MILDRED SNEAD AND RICHARD SORRELLS 

298      VERDA ESTELLE  ⁶ SORRELLS (Thomas W. ^5, Wm. Benjamin ^4, Wiley ^3, William ^2, Richard) was born 9 July 1903, Gwinnett County, Georgia.  She has a delayed birth certificate, #233867, Vital Records Service, Atlanta.  She died in Parlin, NJ, on 8 October 1996, at home with her daughter, Thelma Faye, and son-in-law, William Prince, with whom she lived, and her granddaughter, Carolyn Prince.  She is buried in Bethesda Methodist Cemetery in the Sorrells plot with her parents and brother, Ralph Stalker Sorrells.

Verda Estelle Sorrells married JOHN RUFUS CAIN (b. 21 Jan. 1896, Gwinnett Co; d. 23 Apr. 1957, Gwinnett Co; buried  Luxomni Bapt.  Ch.  Cem.  Gwinnett Co.), on 7 August 1921, Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County [Marriage Bk 11:331];   John Rufus Cain was the son of Mary Jane Cash and Luke Ervin Cain of Gwinnett County.  Verda and John are the compiler's parents.

My father went through the sixth grade in Gwinnett county schools, worked on the farm as he was growing up, weighed about 160 pounds, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, had sky blue eyes, dark brown hair, a ruddy complexion, and was a very handsome man.

 My father, John Rufus Cain, came from a family of 4 sisters  and 6 brothers.  Their names were : Calvin Marion, William Manasseh, Fred Webster, Homer Ervin, Elmer Luke, Queen Easter (Esther), Leonard Harris, Carrie Belle, Mary Odell, Ada Kathleen.

Odell Herrington, my Daddy's sister,  told me on 19 April 1995 that John and all his siblings except the five youngest,  Esther,Leonard, Carrie Belle, Odell, and Kathleen  were born in a house near Lilburn, near the Hazelrigs Place and the Dr. Giles and Charlie Kelly's Place.  The house has since been destroyed.  Since Esther  was born in January 1902, the Cains were in the Pleasant Hill Road homeplace by then, and the five  youngest children were born there.

Pleasant Hill Road Homeplace is named the CAIN-LANDERS HOUSE,and it is being restored by the Sons of the Confederacy, Laurenceville, Ga.  The house was placed on the state historical register  a little over two years ago, because it was built in 1824, and a Confederate soldier, Eli Landers, was born there and lived there until he was killed in the Civil War.  The Cains were in the house by 1901, and lived there until 1973 continously.  First my grandparents, Mary Jane Cash and Luke Ervin Cain, raised their family there, and afterwards, Leonard Cain and his wife, Winnie, raised their family there.

John Cain enlisted 10 December 1917, Atlanta, Ga. in the Navy , and was discharged on 22 July 1919.  He was assigned to R.S. Norfolk Virginia ship on which he served until 14 January 1919.  Then he was assigned to the U.S.S. New York  from 14 January 1919 until 31 March 1919.  Next he served on the U.S.S. New Mexico from 31 March 1919 until 22 July 1919.  He became a second-class seaman on 1 March 1918 and received a War Chevron award on 1 December 1918, for his service on the U.S.S. Virginia. His serial number was 1200508. On his records he said he was born in Gloster.  His brother, Calvin served along with him on the same ships.
 

USS New Mexico

Weekly Wash Aboard USS New Mexico

John Rufus Cain,  1917

The records of John Cain's navy service are in the possession of me, his daughter, Thelma Faye Prince.  They are fully abstracted in my book, Our Southern Ancestors, Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1985.   For more on the Cain family, please click here.

John Rufus and Verda Sorrells Cain 1921 Wedding Picture

Bethesda Church Road House, birthplace of Thelma Faye Prince

In 1937, we moved to Atlanta because it was thought a better living could be made in the city.  Daddy's first job there was for the Christian Brokerage Company, a wholesale grocery firm.  This was the period of "The Great Depression", and he brought home damaged bags of pinto beans, sugar, cornmeal, and flour, which helped sustain the family during those difficult economic times.  His last job was for the Great Southern Trucking Company on Whitehall Street, also a wholesale grocery business.  In 1954 he retired because of failing health.

In the beginning of March 1955, Daddy suffered a stroke which left his left side paralyzed.  He was bedridden except for the use of the wheelchair. As a result he became very depressed.  In those days, they were not doing anything to rehabilitate stroke victims, as they are doing today.  He was living with his brother, Fred Cain and Fred's wife, Lillie, who cared for him.

I had moved to New Jersey with my new husband in 1953, so I really appreciated how his family cared for him during the difficult times of his sickness. My parents had been divorced in 1947.

When he died, Dr. Nim Jewel Guthrie, Atlanta, gave the cause of death as cerebral hemorrhage due to malignant arterioschlerosis, causing hemiplegia.  the funeral was held at Luxomni Baptist Church, Lilburn, Ga. on 25 April 1957.  He was buried in Luxomni Cemetery beside his two babies who died.

My mother went to school at Bethesda.  Her home was at  260 Hammett Road, near the Bethesda Methodist Road. She and her family all attended this church, of which she was a member until she passed away.  I remember going to many homecomings there when I was a child.   My father's family lived nearby and Mama went to school with some of them.

Pearl, Esther, Verda 1921
Bethesda Methodist Church

Mama's first job in Atlanta was as a sewing instructor for the Public Works Administration.  In the 1940's she worked as a sewing machine operator at the Dixie Dress Company.  She was an expert seamstress and made the hardest parts of the garments, such as linings, zippers, etc.  When times were hard, she made quilts by hand for a few extra dollars to make ends meet.  She sold beautiful handmade quilts for $15-$20 each, a paltry sum today for such work, but it was a lot of money those days.  She did so many baby quilts and crocheted things all her life and gave them away to family and friends.  She was very generous with her time and talents.
Later Mama worked as a sales clerk in the fabric department of Sears, Roebuck & Company on Ponce de Leon in Atlanta.  Later on she worked many years for Rich's Department Store on Broad Street, Atlanta, as a sales clerk and buyer in the neckwear and belts division.  In 1954 she came to New Jersey and lived with my husband, Bill, and me.

360JAMES RUFUS^7,b. 18 May 1922; d. 28 Aug. 1922; buried Luxomni Baptist Church.

361MARY ELIZABETH , b. 30 May 1923; d. 1 March 1947, Atlanta, Ga; buried Greenwood Cemetery, Atlanta; m. THEODORE DAVID FENSTER (b.  28 Aug. 1919, New York; d.  11 May 1991, Atlanta) on 23 November 1942, Atlanta.  He was the son of Samuel Benjamin and Lee Fenster. They had no issue.

Ted and Elizabeth 1944)	Mary Elizabeth Cain Fenster  1945

Elizabeth died of glomerulonephritis after a long illness.  She was a beautiful person, had a good sense of humor, and was an inspiration to the whole family because of the way she handled her illness.  We have missed her all our lives.  It was painful to lose her, and we have never ever forgotten her. She was the inspiration for the choice I made for my life's work, Nursing.  I often stayed with her, kept her company, discussed things with her, and tried to help her out.  She understood me so well and the trials of adolescence, because it hadn't been too long since she was in her teens.  She was my best friend and I loved her more than it is possible to tell anyone.

Ted was an attorney, taught law at John Marshall where his father was the Dean.  He was a good husband for Elizabeth.  Later he became the Dean, married a second time and had several children and lived in Atlanta.

362VIRGINIA ESTELLE^7,b. 16 February 1927; d. 14 September 1927.  Buried in Luxomni Baptist Church Cemetery, Gwinnett Co. Ga.

+363THELMA FAYE, b. 22 February 1932; m. WILLIAM LOUIS PRINCE , son of Sarah Agnes Reilly and Joseph Thomas Knight, on 8 November 1953, Sylvan Hills Baptist Church, Atlanta, Ga.  I am the compiler of this work.

My mother, Verda Sorrells Cain, became ill the last five years of her life, battling osteoporosis of the spine, constant pain from spinal stenosis, arthritis, and finally in 1993, she was diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph system.

When she was well, she was so active, taking part in family relationships, keeping in touch with all the relatives and she continued to be the one who kept in touch by phone or cards and letters until the very end.  She loved all of her family in the deepest way.  She loved Georgia and all it meant to her.

This tribute from me, Faye, was read at her funeral by Pastor Joe Douglass of Sayre Woods Bible Church, Old Bridge Township, NJ.  The funeral was held on 9 October 1996 at the Michael Hegarty Funeral Home, Old Bridge Twsp.

"I'd like to say my mother encouraged and strengthen me in my faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, by the example of her life.  She was a gracious, independent, very capable, giving, loving person during her life.  She enjoyed doing for others, loved her family, including everyone that was "kin" to her.  She taught me that family and friends are two of the most important things in my life.

"The last few years she was unable to go out and had to have help in caring for herself, a task which I undertook willingly and lovingly.  With God's help and prayer, I was able to do it, and I am thankful for the time I had with her on this earth.  I look forward to joining her, my sister and my father, in God's time. She is safe from pain, suffering, disability, and is in the presence of our Lord."

Written in her own handwriting in a scrapbook she had:  "Time has a magic for stealing away the heartache and sorrow that grieves you today.  Time has a magic that always keeps near the cherished remembrance of someone so dear."

Also, from the Atlanta newspaper:

"In loving memory of Elizabeth Cain Fenster, who left this life March 1, 1947.  I do not understand, but through faith I know there is a reason for everything, and that in God's own time He will manifest that reason.  Faith makes clear to me that this life is only a preparation for an ultimate and intensely happy reunion with God and my loved ones gone on before."

To us, her immediate family, were written these words: " To you, my beloved family, I have no legacy of earthly wealth to leave you, but I do leave you a priceless legacy of love of God; it was given to me by my ancestors.  I give it to you.  Treasure and guard it well.  Pass it on to your sons and daughters."

Doug Lambertson of Sayre Woods church sang "In the Garden" and "How Great Thou Art", and we all sang "Amazing Grace".  Quiet a few people stood up and told how her life had touched theirs, how gracious and kind she was and a great friend.  Pastor Joe told how her strength in the Lord never faltered and how she was with Him now.

About 60 friends and relatives attended the funeral in NJ.  The next day, Oct.10th, Carolyn, Jeffrey, and I flew to Georgia to lay her to rest.  On Oct. 11, a one hour visiting in the Patterson funeral home, Harbins Rd., Lilburn, Ga. and  afterwards a burial service at Bethesda Methodist Church Cemetery.  Rev . Floyd Tenney officiated at the graveside service.  Afterwards, we went to Larry Williford's house in Lawrenceville for lunch and visiting.  About 60 friends and relatives attended the funeral in Georgia

Obituary in News Tribune
Woodbridge, NJ,
9 Oct. 1996:

"Verda E. Cain died yesterday at home.  She was 93.  She was born in Gwinnett Co. Ga., and moved to Old Bridge 42 years ago. Mrs. Cain had been a sales clerk and buyer for Rich's Department Store in Atlanta for many years before retiring.

Surviving are a daughter, Thelma Faye Prince. and son-in-law, William Prince, of Old Bridge, NJ; a brother, William B. Sorrells of Costa Mesa, Calif., and two grandchildren, Carolyn and Jeffrey Prince.  Services will be at 8PM Wednesday at the Michael Hegarty Funeral Home, 3377 Rt. 9, Old Bridge.  Burial will be in Lawrenceville, Ga.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sayre Woods Bible Church or your favorite charity. "

Obituary in Atlanta Journal:

"Verda Cain, age 93, died on Tuesday, October 8, 1996.  Graveside service will be held 11:00 AM Friday at Bethesda United Methodist Cemetery in Lawrenceville.  Mrs. Cain was formerly of Lawrenceville and Atlanta, most recently of NJ.  Survivors: daughter, Thelma Faye Prince and son-in-law William L. Prince of Parlin, NJ; grandchildren, Carolyn Prince of Parlin and William Jeffrey Prince and wife, Connie Prince, of Hopewell, NJ; 3 great-grandchildren; Christine, Matthew, and Michael Prince; brother William Benjamin Sorrells of Costa Mesa, Ca. Family will receive friends at R.T.Patterson Funeral Home, Lilburn Chapel, 9:45 AM-10:45AM Friday.  In lieu of flowers donations may be made to favorite charity or Bethesda United Methodist Church."