Hayes/Rhodes
My mother's maternal grandparents
James Markus "Jim" Hayes
and Alta Dovie Rhodes Hennessee Hayes
Rita's mother's maternal grandparents were James Markus Hayes and Frances Rhodes. When Frances died (Grandmother Foster was a small child) Papa Hayes married Frances' sister, a widow named Alta Dovie Rhodes Hennessee to help raise the girls. I called her Mama Hayes and she was absolutely a wonderful woman. I was so lucky to have had her love in my life.
They survived a devastating hurricane in Port Aransas, TX in 1919 in which they lost everything. And Mama Hayes survived losing Papa Hayes in 1948.
Here are some photos of the Hayes/Rhodes family:
Jim Hayes
I have been told that Papa Hayes was a gambler and the best horseshoe player my Uncle Jimmy ever saw. Uncle Jimmy told his son, Mark, that Papa Hayes could win at horseshoes even throwing them over the barn at the stakes. I'd have liked to have seen that.
Since Papa Hayes was a professional gambler he owned this pool hall in Wynnewood Oklahoma (with help from my Granddad Foster) and Mama Hayes used to cook chili on a hot plate and sell it here according to Aunt Faye.
And, Papa Hayes played the fiddle. My cousin, Mike, now has that fiddle, thank goodness! I'm so glad it's saved for "posterity". I just think Mike needs to take time to learn to play it ;-)
Mama and Papa Hayes with daughters ~~ my Grandmother Rosetta Elizabeth and her sister, Ethyl Hayes Curtis.
My grandmother Rosetta Hayes Foster
James Markus Hayes
Thanks to my cousin, Mark Foster, for the loan of the two discs above so I could scan them. Anyone got any ideas what they went on?
Alta Dovie Rhodes Hennessee (Mama Hayes) and her son whose name she wrote in her Bible as
"James Jimy Willie Hennessee
born 17 April 1904, died 15 September 1904"
James R Rhodes and wife Martha Reed Rhodes
parents of of Frances Rhodes Hayes and Dovie Rhodes Hennessee Hayes
This photo is of James and Martha Rhodes and daughters Frances, Dovie and Mattie.
All that was left of this photo of my Great-Grandmother Frances Rhodes Hayes.
Mama Hayes,
Frances and Jim Rhodes' sister was Mattie (Martha Louisa Rhodes Beavers).
Above is the only photo I have of her and here is her obituary provided by her
granddaughter, Ronita Beavers Jensen. It appeared in the Altus Times
Democrat , Altus, Oklahoma on Sunday, May 15, 1949. (Page 1, Column 2).
"Illness Is
Fatal To Mrs. Beavers"
Mrs. Mattie Louisa Beavers, 74, resident of Jackson county since 1907, died at
1:40 p.m. Saturday at her home in Blair.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at the Blair Baptist church with
Rev. Omar Hyde, Pastor, in charge. Burial will be made in the Blair cemetery
with the Tims Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Beavers was a native of Tennessee.
She is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Mollie Anderson of California; five sons,
H.C. and J.L. of Arizona, S.D. of Altus, C.G. of Reno, Nev., and Ollie of
Duncan; 11 grandchildren; and a sister, Mrs. Alta Dovie Hayes of Seminole,
Oklahoma."
This is Mama Hayes' brother, Jim Rhodes who married Sally Hennessee. They all lived at that time around Kaufman, TX. We have been unable to ascertain what that badge is.
Mama and Papa Hayes and their grandchildren My mother is in the second row on the right with her arm up.
My Mama Hayes
