Sentimental Sunday

This wonderful old photograph is of Annie CLEMENTS, the mother of Laura May CLEMENTS. I felt it appropriate to end this week with the mother of the one we have focused so much attention on.

Born Annie Caroline TENNILLE on 11 Nov. 1858 in Texas to George Culver TENNILLE [1825-1874] and his fourth wife, Amanda J. BILLINGS [b. 1840 in TN], she was one of six children known to be born of this couple. It is believed that in 1884, Amanda married a James M. BOCKINS in Gonzales, TX, but I have not confirmed this as of this date,although a record does exist, I have not reviewed it and confirmed it is one and the same Amanda Tennille. [However, Census records for 1900 seem to add favor that this is correct.]

On 11 Jan 1872 in Gonzalez County, Texas, Annie married James Thomas CLEMENTS [1843-1897]. "Jim" was first cousin to John Wesley HARDIN, and the two were inseparable buddies. CLEMENTS died under suspicious circumstances, some believing he was murdered by his own family in retribution for the ill-treatment he afforded Annie and their children. No formal charges were ever made, however. Annie and Jim had eleven known children, among them, Laura May the subject of much of this past week.

Annie died 14 Oct 1936 in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. She is buried at Sunset Cemetery, Mountain Home, Kerr County, Texas.

ANN C. CLEMENTS

MAR. 11, 1858

OCT. 14, 1936

Wordless Wednesday

Annie Caroline Tennille Clements standing in the back, with daughter-in-law, Stella Griffin Clements,  and her children.

Tombstone Tuesday - October 6, 2009

Ann Caroline Tennille Clements

Annie Clements was born 11 March 1858 to George Culver Tennille and Amanda Jane Billings in Texas. [I have written before about Annie. See my previous post here.]

George and his father [also named George] were among the very first who received land grants from the Mexicans in what is now Texas, in the Austin settlements.

Annie was the second born child of six children born to the family. Of the six, only one, Thomas, was a son.

Education was not a priority in the little Gonzales County community where Annie grew up. And at the tender age of 13 she was wed to James Thomas Clements, the bad boy cousin of famed western gunslinger, John Wesley Hardin. "Jim" rode frequently with "Wes", and was reputed to be as near as bad with his gun as his outlaw cousin. Until her death, in 1969, Jim's daughter, Laura May, declared the men were just "products of their time" and were not what the tabloids and books made them out to be.

Annie had her first baby when she was only 16 years old, just a few months before her 17th birthday rolled around. She went on to have 11 children: Virginia [1875-1957]; Viola [1877-1965]; Crawford [1879-1880]; Emma [1881-1962]; James Jr. [1883-1956]; Ella [1886-1969]; William [1888-1928]; Laura May [1890-1969]; Lela Dee [1892-1952]; Nancy Ann [1894-1896]; Bessie Edna [1896-1925].

Annie's life was rough. She was repeatedly physically abused by Jim. And in 1897, Jim mysteriously disappeared after a particular bad beating, where Jim went nearly mad and threatened to beat his daughter and stomp an unborn child from her belly. An inquest was held after finding Jim's horse, still saddled, and blood on the saddle that was suspected to be Jim's. Although particular attention was paid to Annie and her brother, no one was indicted. Jim's body was never found.

Annie went on to live a quiet life in south Texas. She eventually passed away in San Antonio in 1936 at nearly 78 years of age.

Perhaps it is because my first husband physically abused me for 15 long years that I am able to relate to Annie so well. Or maybe just the fact that she went on to raise her children alone, as I did, that I can associate so well with this pioneer woman.

I do know that many of Annie's relatives made excuses for her shortcomings, ie: lack of education, unrefined manners, etc.

Annie is my husband's gr-gr-grandmother. And I do believe that if I could meet her today, Annie and I would be close friends. She exudes a quiet strength in her photographs that I feel even today.

And so, today I salute Annie. And all of the pioneer women of the time. Your strength has grown into the wonderfully strong and self-assured women of this generation.

What a foundation upon which we stand!

Wordless Wednesday - 9/30/09

Wild West "bad boy", James Thomas Clements [1843-1897], and first cousin to Wild West gunman, John Wesley Hardin.

"Jim" was my husband's great-great-grandfather.

Jim rode with John Wesley Hardin for quite some time. He was reported to have abused his wife, Annie Caroline Tennille, which resulted in a rather sudden, and unsolved mysterious disappearance of Jim from the hill country of Texas. [His body, nor proof of his murder was ever proven in a court of law. Annie was considered a suspect for a while, as were her brothers. None were indicted.]

John Wesley Hardin also died a gruesome death in 1895, just two years before Jim's disappearance, in El Paso. Sheriff John Selman walked into a saloon and shot him in the back of the head.

Annie lived to the age of 78, dying in 1936 in San Antonio. Her daughter Laura May was my husband's great-grandmother, whom he knew quite well. He listened to stories of the famed gunfighter and her father from the time he was a toddler. Laura May died in 1969.

Not So Wordless Wednesday

This post is duo-fold. It is my post for "Not So Wordless Wednesday", and also in response to the GeneaBloggers Week #35 challenge: Share a photo that conjures mixed emotions in you. Explain why this is the case as you detail the who/what/when/where/why of the subject matter.

And so, with those two projects in mind, let me introduce you to Annie Caroline Tennille.

Annie Tennille was born 11 November 1858 in Texas. She was only 13 years old when she was wed to James Thomas Clements. "Jim", as everyone calls him, went down in history as the first cousin, and best buddy. of old west outlaw, John Wesley Hardin.

Annie's grandfather, George Culver Tennille, Sr. was born in Pennsylvania, and was among the original group of white settlers brought into Texas by Stephen Austin. He received a Mexican Land Grant.

Annie should have had a life of relative ease with position having been attained by her grandfather. But that was not to be.

Annie and Jim had 11 children between 1875 and 1896.

All the while, Jim either ran with Hardin, or ran from the Law. When he was home, he was there long enough to get Annie with child, yet once more, or to physically abuse her.

In 1897, just 2 years after the gunning down of his cousin, Wes Hardin, Jim abused Annie for the last time.

There is alot of controversy over the actual events. And even when the local officials held an inquisition to determine what happened to Jim, the truth was never brought to light.

It seems Annie had finally had enough and asked for refuge from Jim. Her family readily gave it. Jim, wild with rage, went looking for his family.

From here, we have only speculation, and family lore to depend upon. But it appears that either family members stepped in and Jim was killed, or Annie shot Jim herself defending her daughter, whom Jim threatened to harm. [Family lore says that the daughter became pregnant while Jim was gone on a cattle drive. When he found out who the baby's father was, he threatened to stomp the baby from the girl.]

Some say Jim's body was buried in a riverbank that later washed away. Still another account stated that Jim's body was buried away from all other graveyards, and covered with rocks. The men in the family would take the new sons-in-law to visit the grave to warn them that this is what happened to men who abused the family's women.

Annie lived to the age of 77. She lived to see modernity come to the Lone Star State. She died in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas on 14 October 1936, just one month shy of her birthday, at the home of her daughter.

Annie was the mother of Virginia, Viola, Crawford, Emma, James, Ella, William, Laura May, Lela, Nancy and Bessie.

Laura May married William Jacob Sparks, another long-standing Texas family. They had a daughter, Ora Lee. Ora Lee married John Rotge. And to them was born Betty.

Betty was my sweet hubby's mother. Betty was born in 1930 and passed away in 2003.

Alot has been written around the events surrounding the death of Annie's husband, Jim. Perhaps, because I had been married to an abusive husband years ago, I find myself strangely attracted to Annie. And therefore attracted to the idea that perhaps Annie was a woman who had finally had enough, and stood up to the bully she was married to. My personal speculation is that Annie made sure she protected her children, and herself, with everything that was in her.

What a woman!