SCABBEVI-L Archives

From: Jane Foley <>
Subject: [Abbeville] More Teal Info
Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 15:58:27 -0400

Candace has given me permission to share this info with you Teal
researchers.

Jane


Candace Gravelle wrote:

> Jane,
> Thank you for sending all the interesting information about the Teal
> families.
> I have wondered if John Redding Teal (b. 1822 in NC or SC) who
married
>
> Mahalia Hightower was a son of George Washington Teal?
>
> John R. Teal and Mahalia Hightower had two children that I know of;
> Sarah Teal
> born 1846 in GA and William Teal b. 1852 in GA. John R. Teal and
> Mahalia Hightower were in Carroll County, Georgia in 1870 census which

> shows:
> (Carrollton Twp)
> John R. Teal, age 49, Miller, born SC
> Mahala S. Teal, age 43, born GA
>
> There is an interesting article in WFT Vol. 1 Tree 830 on a Sarah

> Temperance Teal about her life growing up during the civil war, etc.
and
> it seems to fit the Sarah Teal who was a daughter of John Redding
Teal
> and Mahalia Hightower.
> The person who submitted the info for this World Family Tree CD did
not
> know who Sarah Temperance Teal's parents were and I do not know who
the
> submitter of the info was. Here is what the article says:
>
> Notes excerpted from WFT Vol. 1 Tree 830 on Sarah Temperance Teal
>
> The following article is a copy of one that was received from Mrs.
> Ruby Ferrell Hardy of Thomaston, Georgia to the submittor of WFT Vol.
1
> Tree
>
> >From the title of the article, it is probably from an article from
one
> of the cotton mills that were in operations in LaGrange, Georgia in
the
> early 1940's.
>
> LEAVES FROM
> THE SHUTTLE ALBUM
>
> `GRANNY' BOGGS RECALLS CIVIL WAR TIMES
>
> To realize the blessings of the present day one has only to go over to

> the Dunson community, and talk to "Granny" Boggs about wartime's-Civil

> War times, for we endured no hardships or deprivations, in comparison,

> during the World war, she says. And no one listening to her as she
> relates the horrors of the 60's would dare dispute her assertion.
> This story dates back to the time when Mrs. Boggs was a young girl,
then
> known as Sarah Teal, and with her mother and small brother went
through
> the horrors of the Civil War while her father was away fighting the
> "Yankees." Not only Mr. Teal, but seven of his brothers enlisted and
> saw actual service, only one of them being killed in battle, however.
> Mrs. Teal with the help of Sarah, carded, spun and wove government
> cloth, besides material for their own needs. The boy being too small
to
> work, the family burden fell on Mrs. Teal and Sarah. They caught
every
> day's work in the field that they could get, which helped to keep them

> from starving. The only supplies they ever drew from the government
was
> one peck of salt and a pair of cards. Salt, then was a luxury. To
> obtain it, dirt had to be raked up in old smokehouses, dripped, and
the
> water boiled down. White hickory ashes were used for soda; syrup was
> made by boiling cane juice in a huge caldron, and was black and
strong.
> "But we were thankful to get it," said Granny, "and I think, lots of
> times, about how little the present generation knows about hard times
> and doing without things. But," she added with a twinkle in her eye,
> "we wore a sight more clothes then they do now, in spite of the hard
> times," A substitute for coffee was made of wheat, and if they got
hold
> of a small piece of bacon, it was used very sparingly. Cornbread,
peas
> and syrup were the main diet-seasoned with salt when they had it.
> In the reconstruction days which followed, "Granny" relates even worse

> experiences. They had left to them their household goods only.
> Armstrong's army was encamped near their home for weeks, and consumed
> everything they had but a few chickens, which they kept hidden in a
dirt
> room of the house. "The officers," she said, "gave strict orders that

> no one was to enter our house or molest us in any way, and even if
they
> did eat our last hog, we felt thankful."
> When her father returned to them at the close of the war he found them

> sadly improvised. He worked for a peck of corn a day for a while, but

> soon secured his place again as a miller, which occupation he filled
for
> more than 40 years in all. It took years of hard work to put the
family
> in comfortable circumstances again. Every commodity was scarce and
high
> for a long time.
> Just before the close of the war, Mrs. Boggs was married. Her first
> husband was Martin Spinks, a Confederate veteran. He only lived about

> six years and left her with two little girls. Later, in the same
little
> weather-boarded three room cabin, with the stick and dirt chimney,
which
> was her home for more than 30 years, she was married to William Boggs.

> Seven children were born to them. She was left a widow the second
time
> 26 years ago, still living in the old home county, where she remained
> five years afterwards. About that time her youngest daughter married,

> and "I broke up housekeeping," she said, "and went to live with my
> children."
> The "child" who has claimed most of her time is Mrs. P. W. Cantrell,
of
> Dunson, "the poorest one of all," to quote Mrs. Cantrell's own words,
> but her big-hearted love for her mother out-weighs riches. All of the

> "children" are devoted to "Granny," and the others would gladly share
> their homes with her. They are all home owners save Mrs. Cantrell.
One
> son W. W. Boggs, is a prosperous farmer of Dublin, Texas, and his son
is
> an aviator, owning his own airplane. "He fell 1,000 feet at one time,

> and came out with a broken shoulder and nose, for which he ought to be

> thankful, and he's still flying," said Granny. The eldest daughter,
> who is 63 years of age, lives near Heflin, Alabama. Another, Mrs. J.
C.
> Tatum, still lives in the old home county, near her mother's
birthplace.
> You may be sure "Granny's" visits there are great pleasures.
> Temperance is "Granny's" middle name, and she advocates the cause
> strongly. Her parents christened her Sarah Temperance Teal, and she's

> proud of her name. At the age of 14 years she joined the Missionary
> Baptist church, her membership still remaining at old Friendship
Baptist
> church in Campbell county. She goes to church at every opportunity,
but
> nothing could induce her to move her membership from he home church.
> "The folks back there wouldn't hear to it," she says. Granny says she

> can't talk and pray in public as she used to, but she loves her Bible,

> and the above picture was made with it in her lap. We have a grudge
at
> the one who made the cut for leaving the Bible out. She has read the
> Bible through, time after time-has literally worn out two-but is
> deprived of reading much now, on account of not having glasses "to
> suit." This dear old lady figured in a car wreck in April of last
year.
> Her glasses were broken, cutting her face badly. It took seven
stitches
> in one place and eight in another to mend the gashes. Her hip and
arm
> were also badly bruised, and she was shaken up to the extent that the
> family despaired of her ever recovering. And now she doesn't think
much
> of automobiles, and still less of careless drivers "who run headlong
> into folks." She asserts emphatically that she'd prefer an airplane
> where "folks would not be so apt to run into you."
> Granny says she's having the easiest time now she ever had in her
life.
> "The don't want me to thing, and want to wait only on me like I was a
> baby, but I can't idle away all of my time. I've always been used to

> work." And this dear old lady, whose grandfather had slaves to do
every
> bidding, is winding up a life of unstinted service. She helps with
the
> various household duties, and at the age of 83 years is remarkably
> active. She can't read and sew as much as she would like, because of
> not being able to get her eyes properly fitted, but the morning I
> enjoyed such a pleasant hour in her company she was busily engaged
> fringing a tablecloth. Nor did she waste any time. Industriousness
is
> second second nature with Granny Boggs, and idleness is punishment.
> She is a dear soul--loved by all who know her and as she wonders "why
> the good Lord spares me," I couldn't help but think of the mission she

> has filled, and is till filling. May her remaining years be her
> happiest, and truly her 29 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and
> several great-great-grandchildren rise up to call her blessed.
>
> The Mrs. P. W. Cantrell that is mentioned in the article is Sarah
> Balzora Cantrell, wife of Park Wesley Cantrell. "
>
> Somewhere in my paper files I have the info on the marriage for John
R.
> Teal and Mahalia Hightower and also census info for them for 1860 but
> can't find it at the moment.
>
> Candace

This thread:

• [Abbeville] More Teal Info by Jane Foley <>