Growing up in Benton County, TN in the 1850's, through the eyes of Mary C. Bell Hudson

I was given this several years ago by Debbie Beasley Cox of Gainesville, TX.  The author is Mary C. Bell Hudson (8 November 1847, Benton County, TN - 26 July 1921, Gainesville, Cook County, TX).  She was the daughter of John Bell and Lucy Blackwell Bell and married James G. Hudson in Benton County, TN, 23 January 1866.

Composition by Mary Bell Hudson, Gainesville, TX - March 12, 1886 (only 18 _ _ was given, but based on her mention of 38 years of life, I determined, as she was born 8 Nov 1847, the year to be 1886; however, that is just a guess). I copied it as near to the copy I had as I could.


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Thirty eight years of life spent by Mrs. M. C. Hudson the former life in my native state of Tennessee the remainder in Texas.

Commence at three years with my mother and father going to my first school playing with my rag doll that mother made. Here comes little sister now large enough to play with me . . . .Mother in the house at work and Pa at the shop . . . he was a blacksmith . . . down to the shop we would go. . . upon the vice bench with one dolls to play in the toy box . . . Oh those happy days . .the remembrance of childhood seems so sweet to me now. Pa busily at work . . the sound of the anvil and hammer all day long. Noon time would come . . Pa would hear the dinner horns blow for dinner . . .he would look out and see so many horses waiting to be shod and men waiting for work . . he would say Mary you and Sis go to the house . . tell your mother I can't come to dinner I am so busy. .. .mama would fix Pa dinner and carry it to him and spend a few moments with him . ..Oh the happy ______ that was spent together at the Black Smith shop with Mother & Father & Sister and I. Now back to the house we would go ... Mother to work busy all day . . . Sister & I to play and evening tide was creeping slowly on the sun was sinking in the far blue western skies above us . . The song birds sweetly echoing their last songs and note for the day. In the beautiful foliage have hid theirselves away for the night. PaPa's anvil is still ringing . . .Mama is busily engaged in preparing the evening refreshments for the little family and Juicing the cows attending the chickens while Sister and I is down on the creek bank watching the little fishes playing in the water ...Our thoughts wandring away with the fishes as the flirt and swim till we was called to supper.

Right here I want to say dear reader this was our humble little country home situated on the banks of the big old Rushing Creek five miles North of Camden, TN. Right here at this little home I went to my first school ... The teacher an old gentlemen with white beard and hair, tall and erect called me his little pet . .. There I learned to spell and read . .. The house was full of young ladies and gents . .. I was the only baby in school and the pet of all. There I learned to love my teacher and my parents and teacher learned me to love all the young ladies and gents in school . . .I thought that everyone loved me. Dear Reader I thank God for good parents and teachers that learn us to love. Love is the best and sweetest thing on earth. We couldn't live without it. I think if I could only live those sweet days over again I would learn to love more . ..The beautiful Spring come trickling out of the high banks a few rods from the creek where Mother and the school are to get water is as plain in my memory now as it was then .. It is so dear to me . ..Things that is planted in our young hearts is yet young when so are bending and blooming with old age a sweet remembrance. Now hear Papa has moved down on the Public road in amongst the Big Forest trees and yet on he same creek . . a lovely place close to our Grandmothers where all of us little folks love to go. The Anvil was still ringing . . Sister and I still playing in the tool box on the vice bench .. .There is an improvement on Black Smith shops . . Now maybe they don't have vice benches now. Pa made log coal . . Kills burnt his own coal . . now the coal is bought. The new home, the beautiful tree and big creek with its high white chalk bluff, the nice fishes rthe sweet song burds is all sweet memory to me. I wish I could live them over again. From small acorns large happiness. I am going to school at the same place and am loved by all . . . Sister & I she is with me now.

Our school was out . . . Sister and I played on the white chalk bluff making toys out of the chalk as white as snow. Sister gets sick with fever. (A long) time I was lonesome I couldn't play . . .I was lonely. I want to say although we are young if we are rightly taught by our parents that love in our hearts will never part there is moments all along through life when we can have sweet reflections of the past that will make us glad we have lived. Now Pa has moved. Bought farm home with all _______

beautiful . . .surrounding . . nice big orchard with its pretty mingled and scented the place. To my mind the apple tree bloom was the sweetest of all blooms. It is needless to say we was happy. The anvil and hammer was still ringing out in the clear open air. The work was going on in the house. We did not play so much. We went to school . . to the same place, a lovely place with an wodden structure with two doors, dirt chimney fireplace across one end of the house that warmed the entire house, large windows with glass and wooden shutters. Oh it was a sweet remembrance to me.

That beautiful stream runs through our farm with all of its nice clear water and pretty rocky bed full of fish . . .see them just as plain any time. Could sit in the shade of the foliage of those big trees on the banks and fish all day. So innocent so pure . .. with watchful eyes to watch after us all the time . . . the all seeing eye above us and parents at home.

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