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J Tom Williams living in New Jersey just after marring Margaret. He looks like a movie star!

Williams, Jim Tom

Posted on January 1, 2023October 8, 2022 by ML Williams
J Tom Williams
Jim Tom Williams

Jim Tom Williams Story | My family, just like every other family, has had its share of ups and downs. We have been through a lot together and we are stronger for those experiences. I am not the best writer by any means, but I would like to share the story of my dad’s health issues. I hope you will see how God’s grace and mercy has worked through our family; and how the memories we’ve shared would not have been possible without the donor family’s faith in God and their ability to give in their time of grief.

I would first like to tell you how my mother and father met, mostly because I think it is funny, but also because it shows how God was at work in their lives before they were even friends. My mother and father were both from small towns in West Tennessee. Mom was from Munford and Dad was from Mason. If you’ve ever lived in a small town you already know that everyone knows everybody and everything – unlike a large city! This is how Mom and Dad started out knowing each other – the daughter of the town doctor and the son of a successful farmer.

Margaret Nichols in High School at Munford
Margaret Nichols in High School at Munford

Jim Tom Williams @ UT Martin

Margaret Williams at the pond in Mason, TN.  Mockingbird Lane home of TJ and Lexie Williams
Margaret Williams at the pond in Mason, TN. Mockingbird Lane home of TJ and Lexie Williams

Dad began college at UT Martin in 1949. He became a member of Alpha Gamma Rho and had lots of friends; however, he didn’t date much – he already knew what he wanted! Dad had seen Mom play high school basketball and seen pictures of her in his hometown newspaper. Apparently, he fell in love immediately. Dad carried a picture of Mom in his wallet and he had her picture in his dorm room so before they had ever been “properly introduced” God had chosen them for each other.

Mom, on the other hand, dated several people before meeting Dad. One day a friend came back from UT Martin and told Mom, “I saw your picture in someone’s dorm room.” Mom asked whose room it was, but her friend didn’t know because Dad had not been in the dorm that day. Mom went on dating and did not think about what her friend had told her for some time. She began Nursing School at Baptist School of Nursing in Memphis during 1954.

Korean War

J Tom Williams in the Korean War
Jim Tom Williams in the Korean War. His time in the army was all the regular training, boot camp. The army wanted him to go to officers training school but that would have meant 2 more years… no thanks.

The Korean War had begun, and Dad was going to be deployed. He had been at UT Marin for two years. His degree would have to wait. He was going into the Army and would be shipped across seas but there was one thing Dad could not let wait, he had to ask mom out on a date. What if he did not get to come back? This just could not wait! Dad had had a crush on Mom for a long time, but he had never asked her out.

Mom and Dad’s first date was the night before Dad was going to be shipped out. Since Dad had to get up early the next morning this was going to be a short date. Dad had to work fast if he was going to impress Mom! When Dad came to pick Mom up, he went to the door to get her and meet her family. When they were in the car, Dad gave Mom a present he had bought her. Dad did not follow the norm of giving flowers or candy. Dad was no average Joe! He had bought her a beautiful rhinestone necklace and bracelet! Mom did not know what to say about this, but she sure would not forget it. Today, she still has and treasures the two wonderful pieces.

Dad’s time in the army went along with all the regular training such as boot camp.  He was a clerk, but the army wanted more from him.  They asked him to go to officers training school but that would mean two more years in the army…  He declined their offer. 

Returning Home from War

Mom and Dad continued their correspondence while he was in the service.  When he was honorably discharged, he returned home and entered UT Knoxville to finish up his last two years of college.  By this time, Mom and Dad were only seeing each other and as often as possible.  When he came home for Christmas break in 1955, Dad proposed to Mom with ring in hand!  Of course, she said yes!  Dad graduated in June of 1956, and on June 17, 1956, he and mom were married.

It is amazing to see how God’s plan unfolded into a beautiful and lasting relationship. They were meant for each other from the beginning and God had more triumphs and tragedies in store for them as they moved through life together.

Jim Tom Williams and Margaret Alice Nichols’ Marriage License

After marrying, dad worked on the farm with his dad, TJ, until he got a job with the US Public Health Service as a VD investigator.  Mom and Dad moved to New York and remained there for a year.  They then returned home, and he began working for International Harvester. Not too long after this Dad was offered a job with Agrico and, again, Mom and Dad moved away from home.  They lived in Nashville for a time but were then transferred back to Memphis with Agrico so they could be closer to their families.

J Tom Williams and Margaret Nichols
Jim Tom Williams and Margaret Nichols

Kidney Problems

In 1972, my sister was born.  Dad decided he needed more life insurance, so he went in for the normal life insurance health tests.  Much to my parents’ surprise, he was turned down.  The insurance agent told him he had high blood pressure.  Dad went to the doctor and they ran some more tests and that is when the doctors discovered his kidney problems.  His kidney problems were causing the high blood pressure so something would have to be done. 

For about 5 years, Dad’s health was regulated through diet — the Giovannetti Diet. At the time, doctors did not know much about this disease so the only way to control it was through diet. Dad could not eat any salty or “fatty” foods which is very hard when you’ve grown up in the South and your grandfather owns Bozo’s!

Even though Dad and Mom watch his diet closely, his kidney function continued to decline.  Eventually, my dad’s kidneys stopped working.  The doctors were called in again to find a solution to this problem. Luckily, medical advances had occurred and there was now a way to filter toxins from the blood.  This procedure was dialysis.  What a miracle!  Dialysis was how Dad would be able to control his illness and continue living.

In 1977, Mom and Dad were able to buy a dialysis machine to use at home. Mom began training on Dad at Baptist Hospital Dialysis Center.  She would “hook” Dad up to the machine under supervision.  MawMaw would drive to town each morning to stay with me and Alicia while Mom and Dad left the house around 6am for training and treatment.  Once the training was over, Mom started treating Dad at home.  She would hook Dad to the machine every other day for six hours.  This was a lot of work, but it was keeping Dad alive and, obviously, part of God’s plan. 

Mom and Dad at a family dinner. Dad was being bad judging by the look on Mom's face. Glenn thought it was great!
Mom and Dad at a family dinner. Dad was being bad judging by the look on Mom’s face. Glenn thought it was great!

Colorado Vacation

Things were going along well with dialysis so in the summer of 1979 we took a vacation to Colorado.  Mom had scheduled treatments at a Colorado hospital.  While Dad was getting one of his treatments, the man next to him asked, “When are you getting your kidney?”  Dad told him he wasn’t sure, but he was on a list.  The man told Dad that he was getting his next month.  Apparently, they were using an experimental medicine that had shown great success.  Mom also found out the kidney disease Dad had was called Gleymaranephrytis. It seems that Denver was having great success and knew a lot about kidney disease.

Jim Tom Williams with his Union Carbide work buddies.

We returned home from our vacation in August and on Dad’s first treatment at home he became violently sick – he would get migraine headaches and get sick to his stomach every time he was put on the machine.  Dialysis would no longer be the answer for Dad’s kidney problems.  Again, this was part of God’s plan!

In the meantime, Mom was working very hard to get Dr. Kelley to find out about the new procedures in Denver.  Dr. Kelley did not believe in transplants as they were not very successful in the early days, so it took a bit of convincing for Mom to talk Dr. Kelley into investigating this new procedure.  Finally, Dr. Kelley agreed to get in touch with Dr.  Starzle and setup an appointment.

Dad and Mom traveled to Denver in December of 1979 to talk with Dr. Starzle and have some tests run.  Dr. Starzle explained that the experimental drug they were using was called Cyclosporine and it had only been given to five doctors in the world!  He also determined from the tests that Dad’s two blood antigens were within a range that made him eligible for a kidney transplant.   

The doctors sent Mom and Dad home to have Christmas with their family along with  instructions that they would call when they found a kidney.  With a lot of prayers, we put Dad’s life in God’s hands and in January 1980, we got the call.  They had a kidney for Dad!

Plans were made for Dad to go to Denver, but Mom was not going to be able to go because she had to stay with me and Alicia.  Mom called her older brother, Richard, as I am sure she was a little worried about not going with Dad.  Uncle Richard told her that Bubba, his son-in-law and Mom and Dad’s nephew, had a business trip planned for Denver.  After a few phone calls, it was discovered that Bubba and Dad were on the same flight!  Dad would not be going out there alone.

Kidney Transplant

On February 2, 1980, Dad received a kidney.  The operation was a success, and he now had a new kidney! Dad was the fifth person in the US to get a kidney using this new drug. Through the grace of God, Dad’s body did not reject the organ and he was able to overcome an infection from the surgery. (SIDE NOTE: Dad’s kidney came from a small child who died at school when he was opening a supply cabinet. There was a large container of glue on the top shelf… it fell and landed on his head.)

Heart Problems

Every year now for five years my dad had a heart attack. The doctors told us it was because of the prednisone he took as an anti-rejection medicine. One of the side effects of prednisone is muscle deterioration, the heart is a muscle and his was deteriorating.

In 1986, Dad had his annual spring heart attack, making this his sixth. It was a miracle Dad had made it this far with that many heart attacks. That summer the doctors at Baptist Central in Memphis performed open-heart surgery on dad, giving him six bypasses. A month later, he had another heart attack.

Things were looking very grim and the doctors gave my dad two weeks to live. Again, there was only one hope… a heart transplant. no one thought Dad was strong enough to live through a heart transplant. Dr. Starzle was called. he was working in Pittsburgh, PA at one of the leading heart transplant hospitals in the nation, Pittsburgh Presbyterian Hospital.

Heart Transplant

In September 1986, Mom and Dad went to Pittsburgh Presbyterian Hospital. Dad was going to be evaluated for a heart transplant. After being tested all day, the doctors told him he had a 50/50 chance of making it through a transplant. As Mom and Dad were getting ready to leave the hospital, Dad’s heart stopped beating. His heart stopped 15 times that day.

J Tom Williams and ML - Heart transplant
Jim Tom Williams and ML – Heart transplant

My sister and I were flown to Pittsburgh as no one thought Dad would make it through the night. Prayer requests were sent out and my dad did make it through the night. For six months Mom, my sister and I flew back and forth from Memphis to Pittsburgh. We were all tired. Dad had made it longer than anyone expected him too, but we were still waiting on a heart. God was watching and protecting all of us.

On March 22, 1987, we were told the doctors had a heart for Dad. It was a 16-year old heart from Memphis. God had been watching over us again and we knew the family of the young man who died. The doctors prepped Dad for surgery; they had cut his chest open but there ended up being a delay. For six hours, Dad was in the operating room waiting.

Dad’s brother, Jerry, was there in the waiting room with me. I will never forget him saying to me, “I hope they throw a blanket over him, so the flies don’t get in”. Finally, the delay ended, and Dad got his new heart. The family who donated their son’s heart came to see dad often and knew that part of their son was still alive – he was our miracle.

Dad makes the Funny Paper

Social Security Office; Philadelphia Daily News; Philadelphia, Penn, 24 Nov 1987; Pg 53

The Philadelphia Daily News even had a cartoon about dad. It showed a man trying to collect his social security check. The lady at the social security window was telling him that he was not eligible for social security because “when you average your age with the age of your kidney and the age of your heart your only 28 years old!” We were all thrilled Dad was going to be okay.

On August 1, 1994, my dad died. His kidney and heart were working fine.


Obituary

Jim Tom Williams, 62, of Germantown, retired account executive for Rhone Poulenc, died Monday at Baptist Memorial hospital East after a stroke. Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at First Evangelical Church, where he was a member, with burial in Helen Crigger Cemetery. Memphis Funeral Home Poplar Chapel has charge. He was a Korean War veteran, a graduate of the University of Tennessee, a member of Alpha Gamma Rho, past state president of the Arkansas Pesticide Association, and board director of Allenby Westfair Association. Mr. Williams, the husband of Margaret Nichols Williams, also leaves two daughters, Mary Lynne Rigsby of Collierville and Alicia Anne Williams of Jackson, Miss., a sister, Mary Ann Russell of Vicksburg, Miss., and a brother, Jerry Williams of Mason, Tenn. The family requests that any memorials be sent to the Kidney Foundation, Heart Foundation or First Evangelical Church.

[Jim Tom Williams Obituary, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn., Tuesday, August 2, 1994]


Bozo Williams Family

Father: Thomas Jefferson ‘Bozo’ Williams (1876-1935)
Mother: Fannie Cotton Richardson Williams – Mama Fannie (1876-1960)

Siblings:

  • Mark Gerald Williams (1898-1982) m. Thelma Grey Williams (1906-1970)
  • Thomas Edwards Williams, Sr. (1898-1955) m. Mismartha Chandler Williams (1901-1955)
    • Thomas Edward Williams, Jr. (1929-2010) m. Patricia Maybelle Crews (1925-2008)
      • Jim Allen Williams
      • Thomas Edward Williams III (1956-2007)
      • Tonja Elaine Williams
  • Frank Moore Williams (1901-1946) m. Verbal Inez Selph (1909-1959)
    • Katherine Inez Williams King (1928-2002) m. Frank James King (1925-1973)
    • Joy Marie Williams Dagen (1932-2013) m. Henry Dagen
  • Jessie Blanche Williams Thompson (1904-1978) m. James Floyd Thompson (1905-1973)
    • R. Thompson Shoaf
    • Margaret Voncile Thompson (1925-2012)
    • James Conrad Thompson (1933-2022) m. Margaret Marie Parrott (1933-2013)
      • Lori Thompson Glover
      • Jeff Thompson
      • Ken Thompson
  • Dorris F Williams (1906-2001) m. Olen Bailey Hogan (1905-1931)
    • Dorothy Allison “Dot” Hogan Cottam (1925-2013) m. Jerome Alphonsus “Jerry” Cottam Jr. (1926-1998)
  • John Alfred ‘TJ’ Williams (1908-1975) m. Lexie Lois Faulk Williams (1911-1986)
    • Lawrence Jerry Williams (1930-2017) m. Nell Rhea Gray (1930-2021)
      • Lawrence Lee “Larry” Williams
      • John Thomas “John Tom” Williams (1952-2012)
        • Dr. John Barton Williams (1984-2021)
    • Jim Tom Williams (1931-1994) m. Margaret Alice Nichols
      • Mary Lynne Williams-Rigsby
      • Alicia Ann Williams Howes
    • Mary Ann Williams Russell m. Glynn Lee Russell
      • Greg Russell
      • LeAnn Russell Hill
  • Emma Iris Williams (1914-1963)
  • Rubye Earl Williams (1916-1991)
  • James Allen Williams (1917-1972) m. Elsie Hendrix Campbell
  • Margaret Helen Williams (1917-2004)
  • Riley Fischer Williams (1918-1918)
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1 thought on “Williams, Jim Tom”

  1. Galen Avery says:
    April 8, 2019 at 4:42 pm

    Great read, Ted. Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

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Welcome!

Mary Lynne Williams with Kenny Faulk at Bozos Bar-B-Q in 2018
Mary Lynne Williams with Kenny Faulk at Bozos Bar-B-Q in 2018

My name is ML Williams. I am a hiking, fossil hunting, God loving, coffee drinking, hot fries eatin' middle school math teacher! I love researching my family history and, since my family is from Tipton County, I love researching the people and areas of Tipton.

Thanks for visiting my site and good luck in your quest!

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© 2018-2021 Tipton County, Tennessee
Mary Lynne Williams

Shelley, Barbara June Abbott

BARBARA JUNE ABBOTT SHELLEY | 52, of Drummonds, Tenn., clerk for Abbott Jewelry, died Thursday at Baptist Memorial Hospital – Tipton in Covington, Tenn. Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Munford (Tenn.) Funeral Home with burial in Poplar Grove Cemetery in Drummonds.  She leaves a daughter, Kimberly Ann Douglas, and a son, James D. Shelley, both of Atlanta; her parents, John and Reamonia Millican Abbot of Drummonds; a brother, Paul Abbott of Memphis, and five grandchildren.

[Barbara June Abbott Shelley; The Commercial Appeal; Memphis, Tenn; 14 Dec 2003; Pg 29]

Janie Reamonia Rann

JANIE REAMONIA RANN, 17, of Drummonds, Tenn., clerk for Abbott Diamond Enterprises, died Thursday at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis. Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Munford (Tenn.) Funeral Home with Burial in Poplar Grove Cemetery in Drummonds. She was a member of Fellowship Baptist Church. She leaves her great-grandparents who raised her, Reamonia and John Abbott of Drummonds; a half-brother, John Abbot Peak of Texas, and her grandmother, Barbara Shelley of Drummonds.

[Janie Reamonia Rann; The Commercial Appeal; Memphis, Tenn; 20 Sep 2003; Pg 15]

John A Murrell Death

Lillian Oreed Smith

Lillian was born August 22, 1903, in Tipton County, Tennessee and died June 22, 1992, in Covington, Tennessee.  She married William Austin Rhodes, May 25, 1924.  William was born July 18, 1894, and died September 17, 1980.  Lillian taught school in the schoolhouse at Bethel as a very young woman.  Then she went to Memphis where she met and married Austin.  They operated drug stores, sometimes one and sometimes two, in north Memphis most of their adult lives.  One of the stores was on Leath Street very near Humes High School and the other was on Manassas Street.  Rather late in life, they bought the old Smith family house and four acres from Lillian’s mother, Della, and moved back to Tipton County.  They put in a hen house for laying hens and sold eggs until retirement.  Austin and Lillian never had any children.  They both are buried in the “New Part” of Bethel Cemetery.

[ from An Illustrated History of the People and Towns of Northeast Shelby County and South Central Tipton County, page 178]

Lillian Oreed Smith Rhodes Obituary

ATOKA – Lillian Smith Rhodes, 88, retired merchant, died Monday at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton after a long illness.  Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Munford Funeral Home with burial in Bethel Cemetery.  She was a member of Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Home Demonstration Club.  Mrs. Rhodes, the widow of Austin Rhodes, leaves a sister, Carmen Smith of Memphis, and two brothers, A. T. Smith of Atoka and Richard Smith of Gautier, Miss.

[Rhodes, Lillian Smith; The Commercial Appeal; Memphis, Tenn; 24 Jun 1992; Pg 11]

Delayed birth certificate Lillian Oreed Smith
Delayed birth certificate Lillian Oreed Smith
Lillian Oreed Smith and W A Rhodes Marriage License
Lillian Oreed Smith and W A Rhodes Marriage License
Lillian Oreed Smith Rhodes
Lillian Oreed Smith Rhodes
Richard Arnold Smith

Richard was born on June 29, 1912, and died in Pascagoula, Mississippi on June 3, 1994.  He married Zelma Wright on October 19, 1940.  Richard attended college at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.  I do not know if he got a degree or not.  After college, he went to work for Continental Gin Company as a sales engineer in Birmingham.  He and Zelma lived there for a long time.  He finally did transfer to Memphis and lived there for several years.  During his years with Continental Gin Company, he traveled a lot, even to India for several months to install a cotton gin there.  After a long career with Continental, they bought a small tourist court in Pascagoula and moved down there to operate it.  This facility consisted of several individual cottages scattered through a pine grove.  They did most of the work themselves, just hiring people to supplement in areas that they could not see after twenty-four hours per day.  Most of their clientele were extended stay types who worked on the shrimp boats that fished out of the Pascagoula harbor and construction workers who were there for several months at a time.  Of course, they did do some overnight business, too.  Later in life, when the work became too difficult, they sold the tourist court and retired to Dolphin Island where they lived until Richard died.  It is assumed that both Richard and Zelma are buried in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

[An Illustrated History of the People and Towns of Northeast Shelby County and South Central Tipton County]

Jackson County Memorial Park

Iva Electa Smith

Iva Electa was born April 20, 1901, and died December 24, 1991, in Savannah, Hardin County, Tennessee.  She married Lenvil Gordon Beaver on March 30, 1925.  He died February 21, 1949.  They lived in the community that was named after his family, Beaver, or sometimes referred to as Beaver Town.  There was a store and cotton gin, both of which he owned.  They lived in a house that sat across the road from the store.  They had five children: Lenvil Oneda, Iva Shirley, Steve, Carmen Theo, and Lemuel Gordon Beaver.  Gordon and Iva Electa are buried in Ravencroft Cemetery in Tipton County, Tennessee.

[An Illustrated History of the People and Towns of Northeast Shelby County and South Central Tipton County, page 178]

After the death of Gordon in 1949, Iva Electa married Jesse Ray Blakey on 21 Aug 1970.  Both the bride and the groom were 69 years of age.

Iva Electa passed away on 24 Dec 1991.  Her obit is below:

BRIGHTON – Electa Smith Beaver Blakey, 90, former teacher, died Tuesday at Hardin County General Hospital in Savannah.  Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Munford Funeral Home with burial in Ravenscroft Cemetery.  She was a member of Beaver Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School and the Women’s Bible Class.  Mrs. Blakey, the widow of Gordon Beaver and J. R. Blakey, leaves three daughters, Lenvil Leadbetter of Savannah, Shirley Dyer of Clinton, Ill., and Carmen Harshfield of Somerville; a son, Gordon ‘Lem’ Beaver Jr. of Brighton; two sisters, Carmen Smith of Memphis and Lillian Rhodes of Savannah; two brothers, A. T. Smith of Atoka and Richard Smith of Gauthier, Miss., 15 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Electa Smith Beaver Blakey; The Commercial Appeal; Memphis, TN; 26 Dec 1991; Pg 29
Electa Smith Beaver Blakey; The Commercial Appeal; Memphis, TN; 26 Dec 1991; Pg 29

 

Gordon and Electa Beaver's Headstone in Ravenscroft Cemetery
Gordon and Electa Beaver’s Headstone in Ravenscroft Cemetery
Delayed Birth Record Iva Electa Smith
Delayed Birth Record Iva Electa Smith
Electa Smith marriage to Lenvil Gordon Beaver
Electa Smith marriage to Lenvil Gordon Beaver
Electa Smith Beaver Marriage to Jesse Ray Blakey
Electa Smith Beaver Marriage to Jesse Ray Blakey
Carmen Theo Smith

Carmen was born on 24 Oct 1898 in Tipton County, Tennessee.  After graduating high school, Carmen moved to Memphis where she was a bookkeeper and secretary for William G. Smith.  William owned a refrigerator business.  They soon fell in love and where married on 24 Jun 1927.  William had three children from a previous marriage, and he and Carmen did not have any children.  They lived on E. Cherry Circle in Memphis.  According to Wayne Smith, their house was very nice and sat on about two acres of land.  Carmen died on 6 Feb 2000 in Shelby County, Tennessee.  Both William and Carmen are buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee.

Obituary for Carmen Theo Smith

Carmen T. Smith, 101, of Bartlett, retired bookkeeper for Smith’s Refrigeration Co., died of heart failure Sunday at Ave Maria Nursing Home.  Services will be at 1 p.m. today at Memorial Park Funeral Home with burial in Memorial Park.  She was a choir member at Broadmoor Baptist Church, taught Sunday school, and was a charter member at Sunset Baptist Church.  Mrs. Smith, the widow of William G. Smith, leaves a brother, A. T. Smith of Atoka, Tenn. The family requests that any memorials be sent to Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Churchin Atoka.

Carmen T Smith; The Commercial Appeal; Memphis, Tenn; 8 Feb 2000; Pg 14
Carmen T Smith; The Commercial Appeal; Memphis, Tenn; 8 Feb 2000; Pg 14

 

Delayed Birth Certificate
Delayed Birth Certificate
1910 US Census
1910 US Census
1920 US Census
1920 US Census
1940 US Census
1940 US Census
1950 US Census
1950 US Census
Allie Perry Smith

Allie was born about 1865 and died on 10 Aug 1911.  Allie worked as a clerk in  a store in Randolph, Tennessee.  He never married.

There is an old rumor that Allie was shot and killed.  The suspect, a jealous husband, but no one was ever charged with the crime.  It seems, although an interesting story, this cannot be true as his death certificate states he died of Typhoid Fever.

Fannie Smith

Fannie was born in 1867.  She married John W Reeves (1862-1945) on 7 Feb 1889 in Tipton County, Tenn.  The couple had two children:  Baudine and Finis Henry Uric.  The Reeves family was instrumental in the growth of business and church affairs in Atoka.  John was a merchant for many years and he was very active in the civic projects of the town.  They were members of the Methodist Church, where Fannie taught Sunday school.  Their son, Finis, born 6 Aug 1895, was confined to a wheelchair because of a spinal injury he received as a child.  He died on 28 Jan 1924, at the at of 29. Fannie, John and Finis are buried in Bethel Cemetery.  Baudine, who was born 19 Nov 1893, married James C Smith (1891-1981) on 3 Sep 1916 in Tipton County, Tenn.  Baudine died in Dec of 1981 and is buried in Bethel Cemetery.

 

William Richard Smith

William was born February 16, 1863, and died 22 Oct 1900.  He married Lula Victoria Aycock.  The couple farmed between Tipton and Bethel on land they had purchased.  William and Lula had two daughters, Dorcas Smith and Gladys Smith, and one son, William R Smith who was born 16 Feb 1901, and died 25 Feb 1902.  William and Lula are buried in Bethel Cemetery in unmarked graves.  Their son, William, is buried in part “C” of the cemetery.  They are probably buried in that vicinity.

After William’s death, Lula married Walter Lyles. Walter had a child from a previous marriage named Helen.  Walter and Lula did not have children.

Edward Scott Smith

Edward was born 1860 and died in 1932.  He married Laura McCormick who was born 1859 and died in 1945.  They lived in Shelby County near the Tipton County line just south of Bethel Road.  They farmed, but the land was very poor and they did not do very well.  After their children were grown, Ed and Laura moved into a house located on Tipton Road between Tipton and Munford.  They are buried in the “C” section of Bethel Cemetery.  The children of Edward and Laura McCormick were daughter Myrtle and twins Roger B. and Rodney.

John Alexander Smith

John Alexander married Jarusha Dorcas Walker Oct. 28, 1959 in Tipton County, Tennessee.  She was the daughter of John and Frances Walker.  Jarusha was born July 20, 1842, and died April 24, 1917.  John and Jarusha are buried in the “B” section of Bethel Cemetery.

Arthur Theophilus Smith said that he always heard that John and Jarusha did not own the house and property where they were living when John died.  This property was located in Shelby County between Tracy Road and Mudville Road.  Today the road is known as Mulberry Road.  Somehow, Jarusha managed to raise seven children and purchase a portion of the property, at least the house and maybe some land.  The children of John A. and Jarusha Walker Smith were:  Edward Scott, William Richard, Allie, Fannie, Auther Theophilus, Wyatt Andrew and Johnny LeAndrew.