James England George

James England George was born on October 6, 1875, in Brush Knobb, Henry County, Georgia. He was the oldest of six children born to Raleigh David George and Mary Willie Hollingsworth. His siblings were Bertie, Hayden Edgar, Ennis Adelle, Julia “Cleo,” and Raleigh Mae George. Though not a blood relative, James is connected to my Hobbs and Lankford families through marriage. He may have gone by Jim.

The George family after the death of Raleigh D. George
Back: James England George, mother Mary Willie (Hollingsworth) George, Hayden Edgar George
Front: Ennis Adelle George, Julia Cleo George, Raleigh Mae George

On June 15, 1880, one‑year‑old James lived in Brush Knobb with his widowed grandfather, Newton George; his aunts Sarah (14) and Gatewood (12); and his parents, Raleigh (19) and Mary (17). “Brush Knobb” was not an officially recognized community, but it was the name the 1880 census taker used to describe the local area he enumerated. Both Raleigh and Newton worked as farmers, while Mary kept house. Sarah and Gatewood were attending school. Also in the household was Melvin George, a 20‑year‑old black farm laborer.

James was 12 when his 6‑year‑old sister Bertie died in Conyers, Rockdale County, on April 21, 1887. She was buried at Smyrna Presbyterian Campground Cemetery in Conyers. Three years later, on March 23, 1891, his father Raleigh died in a tragic railroad accident at age 32. While working as a conductor in the East Tennessee yards, he was crushed between two colliding switch engines near the McDaniel Street crossing in Atlanta, Fulton County. Although he was rushed home, he died several hours later from severe leg injuries. A coroner’s jury later found that railroad employee negligence contributed to the accident. Within days, his widow, Mary George, filed a $25,000 lawsuit against the railroad, charging criminal negligence. Raleigh’s body was sent to Conyers, where he was buried beside Bertie at Smyrna Presbyterian Campground Cemetery.

Raleigh’s death left Mary to raise five children alone in Atlanta. The daughters remained in the city as adults, but James and his younger brother Hayden eventually left Atlanta for Greene County in search of work. There the brothers entered the lumber business and operated a sawmill. Hayden was known for his hot temper, and family memory suggests the two may have left Atlanta together after Hayden got into trouble, prompting a fresh start in Greene County.

James married Gussie M. (and/or Annette) McCarty, daughter of William Harris McCarty and Marian Langford Hobbs, in Atlanta, on July 31, 1898, in a ceremony officiated by the Rev. John Almand. Although the marriage certificate records her middle initial as “M,” her tombstone was engraved with the name Gussie Annette George. James and Gussie had six children: Willie Marion, Raleigh Minor, Mary Lou, James Otis, Gussie O., and Guy Walton George.

 

Two versions of the marriage license for James and Gussie

On June 12, 1900, James and Gussie were living in Militia District 146, in the Branch community of Greene County, with her widowed father, William McCarty. Both James and William were farmers. Their daughter, Willie Marion George, appeared in the census as “William M. George,” grandson, age one. James, Gussie, and William were all able to read and write.

By April 15, 1910, the family had moved to Main Street in Penfield, Greene County. James and Gussie had been married 11 years and had four children. William McCarty and James’ brother Hayden were also living in the household. James worked as a sawyer at a sawmill; William farmed; and Hayden worked as an agent for Gloria Light, a home lighting system rather than a local company. James’ sister Julia and her husband Augustus lived next door, as did my 2nd great‑grandmother Mary (Wilson) Lankford and her children Oliver and Della. James and Gussie welcomed a daughter, also named Gussie, on May 12, 1910, but she lived only a little over two months and died on July 31. She was buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Gussie, son Raleigh, and James

James’ sons Raleigh and James

James’ sons James Otis George, Guy Walton George,
and Raleigh Minor George

James registered for the World War I draft on September 12, 1918, in Oglethorpe County, giving his birth year as 1878 rather than 1875. At the time, he was a self‑employed blacksmith and automobile mechanic working in Stephens—an entirely typical combination in rural Georgia, where blacksmiths often became the first local mechanics as automobiles spread. He listed his wife, Gussie, as his nearest relative. The registrar described him as of medium height and build, with blue eyes and dark hair.

James’ World War I draft registration card

By January 8, 1920, the family was living on Bowling Green Road in Bowling Green, Oglethorpe County. Their five living children—Willie, Raleigh, Mary, James, and Guy—were still at home. James worked as an operator in an auto garage. Sixteen‑year‑old Raleigh worked as a farmer on a general farm, while Mary and James attended school. James’s 77‑year‑old widowed father was also living with the family and no longer working.

By April 25, 1930, James had moved back to Penfield, where he lived in a rented home with Gussie and their children Marion, Mary, James, and Guy. James and his son James were both working on the farm. The household owned a radio.

Gussie, James, and possibly his brother Hayden

James’s mother, Mary, died at her home in Atlanta on January 6, 1935, at age 73. After a memorial service on January 8 at the J. Austin Dillon Company funeral home, officiated by Rev. L. A. Davis and Rev. W. E. Crane, she was buried at Smyrna Campground Cemetery in Conyers. Possibly still grieving his mother’s death, James’ brother Hayden died in Atlanta on September 18, 1936, at age 54. He was buried at Penfield Cemetery.

James’ daughter Mary Lou George ca. 1939

On April 13, 1940, James was living at Penfield and Woodville Roads in Penfield, in the same home the family occupied in 1935. He had a seventh‑grade education. Their daughter Marion (40) and son James (33) and his wife Thelma (31) were living in the home and had been since 1935. James was self‑employed as a mechanic in his own shop, and his son drove an oil truck.

Original image of James provided by his grandson

Same image enhanced by CoPilot AI

On April 24, 1950, James, Gussie, and their daughter Marion were living in Penfield in the first house on the left past the Presbyterian Church. Marion, then 50, remained unmarried until age 73. Both James and Gussie were unable to work, so Marion kept house. They had lived in the same home in 1949. The 1950 census recorded James with an eighth‑grade education; he had been unable to work in 1949 and earned no income.

James’ sister Julia Cleo (George) Clark died at her home in Atlanta on March 21, 1952, and was buried at Smyrna Presbyterian Campground Cemetery in Conyers. His sister Raleigh Mae (George) Farrar died in Atlanta on October 29, 1958, and was buried at East View Cemetery in East Atlanta.

James died in Greene County on August 18, 1960, at age 82, following a stroke that left him without speech. He was confined to bed for several years before his death. His daughters Marion and Mary Lou, along with his wife, cared for him until the end. He was buried at Penfield Cemetery.

My thanks to Kenneth George, James’ grandson, who shared memories and family photos with me 10 years ago.

References

• A Conductor Killed in the East Tennessee Yards Yesterday Morning: The Coroner Investigates the Killing, and Charges the Railroad Company’s Employees with Negligence, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, March 24, 1891.
• Crushed to Death: Mr. R. D. George, a Yard Conductor is Killed by a Switch Engine, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia, March 24, 1891.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20820586/cleo-clark: accessed March 19, 2026), memorial page for Cleo George Clark (4 Apr 1890–21 Mar 1952), Find a Grave Memorial ID 20820586, citing Smyrna Presbyterian Campground Cemetery, Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Frankz (contributor 47926778).
• From Our Notebooks, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, April 2, 1891.
• George—Mr. Hayden E. George, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, September 19, 1936.
• Gusie O. George tombstone, Penfield Cemetery, Penfield, Greene County, Georgia.
• James E. George, Georgia, U.S., Death Index, 1919–1998.
• James England George, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.
• Liberty Chapel Dots, The Conyers Weekly, Conyers, Georgia, April 27, 1887.
• Mortuary, Mrs. Carroll Farrar Sr., The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, October 31, 1958.
• Mrs. A. H. Clark, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia, March 22, 1952.
• Mrs. Mary W. George, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, January 7, 1935.
• Personal family memories of Kenneth W. George, grandson of James England George.
• Personal visit to Penfield Cemetery, Penfield, Greene County, Georgia.
• U.S. Federal Census, Bowling Green, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, Brushy Knobs, Henry County, Georgia, 1880.
• U.S. Federal Census, Penfield, Greene County, Georgia, 1910, 1930, 1950.