Page:The Stephenson Family (1906).pdf/55

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two sons born of this marriage, William Earl and John Arthur Mitchell. The mother died. The children are being raised by their Mitchell grandparents. Zula, the daughter of Reuben and Rebecca Mitchell, is a very industrious young lady, fond of domestic duties. She is not married. Katie Hugh, always called Hugh, mavrried Mr. Chittum; they have one daughter, Zula Josephine Chittum. Reuben Rush, called Rush, is not married. Reuben N. Mitchell is a machinist; was hurt at his work and lost a leg. He now is freighting over the prairies of Western Texas. He and his family are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

This closes the chapter as to my father's family.

My father, William Watson Stephenson, was a man of strong mind and body. He was firm and determined in purpose; he had a moderate, common school education. He was a soldier under General Jackson in the war of 1812. He was for many years a justice of the peace in Alabama. He was a practical surveyor. His neighbors had him often to locate certain lines and boundaries; he never charged them for the work. He could step over a piece of ground and tell the number of acres it contained about as accurately as if the chain had been used. While he did not pretend to be a doctor, he was well up with the treatment for the common diseases of the country. Such accommodations were wearisome, but were always extended without charge. He was six feet high, weight 165 pounds, eyes blue, complexion fair, hair dark, beard thin and auburn. He was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He died in 1869 and is buried in the Rock Spring Cemetery; a marble headstone marks his last resting place.