Missouri Sanders spent her last Sunday morning listening to a sermon by Reverend Alex Jones at Cool Spring Church. She probably meditated on his sermon and on the one who gave the sermon. After service, she was greeted by family and friends. According to a witness, she slipped and fell on the church steps. She was asked if she was alright, she said she was okay and proceeded to her car. Church members noticed she did not leave the church grounds, approached her car and saw her body was slumped and she was unconscious. Missouri was rushed to the local hospital where she died hours later of a broken neck.
Missouri's death was similar to her life, much to talk about. The Reverend Alex Jones was the father of her nine children. He was also her sister Mary Jane's husband. Alex Jones married Mary Jane in August 1900. Their first child of 15 children was born about 1903. Missouri had her first child with Jones about 1907.
The enumerator of the 1930 census described the children as bastards. Apparently, tongues wagged.
Alex Jones could have his cake and eat it too. Alex and wife lived a few doors down from Missouri in Franklin County, Mississippi.
May she rest in peace.
Missouri was born 03 Aug 1895, died 09 Aug 1942, in Franklin County, Mississippi. Missouri and Mary Jane were the daughters of Paris Sanders and Eveline Saulsbury. Their half sister Freddie Nelson's son married into my maternal family.
Cool Spring Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery
Hi Linda - Thank you for your very respectful touch in Missouri's story. I've often thought about the "wagging tongues" and the fact that Alex Jones was a minister as I've researched documents for members of this family who were cousins of my in-laws. - Cheri
ReplyDeleteI think about the relationship between the two sisters. How did they feel about each other? How did they handle the situation with Reverend Jones, ignore it?
DeleteI hope they were ok with it. Living a few doors apart and not hiding that all the children were his, apparently, since the census lists Missouri's children as Jones. The community must have accepted it to some degree also. I like the way you wrote about it in such a matter of fact way.
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DeleteThey probably were ok with it. By 1940, Missouri and the children still in the home were living next door to Alex and Mary Jane.
DeleteGenealogy can uncover some complex relationships and situations. Like the others, I think that it is good to include both the easy to tell stories and the more difficult ones. The individuals who lived their lives slightly outside the norm are fun to research and can add a bit of spice to a history.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad ending. I would gather this type of weaving of the family was a common practice, and you happened to uncover this one.
ReplyDeleteIt is a common weaving but usually they waited to one relationship ended before starting another one.
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