As the new decade began, the South was struggling to pull itself together in the devistating a termath of the Civil War.

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 8 - THE EIGHTEEN SEVENTIES: As the new decade began, the South was struggling to pull itself together in the devistating a termath of the Civil War. We cannot know for sure how many families were living in Myrtlewood at this time. There were perhaps five, perhaps more, perhaps less. Was Dr. Josiah Thomas Evans and his family still in Myrtlewood? Minerva Anderson Doss Carter and her unmarried children were here, as was her son Edwin Leonidas Carter and his wife. Thomas Minto Witherspoon and his wife were thought to be here. Was Sarah English Lyles Poellnitz back in Myrtlewood with her two young daughters by now? Capt. Nicholas Peay Lyles was thought to still be here. Beckley's Landing is included in this history for it was an important steamboat landing, some five miles from Myrtlewood, and not a community. At this time, I do not know the history of Beckley's Landing on the winding Tombigbee River. One would assume it was settled by and named for Captain Beckley, however, in the earlier days it was known as BICKLEY'S landing. I have been told that the marked graves of Capt. Beckley and his wife are in an abandoned cemetery at Beckley's Landing but I have not been able to see them. I have also been told that many Black people are buried there also, in unmarked graves. Beckley's Landing does not exist today. This historic old spot, like so many others, has long ago grown up in trees and underbrush. It is known that in 1860, Richard a Napier and his son Robert R. Napier were listed as planters at Beckley's (Bickley's) Landing. Did they own this property? It is not known how many times this property changed hands but it was later owned by Julius M. and Mary Emma Thomas Cook. It is not known when they came to this area but they were listed in the 1870 Marengo County Census, Linden Beat, with their children, Julius N., age 15, Franklin, age 14, and Emma Frances, age 7. The two boys were listed as being way at school" in the 1870 Census. Julius M. Cook was a farmer, born 18 June 1828, in South Carolina, the son of Stephen and Lydia Cook. He is thought to have migrated to Conecuh County, Alabama at an early age with his parents. Mary Emma Thomas Cook was the daughter of James and Mary Thomas of Conecuh County, Alabama, born 5 Oct in Conecuh County, near Evergreen. She was my Great-Great-Aunt, sister of my Great-Grandmother Tranquilla R. Thomas Cook Coats. Mary Emma and Tranquilla first married Cook brothers in Conecuh County, it is thought. It is possible that Tranquilla and her first husband, Napoleon B. Cook, migrated to Marengo County with Mary Emma and Julius M. Cook. Napoleon B. Cook died in 1864 and Tranquilla married Charles Sidney Coats in They then lived at Belmont in Sumter County, Ala. In later years,tranquilla was to live at Beckley's Landing with two of her children, Emma Frances Coats and Julius Sidney Coats, my Grandfather. Beckley's Landing was a busy place. It was a steamboat landing about 1 hour downstream from Demopolis and was the landing used by Llnden as well as Myrtlewood, Rembert Hills and other areas. There was a warehouse and a steamoperated cotton gin and grist 1

2 mill. There was a large two-story house on the high river bank and a second known house beside it. My Mother was to be born here in In this year, Louis Prang of Boston, Mass., entered into the business of Christmas Cards which had begun in England. The first Christmas cards had nothing to do with Christmas, but later on the Christmas theme, and still later, religious scenes became a part of the illustrations. 1870: Mon. Jan. 31: Claude Rogers Carter, first child of Edwin Leonidas and Margaret Jane Rogers Carter, was born. His parents were living in Myrtlewood but he could have been born in the home of his Grandparents Rogers in the Half Acre-Rembert Hills area. It was the custom then, and into the 1900s, for women to return home to their parents for the birth of their children, when possible. Claude Rogers Carter was the paternal grandson of Minerva Anderson Doss Carter and the late William Alexander Carter, and the maternal grandson of Thomas Wickham and Elizabeth Gardiner Terrel Rogers. February added two events to the Nation's history. On Wednesday, 9 Feb., the United States Weather Bureau was established, and on Wednesday, 23 Feb., Mississippi was re-admitted into the Union. 1871: In this year, Linden was re-established as the permanent County Seat of Marengo County, having been moved to Demopolis for a time during or right after the Civil War. Sun. Nov. 26: Elma Jacqueline Carter, second child and first daughter of Edwin Leonidas and Margaret Jane Rogers Carter, was born. Parents lived in Myrtlewood. Paternal grandaughter of Minerva Anderson Doss Carter and the later William Alexander Carter, and maternal granddaughter of Thomas Wickham and Elizabeth Gardiner Terrel Rogers. 1872: In this year Congress passed the Amnesty Act which restored Civil rights to the citizens of the South, except for some 500 Confederate leaders. Thurs. Sept. 5: Julius N. Cook, age 16, died at Beckely's Landing, it is thought. He was buried in the Baptist-Methodist cemetery at Rembert Hills. He was the son of Julius M. and Mary Emma Thomas Cook. Born 3 March 1856, most likely in Conecuh County, Ala. and came to Marengo County with his parents by or before Thurs. Oct. 24: Pearl Evans was born to Caleb Rembert and Sina Ellen Westbrook Evans. (At Jefferson?) Paternal granddaughter of Dr. Josiah Thomas and Louise Lenora Rembert Evans. Maternal grandparents unknown. 2

3 1873: In this year, Ulysses S. Grant, Republican, took office for a second term as President of the United States. The $.01 post card went into effect (See 1911). The Stock Market crashed in this year and the Nation was plunged into a depression which was still to be felt in Sun. March 23: Benjamin Dismukes Rogers, age 25, died and was buried in the Baptist-Methodist Cemetery at Rembert Hills. He was the husband of Mary Vermelle (Mellie) Carter and the father of Mary, Helen Benjamin and William Frank Rogers. He was born 5 January 1848 in South Carolina, the son of Francis Alexander and Eliza Ann Dismukes. He came to Marengo County with his parents around 1835, ca age 5. Benjamin Dismukes Rogers married Mary Vermelle Carter, daughter of Myrtlewood pioneer settlers William Alexander and Minerva Anderson Doss Carter, in Marengo County on 25 November By September, yellow fever had invaded parts of Alabama. On Sat. 27 September, the Montgomery Advertiser carried an account which stated that railroad trains leaving Montgomery on 26 September were crowded with refugees from the Yellow Fever. On Thurs. 2 October, the Advertiser stated that because of the exodus, due to Yellow Fever, jobs were scarce and many people were suffering for food in Montgomery. 1874: The depression lingered on. Sun. April 26: Herbert Colletion Carter, third child and second son of Edwin Leonidas and Margaret Jane Rogers Carter, was born. Parents living in Myrtlewood. Paternal grandson of Minerva Anderson Doss Carter and the late William Alexander Carter, and maternal grandson of Thomas Wickham and Elizabet Gardiner Terrel Rogers. Thurs. July 9: Franklin Cook, ag.e19, died at Beckley's Landing, it is thought, and was buried in the Baptist-Methodist cemetery at Rembert Hills beside his brother Julius N. Cook. He was the son of Julius M. and Mary Emma Thomas Cook of Beckley's Landing. Born 19 November 1854, possibly in Conecuh County, Alabama, he came to Marengo County with his parents by or before : There are no Myrtlewood entries for this year. The Depression of 1873 continued. 1876: In this year, the United States celebrated its Centennial. The depression of 1873 was still being felt. On Tuesday, 7 March, a paten was granted to Alexander Graham Bell for an invention he called the telephone. 3

4 1876 (Continued): Mon. March 13: Rosa Allene Carter, fourth child and second daughter of Edwin Leonidas and Margaret Jane Rogers Carter was born. The parents were living in Myrtlewood. Paternal granddaughter of Minerva Anderson Doss Carter and the late William Alexander Carter, and the maternal grandaughter of Thomas Wickham and Elizabeth Gardiner Terrel Rogers. Sat. May 6: Caleb Rembert Evans, Jr., second child of Caleb Rembert and Sina Ellen Westbrook Evans was born. At Myrtlewood, or Jefferson? Paternal grandson of Dr. Josiah Thomas Evans and the late Louise Lenora Rembert Evans. On Mon. 5 June, visitors to the U. S. Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia, got their first taste of a tropical fruit called the banana. Before this, bannas had rarely been seen in the United States. Thurs. Nov. 9: Julius M. Cook, age 48, died at Beckley's Landing and was buried in the Baptist-Methodist cemetery at Rembert Hills, beside his two sons, Franklin and Julius N. He was survived by his wife Mary Emma Thomas Cook and daughter Emma Frances Cook. He was born 18 June 1828 in South Carolina, migrated with his parents to Conecuh County, Alabama and is thought to have married Mary Emma Thomas in that County. Julius M. and Mary Emma and children migrated to Marengo County in 1870 or before. 1877: Mon. March 5: Rutherford Birchard Hayes was inaugerated as the 19th President of the United States, replacing Ulysses S. Grant. Tues. April 24: At last, a joyous day for the South! Northern Rule ended in the South as Federal Troops were ordered removed from New Orleans, twelve years after the war ended. Wed. Nov. 21: Thomas A. Edison announced that he had invented a talking machine which he called a phonograph. Wed. Nov. 28: William Walton Carter, fifth child and third son of Edwin Leonidas and Margaret Jane Rogers Carter, was born. The parents were living in Myrtlewood. Paternal grandson of Minerva Anderson Doss Carter and the late William Alexander Carter, and maternal grandson of Thomas Wickham and Elizabeth Gardiner Terrel Rogers. 1878: Tues. Feb. 19: Thomas A. Edison was granted a paten for his new invention, the phonograph. Tues. Nov. 26: Lillian Evans, third child and second daughter of Caleb Rembert and Sina Ellen Westtbrook Evans, was born. At Myrtlewood or at Jefferson. Paternal grandaughter of Dr. Josiah Thomas 4

5 1878 (Continued): Evans and the late Louise Lenora Rembert Evans. Maternal grandparents unknown. 1879: In this year, a newspaper, The Linden Reporter, was established in Linden. It is thought that in this year, William Walter Carter, son of Minerva Anderson Doss Carter and the late William Alexander Carter, age ca 21 was engaged in building a pole fence with the aid of a Black man. According to family tradition, William Walter Carter told the Black man to do something and an argument ensued, in which the Black man hit William Walter with a pole, breaking his shoulder. William Walter then shot the Black man and killed him. William Walter Carter then left Myrtlewood to never return. He settled in Saturn, Gonzales County, Texas, where he later married and raised a family. Thurs. April 3: Emma Frances Cook, daughter of Mary Emma Thomas Cook and the late Julius M. Cook, of Beckley's Landing, married Dr. Anson Beviere Barlow Spinney, son of William and Margaret S. Spinney of Georgetown, Maine. They were married in her home at Beckley's Landing. She was not quite 16 and he was 48. Dr. Spinney, born in July 1831, was a traveling Doctor with a colorful history. Tues. Nov. 4: A paten was granted to J. J. Ritty of Dayton, Ohio, for a machine called a Cash Register. Wed. Dec. 31: On this last day of this decade, the prolific inventer, Thomas A. Edison, demonstrated his latest invention, the Electric Icandescent Light. Perhaps in this year, or earlier, Capt. Nicholas Peay Lyles and his family moved from Myrtlewood to Linden. Two children had been born at this time, Mary Lou in 1867, and Julius Edwin in 1869, and it is thought that perhaps both were born in Myrtlewood. The third known child, Thomas Menten Lyles, was born in Linden in Two other children were to follow him. 5