Lee Family
When the author was a schoolboy at Burke School, the school bus driver was Jake Lee. He and Lena lived in a large house directly northwest of the school. The house was originally owned by Arthur Arrington, the author's step-great-grandfather. He and the author's great-grandmother Emma Johnson Arrington lived in the house about 1900. Jake had two brothers that the author knew of, Andrew and Jim. Andrew at one time worked for the County and built the road adjacent home of the author's grandfather, Frank Johnson. It is the author's recollection that Frank Johnson purchased his farm located northwest of Burke from Andrew Lee.
The Lee family arrived at Burke some time after 1900 after having lived in Trinity County until at least before 1880 and Texas since about1865.
John R. Lee
The earliest ancestory identified for the Lee clan was John Lee, who lived in Trinity County in 1880 with only his children. His wife died between 1877 and 1880. John was born in Mississippi, but he moved to Texas between 1863 and 1865. However, he cannot be located on the 1870 Texas census. John had the following children:
- Ann E., born 1863 in Mississippi
- John R., born 1865 in Texas
- Nancy C., born 1867 in Texas
- Mary, born 1871 in Texas
- Eliza, born 1873 in Texas
- Emma, born 1875 in Texas
- Jacob, born 1877 in Texas
By 1900 John R. Lee and wife Duley C. Lee were living in living in Trinity County. Duley was born in Texas in 1866. They had the following children:
- George A., born 1885 in Texas
- Earnest, born 1888 in Texas, and known as "Jake"
- Andrew, born 1890 in Texas
- James, born 1893 in Texas
- Allie, born 1895 in Texas
- Nellie, born 1898 in Texas
By 1910 John R. Lee had arrived at Burke with his family. Duley had apparently died, and he was married to Sallie L. Lee born about 1880 in Mississippi. They had the following children in their household all born in Texas:
- Jake, born about 1892, whose given name was Earnest
- Andrew, born about 1894
- James, born about 1895
- Allie, born about 1898
- Nellie born about 1900
- Robert born about 1903
- Sidney, born about 1904
- Bobbie, born about 1906
- Sarah, born about 1907
- Benjamin, born about 1910
- George born about 1886 with wife Vergie, age 25, and son Edward, age 1.
John R. Lee had aparently died about 1917, and in 1920 Sallie Lee was living at Burke with the following children:
- Jim, born about 1896
- Robert, born about 1904
- Sidney born about 1905
- Bobbie, born about 1906
- Sarah, born about 1908
- Bennie, born about 1910
- Ima, born about 1911
- Alma, born about 1914
- Lula, born about 1917
- Zula, born about 1917
Jake Lee
In 1920 Jake Lee was married to Lena Ivy, and they lived in Burke between Tom Treadwell and Harvey Belote. The had the following children listed:
- Woodrow, born 1914, who married Catherine Rush
- Lester (daughter), born about 1916
- Mattie Belle, born about 1918
Lena E. Lee, born in 1891, and she married Jake E. Lee May 1911. Her father was John J. Ivy and her mother was Josephine Smith. Her grandparents were Benjamin Franklin and Frances Ivy on her father's side, and Joseph Smith on her mother's side.
The origin of the Lees in Mississippi is not known. In the 1850 census a George W. Lee and wife Nancy and sons John and William lived in Tishomingo County. John's son John R. named his eldest son George. In 1870 a Needham J. Lee lived Trinity County, and in 1900 Needham Lee lived three houses from John Lee in Trinity County. In 1860 Needham J. Lee lived in Simpson Co., Mississippi. However, there was no John Lee in the County.
Sources:
- 1880 Census, Trinity County, Texas, Beat 4, Page 17
- 1900 Census, Trinity County, Texas, Precinct 4, Page 4.
- 1910 Census, Angelina County, Texas, Precinct 4, Page 12.
- 1910 Census, Angelina County, Texas, Precinct 4, Page 10, Dwelling 88 (John J. Ivy)
- 1920 Census, Angelina County, Texas, Precinct 4, Pages 3 and 8
- Patsy Colbert
- Lori Lee Ray (identifed Jake's given name as Earnest)
- M. Lee Murrah, Personal Recollections