The Matriarch of the Rainey Family

THE EARLY YEARS OF ROSA JARRELL RAINEY

Mother of Daisy Rainey Rice, Lewis Rainey, Gladys Rainey Smith, Della Rainey, Alice Rainey, Emma Rainey Buckley, and Eugene Rainey

Rosa Jarrell Rainey* is the matriarchal ancestor of over one hundred descendants. She was born March 7, 1868, in Stoddard County, Missouri. Rosa frequently mentioned the city of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, situated on the banks of the Mississippi River as her hometown. Her parents were Andrew and Ann Jarrell. Andrew was born in Kentucky, in 1830, according to the United States Census of 1870. The same census gave the birthplace of Rosa's mother as Missouri in 1833.

Two years later her father, Andy Jarrell died of pneumonia at the age of 42. By the age of 12, Rosa had a stepfather Archibald Gibson with a household composed of a blended family of twelve according to the United States Census of 1880. Rosa complained about at least one stepbrother that she did not like. It seems family situations with “yours, mine, and ours” have always presented challenges.

She considered her family “poor” and frequently made the statement, as she aged, “I just don’t want to go to the poorhouse.” In the 1800s, a “poorhouse” was a place for people to live that could not afford to provide for themselves. One can only imagine the terrible conditions surrounding those places of squalor and despair that fueled her fear of ever ending up there.

She battled malaria throughout her growing up years due to living so close to a swamp that produced infected mosquitoes. How ironic that same swamp has now been designated Mingo National Wildlife Refuge that encompasses 21,676 acres!

*Her tombstone lists her given name as Rosa.

The 1870 U.S. Census shows her name as Mary.
In the 1880 U.S. Census both names were given – Mary Rose.
In the 1910 U.S. Census she is listed as Mary R.
In the 1920 U.S. Census she is listed as Rosey.
In the 1930 U.S. Census she is listed as Mary.
In the 1940 U.S. Census she is listed as Rose.
Bernyce Smith Gates, my mother, says that her grandmother always called herself Rosa.

The earliest photo that my family has of

my mother's maternal grandmother Rosa

                                                 Jarrell Rainey.

As a teacher, each year I read from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s series on pioneer life to the third graders in my classroom. Wilder vividly described the symptoms and severity of malaria in her second book Little House on the Prairie.  I never read the chapter entitled Fever ‘n Ague without thinking of Great-grandma Rainey and how she was plagued by this horrible, recurring diease just because of where her family lived.