Hello Mr. Hill (Al):

Elsie Tate was my aunt. She died in 2004 at 94 yrs old. She was very sharp until the very end. At the time you spoke with her, I had not yet found the marriage I mentioned in the earlier post and had not found Caldonia on the census using the name Robertson. We don't have any official records of a marriage other than that. Elsie Mason, who first posted here in 2002, is the daughter of Elsie Tate.

That story about Caldonia and the property in the Gizzard has been told to me before. So far, I haven't found anything to prove or disprove it. I do know that my Aunt Ellen, Elsie's sister, was going to school at one point at Warner's Log Camp School. I've been told that Daddy Will (Will Harris) was working out there at the time the younger children were at school there. The younger boys, Uncle Slick (Carl), Uncle Homer and Uncle Dub (George W.) were also at school there.

Caldonia had 2 sons with Tom Pyburn. Noah and Jess; they both used the surname Harris. She had 3 children with G.W. Robertson. Will, Mattie and Oma. Aunt Oma used the surname Robertson. Daddy Will always used Harris and Mattie used Harris as far as I know. Caldonia then had 3 children with Jim Dove. Mary, Henry and Viola. I thought Mary also used Dove and I know Aunt Viola used the name Dove. Uncle Henry always used the Harris surname.

One of my aunts went to the courthouse looking for records about the property Caldonia homesteaded. I also looked at the Archives when I was in Nashville in 2006, but neither of us had any luck.

From all accounts I've heard, Caldonia was a very colorful character and a formidable woman. One of my uncles said she had "grit."