Charles e FOSTER

                   THE BIOGRAPHY OF MARY ELIZABETH FOSTER
(BETTIE)
(Notes were taken from this biography of Mary Elizabeth Foster and used in a Genealogy Article by Sybil McRay. It was printed in The Daily Times, Gainesville, GA.)
Mary Elizabeth (Bettie) The daughter of Jesse, and Catherin, Fields was born enroute from Pickens County South Carolina to Union County, Georgia where her parents were emigrating from the former to the latter place, it is not known by the writer just what State, County, or town she was born in, however she was born on the 6th day of February, 1837 and arrived in this (Union) county soon after her birth, and located in the little town of Blairsviiie, just, four years after Union County had been layed off and incorporated as a County, they moved in to a house, part of which is still standing et this writing (1926 and in a stones throw of the Court House where the writer is typing this sketch) her father helpt to cut the logs, and build the first Court House Union county ever had, the same has long since went up in smoke, and where it stood, now stands a $50000.00 brick Court house.  After a short stay in the town of Blairsville, her father rented a small farm near town and went to farming for a living, Bettie grew up like most other poor girls in her day and time without much education her father being too poor too pay for her school-ing, which he would have had to do, it being before, the days of free schools, however, by diligent study at home at her leisure time when she was not in the field helping her father, she  learned to read and write, which proved a source of great pleasure to her in her after life.  When she was 17 years of age, she married George Smith, on the 14th, day of June 1855.  They made this (Union County) their home for some few years after their marriage.  To this union there were born four children., three boys and one girl, the girl and one of the boys died in infancy, two boys lived and is alive to this date 1923. The older one, Louis W. Smith was born in 1858 In Union County Ga. Joseph W. Smith, her next oldest son, was born in 1860 at the same place. About this time she moved with her husband to Tennessee(either Polk or McMinn County) the country at that time, from one side of the United States to the other) was unsettled, and in great trouble on account of the civil war, which was being agitated and talked of by every one you met.
The much talked of war finely came, with all of its heart breaks, sufferings and disappointments and the second child of Jesse fields, was destined to be in the midst of it all, and to stand what looks like no human could not stand.  Her husband was born and raised in the south, and loved the south, but he thought the country would be safer in the Union than out of it and the climax finely came when he would have to take choice of sides, fight for the south land and against what he thought was right, or against the south land and the land of his birth, and for what he thought was right and just, his concience told him that he never could make a good soldier and fight for something he thought was wrong, so one sad day he left his wife and little children to join the Union army and fight for what his heart told him right, but alas he never returned and was killed or died in the cruel war, but Bettie lived in hopes of his return, and fought the battle against poverty and suffering, working almost day and night to keep herself and little ones from cold and hunger, always with a prayer on her lips for the safty of her husband, and her two favorite brothers, (John and Thomas) as she call them who had saw fit to aline their selves with the Southern army.  Oh how she did suffer, her husband whom she loved and her dear brothers whom she had helped to raise and loved as only sisters can love brothers, alined against each other in deadly battle, husband on one side and two brothers on the other. We can never know what she suffered both mentally and physically but she was brave and of a stock that never gave up, and day after day as she worked and strove to keep herself and little children with food and clothes their was always a prayer on her lips asking the great God whom she trusted to help her bear her burden and she was sure he would, and at last the sad day came when she was told that her husband had crossed the great divide. How sad and lonely she felt, in a strange land without any kindred or friends to comfort her in her bereavment.  But all things must finally have an end although sometimes it seems a long time coming but her troubles in some extent was relieved by the help of her good neighbors, after they saw the distress she was in, and how faithful she had striven and how devoted she was to her master and the good fight she had made against poverty and distress, they all came to her aid and assistance and was relieved to a great extent of the hardships she had born.
In 1901, just 37 years after the incidents related above her five sons,, Louis W. and Joe Smith, Ulyssys G. William R. and Edmund L. Foster, all visited the old house in Tennessee where our mother lived during the war, the little log house was still standing but it had almost rotted down, we all went in and viewed the ruins, and let our imagination run back to the time when she was there alone.  It made our hearts sad, and as we departed from the old log hut we did so with tears in our eyes for we all knew from hearing her relate her war experience just what she had suffered in that old log house.
The war finally ended and in 1866 she met Charles Edmund Foster, a dashing young soldier who had served as a non-commissioned officer in the Union army, they both fell in love at first sight, and soon their love affair became real and in the course of a few months they got married.  Her husband at the time of their marriage was 24 years of age, had no property whatever and was very unexperienced in the way of making a living, he had a very good education for that day and time. He taught school and farmed for a living for some years after the war. The next event worthy of note, was the birth of their first child Ulyssus Grant Foster, which occurred on the 28th, day of February 1867, some time not long after the birth of Ulyssus the family moved to Georgia, and in to Union County where Edmund her husband engaged in farming.  Some time in the Seventies her husband Charles Edmund Foster, was elected to the office of Clerk of the Superior Court, which office he held at intevels until his death in 1887.  In the mean time. her second child by her last marriage William Robert Foster was born on October llth, 1869. Her life about this time was like the ordinary poor woman of the country always having a hard times to keep her children in school as much as possible in making and mending their clothes, cooking, carding and spinning and weaving the cloth that made the clothes, that her and her family wore, the young people of this day and age cannot realize the hardships that was placed upon their grandmother during and after the civil war. On October 26th in the year of our Lord  One Thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy-Three (1873) Edmund Lee Foster the third son of Chas. E. and Mary E. Foster was born.  She being at that time about 36 years of age, in 1877 her first daughter by her last marriage Eva Eldorado Foster was born and two years later about 1880 Fleta Jane Foster her last child was born, making in all nine children born to her all of which as far as known by the writer is alive at this  date (December 13th 1925) except the two little ones that died in infancy, mention, having already been made of them.
In the year 1884 her husband together with their oldest son Ulyssus made a trip to Texas with the Expectation of locating there but after a stay of six months he came back contented to make Georgia his home which pleased her to know that the rambling disposition of her husband was over and it was over for in the March 1887 he took sick while attending his duties as Clerk of the Superior Court and was never off his bed again, dying on the 16th, day of October 1887 leaving her with the four younger children, the rest having married off, to support and in almost destitute circumstances she again, faced what seemed almost an impossibility at her age and almost broke down but she always said where there is a will there is a way, so she again picked up courage to fight the battles against poverty, always looking to the higher power for guidance, she never forgetting to pray and to ask the Lord to help her raise her children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, for she was a devout Christian having joined the Baptist church at an early age in life and lived it ever afterwards.  How often I remember while gathered around our fire side, she would admonish us children to live clean lives. be honest, sober and upright in every respect live in a way that would be pleasing in the sight of the Lord, some of her advice we would take but like most all children there was some we would not take, but it was like bread upon waters cast what we failed to see but we have seen later and until yet her advice of years ago is heeded.
She was a sweet singer, and often she would gather us children around the fireside after her husband died and sing us sweet songs and when the two children of her brother (Thomas) came which they often did (they Leila and Virgel) would always have her sing, although her sweet voice has been stilled in death and her body has been mouldering in the clay for many years, I can almost hear her sweet melodies as she sang to us children around our humble fireside. We will never hear it here on earth any more, but thanks be to God the great giver and preserver of all things, I know he has preserved her soul in a better world and some day if we live as she lived we will be permitted to hear that sweet voice again where parting will be no more.
The latter part of her life was made more easy, in 1890 she was allowed a United States Pension as the widow of her late husband (Charles E. Foster).  After that she bought her a little home on the banks of the Notla River, in Union County 2 Â[1/2] miles south of Blairsville and there is where she lived when the summons came for her to join the redeemed ones above and on the 6th morning in May 1908 when the beautiful flowers of spring was budding forth surounded by her children, friends and loved ones she died at the age of 72 and was buried at the Harmany Grove Church yard by the side of her husband and near her father and many of her kindred that has gone on before. (BLESSED ARE THEY THAT DIE IN THE LORD)
This sketch was written by her son, Edmund L. Foster, December 12, and 13th, 1923.
Recopied by Florence Braun.. 2/28/35.
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