HistoricSiteMarkers
Civil WarEarly Republic

Mrs. Mary E. Reeves

Lost Prairie, Limestone County, Texas

Marker Inscription

(October 28, 1828 - January 7, 1917) Born in Georgia, a daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Ben Hawkins, Mary Ellephan Hawkins was married in 1847 in Alabama to William Jay Reeves. The couple and their young children moved to Texas about 1855. While her husband served in Company F, 15th Texas Cavalry, Sweet Regiment during the Civil War, Mary E. Reeves cared for the family at home. Descendants include physicians, lawyers, bankers, and citizens in many other walks of life. Recorded - 1978

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Born in Georgia in 1828, Mary Ellephan Hawkins married William Jay Reeves in Alabama in 1847 and moved with their young children to Texas around 1855. When her husband went off to serve in Company F of the 15th Texas Cavalry during the Civil War, she held the family together at home, shouldering the hard work of a wartime household. Her descendants went on to become physicians, lawyers, bankers, and citizens in many walks of life.

Why it matters

Her story honors the women who sustained homes and families on the Texas home front while their husbands fought in the Civil War.

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Related people

  • · Mary E. Reeves
  • · William Jay Reeves

Related events

  • · Civil War home front

Themes & tags

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