…Papa told him that he knew nothing of his family other than the names of half brothers and sisters left behind when his father moved further westward [actually he moved eastward to Perry County, TN] in Tenn. And married his mother. He called the names of these half-brothers and sisters and his seat-mate said these people were cousins of his. He gave Papa the address of W. H. Raines of Gadsden, Tenn. And Papa wrote him. He had passed away but his daughter answered the letter.

Papa visited them, attended their family reunion, and the following year, he took Mary Sue and me with him to another gathering in Gadsden at the old Raines home, a big two-story house resembling Mount Vernon. Myrtle [Myrtle Busick, sister of Scott] also attended this reunion and, in the group picture hers and Papa's resemblance to other members of the family certainly was striking. At that time the only ones of the half-brothers and sisters living were residents of Texas.

On the following year, they attended the reunion, but Papa was unable to go. He did go to Pine Bluff and ride with them to Texarkanna on their return to Texas. Many years later, when I was a teen-ager, the half-brother, Uncle Jack came to see us. He was returning to Tenn. To enter an Old Soldier's Home. As I remember he was taller than Papa and rather thin, as full of tales as Papa, and a very interesting old gentleman.

The following are quotes from letters to me from Papa:

Tradition says that the original Raines in this country was the first man to stick a grubbing hoe in Virginia soil. Another tradition says the first Raines was among the remnant of the first colony of Virginia carried away by the Croatian Indians among whom were found blue eyed, blond Indians. I do not know which of these traditions are true, if either. My father had blue eyes and a slight resemblance to an Indian. He was very much like Uncle Hugh whose picture you have seen, and you have heard me say that Uncle Hughey looked like old Geronimo, the Apache Chief. This, however, is largely speculation.

My grandfather was born in 1764, and lived to be 96 years old. Like your Grandpa Marks, he was blind several years before he died. When twelve yerars old he was an orphan and living with a Revolutionary soldier. This soldier slipped home through the lines and came home to visit his family. The Torries caught him, tied him to a chestnut tree and shot him to death. This insenced Grandfather so much that as soon as he was large enough, he joined the American army and fought in the Revolutionar War. His name was Asa Raines [The similarities of their biographies lead me to believe that Asa and Stephen are the same person]. I do not know the name of his first wife who was my grandmother. He lived in Virginia and our people in Tenn. say he was born in old Virginia though brother Jack says he came from England. I think, however that Brother Jack was mistaken.

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.