Hamilton, Cornelia
HAMILTON, CORNELIA
McKinney Democrat, February 24, 1921
RESIDENT OF McKINNEY 68 YEARS IS DEAD
After a residence of sixty eight years in McKinney, Mrs. Cornelia Virginia Hamilton died at 9:55 o’clock Saturday forenoon at the home of her grand daughters, Misses Maude and Corrie Davis, 106 South Parker street. She was taken down on her ninety-first birthday, February 8. Her illness was serious almost from the first and she fully realized that the end was approaching and calmly made all arrangements to that effect.
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Obituary.
Miss Cornelia Virginia Allen was born February 8, 1830, at Cane Hill, Washington county, Arkansas, where she lived until she was twenty three years of age, when she moved with her father’s family to this county and settled near Melissa on what is now known as the P. H. Bateman old home place. She was the daughter of Jonathan and Martha Allen, who settled there on a large tract of land in the year 1853. Jonathan Allen was county official soon after the county was organized being chief justice or the office now corresponding to the county judgeship. Jonathan Allen and his son, M. W. Allen first came to the county in 1851 to select a home. M. W. Allen served in the State Senate of Texas from 1857 to 1869. M. W. Allen was the father of Dick Allen, Mrs. L. A. Scott and Mrs. J. E. Wiley, all three now living in McKinney.
Mrs. Hamilton was one of a family of thirteen children, all of whom are now deceased except P. P. Allen, Confederate veteran, who is now in the Old Soldiers Home at Austin, Texas. When a girl, she attended college at Van Buren, Ark. She was a lady of refinement, cultivated mind, a devout Christian and a persistent Bible student. She professed Christianity in childhood and was a lifelong member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. She was married in June, 1855, to Peyton Hamilton, a pioneer school teacher of our county, who died of fever on August 9, 1863, at New Iberia, Louisiana, while in the Confederate army. He was a member of Colonel afterwards Gov. Throckmorton’s regiment and Col. Throckmorton notified Mrs. Hamilton by letter of her bereavement. Peyton Hamilton and his wife settled on a farm just South of McKinney which is still owned by their son,Bob Hamilton. He taught a private school at his farm home before the war. Among his pupils still living in McKinney, is T. H. Muse, one of our oldest citizens. Mrs. Hamilton was the mother of three children, one daughter and two sons. The daughter, Miss Mattie Wallace Hamilton, married John N. Davis of this city, both of whom are now deceased. The two surviving sons are, Robert E. and W. H. Hamilton, both of McKinney. Grandma Hamilton, as she has been known to her neighbors and relatives for many years, not only reared her own children, but during her long and busy life she mothered the children of three or four other families, which had been deprived of their parents. These were mostly her grandchildren and nephews and nieces. She was a sister of Mrs. P. H. Bateman, deceased of Melissa; also of Mrs. Charles Heard, the mother of John S., S. D. and C. P. Heard and of Mrs. W. A. Rhea, all of McKinney. She was also the sister of Mrs. Mollie Cannon, who many years ago lived in McKinney on the site of the present home of Dr. J. E. Gibson. Dr. Tom Allen of Coalgate, Oklahoma, now deceased, was one of her brothers. She was one of the most lovable old Southern characters who ever lived. Her great, tender sympathetic heart joined in the sorrows of everyone coming within the range of her own family and a number of orphaned grandchildren, nephews and nieces. She spent her last years at the home of her grandson, Dowden Davis, and granddaughters, Misses Maude and Corrie Davis, who loved her devotedly and ministered to her tenderly.
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Funeral Services.
Funeral services were conducted by her pastor, Dr. E. B. Fincher, at the residence at 3 o’clock Sunday afternoon.
Burial took place in the Pecan Grove Cemetery.
The active pall bearers: Will J. Rhea, James P. Thomas, Dr. J. E. Hunter, Charlie Sears, T. E. Craig and A. M. Scott.
The honorary pallbearers were: J. C. Rhea, Dr. Wiley, A. B. Goddard. W. W. Kerr, L. A. Scott, W. M. Kerr, J. P. Nenney, T. H. Muse, J. D. Page, A. J. Cline, T. A. Dorsey and R. B. Davis.
