Rachel Moore. Born December 11, 1835 in Lowndes County, Rachel (at left) was the youngest of the females born to John and Nancy. She married John Barzilla Allen, born in 1837. Barzilla was the son of John and Elizabeth "Eliza" Wilkinson Allen, both of whom were born in Barnwell District, South Carolina but moved to Lowndes County sometime before Barzilla was born.
Rachel and Barzilla Allen had three children: William Barzilla, born 1857, married Rachel V. Futch; John Levi, born 1859, married Francis Minerva Futch; and Ann Eliza, born 1862.

Barzilla Allen enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1862. Soon after arriving in Virginia with his unit, he became ill and died.

Then in 1866, Rachel married Frances Marion Shaw. Marion was born January 5, 1846. He was the son of Jeremiah Shaw, Jr. and Rachel Horne, both raised in Liberty County, Georgia, now Long County. Jeremiah Shaw, Jr. later moved his family to Lowndes County, in an area that later became Berrien County.

On April 30, 1864, just shortly after he turned 18, Marion Shaw enlisted as a Confederate soldier in a Florida regiment. Soon thereafter, he fought in the Battle of Cedar Keys, where he lost his entire right arm, up to his shoulder.

But that must not have slowed Marion down because after he and Rachel were married, they cleared the land on the place that they settled, then turned around and did the same thing all over again after settling a second place. Marion also split rails to fence the fields, and cut and hewed the logs to build his house and barns. Their farm was about three miles from Ray City. About two years before Rachel died, they moved off the farm into the town of Ray City itself.

Rachel and Marion had six children: Frances Arthur, born 1866, first married Victoria Giddens Knight, then Gertrude Albritton; Ida Jane, born 1868, married W. Bartow Parrish; Jesse Shelby "Doc," born 1869, married Susie Bullard; Effie C., born 1871, married William Clements; Lacy Lester, born 1873, married Lula Albritton; and Chester D., born 1875, first married Luanne Webb, then Minnie Parrish.

Rachel died on November 8, 1877, and Marion on April 7, 1888. They were buried at Pleasant Cemetery in Berrien County.

Contributor: Beth Stafford