Prudence Ann Dodson was known as Katie.
Her parents were:
James Wilson Dodson (1836 - 1918)
Mary Hassletin Stewart Dodson (1849 - 1880)

Katie was the fourth of James & Mary's six children. A list of their children & the dates they were born has been provided by Katie's granddaughter, Rita Clay Maxwell, FindAGrave member, Ernest Maxwell (#47519292).

Earnest Linwood - December 8, 1869
William Andrew - May 10, 1872
Robert Aulston - June 25, 1874
Prudence Ann "Katie" - December 15, 1876
Mary Alta - February 4, 1878
James Wilson, Jr - December 1, 1879

Photo of Katie, about 18 years of age, has been provided by Rita.
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On June 21, 1880, Katey, age 6, lived in Perrin, TX with her parents,James & Mary, ages 43 & 31. Her siblings were Ernest, age 10; Willey, 8; Alston, 6; Alley, 2; & James, 6 months.

Her mother died in Jack Co, TX on Sept. 2, 1880, when she wasn't quite four years old.

Katie, age 19, married Thomas Montgomery Clay, 26, in Jack Co, TX on December 15, 1895. Thomas, born in Atlanta, Logan Co, IL on May 16, 1869, was the son of James Masten & Sarah "Sally" Ann (Franklin) Clay. By 1878 his family had moved from IL to TX.

Katie gave birth to 12 children:
William Henry "Bill" (1897 – 1965)
Lena (1898 – 2003)
Hastletine "Hassie" (1899 – 1987)
Mary Adelle (1901 – 1983)
Cora Belle (1902 – 1910)
Alta Lee Clay (1904 – )
Elbert Terrell "Doc" (1906 – 1936)
Grace Shirley (1908 – 1987)
Horace Wilson (1910 – 1976)
James Herbert "Herbert" (1910 – 1990)
Ola Mae (1913 – 1990)
Stewart Adrian (1915 – 1920)
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On June 22, 1900, Thomas C. & Katie, shown as Prudence A., ages 30 & 24, were renting a home in Justice Precinct 5, Jack Co, TX. (Thomas was born May 1870 in IL; Katie was born Feb. 1876 in TX.) He had a job as a farm laborer to support the family.

They had been married 5 years; Katie had given birth to three children (all born in TX): William H., age 3 (May 1897); Lena, 1 July 1898); & Hastletine, 7 months (Oct. 1899).

On May 4, 1910, Thomas M. & Katie A., ages 38 & 34, were renting a home in Justice Precinct 6, Palo Pinto Co, TX. Thomas was doing general farm labor. They had been married 15 years; Katie had given birth to 8 children, but only 7 were still living: William H., age 12; Lena, 11; Hastle T., 10; Mary A., 9; Alta L., 5; Elbert T., 3; & Grace S., 1 year & 8 months.

Katie died in Lelia Lake, Donley Co, TX on January 4, 1918. The story of her death is a sad one.

Thanks to Rita Clay Maxwell who has contributed an article written from a recording of her Aunt Lena's memories about 1997 in preparation for a book dedicated to her on her 100th birthday.

Lena wrote, "Mother took the flu which turned into pneumonia and she died. She was pregnant at that time and lost the baby. Dad was in Wellington signing the papers on the farm that he had bought for us near Hedley in the Ring community at the time she got so bad. He was called and the doctor too, but
she did not live long after they arrived. She was buried in the Citizen's Cemetery at Clarendon.

I Spent a lot of time with Mother, while growing up, learning to do inside work, cooking and sewing, etc. She was a beautiful and wonderful person. I never heard her raise her voice to any of us. She punished us by sitting us down and quietly telling us what we did wrong and how to avoid doing it again. She seemed to be teaching us girls constantly, do you think it was God telling her that we would need to know many things to take her place one day? I loved her so."

Rita wrote that after Katie died, Lena became the mother for the other 10 living children, taking care of them as if they were her own. Aunt Lena must have been much like her mother as I will always remember her kind, gentle, loving
mannerism in whatever life brought her way.

Apparently Katie's nature was a family trait; in correspondence with a descendant of her sister, Mary Alta Dodson Ward, in which she was described much the same way Aunt Lena described Katie.

Many thanks to Rita for helping honor her grandmother.
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Researched & compiled by Virginia Brown
June 2013