“Although Sarah Elizabeth was born in Alabama, according to documents filled out by her son, a Tennessee connection often shows up in her life. We have known that Sarah Elizabeth was part of the Rev. Richard Shackelford's well-known family who came to Alabama, but we were not sure who her parents were. By process of elimination, we believe that she must be a granddaughter of Margaret Shackelford, one of Old Richard's daughters who lived most of her life in Madison County, Alabama, marrying three times in the process. Sarah Elizabeth, 13, and her sister Margaret, age 7, can be found in the 1850 census in Madison Co, living with their grandmother Margaret,her 3rd husband, John Hathcock, and others of the grandchildren. Adjacent to their dwelling was the woman we believe to be their mother, Emily Cook Shackelford. We next find Sarah Elizabeth listed in "Brides of Alabama" Feb. 1, 1854, at age 17 when she and Hiram married. In 1860 she and Hiram are shown with their two little girls, Mary and Martha in Alabama. In that same census, Emily Shackelford with son Leland and Sarah Elizabeth's sister, Margaret, now 16 years old, can be found as a family group in Lincoln Co, TN. Hiram fought with the Tennessee infantry for the South, and Sarah Elizabeth obviously moved to Tennessee where their son George was born after Hiram's death in the last months of the war. It is interesting that she was at McMinville for the birth of her son, because this was the scene of furious battles between Yankees and Rebels led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest. There was also a Training and Staging Camp for Confederate Troops in Warren County where George was born. Was she in that location because of her soldier husband? After Hiram's death (he died of a gunshot wound), she married again and had two more sons. She died at age 35--a quick death from congestive chills-- so that her son, George Okes, knew little about her. (He lived with his paternal grandparents.) From him we learn, however, that his mother was left fatherless. He says in an insurance document that his mother's mother lived to middle age and died of dropsy. This fits with Emily Cook Shackelford, who was widowed after marrying her first cousin, Calvin Shackelford.”116