Miller CO. GA - The Rawls Story *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** The Rawls Story Part I told by: Clarissa Roberts Rawls to Susie Rawls Dixon Written by: Ida Rawls Odum The Rawls Story Part II was written by: Mary Brown Weaver Daughter of: Cassie Rawls Brown written about: 1985 The Rawls Story Part I and II, Miller County, GA Copyright (c) 2000 by James A. Wood. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by James A. Wood, e-mail: woodja0@home.com ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************************ The Rawls Story Part 1 The first part was told to Ida Dixon Odom by her mother, Susie Rawls Dixon, who heard it from her mother, Clarissa Roberts Rawls. Great-grandfather Drewry Roberts was born in 1782 in Burke County, Georgia, the son of Lieutenant Drewry Roberts, a Revolutionary War soldier. He came to Miller County with his wife and two oldest chi1dren in the early 1800's, probably about 1825 but the dates aren't known exactly. His wife was Chloe Golightly Roberts, born in 1792 in Burke County. He died in 1856; she died in 1855. He homesteaded in Miller County about three miles from Colquitt on the banks of Spring Creek, building a log cabin. Travelers began coming through, crossing the creek, and wanting to spend the night. Drewry enlarged his cabin and called this part of the creek Roberts Crossing. (Years later it became known as Rawls Landing.) Up the hill from the crossing, he built a house for his family. Grandpa Drewry came to this spot bringing his worldly possessions on a cart pulled by oxen. The land here was full of wild oats coming up in spring and tall pines, useful for building. Settlers came, but the main travelers were on horseback, many spending the night at Roberts Crossing. He bought a few slaves; later, he bought more. They cleared fields, built cabins for themselves (slaves), started growing cotton and raising cattle. He made cheese and butter, hauling it to Bainbridge to be sold. It was there at Bainbridge that slaves were unloaded from boats coming up Flint River. GrandPa Drewry was a very strict man, but he was honest, and he was good to his slaves. Stories were told about a Mr. Scarborough who was not so good to his slaves. After his death, some people believed his house to be haunted. During the next years there were eleven more children born to Drewry and Chloe. The thirteen are: (sons) Burrell (Burl), Henry, Ashley, Drewey, Charles, James (Jim): (Daughters) Chloe, Rachel, Elizabeth (Betsy), Penelope (Penny), Nancy, Temperance (Tempie) and Clarissa (our grandmother). The children and the persons they married are: Burl -Married twice -Jane Fulgum -Arianna Harrell Henry -Rebecca Bush Charles -Mourning Bush Ashley -Lucinda Wilby Drew -Mary Sheffield Jim -Martha Fulghum Chloe -John Isham Davis Rachel -Tom Lane Betsy -John M. (Mat) Lane Penny -Wilson Thompson Nancy -Isham Sheffield Tempie -Isaac Bush Clarissa -Tom Rawls Of these, Drewry and Chloe are buried in Rawls Cemetery, along with Ashley, Temperance, and Clarissa. All the settlers who were interested in buying slaves knew the days to expect the boats coming up the river to Bainbridge. A lady named Mrs. Shepard was one of these. She made cheese to sell, and would meet the boat to sell it. One day she walked up to the man in charge of selling the slaves and said, "What will you take for six of these young men?" The man looked at her wearing her floppy bonnet and old clothes and thought she couldn't buy anything. Very sarcastically, he gave her a price, only a fraction of the value of the six men. At once she began pulling up her skirts until she got to one with large pockets and pulled out a large roll of money. Then the man said, "I was only joking." Mrs. Shepard said, "I wasn't." Several men standing nearby had heard the conversation, and they held the man to his price. Mrs. Shepard loaded her cart with supplies and walked the young men twenty miles back to her home. The settlers cleared the land by having "log rollings". This was a process of cutting down trees, rolling the logs in piles, and burning the unused parts. They had "house raisings"--using the cut logs, fitting them together. While the men did this, the women would get together to cook and feed the men. No one had a stove. Cooking was done on a fireplace, using different sizes of iron kettles and frying pans, or skillets. Most of them had lids and three legs, Large ones were used for baking by putting red coals on the lids. Oak coals would burn long enough to bake, and women knew just how hot to get them, with the same amount of coals under the "spider", as these pans were called. Biscuits, cake, and sweet potatoes were baked like this. Grandma Clarissa had her own horse, a big stallion. One day Grandpa Drewry told her to take the horses to the creek for water. She was busy spinning thread, a task her mother had given her for the day. She said, "Father, let one of the boys go. I've got to finish my spinning." Grandpa Drewry said, "By the devil, I told you to go!" She put a bridle on the stallion, opened the lot gate, jumped on the horse, and rode as fast as she could go. When the horses had drunk, she rode back very fast. Her father came to meet her and said, "I was expecting to find you killed." She rode very swiftly by him and didn't even reply. One afternoon the family received word that Penny was sick. She lived near Blakely, twenty miles away, and it was almost sundown. Grandpa Drewry said to Clarissa, "You'll have to go." Grandma Clarissa said, "Can't I wait until morning?" Her father replied, "No, you must go tonight." She rode hard until dark, then slowed down. There was a stream deep enough for the horse to swim across, so she crossed her feet on the saddle, slackened the rein, and let the horse swim. After dark she heard wolves howling in the woods. In those days all the cows with young calves were put together so that the cows could fight the wolves off to prevent their eating the young cows. Grandmother Clarissa fell in love with Thomas Rawls. The Rawlses were poor people. By this time Grandpa Drewry was wealthy and wanted his daughters to marry into wealthy families. He wouldn't let Tom Rawls come on the plantation. An old slave named Rufus loved "Miss Clarse," as the slaves called her. He and Clarissa planned the getaway. She tied a few clothes in a bundle to be ready when Tom came by for her on horseback. Rufus helped Clarissa up onto the horse behind Tom and off they went to be married. Her father "raired and stomped", but he finally persuaded then to come back and build a house on the plantation. She lived a short time with Tom's family, across the creek on a small farm. It seemed that through the years Grandma Chloe never had much to say. She stayed too busy spinning, weaving, and doing all the other things a pioneer wife had to do. There were so few things for everyday use. Large gourds were grown, with the tops cut out. After they had dried from being cleaned, they were sunned. This was done to keep them clean. Gourds were used to keep lard and milk. Many times things have been said about Clarissa's cleanliness. After she got her own little home, she would clean grease spots on the kitchen floor by mixing vinegar and clay to draw out the grease; then she would scrub it with soap and water. Of course they made their own vinegar and soap. Grandpa Drewry died in 1856. When the administrators for the Roberts estate were selected, Tom wasn't included. There were gold, silver, and greenbacks kept in a little trunk. Slaves were sold, and Grandma Clarissa said it was one of the saddest days of her life seeing faithful slaves put on a block and sold. The slaves really stepped up on a block. One young, pregnant Negro woman was being sold. Grandpa Tom was bidding for her, along with a man the young woman knew and disliked. She would beg, "Buy me, Master Tommy, buy me!" Then she'd say to the man, "I won't go live with you." Then the man raised the bid so high that Grandpa Tom couldn't raise it again. When the baby was born, the young woman died. All the family was present for the sale. Charles' wife, Mourning, was hard for the family to understand. While the bidding was going on, she looked around and said, "I took my chillun to town and bought new clothes for Grandpa's sale. Look at Cindy's chillun's old clothes." And Cindy, tired of blabber, reached up, took off her poke bonnet, laid it on the ground, and said, "Lie there, Baptist, 'til I say what I damn please." Cindy was all business, Clarissa inherited the house she lived in and a few lots of land, along with some Confederate greenbacks. These greenbacks were no good, so her daughter Sally pasted them on the walls of their house. On the farm was a little Negro girl who had twisted fingers from being burned on her hand. No one thought she'd ever be able to do any farm work. Grandma Clarissa used home remedies, straightening the girl's fingers. Then some of the brothers-in-law wanted Clarissa to pay for her. Grandpa Tom tended his fields. He had a blacksmith shop were he made all the things they needed. He made buckets of cedar; milk pails, wash tubs were also cedar, Brass bands around them kept them together. The brass was kept bright by scrubbing with oak ashes and corn cobs. One of Susie Rawls Dixon's jobs was to keep brass shiny, Before the Civil War began, four of Tom and Clarissa's children had died. The first to die before Grandpa Drewry, James Monroe Rawls, was buried in Grandpa Drewry's back yard, the first burial in what is now Rawls Cemetery. The other three who died before the War were Henry Clay Rawls, Rachel Rawls, and Aryan Rawls. Later Clarissa Arrenda Rawls died. When War was declared in l86l, the South called all the men to war. All available men--fifteen-year-olds to fathers--were taken. Women got together to spin and weave heavy material to make all the men a uniform of gray. The men got together and dug a ditch to barbecue beef and pork for a last meal on the spot where the old Roberts house had stood. This is when the name was changed to Rawls Landing. The men marched from here to war. Grandpa Tom was a cadet volunteer in the War and was awarded the Southern Cross of Honor. With her husband off at war, Grandma Clarissa carried on, having seven children to care for. Sally was almost grown. Eliza, Jane, Mary, Bill, and Frank were small. Tom was born during the War. One of the Negro women, middle-aged, wouldn't leave, so she helped the little boys learn how to farm. During this time most all the women were left alone. A widow with two daughters was making soap in the kitchen fireplace in a large pot when two "black" men came in, breaking down the door. Several long-handled gourds were hanging near. The mother said, "Throw soap, gals, throw soap!" The soap took off both black and skin. They were white men, deserters from the South who had blackened their skin. The Robertses (and all other country people) were very superstitious. If it rained on a bride's wedding day, she would shed many tears. She must wear something old, new, borrowed and blue. One must never take ashes out of fireplaces after sundown; never carry a rake or hoe into house; never sweep a floor after dark; never sun beds on Monday (everyone had feather beds). No one could sweep under the bed of a sick person--this would cause death. Never wash on New Year's Day was a rule; never or someone in the family would die during the year. A cat crossing a road in front of a person caused bad luck. On the first day of May a young lady could take a mirror, shine it down as open well, and see the shadow of the man she'd marry. Before the War and then after it some of the Roberts family joined a wagon train and went west. At one of these times Grandma Clarissa and some of the family met to sew for them before their journey west. At noon they agreed not to cook any supper and just eat "pot licker" (broth from vegetables) and bread. Later in the afternoon some company came. The hostess went to the kitchen, fried some ham and made biscuits. Cindy was called on to ask the blessing. She said, "Lord, how things have bean mended--Biscuit and ham for supper when pot licker was intended." One of the nephews who left with the wagon train was not heard from in a long time. Finally a tear-stained letter came, saying that all his family was dead from typhoid fever. He requested that the family never ask him how he buried them. Grandma Clarissa had a nephew killed by a horse. He had quite a bit of money in gold and silver coins. He had never married. His sister said, "No one shall ever spend Bud's money." The sister put it in a bag and asked Grandma Clarissa to put it in his casket before it was closed, which she did. Bud's body was buried in Rawls Cemetery. If the money were buried too, who knows? Grandpa Tom got sick during the War and was sent to a St. Marks, Florida, hospital. Grandma Clarissa hired a rig called a hack, paid $25.00 to go as far as Bainbridge, another $25.00 to Tallahassee on another rig, and on to St. Marks. Her son, Tom, was six months old. An officer met her at the foot of the stairs, took the baby up ahead of Grandma Clarissa, and asked, "Rawls, whose baby is this?" Of course Grandpa Tom didn't know. Grandma Clarissa was allowed to take Grandpa Tom home. As soon as he recovered, he had to go back to war, This was a short time before the South surrendered. After the surrender, Grandpa Tom went home again, weak but not injured. When he got home, he found that his sheep had been driven off by some of his in-laws who had claimed to Grandma Clarissa that they'd bought them. Of course they hadn't. Grandpa Tom had told her to keep them to help clothe the family. Susan Rawls was born in 1866. About two years later another little girl was born, living only a short while. Only eight of the thirteen children lived to be grown: Sally, Jane, Mary, Elisa, Susan, Bill, Frank, and Tom. Sally, Elisa, Susan, Frank, and Tom are buried in Rawls Cemetery. Grandpa Tam died on August 20, 1873, leaving Grandma Clarissa with mall children. Frank was never healthy and couldn't work in fields very much. He went to school enough to be able to work in a store. School terms, when there was a teacher, lasted only three months a year. Part of the time Frank worked away from home, coming home on Sunday. He kept books part- time and operated a store in Hilton, Georgia. (He was working here just before his marriage to Miss Grover Phillips in 1903.) Susie would go with Frank to the fields sometimes. To keep her out of mischief, he would tell her to keep the ants out of their jug of water. She'd say, "Put a stopper in it." He'd say, "No, it'll get hot that way." When Mary was a young lady, she had a girl friend who had a brother that couldn't walk. He rolled on the floor to get from one place to another. One day Mary went to see this friend and took Susie. The family kept the brother in a room until time to eat. Mary put Susie up to the table to eat dinner. Someone brought the brother to the door, and he rolled over to the table. Susie jumped up, climbed the log wall, and sat on a rafter. She stayed there until the young man was carried out. His mother tried to coax her down, saying, "He won't hurt you; he's my baby." Susie thought, "He's a funny-looking baby." Of course Mary was embarrassed and declared she'd never take Susie anywhere else. Tom was the fisherman; Frank was the hunter. After the War, meat was cured, and everyone usually had plenty, but lard sometimes gave out. One day Tom caught a long string of fish and carried them home for Grandma Clarissa to cook. When she saw them, she said, "Son, I don't have any grease except beef tallow." Tom took the fish to Colquitt, sold them, bought lard, and came back home. He then went fishing again and caught another string of fish. Frank killed wild turkeys. He'd call them to him with a "yelper", which made a noise like a turkey. What meat wasn't eaten fresh was dried; breastmeat usually was dried, Beef was dried in the hot sun on a rack made by driving stobs, fastening slats close together on the stobs. Meat was sliced thin and spread on racks. Oak was burned underneath so that the smoke would keep flies away. Grandma Clarissa was a very religious person. Food was cooked on Saturday for Sunday except for making biscuits for breakfast. No rising (yeast or baking powder) was available; so the dough was made, put on a block, and pounded with a paddle. This made it light. On Sunday mornings pounding could be heard all over the neighborhood. Foot peddlers came through often with packs on their backs. Sometimes they'd ask to spend the night. When they left the next morning, they would leave towels, handkerchiefs, and the last ones to come through had a few spices, A peddler told at Grandma Clarissa's house of a place he'd spent the night. The lady there was deaf. When he finished eating, he pushed back his plate and said, "I've eaten sufficient." The lady said, "Say you been fishing?" He said, "I've eaten plenty." She said, "You caught twenty?" He said, "Poor old soul!" She said, "You broke your pole! Uh, uh, uh!" Back a few years before Grandpa Tom's death, every county had a "bully of the county." How they were picked is not known, but they were mainly big men. A little man named Callahan was boarding with Grandpa and Grandma. One day he went to the creek to swim and take a bath. Along came the bully's wife and some friends. Callahan had dived under water, but all his clothes were on the creek bank. She said, "I'm gonna throw his clothes in the creek." Callahan popped up and said, "Yes, do it and I'll throw you in." When the bully heard of this, he sent word to Callahan that he was going to beat him up. Being small, of course Callahan was scared to death. Grandpa Tom said, "Don't be afraid. Shave your head; I'll tallow it. Then when he tries to pull your hair he'll get greasy hands. With greasy hands he can't hold you." At the set time the bully cane bellowing. Grandpa Tom drew a large ring and they got in the center, bare from the waist up. Callahan was light on his feet so he tired the bully. Callahan then threw the bully to the ground and was about to put sand in his eyes. Grandpa Tom wouldn't let him do that. Churches were far apart in those days, so attendance regularly was difficult. Grandpa Tom never joined a church. When he was dying he said, "Truth and honesty are taking me to rest." Since there were no undertakers in those days, every settlement had to take care of its dead. The Scarboroughs lived a few miles from Grandma Clarissa. When Mrs. Scarborough died, Grandma was sent for to go and "lay her out." This meant washing and dressing the body for burial. When they came for Grandma, she couldn't go, so she sent Sally, who was a young widow at the time. Sally wasn't afraid of anything and had nerves of steel. As Sally arrived at the Scarborough home, the only help to be found was a little colored girl and a colored woman to hold the bowl of water. When Sally moved the body, there was some kind of sound. At this the girl went under the bed, the woman into the yard under a cedar tree in drizzling rain, leaving Sally alone with the dead woman in the dark. Finally Sally persuaded the little girl to come out from under the bed and went to find the woman. Sally said, "Fool, where are you?" The woman answered: "Here I is, Miss Sally, is she getting up?" Burl was Grandma Clarissa's drinking brother. He had an old horse named Ledge. When Burl reeled, Ledge leaned with him, always taking him home safely. Burl had a woman friend south of Clarissa's; Giles (or Jiles) Oliver lived north--Burl lived a little farther north. Giles died, and Burl said that every time he passed Jiles' place after dark, he could see Jiles leaning on the gate. One evening Burl stopped by Grandma Clarissa's. Grandma asked him to stay to supper, but he refused, saying, "I want to get by Jiles' place before dark because I can see him standing there." Clarissa said, "Bud Burl, I was there when Jiles died and he said, "I owe Mr. Roberts $5.00 and I'll never be satisfied if I don't pay it". Burl threw up his hands and said, "My God, he's welcome to it!". Utensils for home use were very scarce, even in stores. Susie said she was grown before she saw a tin pan or a fruit jar. All the homes had a little house under a large shade tree. This was the dairy where milk, butter, and other foods were kept as cool as possible. If there was a spring of water, a house was built over the spring, called the spring house. Where there was no spring, the butter- milk was put into a jug with a rope tied around it, let down into a well to keep cool. Families drank this at noon. Kitchens were always built off from the house because of a fear of fire. If the kitchen burned, the other part of the house could possibly be saved, One of Grandma Clarissa's favorite recipes was: dried apples cooked tender (after being soaked to swell) and sweetened rather sweet, with pastry rolled out in individual servings. Spoon apples on pastry and fold dough over apples. This was tied up in separate white cloths, dropped in bailing water and cooked until well done. Dumplings were then taken out, put into a bowl, and the water cooked to a thin syrup. This was poured over the dumplings. Sometimes nutmeg was sprinkled over them. Ida Rawls Dixon's mother was Susan Elizabeth. Most everyone called her Susie, but her family called her Sister. Susie married Benjamin Thomas Dixon, whom she called Tommie. They had four children in all: Clara, who lived two years and five months; William (Bill), who lived one year and nine months. Ida was born a few months later, and then Dixie was born. Dixie was only three weeks old when Tommie died. Susie and her two little daughters went to live with her brother Tom and his family, where they lived for seven years. Tom built them a little house with two rooms and a porch. There wasn't any ceiling and in winter it got rather cold, but they always had a warm fire. In a short time, Susie had a log kitchen brought from Tom's house. Susie planted honeysuckle on one end of the porch and a white climbing rose on the other end. She pieced quilts on paper, and on winter nights they pulled the paper off after all the squares were put together. They gathered nuts from fields in the fall, hickory nuts and black walnuts. These nuts were cracked at night in the winter. Syrup candy was made on the fireplace. Susie and her girls didn't have any money but they were happy. Susie raised her own hogs for meat and grew her own vegetables. There was always plenty of things to eat. There was a lady named Aunt Sally Giddens (no relation) who would come to Susie's and stay a month at a time, never helping with expenses. She had large pockets sewed to a belt. She kept money sewed into these pockets. Every time she put on clothes, this money belt would be put on too. Susie had the strongest faith in our Heavenly Father. She could be heard praying many nights. She lived to be 100 years and six months old, and a few months before she died, she could recite "The Village Blacksmith," and most of a little poem she had learned as a little girl. There are a few missing lines, but most of it she remembered. Here it is: A was an Arab, had a dark skin B was a beggar, ragged and thin C was a candy man, sold lots of sweets D was a drunkard, slept on the streets E F was a fairy waving her wand G was a girl full of fun H was a hunter, carried a gun I was an Indian, shot with a bow J was a juggler following a show K was a knight, carried a lance L was a lady learning to dance M was a music man, played a fine tune N was a Negro chasing a coon O was an ostrich, wore a fine plume P was a panther, hunted to kill Q was a Quaker, wore a wide brim R was a Russian, tall and slim S was a sailor dressed in white T was a Turk, fought with all his might U was Uncle, always kind V was a visitor, never on time W X Y Z was a zebra, had many stripes. This part of the Rawls Story was written by Ida Dixon Odom (as had already been stated) for a cousin of the fourth generation--Nellie Rawls Calhoun. Nellie lives in sight of the first home of Drewry and Chloe Roberts. Nellie's son Larry is the fifth generation, and his three children are part of the sixth generation, Many people mentioned in this are buried in Rawls Cemetery. Children of Thomas Rawls and Clarissa Roberts: Sally (Sarah Ann Chloe) 1-Walker Kimbrell 2-Sam Kimbrell Jane - "Matt" McGee Elisa - Thomas Floyd Susan - Benjamin Thomas Dixon Benjamin Franklin - Mary Grover Phillips William Harrison - Manassa Newberry (Nasa) Thomas Jefferson - Rannie Phillips Grandpa Tom had died in 1873, but Grandma Clarissa lived to be eighty years old, dying in 1905. She died at Rannie's home, where she had been living, She was practically an invalid the last few years of her life. Part II One of the sons of Clarissa and Tom, Thomas Jefferson Rawls II, married Miss Rannie Phillips about 1895. She was the third daughter of John and Nancy Phillips. Her sisters were Clara P. Wells, Jane P. Phillips, Estelle P. Spooner Cook, and Grover P. Rawls. Her brother's name was Dennis Phillips. At Rannie's wedding, her younger sister Grover was crying because she was losing her "bed-fellow." Tom’s brother Frank saw crying and said to her, :Don’t cry, little girl. I'll wait for you." And he did. He marred her in 1903. At the time of the wedding, Tom already had a house built, waiting for him and his bride. Later another room was built on the front, but the old part had two rooms built on front with a hall between. Two or three rooms were built onto the large front room on the north side, with a porch facing south, behind the front room on the south. A kitchen was built off behind the main part, separate from it, with a walkway to reach it. There was a little "shed room" built on the back part that later became "Cleveland’s room", which will be told about later. Grandma Rannie went to this house as a bride and lived there the rest of her life until she died on June 10, 1946. Grandpa Tom had a commissary built right near his home. Here he kept supplies to be used by the family, workers on the farm, or anybody who needed to buy them. About a quarter of a mile south of the house was a cotton gin where cotton from the Rawls farms was ginned. Located at the site of the gin was a huge open well, at least eight feet wide on each side. Near the gin was a brickyard where any bricks needed for building were made and baked. For many years afterward any white bricks found around the place could easily be identified as coming from Grandpa Tom’s brickyard. Grandma Rannie and Grandpa Tom had six children in all. Five of them were born before he died and one several months later. They were Benjamin Franklin (Frank) 1897, Clarissa (Cassie) 1899, Mary Waver 1901, Thomas Jefferson III (Tom) 1904, Rannie Estelle 1908, and Nancy Virginia (Virgie) 1911. Cleveland Crawford was a little black boy who came to stay on the farm and help Grandpa Tom. His daddy was dead, and his mother had remarried. They went to church at Pleasant Hill. Cleveland was hungry; he had been mistreated, so Grandpa Tom took him home with him. He slept in a shed room, and many times, day or night, he went to get the doctor for someone who was sick. Young Tom was Cleveland’s special pet. At cotton-picking time Tom would ride along on CLeveland’s sack, as Cleveland had a long sack that drug along behind. When Cleveland married, Grandpa Tom gave him a suit of clothes, a mule, and a buggy. He still worked on the farm after he married. He finally moved to Florida, but many times when he came back to Miller County he visited the Rawls farm. The last time (Young) Tom saw him he bought Cleveland a new suit of clothes. Aunt Jennie Wallace was another bLack person who lived on the farm. She was the daughter of slaves, her mother having belonged to Grandpa Drewry Roberts. Jennie married Dock Wallace and they lived in a little two-roomed log cabin that was always known afterwards as "the Jennie house." Aunt Jennie was a midwife who helped bring many of the babies on the farm into the world. One of Aunt Jennie’s children was named Ida. Later, to another generation of Rawls, she became Aunt Ida, loved just as Aunt Jennie had been loved. Grandpa Tom died February 9, 1911, after getting too hot fighting a fire. Fires were very dangerous then, with all the spilt-rail fences. Someone let a fire get out of control and he worked until he was exhausted trying to put it out. He took a cold which became pneumonia. It seemed he was better, but he had a relapse and died in the morning of February 9th. After his death, Grandma Rannie had a struggle with six small children, the oldest being 14. Along with the children was the responsibility of running the farm. All the children helped with the work. One of the jobs of the two oldest girls, Cassie and Waver, was cooking for the family and for anyone who happened to be there at mealtime. Cassie loved to read and usually had something hidden away to read if it were possible to get anything. She wouLd swipe a little bit of Grandma Rannie’s stuff to use to bribe Waver into doing her (Cassie’s) share of the cooking. Cassie would threaten to tell Grandma Rannie about Waver's stuff dipping if she failed to do Cassie’s bidding. (As Cassie grew older she got the snuff habit too, but she didn’t like to admit it to anyone.) The children went to school their first years at Kimbrell SchooL at Floydtown. The school term lasted five or six months. After Kimbrell they attended Colquitt High SchooL. After high schooL graduation at grade ten, both Cassie and Waver taught at the Floydtown school. Waver was engaged to Alec Harbuck. At the time Cassie was keeping company with Will Fowler. One day Grandma Rannie, Cassie and Waver were shelling corn. The two girl's were barefooted, as they usually were. They saw someone coming to see them. It was Alec coming to see Waver, but Cassie thought Will was there too. Rather than be caught barefooted, Cassie jumped out the window. Waver had Grandma Rannie tell Alec that she’d gone to visit a cousin, Hattie Rawls. Later that day Alec found out the truth and he and Waver broke the engagement. Cassie decided she wanted to learn more things than she could learn at Colquitt. She went to Macon after World War I and enrolled at Georgia-Alabama Business College, taking courses in typing, shorthand, and bookkeeping. There she met a man, John Goddard Brown, who had been to France in the war and also wanted to learn more about business education. He had lived on a farm in Turner County, Georgia. In a year or two he and Cassie married, June 7, 1925. Waver married Willie Doster "Coot" Tabb in 1920. Four children were born to them; two were born dead and two died shorty after birth. There were two boys and two girls. One morning in December, 1928, Coot was catching a mule. He went into the mule lot to get him. He slapped the mule on the back end, and at this the mule let go and kicked him in the stomach. He wasn't even knocked down. The mule was not a mean mule, just frightened. Coot was carried to the Bainbridge Hospital, where he died on December 27th. Later Waver married Tom McLendon. Rannie married Olton Cofty in 1928. There first child, a little girl, was stillborn. Later they had three more daughters: Barbara Cofty Jones, Merle Cofty Buffkin, and Patsy Cofty Hager. Virgie married James R. (Sonny) Haire. They had three daughters and one son: Carolyn H. Phillips, Virginia (Fleety Bell) H. Reynolds, Frances (Frankie) Haire, and Billy Charles. Sonny had a heart attack at age 44 in 1951 and died. Virgie later married Oren Hunt. Frank married Sara Ware in 1917. They had two sons: Wendell and Billy. Frank died in 1971; Sara died in 1973. Frank built houses--many beautiful buildings in the area serve as memorials to him. Tom married Mattie Miller in 1922. They had three sons and one daughter: Thomas Jefferson IV, Bobby, Jimmy, and Maureen R. Combee. For a year or two, all six of Grandma Rannie’s children, and Grandma too, lived side by side, up and down the road. But just before World War II, Tom and his family moved to FLorida. He wanted to buiLd houses too. He eventually became a very well-known contractor in Lakeland, Florida. There is a subdivision there, Rawls Park, named for him. When Tom and his family left Miller County, he sold his share of the farm to Cassie, as Frank had already done. One Sunday afternoon, June 9, 1963, Tom and Mattie were returning to their home. A car crossed the center lane in front of them, hitting them head-on. Both were killed. They were bried in FLorida, after a double funeral at Southside Baptist Church, Lakeland. *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** The Rawls Story Part I told by: Clarissa Roberts Rawls to Susie Rawls Dixon Written by: Ida Rawls Odum The Rawls Story Part II was written by: Mary Brown Weaver Daughter of: Cassie Rawls Brown The Rawls Story Part I and II, Miller County, GA Copyright (c) 2000 by James A. Wood. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by James A. Wood, e-mail: woodja0@home.com ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************************