Sue and Marsh On The Road

Marshal Mote Gill had heard the tales of Texas and his Uncle Billy Hitson who had a start in Texas. He wanted to find him. He and Sue were married in 1865. Ten years and 5 children (2 baby boys died) later, he found him in Palo Pinto County, Texas.

Traveling by wagon, they slept on pallets on the ground. No roads, just deer and cattle trails. They could smell skunks and knew they were around. The baby got sick. He was just a sucking baby. He kept trying to bite and she always believed he had been bit by a skunk and had hydrophobia. They camped in the first settlement they come to. They worked with the sick baby and Sue was exhausted. Some man near there was real sick and had to be set up with. Other women told her that she needed a break. They would watch her baby if she would go and sit with him. She went and was setting and it was quiet in the night. She heard a horse coming lopety-lope, lopety-lope. She thought “Oh I hope my baby is not sicker.” He was worse and lived 2 more days. He was the 2nd baby boy they buried on the trail to Texas.

Traveling families camped by water. Homes and settlements always started by a river or stream. Sometimes benches were built on the water’s edge. Women would dip their family’s dirty clothes into the water, lay them on the benches and squeeze or use a wooden paddle on them. Dip and paddle, dip and paddle, then hang them on bushes until they dried.

Sue had a tub that she could sit on the bench and wash her clothes easier. And give the babies a bath.

They carried salt meat and dried meat, flour, meal, potatoes, dried beans and fruit. Marsh could shoot rabbits and squirrels. One night they were sleeping on the ground. They got “burned out.” The only things saved were the horses and one of Marsh’s boots. He used to say that he got to Texas with one boot. Marsh asked Sue “What’ll we do?” she said “You got us in this mess, now you get us out.” All the kids but little Alex and Anne were born on the road. Joseph Mote was born in Yellville, Arkansas, 200 miles north of Arkadelphia, Arkansas where his brothers Tom and George lived. George had Stella and little Mote. Stella was very bright and jealous of little Mote. When her daddy died suddenly she got it all fixed out for herself. Stella was big and boney and had a bad leg.