On this date in our family history . . . the 7th day of September . . . in the year 1964 . . . Emma Patience Muston nee Nettles dies in Rockdale, Milam County . . . in the family photo in this collage, Emma is standing between her daughter, Ima Lois Pounders nee Muston (1906-1999), and Ima's son, Forrest Lee Pounders (1926-1996) . . .
Forrest Lee -- aka Fuzzy -- is my dear Dad, and Ima is the grandma who lived right next door during my entire childhood . . . Ima never learned to drive (though I do have memories of my Dad trying to teach her), and she was widowed in 1957 . . . on Sunday afternoons (after church) we (being the entire family of Mom and Dad and us three girls) frequently took Grandma to Lexington to visit her mother, Emma, and other family members . . .
Emma and Ima and Fuzzy are all at rest in this little country cemetery, as well as Emma's parents, Joseph Helidorah Nettles (1832-1890) and Mary Annie Nettles nee West (1852-1939), and a multitude of assorted kith and kin . . .
Funeral services for Mrs. Emma Patience Muston, 82, were held Tuesday [08 Sept 1964] at the Phillips & Luckey chapel in Rockdale. Burial was in the Tanglewood cemetery, with Rev. James M. Frazier, of the Methodist Church, Lexington, officiating. Mrs. Muston died Monday [07 Sept 1964] at the Richards hospital in Rockdale. For the past two and one-half years she had been in a Rockdale rest home. Most of her life was spent in the Cole Springs / Tanglewood community and in Lexington. She was born June 18, 1882, in Lee County, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Nettles. She was married to Charlie G. Muston, who preceded her in death when the children were young.
Surviving are seven daughters, Mrs. Joe Tomkins, Mrs. Alvin Jones, Mrs. Ben Reynolds, and Mrs. B. R. Taylor, all of Houston; Mrs. Dean Quinney of Lexington, Mrs. John Taylor of Lexington, and Mrs. J. E. Pounders of Rockdale; and one sister, Mrs. Oscar Peebles of Houston; also 18 grandchildren and 38 great grandchildren. Pall bearers were [grandsons] F.L. Pounders, K.D. Quinney, E.P. Lerche, A.D. Quinney, A.D. Pounders, and S.D. Quinney. Rockdale Reporter, September 1964
On this date in our family history . . . the 29th day of November . . . in the year 1957 (which was the Friday morning after Thanksgiving) . . . Jacob E. Forrest Pounders suffers a heart attack while preparing to go to work at McVoy's Grocery store in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas . . . aka Pa Jake, this is my paternal grandpa . . . I was six years old at this time, and I can still picture my Dad standing in the kitchen at our home, crying, and saying that his Father was dead . . .
Heart Seizure Friday is Fatal to Jake Pounders.
Jake Pounders, well known citizen of Rockdale, died Friday morning (29 November 1957) about eight o'clock after having a heart seizure at his home and being rushed by ambulance to St. Edwards hospital at Cameron. He was preparing to go to business for the day when the attack struck.
Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon at two o'clock from the Phillips and Luckey Chapel, with the Rev. Roy Brewton of the First Christian church officiating. Burial was made in the Tanglewood cemetery. Pallbearers were: Adolph McVoy, Clyde Luetge, William Backhaus, Hershell Bonnett, Garland Caffey, Weldon Henry.
Jacob Edman Pounders was born July 8, 1902, at Reedville, Texas, in Caldwell county. His parents were James Madison and Mary Cain Pounders. His life had been lived in the counties of Lee and Milam, since a small child, and he was known to his many friends as Jake Pounders.
On October 20, 1926, Jacob Edman Pounders was married to Ima Muston and to them were born two sons and a daughter. Mr. Pounders was an active member of the First Christian church. He had been associated with a number of business places in past years and at the time of his passing was an employee of McVoy's Grocery, having been with the company for several years.
Mr. Pounders is survived by the wife, Mrs. Ima Pounders, sons, Forrest Lee and Arlin Dee Pounders; the daughter, Mrs. Bill (Dovie) Green, all of Rockdale; eight grandchildren, seven sisters, Mrs. W.F. Beard of Tanglewood, Mrs. J.E. Dodson of Brownsville, Mrs. W.E. Corder of San Antonio, Mrs. Obie Fretwell of Austin, Mrs. Gaden Sanders of Houston, Mrs. Debs Spivey of Mecca, California; three brothers, J.L. Pounders of Rockdale, Oscar and Fred Pounders of Rockdale.
Rockdale Reporter, December 1957.
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. . . .
