On Sunday morning Mrs. George POOL, of this place, met with a fatal accident from using kerosene oil in kindling a fire. It seems that after breakfast Mrs. Pool, desiring to start a fire in the stove and thinking the coals left from the morning had entirely died out, placed wood in the stove and poured kerosene oil upon it, when the can exploded and the burning oil was scattered in every direction. With the assistance of her daughter and a few neighbors, who happened to see the explosion, she escaped with severe burns on the face, arms and other parts of the body. Medical assistance was immediately called to her aid, but the skill of the physician was baffled, and she died Monday afternoon about 4 o’clock. The physician thinks that she breathed the flames. She was a consistent member of the Baptist Church and leaves a sorrow stricken family, her husband, four sons and one daughter.

The Laurens Advertiser., September 02, 1885

Mrs. George Pool was Mary Frances Farrow, born to Thomas and Sophia Farrow on Monday, August 22, 1836. She married George B. Pool and they lived in the Tylersville area of Laurens County, South Carolina.

The surviving four sons were William Harvey (1858- 1938), Thomas Pitts (1861- 1926), Arthur Russell (1870- 1887), and Farrow (born c.1879). The surviving daughter was Mary (c. 1867- c. 1900), who married John H. Powers.

Mary’s grave is at Langston Baptist Church. The inscription reads:

Mary F. Poole / wife of / George B Pool

and dau of / Col. Thomas Farrow

born / Aug 22 1836 / died / Aug 31 1885

Dear mother we do miss thee / From this world of sorrow here

But we do hope to greet thee / In that blessed land so dear

Erected by / her son Thomas P. Pool

In a cruel twist of fate, just weeks later, George was himself involved in a fiery accident.

Last week while Mr. George Pool was sealing a keg of whiskey, on the premises of Martin B. Pool in this County, the Burning wax caused it to explode and injured him severely. He was blown some ten or twelve feet and also severely burned, but is now out of danger and will probably be up in a short time.

The Laurens Advertiser September 23, 1885

George B. and Mary Frances Pool are my great grandparents.

Source references for the information in this article, as well as much more about the family, can be found in the George B Pool section of  The Pettypool Family in America website.