Little Lula Mullins was born into the home of Thomas P. and Nannie E. Mullins, November 5th, 1871, shortly after they had moved to Granbury, Texas. She was welcomed as the first girl in the family. On November 21, 1874 a second baby girl was born, Nannie Elizabeth (Bessie) Mullins. Lula helped to care for little sister Bessie, but when on July 12, 1878 a third baby girl was born, Lula, then about six years of age, thought she was her special care. She fondly called her “her little Sweetie.”
One day as Lula and some of the other children were playing under some big oaks trees, in a little wooded section known today as City Park, at the edge of the present Highway 377, Lula sat down on a large log. She and the other children did not notice that the log had a smoldering fire on the back side, caught froma camp fire left by some campers. As she sat down her skirt draped over the back side of the log where the fire was located and soon her clothing was on fire. Screaming with pain from the burning clothing she began to run, which soon fanned the clothes into a blaze. When the other children caught her she was so badly burned her flesh sloughed off as they touched it. Lula died from the severe burns. This happened on November 9, 1878, about four months after dear little “Sweetie” was born. As the baby had not yet been named, Tom and Nannie Mullins would not consider any other name than that given her by Lula. So they named her Sweetie Mullins.
This sad accident took place just to the west of the Mullins home at 1030 West Pearl Street where the Mullins home was located.