Charles Pickard Raney (1866 - 1955)

Born 28 Jan 1866 in Jackson County, Tennessee, USA

Descendants

Died 14 Oct 1955 at age 89 in Argo, Titus County, Texas, USA

Biography

Charley was born in 1866 in Tennessee. He passed away in 1955 in Argo Community, Titus County, Texas. He and his family had moved from Tennessee to Texas because the doctor told them that it would improve his father's health. Unfortunately, his father died soon after reaching East Texas. At age 10, Charley began carrying the US mail via horseback on a route from Sulphur Springs to Mt. Pleasant, to earn money for his family. Some neighbors used to bring the family food to save them from starving to death. One time, an African American family sheltered Charley overnight while the river level dropped, and he never forgot their kindness. As an adult, Charley Raney was a pillar of the community. Even though he never learned to read or write, he was considered a leading citizen, and he accumulated several hundred acres of land. He gave each newly married couple in the community some acreage to get them started. He welcomed African Americans into the front door of his house, this at a time when they were not allowed to go to the front door of white people's houses; but, he treated them the same as white people, with no differences. He passed on his land to his youngest son and, in exchange, Buck cared for him and his wife Mima in their old age. They lived across the road from one another. In his older years, he would take his granddaughter on visits with him on horseback. He gave her a small horse and a little saddle so that she could ride by herself, beginning at the age of 3 or 4.

Sources

• Find A Grave: Memorial #33486107, Liberty Hill Cemetery, Argo, Texas
• recollection of his granddaughter, Vera Nan Raney Wofford