Perseverance

Jesse was born in 1885, to Solomon and Lucinda Sanders. The youngest of four sons. His brothers were Will, Tom, and Elbert. His sisters were Florence and Mattie.

Jesse's father passed when he was 16, and he found himself responsible for his ailing mother. He promised not to marry until she passed.

After his mother passed, Jesse married Minnie Bonce in 1909. A year or two later, Minnie, pregnant with their first child, went into labor. Minnie and the child both died in the birth process.

In 1913, Jesse married Bessie Cooper. They contracted to purchase a 50 acre plot of land from Bessie's parents. In 1914 Bessie was pregnant with their first child. J. Amie Estelle Sanders was born and lived only 7 days.

In 1914, their neighbor, Mr Oliver, committed suicide.

In 1915, Bessie was pregnant with their second child. Arlin Huey Sanders was born.

In 1922, Jesse was ordained and licensed to preach at Oscar Baptist Church in Oscar, Kentucky.

In 1923, Bessie was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. The doctors recommended moving to Florida. They took the little boy, nicknamed "Big Boy", and moved to Lakeland, Florida.

But "Big Boy" also contracted Tuberculosis. On 12/23/1923 "Big Boy" passed at just 7 years of age. In March 1924, Bessie passed also.

In 1926, Jesse married again, this time to Clara Ola Bodiford.

In 1929, the Great Depression began. Shortly thereafter, Clara was pregnant with their first child. The baby was stillborn.

Suffering with the food shortage of the Great Depression, Clara still became pregnant again. Jessie Virginia Sanders was born on January 4, 1933.

During the first year of the child's life, Clara started to succumb to the effects of malnutrition. Jesse awoke to find Clara standing over the bed with a butcher's knife. Not long after, Jesse encountered Clara trying to drown the child in the bath.

The child survived, but Jesse was forced to take Clara, his wife, back to her parents and siblings in North Florida who had agreed to try to care for her. After many attempts by the family to care for Clara, she was institutionalized, due to her homicidal tendencies. She spent the rest of her life there and passed in 1965.

So shortly after the little girls birth, Jesse became a sole custodial parent.

A few years later, Jesse was working for the City of Lakeland mowing when he was attacked by a bull. The bull gored Jesse severely in the torso, but he survived. Jesse and the child relied upon distant relatives and fellow church members throughout the little girl's childhood.

Then the little girl contracted pneumonia. It was quickly determined that she was allergic to penicillin. She was unstable for months before finally surviving the pneumonia.

Jesse and the child faithfully made regular trips up to North Florida to visit institutionalized Clara. On one trip they took with them a couple from Lakeland. After visiting Clara, it was foggy. Jesse desired to spend the night with one of Clara's siblings. But the couple that came along wanted to go on back home, so they proceeded. In the dense fog, Jesse had a head on collision with a farm truck. Fortunately, a Greyhound bus came upon the scene and all survived.

In the early 1940s, Jesse, in his late 50s, was required to fill out a selective services card. By the grace of God, the older men were spared from fighting in WW2.

In 1956, the sole surviving child, Jessie Virginia Sanders, married Freeman Junior Strickland. Everyone being poor, the new couple cohabitated with Jesse until his death in 1973.

Jesse got to see and help raise 3 grandsons up to puberty. The youngest was 12 when he passed.

Jesse never got to pastor a church. He spent most of his life as a carpenter. But he carried his Bible and a pocket hymnal wherever he went. He taught Adult Sunday School and Sunday evening Training Union.

Shortly before his death, Jesse was honored for 50 years of service as a faithful deacon.

Today, besides the 3 grandsons, Jesse has 6 surviving great-grandchildren. The one great-grandchild, Emily Elizabeth Strickland, that lived only 28 days, is laid to rest right beside him. He has 8 great-great-grandchildren. And his sole surviving daughter still lives.

His favorite two hymns were:

"Tis' so sweet to trust in Jesus"

and

"Trust and obey"


Hope to see you again soon my beloved "Grandpop"!

 

In sad contrast, Jesse's oldest grandson, is the one that lost the child that lived 28 days. Some 20 years later, he still suffers depression, especially bad around the anniversary of the child's death, and refuses to go to church. He doesn't understand that he's kicking against the pricks. I've had no success, thus far through the years, in helping my brother. I pray that God will send someone into his life that will be able to help him and his wife. He has the best example possible, set before him, in our grandfather. I will not give up on my brother. And my brother's son and daughter-in-law are wonderfully committed Christians living in the same household with my brother. He gets to enjoy his two grandchildren every day.