Quitman-Sumter County GaArchives History .....Tye, Leonidas Recollections 1935 ************************************************ 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: Alex Tye atye@aol.com August 28, 2007, 3:06 pm This is the life of Leonidas Tye and a few of the events that took place during his life that he remembers, told to and recorded by his youngest daughter, Mrs. R. L. Tate this ___________ day of ____________ 1935. "I was born in Quitman County, Georgia, four miles east of Georgetown, on the lower Lumpkin Road on November 26th, 1855. My parents were Rueben and Sarah Cooper Tye. My father was originally a native of South Carolina and my mother of North Carolina. Her mother was an Anderson." "About the most vivid rememberance that I have during my first four years of life was when the lightning struck a tree back of our house and it caught fire. Father got a bucket of water and put it out." "Father moved in the year 1859 from my birth place to what was known as the England place near the Cuthbert - Eufalah Highway." "Soon after this came the Civil War, which began in 1861. My brother, Jack, enlisted and went into the 1st Company. Three of my brothers-in-law, Wash Murdock, Freeman Pye, and J. M. Lanier also went. Finally, Brothe Jim and my father went when the militia was called. During the course of the war Brother Jack got wounded and came home on a furlough. We were all rejoicing over his home-coming and suddenly noticed that my Grandfather Tye, who was especially fond of Brother Jack, was stricken speechless. They got him to a bed, and he died soon afterwards. I surmise of a heart attack. Grandfather Tye, whose name was John Tye, was a native of Virginia. He was eighty years old at the time of his death." "I well remember when Freeman Pye left for the war. Sister Mary, his wife, watched him go over the hill, screaming and hollering, "I'll never see him again" and she didn't. He never came back. Brother Jack was wounded three times, the third time causing his death, in the year 1864. Soon after he died, I remember having a very real dream that he had come home, and oh, what a dissapointment when I awoke to find it wasn't true." "I was about nine years old when Sherman marched through Georgia. They camped about a mile from where we lived on what is known as Tobeenannie Creek. My father was a powerful bee man and the soldiers came there and bought lots of honey from us. When they started to leave they came around asked if the boys had harmed anything, which they hadn't." "We lived there about five or six years. My father sold out to Old Man J.M. Green. Then we moved down on the Fort Gaines Road, six miles south of Georgetown. I don't remember anything of importance happening there. I do remember some extra cold weather. The trees breaking down with ice, etc. We lived there only two years." "I well remember when the women had to spin and weave their own cloth and dye it from indigo.They went to the coast to make salt to use about cooking. They had to cover up a grub or lightwood knot to keep a fire. Sometimes it would go out and we'd have to get some fire from out neighbors. Hence the expression "have you come for a chunk of fire?" My mother had a spinning wheel with which she spun the thread to make our clothes. The first pair of shoes I ever had was made from leather tanned by digging a vat after cutting down a red oak tree to get the bark that was put in the vat with the hides to tan them. When we left the Fort Gaines Road we moved to the old Key Place four miles east of Georgetown, off the main road, about the year 1867. That is what my children now call the Old Place and was my home until 1867. During this time I married Georgia Ann Posey, on December 21st, 1875, at the age of twenty. My mother died in 1880 at the age of sixty-five from internal injuries sustained when a window sash blew out and struck her during a cyclone. She lived ten days after being hurt. My father died in 1886 at the age of sixty- nine from enlargement of the prostate glands. He suffered about eight years with this trouble before his death. My first wife also died on January 19th, 1897 in childbirth, the baby never being delivered. She left six living children and two dead. Births to this union are as follows: Mary Lee Born Nov. 6th, 1876 Willaim Butler " May 9th, 1878 Minnie Belle " Nov. 2nd, 1879 George Arthur " Sept. 21st, 1881 Sarah " March 24th, 1884 (Died in infancy) Leola " July 17th, 1886 Colson " July 1st, 1888 (Died at the age of 2 years, 2 months and 22 days with pneumonia) Jefferson Posey " Oct. 4th, 1890 (Died at the age of 28 in the World War.)" "On September 19th, 1897 I married Lucy Evelyn Roberts, who is still living. To this union was born: Albert Roy Born Aug. 25th, 1898 Leonidas Franklin " March 8th, 1901 Janie Lorene " Nov. 3rd, 1904 Hubert Maurice " Oct. 23rd, 1907 (Accidentally killed self at the age of 16 on Dec. 27, 1923) Gladys Evelyn " August 1st, 1910" "In the latter part of 1903 I bought a farm on the Cuthbert Road, six and one-half miles south of Georgetown, and moved my family there. That was just before Janie was born." "The next event of importance was the World War. My son Posey was to have been called, but he volunteered ahead of time. He left for the training camp in April or May of 1918. He sailed for France on October 4th, 1918. He died on October 22nd, 1918 several days after landing at Brest France and as the result of his having flu, which developed into double pneumonia after landing. His body rested in France two years, then was shipped to Americus, Georgia, where I had already moved and bought a home. The American Legion Post of Quitman County, Georgia now bears the name of Jefferson Posey Tye Post in his honor, him being the only soldier to die from Quitman County." "About Christmas 1919, as I have previously stated, I bought a home in Americus, Georgia, located in Brooklyn Heights, on Lafayette Street and moved my family there on December 27th, 1923. My youngest son Maurice accidentally shot himself with a shotgun while out hunting with a crowd of boys. He died instantly, never knowing what happened. So far I have lived here nearly sixteen years, am now in my eightieth year, being the only one of nine children living; am now a semi-invalid, being able to walk about the place some, but not much. I have been suffering from the same trouble as my father had for two years (enlargement of the prostrate glands.) Most of my time is spent reading my Bible, radioing, and sleeping. I have always lived a simple, God-fearing life, doing unto others as I would like to be done by. I have never had a law suit, or court scrape of any kind, and have always managedwith the help of God to pay my honest debts. I do not drink whiskey. I do chew tobacco, but am no slave to it for I can quit when I like and stay quit as long as I see fit to. In other words, I am "Master of Myself." My advice to young people from my own experience is "make your home a pleasant place by living an honest, truthful, upright and above all a virtuous life. That to my mind is the secret of a successful married life. My second wife is still living. She is my loving companion and faithful nurse. No doubt I owe my last few years of life to her unselfish devotion and careful attention. God only knows how long I will be spared, but when the day comes for me to meet my God, I can truthfully say that I have not fears of death. I am ready. Additional Comments: This is the recollections of my great-great grandfather Leonidas Tye, transcribed about 1935. He lived in the Sumter/Quitman Co area and is buried in the city cemetery at Americus. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/quitman/history/other/tyeleoni41nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/gafiles/ File size: 8.2 Kb