Catherine Thompson Warren
Born on Christmas eve 1855, 'Kit' as she was called, was third to the youngest of ten children born to Abraham Thompson (born 1819 SC) who had married Martha Elizabeth 'Patsy' Adams (b. 9 Jan 1842 Coweta Co. GA) on the 9th of January 1842 in Heard County, GA. Kit's family lived and farmed in Franklin, Heard County, GA. On April 30, 1862 her father Abraham Thompson at age 43 joined the ranks of those fighting for the Southern cause. He enlisted as a private in Company G, 53rd Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry from Coweta. By October 31, 1862, a bare 6 months later, he was sick and in the hospital at Winchester, Richmond, VA. He then was in the Richmond Chimbarazo Hospital #2 on Nov. 12, 1862 with rheumatism. He was transferred to Palmyra Hospital December 1, 1862 through February 6, 1863. He was next in the Richmond GH Hospital #1 on May 18, 1863 and died May 19, 1863 in Richmond, VA at age 44 from a relapse of the measles leaving a widow and 10 children. He did not return to Georgia soil, but was buried in Richmond, VA in the Hollywood Cemetery, Sec. T #132. Kits siblings were, in order of birth: Phoebe Ann b. 1842, Martha b. 1845, William 'Willie' Washington b. 1846, James Robert b. 1851, Sarah Ann E. b. 1849, Lowdusky b. 1851, Tommy b. 1853, Joseph Lewis F. b. 1858 and last Minnie Martha Elizabeth born during the war. The Abraham Thompson family owned 100 acres in Land lot 57 in what was originally Carroll County, GA but which became Heard County, GA. The family attended the Salem United Methodist Church in Heard County, GA. Kit's mother Martha (Adams) Thompson is buried in the Salem United Methodist Church cemetery, as are her children Phoebe, Martha, James, Sarah, Lowdusky, Tommy Thompson. Willie was buried in Grapevine Cemetery near Dallas, Joseph in Olive Branch Church Cemetery in Heard, Minnie in St. Paul's Cemetery, Franklin Co. AL.
It is believed that the family of Sherrod Warren and his wife Jackebed lived and farmed not far from the Thompsons. They may even have attended the same church. Jackebed Warren also became a widow following the Civil War, also losing her husband from the measles. Two neighboring widows with children to raise. Two young children of these families became acquainted, fell in love and Kit Thompson married Uriah George 'Duncan' Warren in Heard County, GA. While no marriage certificate exists to place the exact date, it was by 1879 as their first child was born April 27, 1880, a little girl called Eula Bee Warren. Kit would have been 24 and Uriah 26 years of age. In 1880 Uriah and Kit Warren were farming in Georgia Military District 761 in Heard County, adjacent to farms owned by two of his brothers, Sherrod 'Bullis' Warren and John Stephen Warren. His sister, Martilla A. Warren had married and moved to Carroll County, GA with her husband Cicero 'Irvin' Houston.
At some point Uriah George Warren and his wife Kit, and his brother John Stephen Warren and wife Effie, made a decision to move to Rusk County, Texas. Exactly why or when is not known. Kit's mother-in-law, the widow Jackebed Warren was to go with them and their growing families when they made the move. One of Kit's sons, Lonnie Warren said he moved to Texas when he was about 5. That would put it around 1885. As it ended up, half of Kit's children were born in GA, the other half in Rusk County, TX. Jackebed (Pace) Warren, Uriah's mother, died of pneumonia is February 1885 and was buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery. It was a freezing winter, the entire family was seriously ill, and the ground frozen and near impossible to dig. Jackebed Warren was laid to rest in the nearest place they could find. The entire family was too ill to attend. Later Uriah and Kit lived on a farm north of Henderson in the Jacob's Community. The family attended the Fountainhead Methodist Church. Theirs was a life of hard work, farming and raising eight children. Kit (Thompson) Warren was the ideal woman of her time. She was everywhere. Descendants said Kit would wrap pears in newspapers and keep them in the closet for winter and it made the house smell good. Kit and her daughter Eula would cook together in the kitchen and can food. In winter Uriah would always kill a hog and then there was a lot to be done. They made sausage and partly cooked them, then put them in big crocks and poured grease over them. They would stay good after they kept them in the smokehouse where they also stored hung hams and bacon. Kit often kept things cold by hanging them on a rope down the well. There are family memories of Kit sitting by the tall front windows in a chair with a Bible in her hands. She was described as plainspoken, a person who went to church regularly, was a good Christian, had very little but what they had everything was always very clean and in place.
Kit (Thompson) Warren died on 28 July 1931, a year after her husband. She was laid to final rest in the Pirtle Baptist Cemetery in Rusk County.