 |
 |
Our Grandfather, Abel Raines, son of Asa, was born on 12 May 1796 in Virginia or Charleston, S.C. not sure which, he spent early boyhood near latter; he was killed during Civil War days, 15 April, in Perry County, Tenn, when Papa was a boy of eight years. Being too old to fight, he farmed. One day a band of men came to take his only horse. He put up a fight and they killed him. Our grandmother, his second wife, was Nancy Ann Turner born in Perry County, Tenn. 4 Oct, 1824 and died 5 Sep 1877 in Shelby County, (Germantown). Information - Aunt Mary's old bible and from records in home of W. H. Raines of Humbolt, Tenn, whom Papa visited after getting in contact with the children of his half-brother, William Raines.
His widow, Aunt Eliza Jane was living when we were there when I was about eleven years old. The names of Jim and Mary were quite prominent in the Raines family and there were many doctors among these relations of ours. In fact, Dr. Rhine [Dr. Thomas Edwin Rhine, husband of Nannietta] tells me that there are two Dr. Raines connected with a Med. School in Memphis. When my baby girl, Pat, graduated from Ward Belmont College in Nashville, I attended and met the grand-daughter of Dr. Jim Raines of Jackson, Tenn. the son of Wm. Raines and she told me that the old home in Gadsden had burned and that it was owned by a wealthy Raines who had built a beautiful home on the site of the old one and it was still surrounded by the stately Chestnut trees which I remember so well.
When Uncle Jack Raines visited us, I asked him why Grandfather Raines (Abel) left his home and children and never again saw or heard of them. He said that he had accepted I.O.U.'s from people who never paid him and that he feared being unable to meet his own obligations. It was then he went to Perry County, married Grandmother Nancy Ann Turner, for whom your twin sister is named. She was much younger than Grandpa, had black hair and loved to sing. As you know they had four children, George, Mary, James Madison, my Father and Martha, you Mother. The date of Papa's birth was 28 Oct, 1858 in Perry county, and Aunt Martha was about two years younger than he.
One story he told me often was of him and Aunt Martha playing some distance from home one day and of how they suddenly realized that they could hear horses nearing. They knew it must be soldiers and rushed home, got the family silver and ran to a nearby cave where they hid it.
|
|