Nothing quite captures the essence of the cousin-connections of our Lone Mountain family like this article about a New Year’s Party thrown by Owen Payne at Lone Mountain as the year of 1932 gave way to 1933. Over ninety years ago.
This particular group of partiers were mainly the children of the Payne Brothers, Robert, Fate, and my grandfather, Byrd, as well as the children of Bee Jennings, the brother of my grandmother, A. Bee and Robert were also very close friends, and this group consisted mainly of their children who would be first cousins to each other. There was also a sprinkling of their closest friends.
Owen Payne was the son of Robert Payne. He had worked at Payne Brothers, and then started a studio of some kind in Lone Mountain. He was extremely popular and gregarious, and everyone loved him. It is no surprise that he was throwing a party.
As it happens, while I am writing this little story, I am in Lone Mountain, sitting at the dining room table of Byrd and A Payne’s 120-year-old house. We are four days away from The Great Payne Reunion of 2023! Three of the couples in attendance at Owen’s party married each other and several of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will be coming in for the festivities.
Here is an overview of who they were:
Helen Payne was Owen’s youngest sister and great friend to all her cousins.
Margaret Lane was the sister of Frank Lane, who later owned the store at Lone Mountain. She was great friends of the older daughters of Byrd and A, and later was a teacher of Kathleen and Roger Payne at Lone Mountain School, and much later, probably of Cynthia Kite and Betsy and David Rose as well. Cynthia and David will be attending this weekend’s reunion
Lucile Payne, daughter of Lafayette and his wife Mattie Alice Livesay was there. So was her beau, Horton Robinson. They later married and had five children, several of whom will be here. Horton, Jr. (Buddy), Jenny, Martha.
Sally and Anne Payne, two of Byrd’s daughters were there, as well as Cawood Rose, who was inseparable from Sally after that party. They would marry before the year was out. The afore-mentioned Betsy and David Rose are Sally and Cawood’s children. Sally will have a child, several grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, and one great-great granddaughter, 4 months old, and the youngest current fully-baked descendant of Byrd and A Payne. (There is a bun in the oven, though!)
Cleo Rose and Paul Payne were sweet on each other and later married. Paul is also a son of Robert Payne. One of Paul and Cleo’s sons, another Owen Payne, still lives in Lone Mountain and we expect him too.
Inez and Archie Jennings are sister and brother, children of A Payne’s brother, Bee Jennings. Archie will be represented at the reunion by his son, Tom Jennings.
Fate Payne is the son of Lafayette Payne and Mattie Alice Livesay.
Bill Breeding is also a Jennings descendant, His mother was A Payne’s sister, known far and wide as “Aunt Doll.” Bill Breeding is more commonly known by our family as “Uncle Eli.”
Ben Livesay is the younger brother of Mattie Alice Livesay. He went on to marry Dona Jennings, niece of A Jennings Payne.
All the others in attendance were close friends of the Paynes at Lone Mountain. Many will be featured in other stories about the Paynes.
