Lewis E DePriest
Grandmother Kate named my father
Lewis Bailey Steppe. Bailey is for her family name, probably; and Lewis is for
stepfather Lewis E. DePriest, possibly. And the name Lewis came from the
Colonel Lewis that married George Washington’s sister. Milton Bailey says that
Lewis DePriest was descended from the sister of George W. And aunt Mary Steppe
Booth remembers that as a child living in the DePriest household she used to
get out and read a letter that GW had written his sister.
John Pleasant Bailey died July 2,
1887 and Martha remarried to Lewis E DePriest Aug 3 1892. They had been married
48 years when she died in 1941. Lewis’ first wife had died in childbirth so he
had no children of his own, but he was there while Martha raised several
batches of kids: her five children, her daughter Kate’s six children including
my father, her first husband’s younger brothers, and a couple of her brother’s
children, maybe not in that order.
Lewis E DePriest probably earned
some respect of all of Martha’s family. I say this because they regarded him
enough to cause him to be buried in the family cemetery, beside Martha, and
with their father John P Bailey. Martha died first and Lewis went to Maryland.
The family could have just forgotten Lewis when he died 3 years later.
In the Bailey family cemetery the
three small headstones are left to right, Lewis, Martha, and John, Martha lies
between her husbands. Lewis is acknowledged as the husband of Martha on both
their markers.
The enlarged photo slice is from a
family reunion picture, probably long after there were no more children living
with Martha and Lewis. Lewis is the central figure with Martha close to his
right. Milton Bailey, grandson of
Martha, says that Lewis drank somewhat. I looks to me that he has had a couple
of belts before this picture.