Wednesday’s Child~Two Rivers Children Dies

Ob 13 October 1896 tragedy struck the family of James Martus “Big Jim” Rivers.  This article from local newspapers of that time tells the story.

I knew of this story long before the newspaper account was found. It was passed down that the cause of death was from partaking of a blackberry pie resulting in death by food poisoning.



Samuel Herbert and his sister Lela Rivers both died of food poison. They share a tombstone at Hopewell Baptist Church. 

Photo Courtesy of Julious Burr

Samuel Herbert Rivers

b. 27 Sept 1888

d. 13 Oct 1896

Lela Rivers

b. 2 Feb. 1891

d. 13 Oct 1896

Eliza Catherine McDougald Rivers, the wife of “Big Jim” and the other child survived the ordeal.