By Martha Ann Sawyer Peveto

Left to right: Joseph Frank, Daniel Arthur, Oregon Cordelia, and Eskar Bryant Sawyer

Back row: Martin Van Buren Sawyer, J. Frank Sawyer, S. Nancy Sawyer, William R. Sawyer and wife, Lola Graves.

Front row: Mae Sawyer Tiner, with Daughter, Myrtle Tiner, Eskar Bryant Sawyer, Daniel Arthur Sawyer holding

Gertrude Graves, Oregon Cordelia Miller Sawyer, Cordelia Graves standing, and M. Addie Sawyer Graves, holding Otu

“Oat” Graves.

This is the Daniel Arthur Sawyer Family Portrait taken in the early 1900’s. I was fortunate enough that my

Grandmother, Sarah E. Shelton Sawyer was a picture collector and she left me her treasures and she also

told me over and again the names of the people or I would be at a great disadvantage in trying to tell this

family history for those who come after me.

Chapter One

And before Smithville, Texas there was Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. Before that there was Union County,

Arkansas and Pasquatank and Camden Counties, North Carolina and Dempsey Sawyer, my 4th Great

Grandfather.

Dempsey Sawyer was born 1745 in Pasquotank, North Carolina, USA. He died 1818 in Pasquotank, North

Carolina, USA.

Lovey Gregory was the daughter of William Gregory and Judith Morgan . She was born 1750 in Christ

Church Parish, Middlesex, Virginia, USA. She died on 11 Nov 1838 in Christ Church Parish, Middlesex,

Virginia, USA.

Dempsey Sawyer and Lovey Gregory were married in 1783 in Pasquotank, North Carolina, USA . They had 3

children.

i. Edmund Sawyer was my 3rd Great Grandfather. He was born 1785 in Camden, Camden, North Carolina,

USA . Residence 1870 in Between Buckners Creek and Colorado River, Fayette, Texas. He died 1875 in

Texas, USA.

ii.

Dempsey Sawyer was born on 01 Mar 1796 in Pasquotank, North Carolina, USA . He died on 09 Oct 1860 in

Williamson, Tennessee, USA.

iii.

Margaret C Sawyer. She was born on 03 Jan 1783 in Camden County, North Carolina. She died in Christ

Church Parish, Middlesex Co. VA .

Edmund Sawyer-2 (Dempsey Sawyer-1). He was born 1785 in Camden, Camden, North Carolina, USA .

Residence 1870 in Between Buckners Creek and Colorado River, Fayette, Texas. He died 1875 in Texas, USA.

He married a woman known only as Gracey, the daughter of an Unknown Cherokee and Unknown Wife.

She was born in North Carolina, USA.

Edmund Sawyer and Gracey had 4 children. They were Robert, George Washington, Nancy Jane and William

Edmund Sawyers all.

i.

Robert Sawyer, my 2nd Great Grandfather, was born on 19 May 1818 in Claiborne Parish, LA, USA.

Residence 1818 in Union, Ashley, Arkansas, USA . He died on 15 Feb 1894 in Smithville, Texas, USA . He

married Nancy Jane Rice.

Robert Sawyer-3 (Edmund Sawyer-2, Dempsey Sawyer-1). He was born on 19 May 1818 in Claiborne Parish,

LA, USA . Residence 1850 in Union, Ashley, Arkansas . He died on 15 February, 1894 in Smithville, Texas,

USA. He is buried in the Sawyer/Brazil Cemetry, Smithville, Texas. Nancy Jane Rice was the daughter of

Henry A. Rice and Malissa Ambrose. She was born 1832 in Sumner County Tennessee.

Robert Sawyer and Nancy Jane Rice were married in 1857 in Caldwell County, Texas, USA. They had 7

children. This is Robert Sawyer’s Tombstone as it is today.

i.

Daniel Arthur Sawyer, my Great Grandfather, was born Jan 1852 in Smithville, Texas, USA. Residence 1910

in Justice Precinct 2, Bastrop, Texas. He died on 03 June, 1926 in Jefferson County, Texas. I believe he and

his wife are buried in the Sawyer/Brazil Cemetery in an unmarked grave.

ii.

Maggie Mae Sawyer was born 1867 in Bastrop Co., Texas USA. Residence 1870 in Between Buckners Creek

and Colorado River, Fayette, Texas, USA.

iii.

James A. Sawyer was born 1863 in Bastrop County, Texas USA. Residence 1900 in Justice Precinct 1, De

Witt, Texas.

iv.

Robert Thomas Sawyer. He was born 1844 in Louisiana. Residence 1860 in Fayette, Texas.

v.

Frank Marion Sawyer was born on 13 Jan 1837 in Louisiana, USA. Residence 1920 in Justice Precinct 5, Mills,

Texas. He died on 01 Dec 1939.

vi.

Nancy J. Sawyer was born on 22 Apr 1842 in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, USA. Residence 1900 in Justice

Precinct 1, Caldwell, Texas. She died on 13 December, 1912 in Lockhart, Caldwell, Texas, USA.

vii.

Alice Sawyer was born in 1871 in Smithville, Texas, USA. She died sometime before 1901.

Daniel Arthur Sawyer -4(Robert Sawyer-3, Edmund Sawyer-2, Dempsey Sawyer-1). He was born Jan 1852 in

Texas, USA. Residence 1910 in Justice Precinct 2, Bastrop, Texas. He died on 03 Jun 1926 in Jefferson

County, Texas.

Oregon Cordelia Miller was the daughter of Col. Mark S. Miller and Jane Brazil. She was born in November

of 1854 in Benton, Arkansas, USA. Residence 1900 in Justice Precinct 2 (Excl. Smithville Village), Bastrop,

Texas. She died on 23 Feb 1913 in Bastrop, Texas.

Daniel Arthur Sawyer and Oregon Cordelia Miller had 11 children.

i. Martin Van Buren Sawyer, my Grandfather, was born on 12 Aug 1883 in Smithville, Bastrop, TX, USA.

Residence 1920 in Beaumont Ward 1, Jefferson, Texas. He died on 29 January 1964 in Jefferson, Texas.

Burial on 01 February 1964 in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Beaumont, TX. Cause of Death is Emphesyma.

ii.

Louise Ethel Sawyer was born on 18 Sep 1895 in Smithville, Texas, USA. Residence 1900 in Justice Precinct

2 (Excl. Smithville Village), Bastrop, Texas. Burial 1903 in Sawyer/Brazil Cemetery on the old homestead,

Bastrop Co.. Texas. She died on 29 Jan 1903, at the age of 7 years and 3 months in Smithville, Bastrop, TX,

USA.

iii.

Stella Nancy Sawyer was born on 04 Aug 1893 in Smithville, Bastrop, Texas. She died on 03 Sep 1964 in

Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio. Residence in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, United States.

iv.

M. Addie Sawyer was born on 09 Jun 1882 in Smithville, Bastrop, Texas, USA. Residence 1900 in Justice

Precinct 2 (Excl. Smithville Village), Bastrop, Texas. She died on 09 Jul 1925 in Jefferson, Texas. Burial is in

Smithville, Texas at Oak Hill Cemetery.

v.

Cordelia Sawyer was born on 12 Nov 1889 in Smithville, Bastrop, TX, USA. Burial 1891 is in Sawyer/Brazil

Cemetery, Bastrop Co.. Texas. She died on 12 Nov 1891, on her second birthday in Bastrop County, Texas,

USA. The Tombstone Inscription (The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away).

vi.

Dona J. Sawyer was born on 26 Jan 1878 in Smithville, Bastrop, Texas, USA. Residence 1880 in Smithville,

Bastrop, Texas, United States. Burial 1881 in Sawyer/Brazil Cem., Bastrop Co.. Texas. She died on 08 April

1881, just past her third birthday in Smithville, Bastrop, Texas, USA. Tombstone Inscription (Daughter of

D.A. and Oregon Sawyer).

vii.

William R. Sawyer was born on 04 Jan 1875 in Smithsville, Bastrop, Texas, USA. Residence 1900 in Justice

Precinct 2, Bastrop, Texas. He died 1953 in Beaumont, Jefferson, Texas, USA. He married Lola A. Graves and

they had no children.

viii.

Joseph Frank Sawyer was born on 08 Apr 1891 in Smithville, Bastrop, Texas. Residence 1900 in Justice

Precinct 2 (Excl. Smithville Village), Bastrop, Texas. He died Dec 1981 in Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas, United

States of America. He is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Smithville, Texas, USA.

ix.

Escar Bryant Sawyer was born on 13 Apr 1898 in Bastrop County, Texas, USA. Residence 1900 in Justice

Precinct 2 (Excl. Smithville Village), Bastrop, Texas. He died Aug 1968 in Port Arthur, Jefferson, Texas,

United States of America. He and his wife, Martha Mouton, are buried in Port Arthur, Texas.

x.

Mae Maggie Sawyer. She was born 1885 in Smithville, Bastrop, TX, USA. Residence 1910 in Justice Precinct

2, Bastrop, Texas. She died 1969. She and her husband, Ben Taylor Tiner are buried in Young School House

Cemetery, Upton, Texas.

xi.

Henry D. Sawyer was born on 20 Jul 1877 in Smithville, Bastrop, TX, USA. Burial 1878 in Sawyer/Brazil

Cemetery, Bastrop County, Texas. He died on 23 Jan 1878, at the age of six months in Smithville, Bastrop,

Texas, USA. Tombstone Inscription (We miss our darling boy).

Martin Van Buren Sawyer-5 (Daniel Arthur Sawyer-4, Robert Sawyer-3, Edmund Sawyer-2, Dempsey

Sawyer-1). He was born on 12 Aug 1883 in Smithville, Bastrop, TX, USA. Residence 1920 in Beaumont Ward

1, Jefferson, Texas. He died on 29 Jan 1964 in Jefferson County, Texas. Burial on 01 Mar 1964 in Forest Lawn

Cemetery, Beaumont, Texas. Cause of Death is Emphesyma.

Sarah E."Tishie" Shelton is the daughter of Thomas "Will" Shelton and Martha Ann Gillian. She was born on

11 Aug 1887 in Arkansas, USA. Residence 1930 in Port Arthur, Jefferson, Texas. Cause of Death was heart

attack at home on 21 Mar 1962 in Beaumont, Jefferson, TX, USA. Burial on 24 March, 1962 in Forest Lawn

Cemetery, Beaumont, Texas.

Martin Van Buren Sawyer and Sarah E."Tishie" Shelton had 2 children.

i. Martin Arthur Sawyer, my Father. was born on 13 Aug 1907 in Smithville, Bastrop, Texas, USA. Residence

1930 in Port Arthur, Jefferson, Texas. He married Martha Köniec. They were married March, 1935 in Yuma,

Yuma County, Arizona, USA. Cause of Death on 02 Jun 1975 in Beaumont, Jefferson, TX, USA (Colon Cancer).

Burial on 05 Jun 1975 in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Beaumont, TX.

ii. Aubrey Odell Sawyer was born 1909 in Texas. Residence 1920 in Beaumont Ward 1, Jefferson, Texas. He

died 27 1963 in Wilmington, California of a blood clot while sleeping.

Martin Arthur Sawyer-6 (Martin Van Buren Sawyer-5, Daniel Arthur Sawyer-4, Robert Sawyer-3, Edmund

Sawyer-2, Dempsey Sawyer-1). He was born on 13 Aug 1907 in Beaumont, TX, USA. Residence 1930 in Port

Arthur, Jefferson, Texas. Cause of Death on 02 Jun 1975 in Beaumont, Jefferson, TX, USA (Colon Cancer). He

died on 02 Jun 1975 in Beaumont, TX, USA. Burial on 05 Jun 1975 in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Beaumont, TX.

Martha Köniec was the daughter of Johann S. Köniec and Wilhelmina Späth. She was born on 16 Feb 1907

in Karlsruhe, Baden, Germany. Arrival on 06 Oct 1927 in New York, NY. Cause of Death on 06 Aug 1979 in St.

Elizabeth Hospital, Beaumont, TX, USA, (Lung Cancer). Burial on 09 Aug 1979 in Forest Lawn Cemetery,

Beaumont, Texas. Martin Arthur Sawyer and Martha Köniec. They were married in March of 1935 in Yuma,

Yuma, Arizona, USA. They had 1 child.

i.

Martha Ann Sawyer was born on 10 Aug 1945 in Beaumont, Jefferson, Texas, USA.

Aubrey Odell Sawyer-6 (Martin Van Buren Sawyer-5, Daniel Arthur Sawyer-4, Robert Sawyer-3, Edmund

Sawyer-2, Dempsey Sawyer-1). He was born 1909 in Texas. Residence 1920 in Beaumont Ward 1, Jefferson,

Texas. He died 27 1963 in California.

Nadine Walker was born on 16 Sep 1908. She died Mar 1979 in Torrance, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Aubrey Odell Sawyer and Nadine Walker had 2 children.

i.

Terry Jean Sawyer was born on 28 Jan 1938 in Tulare, California.

ii.

Diane Elizabeth Sawyer was born on 29 Jun 1936 in Tulare, California.

Rosemary Searles was born on 30 May 1910 in Minnesota. She died on 04 Jan 1992 in San Diego, California.

Aubrey Odell Sawyer and Rosemary Searles had 2 children.

i.

Patricia Ann Sawyer was born on 20 Mar 1946 in Los Angeles, California.

ii.

Thomas Odell Sawyer was born on 22 Nov 1944 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

I could go into more detail as to the many different generations from North Carolina to Texas and beyond,

but the primary purpose in this book is to cover the generations that were the foundations of the Smithville

Sawyer family.

Chapter Two

Dempsey Sawyer came from a prominent North Carolina family. He was the son of Caleb Sawyer and Sarah

Spencer. In 1774 Sawyer’s Ferry in Pasquatank County had put two other ferries out of business. In just 26

years that followed, the area could no longer support all the people living there and most probably was the

reason for the son of Dempsey Sawyer and Lovey Gregory, Dempsey Sawyer, Jr., and his wife Courtney

Canady moving to Tennessee.

Brother of Lovey Gregory, Isaac’s House on Palmer Road, Camden.

After 1800 the gradual decline in the economic life of Pasquatank, Camden, and other counties became

quite evident and many old families one by one moved west: such as the Canady, Lamb, Burgess, Gregory,

Relfe, Forehand and Sawyer clans.

The Sawyer clan had married into all the prominent families aforementioned and therefore they were all

connected in some way. The following is a picture of of an old Sawyer home on Palmer Road in Camden

County, North Carolina.

Also connected with the Sawyer family is the Relfe-Grece-Sawyer House which today is known as the

Milford.

Margaret C. Sawyer, daughter of Dempsey Sawyer, Sr., married William Taylor Relfe and her Great

Grandmother, Mary Jennings, had been married to Thomas Relfe. Margaret C. Sawyer and her husband,

William Taylor Relfe, had the same Great Grandmother, Mary Jennings, who also, had been married to

Margaret’s Great Grandfather, Thomas Sawyer. So you can see how closely related the Sawyer clan was

with the other prominent families in the area.

Dempsey Sawyer, Jr. and Courtney established themselves in Tennessee on property bought from Jane

Bryant on Poplar Creek. Then in 1836 they bought 368 acres of land off Temple Road from Thomas Garrett

for the sum of $2,944.

They lived in the log house built by Garrett. This place was called The Hague Place. In 1844 they bought

another 131 acres from James L. Green for $1310 and also bought land from Martin Forehand, who was

Father-in-law to his son, Sterling Brown Sawyer.

When Dempsey died he was a wealthy man. Both Dempsey and Courtney are buried in the family cemetery

near the log house where they lived in Williamson County, Tennessee. They had twelve children.

And so it was that the middle child of Dempsey and Lovey Gregory Sawyer, Edmund Sawyer, struck out on

his own and moved west to Union County, Arkansas and then on to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. It is not

clear if it was the economics of the times or the fact that he married a Cherokee Indian woman that caused

the moving and the separation from a close knit family.

The disconnect is quite evident in retrospect. None the less, Edmund was a mystery man. I can find no

definitive record of him until he showed up living with his son, Robert Sawyer, in Smithville, Texas at the

age of 85. He was listed on the census as a merchant. No one knows what had happened to his wife,

known as Gracey, or when she died. Their burial place is also a mystery. I do know though that there are

some 19 unlisted people buried at the old home place in Smithville, Texas. So coupled, with that and the

fact that there are no other records, I have concluded that the Sawyer/Brazil Cemetery is the place of

Edmund’s burial.

The picture to follow is a lovely view of the land on which the Sawyer/Brazil Cemetery rests. It sits high on

a hill in a clump of trees. It is on the back part of the land in a quiet, secluded spot.

And below the cemetery on the hill is located a beautiful little lake known as the Lake of the Cemetery on

the Hill.

The birds sing and the country quiet is remarkable while looking over the lake. I’m told it has some nice

Bass in it. We spend quite a while looking at this wonderful view and trying to take it all in. I can think of

no better last resting place. It’s simply beautiful!

The current owner of the land operates the old home place as the 3-D Ranch. This is a current picture of

the entrance.

It’s a big change from the way it looked when my Grandfather was a boy growing up on this land. I can

remember coming here when I was a little girl and the old log house was still standing. It was a haunting

site to see. The old house looked so deserted and alone as if from a forgotten time.

Chapter Three Sarah "Tishie" Shelton

Just twenty plus years after the end of the Civil War, a girl child was born to Thomas and Martha Shelton. She was a healthy child with lungs equipped to let the world know she had an opinion, even in times when that opinion was to carry no weight with the men folk. Her mother was small and frail and little Sarah was as exhausted by the battle of birth as her mother.

Being the second child and the only girl created a daunting task for her father who found it difficult to divide his time at home between his son and his beautiful little girl. She grew up full of life and greeted each day with boundless enthusiasm. He would watch her in amazement wondering if he could tap in to that energy in some way.

They had a hard rural life of that time. Their small log cabin seemed at

times to burst at the seams with fun and laughter, but their

days were long, scratching out an existence in the Texas soil so

far from their birthplace in the Tennessee hills. Their vegetable

garden became the main chore for the youngsters when their

poppa was off taking a load of prisoners. Their mother had her

hands full with their new baby brother and another child expected in the winter.

God gives and sometimes God takes away by the most unexpected circumstances Sarah said later in her life. She was remembering how her young baby brother they called Blue had been taken by yellow fever and no one else had been touched. Then within a month there was the new baby boy they would call Jack.

Sarah would sit and dream of her life one day. She would be a grand lady and she would have store bought clothes. She would have a big parlor to entertain and a fine Cameo broach to wear when she went out. This was a far cry from the little girl before us who was wearing just her slip and a dust necklace around her neck, playing bear footed to save her only pair of shoes.

She looked at the tattered and worn catalog and wished for the china dolls she saw sketched in its pages. There were fine velvet hats with

plumes made from some exotic bird she could only imagine. The

dresses in the catalog were like out of some fairy tale her

grandma had told her about. "Oh, my!" She thought. She couldn't

wait to grow up and marry a fine gentleman who would take her

off to live happily ever after.

Sarah loved school and was heart-broken when she was told to stay home and take care of her mother and baby brother, Jack. It was more important for Bill, being a boy, to get an education and to learn to read and write. She decided to teach herself to read and write; after all she had finished the first grade and one half the second grade year!

She would use the family bible that her mother read from to be her School book. And so she did! She could not let herself be

uneducated if she was to be a fine lady when she grew up. She

worked hard in her free time, practicing the penmanship and

sounding the words out aloud. Brother Bill helped her with the

long handwriting and she learned to add numbers.

As she grew and matured she dreamed of having a better life for herself and for her children. They would not have to crawl on dirt floors or scratch out a meager existence from the earth. She would find her "Prince Charming" one day soon. She just knew it!

On lazy Sunday afternoons when all the work was finished, she would sit under one of the big oak trees and wonder what her future husband would look like. Would he be tall? What color would his eyes be? Would he have a wonderful smile, like her poppa when he came home from a long trip?

Then one day her friend Lizzie from the next place told her about

her distant cousin who was coming to stay with them for a few

days. He had been working on an oilrig out in West Texas. She said

he was a few years older than them, but quite handsome and very

strong. She said when she saw him without his shirt outside

washing up at the well she wanted to faint, even if he was her

cousin! She wanted Sarah to some over the very next

weekend to Sunday dinner for an official introduction.

She asked Lizzie to tell her all about him, the color of his hair, and the color of his eyes. Did he have a nice smile? Were his

teeth straight or did they buck out like their mules teeth? These were important things to know about a person in those days! They laughed and carried on about the coming Sunday dinner and she could hardly wait for the week to pass by. It seemed to drag on so!

And so she had grown and matured and now was about to meet her future husband. Lizzie and her father came to fetch Sarah in their wagon so she would not dirty her fine Sunday dress walking to their home place. She was so nervous she felt like throwing up. She hadn't eaten breakfast because of her nerves so she felt sure she had nothing that might come hurling out even though it seem so.

By this time in her life Sarah had grown into a lovely young lady

in her late teens. She was muscular in a feminine way from all the

farm work, but there was undeniable appeal to her shape. She

had quite the hourglass figure and several of the young lads from

around Smithville had begun to notice her when she visited town

with her poppa.

They didn't dare be so bold as to show up at her home uninvited. That would never do, especially with her grandma there who could out shoot any man around. She could spit fire and brimstone and put anyone in their place and still hit her mark when she spit her chewing tobacco. Proper introductions had to be made though family and friends.

As they approached Lizzie's house, Sarah straightened her dress, sat up tall and smoothed out her chestnut locks. Her bright blue eyes were twinkling in anticipation of her first formal courting event. Her heart was about to gallop off and leave her without means to pump any blood to her face. She pinched her cheeks a bit to get her color back.

Then she saw him standing at the far end on the front porch half

hidden by shadow. He was very tall and as he moved toward the

wagon, his gate was lengthy and very sure. It seemed to her as if

he was moving in slow motion

then suddenly there he was offering her assistance in getting off

the wagon. She looked into two large twinkling blue eyes as his

voice floated past her ears, "Here, let me help you off that thing.

It must have been a bumpy ride for you." She smiled and nodded

her agreement.

She had never been so speechless in her entire life.

She was about ready to swoon over him, when Lizzie's

father began making the formal introductions. "Mr. Sawyer

this is our neighbor, Sarah Shelton. Sarah, this is my nephew,

Martin Van Buren Sawyer. His family calls him by his middle

name, Buren." Her father said. "Pleased to meet you Buren, you

may call me Tishie. That's my nickname." She said. He smiled the

most dazzling smile she's ever seen. Her whole body seemed to

flush in his presence and she hoped she wasn't the color of fresh

pickled beets. He offered to escort her over to the tables they had set up under a tree for their Sunday dinner. She took his arm and felt some kind of lightening bolt charge through her. She wondered if he felt it too. As they were walking she gazed up at his face and knew that he had similar feelings just from watching his expression. Were they both smitten or was it her imagination? What a wonderful day this was!

A strained quiet settled over all as they ate. Everyone was looking around at the two of them seated next to each other and smiling their approval.

After dinner he asked her if she would like to take a walk and talk. She excused her self from her hosts and they set off to walk down by the creek. He began talking about his plans for the future. He wanted to own land and a house with a real floor made of wood. He wanted to live in a town and raise a family. He wanted to get a job better than he had working on oilrigs around the state going from pillar to post as he put it. He had heard about how there down on the Texas Gulf Coast. He wanted to put down real roots.

She was amazed at his ambition and his goals seemed so much like hers. She too wanted to better herself from the log cabin existence her family had perpetuated for generations in this country. She could just see the shiny wood floors and smell fresh flowers growing by the front porch. Then he did something so out of the ordinary she almost fainted. He took her hand in his and told her he had gotten Lizzie to tell him all about her beforehand. She had even described her to him with such detail he felt he would have known her anywhere. The night before he said he had a dream about her and

saw her face just exactly as he was looking at it that very minute.

She felt faint. As she looked up at him, his six-foot two-inch stature loomed over her as if it were a protective cloud keeping all harm from her.

She felt as if she had known him all her life. She was so amazed and entertained with the stories he told her of his adventures in the oil fields. She didn't want the time to end. She wanted to talk to him for the rest of her life. Time was passing so quickly. Soon she would have to go back to her world and he would be just a fond memory.

Very soon they heard Lizzie calling them back to the house. Where had the time gone? She did not want to go! She looked up at him as they walked. He took her hand so she would not stumble on the path littered with bits of fallen branches. His face was strong. He had good bone structure with high cheekbones and bright blue eyes that looked deep into her soul. His hair was a sandy brown color with gold flecks in the sunlight. His build was strong and straight and his long legs kept a sure steady gate. His hand though rough from work was very gentle holding hers. She was smitten with this tall stranger.

As he was helping her up onto the wagon he asked her if he might call on her sometime. She replied that he should come speak to her poppa very soon, but she was sure it would be okay. She felt her heart and all her energy leave her body as they drove off toward her home. She turned to watch him fading slowly over the horizon until she could see him no more and then let out a long quiet sigh. "Good bye, my `Prince Charming'." She said to herself.

Days passed in dragging succession one after the other. Then without warning she saw a familiar silhouette coming up the path to

their home. It was her "Prince Charming"! "Poppa come out here!" She

called to her daddy. Someone is coming to call on me. Her poppa came

out of the tool shed with an ax in his hand that he had been

sharpening. Buren walked up and introduced himself to her daddy.

He had his hat in his hand and she almost fainted when she heard from the porch what he was saying to her poppa. He was asking for permission to ask Sarah to be his wife. He said he had a good job and a little money put aside and he was a hard worker and he promised to be a good husband and provider to her. He said he knew when he met her and even before that time she was the one he wanted to spend his life with.

Her poppa paused for a time before replying. He told him he was aware that his daughter was of the marrying age and he commented on his straight forward approach. He said he knew of Buren's folks and that they were good honest people. He then said that any questions about anyone around his place becoming a bride had to be addressed to that intended person. That was as much of a "yes" as he would be able to get out of her poppa.

And so was the beginning of my grandparents long life together. Within a year of their marriage, they were expecting my daddy and you know the rest of that. The one thing that always amazed me about my parents and my grandparents was that they knew the right people to marry and how to make it last. Don't get me wrong, they had disagreements at times. The secret was in how they kept the love alive. Looking back on my life I would say that never loosing site of basic human respect for your partner is the key to keeping love alive. But I would also add that it must be a mutual agreement. Both parties have to keep the respect intact.

Chapter Four

Smithville, Texas

My father was bom at home in Smithville, Texas in 1907. He was the first-born son of two sons born to my grandparents, Martin

Van Buren Sawyer and Sarah "Tishie" Shelton. My grandmother was young when he was born. She kept house and took care of

the children. My Uncle "Tom" was born and named Aubrey Odell

Sawyer eighteen months after my father's birth. His name came from a novel my grandmother was reading when she was

expecting him. My dad was named after his father and grandfather, Martin Arthur Sawyer. My grandfather worked

on the oilrigs and finally when they moved down to Port Arthur, Texas he went to work for Texaco in their railroad car

shop. He was a brake repairman on the rail cars. When he

retired from there, they gave him a gold-plated Bulova pocket watch with an inscription on it and a going away party.

My father loved to hunt and fish, but hated school. He also hated shoes and dressing up. When he was in the eighth grade he quit school and went to work as a roughneck on an oilrig. After working on the rigs for a long time, he decided there had to be a better life waiting for him somewhere in another occupation. He saved his money and went to Chicago, Illinois to the Coyne Electrical School and took a course to become an electrician. He came back to the Beaumont area and that was when he met my mother. My parents were twenty-six when they married.

My dad was very much like his mother. I never doubted for one minute that I was the apple of his eye. He worked off shore from the time I was two years old until he retired during a merger of Pure Oil with Union 76 Oil Company. He was gone a lot, but when he came home he always sat down to hear all that had happened in my life while he was gone. I remember starched khaki work suits and pens in his pocket that I fumbled with while I sat on his lap catching him up on the latest happenings. I sat on my daddy's lap all my life. Even after I was married and had children, I would still go sit on his lap when I went home to visit. As I got older, the time spent on his lap got shorter. I think it had something to do with the fact that I grew and got heavier and he remained the same... my daddy.

My uncle moved to California after he finished high school and lived out his

life out there. Although he had four children from two marriages, my

grandmother spent all her time with me because I was closer in distance and

in her heart.

Chapter Five

My Family Lineage My grandmother's mother, Martha Ann Gillean was married to Thomas J.

"Will" Shelton. They had one son, Zemer A. "Bill" and another son,

Erick Theopholis "Jack". Sarah Exer "Tishie" Shelton was the only girl. There

was another son born before Bill, who died at about ten years of age,

named A.J. and another son born before Jack who was called Blue

because he had lung problems and he died in infancy of Yellow Fever.

Her mother was a frail, tiny woman who in her later years came to live

with Grandma. She was so small she wore a size three sample shoe.

She probably weighed no more than 95 pounds her entire life. Grandma

took after her Poppa's side of the family. She was large framed and

had a well-rounded figure. To look at the two women together you would

never have guessed they are related at all. Martha Ann's mother, Sarah Dyer Gillean, was a rather plain looking woman who had worked hard all her life on the family farm. Both the

Dyer and Gillian families moved to Texas through migration from

Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee and were descendants of immigrants from

England and Ireland. Grandma spoke of Grandma Martha Ann Gillean

chewing tobacco and smoking a corncob pipe. Grandma Martha Ann passed

away when she was up in her 90's. As she got older she developed

dementia, but I think it was probably Alzheimer's disease.

Both my Grandmother and Grandfather came from families that came to settle in Texas from the southeastern United States and beyond that England. Their backgrounds were similar in that they lived in log cabins and did farming to feed their families. Grandpa's family was large and he had three sisters and three brothers who lived to adulthood. He had

three sisters and one brother who died in early childhood. His mother, Oregon Cordelia Miller, was a petite lady who had beautiful features. His father, Daniel Arthur Sawyer, was a sweet man who had twinkling eyes and bright red hair when he was young. I'm sure he passed some of his personality down through my Daddy. Grandpa said his Daddy smiled a lot and always made them laugh.

Grandma's mother's family came from Tennesse and Georgia. Her brother, John Houston "Doc" Gillean, fought in the Civil War in the Confederate Army attached to a unit in Georgia. His father, John Gillean fought in the Civil war for one year and he had a brother, Marion Ashbury Gillean, who died in the Civil War in 1865 in Georgia.

I have a wonderful tin type of Uncle Doc in his Confederate uniform. He brought Martha Ann Gillian a little china vase with a flower on it back from the war. I still have it and it is perfect except one of the flowers on the vase has a broken petal. It is kept in my curio cabinet this very date. My daughter, Michelle has Grandma Martha Ann's dresser that I loved to play in as a child and the matching mirror that goes with it.

Chapter Six Grandmother's Legacy

We were kindred spirits, grandma and I. She gave me the balance in my

life that my mother tried to take from me. I remember sitting on her lap a

lot also. She smelled like lavender soap and starched aprons. I could do

anything I wanted within reason and never once heard from her that I

would fall and break my neck. She never once told me I would die of

heat stroke from running and playing! I just had to take a good bath

when I was through.

I loved to stay with her and sleep in her big bedroom with all the windows. Nearly all the walls were windows and she would open them up at and night turn on her oscillating fan. I would fall asleep waiting for its next pass across my body. I could hear all the frogs croaking on that big gully in back of her house and they seemed to sing the same song every night!

She taught me how to cook. My knowledge of plants and gardening came from her. She was an unsung hero in my eyes. She was never allowed attend school past the second grade. Her mother was sickly and her father needed grandma to stay home with her younger brother. Her father was prison guard and would be gone for weeks at the time transporting prisoners.

They had a small farm and the burden of gardening, tending animals,

cooking and childcare duties fell on her older brother's and her shoulders She would not be daunted though, she taught herself to read from the family bible. She taught herself to write cursive when Bill gave her a sample of his schoolbook of how the letters looked. She learned to do basic math could count her money. I remember her hiding her savings in a handkerchief all the time and

then forgetting where she hid it. We had a really good time hunting for her money. It was kind of like a treasure hunt. I especially liked to look through her dresser drawers. She would hid her money from the rest of the world. After all she needed something all her own, her savings. She needed her money for buying flowers for the yard, rabbit feed, and making her "Sugie" (that's me), clothes from the feed sacks. We would go to the feed store and she would let me pick out the sacks of feed.

In case you do not know this, things like flour and feed used to come in cloth sacks. As competition for sales, the different flour and feed companies would sack their goods in colorful prints. This was the way they stole each other's customers. The one with the prettiest designs sold the most. I always knew what my next dress would look like!

My grandfather was a quiet mischievous man. He was six feet plus and shrinking when I came along. He had been injured in a car wreck and had breathing problems from a punctured lung. Later this developed into emphysema and finally took his life when he was in his eighties. My uncle died of a blood clot that stopped his heart the year before grandpa passed away. He seemed to really go down hill after Uncle Tom died.

Anyway, grandpa liked to do things to make me think. He would talk to me in his quiet way and suggest things that would usually get me in trouble. One time in particular comes to my mind now. I was small, maybe about five, and I was raking leaves in our yard. Daddy said he would pay me a penny a tub for all the leaves I raked up. Grandpa came over to visit and asked my about what I was doing. After I told him, he said, "Sugie", you need to tell your daddy that he should pay you five cents a tub or you will go on strike." I went to daddy with my new business proposition and he told me if I didn't like getting a penny a tub, I could do it for nothing. I decided after all to pass on my wage increase proposal. I looked at grandpa and he almost busted out laughing. I knew better than to listen to him! My daddy never spanked me. He could break my heart just by talking to me ! Mother said when I was born he was so scared of breaking me; he didn't hold me until I was three months old. Grandpa never spanked me either, although he did slap me once. There was a little boy about my age who lived next door to my grandparents. He had this habit of biting people to get his way. He would bite his mother and little brother. I decided one day when grandpa wouldn't take me to the store to try Chester's way, so I bit him on the hand. He gave me a shocked slap across the face and asked where I had learned that. Well, I didn't try biting anymore.

When grandma died two years before Uncle Tom, grandpa was upset and

blamed himself that he did not hear her. She passed away during the night

and he found her in the morning in the floor. It looked like she was trying to

get to her heart medication. He said if he hadn't been so deaf he would have heard her from his bedroom.

We had a hard time getting him to realize that he didn't need to be by himself with his own health problems of the emphysema. Finally he relented and came to live with us. He and mother did not get on very well and he was so funny about what he wanted to eat. He decided that I was the only one who could cook his food. He would wait for me to get home from school to cook his evening meal for him. I guess my grandma taught me how to cook greens with fat back and cornbread to his liking.

My happiest times of growing up were the times I spent at my grandparents

when I was a young child. In my memory they are the golden years people

spend their whole life awaiting. I owe my sense of humor and sensibility to

my grandparents.

Chapter Seven Karlsrhue, Germany

My mother's life was a good one, even during the wartime. She was born in 1907, the oldest of three children. She had a brother, Hans, who was three

years younger and a sister, Gertrude, who was seven years her junior. They lived a life, by our standards, of the upper middle class. They lived in a very nice stone house with the modern conveniences of that day. They had nice furnishings, indoor plumbing and all the works of the times. Her father, Johann Koniec was from Poland and he worked for the German government in their finance department. Their lives were good and they wanted for nothing. My grandfather loved my grandmother, Wilhelmina "Mina" Spath, very much and their happiness together overflowed to their children.

When my mother was eight years old something happened that changed her life forever. They were used to the black outs and the bombings of the

war and had a regular little routine whenever the air raid alarms went off. My grandfather would close off all the windows and doors, the children

behind him double checking everything. My grandmother would go down

into the basement and light the oil lamps for when the rest of her family came down to stay until the all clear. Before that fateful day, they had

suffered no close hits and their home and neighborhood was totally untouched. The bombing was always a stressful event in their lives, but one with which they had learned to cope.

As they were going down, one of the shells from the bombing came through a basement window and exploded. They were knocked down the stairs and my mother was knocked out for a minute. When she came to, her father was wailing and digging though the pile of rubble that was their basement calling out for my grandmother. Then he turned and told the children to get up stairs at once. So bleeding, dirty, and in shock, the three trudged up the remains of the stairs and into the living room. They sat lined up in a row like three little birds on their sofa. My grandfather came into the room, his head bleeding, with blood on his hands and shirt. He told them that their mother was gone. She had not survived the hit. They were not to go down there anymore. It was no use.

She never saw her mother again. They had a closed casket funeral. My mother's life was changed forever. At a time when she needed her mother the most, she was taken from her.

This single event changed her life and mine. She could never be

the kind of mother to me that her mother was to her. When she

was twenty years and ten months old she got her father to sign

his approval for her to come to America on a seven-year work

visa. She was never to see him again or her brother Hans.

Her father passed away in the early 1940's, before I was born. Hans froze to death at Lenningrad, Russia during World War II. He was one of the troops drafted into the German military campaign under Adolph Hitler. My Aunt Gertrude spent her war years hiding from the German SS who liked to keep "War Widows" company while their husbands were sent away to fight.

At the age of sixty-nine mother finally returned to her homeland to visit her sister, Gertrude, and Gertrude's family. She took my older daughter, Michelle, with her on a return visit that she had planned with my father. They stayed for six weeks or so. Michelle went in the place of my father, who had passed away a year before of colon cancer.

To understand my mother, you have to know her history. She

had at times made my life a living hell. She was so afraid

something would happen to me. She was over protective and

this was only worsened by the fact that I was the only surviving

child, the only one to make it to full term. She worried about

everything. If my dad planned a vacation trip, she would worry

about it for weeks before it was time to go.

Although she got over the change in her life when she was eight, she never got past it where I was concerned. She spent her whole life worrying about “what if”. So this is the message I bring you: Live your life to the fullest, never taking a moment for granted, but if you worry about “what if”, it will steal all your tomorrows !

Chapter Eight

The Surname of Sawyer

Sawyer is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally

given to person who worked as the sawyer. This individual

bought wood and cut with his saw in order to sell it to the

towns people. Occupational names frequently were

derived from the principal object associated with the

activity of the original bearer, such as tools or products.

These types of occupational surnames are called

metonymic surnames. It was in the eight century that the

Angles and the Saxons migrated to England, after Rome

had withdrawn its troops. Historians researched ancient and

modern documents and discovered the Sawyer surname to

have originated from these Anglo- Saxon tribesmen.

England, more than many other European nations, has

collected and maintained records of births, deaths, marriages,

and land transfers for many hundreds of years. From these

documents and other sources, we have deemed that the

Sawyer surname was originally found in Norfolk where

they were seats from early times and their first records

appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings

of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of the subjects.

Throughout the course of research, the Sawyer surname

was found with various spellings, such as Sawyer,

Sawier, Sawer and these changes in spelling even

occurred in references to the same person. Even such

literal people as Shakespeare signed their name with

different spellings. Some variations resulted from the

influence of court languages such as Latin and French on the

spelling of a name. In general, however, people paid more

attention to how a name was pronounced than to how

people thought should be spelled. The Sawyer family

descended from a culture which shaped England more than

any other. Coming to England from what is now the

state of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, the Angles and

Saxons dominated the countryside by force and pushed the

native Brittons into Wales. The society of this early Germanic

people consisted of groups of families unit in around a

chieftain or king. This social unit tended to remain small.

Anglo-Saxon Britain was divided into many kingdoms until

unification under Egbert in the 9th century. Even with

the merging of Angle and Saxon kingdoms, real unity did

not exist until after the Norman conquest. Anglo-Saxon rule

came to an end in 1066, when the Normans invaded

successfully. Despite this, the culture of the people was

largely an Anglo-Saxon culture. However, politics and high

society was to be dominated by the Norman French.

English society ceased to resemble the old tribal

structure consisting of bands of families grouped around

different leaders. However, England was slowly developing

into a nation. The Sawyer family was found in Norfolk

where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity

seated with the manor of Causton and estates in that

shire. They bunched to Cambridge, to Kettering in

Northampton, and to Heywood in Berkshire. John

Sawyer was High Sheriff of Berkshire. Sir Edmund

Sawyer married into the Whitmores of Apley. Admiral

Sir Herbert Sawyer was a distinguished Naval Commander.

A member of the family also was Chef to King Charles II.

They also settled in Ayrshire in Scotland at

Netherhoillhouse. Notable members of the family

include Admiral Sir Herbert Sawyer, K.C.B. The Sawyer family

survived the Middle Ages, despite famine, plagues, and the

trials of daily life. However, in the 17th century political

and religious upheaval forced many families to leave

England. During this period the middle class became more

powerful, and for the first time was ready to assert itself

in Parliament. The conflict which resulted divided the

country into two very powerful factions. This century also

saw renewed tensions between the Protestants and the

Catholics. Together these factors were enough to drive

families from their homeland. In Ireland Protestant settlers

and the followers of Cromwell were granted lands taken from

the native Irish. Other families came to Ireland simply to

escape their war-torn home. The name Sawyer may well

have arrived in Ireland with the "Cromwellian Aventurers

for Land," in the 17th century. At that time, 1000 acres of

land was available to settlers in Ulster for 200, in

Connaught for 300, and in Leinster for 600. Turmoil at

home made the New World appear attractive to many

families in England. They immigrated to Canada, the

United States, Australia, and some moved to continental

Europe. Members of the Sawyer family risked the hazardous

voyage to start a new life in new lands. Migrants to the

New World bearing the Sawyer surname, or a spelling

variation of this nameinclude Francis Sawyer settled in

Virginia in 1633; following John in 1622; Lydia in 1635; Mary in

1649; Nicholas in 1632; Thomas in 1630; William in 1623;

and they also settled in Massachusetts, the Barbados,

Portland, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Thomas Savvier

settled in Virginia in 1620; followed by William in 1624;

John Sawer landed in Philadelphia Pa. in 1796. In

Newfoundland, John was a king's carpenter in St. John's in

1770; Samuel settled in St. George's Harbour in 1830.

There is a Sawyer Lake in Labrador, also a Mount Sawyer

there; and Sawyers Hill in Newfoundland. Canada was one of the

destinations selected by immigrants. United Empire Loyalists

came north from America in the decades during and

following the American Revolution; most of these loyalists

settled in Nova Scotia, and in the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes

region. By the mid 19th century, land opportunities and the

building of the railroads allowed immigrants to settle the

west of North America in greater numbers. The Sawyer

family has always contributed to the society to which it

has belonged. From recent history, notables of the

surname Sawyer, include Charles W. Sawyer (1897-19M),

American, U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 1948 to 1933;

Diane Sawyer (b.1945), American, television Newscaster;

Robert J. Sawyer (b.1960), Canadian author; and Thomas

Charles Sawyer (b.1945), American politician,

member of the U.S. House of Representatives for

Ohion, from 1987-2oo2. During the course of our research

we also determined the many Coat of Arms granted to

different branches of the family name.

The most ancient gram of a Coat of Arms found was:

A blue shield with a fess chequy gold and black between three silver birds (seapies).

The Crest was: A talbot guardant proper.

Chapter 9

The Trip to Smithville

I was excited about going back to Smithville to look for the Sawyer Cemetery and to visit

Oak Hill Cemetery to take pictures of the gravestones of my relatives, but I had no idea of

how excited I would be when I found the tombstone of my 2nd

Great Grandfather, Robert

Sawyer. I have a picture of him and his wife, Nancy J. Rice and it was like completing the

circle. There are of course some loose-ends in that I don’t know where Nancy is buried, but

I think I know. I believe that she is the Nancy Smith who is next to Robert and among the

some 19 unmarked graves along with Daniel Arthur and Oregon Cordelia Miller Sawyer,

Moses and Matilda Jane Allen Brazil. I can only speculate and make educated guesses from

things that were said when I was small about Grandpa’s Daddy being buried up at Smithville

with the others.

It is factual that Moses and Matilda Brazil are buried there even though there are no

inscribed markers for them, only plain stones buried deep in the ground and there are a lot

of Irises planted around under the trees in bunches. If you look at the layout, it looks

intentional, not just the way nature would do it and they are no wild irises.

But I digress….we went in search of the Sawyer Cemetery the day after we arrived. I had

called and contacted several people in the Bastrop County Clerk’s office before the trip to

try and get directions to the cemetery. I finally was given the name of a lady who does a lot

of genealogy in the county. They gave me her phone number and I called her. She was very

helpful and looked up the information in her cemetery records.

The last visit to the cemetery was back in the middle 1950’s and she had good directions

from the party that visited there to do the survey. However, that was in the ‘50s and this in

2008. Things change…like the 911 system coming into being in 2001. That was when all

county roads were given names and the county road numbers were discontinued.

Never underestimate the power of gut feelings. I felt that Zapalac Road, the Old Smithville

Road, was where the county road should be and followed my feeling using her directions on

mileage down the now defunct road. When we got close to the turn in at the property I

knew where it was and told my husband to turn into the gate and sure enough, I knew I had

been there before.

We went up to the houses and beyond them to the left at the barns we saw workers on the

ranch. We drove over to them and spoke with the foreman who was very excited when we

told him who we were. He said he had wondered if there was any family left of the

Sawyer’s buried there. He lead us to the cemetery in his pickup and told us we could stay

there as long as we liked. At that time he told us they had named the lake the Lake of the

Cemetery on the Hill in honor of those buried in the cemetery. He also mentioned there

were some nice bass in the lake. He said that he had been visited before by some

gentleman who had lived there after the Sawyer place had been sold. It is such a surreal

experience, like going back in time, to go back there and walk on the land where my

ancestors walked, worked, lived and died.

After doing further research I was able to find my Great Grandfather’s and Great

Grandmother’s death certificates and I discovered upon reading them that my Great

Grandfather had indeed been taken back to Smithville for burial and my Great Grandmother

had died at home and was never taken away for burial. This is documentation to

substantiate my belief that they both are buried in the Sawyer Cemetry. I also found the

death certificate for Louise Ethel who died in 1903 and is buried in the cemetery with the

headstone marked L.E. Sawyer.

You can really learn a lot from death certificates. I found the death certificate for Margaret

Malissa know as Maggie Mae and daughter of Robert and Nancy Sawyer. She knew and told

family members that her mother’s maiden name was Rice. After that discovery, I was able

to uncover Nancy J. Rice’s parents and found out that Robert’s older daughter, Nancy Jane

Sawyer, whose mother was Margarett, not Nancy had also married a Rice, the brother of

Nancy Rice, Henry Adkinson Rice. There were several families that had intermarried with

the Sawyers of Smithville, being the Rice’s, the Berwick’s, Graves’ and the Rankin’s. In

those days, it happened in a lot of families that cousins married relatives of other cousins

and brothers and sisters married brother and sisters of a different family. There are also

ties to the Burleson family as well as other families like the Scallorn’s and Patterson’s where

different Sawyer members married into those those families.