GENERATION

14. WILLIAM MARION MYERS Marion was born on 15 Apr 1852 in Enterprise, Ms.. ⁽¹⁸⁾ He died on 30 Oct 1935 in Winnsboro, La. Franklin Parish.⁽¹⁹⁾ He was buried on 31 Oct 1935 in The Ridge Cem., Castor, La.. He was a Farmer for most of his life. Marion Myers ran the ferry at St. Maurice La. for a period of time. There was a yellow Fever epidemic during the time in St. Maurice. He homesteaded land in Bienville Parish La. His grand daughter Sybil describes him as being short and very muscular, his wife being somewhat taller than he was. However, at any sort of physical undertaking he was almost always the last to quit. Sybil said that she never remembered him saying that he was tired. From pictures, and family information we know that Marion was short for a man. Around 5'6" tall. When they had log rollings back then Marion could pull down the biggest man there.

He told grandson Bill Womack about going on turkey drives with his father, Mark Myers. The farmers in a neighborhood would gather their turkey flocks together and drive them to market. When camp was set up at night, the turkeys would roost in the trees. The farmers rose just before daylight, then gather them together as they came down from their roosts. They kept them under control with long switches, with which they could reach out and tap them back into the flock. It was a fairly common thing then, but would certainly be a funny sight to us now.

Grand Dad Myers raised all the horses they ever had from a mare named Maud. He had 60 acres of land at the old homeplace in Alberta, La. Also had 80 acres in two other different places. Later he gave Clarence 40 acres and Patsy 40 acres, and also Lular, but she sold her 40 acres to Clarence. Marion and Martha Ann homesteaded before they bought, and called the old homestead "the old dump place". Filed for homestead in Bienville Parish, Arcadia, La.

After Marion's daughter Lular (Louiza) married the second time, to Wat Womack, her children by her first marriage lived with Marion and Martha. Wat had five children and Lular had three when they married. Sybil said she was so upset about all the people in her home so suddenly, that she and the twins, Alice and Allen, were allowed to go and live with their grandparents.

From the partial records of the Ridge Church, we know that Marion and Martha joined by letter in Oct. 1912. He was very active in church affairs. He was often on the committees designated to go and speak with erring members, so he must have been something of a diplomat. He was elected as a deacon, helped to select and prepare a new place for baptisms, and was chosen as a messenger to conference.

When Marion was a deacon of The Ridge Church, he set the day for a memorial to be held each year. It was set for the third Saturday, before the fourth Sunday each April. It is still being held at present time in 1997. Everyone gathers at the Church and Cemetery, having dinner on the ground, and grave yard cleaning.

Around 1906/10 Marion came to Shreveport and applied as a Choctow Indian. His daughter, Patsy Myers Howington, states that he signed a big book in the possession of Alexandra Powell. Sibil was the first person to tell me this in 1974. She stated that "Grandpa tried to enroll as a Indian back then." Daughter Patsy, also her daughter, Tressie Siddon, and other family members saw the "Indian" papers in Martha Ann's trunk. Lular Myers Womack had the trunk after the death of Martha Ann. After Lular died in 1961, the trunks dissappeared. I have not been able to find any records on Marion as a Choctaw Indian at this time. Patsy Myers Howington stated that "our" Indian blood came through Marion's mother, Martha Smith.
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1900 BIENVILLE PARISH CENSUS
W.M. Myers 47 w-m APR. 1853 m.23yrs. b.Miss. f-b-Miss. m-b-Miss. can-read can-write farm 11.7 acres
M.A. 47 w-f OCT. 1853 m.23yrs. b.La. f-b-Tenn. m-b-Illinois can-read can-write
mother of 8 - 5 still living.
C.L. 16 w-m Sept. 1883 S. son b.La. farm laborer yes yes yes
W.E. 14 w-m Jan 1886 S. son b.La. farm laborer yes yes yes
I.D. 11 w-m Apr 1889 S. son b. La. farm laborer yes yes yes
A.P. 8 w-f Jan. 1892 S. dtr. b. La. yes yes yes
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26 July 1994: William Marion Myers death certificate states that his wife was Carolina Myers (?) It also states that his mother was Caroline Smith, born in Miss., could someone have put the wrong name as his wife? Or put his mother's name in the blank where his wife's name is supposed to go? We know that Martha Ann Williams was his wife, and they are buried side by side at the Ridge Church Cem. in Castor, La.


15. MARTHA ANN WILLIAMS Martha was born on 10 Oct 1852 in Winn Parish, La.. ⁽⁸⁾ She died on 27 Jan 1945 in 509 W. 69th St. Shreveport, La. Caddo Parish.⁽²⁰⁾ She was buried in The Ridge Cem. Castor, La. When Martha Ann was seven years old, her and her brother Poley knitted their brother Dave socks to send him while he was serving in the Confederate War. She knitted one and Poley knitted one. Aunt Sybil laughed when telling this story, wondering if the socks "fit"!

It took Dave Williams four months to walk all the way home after the Civil War. About 2000 miles. He took a horse from a field and tore up his shirt for a bridle. He was scared he would hang for a horse thief and never get home, so he turned the horse loose. Dave married Rebecca Rusheon. After the war He and "Becky" took Martha Ann and their mother Mary "Pollie" Frame, and headed to Texas. Things were so bad right after the Civil War people who traveled had to stay in stockades at night for fear of being robbed. While traveling through Shreveport, La., they had to pay to stay in a stockade for the night. When Becky was asked where her money was she said "In my hand, in my pocket, between my legs"!!! They stayed in Texas for around 2 years and came home to Louisiana.

Uncle Allen Henson used to drive Granny Myers and kids to Church on Sunday. One day Grand Dad left her on the seat of the buggy by her self. Something happened and the two mules got scared and ran for the woods. One mule ran on one side of a tree and the other mule ran on the other side of the tree. The tongue of the buggy went up the tree trunk and they had to get the buggy out of the tree before Granny Myers could get out of the buggy. Granny wasn't much of a dare devil and she was scared and screaming. Everyone else laughed so hard they had tears running down their faces. As told by Sybil Henson Poston:

Martha Ann died at the home of her Grandson Allen Henson and wife Lulu. She died of Phumonia. The Doctor was in attendance but it did no good. They lived on 69th St. in Shreveport, La.

Mary Lou remembers going to her grandparents home out in the country, and all the kids use to sneak and pick Martha Ann's apricots off her tree and eat them. Martha would come out of the house and "holler" "You kids get out of my apricot tree, I'm gona beat the fire out of you". They would all run and hide, and as soon as she went back in the house, here they would go again. They would all sneak down to the barn also and milk Grandpa's horse, Maud, into an old cigar box and drink the milk. Mary Lou say's she can't remember why they did that, she just remembers it was fun to do. Mary Lou, George, and Ada Myers's kids would play these tricks on grandma Martha Ann.

Children were:

i. JAMES HARRISON NAPOLEON MYERS was born on 27 Aug 1878. ⁽²¹⁾ He died on 31 Oct 1879.
ii. MARY WELLING MYERS was born on 6 Sep 1879. She died on 23 Mar 1880.
7 iii. LOUIZA ELIZABETH MYERS.
iv. CLARENCE L. MYERS was born on 12 Sep 1883 in LA.. He died on 23 Jul 1959. Clarence mar: Ada Price. Ch: Clyde J. Myers, Nelvin Myers, Jim E. Myers, Erin Myers, Evie M. Myers, Lilly Mae Myers, Martha Elive "Todie" Myers, L. David "Sonny" Myers , Ezra Lee "Snookie" Myers, Clifton Myers, and Ola E. Myers.
v. WILLIAM EDGAR MYERS was born on 20 Jan 1886 in LA.. He died on 30 May 1957 in California. He was buried in The Ridge Cem. Castor, La. "Eddie" Myers mar: Minnie Womack, dtr. of Watson Womack. Eddie was Louiza "Lular's" brother. So Eddie was Mary Lou's uncle, "and" her brother- in- law. Eddie and Minnie's ch: Carl Myers, and Ernest Myers.
vi. SARAH JANE MYERS was born on 10 Apr 1887. She died on 7 Aug 1890.
vii. THOMAS D. "TOMMY" MYERS was born on 8 Apr 1889 in LA.. "Tommy" married Georgia McGuire, ch: Vernon Myers, Victor Myers, Vera Myers, Gertrude Myers, Aladee Myers, and unknown girl.
viii. ANNIE PAIRLEE "PATSY" MYERS Patsy was born on 15 Jan 1892. She died on 10 Feb 1989. She was buried in Holly Grove Cem. in Wisner, La.. Patsy mar: Charles Edward Howington, ch: William Howington, Tressie Lee Howington, Gladys Ora Howington, Alice Gertrude Howington, Fred Weldon Howington, Clarence Howington, and Charles Athel Howington.