Narrative

Sarah Jackson Beasley was born December 5, 1832 in Tennessee. I don't know who her parents were. I do know she married William Woodson May in Tennessee August 26, 1847. At the beginning of the Civil War, she was twenty-nine years old and the mother of four children, ages four to twelve. Her husband was a Captain in the Southern Army, and Sarah was left at home to tend the farm and care for the children. The Yankees came through taking anything they wanted. They took Sarah's cows and chickens.

The thing that hurt her the most occurred after William had been home and left his dress uniform, asking her to take care of it. She hid it in a drawer in the bedroom. One night the Yankees came and when she heard them in the kitchen, she asked her daughter, Louise, to take the uniform to the orchard and bury it. Louise was a scared little girl, and she grabbed what she thought was the uniform and buried it. Later one of the Yankees went searching through the house and found the uniform. He put it on and stood in front of William's picture that was on the mantle and used very abusive language to describe William. This hurt Sarah very much.

Sarah had a very difficult time during the Civil War years, but she was fortunate that her husband came home safely and they had many years together.

That little girl who buried the wrong uniform grew up to be Jessie Woodson Crutcher's mother, Louisa Sanders May.

Source: Thelma Carrell Jones

(Webmaster's note: Louisa Sanders May was the grandmother of Vera Lou Carrell Griffin. The middle name of Lou has been subsequently passed down through the generations for over one hundred fifty years. The middle name "Lou" was given to Vera's daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter.)