Sarah Callie (Raby) Dunaway

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The Life of Sarah Callie (Raby) Dunaway

Sarah Callie Raby was born on August 22, 1901, in a small town in East Tennessee. Though her first name was Sarah, she went by her middle name, Callie. In 1910, when she was just nine years old, she was living with her family, probably in Roane or Knox County, Tennessee. Throughout her life, she witnessed many significant events that shaped the history of the United States of America. She likely heard about the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and sinking of the Lusitania in May of 1915 which would eventually bring the United States into World War 1. Even though she was young, she may have felt the shock and sadness that swept the world.

In 1920, Callie was 18 years old and living on Solway Road in Knox County’s 9th Civil District with her parents John and Lucinda Raby. They were living next door to Lewis and Maggie Dunaway and their son James Franklin Dunaway, her future husband. Also in 1920, when Callie was 18 years old, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This was a significant moment in history, and Callie would have been aware of the impact it would have on future generations of women. 

Callie was young, but she already had her sights set on the future. It wasn’t long before she fell in love and got married. On April 3, 1921, she married James Dunaway in Knox County, Tennessee, and her first child was born a year later.

In 1929, when Callie was in her late twenties, the stock market crashed, leading to the Great Depression. The economic turmoil that followed affected the lives of millions of people in the United States and around the world. For a couple living with six young children, the struggle would have been difficult. James was a farmer and according to the 1930 census when Callie was 28 years old, they were living on a farm on Guinn Road in Solway, Tennessee, in Knox County’s 9th Civil District. They lived next door to Sam and Doll (Swafford) Raby. Sam was Callie’s first cousin.

By 1940, Callie was 38 years old and still living in the same house. However, the address had changed to Swafford Road in Solway, Knox County’s 9th Civil district. She was still living next door to Sam and Doll Raby. By then, Callie and James had ten children and they were all living under the same roof.

During World War II, which took place from 1939-1945, Callie felt the impact of the war on her life personally. She lost her second son, Orville Arley Dunaway, on January 3, 1944. Many of her family members, friends, and neighbors served in the military, and the war effort would have affected many aspects of her daily life, from food rations to social norms. In 1945, when Callie was in her mid-40s, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to the end of World War II. The event had far-reaching consequences for global politics and the beginning of the nuclear age. Shortly after the war ended, her husband died leaving her to raise and provide for her children remaining at home. Life was a struggle.

Despite the challenges she faced, Callie lived a full life with her family in Solway. However, the struggle ended on March 25, 1950, when she passed away from a Coronary Thrombosis at her home in Byington, Knox County, Tennessee, leaving her community to mourn her loss. She was buried at Solway Memorial Cemetery (the Lower Church) on March 27, 1950. Though Callie’s life was just a small piece of the larger tapestry of history, her legacy lives on through the generations of her family and the impact she had on those around her. Her family and friends will always remember her as a loving mother and kind neighbor who touched their lives in many ways.