The daughter of P. J. and Joan (Shiflett) Saunders, Effie Mae, the
second of six children, was born January 10, 1882, in Tioga, Texas (see
Philip Jones Saunders). The family moved to Coleman County in the
1890’s. Effie Mae married William Cyrus Jameson, April 14, 1901, at the
family home at Silver Valley (see Nelson A. Jameson). To this union
were born five children:
(1) Gladys Mae, born October 2, 1902 in Coleman, married
Byrom Douglas Hamilton, August 27, 1921 in Abilene. Gladys and her
husband had four children, the youngest deceased when only a child.
The other three were Dorothy, Jerry, and Kenneth, all three residing in
California. Gladys is now deceased.
(2) Leonard, born May 26, 1905 in Coleman, married Edith Wilkinson
December 9, 1934 (see John Lee Wilkinson). Leonard was a stock farmer
and is now deceased (see Leonard
E. N. and Edith (Wilkinson) Jameson).
(3) Beulah Pauline, born March 30, 1907, married Quinton Burroughs,
February 26, 1927 (see Burroughs). Beulah, a teacher, is now deceased.
She and Quinton had three children: (3a) Howard Austin, December 9, 1927,
married Mary Holtz. They had three children: Linda Sue, August 9,
1950; Jerry Wayne, September 17, 1952; Michael Howard, May 31, 1955; (3b)
Douglas, August 7, 1932, married Carole Jean Harrison, February 14, 1959.
They have two children: Nancy Jean, December 27, 1963, and Kathy Denise,
April 14, 1973. Douglas and Carole are both teachers in the Coleman
schools; (3c) John Phillip, July 9, 1934, married Sue Bradley, December
22, 1957 (see Green F. Givens). They have one daughter, Phyllis,
July 2, 1963. Phil is a principal in San Angelo and Sue is a 2nd
grade teacher.
(4) Maurine, March 30, 1910, married Joe Burroughs, August 17,
1935. Maurine is now retired from teaching (see Burroughs family).
(5) Woodrow C. September 9, 1912, married Bonnie Vaughan, June
15, 1939 (see Wiley and Mollie Vaughan). Woodrow is a retired county
heavy equipment operator. Bonnie and Randall, their son, operate
City Cleaners. Woodrow and Bonnie had five children: (5a) Rebecca
Sue, March 30, 1940, married July 14, 1963, Raymond Martin. They
had one son, Woodrow, November 4, 1964. They are now divorced.
(5b) Beulah Marie, December 21, 1942, married Perry Stobaugh. They
have two children, John and Joe (see Alexander Perry Townsen). Marie
is a teacher and Perry is a florist in Dallas. (5c) Randall, November
29, 1945, has one daughter, Jana. Randall lives in Coleman.
(5d) Karen Mae, April 18, 1947, served in the Signal Corps in the Army.
She lives in Coleman. (5e) Leonard Wylie, February 10, 1954, deceased
in 1982.
Effie and William Cyrus were divorced in 1912, before the birth of her
youngest child. Since she was not trained to make a living for hem
family, she moved to the country and lived with hem father and brother.
After living with them for a year, she rented a farm at Silver Valley and
moved her family there. Not being skilled in farming and all the
children small, Effie and the family had many trials and tribulations.
The fences were poor and the animals were always out. The land was
not very productive. In a year or two she bought a small farm in
the White Chapel area, and there the family moved. By working long
hours for herself and for others, Effie eked out a living for the family.
One year when there was a drought, she took her family and traveled by
train to East Texas, near McKinney, and picked cotton for the husband of
an old girlhood friend. Later she began operating a small rural telephone
exchange. She became a friend of all her subscribers, putting in
much time helping them procure a doctor when needed and providing other
services.
Even though she worked long hours, she always hitched the horses to
the wagon (and later when the family could afford one - a surrey) on Sunday
morning. And she saw to it that her family got an education.
Those who went to college worked to pay their expenses. Two became
teachers, one an excellent mechanic, one a bookkeeper, another a farmer.
During WW II, in order to earn enough hours to qualify for social security,
she went to California and worked in a laundry and later in the lunch counter
of a drug store. She was a friend of all with whom she came in contact.
She had a keen sense of humor and a zest for living. All who knew
her valued her friendship. She was always fair and honest in her
dealings with her fellowman.
She had to live her last years in a nursing home because after breaking
her hip, she was unable to walk again. She came to look upon the
nursing home as her home and was still enjoying living until she died July
9, 1975, and is buried in Coleman. |
