Chapter 18

Ringing in a New Century

As 1899 drew to a close and the Wares set about ushering in the new century of 1900, Jane found herself looking at a world much changed.  She was now a widow at the age of 68, and her children were all getting older as well.  Fanny was now 41, Somerville (still a bachelor at the time) was 38, and Eudora was 36 and still living in Santiago Papasquiaro, Mexico.  The 1900 census records show Somerville as a boarder with the Walling family for that year, so it was only natural that Jane would move in with her eldest daughter in Belton.  The Elliotts had a lovely home that was spacious and inviting.    

Joel Elliott House

Photos taken by James & Judy Ware

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The 1900 Federal Census below shows clearly that Jane was living with the Elliotts in that year.

1900 Federal Census, Texas, Bell County, Elliott, Joel - white, male, 1/1851, age: 49,. Fannie G. - wife, female, 6/1859, age: 41, married, mother of how many children: Robert R. - son, white, male, 6/1885, age: 15, Frank G. - son, male, 4/1887, age: 13,  Joel W. - son,  male, 7/1892, age: 7,  Ware,     Jane M. - mother-in-law, female, 2/1832, age: 68, widowed.

Jane, in all likelihood, enjoyed living in Belton with her daughter and grandchildren – especially when she heard about the weather back in her old home in Nueces County.  The newspaper recorded: “Then the winter of 1900 arrived, and with it the I3th of February, the coldest day ever recorded in Texas.  Thousands of birds flying over Nueces Bay, north of town, were frozen, and falling into the bay, were swept to the southern shore by the fierce ‘Norther’ raging, where they lay in a long windrow, in some places several feet deep.”  It was not a good winter to live near the coast!  Jane attended the 1900 UDC Convention which was held near her ‘old stomping grounds’ on December 4-6 in Corsicana, Texas. 

    
Program from the 1900 Convention

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She continued to fight hard for the Confederate Home, even though James no longer lived there.  The above article shows her heading the committee that addressed their concerns.  One of their priorities was “asking the legislature of Texas to provide such additions to the Confederate home as will be sufficient to accommodate all veterans entitled to the bounty of the State.”

While working in the states, Jane must have stayed continually concerned about her youngest child, Dora, who lived so far away.  On May 22, 1900, John Dean was doing railroad work at Camp Chinacates while Eudora stayed at Santiago.  His work often took him all around that section of Mexico – with his home base frequently in Durango.  In a letter to her mother, Eudora mentioned that “I am just back from Durango where I went to help nurse Mr. Dean over one of his bilious attacks.”   Noted author, Mrs. Alec Tweedy, wrote of her own personal experience in Mexico in 1900: “In Durango ... there are pueblos where no wedding has occurred in a generation!  The government has decided to abolish polygamy, and insist on marriage.  They are none too soon in undertaking this delicate task; the state of affairs revealed is simply awful!” (Ref. 4001) As bad as that sounded, it made where Dora was staying sound even worse.  According to Tweedy, “when we pulled up at Santiago, a miniature Jerusalem lay before us.  One-storeyed, flat-roofed, windowless, mud-brick houses, huge prickly pears and cactus, long-haired pigs, women with shawls over their heads, generally bare-footed, or, if richer, wearing sandals of leather, all these met our view.”  Mrs. Tweedy felt that Mexico was “truly a land of paradox.  It is most interesting, always picturesque, sometimes blood-curdling, and often sad.” (Ref. 4001)  Eudora had ended another letter home by writing, “I am well and getting stronger - have quite a good color.”

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That surely would have alarmed Jane knowing that her daughter had been ill in a foreign country.

Eudora’s health clearly did not improve because it appears she moved back to the states sometime after 1901, and when she wrote her sister in 1905, she mentioned “I am sitting up in bed with my usual pains this time of day (and, indeed, all the time of late).”  (Ref. ) She died that same year at the young age of 41.  She did not live long enough to see her own sons marry, but she did see her brother finally wed in 1901 and from correspondence, it appears she had a close relationship with her new sister-in-law, Lena.

After being a bachelor for many years, Somerville finally found the woman he wanted to marry.  Her name was Ora Lena Rogers, but she was lovingly called Lena.  Although she was 23 years old at the time of their marriage, it still made for a seventeen-year age difference between them.  Lena, along with her siblings, had spent most of her life with her beloved maternal grandparents in Texas because her mother, Sarah Virginia Sawyers Rogers, had died at a very young age.  Lena was living in Lampasas when she met Somerville, and they were married on December 19, 1901.  They made a handsome couple.

Somerville and Lena Ware
Photo property of James and Judy Ware

It was not long before Jane had another grandbaby to hold.  Lena gave birth to a son (named Charles Somerville Ware, but often called Somie) on November 23, 1902, in Killeen, Texas.  She and Somerville had gone to Killeen to live right after their marriage, and it would also be where their next child, Sarah Frances Ware, would be born on July 14, 1904.  Jane finally had her first granddaughter! 

Three years later, another boy would follow (William Rogers Ware) on January 9, 1907, but the family was now in Fort Worth.

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Jane stayed immensely busy with her UDC work during these later years of her life.  In 1902, she attended the convention that was held from December 2-4 in Fort Worth.

     
1902 (Ref. 3292)

 

Jane is shown again as holding the offices of historian and registrar during this time.

The meeting in February 1903 was held in Houston, but what made it extra special for Jane was that she was presenting the words to a song she had been requested to write.  According to the newspaper that printed a version of it:

“The following lines are to be sung to the tune of the sweet old song ‘Auld Lang Syne’ which music had been originally written by Robert Burns.  The Daughters of the Confederacy had requested words set to this beautiful aire by Mrs. Jane M Ware, the Historian of Bell County Chapter number 101.” 

Jane was very proud of her work and the song was ultimately published in several newspapers and sung at many gatherings.  She was so indelibly linked to it that her obituary later referred to it as ‘the State Song’ for the chapter.

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One paper would write: “Her work for the U.D.C.’s has made her name known throughout the state.  The words of the state song of the Daughters, ‘For Southland Loved’, were written by Mrs. Ware.”

 

The Houston Daily Post in 1903 mentioned her song in their announcement about the upcoming meeting.

Song: ‘For Southland Loved’
words by Mrs. Jane Morton Ware

Even at the 1905 convention in Denton, Texas, her song was on the program.  (see below)

Notice the song listed

Below is a copy of her song, taken from the Houston Daily Post on February 8, 1903.

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1903 Convention

 
Jane Morton Ware
Photo owned by James and Judy Ware

Jane had another reason to be proud in 1903.  She had written a long article titled “Bombardment of Corpus Christi” that eventually got published in the newspaper called the Corpus Christi Caller on the 25th of December. (Ref. 3004)  It was a detailed account of the battle that she had witnessed firsthand so many years ago.  It was read by many people and found to be so interesting that she was asked to be the key note speaker at future meetings.

In December, the newspaper published another article.

(Transcription below)

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The Chapter of the UDC met Saturday afternoon with Mrs. Howard Garrison.  The interesting program as published was carried out in full.  Particularly enjoyable was the paper, “Historic Galveston,” by Mrs. Jane Morton Ware, giving reminiscences of her residence in that city during the war, and the encounter of the Harriet Lane.  She also read a beautiful, original poem, “General Magruder’s Christmas Gift to Texas”.  Lovely refreshments were served in the dining room, about the table which for its’ centerpiece had a beautiful bowl of violets.  Mrs. Thomas Yarnell and Mrs. W. K. Saunders gave a report of the state meeting which they attended as delegates.

Jane had obviously, in her lifetime, become an accomplished teacher, pianist, writer, public speaker, and poet.  She would continue to shine those talents over the next ten years.  

Jane Morton Smith Ware
Photo of Jane property of James and Judy Ware

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