Ada married ROBERTS, Robert Lee in 1887. Robert was born in Aug 1864 in Mississippi, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: COX, Sam Benton. Sam was born on 17 Nov 1887 in Shawnee MS; died in Jun 1967 in Ashland, Benton, Mississippi, USA; was buried in Ashland, Benton County, Mississippi, United States of America. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Golden Deeds Award honors Mary Mathews This year's recipient of the Exchange Club Golden Deeds Award is a quiet, unassuming, servant in the community who seeks neither recognition nor acclaim, but is well known for courage, faith, integrity, and selfless service. Mary Mathews was born in 1927, in the Abel's Store Community near Ashland, Mississippi, the ninth of 12 children to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel B. Cox. Her parents owned and farmed 90 acres between the towns of Ashland and Hickory Flat where they raised cotton and corn, as well as cutting timber in the woods around the area. Though the family did not have much in the way of money, they never lacked the necessities. Mary always said that every year, regardless of how well or poorly the crop did, each child received a new pair of shoes. "Papa always seemed to come up with the money," she would say. All of the children helped work on the farm, with the chores being shared by all. As they got older, the boys would help in the fields while the girls would help their mother at the house with cooking, cleaning, canning, churning, and the other things which many of us today know little about. Mary even had to haul water from the spring about a half-mile away! However, everyone would work the fields when the cotton came in. Mary learned from the farm that one does what one has to do, because otherwise, it goes undone. She was educated at the old Union School, a small, one room country schoolhouse near her home. Mary and her brothers and sisters walked to school every day, except, of course, when it was time to pick cotton. (Her children teasingly say that she walked to school barefoot, in the snow, uphill, both ways.) As the nation was in the grip of the Great Depression, resources at the school were rather limited. The younger children were in the same room as the older children and there was only one teacher. When the weather was warm, turning on the air conditioning meant to open the windows and for heat in the winter, a wood burning stove which consisted of a 55 gallon drum with an attached stovepipe was all there was. Of course, firewood wasn't a problem as the school was in the woods but somebody had to cut it, stack it, and bring it in. Today, we would say that these children were deprived of a good education due to a lack of funding, but Mary received an education that has served her well during her lifetime. Because of the difficulties of the day, she has ingrained in her being, an appreciation for taking advantage of educational opportunities, which she has passed on, to her children. A few months after her 14th birthday, America was plunged into the cauldron of World War II with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Mary says that she remembers listening to the news reports on the radio and about how shocked she and her family were. Her older brother Gus joined the army and was sent to the Pacific theater. Mary began a scrapbook with news clippings from papers and magazines concerning the preparation for war and the terrible battles that followed. As it raged on in the Pacific and Europe, little did Mary realize that events surrounding the war would have a dramatic impact upon her future. In July of 1944, Mary's brother Edwin was drafted into the army and underwent basic training before being shipped overseas to Europe in December. At about the same time, the Battle of the Bulge began in Belgium. These two events would play significant roles in her life for in March of 1945, Edwin tragically died in action against Nazi soldiers. His death was a terrible blow to Mary and her family but along with the sense of loss came a solemn pride in knowing that Edwin died in the service of his country. In April, the release from the German POW camps of a young soldier captured in the Battle of the Bulge was to have a profound and lasting impact upon her. In 1944, Mary, deciding to begin life on her own, left the family farm and traveled to Memphis to begin work. She lived for a while with her cousin Beth, who was married to Earl Brasfield and then moved to a boarding house. In December of 1945, Beth introduced Mary to Earl's brother, Louis, who had just recently been discharged from the army after spending four months as a prisoner of war. Louis and Mary married in May of 1946 and their first child, Mary Jane, was born in 1947. Bob followed in 1948 and Mike in 1949. Louis had begun learning the trade of watchmaker and jeweler and opened his business in the community of Frayser, TN, while Mary concentrated on the duties of homemaker and mother. The family began to grow again in 1955, with the birth of Barry, Paul came in 1957, and Roger in 1959. Almost immediately after Roger's birth, Louis moved his business to Humboldt and opened Brasfield's Jewelry in the cubbyhole shop next door to the Plaza Theater. The family followed in March of 1960, moving into the old Bethshares house at the corner of Mitchell and Central. In 1963, Louis moved the store to its present location at 1314 Main Street and he and Mary bought a new home on the Northeast side of town. In August of 1964, Mary's world changed forever when Louis passed away of a heart attack. She was left behind with six children and a business to run in which she had very little experience. Yet she knew that Humboldt was where she wanted to be and where her children needed to be so she decided to stay and continue on. Mary took over the business working there 9-10 hours per day and then coming home to feed the kids, clean, do laundry and the million other things that a parent must do. For nearly five years, Mary carried on alone. In 1969, she married Robert E. Mathews and now had someone to learn on. Bobby, as he is known, is her best friend, confidant, and supporter and together, they finished raising the three younger children. Mary has always been active in the community. She was a member of the Downtown Merchants Association for many years, and is active in the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW. Obviously veterans hold a special place in Mary's heart. Perhaps this stems from the sacrifices that her brother and first husband made in the Second World War. Mary semi-retired in 1989 when she sold the jewelry store to Roger who owns it today. Since retirement, Mary has volunteered at the Humboldt General Hospital and for the last two years has served on the hospital's Board of Advisors. While it can be said that Mary's legacy is one of courage and service, perhaps her greatest legacy lies elsewhere. At the present, Mary has 17 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. It is hoped that the lessons of service to others, courage, and sacrifice that Mary has always lived, will be passed on to them.

Mary married BRASFIELD, Edgar Louis about May 1946. Edgar (son of BRASFIELD, John Edgar and DEW, Rose Etta) was born on 9 Feb 1924 in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, USA; died on 15 Aug 1964 in Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee, USA; was buried in Humboldt, Gibson County, Tennessee, United States of America. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]