Family Stories page 1
Pg. 2
The George family leaves Little Rock
Pg. 4
Mary Jane Whitten & Thomas C.
Pg. 5
Mary Jane’s sister Harriet
Pg. 8
Peter Rine Simpson by Lewis A.W. Simpson
Pages 1-7 are a
collection of stories collected and written by Alice (Simpson) Lemons
Sources: Alice spent many hours talking to her
paternal Grandmother, Mary Jane (Whitten) Simpson, also maternal Grandmother,
Sarah (France) George, her Uncle Ott George, Uncle Dr. John H. Driver, Aunt
Harriet Kelly. She also collected data
from her brother John, and sister-in-law Thelma, Tom’s wife, and most of all
her mother and dad, Julia A. (George) Simpson and Noah Wright Simpson, who
shared many experiences with her. Also many friends and cousins.
When Noah met Julia:
Noah was working at a sawmill, and Uncle
Wes, Julia’s brother, was also working there.
One day around noon
Julia, about 15 years old, came to the mill to bring her brother his
lunch. As she stood waiting Noah,
around 20 years old, saw her and remarked to another worker, “ what a pretty
girl”.
At the Time, Noah was
living with Uncle Louis Johnston and Aunt Irene, his sister and
brother-in-law. Cousin Ella was Julia’s
girl friend, and cousin Ella decided to have a young people’s party one night,
especially called so she could introduce Noah to Julia.
After that, they were
courting. Noah was still living with
his sister and brother-in-law. Noah wanted to wait until he built a house on
some land he owned, then they could get married and have a home of there own.
During this time, Uncle Wes’s work played
out and they, including Julia, moved to
Texas to for another job, but that ended shortly. Grandmother George and Julia
moved in to live with Uncle Ott and his
wife Aunt Annie, in the same part of Texas.
Aunt Annie was high tempered and soon told Julia she would have to
leave. In those days, all a girl could do was find a large family of children,
and work as a nanny for room and board. It was very hard work and very
unrewarding. So Julia wrote Noah about
her having to go to work. Noah wrote
back for her to come to Aunt Frances Merrell’s home about eight miles southwest
of Horatio and he would pick her up there and they would get married.
So Julia went to Horatio to Aunt Frances and
Uncle Rufus Merrell’s home, and there they made her wedding dress, and prepared
for Noah to come. On the morning of
Dec. 22, 1901, Uncle Burr took Noah to Gillham to catch the train, that ran
about 5:30am to Horatio, arriving at 7am,
he rented a surrey and went to get Julia. They started to the home of the Justice of the Peace, T.O. Poole,
but he had gone, to a big community dinner. So off they go to the dinner to
find the Justice of the Peace, They found Mr. Poole and he conducted the
service pronouncing them man and wife, while they sat in the surrey.
That night they rode
the train back to Gillham, met by Uncle Burr about 12:30 am. They made their
home with Uncle Burr and Aunt Bettie, Orrey and Annie, for about six months,
until Noah got his house built.