Born in 1868, Amanda Havenhill was the fourth-born child of twelve and the first-born daughter of five (one was adopted) born to Clark Heavenhill/Havenhill and Fannie Wallace.

Pictured with her brother Wallace (b.1862).

At age 17 Amanda married William "Ben" Day, Dec. 13, 1885, one week later her mother died at age 45, leaving her 63-yr-old father with nine children between the ages of four and twenty-three. My grandfather Clarke was 14, his brother Sky 12, two 9-yr-old sisters Ella and Fannie, and 4-yr old Harry. The older siblings were Wallace, age 23, Reno, 21, Amanda 17, and 15-yr old Belle. Wallace wasn't married yet but Reno already had a wife and a month-old baby. I can only guess that everyone raised each other.

Ben and Amanda had two daughters, born eight years apart (Bell in 1889 & Emma in 1897), they died one year apart in 1936 and 1937. The 1940 census has Emma's two sons living with Amanda and Ben.

Ben died in 1945.

Amanda will soon be relocated and their property at the bottom of a new lake.

In 1949, in preparation for the building of Benbrook Dam and Lake, Amanda supervised the Army Corps of Engineers relocation of Day Cemetery, a family cemetery on their private property, to M. Seminary Cemetery, the present day Benbrook Cemetery. Three graves were found and the remains relocated: (1) her mother Fannie Wallace d.1885, (2) her brother Russell Scott d.1883 at age 16, and (3) her 3-yr-old sister Emily d.1878. We can assume there were no others to be found there. [We still have not located baby brother George or young brother Harry.]

When she died in 1953, Aunt Amanda had outlived her parents, all of her brothers and sisters, her husband, and both of their children.

Also located in Benbrook Cemetery are their two daughters:

Fannie Bell "Bell" Day Robbins (#16060884)
b. Oct. 28, 1889, Texas
d. Jan. 01, 1937, Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas, age 47.

Emmaline "Emma" M. Day Sewell (#12239186)
b. Feb. 6, 1897, Texas
d. Jan 17, 1936, Texas, almost 39.