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James Madison and Agnes Flake Biography
James Madison and Agnes Flake Biography
Family, Flake-Love
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These parties were born June 22, 1815, and Nov. 6, 1819, the first in Anson
County and the second in the adjoining county of Richmond, N.C. Agnes Haily
(Hailey) Love was the daughter of William (Billie) Love, who was the son of
John Love and Mollie (Mary) Crawford, his wife, and Mollie Crawford was a
daughter of Thomas Crawford and a sister to Maston Crawford, William Crawford,
Patsy Crawford, and Nancy Crawford.
In the year of 1838, they were united in matrimony and in 1842, before it was
given, they started out to follow Horace Greeley’s advice: "Go West! Young
man, go West." With an old time "Prairie Schooner" which carried all their
earthly possessions of provision and household goods, with three small
children, two slaves, a twenty year old negro man and a ten year old negro
girl, given them by the parents of the wife, with two mares and a horse as a
motive power, they set out on the journey with Kemper County, Mississippi, as
the destination. There he became the owner of a good farm, salted his own
private hunting ground for deer, fed the wild turkey and was thus enabled to
go out any morning and quickly secure all the meat wanted. James Madison Flake
loved the chase and kept on this plantation a fine pack of hounds and two well
trained dogs. The hounds would chase the deer until he shot it, when they
would stop and the large dog which always stayed at his side would then go
after the deer, while the smaller was trained to follow behind and pick up
anything that was left or dropped. His hogs ran in the woods, fed upon the
acorn, and furnished him all of the pork and lard that was wanted. Thus the
young married life of this pair was being spent in happiness and ideal
pleasure.
A wealthy brother, learning of her widowhood, asked that she return to North
Carolina, promising that she nor her children should never want for anything,
if she would only leave the "Mormon" people alone. She replied that she knew
the Gospel was true and that she had rather wash for a living than to leave
the people whom she knew were right in thought as to religion. She remained
loyal to the teaching of the Latter-Day Saints and died in that faith. She was
a delicate woman and the pioneer life was too much for her. She soon failed
and when death was near, she refused to allow any one to sit up with her. Liz,
her negro girl, slept by the side of her bed and kept watch over her, waking
up with a word when anything was wanted. One night, realizing the end was
near, she told Liz to bring to her all the children. This done, Liz was sent
for a neighbor and while gone the children were given their last instruction.
The friend was told what to do with the children and then turning to the
eldest of her three children she said: "William! You are the oldest and I will
hold you responsible for the example you set before the younger ones." She
then kissed each one good-bye and lay back on her pillow. Her soul had gone to
meet her life’s companion, leaving these three orphans, the oldest fifteen
years, in a new country, and two thousand miles from the nearest kin, with no
railroads intervening.
Osmer D. Flake