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JOSEPH MAYES
Joseph Mayes was born in approximately 1856 in Colouen Georgia. He was born a slave. Little is known about his life until he shows up in Tennessee. Records show that he married Martha Jane Warner on February 21, 1876 in Fayette County, Tennessee. The next record of Joe shows up on the 1880 Cass County Texas Census and show he and his wife Mattie, living with his Parents, Susan and Allen. They are shown as Share Crop Farmers. It is not known when they moved on to Oklahoma, but it is known, as stated in Virgil's bio, that they eventually moved to Saskatchewan to homestead. Joseph, along with the other men who came from Oklahoma, built the Shiloh Baptist Church and Joe ministered the gospel there until he retired. He died there and is buried at the Shiloh Church, which is now designated an official Heritage Site. Joseph and Mattie were true pioneers. They gave much to their community and were always the first to lend a hand or support to others. Mattie was friend and midwife to all who called on her. To be sure, there were hard times. Aunt Adeline told me of times when there was no food for the families and some of the men went out one night to "liberate" a small amount of grain from a silo so that they could make some food to eat. They were caught and arrested and sent to jail, which left the women alone to fend for themselves and their children. Aunt Adeline told me that the women caught gofers and sold them for the bounty on their tails and were able to get a little money for food. But there were also many happy times of Christmas and Church Socials and picnics. It was a harsh existence which few of us can even imagine. We can all be proud of their strength and courage and determination to make it against all odds. Joseph and Mattie Mayes had the following children: Virgil David Harvey John Edward Douglas Wyatt Charlie George After Joseph passed away, Mattie left Saskatchewan and came to Alberta with her son, Edward.
MARTHA JANE - MATTIE WARNER
Mattie, as she was known all her life, was born into slavery on May 20, 1859 in Meriwether County Georgia. She was born the slave of Jesse Partridge. Aunt Adeline remembered Mattie telling her that when she was a very little girl, she was riding in a wagon with her mother and some other slaves. The "Master" was driving the wagon. They were crossing a bridge, when a man on horseback approached from the opposite direction. It turned out that he and the "master" were friends. The man on horseback, one Hiram Warner, spotted Mattie in the wagon and insisted that Jesse Partridge sell her to him, on the spot.. A deal was struck, then and there and Mattie was taken from her mothers' arms and into the saddle of the new "Master" and ridden away….She never saw her mother again. But she did tell Aunt Adeline that he was a very kind man and very good to his slaves. Mattie's job was mostly to stand at table during meals and shoo away the flies. When the war broke out, Hirams' son went away to fight for the Confederacy. Hiram stayed home and when the Union Soldiers came, the slaves hid him so he would not be killed. When the son returned from the war, he set the slaves free and Mattie, with others moved to Greenville in Meriwether County. She was still a young girl and shows up on the 1870 Georgia Census as age 14. It is not known when or why but she left Georgia and went on to Tennessee, where she met and married Joseph Mayes. Martha Jane's mother was a slave of Jesse Partridge. Her name was Charity and she was born March 27, 1842. Charity's mother was named Ellen and she too, was a slave of Jesse Partridge.
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