Rebecca “Ree” M. Bryant

This blog post is another in a series connecting the dots in my tree to the souls buried at Bairdstown Cemetery in Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia.

Rebecca M. Bryant was born on January 28, 1895, in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, to Eugene Herbert Bryant and Nancy Tallulah “Lula” Bouchelle. She was one of 14 children, with siblings Leroy Bryant, Clinton Bouchelle Bryant, J. Iverson Bryant, Nellie Lynne Bryant, Mamie Bryant, Hugh Crawford Bryant, Herbert Alexander Bryant, Clark Howell Bryant Sr., Clyde Bryant (a female), Emily Elizabeth Bryant, Noel T. Bryant, William M. Bryant, and an unnamed infant son. Nicknamed Ree, Rebecca is my 2nd cousin 3x removed. Our closest shared ancestors are her great-grandparents, Charles L. Lankford and Miss Moore, who are my 4th great-grandparents. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Ann Lankford, was a sibling to my 3rd great grandfather, James Meriweather Lankford.

Before Ree’s birth, the family endured the loss of two children: J. Iverson Bryant passed away in infancy on December 12, 1887, at just 10 months old, and was buried at Bairdstown Cemetery in Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County. Nellie Lynne Bryant tragically died on December 30, 1892, just shy of her fourth birthday, after suffering severe burns. She, too, was laid to rest at Bairdstown Cemetery.

By June 5, 1900, the Bryant family resided in the Falling Creek district of Maxeys, Oglethorpe County, Georgia. At that time, Ree’s parents had been married for 18 years. Her mother, Lula, was recorded as the mother of nine children, seven of whom were still living. Eugene, a farmer, owned the family home. Leroy, Clinton, Mamie, and Hugh were attending school, while five-year-old Ree (mistakenly listed as a son) stayed home with her younger brothers, Herbert (3) and Clark (1, mistakenly recorded as Mark). The household also included two black servants, Jurls Kidd (21, a farm laborer) and Hattie Alere (20, a cook), though the names are somewhat difficult to read with certainty.

On November 15, 1909, the Bryant family faced a third devastating loss with the death of an infant son. The tombstone inscription, “Infant Son of E. H. & N. T. Bryant,” suggests he was likely stillborn. He was laid to rest in the Bryant family plot at Bairdstown Cemetery.

By April 19, 1910, Ree and her family remained in the Falling Creek district of Maxeys. At this time, her parents had been married 28 years. The census record listed her mother as the mother of 11 children, all supposedly alive, though this was incorrect. Ree’s father, a farmer on a general farm, owned their home, which was classified as a farm, free and clear. Ree’s brothers, Hugh (17) and Herbert (12), were working as farm laborers on the family farm. Her sister Mamie (19) was neither employed nor attending school. Ree (16) was attending school alongside her siblings Hugh, Herbert, Clark, Clyde, and Emily. Except for Emily, Noel, and William, all the children could read and write. Ree’s widowed grandfather, William Bryant, along with her aunts Sarah and Rebecca, and uncle Jasper lived three doors away. 

Tragically, Ree’s brother Noel passed away on November 27, 1912, at the age of seven. He, too, was buried at Bairdstown Cemetery.

Despite extensive searches on multiple online genealogy sites, I have been unable to locate Ree in the 1920 census. She was no longer living at home or with any of her siblings. However, I did find a news article regarding the Winfield School in Thomson, Georgia, which provided insight into Ree’s early career.

Ree’s entry into the workforce was one of service. When school opened in September 1921, she was teaching the first and second grades. The school offered classes from at least first through eleventh grades and had an enrollment of 66 students. At that time, the school appeared to have only four teachers, each overseeing multiple grades. Ree was living in Maxeys, approximately 53 miles away from Thomson, so it is unclear whether she commuted or lived in Thomson during the school year.

In October 1926, Ree’s name was nominated by a friend for the Athens Popular Lady Contest sponsored by the Northeast Georgia Calf Club and Poultry Show under the Athens Chamber of Commerce. The Banner-Herald in Athens published a list of several hundred young women who were nominated, along with a free voting coupon for readers to submit their votes.

In early January 1930, Ree appeared on a list of shareholders for the Mutual Building and Loan Association, which was published in The Banner-Herald. She was set to receive a seven percent per annum dividend.

By April 2, 1930, Ree was residing as a bookkeeper at Saint Mary’s Hospital on Milledge Avenue in Athens, in Militia District 216 of Clarke County, Georgia. She lived with a 28-year-old female superintendent named Jewel Haralson and 14 female student nurses, ranging in age from 18 to 28. Ree continued to live at St. Mary’s Hospital and work as a bookkeeper in 1931.

In June 1932, Ree slipped while getting out of a car in front of the nurses’ home at St. Mary’s Hospital and broke her ankle.

Ree often spent time in Atlanta with friends, including Joseph “Joe” Carlton Fambro. In September 1932, Ree, Joe, his daughter Edith “Gwendolyn” Fambro, and a friend named Nell Seagraves were there. They made at least two trips there in 1933, in May and August. In October 1934, Ree, Joe, and Gwendolyn spent a Sunday in Atlanta. In September 1935, Ree, Joe, and Gwendolyn once again traveled to Atlanta, accompanying a Miss Jackson, likely a nurse friend of Ree’s, who would be attending training at Grady Hospital.

Ree’s brother, Leroy, a well-known medical doctor in Maxeys, passed away there on September 24, 1932, after suffering from pneumonia. He was buried at Sunset Street Cemetery in Maxeys. In mid-August 1933, Ree traveled to Gary, Indiana, and Chicago, Illinois, to visit relatives. While in Chicago, Ree planned to attend the Century of Progress Exposition, also known as the World’s Fair. In July 1934, Ree went on a vacation in Clayton, Georgia, located in Rabun County and surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains.

By April 1, 1935, Ree was living in Athens. In early October 1935, Ree and friends, including Joe and his daughter Gwendolyn, attended a fair in Atlanta. This was likely the Southeastern Fair held at the Lakewood Fairgrounds, a popular annual event featuring rides, carnival games, fireworks, live acts, livestock exhibition halls, and, of course, food. Later, they also held nightly stock car races around a small lake. The home I grew up in Atlanta was just down the street from the fairgrounds, and we attended every fall. If I recall correctly, the school system passed out free passes to all the students. Ree may have even ridden the wooden roller coaster featured, and eventually destroyed, in the Smokey and the Bandit movies.

Ree’s brother, Clinton, passed away suddenly in Athens on June 14, 1935. He was laid to rest at Stephens Cemetery following a service at Prince Avenue Baptist Church.

In late July 1935, Ree spent several days in Atlanta visiting friends and relatives. Coincidentally, Joe and Gwendolyn were also in Atlanta visiting friends. In mid-December, Ree and Joe traveled to Maxeys to visit Ree’s parents. In November 1935, Ree was one of over 400 residents of Athens who subscribed to the Salvation Army’s maintenance fund campaign for 1936.

In January 1936, Ree, along with her brother Clark and his wife Sarah, traveled to Maxeys to visit their parents.

In February 1936, Ree purchased “Iris City” stamps sold by the Tallulah Falls Circle to advertise Athens throughout the country and raise funds for Tallulah Falls Industrial School scholarships. The stamps were used to mail letters and raise awareness about Athens to prospective tourists.

In early July 1936, Ree, Joe, Gwendolyn, and Joe’s sister Sue joined Ree’s parents for dinner in honor of her brother Herbert, who was visiting from Gary, Indiana. Sometime after that visit, Ree traveled to New York, returning home by the end of July.

In mid-September 1936, Ree, Joe, and Sue traveled to Bowersville, located in northeast Georgia in Hart County, near the South Carolina border, to visit Dick Ferguson. While there, they stopped in Royston, Georgia, about seven miles away, to pick up Lettie Burnett, who traveled back to Athens with them. Ree spent a Saturday in mid-November in Atlanta.

Ree’s engagement to Joe, whose parents were Augustus “Gus” A. Fambro and Nancy Emily “Emma” Spinks, was announced in The Atlanta Constitution on December 13, 1936. Before the announcement, Ree spent several days visiting her parents in Maxeys. After at least four years of dating, Ree and Joe were married in Athens on Sunday, December 27, 1936, at 2:30 p.m. in a ceremony officiated by Dr. James C. Wilkinson, pastor. Ree wore a stylish gray outfit with green highlights and matching accessories.

The couple honeymooned in Florida before returning to their home on Oak Street in Athens. A wedding announcement praised Ree, stating, “her genial happy personality is beloved by all who knew her.” Joe was well-known in Athens from a business perspective and was considered “quite popular.” Guests presented the newlyweds with an array of gifts, including silver, china, glass, and personal items.

Joe, a widower, was previously married to Pearl Virginia Dickerson on October 31, 1914, in Athens. Tragically, Pearl passed away just two years later, in September 1916, following a brief illness, leaving Joe to care for Gwendolyn, born in September 1915, alone. At the time of Joe’s first marriage, he worked in the retail grocery industry in Athens.

After Pearl’s death, Joe and Gwendolyn moved in with his parents in Athens. Joe’s 1918 World War I draft registration card described him as of medium height and stout build, with blue eyes and dark brown hair.

Gwendolyn married Jerome Phillips Stovall in Clarke County on February 19, 1939.

On May 16, 1940, Ree and Joe resided in the Princeton Factory community of Athens. Above their entry, the census enumerator noted, “Here begins enumeration of Fair Haven Sanitarium.” Immediately after their entry, he added, “Here ends enumeration of Fair Haven Sanitarium, only [unreadable] are living in nurse’s cottage as caretaker’s sanitarium has been closed 2 years.”

Ree worked as a hostess in the general hospital industry, classified as government work. In the 1940s, a hospital hostess greeted patients and visitors, assisted with paperwork, coordinated meals, maintained cleanliness, and supported nursing staff. The census enumerator recorded ‘40’ in the hours worked column, but ‘0’ in the weeks worked column and ‘0’ in the income column, indicating she had no other income. This suggests that Ree might have been a volunteer rather than an employee. Joe worked a 36-hour week as a salesman at a retail grocery, earning $540 annually. Ree had attended three years of college, while Joe had a seventh-grade education.

On April 15, 1941, Ree’s mother, Nancy, passed away suddenly. She was laid to rest on April 17 at Bairdstown Cemetery following a service at the Baptist Church in Maxeys.

Ree’s husband, Joe (aged 57), tragically died on March 23, 1943, at Athens General Hospital from injuries sustained when he was struck by a police patrol car early on March 21 in front of his Prince Avenue home. The accident occurred as he stepped out of a taxi cab into the path of the police car during heavy rain. Despite efforts to avoid him, the police car swerved and crashed into a telephone pole. Joe’s funeral was held at Oconee Street Methodist Church. According to his obituary, he was buried at Tuckston Cemetery. Joe’s death certificate records his place of burial as Athens, GA/Tuckston. However, Find-A-Grave has a memorial for him at Lester Cemetery, including a gravestone photo, making it difficult to confirm the correct location.

The physician who signed Joe’s death certificate was C. H. Bryant, MD, of Comer, Georgia, who was Ree’s brother, Clark Howell Bryant. As there was no hospital in Comer, he would have used the Athens General Hospital, the primary medical facility in the region. In addition to Ree, Joe was survived by his daughter, Gwendolyn; sister, Sue; brother, Grady; and grandson, James Carlton Stovall. A native of Clarke County and a lifelong resident of Athens, Joe was a beloved figure in the community and had worked in the grocery business for many years. He was also a member of the Elks Club.

Ree’s father, Eugene, passed away at the age of 90 in Atlanta on June 14, 1948. He was laid to rest on June 16 at Bairdstown Cemetery following a service at the Christian Church in Maxeys.

On April 10, 1950, a widowed Ree lived as a roomer, along with six others, in the home of David L. and Vivian Earnest in Athens. Ree worked a 40-hour week as a receptionist in a doctor’s office. At least two others in the home also worked in the health industry. In late August 1951, Ree spent time in the General Hospital for a “continued illness.”

The 1960s were unkind to the Bryant family, with Ree losing four of her siblings. The first was her brother Hugh, who passed away in Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia, on July 27, 1962, following an extended illness. He was buried at Bairdstown Cemetery following a service at Bairdstown Baptist Church. At that time, Ree lived in Maxeys. Ree’s sister Mamie passed away in Lowndes County, Georgia, on January 15, 1965, and was buried at West Hill Cemetery in Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia. Her brother William passed away in DeKalb County, Georgia, on April 17, 1967. He was laid to rest at Decatur Cemetery in Decatur, DeKalb County, on April 19, following a service at Trinity Chapel. Ree’s brother Herbert passed away in Baldwin County, Georgia, on March 15, 1969, and was buried at Bairdstown Cemetery.

Ree passed away in Fulton County, Georgia, on October 23, 1974. She was buried at Bairdstown Cemetery. A retired receptionist, Ree was a member of Maxeys Christian Church.

Bryant family plot, Bairdstown Cemetery

References

• $231,500 Subscribed Capital: Mutual Building and Loan Association Announces First Semi-Annual Dividend Paid January 1, 1930, The Banner-Herald, Athens, Georgia, January 5, 1930.
• Athens, Georgia, City Directory, 1931.
• Bryant, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, April 18, 1967.
• Dickerson-Fambro, Athens Banner, Athens, Georgia, November 1, 1914.
• Edith Gwendolyn Fambro, Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978. 
• Edith Gwendolyn Fambro, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
• Engagements, Bryant-Fambro, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, December 13, 1936.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/149955706/mamie_l-foster: accessed February 10, 2025), memorial page for Mamie L Bryant Foster (10 Mar 1891–15 Jan 1965), Find a Grave Memorial ID 149955706, citing West Hill Cemetery, Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Mike Borja (contributor 47317107).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83711335/joseph_carlton-fambro: accessed February 9, 2025), memorial page for Joseph Carlton Fambro (26 Jan 1886–23 Mar 1943), Find a Grave Memorial ID 83711335, citing Lester Cemetery, Athens, Clarke County, Georgia, USA; maintained by D.J. (contributor 46939014).
• Funeral on Monday for Dr. Leroy Bryant, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, September 26, 1932.
• Funeral Services Are Held for C. B. Bryant Yesterday, Athens Banner-Herald, Athens, Georgia, June 16, 1935.
• Help Your Favorite Candidate to Win!, The Banner-Herald, Athens, Georgia, October 21, 1926.
• Hugh Crawford Bryant, Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, August 2, 1962.
• Injuries Are Fatal to Joe Fambro; Services Wednesday, Athens Banner-Herald, Athens, Georgia, March 23, 1943.
• J. Iverson Bryant, Noel T. Bryant, Nellie Lynn Bryant, Herbert A. Bryant, and Infant Son Bryant tombstones, Bairdstown Cemetery, Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia.
• Joe Carlton Fambro, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.
• Joseph C. Fambro, Georgia Deaths, 1919–98.
• Joseph Carlton Fambro, Certificate of Death no. 91 4597, Georgia Department of Public Health, 1943.
• Lakewood Fairgrounds; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakewood_Fairgrounds. 
• Luce, Cortlandt F., Jr., Southeastern Fair at Lakewood Park, https://dlg.usg.edu/record/geh_athpc_677.
• Mamie B. Foster, Herbert A. Bryant, Georgia, U.S., Death Index, 1919–1998.
• Maxeys Matters, Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, January 5, 1893.
• Maxeys News, Athens Banner-Herald, Athens, Georgia, December 15, 1935, January 17, 1936, July 5, 1936, December 13, 1936.
• Miss Ree Bryant Weds Mr. Joseph Carlton Fambro Sunday, Athens Banner-Herald, Athens, Georgia, December 28, 1936.
• More Athens Business Firms and Individuals Buy Stamps, Athens Banner-Herald, Athens, Georgia, February 11, 1936.
• Mr. E. H. Bryant, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, June 16, 1948.
• Mrs. Joe Fambro to be Buried This P.M.: Died, After Protracted Illness, at Home of Mother at Hartwell, Athens Banner, Athens, Georgia, September 10, 1916.
• Mrs. Nancy Tallulah Bryant, Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, April 24, 1941.
• Mrs. Rebecca Sambro, Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, Georgia, October 24, 1974.
• Nancy T. Bryant, Georgia Deaths, 1919–98.
• Nearly 400 Athenians Aid Salvation Army’s 1936 Maintenance Fund, Athens Banner-Herald, Athens, Georgia, November 3, 1935.
• Pearl Virginia Dickinson, Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Personal Mention, Athens Banner-Herald, Athens, Georgia, August 20, 1933, September 1, 1933, July 16, 1934, October 9, 1934, September 15, 1936.
• Personal Mention, The Banner-Herald, Athens, Georgia, June 20, 1932, September 8, 1932, September 22, 1932, May 10, 1933, August 16, 1933, July 29, 1935, September 17, 1935, October 9, 1935.
• Personal visit to Bryant Family Plot, Bairdstown Cemetery, Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia.
• Personals, Athens Banner-Herald, Athens, Georgia, July 30, 1936, November 23, 1936, August 30, 1951.
• Rebecca B. Fambro, Georgia Deaths, 1919–98.
• Ree Bryant, Georgia, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• U.S. Federal Census, Athens Ward 1, Clarke County, Georgia, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, Athens, Clarke County, Georgia, 1950.
• U.S. Federal Census, Athens, Princeton Factory, Clarke County, Georgia, 1940.
• U.S. Federal Census, Falling Creek, Maxeys, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 1900, 1910, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, Militia District 216, Clarke County, Georgia, 1930.
• Winfield News, The McDuffie Progress, Thomson, Georgia, September 2, 1921.