Grandmother's Little Green Book

The text shown here below is my transcription of an autobigraphy book my grandmother left with writings about her ancestry and further down is my feedback as I have researched over the years as to the accuracy of her remarks.

(click photo below this line to zoom in and read)

ORIGINAL TEXT:

“Pertaining to My Ancestors”
(Written Aug, 1934)
By Kathryn Neal Dawes

My great grandmother, Anna Lasipere’s people
were Hugenots who came over from France and settled in Raleigh, N.C. where Anna was born.
Her mother died soon after the child’s birth, and the father took the child to Alabama. Soon after her school days were over, she married my great grandfather, Dr. Ira Roger Hall, who came from Ireland and at this time owned a very large plantation with many slaves. Her set a great many of them free long before the Civil War. Anna & Roger Hall made their home in Claiborne, Ala. and gave birth to 4 children – Hattie, Lula, Emma, and my grandmother Kathryn Neal Hall.
Emma died in 1887, and Lula died in 1913.
Hattie married David King & had two children – Lexer & Anna Lasipiere King.
My grandmother, Kathryn Neal Hall married a young lawyer, Edward A Gause in Claiborne Ala. Edward was a graduate of the University of Ohio, and an intimate friend of the former President James A Garfield. Later they moved to Crockett, Texas where Edward was Postmaster many years & also edited one of the early newspapers of Crockett. They had five children, among whom were my aunts, Flora and Anna, and my mother, Johnnie Augusta Gause.
Aunt Flora married William Patton & had 3 children. After Patton’s death, she married Uncle John Murchison of Athens, Texas.
Aunt Anna married Johnson Phillips & had 8 children.
My mother, Johnnie A. Gause married John Thomas Dawes, whose mother was Delilah Thrasher (Dutch) and who married Dr. Edward A Dawes, (A captain in the Union Army (Boughton, Ill. Dr. E. A. Dawes’ people came from Wales England)
My father, John Thomas Dawes was postmaster of Crockett for a period of 16 years. They had 8 children – Gladys, Edd, Tom Jr., Flora, Bettie, Johnnie Lee, Arthur, and Kathryn Neal Dawes.


UPDATES BY GRANDSON ERIC R. JELLE:
Note that at the time she wrote this Kathryn was engaged to Luther W. Edlund and it is interesting that she stopped writing at her murdered father’s paragraph.

Anna’s maiden name was “Laspeyre”1
No proof of Huguenots has been found.
The family lived in Wilmington area not Raleigh.
Anna’s mother was Harriet Ashe-Davis Laspeyre
and died much later. Father didn’t go to Alabama.

“Ira” was actually Senator and physician William
Roger Hall not yet proven from Ireland and
no evidence of plantation or slave ownership found to date.
1860 Monroe County, AL Census shows family
including at least two sons Thomas and John?
with all of the listed daughters confirmed also.
No evidence of Emma or Lula’s deaths pre SSDI. Confirmed marriage to David and children via US Censuses but clouded descendant tracking.

Confirmed marriage certificate in Monroe County
Edward attended pre-Hiram College in OH with classmate and later President James A. Garfield who later appointed Edward Postmaster of Crockett where he served several terms.
Edward did edit a newspaper according to the book the History of Houston County, Texas.
1880 US Census for Crockett, TX confirms mother and aunts names.
Confirmed with U.S. Censuses.
Confirmed with U.S. Censuses.

Confirmed in 1900 1920 U.S. Censuses and 2nd wife of Edward Gause.
Dawes Bible record confirms 10 May 1889 DOM.
1860 U.S. Cen. Hamilton cty IL confirms Delila
Thrasher actually German from Drescher, 1852 Marr. cert in Hamilton County confirmed
Edward’s Civil War Service confirmed but brick wall between him and parents won’t confirm U.K.
List of postmasters of Crockett confirms John as postmaster of Crockett more than one term.
Dawes Bible confirmed siblings of Kathryn.