish.
My subject – Martha Jane McColloam (McCollom, McCollum), my great grandmother.
Steps for preparing for this challenge:
Note cards – Actual index cards in a file. It took a lot of time to list everything I had about Martha, her life, her family, and events that happened during her lifetime.
Timeline - I created a butcher paper timeline stretching across the closet doors. It begins in 1820 with the birth of her father to 1929, the date of her death.
Phone calls – I contacted two of my 2nd cousins living in Tennessee. While they don’t have much about Martha herself, they do have information on their grandparents who were Martha’s children. Sheldon sent me lots of pictures of his parents and grandparents. They were a real treat. Bill has a copy of the original warrant for the arrest of the man who murdered my great grandfather, Martha’s husband.
Ancestry.com – is current with the information I have so far.
Lots of research – Internet sources on the times.
The Armchair Genealogist – I read every post and all the comments.
I have five letters Martha Jane wrote to my grandparents in 1918 and 1919. They are what drew me to Martha Jane. A strong woman who raised eight children alone and yet, the letters show she was very human and at times wistful.
The best part about this whole process is the more information I write down, the bigger the holes I find in the research. I would not have ever considered calling the two cousins in Tennessee if I hadn’t need info. While I know they are family, they are strangers I have never met. What a treat to find them not only open to my request but also willing to be active partners in my research. The lesson here – is not to be afraid to contact people. The worst they can say is no.
The boring part – The Begats
Parents
John Elijah Rhea Jr 1804 – 1859
Lucy Anderson 1808 – 1995
Child
John Carter Rhea
2 Mar 1842 - 21 Sep 1884
Sneedville, Tennessee
Parents
James N. McColloam 1820 – 1898
Mary Polly Gray 1825 – 1888
Child
Martha Jane McCollum
1 Jan 1848 – 22 Mar 1929
Sneedville, Tennessee
John and Martha married on 4 Mar 1865
Children
Joseph Andrew Rhea - 20 Jun 1866 – no death date
Mary Leoni Rhea – 18 Mar 1868 – 26 Feb 1940
Laura Tisabel Rhea – 15 Feb 1870 – after 1965
Washington Floyd Rhea – 2 Jan 1873 – 3 Feb 1929
Luvena Finetta Rhea – 19 Dec 1875 – 24 Apr 1913
Fidello (Fidelia) Florence Rhea – 11 Aug 1877 – 31 May 1961
Victor Edwin Rhea – 13 Jul 1880 – Apr 1973
William Ogden Rhea – 15 Sep 1882 – 1 Jul 1962 (my grandfather)
Lillie Bower Rhea – 5 Nov 1884 – 1952
The opening:
“Jan 1, 1919
She sat at the desk in her upstairs bedroom watching. It was raining and the Clinch River was higher than normal. She kept her eye on it praying it wouldn’t flood again. The river ruined last year’s corn crop. They’d been safe; river people always built their houses high. Looking at the paper, she continued to write.
“Wm, I am 71-yrs-old this morning and I want to talk to my absent children.”
She stopped writing, lost in thought. Only Victor and his family lived in the old home now. For a one-year-old who was just walking, Little Jewell could make an awful racket but she was grateful for the noise. She could hear the echoes of the absent children as if they were still home, eight of them slamming doors and hollering at each other. She picked up her pen again.
“What I can and truly hope that when the end of their road is as near in sight as mine, they can rejoice as I can, that rest is near.”
She put the pen down again and slowly pushed herself out of the chair. “I’ll finish later,” she told herself and little by little made her way down the stairs.”
The story
Martha Jane McColloam was born on January 1, 1848 in Sneedville, Tennessee. There is no birth certificate; the information comes from family records. She does confirm the date in her letter dated January 1, 1919.
She was one of three girls born to Mary Polly Gray and James Northcross McCollum. James and Polly had a farm that bordered the Clinch River. Their closest neighbors were the Rhea’s. She knew John Carter Rhea all her life so it was no surprise she married him at the age of 17 in 1865. John was 23-years-old and had just returned home as a veteran of the Civil War.
Ending day one here
There is more research needed on weddings of the time. Reviewing the records will show family members who would have attended the wedding. There was family around. Given there were no stores or large towns nearby, what would the couple wear? What kind of gifts would they receive? Where would they live considering the house wasn’t built yet? They did have land to farm. Where did they get it? This information may not be important or used in a final draft but it will form a framework for later stories.
Word count 970, 30 short of the goal.
My subject – Martha Jane McColloam (McCollom, McCollum), my great grandmother.
Steps for preparing for this challenge:
Note cards – Actual index cards in a file. It took a lot of time to list everything I had about Martha, her life, her family, and events that happened during her lifetime.
Timeline - I created a butcher paper timeline stretching across the closet doors. It begins in 1820 with the birth of her father to 1929, the date of her death.
Phone calls – I contacted two of my 2nd cousins living in Tennessee. While they don’t have much about Martha herself, they do have information on their grandparents who were Martha’s children. Sheldon sent me lots of pictures of his parents and grandparents. They were a real treat. Bill has a copy of the original warrant for the arrest of the man who murdered my great grandfather, Martha’s husband.
Ancestry.com – is current with the information I have so far.
Lots of research – Internet sources on the times.
The Armchair Genealogist – I read every post and all the comments.
I have five letters Martha Jane wrote to my grandparents in 1918 and 1919. They are what drew me to Martha Jane. A strong woman who raised eight children alone and yet, the letters show she was very human and at times wistful.
The best part about this whole process is the more information I write down, the bigger the holes I find in the research. I would not have ever considered calling the two cousins in Tennessee if I hadn’t need info. While I know they are family, they are strangers I have never met. What a treat to find them not only open to my request but also willing to be active partners in my research. The lesson here – is not to be afraid to contact people. The worst they can say is no.
The boring part – The Begats
Parents
John Elijah Rhea Jr 1804 – 1859
Lucy Anderson 1808 – 1995
Child
John Carter Rhea
2 Mar 1842 - 21 Sep 1884
Sneedville, Tennessee
Parents
James N. McColloam 1820 – 1898
Mary Polly Gray 1825 – 1888
Child
Martha Jane McCollum
1 Jan 1848 – 22 Mar 1929
Sneedville, Tennessee
John and Martha married on 4 Mar 1865
Children
Joseph Andrew Rhea - 20 Jun 1866 – no death date
Mary Leoni Rhea – 18 Mar 1868 – 26 Feb 1940
Laura Tisabel Rhea – 15 Feb 1870 – after 1965
Washington Floyd Rhea – 2 Jan 1873 – 3 Feb 1929
Luvena Finetta Rhea – 19 Dec 1875 – 24 Apr 1913
Fidello (Fidelia) Florence Rhea – 11 Aug 1877 – 31 May 1961
Victor Edwin Rhea – 13 Jul 1880 – Apr 1973
William Ogden Rhea – 15 Sep 1882 – 1 Jul 1962 (my grandfather)
Lillie Bower Rhea – 5 Nov 1884 – 1952
The opening:
“Jan 1, 1919
She sat at the desk in her upstairs bedroom watching. It was raining and the Clinch River was higher than normal. She kept her eye on it praying it wouldn’t flood again. The river ruined last year’s corn crop. They’d been safe; river people always built their houses high. Looking at the paper, she continued to write.
“Wm, I am 71-yrs-old this morning and I want to talk to my absent children.”
She stopped writing, lost in thought. Only Victor and his family lived in the old home now. For a one-year-old who was just walking, Little Jewell could make an awful racket but she was grateful for the noise. She could hear the echoes of the absent children as if they were still home, eight of them slamming doors and hollering at each other. She picked up her pen again.
“What I can and truly hope that when the end of their road is as near in sight as mine, they can rejoice as I can, that rest is near.”
She put the pen down again and slowly pushed herself out of the chair. “I’ll finish later,” she told herself and little by little made her way down the stairs.”
The story
Martha Jane McColloam was born on January 1, 1848 in Sneedville, Tennessee. There is no birth certificate; the information comes from family records. She does confirm the date in her letter dated January 1, 1919.
She was one of three girls born to Mary Polly Gray and James Northcross McCollum. James and Polly had a farm that bordered the Clinch River. Their closest neighbors were the Rhea’s. She knew John Carter Rhea all her life so it was no surprise she married him at the age of 17 in 1865. John was 23-years-old and had just returned home as a veteran of the Civil War.
Ending day one here
There is more research needed on weddings of the time. Reviewing the records will show family members who would have attended the wedding. There was family around. Given there were no stores or large towns nearby, what would the couple wear? What kind of gifts would they receive? Where would they live considering the house wasn’t built yet? They did have land to farm. Where did they get it? This information may not be important or used in a final draft but it will form a framework for later stories.
Word count 970, 30 short of the goal.
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