Taliaferro “Toliver” Langford Scott of Anderson County, South Carolina

Taliaferro “Toliver” Langford Scott was born in 1819 in South Carolina; his parents remain unidentified. At first, I believed he was the son of Taliaferro “Toliver” L. Scott and Nancy Wright of Spartanburg District, which seemed reasonable until new evidence surfaced. In March, another researcher contacted me after reading my sketch on Anthony Scott of Culpeper County, Virginia. She had traced the same Culpeper “love and affection” deed I had followed, but her line ran through Elizabeth (Scott) Stone—sister of the Culpeper‑born Toliver (1784). When she shared a Spartanburg Petition for Partition filed by W. B. Scott, it listed all heirs of Toliver (1784), and my Toliver was not among them. That document proved that the Culpeper‑born Toliver did not have a son named Toliver, so the Anderson County man must belong to a different branch of the family.

Petition for Partition filed in the Spartanburg District
Court of Ordinary by W. B. Scott

As I continued researching, a completely different sibling group emerged for the Anderson County Toliver—Carter C., Mitchell B., Jefferson A., William H., Joseph, and Mary Scott. DNA evidence supports a connection to Anthony’s grandson, Cornelius Scott, but without a document naming his parents, Anderson County Toliver’s position in the Scott line that traces back to Anthony Scott is unsettled for me.

While this was disappointing, I made a major discovery while reviewing Scott records on FamilySearch: Toliver (of Anderson) had been married twice, not once as I had believed. His first marriage occurred before March 1836, when he and Eliza E. Strickland, daughter of Burrell and Emilla “Emily” Strickland, appeared together in an Equity Court notice in the Pendleton Messenger. They continued the Strickland suit through 1837 and 1838, filing their receipt in full on November 24, 1838, confirming they had received Eliza’s inheritance. Later filings show that Toliver had died by the early 1850s and identify their three children as Newton, Amanda Elizabeth, and Eliza Scott. I descend from their daughter Amanda.

By August 1839, Toliver had moved into Anderson Village and purchased six town lots from Richard Prince. Prince held only a bond for title, meaning he did not yet have the deed, but Toliver paid the full price and took possession anyway. He lived on and improved the property for more than a decade, though the incomplete title later caused legal complications.

Eliza died shortly after Amanda’s birth in September 1839. On January 6, 1840, Toliver married Melvina “Lavina or Vina” Parker, forming a blended household that included Newton, Eliza, and Amanda, as well as Toliver and Lavina’s children—Martha Ellen, Langford J., Mary F., and Rosanna T. Scott. The 1840 census shows the family in Anderson District. By the late 1840s, Toliver had established himself as a wagon maker and blacksmith. 

Court records show that Toliver had been sued for unpaid notes as early as 1841, a pattern of financial strain that continued throughout the decade. Court records also show Toliver appearing as a witness in local civil cases, such as a subpoena issued in 1846 in a suit between James Ingram and John Dickinson.

In a January 1849 advertisement, Toliver offered one‑ to four‑horse wagons “of his own make,” guaranteed his workmanship, and invited custom orders. He also sold wagons on Sale Day, demonstrating both skill and business sense.

The Abbeville Banner, Abbeville, South Carolina, January 13, 1849

In 1850, the Scott family lived in the Western Division of Anderson District. Toliver, age 31, worked as a blacksmith with real estate valued at $2,000. Most of the children attended school, and Newton was listed as an apprentice—likely learning his father’s trade. A young man named Jeptha Scott lived with them, though his relationship is unknown. The agricultural schedule shows only a small farm—no horses or cattle, just a few sheep and pigs, and modest grain production—confirming that blacksmithing was Toliver’s primary livelihood.

Toliver’s financial troubles came to a head in October 1850, when the Court of Common Pleas issued a writ ordering sheriffs across South Carolina to seize him and bring him to court to answer a debt claim filed by Warren R. Webb. Before the case could be resolved, Toliver died without a will on January 12, 1851. His widow petitioned for administration, but the Ordinary appointed Andrew O. Norris on January 30. The estate inventory listed household goods, blacksmith tools, livestock, two enslaved adults, and numerous unpaid accounts owed to Toliver, yet the estate ultimately lacked the assets needed to cover his debts.

Toliver also owned two Anderson town lots—Nos. 41 and 43 in Square 14—one containing his blacksmith shop and the other a house. Because the estate lacked clear title to all six lots, Norris went to the Court of Equity in 1852 to clear the title and authorize their sale. Surveyor James Gilmer resurveyed the property, and the court ordered the lots sold in September 1853 to satisfy debts.

Survey of Toliver’s six Anderson Village lots

In June 1852, the court appointed a guardian ad litem for Toliver’s three minor Strickland‑line children (with his first wife Eliza)—Newton, Amanda, and Eliza—during the ongoing Strickland estate proceedings, ensuring their inheritance rights were protected.

By 1863, Toliver’s former Anderson Lots 41 and 43 had passed into the hands of Charleston financier George A. Trenholm, noting the building long known as ‘Scott’s shop’ and tracing their ownership through Elias Earle to Trenholm.

Mitchell B. Scott’s probate records from 1874–1876 helped document Toliver’s family. When Mitchell’s widow petitioned the court to sell land to pay his debts, the court listed Mitchell’s living siblings and the heirs of those who had already died. Toliver was included among the deceased siblings, and his place was represented by his daughters—Amanda Holland, Eliza Bolt, Ellen Simmons, Mary F. Turner, and Rosannah Mahaffey—showing that these were his surviving children and that he had died well before 1874.

Toliver’s presence in Anderson County records continued into the 1870s, when deeds tracing the chain of title for his Anderson town lots—Nos. 41 and 43 in Square 14—described them as “formerly owned by Toliver Scott.” A federal court deed from 1873, issued during the Fraser & Trenholm bankruptcy, again identified these lots as part of Toliver’s 1842 estate sale, preserving both their boundaries and his place in the early development of Anderson’s town center. 

Toliver’s life in Anderson County is now far clearer than when I began this research, yet one question remains unresolved: who were his parents? The evidence firmly rules out the Spartanburg line descending from Toliver Scott (1784), and DNA connections instead point toward an unplaced branch of the wider Scott family descending from Anthony Scott of Culpeper County. Matches to the line of Cornelius Scott strengthen that possibility, but no surviving record has yet named Toliver’s parents outright. His parentage remains just beyond the surviving evidence, likely preserved somewhere in the early Anderson, Pendleton, or upstate Scott records that have yet to come to light.

References

• Anderson County, South Carolina, Conveyance Records 1873–1875, images 87 and 141, FamilySearch.
• Anderson County, South Carolina, Court Records 1840, image 688, FamilySearch.
• Anderson County, South Carolina, Court Records 1846–1847, images 313–314, FamilySearch.
• Anderson County, South Carolina, Court Records 1852, images 7–57, FamilySearch. 
• Anderson County, South Carolina, Court Records 1852–1853, images 8–90, FamilySearch.
• Anderson County, South Carolina, Judicial Estate Records 1849–1851, image 691, FamilySearch.
• Anderson County, South Carolina, Land Records 1852–1855, 1849–1852, images 406–407 and 532, FamilySearch.
• Anderson County, South Carolina, Land Records 1872–1873, image 489, FamilySearch.
• Anderson County, South Carolina, Probate Records 1828–1878, images 406–411 and 619–647, FamilySearch. 
• Anderson County, South Carolina, Probate Records 1853–1863, 1840–1853, 1863–1868, image 250, FamilySearch.
• Anderson, South Carolina, Judicial Estate Records 1849–1851, images 688–693, FamilySearch.
• Anderson, South Carolina, Judicial Estate Records 1853–1854, images 260–261, FamilySearch.
• Charleston, South Carolina, Conveyance Records 1857–1867, image 872, FamilySearch.
• Deed Book A, 1749–1753, Culpeper County, Virginia: Culpeper, Deed Books 1749–1753, image 138, FamilySearch.
• History of Aaron Hall and Clementina Ann (Norris) Hall, letter written by Aaron Hall Holland to Samuel Jackson Holland, May 15, 1964.
• Lavina Scott, South Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1670–1980.
• Parker, Vina, South Carolina, U.S., Compiled Marriage Index, 1641–1965.
• Pendleton, South Carolina, Newspapers 1839, 1837, image 19 (Pendleton Messenger, March 22, 1837), FamilySearch.
• Spartanburg, South Carolina, Real Estate Records 1853–1881, images 177–178, FamilySearch.
• Tolaver Scott, plat for 212.5 acres on fork of North and South Tiger Rivers, Spartanburgh District, surveyed by George Nicholls, October 27, 1830.
• U.S. Federal Census, Anderson, South Carolina, 1840.
• U.S. Federal Census, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1830.
• U.S. Federal Census, Western Division, District of Anderson, South Carolina, 1850.
• U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules (Agriculture), Anderson, South Carolina, 1850.
• Wagons for Sale, The Abbeville Banner, Abbeville, South Carolina, January 13, 1849.

Emanuel, Caroline, and Elijah named in John Monfort estate

This post is part of an ongoing project to record names of enslaved people of Greene County, Georgia I find in historical records. 

In 1851, the estate of John Monfort distributed three enslaved people—Emanuel, Caroline, and Elijah—as part of the division of his property.

Recvd. of Isaac Morrison, Admr. of John Monfort decd. the following negroes as my distributive share of the estate of my father to wit: negro man Emanuel valued at nine hundred dollars, woman Caroline valued at six hundred dollars, boy Elijah valued at seven hundred dollars these being the negroes as will more fully approve by reference to the division of said estate.

6th January 1851
John C. Monfort

Reference

Greene County, Georgia, Probate Estate Case Files 1790–1943, image 277, FamilySearch.

The Athya Twins of Bridgeton

George Dempster Athya and his twin sister Mary Glen Athya, children of John D. Athya and Helen “Ellen” Dempster, were born on May 29, 1901 in the Bridgeton district of Glasgow, Scotland. The Athya family included eight children: Edward Dempster, John Dempster, Ellen “Nellie/Helen” McKendrick, Hannah Quinn, James, George Dempster, Mary Glen, and Sarah Athya—all born in Bridgeton. Helen had two older daughters from her first marriage to James Glass: Isabella “Bella” Dempster and Jane Dempster Glass.

George and Mary are my husband’s 1st cousins 2× removed. Their nearest common ancestors are James Athya and Jane Wylie, George’s grandparents and my husband’s 2nd great‑grandparents.

Before George and Mary’s birth, the family suffered an earlier loss. Their brother Edward, only one month old, died on November 17, 1893 from “gastric catarrh,” likely a severe stomach infection that caused dehydration—often fatal in the 1890s before antibiotics and modern hydration therapy. His burial place is unknown.

George and Mary’s father worked as a goldbreaker journeyman, a skilled metal worker who broke brass or gold‑colored scrap for foundries—an East End trade not formally defined in occupational directories. The family lived at 47 Dunn Street through the births of John (1895), Ellen (1897), Hannah (1898), and James (1900).

The 1901 Scotland census, taken on March 31, shows the family at 59 Dunn Street, a crowded household that included John and Helen’s children, step‑siblings Bella and Jane Glass, and a maternal cousin, Nellie Dempster, age 16. The Athya children were all attending school; Bella worked as a harness weaver, Jane as a French polisher, and their cousin as a cotton spinner. By the twins’ birth on May 29, 1901, the family had moved a short distance to 30 Norman Street. George was born first at 10:45 p.m., with Mary following about 15 minutes later. Mary’s name was originally recorded as Sarah Dempster Athya, but later officially corrected to Mary Glen Athya.

Original birth register entry for George and Mary (listed as
Sarah Dempster Athya) in the Scotland Birth Register (June 19, 1901) 

On November 11, 1902, another daughter was born and given the name Sarah.

The year 1903 brought devastating tragedy. On June 12, 1903, two‑year‑old George died from acute bronchitis, an illness he battled for 10 days before collapsing from a sudden loss of consciousness that often occurred at the end of severe illness.

George’s death recorded in the Scotland Death Register

Four months later, on October 15, 1903, their 11‑month‑old sister Sarah died after four days of measles. Just five days after that, on October 20, 1903, two‑year‑old Mary—George’s twin—died following six days of measles and broncho‑pneumonia.

Mary’s death recorded in the Scotland Death Register

All three children—George, Mary, and Sarah—died at their home at 65 Dunn Street and were buried together in Lair 860 at the Southern Necropolis cemetery in Glasgow. The lair’s original proprietor was their great‑grandfather Isaac Athya, with their grandfather James Athya listed as co‑proprietor.

George’s burial recorded in the Southern Necropolis Cemetery
Register of Interments (page 1)

George’s burial recorded in the Southern Necropolis Cemetery
Register of Interments (page 2)

Sarah and Mary’s burial recorded in the Southern Necropolis Cemetery
Register of Interments (page 1)

Sarah and Mary’s burial recorded in the Southern Necropolis Cemetery
Register of Interments (page 2)

The correction to Mary’s name was submitted on July 10, 1903 and formally entered into the Register of Corrected Entries on November 26, 1903. This amendment officially changed her recorded birth name from Sarah to Mary Glen.

Register of Corrected Entries note documenting the official
correction of Sarah’s (George’s twin sister) name from Sarah to
Mary Glen in the 1901 birth register (November 26, 1903)

References

• Edward Dempster Athya, Statutory Registers Births 644/1 1452, National Records of Scotland, 1893.
• Edward Dempster Athya, Statutory Registers Deaths 644/1 1298, National Records of Scotland, 1893.
• Eilen McKendric Athya, Statutory Registers Births 644/1 235, National Records of Scotland, 1897.
• George Dempster Athya and Sarah Dempster Athya, Statutory Registers Births 644/1 973, National Records of Scotland, 1901.
• George Dempster Athya, Sarah Athya, and Mary Glen Athya, Southern Necropolis: Glasgow. Burial Registers 1899–1914, images 85 and 89, FamilySearch.
• George Dempster Athya, Statutory Registers Deaths 644/1 523, National Records of Scotland, 1903.
• Hannah Athya, Statutory Registers Births 644/1 1609, National Records of Scotland, 1898.
• Helen Dempster and James Glass, Scotland’s People, Statutory Registers, Marriages Search.
• Isaac Arthey, Southern Necropolis: Glasgow. Cemetery Records 1865–1943, image 27, FamilySearch.
• Isabella Dempster Glass and Jane Dempster Glass, Scotland’s People, Statutory Registers, Births Search.
• James Athya, Statutory Registers Births 644/1 500, National Records of Scotland, 1900.
• John Athya, Census 644/1 17/32, National Records of Scotland, 1901.
• John Dempster Athya, Statutory Registers Births 644/1 768, National Records of Scotland, 1895.
• Mary Glen Athya, Statutory Registers Deaths 644/1 922, National Records of Scotland, 1903.
• Sarah Athya, Statutory Registers Births 644/1 2070, National Records of Scotland, 1902.
• Sarah Athya, Statutory Registers Deaths 644/1 899, National Records of Scotland, 1903.
• Southern Necropolis: Glasgow, Scotland, Burial Registers 1899–1914, Geoge Dempster, Sarah, and Mary Glen Athya, images 85 and 89, FamilySearch. 

Jack, Hired Out by Aaron W. Grier

This post is part of an ongoing project to record names of enslaved people of Greene County, Georgia I find in historical records. 

In this 1855 Greene County case, Aaron W. Grier sued Landon Willis for failing to pay a promissory note for the hire of an enslaved man named Jack the previous year. The court ruled in Grier’s favor. The receipt is shown below.

Greene County Inferior Court 1855
Grier, Aaron W. - PLAINTIFF
Landon Willis - DEFENDANT

132.75 One day after date I promise to pay Aaron W. Grier or bearer one hundred and thirty-two dollars and seventy-five cent for hire of negro Jack last year.

This 1st Jany. 1854 – Landon Willis

Reference

Greene County, Georgia, Court Case Files 1810–1865, Court Records 1810–1865, images 107–111, FamilySearch. 

Josiah Tuck

Josiah Tuck, son of Edward Tuck, was born about 1760 in Halifax County, Virginia. As best as can be determined, his siblings were Mary, Moses, Edward Jr., Sarah, Vashti, Tabitha, Susannah, Carter, and Jane Tuck. Josiah is my 4th great‑grandfather, and our nearest common ancestor is his son, Claiborne Tuck, my 3rd great-grandfather.

Edward Tuck’s 1780 will is the key to identifying him as Josiah’s father. It names a son Josiah who fits the right age to become the man later found in Georgia, and Josiah’s daughters—Sarah, Tabitha, and Susannah—match the names of Edward’s daughters. No other Tuck family in Halifax had a son named Josiah, and Edward’s Josiah disappears from Virginia records just as a Josiah appears in Georgia. Taken together, this makes Edward the most likely father. The Tucks were established in Halifax County by at least 1748, and probably earlier.

Edward died in 1781. In his will, he left Josiah an equal share of the family’s Buffalo Creek land, to be held jointly with his brother Moses. This tract formed part of the original Tuck plantation along the upper branches of Buffalo Creek, a tributary of the Banister River. Unlike Edward Jr., who inherited the home plantation, or Carter, who received a separate tract, Josiah’s inheritance was tied specifically to the Buffalo Creek acreage.

On December 22, 1782, Josiah married Tabitha Harris in Halifax County. They eventually had at least eight children: Susannah, Sarah, Nancy, Mary, Claiborne, Benjamin W., Tabitha C., and Martha F. Tuck.

Sometime in the late 1790s, Josiah and Tabitha left Virginia for Georgia. Before departing, Josiah conveyed or surrendered his interest in the Buffalo Creek land to Moses. By 1799, he was in Wilkes County, where he appeared on the list of “defaulters”—a term referring not to unpaid debts but to men who failed to attend militia musters or submit their annual tax lists. By 1800, he had settled in Oglethorpe County, where the census recorded him as a white male aged 26–45 living with a young wife and two enslaved people. Although the census household does not reflect the older children known from later records, the enumeration confirms Josiah’s presence in Georgia at the very beginning of the new century.

By 1804, Josiah had lived in Georgia long enough to meet the three‑year residency requirement for the 1807 Georgia Land Lottery, qualifying for two draws as a married man with legitimate children. He also appears in Oglethorpe County civic records, serving as a juror during the June 1808 court term. In 1820, he was still in Oglethorpe, heading a mid‑life farming household that included his wife, several sons and daughters, and three family members engaged in agriculture.

Josiah Tuck listed as an eligible drawer in the
1807 Oglethorpe County land lottery

During the 1820s, Josiah moved back into Wilkes County, where he became part of the Burroughs–Mathews neighborhood network. His earliest known Wilkes County appearance came in October 1824, when he served as a witness—leaving his mark rather than a written signature—on the will of Peggy Burroughs. His participation as a witness, despite being unable to write, shows he was trusted and physically present in the community. In 1825 and 1826, he assisted the administrators of the estate of Josiah Jordan by paying postage on a legal commission sent to Alabama and performing other small administrative tasks. One payment to him totaled $6.37½, a figure made possible by the United States Mint’s production of actual half‑cent coins between 1793 and 1857.

Josiah continued to appear in Wilkes County civic records. He served as a juror during the May 5, 1829 Inferior Court session and, on November 1, 1830, was appointed one of the appraisers of the estate of Isaac Eason. After taking the required oath in open court, he joined William Brook, James D. Willis, and Luke Turner in producing the official inventory and valuation of Eason’s property.

The 1830 census places Josiah in District 168 of Wilkes County with his wife, an adult son, two daughters, and two enslaved young men. In 1831, the estate of Ann M. Jordan recorded income from hiring out enslaved people, including a man named Burwell who lived and worked with Josiah that year. By 1838, the tax digest for Captain Jackson’s District shows that “Josiah Tuck (old)” owned 202½ acres, with his taxes returned by his son Benjamin, indicating that Benjamin was acting on his father’s behalf.

By 1840, Josiah—now in his 70s—was still maintaining a modest farm in District 168. His household included his aging wife, two unmarried daughters in their 20s, and a girl aged 10 to 14 who was almost certainly his granddaughter Tabitha C. Hewell, whom he later described in his will as the child he had “raised.” The census also recorded one enslaved man, aged 24 to 25. A voucher from the estate of Parmenas Haynes confirms that a physician was paid for treating a man named Jack who “lived with Josiah Tuck” during 1840, aligning with the census and showing that Josiah housed and supervised an enslaved laborer belonging to the Haynes estate. His wife died sometime between the 1840 census and the writing of his will in 1843.

Voucher for medical care of Jack, an enslaved man living with Josiah (1841)

Josiah wrote his will on October 13, 1843, leaving a carefully structured estate plan that reflected both prior provisions for his older children and his desire to secure the futures of his youngest daughters. Susannah, Sarah, Nancy, and Mary each received a feather bed, furniture, cow, and calf—property they had already received during his lifetime. Claiborne and Benjamin likewise had already received livestock and household goods, including a dark bay mare for Claiborne and a bright bay mare for Benjamin. The two youngest daughters, Tabitha and Martha, unmarried and still living with him, inherited the home plantation, land, tools, livestock, and all household and kitchen furniture. His granddaughter Tabitha C. Hewell (daughter of Mary) received a feather bed, furniture, cow, and calf. Josiah named his son Benjamin and trusted neighbor Luke Turner as executors. The will was witnessed by Luke Turner, Richard J. Barrett, and Daniel M. Irvin.

Josiah’s Last Will and Testament

Josiah died between October 1843 and September 1844. On September 2, 1844, the Court of Ordinary of Wilkes County proved his will through the sworn testimony of Luke Turner and Daniel M. Wood, admitted it to record, and qualified Benjamin as executor. The estate remained under administration for several years, and in July Term 1851, the Inferior Court formally dismissed Benjamin from his executorship, issuing letters of dismission and confirming that the estate had been fully settled.

Court order dismissing Benjamin as executor (1851)

References

• Claiborne Tuck and Frances Moore marriage certificate, Wilkes. Marriage Records 1806–1832, image 243, FamilySearch.
• Edward Tuck, Last Will and Testament, Will Book 1 with Inventories and Accounts, 1773-1782, Halifax County, Virginia: Halifax. Will Books 1773–1782 | Halifax. Will Books 1773–1782, image 205, FamilySearch.
• Estate Case Files: Oglethorpe County, Georgia, Probate Estate Case Files 1790–1962, images 211, 607, and 746, FamilySearch.
• Isaac Eason probate, Wilkes. Probate Records 1828–1831, 1825–1828, image 473, FamilySearch.
• Josiah Task, Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785–1940/
• Josiah Tuck, Georgia, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790–1890.
• Josiah Tuck, Wilkes County, Georgia, Wills 1819–1836, 1837–1877, image 360, FamilySearch.
• List of Defaulters in Wilkes County for the Year 1799, The Augusta Chronicle and Gazette, Augusta, Georgia, April 12, 1800.
• Susannah Tuck, Mary Tuck, Nancy Tuck, Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Oglethorpe County, Georgia, Census 1800, Land Lottery Records 1808–1832, Tax Records 1860, image 9, FamilySearch.
• Oglethorpe County, Georgia, Census 1800, Land Lottery Records 1808–1832, Tax Records 1860, image 83, FamilySearch.
• Oglethorpe County, Georgia, Court Minutes 1794–1802, 1809–1811, 1794–1801, image 258, FamilySearch.
• Oglethorpe County, Georgia, Miscellaneous Records 1823–1829, image 71, FamilySearch.
• Oglethorpe County, Georgia, Probate Estate Case Files 1790–1962, image 732, FamilySearch.
• Peggy Burroughs, Wilkes County, Georgia, Wills 1819–1836, 1837–1877, image 214, FamilySearch.
• Surveys No. 1, 1751-1901, Halifax County, Virginia: Halifax. Surveyor's Books 1751–1901 | Halifax. Surveyor's Books 1751–1901, image 170, FamilySearch.
• U.S. Federal Census, District 168, Wilkes County, Georgia, 1830, 1840.
• U.S. Federal Census, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 1820.
• Wilkes County, Georgia, Court Records 1801–1803, 1807–1809, 1811–1817, 1809–1811, 1812–1858, image 429, FamilySearch.
• Wilkes County, Georgia, Court Records 1828–1855, image 343, FamilySearch.
• Wilkes County, Georgia, Tax Records 1839, 1841, 1837, 1838, 1834, 1835, 1840, 1842, image 216, FamilySearch.
• Wilkes County, Georgia, Court Records 1828–1855, image 488, FamilySearch.

Doctor bills for Lucy, property of minors of L. B. Tuggle

This post is part of an ongoing project to record names of enslaved people of Greene County, Georgia I find in historical records. 

Greene County, Georgia Probate Court Estate Records

1846 Robt. L McWhorter, guardian for Julia & W. B. Tuggle Dr.

Decr. 31st to visit and cathartic to negro girl Lucy 2.25 and bloodletting .50
Jany 1st 1847 visit and medicine 2.50
Jany 2nd 1847 visit and medicine 2.50
Jany 4th 1847 visit and medicine 2.50
Jany 5th 1847 visit and medicine 2.50
Jany 6th 1847 visit and medicine 2.50
Jany 7th 1847 visit and medicine 2.25
Jany 8th 1847 visit and medicine 2.50

Total $20.00

Recd. Of Robt. L. McWhorter, guardian of the minors of L. B. Tuggle, decd. twenty dollars in full of the above medical act for attention to a negro girl Lucy this January 25th., 1848.

Reference

Greene County, Georgia, Probate Estate Case Files 1790–1943, image 295, FamilySearch. 

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.