Lela Alma Davidson

Notes:

San Augustine Tribune
January 16, 1997, Page 8

Lela Wyatt's 100 Years Celebration Saturday at Twin Lakes

Lela Davidson Wyatt celebrates her One Hundredth birthday Saturday, January 18, 1997. [Assumed Saturday, January 18 was chosen to celebrate because it was a weekend, according to the SSDI, Lela's actual date of birth was January 18, 1897.]

Her friends and famiy are invited to come out to Twin Lakes Care Center between 2:00 and 4:00 that afternoon to share in this celebration.

Lela has had a very interesting life. She taught school for 41 years. She graduated from Huntsville Teacher's Normal that is now known as Sam Houston State Southwest Texas Teacher's College and Stephen F. Austin State University where she received her BA and MA. Her first degree was handed to her by Lyndon B. Johnson. Her first experience in teaching was in 1912-1913 at the age of 16. She was chosen by the community to take the teacher's exam. She was awarded a teacher's certificate to teach in Sabine County. Her salary was $37.50 per month and she paid $7.00 for her room and board per month to Mr. and Mrs. Hamp Pratt.

Some of the places she taught were Pratt, Lowe's Chapel (Allen Old Mill), Milam, Camp Springs, New Hope, Spring Hill, Mt. Nebo, Henry Hill, Shady Grove, Grange Hall, Denning, Black Jack and Diboll, where she taught 17 years before retiring. After retiring she still worked as a substitute and then at the Lively Furniture. She has always been active in her church, First Baptist of Lufkin where she lived from 1946-1991.

Lela was born in 1897 in Milam, Texas to Calvin and Della Davidson. She was the oldest of 8 children. The family home still stands in Milam under the big oak tree where a lot of memories were made. She has one sister, Ivy Kirk of Houston, still living. She has a daughter, Dorothy Chandler of New Braunfels, a step-daughter Alice Dillon of Nacogdoches, a step-son, Henry Wyatt of Nacogdoches, 3 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren.

At her retirement dinner, a brother said it best when he quoted from Margurite Stanley about what he attributed her long life: "She has achieved success because she has lived well, laughed often, and loved much. She has gained the confidence and respect of Godly men and pure women and the love of little children. She has filled her niche in life and accomplished her task. She has made the world better than she found it by her devotion to duty and her consecrated life. Surely we can say of her life is an inspiration and her memory will be a benedicition."

Lela still enjoys her family and friends coming by to see her. She says her memory is not as good as it used to be, but what can you expect after 100 years? She resides now at Twin Lakes Care Center where she is one of the official greeters as you come to visit.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, June 2009)

Lela married Edgar Rawson Wyatt before 1925. Edgar was born on 13 Feb 1902; died on 24 Dec 1991 in Angelina County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Living

Notes:

(Research):Census Information:

1910 Census
Texas, Sabine County, Precinct 4
Enumerated 30 April 1910 by Reginald G. Goodrich
SD 2 ED 134 Sheet 9A Stamped 159
158-132
Davidson, Calvin B Hd M W M1 14 Tx Tx Tx Farm Labor
Davidson, Mary I Wf F W 39 M1 14 6/6 Tx Ark Ark
Davidson, Lula A Dtr F W 12 S Tx Tx Tx Farm Labor
Davidson, Effie M Dtr F W 11 S Tx Tx Tx Farm Labor
Davidson, Horace C Son M W 10 S Tx Tx Tx Farm Labor
Davidson, Iva E Dtr F W 8 S Tx Tx Tx
Davidson, Albert F Son M W 5 Tx Tx Tx
Davidson, Calvin B Jr. Son M W 3 S Tx Tx Tx

1920 Census
Texas, Sabine County, JP 4
Enumerated 16 Jan 1920
SD 326 ED 171 Sheet 10B
197-199
Davidson, Calvin B Hd M W 50 M Tx Tx TUS Farmer
Davidson, Mary I Wf F W 49 M Ark Ala Ga
Davidson, Lela A Dtr F W 22 S Tx Tx Ark Teacher
Davidson, Effie E Dtr F W 21 S Tx Tx Ark
Davidson, Horace C Son m W 20 S Tx Tx Ark
Davidson, Ivy E Dtr F W 17 S Tx Tx Ark
Davidson, Albert F Son M W 16 S Tx Tx Ark
Davidson, Calvin B Son M W 14 S Tx Tx Ark
Davidson, James R Son M W 8 S Tx Tx Arl
Davidson, Emid?/Erma M Dtr F W 5 S Tx Tx F W 5 S Tx Tx Ark

1930 Census
Texas, Sabine County, JP 4
Enumerated April 19, 1930
ED 202-6 SD 19 Sheet 6B
125-140
Davidson, Calvin B Hd M W 60 M 26 Tx Tx Tn Farmer
Davidson, Mary A Wf F W 59 M 25 Tx Ala Ga
Davidson, Erma M Dtr F W 16 S Tx Tx Tx

Calvin married Mary Idella "Della" Henderson. Mary was born about 1871 in Texas; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

(Research):
Census Listings:

1870 Sabine County Texas Census
624/624
Davidson, P.P. 26 M W Farmer 1200 800 Texas
Davidson, Malvina 25 F W K.H. Texas
Davidson, Sarah A. 3 F W Texas
Davidson, Calvin B. 1 M W Texas
FULLER, P.N. 54 M W 200 400 S.C. (Might be FULLEN)
FULLER, Sarah A. 54 F W Va.
FULLER, Rachel E 13 F W Texas
Noble, Elizabeth J 18 F W Farmer 1000 400 Texas
Noble, William 1 M W Texas

Pedras married Malvina Parr Beddoe on 17 Sep 1865 in Sabine County, Texas. Malvina (daughter of Earl Percy Beddoe and Martha Caroline Hembree) was born on 18 Aug 1844 in Tennessee; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
SABINE COUNTY MARRIAGES PRIOR TO 1875, has the following lisiting:

Davidson, P.P. to Balvina (sic) BEDDOE ca 1866

Virgie Speights writes that they had a total of nine children.

Notes:

(Research):

Census Listings:

1850 Census
Texas, Sabine County, Sabine District
Enumerated 3 and 4 Oct 1850
Page 312
21-21
Jacob Crawford 58 M Farmer 10,0000 NC
Huldah Crawford 55 F North Carolina
Joseph M. Crawford 22 M Tenn
Elizabeth Crawford 17 F SC (wife of Joseph)
Mary Crawford 17 F Tenn
Mary Ann Crawford 10 F Tx
24-24
Solomon Davidson 38 M Farmer 500 Va
Christina Davidson 28 F NC
Predous Philip Davidson 6 M Tx
Joseph Thomas Davidson 3 M Tx
Willam B. Davidson 11/12 M Tx
Mary E Davidson 10/12 Tx

1860 Census
Texas, Sabine County, PO Milam
Enumerated 16 Jun 1860
Page 6
50-50
Solomon Davidson 48 M Faremer 1000 1225 VA
Christina Davidson 35 F Tenn
Pedres Davidson 14 M Tx
Joseph T Davidson 14 M Tx
David Davidson 1 M Tx


1870 Census
Texas, Sabine County, PO Brookeland
Enumerated 20 Aug 1870
Page 27
623
Davidson, Solomon 58 M W farmer 1000 1000 Va
Davidson, Christina 48 F W Keeping House NC
Davidson, David 12 M W Tx
624
PP and Melvina Davidson

Solomon married Christina Crawford about 1842. Christina (daughter of Jacob Crawford and Huldeth Luten) was born on 1 Jan 1822 in Tennessee; died about 1873 in Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

From the Handbook of Texas Online
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/fbe20.html


BEDDOE, EARL PERCY (1822-1876). Earl Percy Beddoe, pioneer civil engineer, was born on January 30, 1822, in eastern Tennessee, son of Philip Tolbert and Catherine (Parr) Beddoe. He married Martha Caroline Hembree on October 12, 1843, in Tennessee, and they had nine children. In 1845, after an education in civil engineering, Beddoe moved to Texas, lived in Marshall, where he built a tanyard, then in 1850 settled in Sabinetown, where he established a saddle and harness business. He served for a while there as school principal; he was named county surveyor of Sabine County and laid out the town of Hemphill as the new county seat in 1859. Beddoe acted as a courier during the Civil War , and as a civil engineer he figured in the planning of fortifications at Sabine Pass in 1863 (see SABINE PASS, BATTLE OF ). He helped plan and execute the embankments or breastworks fortifying Sabinetown in 1864. In 1869 or early 1870 the family moved to Sabine Parish, Louisiana, but soon after 1871 they moved to Navarro County, Texas, where Beddoe died on November 27, 1876, in Chatfield.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Robert Cecil McDaniel, Sabine County, Texas (Waco: Texian, 1987). Helen Gomer Schluter and Blanche Finley Toole, 1850 Sabine County Census (Westminster, Colorado, 1979). Virgie Speights, Old Timers of Sabine County (Nacogdoches, Texas: Ericson, 1983).
Helen Gomer Schluter

Virgie Speights writes, in OLD TIMERS OF SABINE COUNTY, that he established a tan yard, taught school and put in a stagecoach inn. He was also a surveyor and surveyed the town of Hemphill in 1858, when the county seat was moved from Milam. As many people objected to this move, the surveying was begun in the middle of the night. (p. 35).


There was an article featuring a photograph of Earl Percy Beddoe in the October 2, 2013 issue of The Sabine County Reporter. The article was a story about a recent Civil War reenactment at Sabine Pass, during which the William Henry Parsons Camp #415, Sons of Confederate Veterans honored Earl Percy Beddoe, and early resident of Sabine County, whose family later moved to Chatfield, a community in Navarro County, Texas, where the Parsons Camp is located.

(Research):

Census Listings:

1850 Census
Texas, Sabine County, Sabine District
31 October 1850
148-148
Earl P. Beddo 28 M Saddler and Farmer $50 Tenn
Martha C. Beddo 22 F Tenn
Malvina P 5 F Tenn
Ann E M 3 F Texas (Could this actually have been Alonzo M, age 12 in the 1860 census)
Veranah H A 1 F Tx
149-149
Philip H. Beddo 23 M Saddler and Farmer $600 Tenn
Martha Beddo 13 F Tx

1860 Census
Texas. Sabine County, Sabine Beat No. 2. PO Sabine Town
Enumerated 20 Jun 1860
Page 4
85-85
E P Beddo 38 M No occupation listed 150 150 Tenn
M C Beddo 34 F Tenn
Alonzo M Beddo 12 M Tenn
R M Beddo 11 F Tx
Philip Beddo 9 M Tx
Theophilus Beddo 5 M Tx
Dewit Beddo 2 M Tx
Joseph Beddo 4/12 M Tx
M P Beddo 15 F Tenn

1870 Census
Louisiana, Sabine Parish, Ward Six, PO Mansfield DeSoto Parish
Enumerated 24 July 1870
Page 5 Stemped 357
31-31
Beddo, Earl P 48 M W Land Surveyor 60 200 La
Beddo, M. Caroline 42 F W Keeping House Tenn
Beddo, Philip D N?/A? 19 m W Works on Farm Tx
Beddo, Albert D 15 M W Works on Farm Tx
Beddo, Verona H 20 F W At Home Tx
Beddo, Theophilus 18 m W Works on Farm Tx
Beddo, Dewit C 11 m W Works on Farm Tx
Beddo, Dalia 7 F W At Home Tx
Beddo, Catharine 73 F W At Home NC

Earl married Martha Caroline Hembree on 12 Oct 1843 in Roane County, Tennessee. Martha was born about 1828 in Tennessee; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

(Research):

Census Listings:

1880 Census
Texas, Dallas County, Dallas
Enumerated 7 Jun 1880
Page 20D SD 3 ED 56
37-182-191
Beddo, M D W F 54 Keeping House Tenn NC NC
Beddo, Albert W M 24 Son Printer Tx Tenn Tenn
Beddo, J. C. W F 18 Dtr At Home Tx Tenn Tenn
Beddo, J. E. W F 15 Dtr At Home Tx Tenn Tenn
Patterson, Geo W M 18 Boarder Clk in Jewelry Store La La La