Levi T. Trammell

Levi T. Trammell was born March 6, 1854. He came to Texas from Rome, Georgia, with his family when he was fifteen or sixteen. He and his brothers rode horseback most of the way, and the rest of the family rode in an ox drawn wagon. He liked the land in East Texas and was looking forward to helping his dad clear the land and start farming.

At the age of twenty, Levi, married Sarah Demoval on December 26, 1874 in Henderson County, Texas. He and Sarah moved to Eastland County and settled on a place near the river. He didn't like it there as well as in Henderson County. He made several cattle drives to Kansas with some other men, who were related to Sarah. He and Sarah had two children. They were planning to go back to Henderson County when a Typhoid Fever Epidemic hit Eastland County. Sarah and the children took the fever and died. Levi sold out and came back to Henderson County and helped his father farm awhile. He met Olive Ann Floyd shortly after her arrival in Henderson County. She came from Tory, Alabama with her mother Rebecca (Shirley) Floyd, brother, Bearl B. Floyd and grandfather Theopalus Floyd. They came to Galveston, Texas by ship, then traveled by wagon to the small town of Athens. They settled near the Willow Springs Community. Olive Ann was only seventeen when she met Levi and after a brief romance they were married in 1878. They settled on government land, which they acquired from the State of Texas, soon after wedlock. The area became the Rome Community and they lived on the same place continuously until their deaths.

In their first years in the county, the family traded in Tyler, making the week long trip each year by wagon to purchase provisions for another year. Levi and Olive Ann hadn't been married long when Levi's brother Tom and wife got real sick and died, within a day of each other, leaving a baby son, Alonzo W. 'Lon' only seven months old. Levi and Olive took Lon and raised him as their own. After Lon, they had eleven more children, Emma, Levi, Jr., Walter, Jessie, Perry, Cook, Verda, Lucy, Alton, Mable and Jo. They also took in Lum Hickman, the son of Levi's sister Susan and Sam Hickman. Susan died in child birth. Lum lived with his father until he was about thirteen, then started living with his Uncle Levi and Aunt Olive. Lum needed more attention than his father gave him and Olive was so good with children and had so much love and concern for everyone, it worked out better for Lum to be with them. Olive named a lot of the grandchildren as they came along and was always there when needed.

Levi was an industrious farmer, raising a lot of cotton and most every year he was the first one in the county to bring in a bale of cotton. Olive was a hard worker and was active in the affairs of the community. She was always attentive to the welfare of the needy. Her mother, Rebecca, died in 1889.

After Lon was grown they told him about his real father and mother and how they had raised him. He would not believe that Levi and Olive weren't his real parents. He said they would always be his parents and their children his brothers and sisters. He was really hurt and contininued to be sensitive about it. Levi and Olive's son Jessie died before he was twenty-three, in April 1909. The rest of the children married and several of them had large families. Their son Walter was in ill health and died in 1935, leaving his wife, Bertie with several small children.

Levi had a large lump come on the back of his neck. It was cancer and they didn't know how to treat it then. It kept getting larger and going deeper. He died November 20, 1933 at home. He was eighty-four years and eight months old at the time of death. He is buried in the Rome Cemetery. When he died Lon insisted that he be counted as one of Levi's own children.

Olive lived for nine more years. Lum continued to live with her on the farm. She would sit and rock and tell stories of the earlier years. Her grandfather and grandmother Floyd lived near Troy, Alabama. They had five children, one was her father, Evan Stark Floyd. He and his brother Ginerl were both killed in the Civil War. Olive was only a small child when her father was killed. One of her dad's brothers came back from the war and raised a large family, all living near Troy. Her grandmother Floyd died during the war. Olive's mother Rebecca was the daughter of Jimmy Shirley. Rebecca had several brothers and sisters. Shirley died during the war and her grandfather died just after the war. Olive came to Texas with her brother Bearl B., mother Rebecca. Bearl was about 21 when they came to Texas. They heard from the folks back in Alabama from time to time.

After a long illness Olive Ann died on Wednesday morning at 10:15 am, May 7, 1947 at her home in the Rome Community. She was eighty-six yeas old. Her funeral services were held at 11:00 am, Thursday, May 8, 1947 in the Rome Baptist Church. She had been a member of the Primitive Baptist Church for seventy years. She was survived by 5 sons, 3 daughters, fifty-one grandchildren, tweny-five great grandchildren, two great great grandchildren five great great great grandchildren. She is buried next to Levi in the Rome Cemetery in Henderson County.

After Olive Ann passed away Lum went to live with Stella Jo and Pete Ballard in Seagoville, Texas. Stella Jo is the youngest of Levi's children. The old Trammell home place, where Levi and Olive lived during their sixty year marriage and where Olive spent her last years, was left to Stella Jo. Most people called her Jo or Aunt Jo. She and Pete didn't have any children. Pete, Jo and Lum came on week-ends quite often. Pete passed away in 1959 or 60. After Aunt Jo got everything in order, she and Lum moved back to the old home place to live. Lum passed away in 1969, having spent the last several years in a nursing home in Athens. He is buried in the Rome Cemetery. The house is the one Levi and Olive built. The inside has been remodled some, but hasn't been changed much. Aunt Jo continues to live there.

In order to get on a public road from the farm house, one has to travel on the road between the Rome Cemetery and the Rome Primitive Baptist Church.

Written by LaWana Trammell, wife of B.C. Trammell, Jr., whose father was Bearl Cook Trammell,
date written unknown

Note: Stella Jo passed away in 1981 and is buried in Seagoville next to Pete. The old house where she lived is gone now. The property has been sold. At one time the annual Trammell Reunion was held there, but now the Reunion is held the 3rd Saturday of October at the Rome Church and Cemetery. Peggy Trammell Allen, Nov. 1, 2004

Home Place A Trammell Reunion at the home place

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