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married, C. P. McGraw. In 1870 my father married Miss Emily Hogan, sister of the above named James Hogan.

On March 3, 1872, I was born. They named me for both of my grandmothers -- Dorothy Annie.

On March 23, my father's mother died. I was only twenty days old.

I know that must have almost taken his life, to have to give up his mother, as he always loved and reverenced her so much.

I forgot to say at the beginning that my father was converted and joined the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, when quite young, at old Hopewell, in Franklin County. His father and mother would carry their children there to camp meetings, and stay for several days. Those days people enjoyed the "Old Time Religion".

He, being reared by Christian parents, never departed from his teaching, always lived an exemplary life, worthy of anyone's emulation. He always helped the poor, when it was possible, and never passed a poor blind person on the street, without helping them. Some would think them unworthy, that perhaps they had more of this world's goods than they had, but my father would always say -- "The question was not whether they were doing right, but was whether or not he was doing right." He was not alone in his good deeds, for he chose a life companion who approved of all good things, and was willing and ready to help him in every way possible. She would always see the good in anyone, and overlook the bad -- never spoke evil of people.

On Oct. 26, 1874, a second daughter was born to my parents. They named her Ionia Eugenia. My father having met a girl during the war by the name of Ionia, and he fancied the name. The second name was for some of the relatives -- a cousin, I believe. A third daughter, Cora Louisa, was born July 25, 1876. She was named for two of her aunts; and on Nov. 17, 1879, a fourth daughter was born, Mattie Sue, also named for two of her aunts. On May 18, 1881 the first son was born, they named him Benjamin Alexander, for both his grandfathers. Then on April 25, 1883, a fifth daughter, Lucy Adella was born. My father always admired the name of Lucy. I do not know who the second name was for. On Oct. 16, 1887, a second son, and baby of the family was born. He was named William Hezekiah for two of his uncles. Thus seven children were born to this union, and I am thankful to say all are living today.

Before this time, all my father's sisters, except one, Martha, had married. She remained with my father and mother for several years, then moved to her sister, Sue McCraw's [or McGraw] and stayed there until she died. His sister Sarah married Henry Walters, and Core, William A. Malone.

I was six or seven years old, before my father had just his own individual family to support.

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He paid all heirs for their part of his father's old homestead, and lived on it, in the same house his father built when he settled there. He also kept the taxes paid on the balance of his father's headright of land, and saved each of his sisters a home.

He farmed for a living, and worked very hard; was a good manager and financier. He craved so much for his children to obtain a good education, that he would not keep them from school to help in the crop. He and my mother also, were too self-sacrificing for their children, but we honor them more today for it. No children ever had a happier and more peaceful home than we had. We had no fears of inviting our associates home with us, for we knew they would be made welcome, and we were free to entertain them. They wanted us to have pleasure, but always taught us to do right, for which I am very thankful.

His home was always home for all the preachers, it mattered not of what denomination. And it had always been a stopping place for travelers during his father's lifetime, as they had settled on the old Cherokee Trace [land map], over which they had moved from Shelby County, when my father was only six years old; being one of the first roads made in all the country, there was a good deal of travel over it, in wagons and horseback, and the country being very thinly settled, they would stop at my grandfathers to spend the night. And it never ceased as long as people traveled by private conveyance. After the country settled up thickly, they would send them from each side on to my father's to spend the night, and he would take them in regardless of whether or not they had money to pay for their lodging, and more often, they did not have it, or said they did not. In my childhood, I can remember of whole wagon loads of men, women and children driving up away late in the night for supper and lodging. My mother would never throw out anything left from supper; she would say -- "Somebody may come hungry before morning." Oft-times she would have to cook more supper after they got there. If they had gotten pay for it, it would not have been so bad, but I am thankful that I can truthfully say, they were not of the kind who worshipped the dollar; they chose rather to have a clear conscience and practise the "Golden Rule", also to fulfill the Scripture of -- "I was a stranger and ye took me in". Not only in this instance did they practice the "Golden Rule", but in all others during their lifetime.

A few years later, his two younger sisters -- Sarah and Cora -- were left widows, and he helped them as he had before, got schools for them and assisted them otherwise.

Not many years after this his children, one by one, began to marry and leave the dear old home -- I being the oldest, was the first. In 1890, Henry Clay Tittle and I were married. The next older sister, Ionia, and Charley Watts were married in 1894. In 1897, sister Sudie and Millidge Davis were married. My sister Della and James Bennett Jones were married in 1907. In April of the same year (1907), my sister Cora and Hugh Hicks were married. My older brother, Benjamin was married to Miss Vena Cowley in 1914. Thus all except the baby boy (Willie) had flown from that dear old home nest.

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Though it did not remain a dear home to us long, for on the morning of Feb. 8, 1915, the "Death Angel" came and took from us our dear mother. It seemed more than we could bear, to have to give her up, but we had that blessed assurance, from the pure and unselfish life that she had lived, that she had gone to live with our "Blessed Redeemer". She was seventy years and a few months of age.

My dear mother's casket was the first one that we children had ever seen brought into the dear old home.

A few months later, my brother Willie married to Miss Vida Tittle, a great niece of my husband.

They lived in the old home with my father, though he never seemed contented or happy after the death of my dear mother. He often spoke of her goodness in never speaking evil of anyone; and had this verse of scripture inscribed on her monument -- "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." He said he thought she was one of the purest humans who ever lived. Said, in all the years they had lived together, he had never heard her utter one word that would make anyone blush, and all of her children can say the same, also that they never saw her mad. She taught us to do right, but she did it by kindness and example. Another thing we can say, that we never heard her utter a falsehood. Many mothers will tell their children things that are untrue, to scare them into being obedient, but she never did. While she was dying, all the children and our father were around her bed, and our older brother Ben said, "She never told us a falsehood".

My father still lived in his old home with his son for almost five years, when he was summoned "Home" to meet our dear mother and other loved ones. I very much regret that I was not with him when be died. He had been in bad health for sometime, but not confined to his bed. I had spent part of several weeks with him, and that week my sister Ionia was with him, and I knew she would do as much for him as I could, so I decided, as my family needed me at home, that I would wait till the next Saturday to go back to see him. I had no idea that he was so near death's door, but on Friday night I got the sad message that he was dead. He never did go to bed during his illness, except at night. He died sitting in his rocker. My sister was sitting by him, he had just been talking to my brother who had come in from his day's work to ask him how he felt, when he said very suddenly "Catch me". My sister jumped up and held his head in her arms, he began to pat his foot, and in a few seconds he was gone. We verily believe that he heard heavenly music, as he never failed to pat his foot when he heard music. He died on Good Friday, April 2, 1920. Lacked twenty days of being seventy-six years old. Had lived at his old home for seventy years, lacking eighteen days, as he lacked two days of being six when his father and mother moved there. Of course, the time he spent in the war would have to be deducted.

All of his sisters died several years before he did.

Our parents left us a grander heritage than riches -- the exemplary lives they lived before us, their teachings of right, honesty and truthfulness, we value far above money.

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