Pushmataha County, Oklahoma - History: Samuel Igo Fennell ************************************************************************ 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. Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Buddy Fennell December 1, 2001 ************************************************************************ This article was published in The Kiamichi Journal dated December 1999 at Rattan, OK and was researched and written by Sandra Harrison. Credit is given them for all content. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Samuel Igo Fennell LONE GRAVE The lone grave stands atop a very steep hill, barely off the road now. It was our original intent to name the exact location, upon further thought, perhaps the time we live in warrants keeping its location to ourselves. The people who need to know where it is, do, for it is clean and remnants of flowers and a small American flag grace the site. A simple, elegant military marker marks the spot where this old soldier was laid to rest. The name on the stone reads "Samuel Igo Fennell April 4, 1841-January, 1928 Company C Tennessee Infantry, CSA. CSA is, of course, the abbreviation for Confederate States of America. Samuel Igo Fennell became a part of the Confederate struggle from his home state of Tennessee. Somehow, he became separated from his two brothers and a sister during these chaotic times and was never to see them again. After the war, as many Southerners did he drifted to Texas, down around Honey Grove and Bonham, then up to Oklahoma. At one time settling at the place we now call messer. A school house and a store became known as the Fennell school and the Fennell store. Over the course of his life he was to marry three times, fathering children by each marriage. Each time he married it would be to a red headed woman named Mary - 3 different redheads, 3 different Marys. Childbirth was a very dangerous business in those times and many women lost their lives in the process of trying to have babies. In reading historical documents you will find women married to men much older than they were, it was a very common practice and simple fact of life. Eventually, he was to wind up in Belzoni, a community that no longer exists, except for memories and an old cemetery that a few dedicated souls work at keeping clean when they can find the time. The dirt road that brought travelers through the little town as the main highway is now off the beaten path. The "new" highway having been built much further over. Samuel Igo's third wife was Mary E. Fennell and we print on the next page the word for word accounts of both of their deaths printed in The Kiamichi Valley News: April 9, 1926: Col. Samuel Fennell, Union Soldier celebrated his 85th birthday on April 4th. January 6, 1928: Samuel Fennell, 87 years of age, died at his home in Belzoni on the morning of January 3rd. He was a Union Veteran in the Civil War and served four years in the fifth Infantry of his native state of Tennessee. He has resided here for the past twelve years. He leaves a wife, several sons and daughters, some 40 or more grandchildren and great-grandchildren, many of whom attended the funeral. Rev. J. L. Messer conducted the services. A friend - R. S. Carothers, January 20, 1928 Belzoni, January 12, 1928...Last week we announced the death of Mr. Samuel Fennell of Belzoni. This week we have to record the death of his wife, Mary E. Fennell, 67 years of age. She passed away Sunday morning, five days after the death of her husband. She leaves 3 brothers, 2 sisters, one son, Horace Fennell, of Belzoni and a little granddaughter. Mrs. Fennell was a kind mother to everyone and the latchstring of her home was on the outside and many partook of her hospitality. Rev. T. J. Messer, officiated at the funeral services - A friend." Neither of these deaths made the Antlers American. These two newspaper accounts are reprinted verbatim because the story takes a twist from this point. He was referred to as a Union Soldier. Having come into the war from his native state of Tennessee, according to our books on the Civil War, Tennessee was a part of the Confederacy, indeed, the three letters following his name on the tombstone, "C.S.A." are the abbreviation for Confederate States of America. Interview with two grandsons of this man, Coy Fennell and Euba Fennell reveal another discrepancy in the newspaper report of the deaths of he and his wife. The younger grandson, Coy plainly recalls his mother telling him that when the wife was buried, Samuel Igo Fennell was alive and upon witnessing the water filling the hole dug for the coffin and people having to dip it out of the grave he requested of his family that they not bury him in a place where the water would fill the grave like that. Another grandson, Euba older than the first man interviewed, recalls being a child at the time of the wife's funeral and recalls that three men had to stand upon the coffin to keep it in the ground because of the water until they could get enough dirt on the coffin to keep it in the ground. He puts the wife's grave location at 3 to 4 miles south of the Samuel Igo Fennell grave, three or four miles south of this grave lies the Belzoni cemetery in all it's glory. Notice that he was listed as a Union soldier, and he was not, the preacher who officiated at the funerals was Thomas Jefferson Messer, this name was confirmed by Kate Messer, so his initials are given wrong in the first report. A part of this story told by Euba, is his recollection of his grandfather always sleeping on a cot by the stove in the living room. One day he asked that those of his children that could, please gather at this home. He had last words to say to them. He told them he did not have much longer to go. He took care of speaking to his family and lay down in his bed, drifting off to sleep and death. The Carothers that was listed in the newspaper account was an elderly man who had been a Colonel in the Confederacy. In 1925 Colonel Carothers and a group of other elderly Confederate soldiers traveled to Dallas for a reunion according to the Antlers American. An article from the Kiamichi Valley News in December of 1927 says that Colonel R. S. Carothers celebrated his 81st birthday and that he was living in a hotel in Antlers at the time. Some of the Fennell descendants recall being told that Colonel Carothers wound up in Ringold, living with George Johnson, who was the husband of one of Samuel Igo Fennel's daughters by his second marriage. This is where Mr. Carothers stayed until his death. Lucelle Gary, a great grand daughter of Samuel Igo provided much information for this story, taking the time to write a two page family history to show the children of Samuel Igo and his grandchildren. Sammie Joyce Murray, a grand daughter of Mary # 3 shared the information about the redheaded women and Horace was her father. Sammie confirmed that Mary E. was indeed buried at the Belzoni Cemetery. Coy Fennel introduced us to his family and helped from the onset, calling Euba and Sammie Joyce. If not for Coy this never would have begun. So, what seemed at first to be a forgotten grave in an isolated place has become the saga of a man who lived his life to the fullest and left a large family who keep his memory alive in their hearts. This story has actually been told by the Fennell family and we thank them for their openness and willingness to share what they recall about a man we now all know a little better. Euba and Coy are the grandsons of Mary Fennell #2 according to the list that Lucelle Gary made out for us. Their father is Jim Fennell. Kay Black, who is a professional researcher came up with all of the newspaper information and confirmation that Colonel Carothers was a Confederate soldier, there seemed to be some question about that. She holds us to the truth. Another word of thanks to Myrtle Edmond of the Pushmataha County Historical Society, who took a day out of her busy life to drive around from the gravesite to the old Belzoni Road, pointing out where she has been told structures once were, finally winding up at the old cemetery. Incidentally, the cemetery is in need of a cemetery board. If you would like to take up this labor of love, get hold of Myrtle Edmond. Belzoni-now there is another story. If you have pictures or information about the town of Belzoni, please contact us as we gather information now. Editors Note: If you have additional information that should be told, please contact us at P.O. Box 111, Rattan, Oklahoma 74562 or call us at 580-587-2579. No story we tell is ever considered closed, we search continually for bits and pieces of the history of Southeastern Oklahoma. If you require that your name be withheld we will respect your privacy. --------------------------------------- Tombstone photo can be found at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/pushmataha/fennellgrave.htm