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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1182
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WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to |
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recognize the members of the Williams-Livingston family on the |
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grand occasion of their family reunion, which is being held |
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June 3 through 5, 2011, in Kirvin; and |
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WHEREAS, Every year on the first Saturday in June, members |
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of the Williams-Livingston family hold a reunion to celebrate |
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their heritage and to commemorate the birth of Mamie Elizabeth |
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"Mama Mae" Williams; they invite friends from across Texas and |
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the United States and share their celebration of family love and |
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unity, religious roots, and community; and |
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WHEREAS, Family history reveals that the Charles |
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Livingston family moved from Virginia as freed slaves and arrived |
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in the Freestone County area in the early 1800s; the family |
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settled in the area known as Cotton Gin and sharecropped on |
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various local farms; and |
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WHEREAS, Caroline Livingston's family moved from Alabama to |
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Kirvin in Freestone County, arriving in covered wagons, on foot, |
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and on horseback; they settled on the Alfred Carter farm and worked |
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his land; and |
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WHEREAS, Caroline and Charles Livingston's children, Elbert |
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Jefferson, Fannie, Foster, Elizabeth, and Callie, supported their |
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community and were instrumental in establishing Woods Chapel |
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Primitive Baptist Church, which is still an active church today; |
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they also helped create a public school system for their children |
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and for the children from surrounding communities; and |
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WHEREAS, The members of the Williams-Livingston family who |
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host the annual reunion are the descendants of Caroline and |
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Charles Livingston's daughter Elizabeth Livingston; born July 2, |
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1866, she married Austin Williams, a freed slave from Tennessee, |
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and the couple had 10 children, one of whom was Mamie Elizabeth |
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"Mama Mae" Williams, who was born June 1, 1889; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of her long life, Mamie Elizabeth |
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"Mama Mae" Williams became the matriarch of the Williams-Livingston |
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family; she died in 1987 at the age of 98; two of her children, |
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Johnnie Lucille Evans Wallace and Cathelyn Francis Dawson Butcher, |
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remain as her living legacy; and |
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WHEREAS, Other strong women who have taken on the mantle of |
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matriarch are Lura Bess Garrett Douglas, Annie Laura Blaine |
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Pelton, and Ethelyn DeLon Washington Oliver; the patriarch of the |
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family is Johnnie Franklin Carter, with Charles Barton, Robert |
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Powers, and Gary Pelton sharing their wisdom and support; Joe |
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Rogers, Kenneth Payne, Joe Fletcher, David Hill, and Archie |
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Pelton, Jr., also unselfishly serve the family; and |
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WHEREAS, The branch of the family extending from Mama Mae |
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has successfully worked to reconnect with other branches of the |
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family from across the state and nation, and today, more new |
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family members attend each reunion; and |
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WHEREAS, Williams-Livingston family members are |
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successful men and women who have contributed greatly to their |
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communities though their leadership, their professionalism and |
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entrepreneurial spirit, and their concern for others; they are |
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exemplary citizens who believe strongly in traditional values |
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and who instill in their children the virtues of love, family, |
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and hard work; and |
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WHEREAS, The annual Williams-Livingston reunion is the |
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manifestation of the family's belief in unity, loyalty, and pride |
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in one's heritage; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd |
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Legislature, hereby extend to the members of the Williams-Livingston |
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family best wishes for a joyous and memorable family reunion and |
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recognize June 4, 2011, as Williams-Livingston Day in this state; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for the |
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family as a memento of this special occasion. |
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West |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on May 25, 2011. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |