1T. Boyd Foster's Family Sketches.. "Hugh C. Foster came to Texas in the company of Hugh B. Cameron and family. They left Alabama on Oct. 4, 1869, and reached Austin (Travis Co., Texas) on Oct. 15.
Cf. T. Boyd Foster's Family Sketches.
Hugh Caperton ... was small and rather delicate from a boy; quick motioned and quick of speech; always lively, loved interesting company, and was companionable. Was too young for the service at the commencement of the war. Joined the army in January, 1863, Company H., Snodgrass' Ala. Regiment, at Port Hudson, La. Was captured at the fall of Vicksburg, July 4th, 1863, and was exchanged in the latter part of the year 1864, and returned home, and while preparing to re-enter the service was recaptured by a band of tories, calling themselves Home Guards. They assumed this title and position to keep out of the army, and to enable them to rob and steal. This was on the 14th of February, 1865. He was held until the war closed. While they held him I was not permitted to see him, though within thirty-eight miles of me. His nurse wrote me that he could not live. They removed him from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Louisville, Ky., when he was not expected to live. In making this change, he passed within one and a half miles of home. After the close of the war, he was required to take oath of allegiance, on June 24th, 1865. He reached home, continued to live, but suffered much, and on the 4th of October, 1869, set out for Texas, in company with Hugh B. Cameron and family. Reached Austin, Texas, October 15, 1869. For some time he remained in this kind family. He suffered much. Finally he rallied and partially regained his health, and on September 10th, 1873, was married to Josie Jones. Both parents of the wife had been brought up in Jackson County, Ala., and were of good families. They have born to them, Mary Eleanor..., Robert Alonzo ..., Walter Fulton ..., [and] Effie Hickie.... Moved to Comanche, near Sipe Springs, October, 1883. Here they have born to them, Addie ..., Gussie..., [and]Hugh Marvin.... They have a good home; a happy and lovely family. Prosperous and popular. The parents and some of their children are Christians, but all out of the church. Being so they subject themselves to many unpleasantries. To me this would be an annoyance, and such as I would take steps to avoid. The father is also a Free Mason. (pp.40-41).".
1SOUR TEXT Transcription of tape made by Joyce F. Burk in 1992(?).
1Joyce F. Burke, Celebrated Tall Texan". "Joyce F. Burk wrote a piece called "Celebrated Tall Texan" about "Aunt Effie", which was published in the Comanche Chief, March 11, 1976, as one of a special Bicentennial series of stories sponsored by the Comanche County Historical Society:
Celebrated Tall Texan
by Joyce Foster Burk
The subject of these thoughts is my Aunt Effie Foster. She was born October 20, 1881, in Del Valle Community, about 10 miles south of Austin, Texas, to Hugh Caperton and Louisa Josephine Jones Foster. Her father was born in Alabama, and traced his genealogy back to the first families from the Old Dominion. Her mother was a native of Texas, and a daughter of Robert Jones, one of the Pioneers of the Lone Star State.
The Fosters, soon moved two miles Southeast of Sipe Springs in Comanche County. This trip was made by wagon in 1883. They moved into their log house in the John Marshall Survey, and lived there until 1888 when their new two story home was completed nearby.
Aunt Effie was just younger than my father, Walter Foster. She never married and lived with my Grandma Foster on the farm, until Grandma's death in January, 1937. From that time on, Aunt Effie almost replaced Grandma in our lives. Since she was always available, it seemed only natural that she was the one to "help out" in times of illness in any of the families of the seven brothers and sisters. I feel sure that she gave most of her nieces and nephews their first baths, and possibly was there to help guide the first steps.
In times of harvest, in the fields, Aunt Effie was always there, dressed in a huge apron, to assist with the meals. The food was cooked on a wood stove in a small kitchen, and served on huge, long tables in the back yard. The men followed the grain thrasher and always ate the noon meal at the farm where the thrasher was set up.
Aunt Effie not only "pitched in", in time of work, but she was always ready in time of fun. A movie or circus was never too far away for her to be interested in going. She did beautiful handiwork, drawnwork, beautiful quilts, crochet and had a working acquaintance with a hammer and saw. At one time, she modernized her kitchen, by putting in cabinets, etc. herself. Many pieces of furniture were of her handiwork. Furniture - upholstery and refinishing, along with weaving of chair seats to replace the old cane-bottom chairs, were among her accomplishments. Hooked and braided rugs added to the charm of the 5-room rock house in Sipe Springs, to which she had moved after the death of her mother. Many of her quilts were of her own designing.
She maintained an independence that was amazing, until her death at the age of 91. From 1937, she had lived alone most of the time. Grandpa Foster had died when Aunt Effie was 19 years old. Circumstances demanded that she be self-sufficient. She gardened, canned, and for many years kept a cow and chickens. She always had one of the most beautiful yards in the area, and could shoot a chicken hawk as quickly as any man.
One sister lived in Maryland and another sister in California, so she made many trips across the States, but refused to travel by air.
Since the last twenty or thirty years are the ones that I remember most, these are the ones that interest me more. She owned and drove a car until her 90th year. Once when I visited her, the car had a new, polished look. I asked her if she had washed and polished the car. She quickly replied, "No, I painted it." Sure enough, she had -- with a brush! Another time, the hood of the car was raised. When questioned, she said she had put "bat-tries" in. She had walked to the store and carried the battery back home and installed it by herself. She did this when she was in her late eighties.
The year that she was eighty, she decided to enlarge a porch on the front of her house. This involved extending the roof 3 feet, as well as the concrete floor. She enlisted the aid of a nephew to haul and sift the sand. But she, and an eighty year old lady friend, declared they did the work from there on. I was never convinced that they did it alone, however her being ever progressive was an inspiration within itself. She would have needed to live to be at least 150 yeears old to have accomplished all that she had plans for. However, she was not a dreamer, as she had a project going at all times.
Once, the handle was broken out of her posthole diggers. A brother took them to his place to repair, thinking he would keep them and keep her from doing such hard work. She insisted that he bring them home. When he did, he not only had painted the handles red, but the blades silver. He told her that he didn't want to see a scratch on them. She retorted, "What do you want me to do, put them on the mantle?"
Since her home was near the stores, post office and churches in town, she often kept girls that taught in Sipe Springs school. A fellow tells this story: There were two pretty, young school teachers staying in Aunt Effie's home, that these two young men wanted to meet. So after driving past the house several times, they got up enough courage to knock at the door, only to be met by Aunt Effie, who was in her seventies at that time. The young men asked if any one there would be interested in going to a movie. Aunt Effie said, "Sure, come on in and wait while I get dressed." I never knew if the young men met the girls at that time or not.
Another time, I recall, Aunt Effie insisted that the family come to her place for the Christmas Tree. We felt that it would be a burden on her, but as usual she would not take "no" for an answer. This was one of the most beautiful Christmas trees I can remember. She had worked all fall on her gifts. None were wrapped, but hung, in all their glory, from the branches of the tree. There were rag dolls, mittens, potholders, aprons, ties and houseshoes hanging from beautiful bows and ribbons. She had also made most of the decorations. It seemed such a shame to remove the gifts from the tree.
She always enjoyed a joke, even if it were on herself. She was not an idle prankster, but always was quick to catch the humor of things. A couple of years before her death, she rode the bus to visit her sister in Lamesa. Feeling that perhaps she might need a hat while there, the easiest way to carry one was to wear it. By now her hair was snow white and she always had a dignity about her.
She was seated about mid-way of the bus, and overheard someone say, "That old lady in the hat, sure thinks she is dressed up." Aunt Effie said it was all she could do to refrain a giggle.
Aunt Effie had a green thumb -- the greenest I've seen. She could grow the prettiest and largest flowers. There were times that she had at least 60 African violets. But violets were not all that she grew. She would grow huge Oleanders, and tubs of Poinsettias. Often, she was sending arrangements of poinsettias and flower bouquets to friends, as just about every type of flower grew beautifully for her. As I grew up, she had a rose garden. This was not in the yard, but in the vegetable garden. There was always roses on Mother's Day, as Aunt Effie would furnish them at the Methodist Church, of which she was a member. The aroma of these roses was out of this world. She kept and crushed the petals to make her own rose water hand-lotion, which was made from a concoction of witch-hazel and glycerine.
Although Aunt Effie saw many changes in our world, she accepted the new ways. She saw the coming of the car and learned to drive. She saw the gas and electricity come to the rural homes, and enjoyed the progress. Also, she saw the sorrow and heartache of two World Wars as her baby brother was in France in World War I, and a number of nephews in World War II. These nephews were like her very own. She kept an active correspondence with her large family of nieces, nephews and friends. Her influence was always felt. Times not only changed, and she changed with them, but also retained just enough of her old aristocratic ways to have a charm that was rare.
Aunt Effie was strong in body and soul. She used old family remedies for most of her illnesses. Somehow, they seemed to work for her. She thought that hospitals were for the "sick," and she managed to steer clear of them, almost without exception, until she was in her late eighties. Her death came in the Comanche Hospital from a heart attack on January 7, 1973. Earlier, she had remarked to her sister that since she had not gotten married to wear a white wedding gown that she would like to be buried in white. Her wishes were carried out. The One Upstairs must have known this, too, as even the weather cooperated, for we had one of the most beautiful snows the afternoon she was laid to rest. Not only was she put away in white but had Nature's own beautiful white blanket of snow to cover her.".
1Sketches by Thomas Boyd Foster. "Thomas Theodore ... was always steady and quiet; volunteered soon after the commencement of the war; was selected Lieutenant at home, in the Company of John H. Gibson, who was afterwards Major, and killed at Chicamauga. Mustered into the service at Camp Cheatham; captured at Fort Donaldson, February 16th, 1862, and imprisoned at Camp Chase. Afterwards removed to Johnson's Island; exchanged and arrived at Vicksburg, Miss., September 16th, 1862. After his exchange was Lieutenant in the Company commanded by Capt. James H. Cowan, (Alabama Regiment); was wounded at Peachtree Creek fight, near Atlanta, Ga., on July 20th, 1864. A ball passed through the ankle. He was captured. The foot amputated, and he imprisoned at Johnson's Island. This was his second incarceration at this place. He was liberated at the close of the war, and reached his home in Alabama in May, 1865. That summer taught a three months school; remained at home through the winter; made him a wooden leg of a Tugulo root. This enabled him to lay aside his crutches. On March 6th, 1866, commenced to sell goods for Dryer, at Stevenson; stayed with him about two years, then went to Fackler and sold goods for I.P. Jones about two years; then sold goods about two years in company with William M. Cowan; then awhile by himself; then for William A. Austin about three years; was County Tax Assessor for the years 1875, 1876 and 1877. Was married to Linnie Wimberly, January 8th, 1879. The wife was born November 2nd, 1854, in Jackson County, Ala. They have six children.... This family is prosperous; have made good property, notwithstanding the husband is minus a foot. Both parents belong to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church; the husband an elder. He being employed by different persons, and then elected Tax Assessor, speak for themselves. He belonged to the Masonic Fraternity. (pp. 38-39)
SOUR @S9@.".
1Sketches from Thomas Boyd Foster. "Sarah Elizabeth ... was tall and rather slender; had a strong, clear, musical voice. When first grown could sing so as to be heard distinctly at the distance of one mile. She professed religion when quite young and adorned her profession in all her intercourse with the world. She being my oldest daughter had the rule of my house for many years. She was my beloved child and deserved praise might appear nugatory. She was married to Marcus L. Rudder on the 1st day of March, 1867. ... They had born to them three children; Eliza Jane ..., Eleanor Susan ..., [and] Ben Jack.... The mother, Sarah Elizabeth, was for years afflicted with consumption. The husband brought her to my home. She called it coming home. I was glad to have her with me. She was confined to her bed. Her sufferings at times were excruciating. In her greatest suffering she would rejoice greatly. Hers was the greatest Christian triumph I ever witnessed. She died September 26th, 1873. (p.41)
SOUR @S9@."2The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, International Genealogical index, Family History Library, 35 N. West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150, USA, www.familysearch.org. "Sarah Elizabeth Foster; Female; Birth: 28 FEB 1846 , Jackson, Alabama; Death: 26 SEP 1873; Father: Thomas Boyd Foster; Mother: Eleanor Susan Cowan."