Subj: Bedingfield Research
Date: 04/10/97

Here's the next installment, gang.

A PARTIAL HISTORY OF THE BEDINGFIELDS BY W. S. BEDINGFIELD (PART 2)

To those who might be interested I thought I might go back a few years to the time of my birth. Of course, that has been so many years ago that most people now will not remember that in the days when I was born that most children were born at home, not at the hospital. Our home was located near Sugar Creek, which was a tributary to the Elk River. Elk River Mills was where our post office was located. I started to church and Sunday School at a very early age at a Methodist Church known as Mosses Chapel. I can very easily remember the name of my first Sunday School teacher and the first questions that he asked. The questions were: Who was the first man in the world? The oldest? The strongest? Since I had a great deal of admiration and love for my teacher, my answer was, "Mr. Cook." Mr. Cook was also our public school teacher. I went to school at Caro and Mosses Chapel and during those years my teachers were: Frank Cook, Bab Sandlin, John Casteel, Dock Grisham, Miss Alice Roe, Miss Jenny Copeland, Van Wiggington, Miles Abanstey. I did the usual things that little boys do and at the age of 10 I joined the Methodist Church.

My dad died in 1890 and I was then 13 years old. At the age of 15 I started drinking and dancing and continued this wayward life until I was 25 years old. In the year of 1902 on the 10th day of August, because of the shame and misbehavior of the 10 years of waywardness, I again professed Christ and he, Christ, forgave me of all my sins and though some 50 years have passed since that day I still rejoice in his wonderful love and mercy that he could forgive a sinner such as me and from that day on I knew that Christ had a place in his Church for me and for all people whether they be sinners or saints. He has a place for them to serve in if they will but only accept Him. For the Church is of God and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. The Church in which I professed Christ was at Able Springs. The pastors of this Church were O.P.Thomas and J.M.Peterson and for 10 years I continued to go to church at Able Springs.

Along about this time I decided it was time to get married so I went back to Alabama in December 1902 and married Eliza McClure and on January 4, 1903 we returned to Wills Point and moved on an 80 acre farm near White Prairie. In 1912 we purchased our own farm of 100 acres from Ed Northcut. On May 12, 1956 my wife was 78 years old. In the winter of 1901 my mother, with W. L. Kelly, her husband and E. B. Kelly and children, Jim and G.H. came to Texas and located on the Barrow Brothers Farm north of McCoy in Hunt County.

The next year they purchased part of the old Fry Farm at McCoy and lived there until my mother passed away in September 16, 1906. My mother was born January 6, 1851 and died at the age of 55 years,9 months and 9 days.

Grandmother Robertson continued to live with Wiley, Hosmer, Bayless and sister Alma until she died on November 5, 1924. Grandmother was born in 1833 and lived to be a little over 71 years old. After her death, brother Wiley married Miss Maggy Carter and to them were born 7 children. Brother Wiley passed away in January 21, 1941. Of the 13 original children, myself, Hugo, Alma, Molly and her brother Geoffrey are the only ones still living. In 1897 Hugo married Molly Conway and to this union 9 children were born. My sister Jeanie (ed.note: Eugenia) married C.R.Stinnet in 1897 and 6 children were born to this union.

Trudy married John Greene in 1929 and they had three children. Trudy died July 14, 1913. Alma married Earl Green in 1903 and they had seven children. Hosmer married Miss Maude Baley July 14, 1911 and they had seven children. He died September 8, 1942. Bayless married Flora Jobe December 11, 1912. In 1916 she passed away leaving behind one son. Bayless eventually remarried and he passed away in February 1946. Our sister Molly married J. M. Hardy in 1882 and they had 8 children. Geoffrey married Opal Blankenship in 1912 and they had 2 boys and brother Geoffrey at present is well.

As for myself I have been blessed with a long wonderful life. Not in worldly possessions but in the peace of mind in God's will and with the love of my wife and 7 children to live after my memory.
John Tilden-August 12, 1903
James Hugo-October 26, 1904
William B.-October 12, 1906
Lizzi Pearl-July 2, 1908
Roxie May-August 9, 1910
Jackie-August 9, 1913
Sarah Francis-August 9, 1915
Information compiled by W.S.(Sam)Bedingfield.

Sept. 10, 1967------------by W.L. Hardy

Today we pay tribute to as loyal a soldier as ever rocked a cradle--and to her many of us owe our existence here on this earth.

We salute Mrs. Margaret Ann Moore-Robertson.

Mother Robertson was born in 1833 and died in 1906. Her daughter, Mary Dorcas Robertson was born in 1851 and died in 1906.

She (ed. note: Mary Dorcas) married our grandfather William Hopkins Bedingfield about 1870.

He had a daughter by a former marriage, Mary Francis Stinnett Bedingfield-a child at the time of her father's second marriage. She married James Mathew Hardy in 1882.

To the union of Mary Dorcas Robertson Bedingfield and William Hopkins Bedingfield, nine children were born. One child died prior to Grandfather's death in 1890. At his death the widow and eight children survived.

In 1893 March (sic)Dorcas Robertson Bedingfield married W. B. Wooldridge. Wooldridge had a son, Jim, by a previous marriage. Wooldridge and the former Mary Dorcas Bedingfield had three children. Only one survived, Goeffrey Harroway. Wooldridge died January 15, 1896.

After Wooldridge's death Mary Dorcas Wooldridge married W. L. Kelly. Kelly had two children by a previous marriage-Erskine Kelly and Ivor Kelly, now Mrs. Z. W. Jones.

Mrs. Margret (sic) Ann Moore Robertson 1833-1906. Daughter-Mary Dorcas Robertson 1851-1906. Married about 1870 to William Hopkins Bedingfield.

END OF DOCUMENT

That's all for today, group.

Thressa.