Martin Batte Lee Bible, Union Parish, LA submitted by: Hank Johns ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Martin Batte LEE, bible Contributed by: Henry LeRoy "Hank" JOHNS III, North Little Rock, Arkansas (The best I can tell, this bible was printed in 1877. It is 4 inches thick, 12 inches tall and 10 inches wide. It weighs about 10 pounds. It appears to be a display bible. The initials of M. B. LEE are engraved on the front cover in gold printing. On the inside cover, is documented, how the bible was passed down through our family.) Belonged to Martin Batte Lee, great grandfather of May B. Lee (Wooten) by her father John Martin Lee - ? (unreadable) in ? (unreadable) (unreadable) the to me. To Anna Wooten Slagle on her 64th birthday from Mother, M.B. Lee Wooten, April 23, 1967. To Anna Wooten Johns on her 22nd birthday from "Nana", Anna Wooten Slagle, September 14, 1976. To "Hank" (Henry LeRoy Johns, III), I want to pass on to you this special family Bible in appreciation of your genealogical research. It belonged to Martin Batte Lee. Love, Your baby sister, Anna Wooten Johns Parent, Easter, 1997. MARRIAGES Martin Batte Lee to Lavincy Albritton His son John Martin Lee Sr. to Mary Jane Taylor (Windes) Feb 6, 1849 His son John Martin Lee Jr. to Vada Burch Nov -19- 1872 in La. Their son Wm Burch Lee to Irene Drake Nov 4th 1908 Minden La J. M. Lee & Vada Burch's daughters Anna Lee to Hillyer Ralston Speed. Apr 19, 1898 Monroe, La. "" " "" " "" "" May Burch Lee to James Roche (Roach) Wooten. Feb 11, 1902 New Orleans, La BIRTHS May Burch Lee Wooten B. Feb 9, 1881 in La James Roach Wooten B. Mar 4, 1877 in Ga. Ch: Anna Lee Wooten B. Apr 23, 1903 in Ga. John Lee Wooten B. Nov 21, 1905 in La. Maria Brooking Wooten B. Nov 5. 1911 in La. DEATHS James Roach Wooten Died March 8, 1951 in La May Burch Lee Wooten John Lee Wooten died June 13, 1960 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Pasted on the page after the Death records is a newspaper obit for Mrs. Vada Burch Lee) FUNERAL IS HELD FOR PROMINENT MONROE WOMAN Services Conducted At Speed Home; Burial In City Cemetery The funeral of Mrs. Vada Burch Lee, 80, widow of John Martin Lee, member of a distinguished southern family and prominent for many years in Monroe, who died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. H. R. Speed, 110 Pine street, early Sunday, (written in ink in the margin: March 8, 1936), was held at the residence Monday at 3 p.m. Rev. L. T. Hastings, pastor of the First Baptist church, officiated. Internment was made in the old city cemetery. Mrs. Lee, despite her advanced age, had been active up to last Thursday, when she was suddenly stricken with paralysis. Mrs. Lee was the widow of John Martin Lee, who, at the time of his death in 1908 was general land agent of the Southern Pacific railroad. Born in Georgia The family of Mrs. Lee was prominent in the War Between the States. It was of Georgia origin. She was born in Lagrange, Ga., May 8, 1855, the daughter of Dr. Richard Burch and Letitia Sale Burch. Doctor Burch was cavalry officer in the Confederate army and after the war he came to Louisiana, expecting to escape the turmoil attending the reconstruction period. Instead, he found the situation in this state more tumultuous than in Georgia. He located at Farmerville, then a center of the cotton shipping industry, and he became prominent in north Louisiana as a physician. The year after he came to this state, his daughter, Vada, married John Martin Lee on Nov 19, 1872 at the age of 17. It was then the post-war period of railroad expansion in the south, and Mr. Lee, member of a leading family of the state, became identified with the land department of the Southern Pacific, with headquarters in New Orleans. He continued in that position until his death in 1908 when Mrs. Lee removed to Monroe to reside. Mrs. Lee was a woman noted for her wide intellectual attainments and devoted herself to the cultural things of life. She was deeply interested in civic beautification and gave much time to civic and charitable efforts. She also was an outstanding member of the First Baptist church. Flowers Her Hobby Flowers with Mrs. Lee were a great hobby and she spent many hours daily with her favorite plants in the garden of her daughter, which is one of the most beautiful in the city. One son, Capt. Thompson Wood Lee, a veteran of the Spanish-American war, died Sept 12, 1898, and the United States War Veterans' post here bears his name. Three children of Mrs. Lee survive. They are Mrs. H. R. Speed and Mrs. J. R. Wooten, both of Monroe, and William Burch Lee of Shreveport. Surviving grandchildren are Mrs. T. O. Bancroft, Mrs. E. T. Lamkin, John Lee Wooten and Mrs. Elmer Slagle, all of Monroe; William Burch Lee, Jr., Felix Drake Lee and Elizabeth Lee, all of Shreveport, and Mrs. Melville C. Vaughan of Lawrenceville, Ill, Eleven great-grandchildren also survive. The pallbearers were: William Burch Lee, Jr., and Felix Drake Lee of Shreveport and John Lee Wooten of Monroe, Mrs. Lee's grandsons; T.O. Bancroft, Elmer Slagle and E. T. Lamkin of Monroe, her grandsons-in-law; and A.D. Turnage of Farmerville and Robert C. Webb of Delta Point, her nephews by marriage. (end of newpaper obit) ( Hand written, besides the above newspaper obit, is the below statement written by May Burch Lee Wooten, great grand daughter of Martin Batte Lee) "(Today July 2d, 1936 as I place this newspaper clipping in this book I shall "Hand down" to my grandchildren as it was given to me by my grandfather John Martin Lee Sr. I ponder which of them will treasure this book as I have because it was bought by my great grandfather Martin Batte Lee who was born in Virginia 1798. May Burch Lee Wooten)" "Martin Batte Lee as remembered by his grand daughter-in-law Vada B. Lee - was a tall slender man with kind brown eyes, reserved, gentle dignified- a deacon in the Baptist Church- He had only one son John Martin Lee Sr. John M to remember as a bright and shinning star in the home where I spent many happy hours - Because I was interested in all he had to say of his Lee family and because I had the same initials this book came to me. M.L.W." (end of bible entries)