Recently, we visited Kettle Hollow again and learned about John Henry Yeatts, his wife, Edna Roena Reynolds Yeatts, and the legacies left by their nine children. This week, we will learn more about Edna’s parents, Ruth Eliza Barnard and Elam Owen Reynolds and their children. We are fortunate that Edna recorded her childhood memories for all posterity, and they provide a snapshot of what life was like for mountain children in the 1890’s.
Ruth Eliza Barnard was born on the 26th of April 1846 in Mayberry, Patrick County, Virginia to Tirea Barnard and Lucinda Eliza Scott Barnard. Ruth Eliza had several siblings, Mary “Polly” Ann, b.1830; Isham, b.1831; Thomas Amos, b.1833; Richard Joseph, b.1835; Charles, b.1838; John Jehu, b.1840; James William, b.1844; John Madison, b.1848; and Lucy Emoline, b.1851.
Twenty-year old Ruth Eliza Barnard married twenty-six-year-old German Wood on the 13th of December 1866. German was the son of Edward “Ned” Wood and Mary “Polly” Moran Wood of the Lone Ivy section of Patrick County. German was a Confederate veteran, having served in the 51st Virginia Infantry, Company D.
Ruth Eliza and German had two children, Flora S., born in October 1867 and John Everett, born the 6th of August 1871. Tragedy struck two short months later when German Wood died at the age of thirty-one on the 19th of October 1871.
Ruth Eliza married again on the 3rd of February 1876 to Elam Owen Reynolds, the son of Captain James Bartholomew Reynolds and Roxanne Shelor Reynolds of the Round Meadow community of Meadows of Dan. Capt. Reynolds held the distinction of being the first postmaster of Meadows of Dan. Elam Owens was the sixth child of fourteen children born to Capt. Reynolds and his wife, Roxanne, their children were as follows: Powell Benton, b.1841; Tillman Dexter, b.1842; Cardwell McCauley, b.1844; Hortense Ellen, b.1846; Rowena Columbia, b.1848; Walter Mandeville, b.1852; Octavious Lofton, b.1854; twins Minnie Louella and Linville Walker, b.1858; Metta Victoria, b.1862; Calneah “Callie” Mae, b.1863; and twins Elvira and Jay Forney Reynolds, b.1865.
When Ruth Eliza Barnard Wood and Elam Owen Reynolds married in February 1876, Ruth Eliza brought her two children from German Wood to the marriage, Flora, age nine and John Everett, age five. Ruth Eliza and Elam’s first child, Isham DeLeon Reynolds was born on the 25th of November 1876. Volney Prentiss was born to the couple in May 1878, followed by Edna Roena in April 1880, James Benton in 1882, and Elizabeth Liberta Reynolds in 1883.
Sadly, Ruth Eliza Barnard Wood Reynolds passed away on the 29th of September 1890 at the age of forty-three. According to the death register at the Patrick County courthouse, her death was due to consumption (tuberculosis). In addition to her husband, Elam, she was survived by her children Flora, age 23; Thomas, age 19; Isham, age 14; Volney, age 12; Edna Roena, age 10; James, age 8; and Elizabeth, age 7.
From here, we will begin with Edna Roena Reynolds Yeatts’ memories of her childhood that she recorded for her descendants. Some of her memories are deeply private and naturally won’t be shared, but many of her experiences describe what life was like for young children who are left motherless. My Grandma was six when she lost her mother and so many of the trials Mrs. Yeatts’ endured are like Grandma’s experiences.
Edna Roena Reynolds Yeatts recalled the pain of losing her mother, “Sad is the memory of the year 1890, when after two years of illness, my mother was finally called to her heavenly reward. I remember the night after she was buried, I lay and wept and prayed to go wherever she was. But for some reason, God didn’t seem to hear, and I was left to bear my grief as best as I could with my two sisters and three brothers.”
Mrs. Yeatts recalled first experiences as the cook of the house, “There were five of us children left at home. My oldest brother and sister, children from my mother’s former marriage, were living elsewhere. So that left at home two boys older than I-I was ten-and one brother and sister younger than I. Soon after Mother’s death, we began to learn to cook and prepare our own meals. There were many varied and amusing incidents that accompanied the hard work of cooking for six people. I often wonder how young folks today would manage under similar circumstances. (I will interject here that Mrs. Yeatts wrote these memories down in 1950). As I recall, we had three vessels with which to cook: a pot to boil water and coffee; an oven to fry meat; and an old Dutch oven to bake bread. We had to hunt for bark and twigs to make the fire to cook the food, and woe to us if we forgot that. I recall one day when I had put the bread on to bake, (or thought I had), and wandered off to play. One of the boys came to the door and yelled to me, ‘Hey, Edna, run up here quick! Your bread is burning up!’ I called back, ‘Set it off, silly, set it off!’ They really had their laugh when I got there and discovered that I had failed to even start a fire under the oven. I was so mad that I almost fought all of them.”
Mrs. Yeatts recalled her childhood home, “Our home was built of hand-hewn logs, and chinked with clay. It contained two stories, the upstairs being the bedrooms. There was one spare bedroom where the logs were strapped over inside and chinked with mud and clay. Our beds were only the most meager materials. They had straw ticks, and the slats were always loose, and would often fall. This would either leave our heads or heels the highest, and it was just too cold to fix the bed, so we would suffer the discomfort until morning.”
Mrs. Yeatts recalled when measles struck, “Strange to say, we were healthy most of the time. I remember one year when we all had measles. I can still feel the snow that blew under the rafters to cover the blankets beneath which I sweated. There were none of today’s comforts and conveniences, and none of today’s nursing and care. We helped one another and managed to survive somehow. The oldest boy almost died. He lay for weeks delirious. He would try to get out of bed and leave home. I was acting as a nurse and had to see that he stayed in the bed and stayed alive. I was trying to get him back into bed one day when he struck me. The lick almost floored me, but I finally got him back down. All of us kids had the fever. One by one, we were struck down, but somehow, we all managed to survive. When it finally struck me, I was bedded down behind the door to be near the water. There were many days that passed that I don’t remember. I believe now that it was sheer toughness and determination that pulled us through. Some of our neighbors visited us and brought us food. Of course, the fever was catching, so they didn’t tarry long.”
Mrs. Yeatts wrote about two of her neighbors whom she referred to as Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Harrell. In looking at the 1900 census, Elam Owen Reynolds and his family lived near Malcolm Leonard Webb and his wife, Mary Jane Weeks Webb and David Kent Harrell and his wife, Martha Adeline Hopkins Harrell. I am only speculating, but I believe these are Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Harrell, to whom Mrs. Yeatts is referring. In 1899, Mrs. Yeatts oldest brother, John Everett Wood married David and Martha Hopkins Harrell’s daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, so that would be additional confirmation of a connection.
Mrs. Yeatts shared the following about her neighbors, “We surely had some kind neighbors. I remember longing for the meal and flour to give out so I could go to the neighbors’ houses to borrow. That would also mean a trip back to repay them when we had restocked. I realize now that I was lonely and the longing for a mother’s love made me enjoy the visits so much. I can never forget Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Harrell that lived in the community. They treated us kids so kindly and were always considerate of me. Mrs. Webb would get me to rock her baby or fill some quills so that she could go on with her weaving. She made lots of linsey wool and blankets. Sometimes I can still hear the ‘bang, bang’ of the loom and shuttle as they flew back and forth. I loved her baby a lot, but the little fellow passed on before he was a year old. Babies went fast in those harsh days.” I researched the Patrick County death records and Malcolm L., and Mary Jane Weeks Webb had a little boy, Maynard L. Webb who was born on the 24th of June 1895 and passed away Christmas Eve of that same year, making him exactly six months old at the time of his passing. I imagine this is the little baby that Mrs. Yeatts so loved.
Next week, we will continue to learn from Mrs. Yeatts’ memories what life was like in the late 1800’s in Patrick County. In the group picture above, shared by Gerry Yeatts Scardo, here are the following identifications, Front row, from left: unknown; Eunice holding Jeannie; unknown; Mary Lee; unknown; Edna Roena Reynolds Yeatts; John Henry Yeatts; probably Bertie Reynolds Cox; and on far right is Essie Yeatts Hopkins expecting son, Buddy. Essie’s son John is in front of her. Second row, from left: Wilma Yeatts Cockram, remaining unidentified. Third row, from left: Bernice Spangler Shelor, remaining unidentified. Thank you so much to Gerry for sharing memories of her grandparents. Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com or (276) 692-9626.
