Ezekiel "Zeke" Henderson Bailey

The following stories/facts were taken from a conversation with Ezekiel "Zeke" Bailey before he passed away.

 <nowiki>----</nowiki>									 [Robert Henderson Freeman Uncle Bob (Robert Henderson)] didn’t die in 1918. He died after Zeke was married in 1934. His son [James "JJ"/"Jim" Freeman Jim] died in 1918.    He remembers this story just after he was married.         “ After we were married, 10 or 12 of us went rabbit hunting. We took off and came up by the old home place , and got to the White Place and stopped and talked.  Sam Parton said,” Boys I just got a sneaky feeling we’ll have better luck if we go right down this branch here to the river to the crossing to the swing bridge, in stead of going through the snow.”  Well we did spread out on each side of the branch going toward Uncle Bob’s . I was on one side of the branch and my  little old dog in the branch going toward where Virginia and Floyd live.  Uncle Bob came to the corner of the house and went to motioning for us. I seen him and said .” Thad Uncle Bob wants us  to come down there he’s motioning for us.” Thad jumped Th branch and we ran on down there. Poor feller had fell on ice and hurt his arm . I don’t think it was broken but he had it in a sling. He couldn’t move it. He was about frozen to death. I don’t know just how many shirts and coats he had on and had an old sheep skin wrapped around him.  He said,” Boys, I am about frozen to death, I don’t have a fire .”  It didn’t take but a very few minutes for us to build a fire. Thad grabbed the ax and started chopping. John had hauled a wagon or two of good size wood and put in the yard.   The Old feller couldn’t cut it because of his arm.  My brother Fred and someone else ran to Johns and got a cross cut saw and cut up every stick of that wood .  When Thad built a fire he filled the fireplace full.  Uncle Bob sat right in the fire, you might say, warming.  It wasn’t long until he shed the old sheep skin and scooted back from the fire . Then it wasn’t long until he shed a coat or two and kept on until he was down to his shirt. He said,” Boys, I won’t get to go to bed until after Midnight.” Thad said, “ Why Uncle Bob?”  “ I’ll have to wait up until that burn downs so I can cover up the coals. So I’ll have a fire in the morning.  I can’t go to bed until that burns down.  That’s the biggest fire that’s been in that fireplace.”  We stayed around until he got good and warm.  I believe, but can’t say for sure, that Thad fixed him some supper. We came on home and told mother about it. She went to see  him and took a cake of corn bread and gallon of milk.  He said,” Nancy ,If  you don’t care, I believe I’ll eat some of that milk and bread.  “ He said,” That’s about the best I have had in many a day.”																										 [Margaret Ann Melissa Ruvinie Hasseltine Jane Freeman Margaret Bailey] born Jan. 26,1881. Her full name was Margaret Ann Melissa Ruvinie Hasseltine Jane Bailey.  The story on this was:  When she was born all these ladies were there and they wanted Margaret's mother to name her what they wanted. But she said no. So she named her after all the ladies that were there.  																						 John Bailey moved to Ervin, TN and married again. Don’t know if his first wife died or what. He is buried in Ervin ,TN.  																		 [Charles Freeman Uncle Charley Freeman], J.O.’s brother, never married , He had TB. He had a room out on the porch, screened in. They thought this is what he needed, plenty of air. He lived with [Robert Henderson Freeman Robert Henderson Freeman]. 															

Dewey –Eve Winchester had a dau. Irene, She went to Calif. Comadore Allen married Eve and went to Calif. And lived close to Irene. Or that was what was told. Dewey’s 1st wife was Ida Mae Pate had 3 or 4 children. She left and went to Brevard. Another story: Daddy (Zeke's dad) bought a pig from Dewey and put it in a crib, higher than my head. It go out and went back home. So Dewey came over and said, “Uncle Tom, Have you lost a pig.” Daddy said,” Yea, I don’t know how or where it went to:” Dewey said, “ It came back over to the house.” So they went and got it and brought it home . Mother took cord and made a harness for the pig and stacked it out in the yard. They had a little trough out there for it. She called him Dewey. Every time she would go out in the yard , he would start squealing until she feed it. They kept it this way for a little while and then turned it loose. When it would get hungry it would go up to the porch and lay his head on it and squeal its head off until she came out and fed it. She could got out and hollower “D-E-W-E-Y, D-E-W-E-Y “ and he would come running.