Mississippi had seceded from the Union in 1861. The decision was influenced by an elite group of plantation owners. They evidently had confidence that the Confederate states would prevail in the war. Extended battles were fought in the state--several were relatively close to Tinnin such as Champion Hill and, somewhat more distant, Vicksburg. Most battle wins (particularly the major battles) went to the Union. After 1863, astute Confederates could see that there was no future in the war effort. Bringing the War to a close and reconstruction of the South required major leadership and financial investment. Mississippi would return to the Union some nine years after it seceded. Achieving equality for all citizens remained a challenge for many years--even to this day. Many former slaves and their families left the state. Some remained as penniless sharecroppers and tenant farmers.
Youngsters in the Shepard family who were approaching adulthood were unsettled by what they had heard and witnessed. Some were wondering if this war experience would ever end. And, life was hard--lots of work and little income. Things would get better. There would be ups and downs, successes and failures. Pleasures in life had to be gleaned from simple things that didn't require money.
Children in the family began to think about their future. Could they escape such a hard life? Would they have food? Clothing? Safety? Their experiences caused them to grow up fast. School wasn't much of an issue--no one in the family went to school more than a few days each year. The Tinnin schoolhouse was not a very impressive place and usually had one teacher for eight grades. But, all the Shepards could read and write to an extent--at least enough to get by. Some adults in the community could sign their names though others only used an X.
Ellen dreamed of a future romance and life as a wife, mother, and homemaker. She had entered womanhood. She had to sort things out for herself. Sometimes things looked bleak. How could she find a better life? She wasn't sure if a better life even existed. The dream was of a loving, kind, and considerate man who would carry her away to a good, secure life with plenty to live on.
Finding Romance
Ellen and all the Shepard family adjusted as best they could following their ordeal at the hands of Union soldiers. Now, they hoped the Confederates would stay away and let the family and farm heal. And, they did, as the Union forces had pretty well depleted the will of the Confederate soldiers to fight for a losing cause.
The fall harvest of 1863 had been made. Eleven bales of cotton, worth about $375, had been picked and ginned. Production was down from a couple of years ago when the farm still had slaves. Beyond the money for the cotton, there wasn't much cash income available. Self-sufficiency was so important--grow potatoes, corn, beans, greens, okra, squash, and other foods. Raise a few animals, particularly pigs for butchering and chickens for eggs and meat. Not much was gleaned from hunting game; the Shepard family was never much into hunting. Times were hard.
With the harvest done, Ellen had a little spare time. She did some knitting and general things around the house. Her thoughts began to wonder about a larger world. Ellen and her first cousin Susan Ratliff were about the same age and shared some of the same interests in getting a man. They often talked about what they wanted in a man and assessed local young men in terms of their dreams. Except for an occasional outing at a church singing or barbecue, they didn't have contact with many men in the Tinnin community who were eligible or met the standards that they had.
Susan and Ellen would typically find fault with the local young men--they were not bathed, were not considerate, had poor personal skills, lacked education, had little potential for income, were dishonest or not trustworthy, and were immoral by the standards of the day. Some might drink too much whiskey or carry on close relationships with women they deemed inappropriate for the man they wanted.
Thanks to a friend, Susan was about to help change their lack of men. On the second Friday in November, Susan walked over to Ellen's home--about a mile away. Susan told Ellen that she and her friend, Beatrice, were going to Brandon on Saturday. They would spend the night with the family of an aunt and return late Sunday. They invited Ellen to go with them. But, before she went, Ellen wanted to know more about their activities.
Other than the experience being a good outing, the incentive was that there were a few young, single men in Brandon. They had come there to help reconstruct the town and railroad after damage by soldiers in the Civil War. Susan explained to Ellen that these men had jobs and made money. Now, that was appealing. During the war, people had very little money. But, Susan didn't know much about the education, morals, and personal backgrounds of the men--they had come from all around. Maybe they were dodging military service with the Confederate or Union forces, or maybe they had just gotten out of prison, or maybe they had deserted wives and families in other states. Anyway, Susan, Beatrice, and Ellen decided they would go and check out the situation.
Susan explained that the fare on the train from Clinton to Brandon was $1 each way. They would each need $2. They would get Susan's younger brother, Robbie, to drive them to the Clinton depot in the family's wagon and return on Sunday to get them. That sure sounded good to Ellen. She had turned 16 in September and was approaching the age of major interest in men, particularly men who had jobs and made money.
So, Ellen got permission from Ma and Pa to go--not always easy. She told them that her cousin had invited her to go with her and a friend. Ellen didn't tell them that there were possibly some single men of interest. She packed a few things, including a fairly fancy dress and her "prettying-up stuff." She got almost everything ready to go by Friday night.
Saturday morning arrived, and the wagon driven by Susan's brother came but was about five minutes late. Susan and Beatrice were in the wagon. Ellen, always conscientious, was concerned that they might be late arriving at the depot and miss the train. She mentioned it. Robbie popped the lines on the horses' rumps to speed them up. They arrived at the depot in Clinton nearing 9:00 a.m. and caught the 9:23 train to Jackson; it continued on to Brandon.
The train arrived in Brandon at 12:28. Susan's aunt was there to meet them. She took them to her home, where they refreshed and prettied up a tad before going to the barbecue, singing, and dancing at the local Presbyterian Church. (It was a bit more liberal about such activities than the local Mason Chapel in Tinnin and defined sin, whatever that is, a little differently.) Ellen was so very pretty and womanly after getting ready. She was enough to tempt any man's eyes.
A small crowd was there when they got to the church on Government Street in Brandon. More people were arriving. Ellen was a tad shy at first. She was experiencing a lot of new things. The aunt introduced her to a few people. She got some barbecued goat, a baked sweet potato, and some corn pone. She, Susan, and Beatrice took their plates over to an empty table outside to sit.
Men in the crowd had been admiring the young women, particularly good-looking Ellen. Three men got their food and sauntered over to sit with the women. The one that sat by Ellen asked her name; she shyly said, "Ellen. What's yours?"
"Jasper," he replied.
"Where do you live?," "Do you like this barbecue?," and such were questions that guided their conversation.
Both Ellen and Jasper instantly felt some sort of attraction to each other. They continued to sit at the table and talk after they finished eating. Susan and Beatrice had left the table with the men they were sitting with. Ellen had overheard Beatrice's man say that there was some fresh, soft hay in the stable on the other side of the church building where folks put their horses during services. Both couples were soon nowhere to be seen. Ellen wasn't sure about what was next with Jasper. She kept remembering what her mother always said, "No young man good enough for marrying wants to marry a used woman." Apparently, Jasper had some of the same feelings, but Ellen didn't know. Ellen carefully structured the conversation and activities in a "safe" direction. She kept remembering what her mother taught her about relationships between men and women.
Ellen