Whatever the case, I found this bit of history fascinating. I thank Richard for it and apologize for allowing it to slip between the folders. Aunt Lemon Stories I have just received and read with much pleasure the first four pages of your April 12, 1995 edition. I received it, along with an invitation to your reunion, from a longtime family friend and distant cousin, Lorene (Fulbright) Gurley. Re: your request for Aunt Lemon stories. Lemon Bohannon was a slave of John Bohannon (1824-1907) and his wife, Elizabeth (Ester) Bohannon (1824-1871). The Bohannons were the parents of Rachel Minerva (Bohannon) Houston (1843- ca. 1920); Melinda (Bohannon) Lambeth (1849-1869); James Bohannon (1855-1915); Thos.; Joseph. All lived in Laclede Co. all or most of their lives. The Bohannons came to Laclede Co. in the mid-19th century from Roane Co., TN by way of Carroll Co., AR. My great grandfather, John Esther (1827-1908) was Elizabeth (Esther) Bohannons brother. The John Bohannon place was about a quarter of a mile west of Liberty Church and east of the Glaize crossing, where Mollie Titteringtons son, Robert Schmidt, was drowned. Aunt Lemons mother had been a Bohannon slave. She died with Auntie was 15. (My mother always called Aunt Lemon AUNTIE.) Auntie always addressed or referred to John Bohannon as Marse John. Once after John Bohannon had married Aunt Lucy Wilson, some of the hired hands decided to have a little fun. Aunt Lucy had left word that she was going to Lebanon and would be gone over night. The hands didnt inform Mr. Bohannon. They dressed John Cottrell in Aunt Lucys gown and night cap and put him in Mr. Bs bed. Later that evening they heard Cottrell hollering as Mr. B. pulled him out of the bed and kicked him down the steps. Auntie stood at the bottom of the steps with the hands. She said, I told them not to do it, Marse John. Mr. B. said, This darkie has more sense than the rest of you put together! Auntie had typhoid when she was a child. She got a craving for kraut. She was able to get to the kraut barrel that night and ate. This nearly killed her because of the perforations in the intestines common to typhoid. I have heard that some of the Tom Bohannons down at Richland had a special balcony built in the Christian Church for Auntie. I am sure she attended Liberty Church, for it was established in the 1850s by essentially the same families who later built Friendship. I heard Kate Herndon say that the bell in that old church was hauled by ox team from Springfield. I feel sure her great grandfather, the Rev. Jesse Wilkes, preached there many times. Aunties mother was buried somewhere in that churchyard. It was her wish to be buried there, also. Auntie was nursemaid for many children on the Glaize, many of whom were Fulbright descendants: Capt. Harves granddaughters Mary and Kate Ward, Mahala McClures grandsons, M. and D. Kinnett, and many more. Auntie was illiterate but always had a great ambition to read. She gave Mollie Titterington one of her gold band rings to teach her to read, and teach her to read she did. On 4 Nov 1895 Lemon Bohannon was married to William Duncan, a preacher, by W.O. Turrentine MG. (Laclede Co Marriage Records Book F) The marriage was of very short duration-maybe just weeks. She returned to her white families saying she had lived with white people so long, she could not live with negroes. Aunt Lemon died 20 Aug 1927 and is buried north of the north gate and toward the back of the Lebanon City Cemetery.In the Laclede C. Historical Societys canvass of the cemetery she is listed twice-once as Lemon Bohannon d. 29 Aug 1927 age 100 and, again, simply as LEMON. Aunt Lemon kept all her worldly possessions in her trunk, including a white marble stone which looks like half a football and has a little hole bored in the center. No one remembers where she got it, but she wanted it for her tombstone. No one remembers when she was born-except that she was less than 100 when she died. Lee Bohannon, John Bohannons grandson, had LEMON carved on her tombstone and had it set at her grave. My grandmother, Josephine Vernon Esther, was there that day. It is very likely that Lee Bohannon saw to all Aunties needs in her declining years. Most of what I know about Auntie I got from my mother, Ruth Vernon (Esther) Minetree (1898-1979), my grandmother, Josephine (Vernon) Esther (1871-1961), and my uncle, John D. Esther (1903-1987). Auntie was my uncles nursemaid and cared for my mother, also. They lived on the Goodwin Hollow, across the creek from the John Barnetts. After she had finished washing the breakfast dishes Auntie would put my uncle in the baby buggy, load in a supply of diapers, collect my mother, who would wear a diaper around her shoulders for a breakfast shawl like Aunties. Auntie told a lot of panther stories, of which my grandmother didnt approve, but Mother loved. Lum Farmer had been murdered up near Decaturville. Auntie made up a song about the killing and sang it often. One time Mother took sissors, needle and thread and made pockets in her dress so she could be like Auntie. One morning before daylight Auntie awakened my mother, Ruth, set up and help me beg for the cats. Your ma is sending them off. Grandmother was sacking up cats to have Farmer Ferguson dump on Ellen Esther. It seemed that Ellen was always dumping cats on Grandmother. Each cat had a virtue. Why Josie, your not sending off that cat. Thats the 2nd best mouser we got. I went on like that until Grandmother gave up. Well theyre all such outstanding cats, well just keep them! My grandfather died in 1916, and my grandmother was seriously ill and not expected to live. She was confined to her bed in Hot Springs. Mother was then 18 and my uncle 13. It was a sad and lonely time, but once again, they had Auntie to help them over the rough spots. Mother spoke often of Auntie throughout her life. The good that she did could not be measured. Im not sure you were expecting these long-winded tales! But there you are. My connections to the Fulbrights are all by marriage. My great grandmother, Sara Jane (Houston) Esther had four 1st cousins who married Fulbrights: Martha Caroline Hooker m. David Leander Fulbright; Margaret Hooker m. Robert C. Fulbright; Rebecca Hooker m. John Lafayette Fulbright and Rebecca (Alexander) Alexander m. Daniel Leeper Fulbright. My great grandfather, T. A. Vernons 1st cousin, Harriet Murphey, m. Jesse Wilkes Fulbright. My grandmothers nephew, Roy Beck, m. Kate Ward. After Roys death Kate married my grandmothers 1st cousin, Ralph Herndon. Faithfully yours,Richard H. Minetree, Jr.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:56:49 +0000
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