Out of the Attic: Elizabeth Weddle Rainwater’s hand-knitted gloves

Veteran members of the Society will remember a time when transcriptions of family records – bible pages, newspaper articles, obituaries, funeral programs, commencement programs, and so on – were regularly found in the pages of our publications. We’d like to revive this practice and start featuring family records in our monthly eNews. We need your help to accomplish this.

Rummage around in your genealogical “attic” for unique family records. Then email us a transcription. Include an introductory paragraph to explain what the record is and where you found it. We’ll do the rest.

Send your records to newsletter@dallasgenealogy.org.

by Susan Chance-Rainwater

Elizabeth Jane Weddle was born in 1847 in Pulaski County, Kentucky. In 1866, she married Union Army-veteran, Josiah Wilson Rainwater, and they became the parents of nine children. This would have been a substantial achievement for any woman, but Elizabeth Jane stood 4’11” tall, and weighed about 110 lbs.

The family moved to Texas in December 1890, first to Williamson County, and later to Wilbarger County. Josiah died in 1934. Elizabeth Jane, afraid to be alone at night, was kept company by her granddaughter Betty Jo, who was sent to her grandmother’s house each night to sleep.

In September 1997, my husband and I interviewed Betty Jo Rainwater Parker in her Colorado Springs home. As a parting gift, she gave us a pair of Elizabeth Jane Rainwater’s hand-knitted gloves.

“Grandma was a tireless quilter and knitter,” said Betty Jo. “Everyone eventually received a pair of Elizabeth Jane’s knitted fingerless gloves.”

The gloves, shown here modeled by me, are so small that I can’t pull them up over my elbows.