Johnson-Hancock-Warren County GaArchives News.....Father Fought in the Revolution June 19 1932 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Inez Brett ibrett1042@aol.com July 24, 2003, 12:12 pm The Atlanta Journal Tbe Atlanta Journal, Sunday Morning June 19. 1932 Father Fought in the Revolution Aunt Sara Pool 86 and Aunt Mary Pool Newsom, 82, Who Live Alone on a Small Farm Near Gibson, Ga, in Glascock County, Are the Daughters of Henry Pool a Georgia soldier Who fought in Washington's Army. The Colonial Hero Died at the Age of Two Years After Aunt Mary Was Born. BY FRED DENTON MOON In "AUNT" SARA POOL, 84 and "Aunt Mary Pool Newsom, 82, who live near Gibson in Glacock County, Georgia can claim two of the seven real "children of the American Revolution" now alive. Their father, Henry Pool; who died eighty years ago at the age of 92, was a soldier under Washington and served through the struggle for Ameriean Independence, 1776-1782. Sitting on the front porch of their IittIe three-room house which faces Georgia State Highway No 17, two miles northwest of the town of Gibson, the aged sister expressed surprise upon learing that they were interesting enough to cause two Atlanta Journal representatives to drive aII the way from AtIantajust to ask them questions and take their pietures. Aunt Sara has never in her life traveled farther than 6 miles from home and the longest journey Aunt Mary ever made was one trip to Milledgeville, fifty miles away. Atlanta, to them, sounded as far away as Mars. "We've never been to Atlanta but we heard a band playing there on the radio one time," said Aunt Mary."No, it wasn't our radio: we don't have one. Folks have brought us radios and phonographs, too, but we sent them all back. I reckon we're too old to get used to such new things." For many years Aunt May explained she and Aunt Sarah got dong without any luxuries at all. Their life up up until the time they were "discovered" by Nncy Hart Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution of MiIIedgeville, was a hard one. They are the last survivors of a lage family and when they became too feeble to work the two-acre farm which was Aunt Mary's heritage from her husband, their only income was Aunt Mary's pension as a Confederate widow and an allowance of S4.00 a month which the county gave to Aunt Sara. "But now we've been adopted by the Daughters of the Revolution," Aunt Mary said cheerfully, "and we don't want for anything. We're happier than we've ever been before." While these aged women have lived more than three score years within 6 miles of their present home, it was not untiI three years ago that their historical back ground was brought to light. Dr. H.Y. Yarborough prominent MilIedgevilIe physician, was called one day to administer to Aunt Sarah, the elder sister, and during his visit he noticed an old saber hanging over the fireplace in their littIe"parlor." He asked questions and was informed that the sword belonged to the father of the sisters and that he had carried it through may battles in thee Revolutionary War. Dr. Yarborough mentioned this fact to his wife, who, at that time held the office of regent of Nancy Hart Chapter, and Mrs. Yarborough immediately launched an investigation. It was not difficult to locate Henry Pool's name on the roster of Revdutionary Spldiers and further research proved that Aunt Sarah and Aunt Mary were the daughters of a man who saw serviee under Washington. Aunt Sarah ad Aunt Mary were taken in charge by the Nncy Hart Chapter, and when their case was submitted to the national department D.A.R, that body presented them with certificates attesting to their status as "real daughters" of the Revolution. Chapters in all parts of the country adopted them, and voted an allowance of $25.00 a month to each of them, and now they hold honorary memberships in twenty-five different chapters. A recent investigation disclosed that they are among the seven children of Revolutionary soldiers now Iiving, and that they are the only two in that number who are as Aunt Mary puts it "able to be up and a-spyring round." Of course, we knew all along that Pa helped lick the Redcoats," explained Aun Sarah, "but we didn't think that amounted to much. You see when we were growing up there were a lot of folks alive who fought in Washington's Army. We stay so cose to home Sister Mary and 1 do, that we didn't realize that we were the only children of a Revolutionary solider still living in Georgia" The old Pool family Bible shows that Henry Pool, the father of Aunt Sarah and Aunt Mary, was born in England in 1759. He came to America as a young man, bringing with him a bride, me former Miss Susan Ratchlet. Two children blessed this union, both born after the couple reached Georgia. Upon the death of Susan, Henry Pool was not long about taking a new mate, Mary Hutchinson who died shortly after their marriage. His third wife, Elanor Hutchinson, sister of Mary bore him eight children. When Aunt Mary, the youngest child was born in 1850, Henry Pool had already celebrated his 90th birthday and he died two years later. "Sister Mary can't remember Pa at all," said Aunt Sara, but I was a child of 6 at the time of his death, and I have a dim recollection of men coming and putting him in a hole in the ground while Ma stood around crying." Historical records show that Henry Pool was a Private soldier with Georgia's troops in the Colonial Army and fought throughout the Revolutionary War. Aunt Sarah and Aunt Mary remember being told stories by their mother of their father's bravery in battles fought near Augusta Kettle Creek and Briar Creek, in Georgia; at Camden King's Mountain and Cowpens S.C, and at Yorktown, when he served under Washington himself and witnessed the surrender of Lord CornwalIis. When the war ended, Henry Pool returned to Georgia and drew land from the state in the Warren County Iand Iottery in 1827. On this alloted farm area he built a house, and lived there with his wife and 10 children. A son preceeded the father to the grave, and following the death of Henry Pool. seven other children died at short intervals until only the mother, Sara and Mary were left. In 1865 Aunt Mary at the age of 15 became the bride of Arch Newsome and young soldier in the Confederate Army, who owned a small farm five miles from the Pool homestead, in what is now Glascock County. Shortly after Mary's wedding the Pool house burned and Aunt Mary and the aged mother took up their residence in a cabin near Mary's home. When the mother died a quarter of a century ago, Aunt Sara who had not married, moved in with her sister and brother in law. Since the death of Arch Newsome, sixteen years ago, the aged sisters have lived alone on the two-acre farm that lies two miles northwest of Gibson. Despite their advanced age the Pool sisters lead an active life. They attend to all the details of housekeeping, cultivate a large vegetable garden, flower garden, and look after a big flock of chickens. What little time they do have left, when their routine chore are finished, is spent with Aunt Mary, whose eyes are stronger than Aunt Sara's, reading to her sister from the weekly county newspaper and from the ancient family Bible. They know and are known to almost every man, woman, and child who passes along the road, a few feet from their little front porch, so they do not lack for news of what is going on beyond the limits of their two acre farm. But of the great world, which they have heard lies across Rock Comfort Creek to the south and beyond Warrenton to the north, they know little. Several years ago a neighbor coxed the sisters into his automobile for a ride. With the disappearance of the horse and buggy as a means of transportation, they have been forced to make a few other short trips by car. "But we don't like riding in an automobile," Aunt Sara smiled. "Folks tell us that we'd get used to them if we rode oftener, but I declare I don't believe we ever will. It just isn't healthy to go scootin' along so fast with all that wind blowing smoke and dust into your face." On the day of our visit, Sunday June 5, the sisters were dressed in their go-to- meetin' clothes and very much excited because they were to be taken by motor to their birthplace in Warren County, to unveil a marker erected at their father's grave by the Burkhalter Chapter D.A.R. of Warrenton. When the car which had brought them from their home drew up in the woods and Aunt Sara and Aunt Mary were helped to the ground where they were greeted by a crowd of 500 people, they each suffered a bad case of "stage fever". Never in their lives had they seen so many people in one group. If it had been possible to escape, they afterwards confessed, they would have done so. But they soon became accustomed to the crwod, and brief exercises represented the biggest excitement of their lives. At the end, when they were given a signal, they reached out feeble hands and pulled the cords which released the bunting that shrouded the marker. Tears trickled down their cheeks as their dim old eyes looked upon the stone which marks the grave of their father who died eighty years ago. The naker on the grave of Henry Pool is of marble, a small, neat stone which gleams as white as a snowball against the surrounding thicket of sumac and blackberry briars. Only six words are engraved upon it: Henry Pool Ga.Troops Rev.War When at last they were ready to go home, Aunt Sara, the elder sister glanced back at the little clearing and her father's grave. "I want to be buried here too," she said. And added, "If the hearse should bring me over here to lie beside Pa, It'll be the third time that I've been this far from home." Mary Poole Newsome, born April 15, 1850 and died Feb. 11, 1939 Wife of Archibald Newsome, Confederate soldier. and dau of Henry Pool, R.S. and his wife Ellender Hutchinson. Newsome, A. E. born May 29, 1848 and died August 5, 1916 "It is hard indeed, to part with thee, but Christ's strong arm supported me." A Confederate Soldier Additional Comments: This article was given to me by Brad Poole. This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 10.9 Kb