Autobiography of Julia Ann Barr Hamilton

Part 5 of 8

“They all got home. Two brothers and two brothers-in-law and, oh, what rejoic¬ing there was when we heard the war was over!

It was a long, hard struggle. Our men suffered so much. Your papa said he had just parched corn to eat sometimes, but when they got to where there were hogs or chickens, they taken them. Of course, when the people came to officers to complain, they would have to search the camps, but didn’t find them. They would dig a hole under their beds and bury them. But I don’t think I ever would have hunted if I had been one of them if they had left me anything, for I know the boys were so hungry and sometimes barefooted and thinly clad.

We didn’t live where the bad part was. Where both armies came along, the people suffered much worse than we did. One party would come along and take, then the other, and by the time they got what they wanted, there wasn’t much left.

Meeting my future companion for life... Your grandmother would go stay with the neighbors for weeks at a time. She comes to Grandfather Knowles’ to visit. Aunt Dully’s husband had gotten his leg broken by his horse stepping in a hole when running stock. He never got able to go to war, but would make spinning wheels and do other things for the war widows.

As Mother Hamilton was anxious to spin, Uncle Jim fixed a wheel, making the legs shorter at the back end of the wheel so she could sit in a little rocker and spin. She would card a bunch of rolls, then begin by leaning forward, put a roll on the spindle, then draw the thread and turn the rim so as to twist it.

As she did that she leaned back, then would rock forward, and run the thread up on the broach. She enjoyed it so much. Could spin her what we call a yard day. That was thread enough to fill or make a yard of cloth.

Well, one evening I was at Grandfather’s and was in the room where she was. She was looking in her trunk. She came across a gold ring. She said it was William’s. She told me all about him. Tell me to put the ring on. I did, and it just fitted my little finger. She told me to wear it and when Billy came home she would send him to get it.

Well, we didn’t know he was near, but in a very short time the dogs went barking. I peeped through a crack in the door and saw the legs of a man walking toward the house. He had on a pair of brown jeans and in a second a child came running to the door telling Grandmother one of the boys had come. Well, I forgot all about the ring and we all went to see the soldier boy. After a few minutes talking, the mother thought of the ring and began talking about it. I left the room. I never saw him anymore for several months.

The soldiers were coming home, and the people began giving parties to the boys and one night I met him at a party. He wanted to take me home, but I told him I had company. He asked if that boy didn’t care, could he go home with me? I said it would be all right, but the other fellow said he took me there, he would see me home. I had several beaus but most times it was just one. He seemed to take full posses¬sion. One time Mattie Stubblefield, her fellow Sie Roberts, your papa, and I all went to a big meeting several miles. Expected to stay all night, but then taken a notion to come home after church was over. Part of the way we had no road, just a path through the prairie. Papa and I were in the lead. The moon was shining pretty and we were very busy talking, making plans for the future.

Hadn’t thought about Sie and Matt, but when we did, we couldn’t see them. We stopped, waited a while. They didn’t come so we rode home. Though maybe they had gotten ahead, but when we got there they weren’t there, but they soon came up. They had lost the path. Guess they were talking about their future plans, too.

The boys went home; we went to bed. But before the boys left they unsaddled our horses, turned them loose, and we didn’t kiss them goodnight, either!

Well, brother Elijah had gotten home from the war and had come up to visit us. Had spent a few weeks and was talking of going back home (he lived with sister Marga¬ret in Austin County, we lived in Bell).

He wanted us to marry before he had to go, so Mother went to Belton and got my wedding clothes. The dress was white linen; it cost $1 a yard. My second dress was cashmere, wine colored. It cost, I think, $2 a yard. It only taken six yards to make it.

Both were plain, had waist and a full skirt. We had set the day July 16th, which was Sunday.

Sunday morning came, a beautiful sunshiny day, July 16, 1865. No one was there but our mothers, sister Elizabeth, brother Elijah, brother Edmond, your papa’s brother Bob, and Sie Roberts. Mattie was not well so didn’t come, but we all decided to go to Grandmother Stubblefield’s that day, so we all got ready.

We got on our horses and went over there for dinner. It was about ten miles. They lived on a farm, and had plenty good things to eat. We had a nice dinner, stayed until pretty late, then went back home.”

(To be continued)