| Birth: | Sep. 22, 1877
Richburg
Coffee County
Alabama, USA | | Death: | Jan. 8, 1926
Wauchula
Hardee County
Florida, USA | 
Riley was the son of Rueben Fleming and Mary Ann Adams. He was born on a farm between Ozark and Enterprise. He left home at the age of 12 because his mother had died and his father married again. The new wife was horrid to him even to point of locking up the food so he could not get anything, even a cold biscuit, between meals. He never said anything to his father about it because he didn't want to cause any trouble, he simply left. He did let his father know where he was but he would not go back home.
After a short period of time he went to live and work at Angus Harrison's farm unaware that Mr. Harrison had a daughter he would end up marrying. She was called Doni. Her full name was Mary Delaney Millie Jemima Frances Doni Harrison. They eventually married December 12, 1899. To them was born 6 children, two sons, the first born was a little boy who didn't live in 1900; the second son was named J.D. born 1906, died 1974; then there were 4 girls, Allene died when she was 10 months old in 1905, Spivey Ola died just shy of her 4th birthday in 1917; Paralee Agnes Gurl Pearlene (called Polly and Pauline) born 1903, died 1995; and Ophelia born 1911, died 1981.
Riley was sick most of his life. He worked very hard when he was able, logging, farming and any thing he could find to do to feed his family. One of the sisters of his wife and her family had moved to Florida and encouraged Riley to take his family and come to Florida as they felt sure he could find work that he would be able to do. In 1924/25, he took his family to Wauchula, Florida, but instead of finding work and getting better, he died one year later on January 8th, 1926. His oldest child, Pauline, was working as a waitress at the Haven Hotel in Winter Haven and paid for her mother to ride with her Daddy on the train back to New Brockton, AL to be buried with his 3 children. His wife rode all the way sitting in a ladder back chair next to his coffin in a box car. That was all they could afford. It would have been wonderful to have known my grandfather. Everyone spoke very highly of him and there were farmers and their families who walked for miles to attend his funeral. There was a beautiful little small one room church with a little steeple at the entrance to the cemetery when he was buried, but the wind finally took it away.
Joan West, granddaughter
| | | Burial:
Richburg Cemetery
Coffee County
Alabama, USA |
Created by: Joan Buchanan West
Record added: Apr 16, 2007
Find A Grave Memorial# 18955671 |
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Granddaddy, Patricia Carol FLEMING Roush, met her appointment time this past May 2011, and is with you and Mama now. Now you have two of your grandchildren with you. I think of you all the time and love you dearly. Joan
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Joan Buchanan West
Added: Aug. 5, 2011 |
Granddaddy, I love you so much. You and Mama are together with all your children and you are well and happy now with no worries. Pauline, your oldest left here in 1995,has now gone to make the family circle whole once more. Mama always told us how much ...(Read more)
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Joan Buchanan West
Added: May. 11, 2010 |
Granddaddy, I love you so much. You and Mama are together with all your children and you are well and happy now with no worries. Pauline, your oldest left here in 1995,has now gone to make the family circle whole once more. Mama always told us how much ...(Read more)
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Joan Buchanan West
Added: May. 11, 2010 |
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