GYR Scavenger Hunt

1930 :: Death of Grandma Cain

On this date in 1930 . . . the 23rd day of June . . . Grandma Cain died in Tanglewood, Lee County, Texas . . . aka Susan / Susanna / Sushannah Cain nee Holland . . . she was born 08 December 1841 in Franklin County, Alabama . . . and she is a 2nd great-grandma to the Keeper of this family history blog . . . the burial location of Grandma Cain is marked with a simple homemade tombstone, which is shown on the left in the photo collage . . . on the right is Grandma Cain holding her great-grandson, James Oscar Beard (1918-1980) . . .

Rockdale Reporter. Thursday, June 26, 1930. Rural News. Tanglewood. June 23 -- Grandma Cain is very low at this writing. [Note . . .she actually died this date, Monday, June 23, 1930. See also: Thursday, July 10, 1930.]



Rockdale Reporter. Thursday, July 10, 1930. Rural News. Cole Springs. Grandma Cain passed away last Monday evening. She had been helpless and bed-ridden since last October. She was ready and anxious to take her departure. She knew in whom she believed, and she was not afraid to die. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Mrs. Cain was a native of Alabama. She was 88 years old the 8th of last December. She leaves one daughter, Mrs. J.M. Pounder of Tanglewood, and a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren to mourn her departure.



Texas Death Certificate. "Deceased was not attended by a Physician during her last sickness. Cause of Death from statements was dysentary. Dislocated hip from which she was confined to sick bed until her death."
"I.C. Shaffer, M.D., . . . am of the opinion that her ailments were results of dislocated hip in October 1929, & the immediate cause of her death was dysintiry."

I still have quite a few questions about this Sushannah. The genealogy info passed on to me by numerous family members said that Sushannah was married to Isaac Cosby Cain and that they had two children -- Thomas Sylvester Cain (1862-1920) and my great-grandma, Mary Susan Pounders nee Cain (1873-1950).

When I started doing my own research, I found Sushannah on the following census records --

• 1850 :: 8-year-old Susan Holland is living in Franklin County, Alabama with her parents, Edward & Mary A. M. Holland
• 1860 :: 18-year-old Susan Cain is living in Marion County, Alabama with her husband, Isaac Cain
• 1870 :: have not been able to locate Sushannah or Isaac or many of Susan's family members
• 1880 :: 48-year-old (?) Susan Cain is listed as a widow living in Belgreen, Franklin County, Alabama with her children, 18-year-old Thoms S. Cain & 7-year-old Mary S. Cain (my great-grandma)
• 1900 :: have not been able to locate Sushannah . . . she is NOT enumerated in Texas with either of her children and not enumerated in Alabama with her widowed mother or with any of her sisters . . . but family tradition says she came to Texas with her married daughter ca. 1896 . . .
• 1910 :: have not been able to locate Sushannah . . . not in Texas with either of her children
• 1920 :: have not been able to locate Sushannah . . . not in Texas with either of her children
• 1930 :: 88-year-old Susin Cain is listed in the household of her married daughter in Lee County, Texas

Susanna Cain's "Widow's Application for Confederate Pension" was dated 06 June 1930, less than two weeks before she died after being bedridden since October of 1929. In a cover letter (from the County Judge) which accompanied the application, W.F. Schlosshan observed that, ". . . she (Susannah) is very old ~ more than 88 years, and she was not able to furnish all the information in her application. . . ."

In said application it is alleged that Susannah stated that she was married to Isaac Cosby CAIN in 1858 in Franklin County, Alabama. It is also alleged that Susannah stated that her husband had died in 1865 in Alabama. In another part of the same application, it is stated that Isaac CAIN ". . . may have died before being discharged."

Online I found the following . . . Cain Isaack Company I Regiment 42 AL Hospital No.3 DOD 3/28/1863 Grave #951 . . . this Isaack Cain was buried in Vicksburg following his death during the time of the Vicksburg Campaign . . .

HOWEVER . . . "their" daughter, Mary Susan (CAIN) Pounders, was allegedly born 30 September 1873 in Franklin County, Alabama . . . c. eight years after Susannah supposedly said that Isaac died . . . and more than ten years after the death of the "Isaack Cain" at Vicksburg . . . I found Mary Susan on every census record beginning in 1880 . . . and they all support the ca. 1873 date of birth . . .

A letter dated 24 May 1930 from the War Department in Washington stated the following . . . "the records show that one Isaac Cain enlisted August 10, 1862, at Columbus, as private of Company I, 42d Alabama Infantry, C.S.A. . . . The company muster roll for September and October, 1862, . . . reports him absent, taken prisoner and paroled October 5, 1862 . . . another records shows that he was paroled at Bolivar, Tennessee, October 13, 1862 . . . no later record of him has been found. . . ."

Susannah's pension application was approved . . . on a husband that supposedly died during the war (1861-1865) . . . but it appears that the only payment that may have been made would have been after her death . . . when one of her grandsons made an Application for Mortuary Warrant. . . .