Lizzie Beth Parten was born on 1 July 1913 near Delia in Limestone County, Texas. She was the daughter of James Monroe Parten and Winnie Johnson Parten. Lizzie Beth was affectionately called L.B. by her family. She was the baby of the family before my grandmother was born in 1921. That was the year tragedy struck.
Lizzie was the eighth child of James Monroe Parten and sixth child of Winnie Johnson Parten. James Monroe Parten was first married to Sally Dellis. Together they had two children, Clara Etta Parten and James Dellis Parten. Sally sadly died during childbirth along with her stillborn child.
James Parten married Winnie Johnson on 15 August 1901. Together they had seven children; Audrey Alice b. 1902, Linard Ray b. 1904, Guy William b. 1906, Lloyd Monroe b. 1908, Velva Maxine b. 1911, Lizzie Beth b. 1913 and Margaret Evelyn b. 1921. Linard Ray passed away as an infant after having an intestinal disorder.
The Parten family was a typical rural family who lived on a farm near Delia, Limestone County, Texas. The children attended Mt. Calm school and the family were members of the Mt. Calm Baptist Church. The family had business dealings in nearby communities such as Prairie Hill and Hubbard City. For an average farming family, the children attended the local school then came home to their daily chores, the men worked the farm and the women took care of the home and family.
Before the luxury of indoor washing machines, women used large outdoor cast iron kettles to do their laundry. They would fill the pot with water, then build a fire underneath it. Once the water was heated, they would either pour soap powder into the water or use lye soap. They would then drop their clothes into the scalding water and stir the clothes around with a stick, similar to the modern day washing machine’s agitator.
by Helen Campbell
After the clothes had soaked awhile, they would then be removed from the steaming water, rinsed and rung out, then put on the clothesline to dry. It was during this weekly chore that tragedy struck the Parten family.
Little Lizzie Beth was out playing with one of her friends. He started chasing her with a dead rat. As she was running, she tripped and fell into the wash pot. The fire had already been put out, but the water was still extremely hot. Lizzie was very badly scaled. The family sent for the doctor immediately but the burns were so severe that she did not survive. The magnitude of this tragedy is unfathomable.
My grandmother grew up always thinking that she was the replacement child. I had been told that Lizzie passed away in 1920, but after a little investigating, I found that Lizzie had in fact died on the 23rd day of July, 1921. This was just two weeks before my grandmother was born. In fact, the tragedy may have even caused my grandmother to arrive early.
My grandmother’s birth was a balm to this family who had lost a precious daughter. Her birth gave this family hope and light during a dark tragic time.
Although my grandmother never knew her sister, Lizzie Beth, she was very dear to her heart. She grew up hearing stories of her sister and missed her even though she never met her. I have shared this story with my children and grandchildren so that Lizzie will always be remembered.
Digging Up Roots 
So sad about the loss of a child. You wonder what stories lie behind the short lives we see on our family tree. In this case, you have the story to pass along. A tragedy for the sibling who was teasing her, for sure. The guilt must have been heavy to bear.
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Yes it is so very sad. It wasn’t a sibling who was teasing, it was a neighbor boy. I was told that he was never the same after that happened. He was always haunted by it.
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