Wordless Wednesday: Working Cattle, the River Place, Fisher County, Texas

 

-Revis

Sentimental Sunday - "Pa Jim" Cauble's Snuff Glass

As I put clean glasses up in the cabinet, I looked at one glass which was given to me years ago. It belonged to my paternal great-grandfather, James Andrew Cauble, known to me and family as "Pa Jim". 

Pa Jim Cauble's snuff glass and one 
I bought at an antique store years ago.

My grand-daughters love to use this glass. In fact, the girls would fight over who would use that glass, and that led me to search antique stores to buy at least two more glasses like Pa Jim's. 

Imagine the kids surprise when they learned that the glass they loved to drink out of was, in fact, a snuff glass. They know about Copenhagen and "dipping" because we live in Texas and some cowboys in the family (or friends of their older sisters) "dip snuff". 

So when I described what went in these glasses, they all said, "Yuck", "Gross", "No way!" Yes, girls, yes way! 

If you're like my grands, and curious about a snuff glass, well, it was a glass container that held powdered tobacco. 

After the powdered tobacco was used, families would use the containers as drinking glasses. Our families back in time didn't throw items away like we do in today's world. They were what I call the great recyclers.

What made me think of James Andrew Cauble (born 18 Mar 1880-Putnam, Callahan County, Texas, died 20 May 1962-Fisher County, Texas) and his snuff glasses? 

Well, this weekend I was going through tubs of sentimental and antique items I've kept through the years. 

And guess what? I have another one of his glasses. Will it go in the cabinet? Yes, it will. 

What better way to honor an ancestor than to use something that belonged to them. Even if it is a snuff glass. 

Do you have unusual items from your family that you use every day? Drop a message and let me know. 

-Revis 

Summer is for Family Reunions!

Some of my families are back at having reunions after cancelling them due to the Covid pandemic. Summer in Texas is scorching hot, but that's usually when we hold our reunions. Pools, lakes, rivers or bounce house water slides are almost a necessity so the kids (and sometimes parents) can keep cool. 

This past weekend we experienced fun and family time at a new venue for us - the Rest Yourself River Ranch near Mineral Wells, Texas. Good times were had by all with lots of good food, including my uncle Roy's barbecue from Natty Flat Smokehouse. 

It was a steep hike down to the Brazos River and back up the hill to the meeting place. 

I didn't get pictures, but family members kayaked, fished, and swam in the Brazos River. 

Our family supports our reunions by having both silent and live auctions. Live auction items are either handmade or old family items (pictures, tools, etc). Current and past auctions have included some awesome items. 

My grand-daughter's painting in memory of her five friends

who died in the Robb Elementary (Uvalde) school shootings. 

Does your family hold auctions during reunions? What kind of items are sold? I'd love to hear how your family supports your family reunions - by auctions, donations, raffles, or other means to raise money to help with the expenses, other than registration fees. 

-Revis

Family Reunions of the Past

When you hear that your family (or someone else) is having a "family reunion", what are the first thoughts that run through your head? I know some think, "OH NO!"  "No way, I'm going." "I'm busy that weekend."  "Will ____ be there?" You fill the name in on that last thought!

Or are you one of those people who are glad to hear about a family reunion because you want to go and talk to people who may know the family's stories. And people who might know the old ones - your great-grandfather or great-grandmother or possibly even your great-great-grandparents.

I fit in the latter train of thought. I like to go to family reunions. I have traveled to many by myself. I have conned - I mean, talked - my sister into going to some with me over the years.

One of the first family reunions I got my sister to attend with me was the 300th Anniversary of the Kolb Brothers Coming to America. It was held in Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in 2007. In order for her to come with me, I had to promise we'd go over to Lancaster County and go antiquing. I agreed. We also have roots in Lancaster County, but I didn't tell her that until we got there. Then my mother asked to join in on the trip. Mind you, these Kolb's are my dad's mother's family, but he wouldn't go with us.

Top Photo: Cemetery
Middle Photo: Mother and sister with my Texas cousin and a new Missouri cousin
Bottom Photo: Lowe Skippack Mennonite Church, Montgomery County, PA 

At this Kolb reunion, we met my Texas cousin - a great-grandson of my Kolb great-grandfather's brother. And Y-DNA results had come in right before the reunion. We laughed that maybe we all were not going to be descendants of Dielman Kolb ("old Dielman Kolb") of the Palatinates, but we'd have fun with his descendants anyway. It turns out our Kolb's of Texas were Y-DNA matches to the other sons of old Dielman Kolb. Testing of family members at AncestryDNA, Family Finders, My Heritage and 23andMe also gives us matches that are out of the Kolb related lines in our "paper" tree.  

Our paper genealogy was done in 1996. The Kolbs - Some Roots and Branches by Ruby G. Peters and Doris G. McGrew (with help and information gathered from the research of Avery E. Kolb and Erby R. Kolb) is detailed with names and other family information. But it lacks the source information of the records they used for the book. Those records are, hopefully, being stored by their families. 

Oh, and by the way, my sister and mother had a great time at the reunion. 

Shortly after this reunion, the Kolb's in Texas (mainly me and my 3rd cousin, Susan, who lives in the same town as I do) decided to try and "revive" our family reunions. In 2008, we had a reunion less than two months after we sent out the invitations to all of the descendants of Henry James Yancy Kolb's (b. 19 Aug 1835-Jackson Co., Georgia - d. 18 Jan 1873-Elkhart, Anderson Co., Texas) sons, Robert Franklin Kolb (b. 15 Jan 1868-Grapeland, Houston Co.,, Texas - d. 02 Dec 1957-Sweetwater, Nolan Co., Texas) and William Henry Kolb (b. 10 Feb 1866-Texas - d. 07 July 1955-Grapeland, Houston Co., Texas) that we could find addresses for. Cousins who hadn't seen each other in years or who never met were excited to come. We were not a large group, but numbered about 20. 

Texas Kolb attendees look at pictures and genealogies (2008-El Progreso Memorial Library, Uvalde, Texas)

Robert Franklin Kolb, son of Henry James Yancy Kolb

Henry James Yancy Kolb

William Henry Kolb, son of Henry James Yancy Kolb

I'd like to leave you with this quote from Edward Sellner. It's especially fitting if you don't know your family - as I'm learning that I'm fortunate that I did know my older family members growing up. 

We inherit from our ancestors gifts so often taken for granted. Each of us contains within this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise. – Edward Sellner

-Revis

Sunday's Obituary: Sarah Martha "Mattie" Teel Barnette

Sunday's Obituary is a daily prompt at Geneabloggers where bloggers share old obituaries and other information about ancestors. 

        

Sarah Martha "Mattie" Teel (born 26 
Aug 1852-Rockbridge, VA, died 16
Jan 1905-Eminence, Shannon Co. MO).

      BURNED TO DEATH. 
   Mrs. J. C. Barnette Fatally Injured By
         Explosion of Coal Oil Lamp

   Our little city was aroused Monday

morning about seven o'clock by cries

of "fire," and it was soon ascertained

that a lamp exploded at the Barnette

Hotel, and that Mrs. Barnette was

badly burned. The house was slight-

ly damaged, but the fire was soon ex-

tinguished. Dr. Hyde was promptly

summoned and on examination of

Mrs. Barnette he declared her condi-

tion very serious, and about 1 p.m.

she died of her injuries. From what

we learn she was taking down a wall

lamp that had been burning during

breakfast, and it was very hot and

she started to put it on the table when

it exploded, and the burning oil flew

all over her, saturating her clothing

and she was instantly a mass of flame.

Her daughter Bertha immediately

gave the alarm, and her son Curry

who was near came to her help and

seized some bedding and wrapped her

up to smother the flame. But her

clothing being soaked with the oil

smouldered and burned still and had

to be torn from her body. On

examination her body was found to be

severely burned from her head to her

feet, but the most serious burns were

on the breast and stomach. Her

hands were also badly burned. She

was conscious until near her death,

and bravely bore her suffering. This

sudden and horrible has cast

a gloom over our little city, and it is

hard to realize that so active and so

useful a life has been blotted out so

suddenly and so cruelly. Mrs. Bar-

nette, as hostess of Hotel Barnette, was

probably better known than any other

woman in Shannon county, and her

good nature and uniform courtesy to

all endeared her to everyone. She

was an industrious and capable mana-

ger, and the success of the Barnette

Hotel was due to her personality.

She leaves a husband, John C. Bar-

nette, a Confederate veteran, four

sons, Curry, John, Otho and Fred, and

daughters Bertie and Bessie, in her

family at home, and all were present

at her bedside. One married daugh-

ter, Mrs. Minnie James, is in Lufkin,

Texas. Her son Curry was the first

to reach the mother after the acci-

dent and severely burned his hands in

fighting out the flames. It was a sad

picture to see the heartbroken family

gathered around the stricken mother,

each willing to share her pain and

praying for her recovery and relief.

And now that her busy hands are fold-

ed, and her great mother-love gone

from them, they will realize, as thou-

sands have done before, that no one

can take a mother’s place. To the

bereaved family, the husband and

companion of years whose heart is

widowed in his grief, to the sons,

whose earliest steps were guided by

mother, and whose whole lives were

watched over with loving care, to the

daughters, whose refuge from infan-

cy to girlhood was on mother’s breast,

shielded from all troubles and soothed

from every heartache by mother’s

gentle voice, we extend our sympathy,

realizing that it cannot lessen their grief,

for time alone can do that, but

in the spirit that a mother’s love

draws us all together, a mother’s

death brings us together in our grief.

And with all the sympathy and kind-

ness that can be shown, the cry will

still arise in the heart of each loved one,

"Oh, for the touch of a vanished hand,

And the sound of a voice that is still."

“Burned to Death.,” Current Wave, Eminence, MO.,  19 January 1905, page 8, col. 2.

-Revis

Treasure Chest Thursday - Old Things!

 What's a heirloom, really? As I pondered this (yes, I ponder...it's an old saying we said in the red sand area of Texas where I grew up known as the "rolling plains"), I wondered, was it something very old? Was it something special, but rare? Just what does it mean to me? Or to you? 

Merriam-Webster's definition includes: something of special value handed down from one generation to another.

I'm lucky. No, I'm blessed. As I look around my home, I have quite a few "heirlooms". Pieces of furniture that belonged to my family and my husband's family. Paintings. Dishes. Silver set and gold flatware set. Old bible(s). Jewelry. 

Jewelry. 

Not expensive jewelry, but special jewelry. I have a few pieces that belonged to my Mother's mother, my Grandmomie, Eva Nell Stuart (b. 10 Mar 1914-Roby, Fisher County, Texas - d. 11 Jul 1981, Roby, Fisher County, Texas).

What makes this jewelry so special (besides being hers) is that Eva Nell and her family suffered at least two (that I can recall) fires that destroyed their homes and all that was in it. Pictures gone. Furniture gone. Everything lost in the fires. So having anything that was hers is a keepsake and special to my family.

Here's my Grandmomie Eva Nell Stuart Dennis and two of her sisters, Marjorie Stuart McCuistion, and Lucille Stuart Carter. Notice my Grandmomie has a brooch or pin on in this picture. 

L to R: Eva Nell Stuart Dennis, Marjorie "Marge" Allen Stuart
McCuistion and Mamie Lucille Stuart Carter

 And below are the pieces of jewelry I have in my possession that were Eva Nell's. How I would love to talk to her and ask her where she got the pieces.  

1st Picture: Top Left: Bracelet, Brooch. Lower left: Pins
2nd Picture: Closeup of the bracelet

I hope that these pieces will continue to be passed down in my family. But you never know what will happen to them. The trend today is minimalist. Many younger people don't want anything that belonged to older family members. The "china" plates (used only for special occasions back in the day), the flatware (silver), old photo albums and beautiful armoires or buffets are thrown out or given to Goodwill (or other organizations). 

Do you have heirlooms from your family? If not, do you buy old pieces of furniture or jewelry at antique stores or auctions? 

As I look around my house at the things that belonged to my ancestors, I am left with this thought: "Oh, if you could only talk!! What things we might could learn!!"

-Revis