Mary Lucinda “Polly” Womack was the grand-mother of Nathaniel “Nat” Jeffers, grand-father of my husband, Alricks Henry Burkett. Not until the last two years, had we heard much about the Womack side of the family, although I’m sure the older members of my husband’s family knew about them. In fact, we’ve learned there were stories and letters in the family which were not made known to us and somehow had been kept secreted away somewhere. The original writer of the story was Eunice Dickerson Burnett and at her death had been handed down to her daughter, Wilma Burnett Patrick, who then gave it to Dorothy Jeffers Grass,. Unfortunately, it had not been shared with our family the Devillie Jeffers and Henry Burkett children. Comment: by Helen Norris Horn: Dorothy copied records from someone else and sent them to me and did not want the records credited to her because the records came from someone else...she was very proud of her Jeffers ancestry. Because of that, we have been deprived of an important part of the family history. Then we learned about the ‘Little River Pioneers” book and connected with Helen Horn and so began to obtain information we wish we had received much earlier. Mary Lucinda was born in Georgia circa 1817 and married Westley B. Barnes, most likely, in Gadsden County Territory of Florida about 1836. She died in San Augustine County, Texas in 1904 and is buried in the Coleman Cemetery, just off FM Rd. 705, south of the city of San Augustine Texas. Westley Barnes was born circa 1820 and was last found in the 1850 U. S. Census of Walton (Holmes?) County Florida. No further information is found on him. In extensive research, it was found that a David Womack had a daughter Mary L. and that she was affectionately referred to as Polly. In a letter written by David Womack, he mentioned two of his children, Mary L. and a son Jesse. Although those researching the Womack family have said they had no positive proof that Mary L. and Mary Lucinda “Polly” are one and the same person, the data supports the belief they are and that, in fact, Polly is David’s daughter. Mary Lucinda’s grave marker in the Coleman Cemetery bears this epitaph, “Faithful to her trust, even unto death”. Comment by Helen Norris Horn: My sister, Bobby Norris Boyett and I feel we have unmistakable proof that Mary L. and Mary Lucinda “Polly” Womack Barnes is one and the same person. We grew up in the household, with our Grandmother, Sarah Caroline Marshburn, daughter of Lucy Barnes, granddaughter of Mary “Polly” Womack. Grandmother always referred to her Grand-mother as “Polly Womack”. Another comment by Helen Horn: My sister Bobby was in the State Library in Austin many years ago and checking the Census for our family, she saw a Mary L. shown on a census in one of her daughter’s household....since she had always heard her referred to as “Polly”, she questioned the librarian saying “this appears to be the same person, age and place”....the librarian responded, “My dear you must remember that “Polly” is the nickname for Mary”. Also in Little River Pioneers by Miles Womack, there was mention of a letter in the David Womack family which stated “give my regards to Miss “Polly”. This was when she was still a girl, daughter of David Womack. In all the research which has been done, none has produced a marriage record for Westley Barnes and Mary Lucinda Womack however their first child was born in November of 1838 suggesting they were married between 1836 and 1838. A court house fire destroyed many of the documents, including marriage records. In any case, the family was recorded in the 1840 U. S. Census of Decatur County, Georgia and at that time, they were living in the 553rd.District G. It was commanded by Captain Womack. Mary L.’s, brother Jesse had moved from Gadsden County about 1836 and had married Martha Emanuel. He was the only Womack recorded in the 1840 Census. According to the same Census the Barnes family was reported as: Westley Barnes Age 20 and under 30 Female Age 20 and under 30 Female under 5 Female under 5 A clear picture of the family, was found in the 1850 Census of Holmes County, Florida. Barnes Cornelius 38 Born in Georgia Emma C. 25 Born in Florida James E. 4 Born in Florida William 7 mos. Born in Florida Martha 14 Born in Georgia Barnes W. B. 29 Born in South Carolina M. L. 30 Born in Georgia Lucy 14 Born in Florida Caroline 12 Born in Florida Jesse W. 14 Born in Florida Nancy 6 Born in Florida Elizabeth 3 Born in Florida Living in same house: James Barnes 36 Born in South Carolina Nancy J. 10 Born in Florida George C. 7 Born in Florida Jamice P. 5 Born in Florida From 1850 to 1880, Mary Lucinda “Polly” Womack Barnes has been lost to Public record. Although those lost years may hold many secrets about the family, records and recollections, Federal Census and San Augustine records disclose facts about the children of Westley Barnes and Mary L. Womack. 1. Lucy Templeton Barnes married James Joseph Marshburn both had been married before and both had a child. 2. Caroline Barnes was born in Georgia was married to James Monroe “Jim” Jeffers, (date and place unknown). They were the parents of three children, two daughters Annie and Rebecca, who died when very young, and a son Nathaniel “Nat” Jeffers. 3. Jesse W. Barnes, who, is reported to have died in the Civil War. 4. Nancy Barnes, born July 16, 1845 in Florida. She married William A. Hopson, of Thomas County, Georgia (date and place unknown). He was the son of William Green Hopson and Martha Patsy Ferrell. She was the daughter of Rev. Vet Ansel Ferrell and Charity Hammons. William Green Hopson died in 1845, in a battle with the Creek Indians, in Georgia. After his death, Patsy moved, with her family, to Texas, where she had relatives in Tyler and San Augustine Counties. Many families from Thomas County moved to Texas during this period, settling in Tyler, Jasper, Newton, San Augustine and Sabine Counties. 5. Elizabeth Barnes, born about 1848, in Florida, married Thomas “Tom” Parker of San Augustine County, Texas (date and place unknown). They were listed in the 1870 Census, with son Jesse, age two. Nothing more is known about this family. The last appearance of Mary L. Barnes, in Public Record, was in the San Augustine Co. Federal Census as present in the household of her daughter, Nancy Barnes Hopson. She was listed as Mary Barnes, born Georgia. Mother-in-law, widow, parents born S. Carolina. It was in San Augustine Co., Texas that Mary Lucinda Womack Barns lived out her final years. She and her daughter, Caroline Barnes Jeffers Bryant are buried in the Coleman Cemetery but not beside each other---their graves are a short distance apart. Mary Lucinda has a nice monument with this inscription“ Faithful to her trust, even unto death”. Caroline, on the other hand, has a crudely constructed monument, made of concrete. There is no name or dates on her marker, just this short statement, “Mother waiting for her darling boy, N. Jeffers”. As one stands at the foot of her grave, you notice a hand, fashioned on top of the marker, with the fore finger pointing to your right which would be to her left. To we who have been there, it indicates that her wish was that her first-born son be buried beside her. That, of course, did not happen. He is buried in the Brookeland Cemetery, along with his wife and other members of his family, including my parents-in-law, Simon Henry Burkett and Martha Devillie Jeffers Burkett. It is our plan to add something to Grand-mother Caroline’s monument with her name, birth and death dates. I would like to see that in place before the year 2004 is gone. Comment by Helen Norris Horn: My sister Bobby and I visited the Coleman Cemetery many times while growing up and as adults, in fact Bobby was there only recently and sent pictures to me showing how much the “old cedar tree” near the graves has grown since we were last there....I called Bobby a few minutes ago to check my recollection....there are several graves in the cemetery near Mary L. other than Caroline, including our Grandmother Lucy, her sister who married the Hopson and possibly Elizabeth who married the Parker. It is too bad that someone did not reserve space near Caroline for “Nat”, if that was her wish. Comment by Ruby Burkett: If I’m not mistaken, there is a vacant plot beside Caroline. More about the cedar tree: Somewhere along the trunk of the tree, it separates into what appears to be two trunks. Alricks noticed a cable has been secured around the tree, just above the division of the trunk so that it will not split. There is an interesting story about the tree and I feel it should be shared with others. So the now famous cedar tree in Coleman Cemetery has found its way into the Womack-Barnes Story: To any of us who have seen it, it is.... the big cedar....but actually it is much more. The tree is an Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) and it was nominated to The Texas Big Tree Registry by Floyd E. Boyett, son of Floyd Boyett. The circumference 187 height 78 crown spread 47 Tree Index 277 Last Measured 5/29/03. Now the rest of the story: Caroline’s first husband, James Monroe “Jim” Jeffers was called into service in the Civil War. Information which we have on men leaving from Jasper County in a call up, of men, indicates that Jim left with other of our ancestors. Some of them returned to their families but others did not and Jim was one of those who never returned to their families. Although he made it through the battles and was back in Galveston, Texas, waiting to go home, there was an epidemic of “yellow fever” and Jim contracted the dread disease and died shortly before he was scheduled to go home. He and a John Lewis, who might be a relative of Floyd Boyett and I ) were buried, side by side, on the same day, in what is now called, “Soldiers Rest”. In all these long years, the graves have not been marked, but before the year 2004 is gone, there will be monuments on their graves, thanks mainly to Floyd’s concerted efforts and with the help of his fellow “Sons of Confederate Veterans, come early December, the two men will have polished marble markers on their graves. Back to what happened after James Monroe did not come back to his wife and little son, Nat. As so many women did in those difficult times in their lives, Caroline soon married William Bryant (there is some difference in the spelling on the monuments in the Coleman Cemetery) but it had been our understanding that the name was Bryant, not Bryan. There were two daughters, Betty and Lucy and one son Hiram born to this marriage. For whatever reason, it seems from stories handed down that Nat was not happy with the new family situation and consequently, made several attempts to run away from home. On several occasions, he was intercepted and brought back home but finally went to live with an uncle Bailos Earl Jeffers and his wife Nancy in Round Rock Texas, near Austin. It appears he did come back to visit his Mother but never lived there permanently again. While Nat was a very young man, he met Nancy Elizabeth Ziegler, immediately fell in love with her and they were married on December 29, 1879, in Jasper Co., Texas. The Mary Lucinda “Polly” Womack Barnes stories handed down in our family, but just recently made known to us are that she was half Indian (after seeing her picture, I believe it to be true), and that she had two brothers Jesse and Jack. She was a very intelligent woman with many talents. The story goes that she could sew a mans suit of clothing to perfection, taking the measurements by tying knots in a string. With the measurements, she could make a perfectly fitted suit for any man. She was a natural born seamstress and a weaver of beautiful cloth. Grand-ma Polly was also noted for being a good mid-wife and was much in demand and depended upon by the community. In those days many women were used as substitute doctors and were called upon to take care of any of the neighbors who became ill with the diseases which were rampant in those days. I feel sure she was one of those women. Grand-pa Nat, her grandson, related that she was one of the best fisher-women he had ever seen. She would sit for half a day and never grow tired of fishing. Even after she was old, she still enjoyed fishing, although she sometime needed help in landing her fish. He remembered a time when she had to call him from the house to help her land a big one, which causes me to think she may have lived with he and Nancy at some time when they lived on the Angelina River (just guessing). Polly’s husband was reported to be a good marksman and also a good gunsmith. Unfortunately Westley B. Barnes has been lost to family history. Is it possible that he too was called into the Civil War and died while in service? We have seen records of older men in Jasper County having been called up because they, so badly, needed men.
By Ruby Boyett Burkett August 19, 2004