Mary Rebecca Hetherington

A Brief Account of the Hetherington and Broughton Families

Compiled by Charlie Tillery

Mary Rebecca Hetherington was born February 28, 1873, at Monroeville, Alabama. She came to Texas when she was twelve years of age with her family, by boat on the Alabama River from Claiborne to Mobile, and from Mobile, Alabama, to Reagan, Texas, by rail. For the next six years she lived with her parents and brothers and sisters on the family’s farm one mile south of Reagan, assisting with the housekeeping, the cooking, sewing, the family laundry, and the many other chores incident to life on a farm in the 1880’s. She went to school at Reagan, and studied reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, and geography. She never considered herself a good student, but I think it was more a matter of shyness than lack of capacity. As a young girl she did a large amount of very fine crocheted lace and fancy needle work. I never heard of her going to many parties or other social events.

On December 31, 1891, she married John Preston Tillery and went to live with him on the fifty-acre farm which he had bought from Merritt Hickman just across the road from her father’s farm. On this farm she lived until the death of her husband August 10, 1929. Then she moved to 2405 Grim Avenue, Waco, Texas, where she lived with her daughter, Maggie, and her son-in-law, David Gathings.

In the summer of 1936 she lost her health and came to Fort Worth, and lived with Miss Bessie Kate Jackson, 5100 Curzon, until the end of 1950. She was then removed to 5043 Morris Street, Fort Worth, where she had a room with Mrs. Lora M. Morris, who looked after her needs. She did fairly well until the middle of the summer of 1951, which was very dry and hot, when she became ill and tired and extremely worn. She died suddenly on the morning of September II, 1951. She is buried in the Waite Cemetery at Reagan, Texas.

Like most folks who have reached maturity, I remember many things about mama. The mother instinct in her was extraordinarily strong, and she placed the welfare of her children and family above all other things. She was conscientious in training her children to be obedient and truthful and honest, and worked night and day to keep them clean in mind and body and looking presentable. She was orderly about her housekeeping and never compromised with dust or dirt or filth. She scrubbed the floors with soap and water and a mop made from corn shucks; varnished the furniture; and washed and dusted the wood work. She cooked the best meals possible, with the supplies she had on hand. She milked the cows, looked after the milk, did most of the work in the garden, gathered the vegetables, put up peaches, tomatoes, beets, cucumbers, beans, preserves and jellies, sewed for the family, and in a pinch chopped cotton and picked cotton. She was frugal and never wasted anything that could be used.

I don’t believe that, even as a young wife and mother, she was an entirely cheerful or happy person. She was too shy and reserved and conscientious about things to really let herself go and have a good time. She did hum and sing as she went about her work, but like most of the Hetheringtons, she did not have a talent for singing. I have no doubt that her happiest moments were spent in doing things for her family.

She was eighteen years old when she married John Tillery, who was seventeen years her senior. So far as I know this discrepancy in age posed no problem. She spoke of “my husband” with genuine pride, and they treated each other courteously and with fairness and consideration. They both worked hard making a living, and believed in the golden rule and the ten-commandments, and were exposed to few if any silly romantic notions. There was little chance for serious disagreements.

Mama was a nervous, uneasy sort of person, which detracted from her chance for happiness and contentment. She was afraid to be left alone, especially nights; she worried about the health of the family. Her children had a hard time getting away for picnics, swimming parties, and hunting trips. There were snakes and mad dogs and little boys did sometimes drown or were accidentally shot. Separation from her family was an ordeal, because she was afraid something injurious might happen to them while they were away. I know it taxed her courage to send her children away to school or to work, and the only reason she would have consented to such separation was that she realized the welfare of the child was involved. I believe she would have risked anything rather than face the threatened loss of the love and affection of one of her children.

In a way, she presented a great contradiction. One of the best of mothers and the most honest and truthful of persons, she never felt that she was good or deserving. How this unusual attitude developed I do not know. Possibly there was something in her physical, mental, or emotional make-up which caused it. It might be that hard times after the Civil War contributed to her pessimistic outlook. She was a fairly large woman, with round shoulders and poor posture even when a young woman, and was I am sure never the cute type of girl. She was shy and reserved and sensitive and lacking in confidence, but possessed a will to do things for her family.

I never participated in many recreational undertakings with mama, like going on trips. I remember her helping to set traps for partridges during a snow storm when the birds were hungry and came into the cow lot to feed (we did not catch any); her nursing the members of the family when they were ill; her taking care of the babies and watching over them and tucking the older ones in at night; the loss of an infant son, John Broughton, and her extreme grief; her preparing any game, rabbits, squirrels, quail or other birds, or fish, for her boys who went hunting or fishing and brought game home; and her packing trunks for the sons and daughters going away to school. There was never any occasion to experience a feeling of insecurity caused by the lack of a mother’s love, and much happiness experienced by her children was due to her constant care and concern.

To Mary Rebecca Tillery and her husband John, were born the following children:

1. Jesse Grady Tillery was born May 8, 1894. He married Valentine Harmon September 9, 1930, and they have one daughter, Mary Helen, who was born December,19, 1932. Mary Helen married Sam McCombs February 28, 1952. Jesse is an auditor employed by the State Auditor’s Office, and he and his family live at 813 Anna Street, Denton, Texas. He served for two years in the U.S. Navy during World War I.

2.Charles Benjamin Tillery was born January 16, 1896. He married Edna Saxon May 27, 1922, and they have two children: John Paul Tillery, born December 31, 1927, and Dorothy Louise Tillery, born March 18, 1933. Dorothy married Ed Nowland August 12, 1953. They have a son, born October 18, 1954, whose name is Charles Edward Nowland. Charlie served for a little less than two years in the U. S. Navy, Naval Aviation School, Great Lakes, lllinois, during World War I. He and his family live at 3025 Glen Garden Drive, Fort Worth, Texas.

3.Maggie Lee Tillery was born March 19, 1899. She married David Ervin Gathings February 9, 1924. David was born January 26, 1879, and died September 7, 1940. On July 31, 1949, Maggie married James Aaron Wallace, who had two children, James Wallace, Jr., born September 17, 1935, and Dorothy Jo Wallace, born November 15, 1937. They live at 2405 Grim Avenue, Waco, Texas. Maggie has been employed by the Southwestern Telephone Company more than thirty years. (Maggie died Jan. 13, 1955.)

4.Robert Preston Tilley was born April 22, 1901. He married Sallie May Fountain November 24, 1928, and they have one son, Preston James Tillery, who was born February 20, 1932. Robert is employed by the Gulf Company, and he and his family live at 2337 8th Street, Port Arthur, Texas.

5.Ola May Tillery was born March 10, 1904. She married Robert Francis Brown August 4, 1929. He was born July 14, 1898, at Crossmaglen, County Armagh, Ireland. They have two daughters, Frances, who was born June 14, 1929, and Christine, who was born December 19, 1931. Frances married Bill Frantz, and has two children: Stephen William and Phyllis Lynn. Christine is in training for nursing in the Masonic Hospital of Chicago. Their address is 5244 Glenwood, Chicago 40, Illinois. (Christine married Kenneth M. Ziems November 29, 1952.)

6.Alice Ellen Tillery was born May 4, 1909. She married Jerome L. Kerby February 28, 1931, at Austin, Texas, and they have two children: Jerome Howard Kerby, born October 31, 1941, and Catherine Jane, born October 8, 1944. They live at Weatherford, Texas.

7.Infant Child, born July 5, 1893; died July 6, 1893. Buried in Covington Cemetery.

8.John Broughton Tillery, born February 23, 1907; died March 10, 1907. Buried in Covington Cemetery.

9.Mary Rebecca Tillery, in June, 1952, had six living children, eight grandchildren, and no great grandchildren.