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Note: James Payne was Eliza Powell McCauley's second husband. RUTH'S NOTES SAY ELIZA DIED SHORTLY AFTER THE BIRTH OF GRANDMA LUNA. ANOTHER NOTE SAYS SHE DIED WHEN LUNA 2 YRS OLD. Eliza was buried on the bank of Bayou Bartholomew in Collingston Louisiana near Bastrop. Following the death of her mother, Grandma was placed in the home of John Thomas Powell (b- Nov 9, 1818, d-Mar 28 1887) and his second wife Elizabeth (grandma's step-grandmother). She was reared by John's family along with grandma's first cousin Simpson Powell, son of John T. Powell. James Payne, grandma's father took her back from John Powell's family one day while attending a funeral. POSSIBLY WAS THE FUNERAL FOR JOHN T POWELL WHO DIED MAR 28 1887 MAKING GRANDMA 12 YEARS OLD AT THAT TIME. (Fred Yeager: It's certain grandma's mother died when grandma was an adolescent, but don't know if her mother died soon after the birth of grandma, or when grandma was age 2, or 12.) Grandma's father married a second wife who had young children and grandma was given the responsibility for caring for the children, helping with cooking, house cleaning, laundry, and other household chores. She received no loving care from her father or step-mother, and at the age of 15 years she slipped away from home, got onto their grey mule and rode him through the piney woods across a creek, getting her dress wet, and arrived at the town of Burea where Sam Williams and a preacher were waiting for her. They were married December 21, 1890, supposedly right there in the road, then departed for Hamburg on their honeymoon. Grandma penned a note in the margin of the 2-page handwritten list of descendants of Lunsford Williams, next to her name. She entered her name following Samuel Lunsford Williams and added, "married Dec 21, 1890, eloped on a mule." Meantime, her father discovered she was not at home and upon searching the premises found the mule also missing. Surmising she had eloped, he collected his shotgun and went to Burea inquiring about her. Upon learning she and grandpa had married and departed, he went back home and forgot about her. Grandma would talk about her father having never once visited her or any of his grandchildren. Uncle Grady used to tell about the time he and his brother Peck (Leslie) once had occasion to unknowingly see their grandfather Payne. Living in Hamburg at the time, they were playing in the dusty road when a man in a buggy rode by. As it passed them, they ran to the rear and hung onto the buggy dragging their bare feet in the dust. The buggy occupant/driver turned and cracked his buggy whip above their heads and they immediately let go of the buggy as it continued on. Telling their mother about the incident, grandma told them they had just seen their grandfather for the first time, and cracking the whip at them is something mean he would do. They were lucky he didn't hit them with the whip. Grandma was living alone in Jerome, Ark, about 2-1/2 miles north of Boydell when she became ill. Her son Maynard and wife Hazel took her to their home in Hamburg, Ark. She passed away June 10, 1957 at 5:35 P. M. She would have been 82 years old had she lived two more months. Ruth and Grady were present when she passed away. At that time I was stationed in Scotland as a member of the US Air Force and unable to attend her funeral.
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