52 Ancestors – News Articles from 1893 and 1900 Corroborate 1964 Aaron Hall Holland Letter (86-2016)

House in Galveston on Avenue N, October 15, 1900*

On March 7, 2015, I blogged about Cindarilla Darliska Amanda Hall Holland, second wife of my second great-grandfather Leroy Thomas Holland. The blog post included personal memories written by Amanda’s son, Aaron Hall Holland, in a 1964 letter to my grandfather recording Hall/Holland family history, including his description of how they survived the historic 1900 Galveston hurricane and a fire that happened several years earlier on their farm in Whitfield County, Georgia.

Last weekend while researching the historical newspapers housed on the Library of Congress website, I found an Anderson Intelligencer article where they shared a paragraph from a letter written by Amanda Hall Holland to the newspaper describing her experience during the hurricane. In her own words … I find it fascinating.

The Anderson Intelligencer, September 19, 1900
Sad Letter from Texas.
We take the liberty of publishing the following paragraph from a private letter written to us from Alief, Harrison County, Texas, under date of the 14th inst., by Mrs. Amanda Holland, widow of the late Lee Holland, who moved to the far West from this County about fifteen years ago: “Last Saturday we had a terrible storm of wind, rain and hail, tearing up everything as it came and leaving us nothing, not even a change of clothing. What we are to do, God only knows. The water was knee deep at our door, and when we had to get out of the house to keep from being killed by it falling on us, I was blown down into the water and would have been killed or drowned, as I could not get up, had not one of the boys pulled me out. We are now camped in an old ‘shack,’ with eight props around it, and cooking in an old pot resting on two bricks. The people who are able to get away are leaving, for there is nothing any one can do here to make a living. All the crops are in mud and ruined. Where we expected to make twenty-five bales of cotton we will not get one-half of a bale. You have no doubt seen in the papers where so many lives were lost. I do not see how any of us escaped alive. Our stables were torn to pieces and mules, cattle and hogs killed. The big sills of the buildings were blown a distance of fifty yards or more. I noticed seven plank blown into the ground so deep and fast that you could not shake them. Oh, you can’t realize what a terrible night we experienced. We had no shelter to get under, and we had to take it all. The wind had been blowing for three days, and on Saturday the rain commenced falling. As night came on the rain increased and continued through the night. We have had a very wet summer, having had only six clear days during August.” Mrs. Holland is a daughter of the late Aaron Hall, who, prior to his death, lived near Flat Rock Church, in this County, and she has many friends and relatives in this section who will regret to hear of her terrible misfortune.

This was not the first time Amanda had been faced with adversity. I found a second article from 1893 where she lost important farming supplies to a fire.

The Anderson Intelligencer, December 20, 1893
An Appeal to the Charitable. Beaverdale, Whitefield [sic] Co., GA.
Editors Anderson Intelligencer: Mrs. Amanda Holland had the misfortune to get her corn, fodder and a lot of roughness, together with a splendid wagon, burnt up Sunday morning between 3 and 4 o’clock. It must have been the work of an incendiary, as there was no chance otherwise.

It left her without a bit of bread or feed for stock, and as she was from your County, we thought it right to ask through your paper for help, many of you knowing her from childhood. The fire also burnt up about $100 worth of property for Mr. Jas. Roach, consuming two cribs, three stables and two other small buildings for Mr. George P. Brownlee.

Anything will be thankfully received for Mrs. Holland. Mrs. Hattie Welch will deliver anything that is placed in her care for her sister, or send to her (Mrs. Holland) at the above named Postoffice.

Very respectfully,
W. H. Bryant, Justice of Peace.
E. Creekmore,
George Warnock,
T. R. Hipp.

These articles are important to me because they corroborate the stories told by Aaron in his letter. Although he recalled the fire taking place in December 1894, it appears it actually happened in December 1893 but the rest of both stories match up.

Thank you to the Library of Congress for sharing these historical newspapers. We all know the importance of documenting your research and both of these articles do just that.

*Photo credit: By Griffith & Griffith - Library of Congress[1], Public Domain

52 Ancestors – Scion Jones (85-2016)

Scion (third person to the right standing) and his family

Scion Jones, son of Henry Clayborn Jones, Sr. and Sarah Elizabeth Tuck, was born October 29, 1870 in Walton County, Georgia. He came from a large family of 11 children of which I only know the names of 10—Henry Clayborn Jones Jr., Martha Jane Jones, Elizabeth A. Jones, Bartow Jones, Midda A. Jones, Susanah A. Jones, James William Jones, Scion Jones, Elizabeth Jones, and Mary Jones. The 1900 census record for the Vinegar Hill District of Walton County recorded Scion’s mother Sarah as the mother of 11 children, 10 of which were living. This has been the only record I’ve found for this child so I don’t know whether it was a boy or a girl or what its name was. Scion was the brother of my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Jones.

On June 8, 1880, Scion and his family lived in the Lindleys District of Walton County. His father was a farmer and his mother was keeping house, common occupations for that period.

Scion married Margaret (Maggie) Dellnah Dial, daughter of William M. Dial and Armesa C. Coleman, on September 8, 1896 in Walton County. Together they had seven children—Lenora L. Jones, William Henry Jones, Harry James Jones, Curtis Bell Jones, Lee Otis Jones, Ethelene G. Jones, and Mary Ophelia Jones.

Marriage license for Scion and Maggie

On June 18, 1900, Scion, his wife Maggie, daughter Lenora (Nora), and son William lived five houses from his parents in the Vinegar Hill District of Walton County. The census enumerator recorded Scion’s birth as October 1871 and that he and Maggie had been married for three years. Scion was a farmer and was able to read and write.

Scion and his family attended a Jones family reunion in 1908. The group photo below was taken that day.

Scion’s father Henry died in Between, Walton County at the age of 78 on January 7, 1909. Just over a year later, his mother Sarah died in Walton County at the age of 79 on January 21, 1910. Both were buried in the Jones Cemetery in Between.

On April 17, 1910, Scion and his family rented a farm on Henry Jones Road in the Vinegar Hill District of Walton County. I assume the road was named for his father, Henry Jones Sr.—a former prominent and highly respected Walton County citizen according to the Walton Tribune in daughter Martha’s 1934 obituary. Scion and Maggie had been married for 13 years. The census enumerator recorded Maggie as the mother of seven children, all of which were living. Scion was a farmer on a general farm. His wife and two oldest children were enumerated as farm laborers on a home farm. His sisters Martha and Mary lived next door.

1920 Soundex cards for Scion's family

On January 9, 1920, Scion and his family lived in the Lindleys District of Walton County. He was a farmer on a general farm. Harry, Curtis, and Otis were all helping on the farm.

Scion’s brother Henry died in the Vinegar Hill District on February 9, 1921. He was buried at New Hope United Methodist Church Cemetery in Between. His brother Bartow died in Walton County on November 22, 1925. Bartow was buried at Bay Creek Cemetery in Loganville, Walton County.

On April 9, 1930, Scion, his wife, and three daughters—Nora, Ethel, and Ophelia—rented a home on Lawrence Street in Monroe, Walton County. Scion worked in a cotton mill, hauling.

Scion’s sister Martha never married and lived with their father until his death in Walton County on January 7, 1909. After his death, Martha lived in Between with their brother William for a while. A short time before she died in January 1934, she moved in with Scion.

On April 11, 1940, Scion and Maggie lived on Lawrence Street in Monroe. His daughter Ophelia was the head of the household. Both Scion and Maggie had a fourth grade education. His daughter Nora Jones McElroy lived in the home as well along with her son Thomas. Ophelia and Nora were both spinners in a cotton mill.

According to Maggie’s 1953 obituary, Scion and Maggie moved to Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia about 1946 to live with their daughter Lenora.

Scion’s sister Susanah A. Jones Wade died in 1948. She was buried at Bay Creek Cemetery in Loganville.

A 1950 Atlanta, Georgia city directory listed Scion and Maggie as living at 845 Marcus SE.

Scion’s brother William died in Monroe on June 1, 1952, leaving his sister Elizabeth (Lizzie) and Scion as the surviving members of the Henry Jones family. William was buried at New Hope United Methodist Church Cemetery in Between. Lizzie died on December 2, 1956 in Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia. She was buried beside her husband Thomas Terrell Burnette at Walker United Methodist Church Cemetery in Greensboro.

Scion’s wife Maggie (age 80) died in Atlanta at the home of their daughter, Lenora Jones McElroy on June 28, 1953. Maggie had been ill only two days prior to her death. She was buried on June 30 at New Hope United Methodist Church Cemetery in Between after a funeral held at St. Stephens Methodist Church officiated by the Revs. E. L. Ruark and Rev. John B. Rowe.

The year 1958 ended tragically when Scion’s daughter Lenora died on December 31 after being accidentally burned on December 7. Lenora was buried at Eastview Cemetery in Monroe, Walton County, Georgia.

Scion died at the Walton County Hospital Convalescent Unit in Walton County on April 24, 1970 at the age of 99. He was buried beside his wife Maggie on April 25 at New Hope United Methodist Church Cemetery in Between. The Revs. Johnny Rowe and J. Austin Gladney officiated at his funeral. He was survived by daughters Curtis, Ethelene, and Ophelia; sons William, Harry, and Lee; 14 grandchildren; and 27 great-grandchildren. Scion was the last member of the Henry Clayborn Jones Sr. family.

I contacted Scion’s daughter Ophelia Jones Adams before her death in 2000 and she recalled that her parents were hard working people. She said they didn’t have much money. Her father was a blacksmith and her mother was a housekeeper who also worked in the field. Her father farmed later in life when the blacksmith jobs disappeared.

52 Ancestors – Another possible photo of Henry Clayborn Jones Sr. (84-2016)

During my research for another ancestor, I found the photo to the right that contains a man who I believe is Henry Clayborn Jones Sr., my second great-grandfather. The photo is from 1890 and is a group of Civil War veterans from Walton County, Georgia. Once again, I’m asking myself if I’ve found a hidden treasure.

Back on November 6, 2015, I blogged about a photo I found in my Daddy’s house when clearing it out to put on the market (52 Ancestors – Hidden Family Treasure – (week 45 – 2015). I’m blogging now to ask anyone that’s reading this post to take a look at the photos I posted on November 6 and compare them to this photo—specifically the bearded man in the middle of the front row. Henry Jones was in fact a Civil War vet from Walton County, having served with the Hillyer Rifles. Here’s what I previously wrote about his military service:

Henry Jones served the Confederate States during the Civil War enlisting on June 13, 1861 as a private in Company C, 9th Regiment, Anderson Brigade Volunteers, also known as the “Hillyer Rifles.” Company C was commanded by Captain George Hillyer and engaged in the Battle of the Wilderness, fought in Virginia May 5–7, 1864. The Battle of the Wilderness was a blood bath with casualties heavy on both sides, including Henry who was shot under his left shoulder blade. The ball, which was never extracted, struck a rib and then lodged near his kidney leaving the left side of his body partially paralyzed. Henry frequently passed blood from his bladder as a result of his injury which affected his back and caused him to be in constant pain. He couldn’t straighten himself or sit down for long periods of time resulting in total disability from any kind of work. Henry survived the war though and was promoted to Full 2nd Sergeant before he mustered out at the surrender at Appomattox Court House in Virginia on April 9, 1865.

So what do you think? Did you look at my November 6 post and compare the photos? Am I on the right track? Do the men in the different photos look like the same person? Do you agree with me that they’re one and the same? I’m interested in other opinions with regard to this photo and look forward to hearing from someone!

Georgia Department of Archives and History
This photo of Walton County Civil War veterans is from the Vanishing Georgia collection of the Digital Library of Georgia which is part of the Georgia Department of Archives and History. The Georgia Archives contains a treasure trove of research material for the state of Georgia. I’m thankful for all they do for Georgia history and that they work so hard to share what they have with the public.

Photo information: Image ID wlt135-82, Walton County, ca. 1890. Group of Civil War veterans from Walton County gather for a photograph. The image of the man in the lower left corner was that of a veteran already deceased. Vanishing Georgia, Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia.

52 Ancestors – Ina Close – (83-2016)

Ina Close

Ina Close, daughter of John W. Close, Sr. and Margaret Athya, was born in Bellshill, Scotland on Christmas Day, December 25, 1907. She was the second child of three—James Close, Ina Close, and John W. Close, Jr.

On May 8, 1912 when Ina was four years old, the Athya family left Glasgow, Scotland via the S.S. Grampian, arriving in Quebec, Canada on June 16. Upon arrival, they settled in Joggins Mines in Nova Scotia where they lived for two years. The outward passenger list contained a surprise for me in that it listed Ina as Jemima. It makes sense as her maternal grandmother’s name was Jemima Durie Athya. Was this an attempt to name her after her grandmother Athya? In all of my conversations with my mother-in-law about this family, she never mentioned a name change for Ina. I wonder if she knew about it.

S.S. Grampian outward passenger list

In 1914, Ina’s father left the family behind in Nova Scotia and traveled to America, arriving at the Port of Vanceboro, Maine via Class D on July 9. He was 36 years old and was joining his uncle, William J. McCandler, who lived in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio. The rest of the family arrived in America via the Port of Buffalo, New York on November 8, 1914. All but Ina’s brother John would remain in Steubenville the rest of their life. John eventually moved to Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania where he lived until his death in 1988.

1914 manifest -- Nova Scotia to Buffalo, NY

On January 22, 1920, Ina lived at 641 Grandville Avenue in Steubenville with the rest of her family. She able to read and write and was recorded as having attended school at some time since September 1, 1919. The census enumerator listed her as an “Alien” who spoke English. Her father worked in a heater furnace mill.

Ina’s possible namesake, her grandmother Jemima Athya, died in Glasgow, Scotland in 1924. Ina, a student, still lived at home with her family on Grandview Avenue. I’ve found no record of grandmother Jemima ever visiting the family in Steubenville. I wonder if Ina remembered her grandmother. She hadn’t seen her since she left Scotland in 1912.

1920 Soundex Card

On February 21, 1925, Ina’s 19 year old brother James died of pneumonia at home in Steubenville. He was buried at Union Cemetery in Steubenville.

Ina married Joseph A. Schneider, son of John Schneider and Julia Wendling, about 1929. She was 22 years old. They never had children.

In 1931, Ina and Joseph lived at 1248 Oregon Avenue in Steubenville. He worked at Wheeling Steel Corporation. By 1933, they had moved and lived at 1436 ½ Euclid Avenue in Steubenville. Joseph still worked at Wheeling Steel Corporation.

On April 18, 1940, Ina and Joseph rented a home on Summit Avenue in Steubenville. The census enumerator recorded her birthplace as Scotland. Ina was a cashier in a retail department store. She and Joseph built a nice home in Wintersville, Jefferson County, Ohio in the late 1940’s. They always had a nice garden with lots of trees and flowers.

Forty-three years after arriving in America, Ina’s 80 year old father died in Steubenville on December 15, 1957 from lobar pneumonia. His funeral was held on December 18 at the Cole Brothers Funeral Home, followed by burial at Union Cemetery in Steubenville. Her 88 year old mother died of congestive heart failure on December 19, 1968 at Ina’s home in Wintersville where she lived. She was buried at Union Cemetery beside her husband John.

Ina, her father John Close, her mother Maggie Athya Close,
Athya cousins, Margaret Athya, and Ina's husband
Joseph Schneider

Ten years later at the age of 70, Ina died on August 16, 1978 at the St. John Medical Center in Steubenville. Cause of death was listed as respiratory failure and saddle embolus abdominal. McClave-Chandler-Mills Funeral Home located at 143 Canton Road in Wintersville handled the arrangements for her August 19th burial at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Steubenville. At the time of her death, Ina and her husband lived at 240 Woodridge Drive in Wintersville.

According to my mother-in-law, Ina wouldn’t admit that she was born in Scotland. Immigration documents recorded her birthplace as Scotland, as did the 1920 and 1940 census records. Her death certificate listed her birthplace as Ohio U.S.A. and her obituary listed Steubenville as her birthplace. I guess she wasn’t old enough to deny her birthplace in the immigration documents.

Ina was a housewife and a member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church. She had a fair complexion, brown hair, and blue eyes.

Ina’s husband was an electrical engineer who worked in the steel mill in Steubenville. He died of dehydration due to prostate cancer on December 22, 1995 at the age of 93. Joseph was buried on December 26, 1995 at the Coronation Mausoleum at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Steubenville.

52 Ancestors – Cornelia Jane Dove (82-2016)

Cornelia Jane Dove

Cornelia Jane Dove, daughter of John E. Dove and Eliza Amanda Holland, was born February 1872 in Hart County, Georgia. She was one of six children—John William Dove, Carrie Ann Dove, Cornelia Jane Dove, Elizabeth (Lizzie) A. Dove, Sallie M. Dove, and one child that did not survive. According to the 1900 Hart County, Georgia census record, Amanda Holland Dove was the mother of six children, five of which were living at that time. It is unknown to me when this child was born/died or the sex of the child. Cornelia Jane Dove went by Janie and was my great-grandmother.

John Dove and Amanda Holland were married about 1868 and the family grew quickly after they wed. Their oldest child John was born in 1869, followed by Carrie in 1870, both of which were born in South Carolina. Janie, born in Georgia, soon followed in 1872. Had the family moved to Georgia sometime between October 1870 and February 1872? Or were they living in South Carolina and for reasons unknown to me, Janie was born in Georgia? That’s certainly a possibility. Her parents were both from Anderson County, South Carolina which isn’t far from Hart County, Georgia. Assuming it was a move, sometime after Janie’s birth, the family moved back to South Carolina where her sister Elizabeth was born in October 1874. They were still living in South Carolina when Janie’s youngest sister Sallie was born in January 1877.

I’ve been unable to find Janie and her family in the 1880 census records. However, on June 10, 1880 her brother John was living in the Broadway Township of Anderson County with his paternal grandparents, Henderson and Cynthia Dove. Where was the rest of the family? I’ve been told that her father deserted the family and eventually started a second family. In previous blog entries, I wrote that Janie’s father (John Dove) left home in 1893 and went to live with John Joseph Hall’s family (brother of Cindarilla Darliska Amanda Hall, Leroy Thomas Holland’s second wife). However, in researching John E. Dove for this blog entry it appears that he married his second wife Sarah (Sallie) A. Fields, daughter of Joseph Fields and Angeline Powell, in 1882. According to the 1900 Militia District 842, Milton County, Georgia census record John and Sallie had been married for 18 years. This would mean that Janie’s parents probably divorced sometime between January 1877 and June 1880 and John remarried two years later. After John’s second marriage to Sallie, Janie gained at least four more siblings—Joe Dove, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Dove, Walter David Dove, and Alfred Clifford Dove.

Apparently Janie’s mother moved the family to Hart County, Georgia after the divorce as I once again found Amanda Dove listed in Hart County, Georgia property tax digest records for the period 1881–1887. The record recorded her living in the Ray’s Mill district of Eagle Grove, Hart County. She was listed in the same district in the 1890 Georgia property tax digest.

In 1892, Janie, her mother Amanda, and sister Sallie left Hartwell, Hart County, Georgia and moved to Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia where Amanda’s brother Leroy Thomas Holland lived. Sallie’s future husband, Boone Bowers, traveled with them. They lived on part of 80 acres of land owned by Leroy but later moved to land owned by George Brownlee, a friend of Leroy’s.

On March 12, 1894, Janie married her first cousin Elijah Jeffers Holland, son of Leroy Thomas Holland and Amanda Elizabeth Scott, in Whitfield County, Georgia. Janie’s mother was Elijah’s father’s sister. Together Janie and Elijah had four children—Roy Holland, Nellie Holland, Samuel Jackson Holland, and a fourth child that did not survive.

Marriage record for Janie Dove and Elijah Holland

On June 14, 1900, Elijah, Janie, Roy, Nellie, and Janie’s mother Amanda Dove lived in Hart County, Georgia. There was also an 18 year old boarder named Charley Williams living in the home. His occupation was farm laborer so maybe he helped Elijah on the farm. Janie was enumerated as the mother of three children, two of which were living. Elijah was a farmer. They lived seven houses from Janie’s sister Sallie and her family.

The family lived in this house in 1904

Sometime between 1900 and 1910, the family moved back to Whitfield County. My aunt remembers hearing the story of Elijah and his family traveling to Dalton in a covered wagon. My grandfather, Samuel Jackson Holland, was born in Whitfield County on October 13, 1904.

On May 4, 1910, Janie and her family lived in the Ninth District of Whitfield County, Georgia. Janie and Elijah had been married 15 years. The census records shows that Janie was the mother of four children, three of which were living. Janie was enumerated as a farm laborer on a home farm, as was Roy and Nellie. Elijah was a farm laborer on a general farm. Her sister Sallie and her family lived four houses away.

The next few years brought tragedy to Janie and her family beginning with the death of her husband Elijah who died in Dalton on March 4, 1915. He was buried near his father at Deep Springs Baptist Church Cemetery in Dalton. His death was reported in the newspaper as “Elijah Holland, a highly respected resident of the Deep Springs section, this county, died last Thursday. Interment was made in Deep Springs cemetery Friday.” There was no celebration in the home New Year’s Day 1919—only sadness as Janie’s son, Roy, died in Dalton on January 1. He was buried at Deep Springs Baptist Church Cemetery near his father and grandfather. The local paper ran a death notice: “Roy Holland, aged 21 years, a popular young resident of the Deep Spring section, died Wednesday. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. C. C. Maples, interment being in Deep Spring cemetery.”

Janie Dove Holland and child

The census enumerator came again on January 29, 1920 and found a widowed Janie in Whitfield County, Georgia. She was enumerated as Cornelia J. Holland (age 48)—the only time I’ve seen her first name listed. Janie was a farmer on a home farm. Her daughter Nellie (age 21) and son Sam (age 15) were both living with and helping her on the farm. Before the year ended, Janie lost her mother on November 5, 1920. Amanda died in Royston, Franklin County, Georgia and was buried at Redwine Cemetery in Hart County.

The year 1921 was another sad year for Janie when her daughter Nellie died on May 6 in Varnell, Whitfield County. The local paper ran a death notice: “Miss Nellie Holland, aged 22 years, died Friday at her home at Deep Spring. The body was interred Saturday in Deep Spring cemetery.” Now only one child survived, Janie’s youngest son Sam—my Granddaddy. Thankfully he didn’t have the same fate as his three siblings or I wouldn’t be here today to blog about my ancestors. I wonder if he worried that he too would die young. I hope he didn’t have any anxiety over this. My aunt tells me that Granddaddy didn’t talk much about his family who had suffered a lot of heartache so perhaps he didn’t want to think about such sad memories. Thankfully he went on to enjoy a full life filled with family and love. We lost my Granddaddy in 1972.

Headstone for Janie's father, John E. Dove at
Silver Brook Cemetery

Janie’s father John Dove died in Anderson, Anderson County, South Carolina on October 10, 1926. A Confederate veteran according to his wife Sallie’s obituary, John was buried on October 11 in the Confederate Soldiers Section of Silver Brook Cemetery in Anderson. It’s unknown as to whether Janie had any contact with him since he left the family.

Janie died of angina petoris in Varnell, Whitfield County, Georgia on September 19, 1930. The Dalton News ran her obituary: “Mrs. Jannie Holland is Buried Saturday—Mrs. Jannie Holland, 57 years of age, died at her home near Deep Springs at an early hour Friday morning. Funeral services were held at the Deep Springs church Saturday morning at ten o’clock. Rev. Joe Rackley officiating. Interment was made in the local cemetery. Surviving Mrs. Holland are her son, Sam Holland; one grandson, W. L. Holland; and two sisters, Mrs. Boone Bowers of Deep Springs; and Mrs. Lizzie Allen, of Texas. Kenemer Brothers were in charge of funeral arrangements.” Her son Sam was the informant on her death certificate.