skin with bacon rinds and dusted the whole with burned blood-weed stalks
which made execellent soft charcoal. The result caused great hilarity
to break out amon the youngesters and the slaves. Marlin woke to the
realization that something had befallen him. Looking down he saw the
black hands and arms and guessed the rest. He was sure he knew who had
done the mischief and tried to catch Vol but was unable to outsmart him.
In desperation the gang-boss shouted, "You young scoundrel. I'll report
this to your Mother." Volney replied, "If you tell her she will be sure
to ask what you were doing while your face, neck and arms were being
smeared." Needless to report, Ann Cavitt never heard from Mr. Marlin of
this prank.
Ann Cavitt was first widowed July 1, 1836. Andrew was buried at
Millican and not until years later was his body reinterred at Wheelock
in the family cemetery near the big house in which his sons grew up, and
in which his son, Volney, later brought up his big family.
On July 31, 1836 the widow of Andrew Cavitt went through the legal
procedure of asking the court of Millican and Robertson County for
letters of administration and guardianship of her children.
Because of the details and the wording of the early court documents it
has been thought interesting to include the entire text of the years of
guardianship and the reports to the court of her stewardship for her
children before the courts of the Republic of Texas.
In early 1840 An Cavitt, after several years of courtship, married her
late husband's nephew, Cavitt Armstrong, who was nearer her own age than
were any of her other suitors, and whom she must have felt would be more
in sympathy with keeping the estate intact for her late husband's sons.
In 1840 Cavitt Armstrong became the administrator and guardian for the
younger children and a separate estate was set up for the older
boys...those who had reached the age of 14.
Whitley was sent back to Alabama presumably to visit his maternal
grandparents. All children were sent to private schools and their
tuition noted in the accounting of the funds.
The slaves given in the partition of the estate to the younger boys were
farmed out within the community for a stipend wage which went to the
owner. Clothes for the younger slave children were provided and noted
in the administrator's report.
Ann had inherited from Andrew many outstanding accounts and noted for
loans and for amounts of corn provided to various people and to the
Republic of Texas Rangers. If she and not been an astute business woman
before Andrew died, she soon acquired all the necessary adaptations of
her abilities. The business acumen of both Andrew and Ann seemed to
ahve been inheritated through kinship and association by Volney, the
second son of the couple, who followed his mother's pattern of acquiring
land whenever possible. William Lapsley and Mary Cavitt Armstrong's
son, Cavitt Armstrong, felt he should see how the young widow and his
seven small cousins fared. Ann could use some help from an overseer for
her land and this function was offered her late husband's nephew.
In 1840, when Ann Cavett Cavitt finally decided it was wise for her to
say yes to the four years of courting from her nephew, Cavitt
Armstrong, her eldest son, Richard Whitley, was 18 years old. Volney,
the lively red-head with the bent to practical jokes, was 16 and thought
of himself as grown. Josephus, the handsome "ladies man" was only 14
but knew that whatever Vol decided to do he too could do as well. Those
were the big boys on whom Ann had learned to depend for a good deal of
work and assistance with her business in clearing and overseeing the
large acreage she had purchased within the years of her widowhood.
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The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched.
It must be felt with the heart. Helen Keller
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Last Blue Promise...Poetry and Links
http://www.fortunecity.com/bally/meath/45/index.html
...It is in silence where music lies...
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Listowner CARRINGTON & CAVITT Surnames ICQ#1280761
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