Lizzie Lewis 
Lizzie was born on February 15th, 1873 in , Crawford County, Arkansas, USA.1 Lizzie's father was David Walker LEWIS and her mother was Eliza Jane SHIPLEY. Her maternal grandparents were Nathan Pascal SHIPLEY and Elizabeth Mildred LESTER. She had eight brothers and two sisters, named William Franklin, Henry Davis Baskum, Moody, Sherman Darwin, Walker Harlin, Harvey Leander, Thomas Wesley, Joseph Webber, Roseltha Delcie and Gertrude Ellen. She was the second oldest of the eleven children. She died at the age of 35 on March 28th, 1908 in , Crawford County, Arkansas, USA. She was buried in Kimes Cemetery (also called Westview) Crawford County, Arkansas, USA.1 1 General Notes
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Lewis was born the 15th of February, 1873 in Crawford County, Arkansas, the second child of David Walker Lewis and Eliza Jane Shipley. She married Joseph Leander Kimes the 3rd of April, 1890 in Crawford County, Arkansas. He was born the 31st of December, 1869 in Chester, Crawford County, Arkansas, the second son of David G. Kimes and Nancy Evalyn Elkins. He was twenty and she was just barely seventeen.
Nine months after their wedding, Emmett DeWitt was born the 25th of December 1890. He was a very large baby and it was an extremely difficult birth for the young, petite, Lizzie. By the time the doctor extracted him, Lizzie was torn apart and a portion of Emmett's skull was caved in. The next eleven years brought six more children: Moody born in 1892, Woodworth born in 1894, Sylvine born in 1895, Herbert born in 1897, Vincent born in 1899, and Edith born in 1901. Five years later Theodore was born in 1906. All eight of their children were born near Chester, in Crawford County, Arkansas.
They lived in the Ozarks of Arkansas in a canyon between two hills called Poe Hollow for at least part of their marriage. The small town of Chester was the closest place where there was a store. Land built a small home out in the country. Here there was no electricity, indoor plumbing, running water, or telephones. Cooking and heating were done with wood; kerosene lamps provided light at night. Like most people in the area, they kept a supply of food from their garden, raised pigs, chickens, and had a cow. We can only imagine what hard work it was caring for seven children under the age of eleven while doing the daily washing, cooking, cleaning, making of clothing, and vegetable gardening. It was also the woman's job to preserve food for the winter months. Land had to farm, care for the livestock, hunt, and work for some hard cash. They had the necessities of life, but except for a pump organ they had few luxuries.
Virginia Pierce Kimes said,"Lizzie was a good cook and I have heard the children tell about her good "light bread" (yeast rising bread). According to the kids, my Mom (Land’s second wife) could never make it as good as Lizzie did." She was also a good seamstress who taught her girls how to sew and be good homemakers and housekeepers. By the time Woodie was grown she was an expert seamstress and made her living sewing. Lizzie taught Emmett the keyboard on the family pump organ.
Land and Lizzie were members of the Methodist Church who raised their children to be good people. Land was well educated considering the times; he was a Methodist minister for much of the time he was in Arkansas. He probably gave it up after the church was able to send in traveling ministers. According to family tradition, Lizzie was often asked to pray in church because her prayers were so beautiful. Vincent said that the family always joined hands at the table while his dad said the prayer before their meal.
After the birth of their eighth child, Lizzie’s health deteriorated. Susan Kimes Burgess says, "I remember it being said that Lizzie had a chronic bladder infection that lasted for years. I don’t know if this is true." Lizzie became very depressed. According to Leander’s second wife, Vady, who attended the same church, Lizzie looked terrible those last weeks. Sixteen months after Theodore's birth, while Land and the older boys were working in the fields and the girls were busy in other parts of the house or yard Lizzie slit her throat in the dining room the 28th of March, 1908.
She is buried in the Kimes Cemetery (also called Westview Cemetery), Crawford County, Arkansas.
Sources:
All data on Elizabeth Lewis is from Virginia Kimes Pierce. Biographical information is from her conversations with her brothers, sisters, and mother. Compiled and written by Susan Kimes Burgess
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1880 Census: http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp
Source Information:
Census Place Upper, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA
Family History Library Film 1254041
NA Film Number T9-0041
Page Number 478D
Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace
Walker LEWIS Self M Male W 30 AR Farmer TN TN
Eliza J. LEWIS Wife M Female W 28 AR Keeps House AR AR
Rosettha LEWIS Dau S Female W 8 AR At Home AR AR
Elizabeth LEWIS Dau S Female W 7 AR At Home AR AR
Franklin LEWIS Son S Male W 5 AR At Home AR AR
Gertrude LEWIS Dau S Female W 1 AR At Home AR AR
1900 Census: Upper Township, Crawford County, Arkansas enumerated June 1, 1900 by Joseph L. Kimes
Series: T623 Roll: 56 Page: 139
Lines Street House number Dwelling Number Family Number
1-8 1 1
Name REL. Race Sex Birthdate AGE M. #yr Moth. # Birth Father Mother OCC SCH R W SE Own or Farm or
MN YR LAST S. M # kids Liv. Place BirthP BirthP Rent House
Kimes Joseph L. Head W M Dec 1869 32 M 0 Arkansas Missouri Virginia farmer 0 Yes Yes Yes 0 M F 1
Kimes Lizzie Wife W F Feb 1873 27 M 10 6 6 Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas Yes Yes Yes
Kimes Arthur E. Son W M Dec 1890 9 S Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas at school
Kimes Overton M. Son W M Oct 1892 7 S Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas at school
Kimes Woodworth Daughter W F Mar 1894 6 S Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas
Kimes Sylvine Daughter W F Oct 1895 4 S Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas
Kimes Herbert E. Son W M Apr 1897 3 S Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas
Kimes Lewis V. Son W M Sept. 1899 9/12 S Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas
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I wonder if Lizzie suffered from celiac disease that contributed to her suffering and death.
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Ancestor Pedigree Chart
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*There are earlier generations for the ancestor(s) indicated. See their page(s) for details (click name)
- b.11 Aug 1848 in Cedar Creek, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA d.02 Mar 1919 in Chester, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA
- b.15 Feb 1873 in , Crawford County, Arkansas, USA d.28 Mar 1908 in , Crawford County, Arkansas, USA
- b.~ 1775 in probably Maryland, USA d.01 Feb 1820 in , Rhea County, Tennessee, USA
- b.01 Jan 1805 in , Sullivan County, Tennessee, USA d.26 Aug 1881 in Mulberry, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA
- b.1759 in Dunmore/Shenandoah County, Virginia d.25 Jan 1841 in Bledsoe County, Tennessee
- b.~ 1780 in , , Tennessee, USA d.15 Nov 1857 in , , Tennessee, USA
- b.~ 1750 d.< 1840 in , Greene County, Tennessee, USA
- b.27 May 1827 in near Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee, USA d.22 Feb 1863 in , Crawford County, Arkansas, USA
- b.1811 in During Oats Harvest in Tennessee, USA d.>19 Mar 1890 in , , Arkansas, USA
- b.Jul 1853 in Lees Creek, Upper Township, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA d.20 Aug 1931 in 435 South Valencia, Burbank, Los Angeles County, California, USA
- b.31 Jul 1831 in , , Arkansas, USA d.01 Oct 1882 in , Crawford County, Arkansas, USA
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1 Find a Grave http://www.findagrave.com
Further source/citation:
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=burgess_kimes&id=I40722
Further source/citation:
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=burgess_kimes&id=I40722
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