Banking on Cattle

The Decision Night fell quickly on the cotton fields in Bellevue, a small town in Bossier Parish, Louisiana. Inside a modest house set amid those fields and scattered Hackberry groves, a couple talked quietly of a decision that would soon change their lives. Harrison Presnall and his wife, Susan Applewhite Presnall, sat across the table from one another. The oil lantern atop the table made a bright circle of light on the cotton tablecloth. Harrison and Susan spoke in hushed tones so as not to wake their sleeping children, little Sophronia and brother Jesse, and fifteen-year-old Laura. Should they pick up stakes, as so many other Southerners were doing, and move to the new state of Texas? After all, Susan’s father, step-mother, and brother Stephen and children had already moved there. So too had Harrison’s older sister, Julia Ann Presnall Long and her husband, Charles Young Long, who had moved there from Minden, Louisiana in 1849. The Long’s had been working cattle in Texas and the reports to family back in Louisiana were full of how they were establishing a ranch and marketing their cattle. Their letters were full of good news, it seemed, even though they complained of the very warm summers. There was no complaint about the cheap land, however. The Long’s had purchased theirs for only $2.00 per acre. Still, even with such positive news from the family now in Texas and the enticement of joining them there, the decision for Susan and Harrison was not easy. Harrison, more than Susan, wanted to go. Susan, on the other hand, loved her home and worried about stories she heard of Indian raids in Texas. They talked, weighed options, and talked some more. But they grew weary of this heavy decision, and it was late. The oil lamp was flickering and the diminished light danced in faint marks on the tablecloth. It was time to retire. Susan’s last words to Harrison that evening were, “I’ll pray about this.” For Harrison, the opportunity to better himself was important. He knew that cotton farming in Louisiana was not stable. The thought of entering the cattle business, which was beginning to thrive in Texas, was enticing especially if he could earn more money than he did raising cotton in Louisiana. The responsibility of picking up and moving his family, though, was a daunting commitment, he had to admit. What if things did not work out as he expected? It seemed as if a day could not pass without Harrison raising the issue of relocating. Often, when he had asked Susan for her opinion, she withdrew into pensive memories of their life in Bellevue. Susan thought, Harrison wants to go, and he was right about needing more income for their growing family. But the babies. She still remembered them, now buried beneath the Hackberry tree in the backyard. Susan and Harrison had married in 1836, and their first child, Laura Jane, was born in 1837. She was a healthy and beautiful child. But the next four years were marked with sadness. Susan birthed two babies during this period, a boy in 1839 and a girl in 1842. Both died in childbirth. There was no medical science at that time to determine the cause of these deaths. Harrison and Susan, completely shaken by their losses, wondered what was happening to them. Their grief ran deep. After losing the babies they took comfort from each other and God. In time, they found peace, but they never forgot. One can only imagine that such experiences granted them early maturity, teaching that life can have great sorrows but also great blessings. Laura, the light of their lives, was a beautiful child. She was as precious as ever. It would be nearly a decade before Laura had a sibling. She was nine years old when her baby sister was born. They named her Sophronia. The year was 1846. Jesse and Susan were born a few years later. Most of the time, however, Harrison had little time during the long days laboring in cotton fields to focus on the potential move, nor did Susan whose chores in the house and tending to the children began early and ended late. Farming activities seldom changed. Once breakfast was over, the family scattered. Harrison headed for the cotton fields that he leased from his brother-in-law, Stephen Applewhite. Fifteen year old Laura awaited the arrival of her tutor, listening for the sound of his horse on the road to the house. He was twenty-five, and Laura was more than smitten with him. She worked hard on her lessons to please him. Harrison and Susan were half-aware of this attraction but dismissed it as something that would pass. Public schools in Bossier Parish did not appear until 1849. The 1850 census reported school teachers living in Bossier. Bossier Parish History, 1843 - 1993, 150 years by Cliffton D. Cardin The two younger children, Jesse five, and Sophronia, three, followed Auntie Dicey out to the yard to play. With Laura busy with studies and the younger children outside, Susan turned her attention to canning some corn she had harvested from their corn fields. Cooking time was also “thinking time” for her, and her mind quickly turned to the Texas plans. She was troubled by the whole situation. Susan and Harrison had dedicated much time and considerable funds into building their home in Bellevue. She was content there. It was home where she felt secure. Her mind drifted back to their early days when she first met Harrison. It was 1834, and Harrison had recently moved to Bossier. For Harrison, at their first meeting it was a thunderbolt attraction. He had to have her, and Susan was swept away by his attention. They were married on Harrison father's plantation outside under a large oak tree decorated with bows. Their children were born in Bossier. So much to remember. Her eyes hurt with tears. What would happen to the babies' graves if they left this place? But Susan’s thoughts suddenly were interrupted by the laughter of her young children who ran in from play looking for something to eat. She stopped her work and turned her attention to them so Auntie Dicey could prepare the noon meal. Harrison, too, would soon be home from his work in the fields.