Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1913-10-10

How dear to the heart is the faculty
Of memory-the golden cable of medium
through and over which we may com.
municate with the long-gone past and
bring back faces, and have scenes and
associations revived which were pleas
ant then and are sacred now because Of
the dear kindred and friends who figured
in them!
This week there comes letter to me
from DR.. Geo. T. Bledsoe, of Crawford,
Miss, who had seen the letters l have
been writing the Beacon, and who makes
inquiry as to his forefathers, and which
information hope some of your read
ers whose memory reaches farther back
than mine, will furnish. His letter fol-
lows:
Crawford. Miss. September 2sth. 1913
Mr.. J. J. Haynie.
Quitman Miss.
My dear Mr.. Haynie:
am a native of Noxubee county, and
| see by your letters in the Beacon that
you know great many OF the people
around Shuqualak who lived there be-
fore the war. My parents died when
| was quite young. consequently had
very little opportunity of knowing
much about my forefathers. My fathers
name was Jabe Bledsoe and his parents
were Joseph and Mollie E. Bledsoe.
My mother was Lou Ellen Eiland.
daughter Of James and Mary Ann Eli
and. This is as much as ! know of my
relatives. and if you or any of the old
citizens about Shuqualak can tell me of
any of my other relatives will appre.
ciate it very much.
There is small estate in Denver,
COL, left to the Bledsoe children. and l
know nothing of them except my own
brothers and sister and and daughter
of my uncle, Jack Bledsoe, who lives in
Silver City, N. Mex.
The estate mentioned above was left
by an old bachelor uncle. Molder Bled-
soc, who was a brother of my grand
father, Joseph Bledsoe, who was also
an old bachelor. If all the relatives
concerned can be gotten together the
estate can be divided.
AS we'll as | can remember, grand
fathers relatives came from near Ma
con. Ga.
Thanking you or any Of the old citi-
zens of Shuqualak who can give me any
information, en-.
.a Go 7. gLEDscE.
I remember Mr.. Bledsoe's father WV
idly, and it is strange that in all the
letters have written have failed to
mention his name, since "Jabe" was
school mate of mine and dear one.
The first school l ever attended in
Mississippi-the old sandstone well
curbing school house that stood on the
Macon road, on the left ore mile above
Shuqualak, and taught by the lamented
Thos. H. Wood, who died after reach
ing the office of state supreme judge,
was where | first met Jabe Bledsoe.
1t was in 1858, just after my fathers
family had removed to Shuqualak from
Montgomery, Ala, and of course many
of those with whom became acquaint-
ed were seen by me for the first time
at the old e-back-speller school above
mentioned.
Jabe Bledsoe was such figure as one
could never forget, for his obesity when
boy was burden to himself, he weigh
ing upwards of 200 pounds at the age of
16, he being about that age and the
writer II when first met him.
And can never forget the closing of
a session at this school when every one
had to either have an original compost
tion or else have Committed to men,
ory) speech of some kind, and Jabe
Bledsoe, belonging to higher class,
had to write a composition, his subject
being Tobacco" and for brevity and
might say strength of meaning and
merit. have never heard its equal, the
composition, (word for world, follow
ing:
az do not love tobacco. and have nev-
er cared anything about it, but those
who do indulge in it call it great lux
ury."
The funny side of it comes in when
say that "Jabe" was averse to any
thing that smacked of the limellght-
basbful to fault. and stubborn when
he thought any one was seeking to
trespass too far upon his rights. and
remember we'll his refusal at first to
write composition, and the round Mr..
Wood had with him in finally getting
him to consent TO "be on hand with his
composition the following Friday
Jabe, though consent;ng, was stolc,
and the pupils, (for all of them heard
the parleying), were all expectancy,
waiting for Friday, to see what kind OF
a composition Jabe would have. if any
at all. for his looks at the time OF the
.'round" with Mr.. Wood indicated that
It would be "reckoning without the
host. :"
At length Friday rolled around and
in the evening the reciting started
Jabe. being among the larger pupils,
his time coming along at the last, all
the while the other pupils were guessing
as to whether Jabe would respond or
mt when his time came. Finally Mr.