The courier-index., 1921-03-18

the Presbyterian church at Helena Ark, and Dr. Samuel Davies, pas tor of the Presbyterian church a Cotton Plant, Ark, came to m.
 fathers house and held week
 meeting at the old Hopewell Bap
 tist church, and organized a Presby
 terian church with about twent!
 members. which organization wa
 the original Ebenezer Presbyterian
 church. which is today the Firs
 Presbyterian church of Marianna
 My father was made ruling elder
 and A. Johnson, deacon. From ont of the families in this church went two boys who became Presbyterian | ministers. John and Charles Rich ards, who graduated from Columbia s. C., seminary in theology. John I Richards held the pastorate of the church at Liberty Hill for forty l years, or until his death. He has a son in the ministry who stands high in the courts of the Presbyter- i ian church today. Chas. Richards, the younger of the two, took charge | of the church at Bentonville, Ark. i It was his first and only charge, as he died within few years. I give these facts to show what seed sown in good ground by parents and oth- CTS can produce in boys and girls who have a will of their own.
 At that time Marianne was a small village My mother did what shopping she could at two or three stores in town, but their stock was limited to the needs of the negro population of adjacent plantations, The white people purchased the most of their personal effects from Memphis and Helena.
 The neighborhood of Texas town ship was made up of good. substan- tial citizens from South Carolina, Tennessee. and Alabama. The Rich ards, the Evans, and John Diamond and family from Memphis, whose wife was a Miss Hall, a sister of James Hall, one of. our late repre- sentatives, whose home was at Moro. There were also Dr. Gray and fam fly from Germantown, Tenn, the two brothers, West Harris and W. F. Harris and families from Harde- man county, Tennessee, Capt. Beard and family, father of Mrs. E. D. Robertson of this place. Abner Beard of the younger generation is civil engineer of note, and lives in Pittsburg, Pa. He is a grand son of Capt. Beard. These families were all very congenial, people of good birth and education. It was a very pleasant place in which to live between 1870 and 1880.
 kI. near the site of the old Baptist church, near which site now stands magnificent building of the Gill Special School District. Many resi- dents of earlier days that those mentioned in this article are buried in the old Hopewell burying grounds which tell a history of a neighbor- hood before my day, that would be intensely interesting if gathered up.
 Most of my girlhood days were spent here in Marianna at the home of my brother, J. E. Wood, which of late years was the cottage owned and occupied by Mir. R. L. Nixon, of late years known as the March banks place His present home is built on the same lot. It was the
  town with the exception of one, the home of pr. Green. The other homes were boxed houses, ceiled and paper inside.
 Those were happy times. Ev- erything rough and ready. Every body kind and friendly-Mrs. V. M. Georgia Wood) Harrington.
 Note-The French lady'' men, toned in Mrs. Harrington sketch, was Madeline Platon, born in AL sace, France and who came to Natchez, Miss, as governess. There she married Charles Percy Smith and moved to Walnut Bend. Her second husband was MT. Lind say and after his death in the sev- euties, she married a Mir. Butts. Has she any decendants?
 hr. John Diamond, a pioneer of Texas township, was the grandson of a Revolutionary soldier who fought under that fearless leader, Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox of South Carolina. MariOn's band was "few but true and tried"-some- times less than twenty in number and they hardly ever exceeded sev- enty. They served at their own ex- reuse and were wretchedly equip ped and clothed. Each man rode tfe hore tC had unhitched from ha pwn blow and often his only u&aFon was long rude sword made ty a country blacksmith from "a gfaas-cgt saw.
 They bid themselves in the uamFs along Che Pee Dee. from uHef hey would dash out, fight tara taaa-to-saud battle with the Drt. chen as suddenly and as Hf-I as ttey came, plunge intoI tre cars feress again where, as lHrese sas "tsc devil himself could nos catch ltem. ."-E. A. ".