This is a photo of and information about MARY HENARETTA MCDERMETT and family members from the family book produced in 1984.
Mary was born 12 November 1854 in Limestone Co., Tx. She was a young girl when her parents moved to Erath Co. and settled in the area that she spent the rest of her life in. The area her parents settled in was sparsely populated and always in danger of Indian attack. It was not an easy life and they were in constant danger.
Mary married in her 21st year to Alfred Caldwell Davis, a native of Kentucky. He had left Casey Co., Kentucky with his parents in the 1850's and settled for a while in the Blue District, Choctow Nation, Western Arkansas which is now what we would call Southeastern Oklahoma.
Alfred and Mary had nine children (3 girls and 6 boys), but one boy and one girl died young. One son, Tom, never married and lived on the home place until his death. The other children married and raised families in Erath Co.
The Davis' in general were mostly kind, good and helpful people. But, they mostly had shy personalities and sometimes a bit withdrawn. They were religious people, but not necessarily school educated. They were all good common hard working people.
Mary was very strict about everything Morals, Clothing, Religion, Etc. She was a light compected woman of a slender build. She had light colored eyes.
One time she went swimming in the creek with us. She wore her long dress and six petticoats. She could swim: That was the first & last time I ever saw anyone lie on Top of the water. I guess she had on so many clothes she couldn't sink under it.
She would go to the cow lot to milk or work in her garden with her dress so long it dragged the ground in back. She always wore a bonnet and apron-even to church- on her hands she wore "mitts" gloves with no fingers- which she spun the thread to make.
In her younger years she was a very good cook and when cooking she wanted the whole family around her. After a meal, everyone was supposed to tell her how good everything was and if they didn't, she would be very unhappy.
Every year she grew a lot of turkeys and chickens. She would sell the turkey, cream and eggs for her own money.
She loved to give presents and always had something for the women and children. Some dress material, a bowl, handkerchief or perhaps even flowers. I still have a handkerchief she gave me.
I used to love to spend the night with her and sleep in her big feather bed, one could almost get lost in it. WINONA DAVIS BARKHOLTZ.
Grandpa Davis loved to read. He wouldn't have a window in the room where he slept. WINONA DAVIS BARKHOLTZ
If Mary liked you, she really liked you, but if she didn't like you, you knew it. She was very strict. No one ever saw her ankles. She wore a Black silk bonnet and a Black dress to church. She even wore an apron to church, usually black and white checked and briar stitched around the bottom. She was large-boned. She had an old mare called "OLD JOHN" and every Sunday she went to church at Johnsville driving old John to her buggy. When she got there she would sit with all the other older women. That was the custom back then. GLADYS DAVIS LEE
