Daughter of Jeremiah Moses Bass and Emeline Smith, was born 2 Dec 1874 (Vernon), LA, and died 7 Mar 1942 in Simpson, LA, of Myocarditis Chronic or Cardiac insuffencia. She married first, James W. Lawrence on 8 Jul 1897 (Vernon), LA and four children were born. James was born 21 Jan 1869, son of F.L. Lawrence (1834-1903), and he died 16 Jan 1907 LA. He is buried in Good Hope Cemetery, Anacoco, LA. After James died, Eliza Jane married second, Samuel Clinton Tippit on 10 Jan 1909 at her mother's home in Hicks (Vernon), LA, and five children were born to this union. Sam Tippit was born 29 Oct 1878 Courtland, MS, son of David Thomas Tippit and Mary Martha Margaret Matilda Leona O'Bryant, and he died 6 Sep 1945 in the Leesville Hospital from complications following surgery. Eliza raised his three children, her four children and their five children.
Eliza Jane Bass was about 5'4" tall of medium-build frame. As a young girl she weighed 140 lbs, but in later life became somewhat heavier. Her complexion was dark, her eyes blue, her hair a beautiful brown which was naturally wavy and hung to her hips when loose. Although Eliza was 68 years old when she died, her hair had never turned grey, and she always wore it in a bun.
Eliza was extremely religious; she originally joined the Laurel Hill Baptist Church in Slagle, LA, with her mother, Emeline, and grandmother, Catherine. After her marriage to Sam Tippit, Eliza was baptized into the Simpson Church of God on 16 Aug 1920. The Tippits remained faithful to this church until their death.
Eliza is remembered as being a most compassionate woman. When she and Sam Tippit married, she had four children and Sam had three. If this was not a burden enough, she also took Sam's two younger brothers into their home when Sam's mother died. Eliza treated all the children equally, and they all grew to love her dearly. Later after Sam's sister died, Eliza took Minnie's three children, Amy, Audrey, and Lydia into their home to live.
Perhaps the greatest act of compassion displayed by Eliza came when her dear friend died. Alice Weeks Bagents died leaving several small children including three-week old twins. Relatives took the twins, but after four months, the baby girl was returned to her father. The remaining children were too young to take on the responsibility of caring for a young baby. One day, for some divine reason, Eliza felt an urge to go check on John Bagents and see how the children were doing. John was in the fields as usual. The smaller children had placed the baby in a box near the fireplace where her little face blistered. They became frightened and moved her to the open door where she then became cold and turned blue. When Eliza arrived on the scene, she treated the baby's face and got her warm. Then she settled down to wait for John to come in from the fields, and she convinced him to let her take the baby to live with the Tippits until she was a little older. Eliza and Sam Tippit kept Carline Bagents for four years, treating her as if she was their own child. When John came to take his daughter, everyone was in tears, but Eliza knew it was time for John to take his daughter, even if she and Sam had to suffer.
Welcome Cemetery, Simpson, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA [1]
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Featured National Park champion connections: Eliza is 16 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 23 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 17 degrees from George Catlin, 16 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 20 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 18 degrees from George Grinnell, 28 degrees from Anton Kröller, 19 degrees from Stephen Mather, 23 degrees from Kara McKean, 18 degrees from John Muir, 19 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 25 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.