The Bowden Family

 

Morris Malachi Bowden was born in Meriwether County on October 9, 1847, the son of James F. Bowden and Sarah Murphy. At the age of 17 he enlisted in Company E, 2nd Ga Reserves under Capt. W.L. Hubbard.  His company surrendered in Greensboro, NC on April 26, 1865. He  married Frances Summerfield Simmons, the daughter of Thomas Simmons and Mahala Barmore  in 1866. The Bowden's moved to Muscogee County, GA settling in Flat Rock in 1883. M. M. Bowden, a prosperous farmer, also ran a lumber mill, cotton gin and stores in the area. He was active in politics, serving as the Steam Mill district chairman of the Muscogee Democratic Party. He also served as a member of the county school board. In 1894 he was appointed postmaster of the Flat Rock area. M. M. Bowden died October 29, 1900. His obituary stated that he had been suffering from liver trouble for several weeks. Frances Bowden died March 29, 1909.

The Bowden's had twelve children:

1) John 1867-1875

2) William Oscar 1867-1916 m. 1) Mary Ann Waller

     2) Willene Hill

3) Atha 1869-1890

4) Maggie Delonia 1871-1936 m. John Thomas Waller

5) Eddie 1872-1942  m. Archibald Tulian Reese

6) Augustus "Gus"1875-1919                                                        7)Newell Kentucky  1876-1921 1) Carrie Love Hamer  2) Katherine Sheridan 

8) Ilga 1878-1964 m. Luther E. Collier

9) Ager Thomas 1878-1921 m. Nettie McCoy

10) Bell 1880-1931 m. William E. Stewart

11)Thomas Jefferson 1882-1948  m. Ethel Robison

12) Malachi "Kye" 1884-1969 m.Ruth Wood

Archibald Tulian Reese

 Archibald Tulian Reese

1868-1945

Eddie Bowden Reese 

1872-1942

Life post 1865 was proving extremely difficult for the South. Georgia, like all the other Southern states, found themselves struggling with post war unemployment, inflation and decimated cities and country sides. Large land owners found themselves without a cheap labor force and small farmers, in order to feed their families, were at the mercy of lending institutions. Georgia, in particular, had been dealt a punishing blow by Sherman's army. Archibald Tulian Reese, the son of Thomas Clopton and Martha Olivia Kimbrough Reese, was born on June 9, 1868 just three years after the Civil War ended. He was the first born of Thomas Clopton Rees's second wife. Thomas Rees had been able to hold onto his land but was forced to borrow money every year to buy seeds, fertilizer and other farm needs. He lost acreage every year due to exorbitant interest and dropping cotton prices. In 1870 he owned about 360 acres, 300 acres that were in farm production. By 1872, land prices had fallen from $4.85 an acre (1860) to $2.87 an acre. The cost of producing cotton was high and the planter was dependent on his cotton broker to secure money for his crop. Interest rates at this time were about 2.5% a month (30% interest a year!).  In 1874 Thomas Rees borrowed $550.00 from from Watt and Walker, Columbus cotton merchants, to be paid back by October 1, 1874 or he would deed them 150 acres. In January 1875, Thomas Rees borrowed $996.44 from Charles B. Taliaferro, cotton merchant,  to be paid back by October 1, 1875 or he would deed him ? acres (amount of acreage could not be read). In April 1876, Thomas Rees borrowed $275.00 from Blanchard and Williams, cotton merchants, payment to be received by November 1, 1876 or he would have to surrender to them 3 mules, 1 horse, 16 hogs, 7 head of cattle, a two-horse wagon, an express wagon, and all the cotton, peas, corn and oats produced on his farm that year. I can only imagine that these items were the entirety of his farm. At this point he had lost more than 150 acres of crop land and could not mortgage any more and still be able to produce a crop. In 1877 he borrowed $419.51 from Flournoy and Eppling, Cotton Brokers, or give them the entire cotton crop. The years following the war had indeed been tremendously hard on farmer. Cash was scarce, cotton prices had fallen and planting costs had risen. High interest rates had driven many farmers, including Thomas Rees, deep into debt. At age thirteen, Archie and his older brothers were working on the farm. It was into this economy that Archie Reese reached manhood, found a wife and continued to farm.  Archie married Eddie Bowden, the daughter of Morris Malachi and Frances Simmons Bowden, on December 22, 1891. They settled on Hamilton Road in Columbus, Ga. The country went into a deep economic depression in the 1890's. Around 1892 the boll weevil arrived in the United States and infested cotton country from Texas eastward   destroying much of the south's staple crop and economy.  Archie struggled to feed and clothe a growing family. By 1901 the couple had five children, followed by five more by 1916. They lost a son, Raiford Kimbrough Reese who died in infancy in 1915. Between 1910 and 1920, they were able to purchase a small farm. In 1933, the Reese family gathered to celebrate Archie's 65th birthday. It was a huge celebration as you can see by the pictures of the family. Eddie Bowden Reese died on April 23, 1942. Archie died three years later on October 29, 1945. 

Archie and Eddie Reese

1933

Archie and Eddie Bowden Reese's Children:

1) Tulian Clements Reese 1892-1966

     m.1) Nancy Bedell Smith 2) Dorothy Ethel McDaniel

2) Annie Mabel Reese 1894-1983     

      m. Jesse Eugene Smith     

3) Clyde Bowden Reese 1896-1966

     m. Ora Mae Webb

4) Nell Olivia Reese 1899-1986

      m. Julius M. Kite

5) Edith Sommers Reese 1901-1983

     m. Getzen Luther Smith

6) Ilga Earline Reese 1903-1984

     m. Henry Nevin Lumpkin

7) Thomas Gray Reese 1908-1979 

     m. Lois Beavers

8) Archie Kye Reese 1910-1960

     m. Ruby Gunnells

9) Stanford Eugene Reese 1913-1978

     m. Gladys Newsome

10) Raiford Kimbrough Reese 1915-1915

11) Clopton Dickerson Reese 1916-1991

       m. Doris Hix

Thomas Clopton Rees

Thomas Clopton Rees

1829-1893

Thomas Clopton Rees

Martha Olivia Kimbrough (2nd wife)

Thomas Clopton Rees was my maternal great great grandfather, the son of James Rees and Rebecca Mathews Smith. He was born in Jasper County near Clinton, GA on June 8, 1829. The family moved frequently due to his father's occupation as a minister. By the early 1840's the family had settled in Muscogee County on Hamilton Road (now Veteran's Parkway) near present day Northside High School. The Rees family owned a farm in the community and as Thomas grew into manhood he continued to farm. On November 29, 1855 he married Martha Minerva Kimbrough, the daughter of William B. Kimbrough and Jane Ann Nutt.  They settled near Martha's grandmother Sarah Stallings Kimbrough the widow of Thomas Kimbrough.  There were a variety of neighbors with diverse occupations living near the Rees and Kimbrough families. Larkin Davidson, a lawyer and farmer was the Rees's closest neighbor. Edward Beers, a tailor, Charles Blake, a teacher, Jacob Hugh, a dentist and David Dean, a dentist also lived in the community. Wiley Cannon, John Murrain and James Moon were farmers in the area. (1850 U.S. Federal Census, Muscogee County, GA)
In the mid 1850's with several Baptist churches already in the area, Methodists  decided to build a church. The church, located about eight miles from Columbus, was built on land owned by Benjamin A. Clark, who later deeded the land the church stood on. One third of the church was set aside for enslaved people, so they could attend worship. Dr. Lovick Pierce dedicated the church on the second Sunday of August 1855, giving the members "a spiritual feast of nearly three hours."  After Thomas and Minerva married, they began attending Pierce Chapel along with his youngest brother Joseph. In 1861, on the deed of Pierce Chapel Methodist Church Thomas Rees was listed as a Trustee.  (Louise Calhoun Barfield, The History of Harris County, Georgia, 1827-1961, {Columbus, Ga, Columbus Printing Co., 1961} p.395) 

The 1860's were destined to bring drastic changes to the small rural community. Following the secession of 1861, Georgia governor Joe E. Brown called for volunteers, set up munitions factories, seized the Federal mint at Dahlonega, and made it illegal to distill grain into liquor. The Georgia Legislature authorized one million dollars to raise an army and prepare for war. (one million dollars into today's currency would be worth approximately thirty two million dollars). Though Georgians rushed to enlist,  clothing, weapons and essential equipment were already in short supply.  (John H. Martin, Columbus, Georgia, From It's Selection as a Trading Town in 1827 to It's Partial Destruction by Wilson's Raiders in 1865,  Georgia Genealogical Reprints, 1972)      

All of Thomas's brothers enlisted in the war, only the youngest, Joseph died (1862). Thomas Rees only has limited participation in the war. he enlisted in John Pemberton's Company, Muscogee Calvary on July 13, 1863. The purpose of this calvary unit was to provide local defense within a hundred mile radius of Columbus, Georgia. He served a short time in Atlanta and mustered out there on February 4, 1864. 

The economy, though stable in 1860, was unable to bear the financial pressures the war brought. Georgia tried to finance the war with bonds and treasury notes, but it was insufficient, and inflation was soon running rampant. Food prices soared and clothing prices were exorbitant. 
Martha Minerva Kimbrough died on December 17, 1864. She was buried in the Pierce Chapel Cemetery. Thomas Rees was left with four young children. 

On December 18, 1865, Thomas married Martha Olivia Kimbrough, Martha Minerva's first cousin. Martha Olivia was the daughter of Archibald Malachi Kimbrough and Nancy Dickerson. 

The war brought severe financial problems to the Rees family. Thomas continued to farm but stayed deeply in debt to the large cotton brokers in Columbus. He ventured into politics in the 1870's and became a local judge in the Nances community. He was active in the Democratic Party and ran for Tax Receiver of Muscogee County in 1874. (Columbus Daily Enquirer, December 9, 1874, p.4) 

Thomas Rees died on February 6, 1893. The last twenty years of his life had been a financial struggle. Fourteen children and ever decreasing farm land on which to grow crops were certainly a heavy burden. His obituary stated that he "reared a large family and bequeathed them something better than wealth-a good name and religious impress on every child." (Columbus Daily Enquirer-Sun, February 8, 1893, 4.)

Martha Olivia developed heart problems and died in her home on February 1, 1902. Thomas and Martha are buried in the Pierce Chapel Methodist cemetery along with many of their children.

 

Children of Thomas and Martha Minerva Kimbrough Rees:

1) Cora Rees 1857-1935 
    m. Albert Pitner

2) Annie  Rees 1859-1945
    m. Jeremiah Griffin Gray

3) Raiford Kimbrough Rees 1861-1898
    
4) Suda Ella Rees 1863-1864

5) Thomas Matt Rees 1864-1943
    m. Virginia Clark
 

Children of Thomas and Martha Olivia Kimbrough Rees:

1) Archibald Tulian Rees 1868-1945

    m. Eddie Bowden

2) James Clement Rees 1870-1949

    m. Mary Lucille Dodd

3) Vara Rosco Rees 1873-1901

4) Henry Butler Rees 1875-1963

    m. Gussie Olive Gibson

5) Rev. Albert William Rees 1877-1955

    m. Augusta Lee

6) Erin Maude Rees 1882-1901

7) Thaddeus Lawson Rees 1883-1948

    m. Irene Lester Daniels

8) Griffin Gray Rees 1886-1948

    m. Mary Hogan

9) Marvin M. Rees 1889-1966

Thomas Clopton Rees

Martha Olivia Kimbrough Rees

Martha Minerva Kimbrough

John Rees

John Rees

1770?-1804

John Rees is the earliest Rees ancestor that I've been able to document. John Rees is my fourth great grandfather. Just recently I found his will and it confirmed stories that were told to me by two cousins, Aileen Smith Craig and Elmyr Kimbrough Reese Tompkins. I started my family research in my late twenties (long before the internet put information at my fingertips) and relied heavily on information given to me by family members. 

John Rees married Judith/Judah Palmer. I have not been able to find their marriage record, but she is named in his will and in her father Elles Palmer's will as Judah Rees. John and Judah Rees had four children:
1) Thomas Rees
2) Sally Rees m. David Coleman
3) James Rees m. Rebecca Mathews Smith
4) Herrod Rees m. Harriet B. Daniel
John Rees died in 1804 in Edgefield County, SC. His will was recorded and Judah/Judy was named the executrix along with her brother Elijah Palmer.
I found two deed abstracts from Edgefield County, SC which confirms the names of family members. In 1805 Judy Rees, executrix of John Rees's will sold 120 acres to Eaton Rees. (Deed Book 26, Edgefield Co, SC, p. 428) In 1812, Eaton Rees sold 130 acres of land to William Durham. In the deed Eaton states that the land originally belonged to his brother John Rees, deceased. Though I have not found John Rees's father, I did find a brother, Eaton. (Deed Book 36, Edgefield County, SC, p.213)
By 1820, Judah Rees is living in Putnam County, GA. There is no record of when and where she died. 

Judith Palmer was the daughter of Ellis/Elles Palmer and Ann Rudd.  Ellis Palmer was born in 1725 in Northumberland County, VA. and baptized in the Wicomico Parish Church.  Ellis Palmer was in the  9th Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The unit was adopted into the Continental Army on May 31, 1776. He later left the 9th Virginia regiment and joined the 10th Virginia Regiment. Ellis Palmer was in Weedon's Brigade, 5th Division. He was at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania under the leadership of George Washington 1777-1778. Later his brigade was in the battle of Charleston, SC in 1780 and was captured by the British Army.  After the Revolutionary War, he moved his family to South Carolina. Ellis Palmer and Ann Rudd had at least twelve children (those named in his will).
1) Thomas Palmer
2) John Palmer
3) Whitty Palmer married __________ Canada
4) Rhoda Palmer m. _____________Porter
5) Hocky Palmer
6) Elijah Palmer
7) Elisha Palmer
8) Gideon Palmer
9) Judah Palmer m. John Rees
10) Sally Palmer
11) Russell Palmer
12) an unnamed daughter m. _____________ Limbecker  
In Elles Palmer's will, he left one shilling sterling (about 20.00 in today's currency) to each child. He left his daughter Judah one bed, and furniture and an iron pot). But, in a codicil to his will, the furniture and pot given to Judah in the original would be sold and proceeds equally divided and given to his unmarried daughter Sally and grandchildren Thomas Rees and Jefee Limbecker. 

  

Wicomico Parish Church
Northumberland, VA

Red Oak Baptist Church
Edgefield County, SC

The earliest Palmer ancestor that I have been able to document was Thomas Palmer, a Jamestown survivor.  Thomas Palmer* was an English settler of colonial Virginia, arriving with his wife, Joan, eleven-year-old daughter Priscilla and servant Richard English on the Tyger in November 1621. The Palmers are listed as living at Jordan's Journey, which almost certainly saved their lives during the Indian Massacre of 1622. Thomas Palmer was one of the House of Burgesses at Jamestown on 16 October 16 1629, representing Shirley Hundred Island. 
*“Early Palmers of Virginia.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 14, no. 1, 1934, pp. 16–19., www.jstor.org/stable/1916374.
Virginia. General Assembly. House of Burgesses; McIlwaine, H. R. (Henry Read), 1864–1934, ed; Kennedy, John Pendleton, 1871- , ed; Virginia State Library)  

The ruined tower of the 17th century Jamestown Church; the nave was reconstructed in 1907 on the original foundations

Rev. James Reese

Rev. James Rees

1801-1890

James Rees is buried in Pearce Chapel Cemetery, Harris County GA.
His date of death should be 1890.

Rebecca Mathews Smith is buried in the Turin Cemetery in Coweta County, GA

 James Rees was my maternal third great grandfather. He was born in Edgefield, South Carolina on  July 12, 1801. His father was John Rees (1770-1804) His mother, Judah/Judith Palmer was the daughter of Ellis Palmer and Ann Rudd. James had three siblings, Thomas, Sally and Herrod. John Rees died when James was three years old. His mother moved to Putnam County, GA where James was placed in the care of an uncle. His obituary alludes to the fact that he probably wasn't treated very well. In the care of his uncle, he grew up "uncultivated and uneducated."  At the age of eighteen, James started attending a Baptist Church and was "converted." Through a friend's kindness he learned to read and write. On December 19, 1824 he married Rebecca Mathews Smith, the daughter of Henry Smith and Sally Mathews. He was licensed to preach in 1825. He and Rebecca settled in Pike County near Flat Shoals on the Flint River.  In 1830 he was ordained by Macedonia Baptist Church in Jasper County, GA. In 1834  they moved to Russell County, Alabama and lived there until 1837. By the time they moved to Harris County, GA the couple had eight sons.  In 1840, the Rees family moved into Muscogee County, GA where they remained and raised their family. In 1845 Herrod Rees passed away. James and Aaron Smith (Rebecca's brother) became the legal guardians of Herrod's son William B. Rees. In 1851, James Rees bought 3 acres of land from David Evans for $24.00  in the eighth district of Muscogee County, GA. The property contained a church. In that same year James Rees sold the three acres and church to his son Thomas and Edward C. Beers for five dollars. The deed had a stipulation that the church be used exclusively as a Baptist church and public schoolhouse. Three years later, James Rees's son Henry Smith Rees followed his father's footsteps into the ministry. He was ordained as a minister in the Sardis Baptist Church in Harris County, GA. As James and Rebecca aged they began to spend their time between their son's Thomas and Henry's homes. Henry had eventually settled in the community of Turin in Coweta County, GA. Rebecca died in Turin at the home of Henry Smith Rees on November 25, 1879.   An interesting note is that Rebecca has two burial places, the Turin Cemetery  and Pearce Chapel Cemetery. In July 1880, James was visiting his son Edmund in Columbus. He decided to go for a walk and was attacked by two dogs. They bit him viciously tearing flesh on his hand to the bone. (The Columbus Daily Enquirer-Sun July 21,1880,p.4) James continued preaching until his late eighties, he also continued to farm. A Columbus newspaper article in 1881 stated that James had planted 20-25 acres of cotton and also weeded them. According to his obituary James Rees preached the gospel for nearly fifty years. James Rees died at the home of son, Thomas, on September 19, 1890. He was buried with full Masonic honors at Pearce Chapel Methodist Church in Columbus, GA. In my research of the Rees family, I have never been able to find the answer to the question of Rees's turning from Baptist to Methodist. There are several Baptist and Methodist preachers in the Rees family. 

Children:
1)  William C. Rees 1825-1910
      m. Martha P. Herron 
      (Civil War Service Company F, 64th GA Infantry)

2) John Palmer Rees  1828-1900
    m Emily Elizabeth Moseley 
        (Civil War Service Company I, 37th GA Regiment)

3) Rev. Henry Smith Reese 1828-1922 (Henry and John were twins)
    m. 1) Almedia A. Brawner
         2) Martha Jane Brooks
           (Civil War Service Company I, 37th GA Regiment)

4. Thomas Clopton Rees 1829-1893
    m. 1) Martha Minerva Kimbrough
         2) Martha Olivia Kimbrough
           (Civil War Service Co. K, 12th GA Regiment )

5. Edmund Head Rees 1830-1911
    m. 1) Sarah Palmer
         2) Julia Bartlett

6. James Monroe Rees 1832- unknown
    (Civil War Service Co. I, 3rd Reg. GA Calvary 
      Captured Nov. 29, 1863)

7. Hardy Vincent Rees 1834-after 1880
    m. Sibella Cheshire
    (Civil War Service Co. I, 3rd GA Calvary
      also captured Nov. 29, 1863, took the Oath of Allegiance and later settled          in Texas)
    
8. Joseph Butler "Buddy" Rees 1836-1862
    died in 1862 in Richmond, VA

Flat Shoals Flint River

Marriage Record of James Rees and Rebecca Smith

Bible Records 

James Rees

The James Rees Family bible pages were given to me by Rev. James Dodd Rees, a descendant of Rev. James Rees

Jasper County, Marriage Record Book, 1821-1835, p.64

Muscogee County Deed Book, F, pp.277-276

U. S. Censuses 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880

Louise Calhoun Barfield, History of Harris County, 1827-1861 (Columbus Ga, Columbus Printing Company, 1961), p. 395

Columbus enquirer-sun. (Columbus, Ga.) 1886-1893, September 25, 1890, p.4

Tulian Clements Reese

He sat rocking on the back porch of the white frame house he had built in 1947 watching his grandchildren play in the dirt. Every once in a while they would run past him and he would swat them with the flyswatter he always had in his hand and they would squeal in delight. It was a game that they all enjoyed. Tulian Clements (T.C.)Reese was my grandfather and though he passed away when I was twelve, I have wonderful memories of him. My mother, his youngest daughter Irell, adored him. She described him as a fun loving father who loved to tease and dispel words of wisdom, such as "If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas on you," or "Pretty is as pretty does." My family lived with him and my grandmother for about six years. I watched him drive my sweet grandmother to distraction by thumping his teaspoon on a saucer while she prepared breakfast. He loved to slurp coffee while my grandmother glared at him. He was seventeen years older than Ethel McDaniel Reese. I never heard him call her by her given name, only Daughter. My brother and I spent a lot of time following granddaddy around, helping him garden and tend to his cows and hogs. My grandfather would be considered a "picker" today because he had several barns filled with junk as most of the family termed it. His grandchildren, however,  thought he had barns filled with treasures. He had a huge wooden box filled with skeleton keys, and another huge box filled with suicide knobs (those colorful knobs found on the steering wheels and columns of vintage cars.) One barn held a huge pump organ that we loved to play and furniture and bric a brac of all sorts. There were old cars on the property also filled with junk. He had an old smoke house that my grandmother filled with jams, jellies and other canned goods. She had also stored a couple of boxes of depression glass on one of the shelves. My cousin and I were playing in the smokehouse one day (though we were told not to) and I knocked a box off the shelf and everything in the box shattered. We decided not to tell anyone, but granddaddy found it and told us it was a good thing grandmother hated those dishes or we would be in a lot of trouble. Years later I confessed to my grandmother and ask her why she had hated those dishes so much. She said they were all the dishes they could ever afford and she hated the green color. I would love to know what those dishes were worth today!

Eddie Bowden and Archibald Tulian Reese

Tulian Clements Reese

1893

Tulian Clements Reese was born to Archibald Tulian (Archie) and Eddie Bowden Reese on November 30, 1892. He was the oldest child of ten siblings with big beautiful blue eyes. The family lived in the rural area of Columbus, GA and had a small farm.  They attended Pearce Chapel Methodist church with many of Archie's brother and sisters, along with Eddie's family. As the oldest son, Clements started working in the field along side his father at a very young age. According to the 1900 and 1910 census Clements never attended school. 

Clements and his sister Mabel were quite popular in the small Fortson community. Their names were often mentioned in the What's Happening Around Town column in the Columbus paper. 

Bowden (left) and Clements Reese

In 1913 Clements and his brother Bowden were involved in an accident on Hamilton Road (now Veteran's Parkway). They were driving a wagon filled with seed cotton. The horse and mule team bolted and rounding a curve the wagon turned over trapping Clements and Bowden underneath. Clement's left arm was broken in two places between the elbow and shoulder. Bowden was buried under a full bale of seed cotton, but was only badly bruised. 
(From Columbus Daily Enquirer, October 13, 1913, p.3)

 

Clements Reese and Nancy Bedell Smith

Nancy, Blackie and Clements

Janie and Mildred Reese

Clements married Nancy Bedell Smith, the daughter of Cicero and Lucy Jane Cannon Smith on March 3, 1915. They welcomed their first son, Larkin Tulian Reese (known as Blackie) in April 1916. They lived on Smith Road in the house pictured below. 

Clements and Nancy's home in the background*

Their second child,Joe Lemuel, was born on December 8, 1918. He became very ill in early November 1919 and died November 15th of acute enteritis (chronic inflammation of the lining of the intestine). He was buried at Pearce Chapel Methodist Church. Their first daughter Janie Somers arrived in arrived in 1920 and Mildred Lavinia was born in 1923. During this time the family lived in the Fortson area. The family was living on Woolridge Road when their home burned down. The story goes that there were moonshiners in the area. Their still was discovered and for some reason they thought Clements had informed the sheriff. They retaliated by burning their home down (story was told to me by Bill Reese, Clements' son).  In June 1925, their son Arthur was born, Nancy never recovered from his birth. She passed away on July 10th from acute nephritis and septicemia (inflammation of the kidneys and blood poisoning.) Clements found himself a widow with three young children and an infant. (Nancy's brother, George Smith, took Arthur, telling Clements he and his wife Lavinia would be glad to take care of the baby until he could make arrangements for the care of him. He continued to live with the Smiths until he was 16 and went by Arthur Smith. At the age of 16, Clements and his sons went to see Arthur and explained that he was his father. Arthur decided to move back in with his real father.) 

Ethel McDaniel, Clements Reese, Mittie Lou McDaniel

At the age of 33, Clements decided that he needed a new wife. According to Clement's son Bill, T.C. was driving a logging truck and found himself on Whitesville Road in Harris County, GA in a logging camp. Logging companies built small cheap houses for the timber workers and their families to live in. Ethel McDaniel and her family were living in the camp. After a whirlwind courtship, Clements and Ethel married on December 15, 1925. By 1930, Clements and Ethel had three children, Dorothy Edna born in 1927, Frances Lorene born in 1928 and John Blanchard born in 1929. William Clements (Bill) was born in 1931 and Bessie Irell in 1932. 

Dot, Lorene, John

Bill and Irell Reese

  In the 1930's and early 40's Clements ran a grocery store and worked in his brother Bowden's dairy farm. They rented various homes in the Fortson area. In 1939 or 1940, Clement's brother Bowden bought an old tractor. On the first day of it's use Clements got the tractor stuck in the mud. He was able to get the tractor moving the next day. He started inching the tractor up on some wood when the tractor suddenly turned over trapping him underneath. John and Bill were with him, John ran to tell Ethel and Bill tried to help him. Hot water was spilling over Clements. He was finally able to get out from under the tractor and made it to the side of the road. His brother Bowden took him to a doctor in town. He had a broken pelvis. In a few days he went back to work. In the early 1940's they lived in the Old Smith homeplace on Smith Road. On the back of the photograph my mother Irell wrote that "Daddy had barns for the cows and horses. He milked the cows and delivered milk and butter to make extra money."

The Old Smith place is in the background

The family moved to a house on Smith Road near the railroad tracks. My mother Irell wrote that "the house near the railroad tracks was not a very good house. Mother kept the house so clean and cooked on a wood stove. We carried water from a well from an old home place that had burned down. I carried a syrup bucket, a half gallon size. By the time I got back home I had very little water left."

Ben Brown, Bob Brown and John Reese

Clements at the house near the railroad tracks on Smith Road

Irell, Bob Brown, Bill and John with Clements

Clements built their first home in 1947 on Smith Road in front of the house he had lived in with his first wife, Nancy. 

Bill and John Reese at the home on Smith Road built by Clements Reese

Shortly after they moved into their home, Ethel's cousin asked if he would manage his grist mill at Oak Mountain outside Waverly Hall, GA. They moved into the house provided with the mill. They lived at Oak Mountain until 1952.(More information on their time at Oak Mountain, along with pictures can be found in the post: Dorothy Ethel McDaniel Reese in this blog). 

Ethel, Irell and Clements Reese at Oak Mountain in 1952

They moved back to Columbus and Clements ran a grocery store on Hamilton Road near Britt David Road. 

Clements sitting in front of his store on Hamilton Road across from Hale's Grocery (Hale's Grocery is still in this location.)

In 1953 they moved again and ran a grocery store above Moon Road on Hamilton Road. I have some memories about this time in their lives. I can remember the red Coca Cola coke box and a large jar of Jack's Cookies

inside the grocery store. I was living in Wichita, Kansas with my parents but we visited a lot. 

Clements and Linda (me) checking on the chickens behind the store on Hamilton Road

  We moved from Wichita, Kansas to Crestview, Florida and in 1957 we moved back to Columbus and moved in with my grandparents. By this time they had moved back to their home on Smith Road. We lived with them for six years, I feel so lucky that I got to spend those years with them. They loved me and spent a lot of time with me and all their grandchildren. I never lacked for playmates! Clements always had a lot of animals, no matter where he and grandmother were living. On Smith Road, he raised chickens, calves and pigs. He also gardened. We spent a lot of time in the garden helping him weed and gather the vegetables.

Scott Self, Jan Reese, Linda Self in the garden on Smith Road with Clements

Scott Self, Jan Reese, Linda Self and Joannie Reese with Clements

Clements and Ethel beside their home om Smith Road (1960)

Clements sitting on the back porch

Whenever I think of my grandfather, Clements Reese, this picture always pops up in my mind. He sat on the back porch a great deal as his health declined. Clements Reese died on July 14, 1966. I feel so fortunate to have had such a wonderful grandfather and grandmother. Their legacy lives on in their descendants. These memories are mine and from stories told to me all my life. I invite you to add your memories of this truly wonderful man.

*There's a humorous story behind this picture. Clements had a sister that was quite a gossip. She was always calling Ethel to tattle on the children.  So Uncle John decided to play a little joke on her. They rode up and down Smith Road with the "Just Married" sign on the side of the car. Sure enough, before they could get back home she had called Ethel to give her the shocking news! I'm sure my Uncle John got a big kick out of it!