She was born Lydia Head in South Carolina in 1824 and married James Barker in 1847. Lydia and James worked hard on their farm in Georgia. Children came along, one of them being my great-grandmother Serepta Catherine Barker Willis. Life must have been hard but good for Lydia until something happened to change it all. The Barker family was about to go to church. James was sitting in the yard, his chair leaning back against a tree while he waited for his family. He watched a storm coming up in the distance. A bright deadly bolt sizzled from the clouds, striking the tree and and killing James. From that time on, life was not the same for Lydia and her children.
Serepta Catherine or Tep as she was called was a great comfort to Lydia, working in the fields and caring for the younger children. When Tep grew up, she married Ben Willis. Her oldest child was my grandmother Mary Edna. In those days, families lived close together, working their farms and helping each other. One day Ben and Tep decided to move to Indian Territory. Lydia stayed behind in Georgia. I can only imagine the sadness she felt when the family which had been so close to her went hundreds of miles away.
In spite of the work of farm life, Lydia loved beautiful things. She drew the picture below and mailed it to her granddaughter Mary Edna, probably in the late 1800s. I have it hanging on my wall today. It is a reminder of an ancestor who endured hardship and bereavement but created a thing of beauty and sent it to her beloved granddaughter, far to the west.
The spirit of man which is the candle of the Lord, shines brightest when the night is darkest. It is that inner glow, the reflection of our Creator we see in acts of courage and love.
When I look at the drawing, my hope is rekindled because it reminds me of a brave lady whose spirit survived hard times. I am grateful for her example to me. I would like to have known Lydia Barker.
Drawing by Lydia Barker
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