James Tillison Rainwater

James Tillison Rainwater was born on 17 September 1836 in Alabama. His father was Burrell Rainwater, but his mother's identity is unknown. One of ten children born to his mother, James had lived in South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama by 1850.

On 3 February 1857, James married Millie Elizabeth Paris. The couple farmed in Paulding Co., Georgia and had four children: Miles, born ca 1857; John M., born Dec 1859; William James, born May 1862 and Sarah Revelou, born October 1864. Millie died shortly after Sarah's birth, and according to family legend, Sarah was taken in and raised by her maternal grandmother.

Sometime in 1864 or 1865, James married Susie Elizabeth Paris Wilson, a widow generally believed to be Millie's sister. They had five children: Louise F., born ca 1865, Henry D., born Oct 1867; Martha C., born May 1888; Amanda T., born ca 1874; and Olive D. Lulu, born Oct 1881.

Between 1881 and 1900, the couple moved to Holly Pond in Cullman Co., Alabama, where they spent the rest of their lives. James died on 1 March 1905, and Susie followed on 22 June 1913. Both are buried in Holly Pond Cemetery.

It is not clear whether James served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The Georgia records list a James T. Rainwater who served in the Georgia Artillary, 9th Battalion, Companies A & E, as a Private. However, neither James nor his second wife appear to have filed for a CSA pension, so its difficult to be certain that the CSA record in question is a good match. Certainly it's clear that two of James's children were born during the Civil War, so he must have been at home during some of that time.

This photograph appears to have been taken between 1850 and 1880, and was then enhanced with pencil or charcoal, in the style of the day.

Photo and biographical information supplied by Oscar S. Brooks. Additional biographical information supplied by Toni Parks.