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Note: Photo of Beulah's gravestone: http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/5221/bularahl5nk.jpg Biography of Mary (Fitzgerald) Rahl, written by her granddaughter, Beaulah (Rahl) Sauters, of Goldthwaite, Texas in July 1935 Mary Fitzgerald was born in County Limerick, Ireland, in 1836. Her parents were not of the nobility, but of a family named Fitzgerald. Her father's name was John Edward Fitzgerald. Her mother's name before marrying into the Fitzgerald family was Shaugnessy. Her mother died when Mary was quite young. There were only three children in the family, Mary, Kate, and James. Kate had already married and gone to the USA, so Mary's father decided it would be best for her to go to her sister who lived in New York. Mary's father did not set a definite date for her to leave for the USA, so one day he planned a boat ride for Mary - they kept rowing out from the shore until they reached a ship anchored out from the shore a short distance and her father pretended that he wanted to inspect the ship, and child-like, Mary wanted to accompany him on the inspection trip, to which her father readily agreed. After boarding the ship, Mary in her wanderings about the ship became separated from her father - and suddenly discovered that the ship was moving. In great alarm she rushed to the Captain of the ship and begged that he return to shore and let her off, but was refused, because the captain and her father had previously arranged and planned Mary's departure in this manner because Mary did not want to leave her father......Mary looked toward the shore and saw a small speck in the distance; it was her father returning to shore - this was her last time to see him living. She never recovered from the shock of leaving her father. I, her grand daughter, when a very small child remember her telling this story and the bitter tears she would shed during its telling. Kate and her husband Batt Hockett decided they would move to Richmond Virginia as the Civil War had begun by this time, but Mary liking New York decided she would not accompany them and secured a job as house maid and remained in New York. Mary was a very devout Catholic and in her social activities in the church she became acquainted with the Rahl family. A family consisting of 3 or 4 girls and one boy, Patrick, and of course, Mary and Patrick immediately fell in love with each other. Patrick had been in the USA a number of years from Ireland and was considered a dude, educated, smooth tongued Irisher and of course timid Mary appealed to him and they would visit back and forth. During one fo these courtship visits - Patrick dared Mary to cross the Brooklyn Bridge and marry him. Mary gladly accepted the challenge and became his bride at the age of fourteen. The marriage was kept a secret for a month or two, but Patrick became impatient to claim his wife - announced the marriage which was followed with a great celebration. Patrick and Mary lived in New York and to them one son was born, John Edward Rahl, who was named for Mary's father. About this time Patrick decided he could do better in New Jersey with his profession of boot and shoe maker, having previously learned the trade in Ireland, so they lived in Newark, NJ for quite a while, and here James, (Aug. 22, 1858) Tom, Henry, Joe, and Charley was born. The Civil War had been raging for some time and men were being conscripted into the service and one day they came for Patrick to enter the services of the Union Army, but his sympathies were with the Southern Confederates - refusing to accompany the men that came after him they endeavored to take him by force, but the fighting Irish Patrick succeeded in beating the 6 or 7 guards and made his escape by running thru the house into nearby woods, finally making his journey to Richmond, VA (1865) ... Mary and her children following him in due time. At Richmond he procured a team of horses and worked for a railroad - grading. At this place a little later he joined the Confederate Army and was placed in a shoe factory in Richmond where he remained for the duration of the war. After leaving the army he moved to Simpkinsville, KY (1868) and purchased a home. During all these years Mary was busy raising her little bunch of boys trying to give them proper religious training and education. At this place another son, Will, was born. Patrick continued to prosper as a boot and shoe maker until one morning (just after Patrick had one of his liquor sprees the night before) a Negro man came to collect a small debt from him. An argument followed between Patrick and the Negro and the Negro lost the argument to Patrick and his pocket knife. This happened during the carpet bagger days just after the war. Patrick became alarmed from the result of the fight and he fled to Louisville, KY (1871) and from this place sent word for James, his second oldest son, about 11 years of age at that time, to meet him in Louisville. So Mary placed James on a fine race horse, in the dead of night, telling him where to find his father in Louisville. Upon James' arrival in Louisville, Patrick sold the horse for $125.00 - then Patrick and James boarded a train for Austin, TX arriving there in 1871. Patrick had some Irish friends living near the Colorado River in San Saba County by the name of Pat Roach, so he and little James traveled by freight wagon from Austin to his friend Roach's home and the freighter that took them was a relative to our fellow-citizen Proc McCullough. Little James by this time had become terribly homesick to see his mother as it was the first time he had ever been away from her. John Rahl, eldest son, was left in charge of his father's shoe shop in Simpkinsville. Mary at this time was pregnant and the constant worry caused her to lose her baby. Patrick established the first shoe making shop in the town of San Saba in 1872, but left little James to live out on the Colorado River in a cabin where Patrick had a claim on some land, but in those days could not get a clear title to any land. Little James being by himself was always scared at night and never removed his clothing when going to bed. One night he dreamed the Indians were chasing Patrick - and Jimmie awoke in a cold seeat and sure enough when he looked out the cabin door he saw Indians on horseback circling the cabin where he slept - but they left without harming him. Mary sold her home in Simpkinsville, KY and with her children made the journey to Hearne, TX (1873) to which place Patrick sent James after her in a wagon. While enroute to Hearne James was almost drowned in crossing the river, because in those days there were but very few roads and fewer bridges crossing the rivers and while trying to ford the river at its shallowest place, James got into deep water and barely succeeded in escaping with his life. However, he made the journey to Hearne where he met his mother and brothers and there was a great rejoicing at the reunion. When arriving back at their home on the Colorado River, Mary was shocked at the primitive way in which they had to live - a one room shack with a side room was their place of abode. Patrick was glad to see his family assembled again, but continued to live in San Saba and work while his family lived on the river. Patrick made good money but spent it all for whiskey and gambling. For a while after she came to her new home in Texas, Mary almost lost her mind living in poverty and in such a wild place, after coming from a more civilized part of the world and a nice home. There were but few neighbors in the neighborhood and what few there were lived miles away, but she soon became reconciled with her mode of living and became happy with her boys. Here at this cabin she gave birth to another boy, Sam P. Rahl and a girl, Margaret. Margaret being the first girl in the family and was the idol of them all. After she and her boys had lived on this claim for some time they were made to move by some people by the name of Autry who displaced them and claimed the land by some means. Mary had considerable trouble subduing her Irish lads, keeping them from exterminating the Autrys for taking their home. The Rahl family then moved to a place called Old Centerfitt (1880) at which place Mary established and ran a hotel for 4 years, then moved to Lometa in 1884, remained there for 4 years and in 1888 moved to Goldthwaite where she continued in the hotel business for a few years until John (her eldest son) moved her and Patrick to Meridian, TX and took care of them until their death. Both are buried at Meridian. One day God called Mary home to rest and peace, away from her troubles and work upon this earth, where she had been faithful and a consistent servant to him throughout all her years, thru good and bad times, she kept the light of faith shining. May God rest her soul. - Beaulah (Rahl) Sauters From "Relighting Lamplights", by Jonnie Rose Elzner: "Perhaps the most unforgettable character among the women of Senterfitt was a kindly, charitable Irish lady, Mrs. Mary Rahl, who operated the Rahl Hotel. Before coming to the western country, she had lived in New York and Kentucky, but very soon she adapted herself to the pioneer ways. She was never known to turn a hungry person away from her door. Upon one occasion she took in a beggar and nursed him through a seige of pneumonia. Another time, during an epidemic of measles, a little family drove into town about dusk in a covered wagon. The weather was exceedingly cold and a terrific wind was blowing. The entire family was sick with measles and could find no place to stay other then the Livery Stable. Mrs. Mary Rahl, hearing about the family's hardships, sent her son, Sam, to tell them to come to her house to stay. Enen though the Rahl's seven boys and one daughter later contracted the measles, she never regretted the kindness administered unto the J.H. Allen family. She was a devout Catholic and said her "beads" or Rosary each day. She indeed, had charity, which, when sweetened with her Irish Humor, always made the act of privation seem a privilege."
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