Lizzie Baulch/Balch was born in 1859 in Puncheon, Giles County to Hiram Balch and Mary Ann Gant, and had one full brother, Marion Frank Baulch. (Note that the spelling of the Balch/Baulch name varies widely in records for this branch of the family, but "Balch" is the true spelling of the name going back to England in the 1500s.)
On July 25, 1875, Lizzie married Lewis Houston Cole. She was only 16 at the time, while Lewis was 31. The timing of this marriage is interesting, as they were married only seven days after Lizzie's mother, Mary Ann Gant Balch Hendrix died on July 18th. At the time of her death, Mary Ann was married to Lizzie's stepfather, George Washington Hendrix. There were seven children in the household when Mary Ann died: Lizzie and Marion Frank from her first marriage, and her five children with George.
Lizzie's husband Lewis would have been of modest means, as he was born out of wedlock to a teenage girl who died during childbirth and was subsequently raised by a grandmother and aunts and uncles. He would have had no parental support/inheritance to help him gain footing in life. Mary Ann, on the other hand, would have had rights to 50% of the land her father Hiram owned when he died. It may have been a marriage of convenience for both of them, as he would acquire land, and she would no longer live in a crowded household with her stepfather, five step siblings, and her brother Marion.
Mary Ann went on to have nine children with Lewis, including two sets of fraternal twins. Interestingly, their oldest child Thomas wasn't born for a full four years after their marriage. One has to wonder if children weren't intentionally delayed, as there is no indication any children died.
The family lived on land that she inherited from her father, who in turn had inherited it from his father Archibald Balch. Lizzie's brother Frank left Giles Co. and died in Houston, TX in 1949.
My aunts would say that Lizzie had a hard life and wasn't particularly affectionate
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Obituary from Pulaski Citizen
On Friday afternoon, April 17, at 5:45 o'clock, after all that loving hands could do, the soul of Mrs. Lewis Cole winged its way to the God who gave it. Mrs. Cole, who before her marriage was Miss Elizabeth Baulch of this county, was born Feb. 21, 1859. In early life she became a member of the Church of Christ and was a devout Christian all her remaining years. Truly, to know her was to love her. She leaves three sons, five daughters and a host of relatives and friends to mourn their loss. The sons, Wilson, Wilburn and Earl Cole. The daughters, Miss Beulah Cole, Mrs. W. J. Sewell and Mrs. Ray Davis of Pulaski; Mrs. W. D. Daniel of Prospect and Mrs. Russell Gilbert of Akron, Ohio. Funeral services were conducted by Elders Harris and Thomas at Puncheon Church after which the body was laid to rest under the beautiful mound of flowers in Noblit graveyard. May God, in his infinite mercy, comfort these broken hearts and lead them to a grand reunion in the land that knows no parting.
Lizzie Baulch/Balch was born in 1859 in Puncheon, Giles County to Hiram Balch and Mary Ann Gant, and had one full brother, Marion Frank Baulch. (Note that the spelling of the Balch/Baulch name varies widely in records for this branch of the family, but "Balch" is the true spelling of the name going back to England in the 1500s.)
On July 25, 1875, Lizzie married Lewis Houston Cole. She was only 16 at the time, while Lewis was 31. The timing of this marriage is interesting, as they were married only seven days after Lizzie's mother, Mary Ann Gant Balch Hendrix died on July 18th. At the time of her death, Mary Ann was married to Lizzie's stepfather, George Washington Hendrix. There were seven children in the household when Mary Ann died: Lizzie and Marion Frank from her first marriage, and her five children with George.
Lizzie's husband Lewis would have been of modest means, as he was born out of wedlock to a teenage girl who died during childbirth and was subsequently raised by a grandmother and aunts and uncles. He would have had no parental support/inheritance to help him gain footing in life. Mary Ann, on the other hand, would have had rights to 50% of the land her father Hiram owned when he died. It may have been a marriage of convenience for both of them, as he would acquire land, and she would no longer live in a crowded household with her stepfather, five step siblings, and her brother Marion.
Mary Ann went on to have nine children with Lewis, including two sets of fraternal twins. Interestingly, their oldest child Thomas wasn't born for a full four years after their marriage. One has to wonder if children weren't intentionally delayed, as there is no indication any children died.
The family lived on land that she inherited from her father, who in turn had inherited it from his father Archibald Balch. Lizzie's brother Frank left Giles Co. and died in Houston, TX in 1949.
My aunts would say that Lizzie had a hard life and wasn't particularly affectionate
******************************
Obituary from Pulaski Citizen
On Friday afternoon, April 17, at 5:45 o'clock, after all that loving hands could do, the soul of Mrs. Lewis Cole winged its way to the God who gave it. Mrs. Cole, who before her marriage was Miss Elizabeth Baulch of this county, was born Feb. 21, 1859. In early life she became a member of the Church of Christ and was a devout Christian all her remaining years. Truly, to know her was to love her. She leaves three sons, five daughters and a host of relatives and friends to mourn their loss. The sons, Wilson, Wilburn and Earl Cole. The daughters, Miss Beulah Cole, Mrs. W. J. Sewell and Mrs. Ray Davis of Pulaski; Mrs. W. D. Daniel of Prospect and Mrs. Russell Gilbert of Akron, Ohio. Funeral services were conducted by Elders Harris and Thomas at Puncheon Church after which the body was laid to rest under the beautiful mound of flowers in Noblit graveyard. May God, in his infinite mercy, comfort these broken hearts and lead them to a grand reunion in the land that knows no parting.
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