Joseph T. Davison

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.

Joseph “Joe” T. Davison was born in Greene County, Georgia, on August 17, 1841, the son of James McCluney Davison and Mary Ann Southerland. He was one of four children born to the couple: James McCluney Davison Jr., Joseph T. Davison, William Davison, and Margaret S. A. Davison. His father was a native of Ireland. Joe is my second cousin four times removed, and our nearest common ancestors are Robert L. Hobbs and Mary Marion Caldwell.

Records occasionally spell the family surname as “Davidson” rather than “Davison.” Researchers should search for Joseph, Joe, Jos., Davison, and Davidson when tracing his records.

About 1849, when Joe was eight years old, his mother died in Greene County and was buried at Woodville Cemetery in Woodville.

On October 23, 1850, Joe lived with his family in District 163 of Greene County. His widowed father was a farmer with real estate valued at $10,000. Also living in the household were Frank Longbottom (28), Patsy Osborn (65), and Mrs. M. Morgan (30). Frank Longbottom was employed as a farmer and was unable to read or write. Joe and his brother William were attending school.

On July 6, 1852, Joe’s father married Margaret Moore, daughter of the late Burnett Moore, in Greene County. The ceremony was performed by James T. Findley, Esq. Over the next several years, four half-brothers were added to the family: Charles Clement Davison, Robert Emmett Davison, Alexander Hamilton S. Davison, and Thomas Cobb Davison.

By June 9, 1860, the family had moved to Woodville. Joe’s father remained a farmer and owned real estate valued at $15,000 and personal property valued at $20,000. Joe’s maternal grandparents, John Southerland and Sarah Hobbs, lived next door. Joe worked as a farmer, his brother James Jr. was a railroad agent, and his brother William was a clerk. His father owned 24 enslaved individuals.

Joe’s father, James Davison, died suddenly in Griffin, Georgia, on July 7, 1860, possibly of paralysis. His remains were transported to Woodville by train and buried at Woodville Cemetery.

Joe enlisted as a private at Penfield, Georgia, on April 24, 1861, under Capt. R. L. McWhorter and served with Company C of the Third Georgia Infantry, known as the Dawson Grays. He was promoted to Third Sergeant on April 28, 1862. Joe was wounded at Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862, and was admitted to Chimborazo Hospital No. 4 in Richmond, Virginia, for debility on May 6, 1863. Four days later, he was promoted to Ordnance Sergeant and returned to duty on May 16. He was slightly wounded again at Manassas Gap, Virginia, on July 23, 1863.

After being left behind during the army’s retreat from Front Royal, Virginia, Joe was forced to hire his own transportation to Gordonsville at a cost of $25. He later appeared on hospital muster rolls in Richmond and received compensation for clothing and other military allowances. During 1864, he served on extra duty as a clerk near Petersburg, Virginia, and received additional pay for those services. Joe remained with the army until surrendering at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

On July 5, 1867, Joe registered to vote in Greene County during the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. His voter registration oath provides evidence of his presence in the county during a period of major political and social change.

Joe's Georgia Voter Registration Oath (1867)

On June 18, 1870, Joe lived in Penfield with his widowed stepmother Margaret and several siblings. Joe owned real estate valued at $500. His brother James Jr., who had inherited most of their father’s estate, possessed real estate worth $15,000 and personal property valued at $1,500. Joe’s brothers Alexander and Thomas lived next door with the Travis Carlton family.

Joe acquired land near Woodville Depot in April 1872, purchasing approximately seven acres east of the Georgia Railroad through two separate transactions. The location near the railroad likely provided valuable access to transportation and commerce.

By about 1873 or early 1874, Joe married Susan “Susie” Capers Briscoe, daughter of Ralph Briscoe and Sarah Dougherty, likely in Greene County. Together they had seven children: Mary “Daisy” Davison, Joseph Briscoe Davison, Sarah Elizabeth “Sallie Bessie” Davison, Ralph Cleveland Davison, and Evelyn Capers Davison. Two infant graves in the Davison family plot at Bairdstown Cemetery provide evidence of two additional children who died young.

Davison family plot showing the two infant stones, Bairdstown Cemetery

Joe remained active in veterans’ affairs after the Civil War. At a meeting of surviving members of Company C held in Penfield on June 13, 1874, he served as secretary and was appointed to a committee responsible for encouraging attendance at the regiment’s reunion in Union Point. The following year, he signed a notice as “O.S. and Sec’y Co. C” requesting that veterans report their intention to attend the regiment’s annual reunion in Portsmouth, Virginia, so transportation could be arranged. He continued assisting with reunion planning and veteran activities throughout the 1880s.

On March 15, 1874, the Greensboro Herald identified Joe as a local agent for William Bradley’s Standard Fertilizers, serving farmers in the Woodville area.

Joe won a $10 premium for producing the best bale of short staple cotton at a fair held near Union Point in November 1874.

In January 1875, Joe publicly denied rumors that he was the local newspaper humorist writing under the pen name “Jeems Potipher.” His letter to the Oglethorpe Echo made it clear that he did not wish to be associated with the fictional character or the humorous columns published under that name.

Joe was appointed postmaster of Woodville on March 25, 1875, replacing William B. Guill.

On January 18, 1876, Joe sold portions of his inherited interest in the estate of his father to Peter W. Printup and Printup, Brother & Pollard. The transactions allowed him to convert part of his inheritance into cash rather than wait for the estate lands to be divided.

In June 1876, the Greensboro Herald commended Joe, then a Georgia Railroad agent at Woodville, for organizing a successful excursion train to Atlanta that benefited the newly completed Penfield Presbyterian Church and the Stonewall Sabbath School. The newspaper credited him with contributing more than $100 of the proceeds to the church building effort.

In 1877, Joe was appointed one of three trustees of the Stonewall School District in Greene County. Notably, this is the first reference to a Stonewall School District discovered during my research of the Penfield-Woodville area. It may have been a small or short-lived district in Greene County.

A February 1877 article in the Oglethorpe Echo humorously referred to Joe as “the devil of Woodville” and remarked on his love of fun. Similar newspaper references suggest he was well known and widely liked in the community.

In October 1878, administrators of his father’s estate petitioned the Greene County Court of Ordinary for a final settlement. Joe was among the distributees named in the proceedings.

A March 1879 newspaper notice reported that Joe’s telephone had “given way at the home end.” Because telephones were still relatively new technology, the reference offers an interesting glimpse into early telephone use in rural Georgia.

On June 14, 1880, Joe lived in Greene County with his wife Susie and their young children Mary and Joseph. He was employed as postmaster. Three servants resided in the household: Eliza Bearer, a cook, and Henry Gowns and Jordan Raiden, laborers.

Joe’s brother James died in 1880, and his stepmother Margaret Moore Davison died at Woodville on April 11, 1881. Both were buried at Woodville Cemetery.

Newspaper accounts from 1881 and 1882 suggest Joe was a respected and popular figure in Woodville. One article praised his oat crop, another reported a pleasant visit with him, and still another stated that anyone wishing to pass the time agreeably should stop by the office of “Col. Joe Davison,” where they would find a warm welcome and good conversation.

In January 1883, Joe was appointed natural guardian of his three minor children—Daisy, Joseph, and Sallie—who possessed inherited interests in the estate of their maternal grandfather, Ralph Briscoe. The court required him to post bond and manage the children’s property and financial interests.

A June 1883 article reported Joe’s election as one of the trustees of the Methodist Church in Woodville.

Later that year, he again helped organize transportation and lodging arrangements for survivors attending a Third Georgia Regiment reunion at Tallulah Falls.

In March 1884, Joe testified in the burglary trial of John Nolan. As a railroad agent, he helped identify goods stolen from a freight car and linked recovered merchandise to the missing shipment. Nolan was convicted and sentenced to five years in the penitentiary.

On May 26, 1884, Joe acquired approximately 60 acres in Greene County as trustee. The deed did not identify the purpose of the trust or the beneficiaries involved.

Joe was also active in local Democratic Party affairs. In June 1884, he served on a committee appointed at a Democratic meeting in Greensboro and was selected as a delegate to the Congressional Convention.

On November 12, 1884, Joe conveyed any interest he held in the 170-acre James Brooks Place by quitclaim deed (a form of deed in which the grantor transfers whatever right, title, or interest he may possess in a property without guaranteeing the quality of the title), relinquishing all future claims to the property.

A January 1886 article described Joe as the polite and efficient railroad agent at Woodville and noted that he owned a campaign badge from the 1840 presidential election of William Henry Harrison. Another article humorously described him as the smallest man in Woodville.

In March 1887, Captain A. A. Winn, secretary of the Confederate Survivors Association, wrote to Joe, who served as captain and assistant grand marshal, asking that Company C select delegates to attend a meeting in Atlanta concerning future reunion plans.

An epidemic of dysentery struck Woodville during the spring of 1887. Joe’s oldest daughter, Daisy, died on May 4 at age 12. Newspaper reports stated that several of his other children were seriously ill as well. Eight days later, Joe died of dysentery after what was described as a short but severe illness. Although a newspaper reported his age as 47, his birth date shows he was 45 years old. His brother Alex stated that Joe had been in excellent health before contracting the disease.

Joe and Daisy were buried at Bairdstown Cemetery. Four months after Joe’s death, his youngest daughter, Evelyn Capers Davison, was born on September 12, 1887. Shortly after his death, the family received $5,000 from a Legion of Honor insurance policy.

Joe was well respected in the Woodville community, where he served for many years as railroad agent, express agent, and postmaster. He was active in church affairs, veterans’ organizations, local politics, and community projects. He also enjoyed hunting and often participated in organized squirrel and turkey hunts.

Following Joe’s death, Congressman Henry Hull Carlton wrote on behalf of Susie Davison, recommending that she receive the Woodville postmaster appointment should she seek the position, which she did.

On June 2, 1887, Susie, together with Charles C. Davison, Robert E. Davison, W. J. Durham, and P. A. Fluker, executed a bond and was appointed natural guardian of her minor children, Joseph B. Davison and Sallie Bessie Davison, who inherited proceeds from Joe’s life insurance.

Later that summer, appraisers set aside a year’s support of $630 for Susie and her children. The allowance included cash held by the Georgia Railroad Company, livestock, firearms, a gold watch and chain, a buggy and harness, and the family’s household furnishings and necessities.

References

• A Denial, The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, January 29, 1875.
• A Kind Act, The Weekly Banner-Watchman, Athens, Georgia, May 24, 1887.
• Advertisement, Bradley’s Standard Fertilizer, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, March 26, 1874.
• Affairs of the City, Georgia Home Journal, Greensboro, Georgia, June 1, 1883, July 13, 1883.
• An Epidemic of Dysentery, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, May 4, 1887.
• Another Bat from “Brick,” The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, February 12, 1875.
• Attention!! ‘Dawson Grays,’ Company “C”—3rd Georgia Regiment Veterans!!!, The Greensboro Herald, April 15, 1875 and April 29, 1875.
• Brick Sinks Beneath its Tranquil Waters, to Rise no More—Advice that Should Have Been Given Jeems Potipher Bestowed Upon Ye Editor, The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, February 19, 1875.
• County Gossip, by Grape-vine Telegraph to Echo, The Oglethorpe Echo, March 21, 1879 and May 6, 1881.
• Davison-Cocroft, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, January 25, 1912.
• Death in Woodville, The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, May 6, 1887.
• Death of Colonel Davison, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, May 14, 1887.
• Death of James Davison Sr., Planters’ Weekly, Greenesboro, Georgia, July 11, 1860.
• Death of Miss Daisie Davison, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, May 4, 1887.
• Democratic Meeting, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, June 6, 1884.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132725382/mary_ann-davison: accessed 1 Nov 2026), memorial page for Mary Ann Southerland Davison (1813–1849), Find a Grave Memorial ID 132725382, citing Woodville Cemetery, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Samuel Taylor Geer (contributor 46925792).
• From the Corner: Reply to “Jeems Potipher,”—“Who Throwed that Last Brick First,” The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, January 22, 1875.
• Georgia and Florida: News of the Two States Told in Paragraphs, The Morning News, Savannah, Georgia, May 17, 1887 and May 21, 1887.
• Greene County, Georgia, Child Support Records 1856–1896, image 91, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Deeds 1871–1876, 1876–1882, images 69 and 384, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Deeds 1882–1885, images 258 and 296, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Guardianship Records 1885–1916, Court Records 1856–1884, images 239–241, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Probate Records 1852–1879, image 469, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Probate Records 1879–1893, image 177, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Real Estate Sale Records 1865–1893, image 271, FamilySearch.
• Hymeneal, Married, The Temperance Banner, Penfield, Georgia, July 17, 1852.
• Jeems Potipher: Krimus—Partiz—Yung Fokes—A Disgustin Site—Kisin—Widders—How Tha Kis—Jerewsalum! —Tin-kans and Dorgs’ Tales—Korrespondents—Kounty Nuse, Etc., The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, January 29, 1875.
• Joseph Davison, Georgia, U.S., Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867–1869.
• Joseph Davison, U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832–1971.
• Joseph T. Davison, U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles.
• Local and Otherwise, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, July 27, 1883.
• Margaret Moore, Georgia, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Mrs. Margaret Davison, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, April 14, 1881.
• Notes-By-the-Way, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, June 8, 1876.
• Personal visit to Bairdstown and Woodville Cemeteries.
• Public Schools, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, June 1, 1877.
• Ralph C. Davidson, Certificate of Death no. 7738, Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1949.
• Ralph Cleveland Davidson, U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942.
• Robert Emmett Davison, Prison Commission, Georgia, Directories 1923–1931, image 378, FamilySearch.
• Sacred to the Memory of “Jeems Potipher,” The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, January 29, 1875.
• Sad News, Crawfordville Democrat, Crawfordville, Georgia, May 20, 1887.
• Sarah Elizabeth “Bessie” Davison, Bairdstown Cemetery, Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia.
• Scattering Dots, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, December 8, 1881.
• Summary of State News: Greensboro, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, August 7, 1875.
• Susie Briscoe Davidson, Fulton and Campbell Counties, Georgia, Cemetery Records, 1857–1933.
• Susie C. Davison, Georgia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1742–1992.
• Susie C. Douglas, Certificate of Death no. 18623, Florida State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1937.
• Taking the Town, Georgia Home Journal, Greensboro, Georgia, January 15, 1886.
• The “Little River” Controversy—Characteristics of Bairdstown—Pen Sketches of Some of the Boys, and their Occupations—Yankee Tricks—The Medical Chaps—Adventures of a Preacher's Horse and Buggy—“A New Richmond in the Field,” The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, January 15, 1875.
• The “Old Third,” Meeting of the Dawson Greys, Company “C,” Third Georgia Regiment, Weekly Chronicle and Sentinel, Augusta, Georgia, June 24, 1874.
• The Superior Court, Trial of John Nolan for Burglary, Georgia Home Journal, Greensboro, Georgia, March 14, 1884.
• The Third Georgia Veterans, Savannah Morning News, Savannah, Georgia, July 23, 1885.
• The Third Georgia, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, August 8, 1883.
• U.S. Federal Census, District 138, Greene County, Georgia, 1880.
• U.S. Federal Census, District 163, Greene County, Georgia, 1850.
• U.S. Federal Census, Penfield, Militia District 137, Greene County, Georgia, 1870.
• U.S. Federal Census, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, 1860, 1900.
• U.S. Federal Census—Slave Schedules, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, 1860.
• Union Point Fair, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, November 8, 1874.
• Union Point, The Weekly Banner-Watchman, Athens, Georgia, May 17, 1887.
• Woodstock, The Oglethorpe Echo, June 21, 1883.
• Woodville Dots, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, February 9, 1882.
• Woodville Dots, The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, February 2, 1877.
• Woodville, Georgia Home Journal, Greensboro, Georgia, March 6, 1886, May 7, 1886, November 19, 1886
• Ye Editor Cornered: Striking Proof of Darwin’s Theory Concerning the Origin of Racos—The Departed “Jeems Potipher” Re-appears in the Person of “Monkey No. 2”—Ye Local “Passes in his Checks” and “Acknowledges the Corn,” The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, February 5, 1875. 

Peg and Joshua sold by Nathan Ryan to Joseph Buckhannon

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

601 - Know all Men by these presents that I, Nathan Ryan, of the county of Greene have bargained, sold, made over, and delivered unto Joseph Buckhannon one negro woman slave called and known by the name of Peg, together with her child Joshua for the valuable consideration of seventy-five pounds to me in hand paid before the sealing of these presents wherewith I confess myself fully satisfied, contented, and paid, and I, the said Nathan Ryan, do warrant and forever defend the right and title of the said negroes from all and every person whatever. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty-first day of March 1796.

Nathan Ryan 

Test., Matthew Bibbs

Registered the 7th Feby 1797 
E. Park, Clk

Reference

Greene County, Deeds 1793–1802, 1785–1792, image 559, FamilySearch.

Mollie Mae Burnette

Mollie Mae Burnette, daughter of Samuel Pride Burnette and Millicent Virginia “Jinnie” Overton, was born on April 26, 1889, in Loganville, Walton County, Georgia. She was the youngest of 14 children born to Samuel and Jinnie: John William “Will,” Thomas “Tom” Terrell, C. B. Annbelle, Abijah Winkfield, Oscar Lee, Mathew E., Laura Jane, Frances Elizabeth “Lizzie,” Mattie “Lou,” Benjamin Franklin, Virginia “Jennie” Olivia, Joseph Benjamin, Mollie Mae, and one child who died young whose identity has not been determined. Mollie is my second great-aunt. Her parents are my second great-grandparents.

Mollie, her husband Will, and likely two grand or great grandchildren

The second “e” in the surname Burnette comes and goes in this family line. For this biography, I have chosen to use Burnette, although records for Mollie and her relatives appear under both Burnett and Burnette.

On June 6, 1900, Mollie and her family lived on a rented farm in the Buncombe District of Walton County. Her father was a farmer, assisted by sons Benjamin and Joseph. Mollie’s mother was enumerated as having given birth to 14 children, 12 of whom were still living. The deceased children would have been Annbelle and the unidentified child. Both of Mollie’s parents and her sister Frances were able to read and write. Her brother Benjamin was able to read but not write. Mollie’s uncle, Abijah Winkfield Burnette, his wife Eugenia, and their daughter Robena lived next door.

Mollie married William Allen, son of Ambus Allen and Mary Knight, in Walton County on August 13, 1908. Together they had four children: Ernest W., Millie Frances, William Wardell, and Junie Herman Allen. One mystery I encountered while researching this family involves their son William Wardell Allen. In earlier census records, he appears as William, but in later records William disappears and a son named John appears in the same place within the household. I believe William Wardell Allen may have gone by the name John as he grew older, although I have not found a record proving they were the same person.

Marriage license (1908)

On May 5, 1910, Mollie, Will, and 10-month-old Ernest were living on a rented farm in the Buncombe District of Walton County. Mollie assisted Will with farm work. Both Mollie and Will were able to read and write. They had been married for one year.

Mollie’s mother, Jinnie, died in Georgia on January 10, 1916. She was buried at Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Loganville. Her brother Will died suddenly at the age of 48 on November 28, 1916, after returning from the fields in Liberty Grove, Lawrence County, Tennessee. It was reported that he suffered from stomach sickness, although the cause may have been a heart attack. He was buried at St. Truitt Cemetery in Lawrence County the following day. Mollie’s sister Laura died in Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia, in 1918.

Mollie was living in Loganville when her son William was born on May 24, 1919.

By January 31, 1920, the Allen family was still living in the Buncombe District and had grown by two children, daughter Millie and son William. Will continued to farm while Mollie cared for the household. Ernest, now 10 years old and attending school, was able to read and write.

Mollie’s father Samuel died on August 27, 1926, at his home in Monroe from endocarditis, a serious condition affecting the lining and valves of the heart. He was buried beside Jinnie at Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Loganville on September 3, 1926.

By April 2, 1930, Mollie and her family had moved to Walnut Grove in Walton County, where they lived on a rented farm located on the Covington and Walnut Grove Road. Mollie and Will had been married for 19 years. Will continued farming with assistance from their son Ernest.

On July 19, 1936, Mollie’s son Ernest, who lived in Snapping Shoals, Newton County, Georgia, was shot in the abdomen during a dispute with his father-in-law, O. D. Harcrow. According to newspaper accounts, the argument began at a store in Snapping Shoals and continued at Harcrow’s home, where the shooting occurred. Ernest was transported to Grady Hospital in Atlanta by family members but died of his injuries the following morning. His death certificate records the immediate cause of death as hemorrhage with surgical shock resulting from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Harcrow surrendered to authorities shortly after the incident, and newspapers reported that the case was expected to be investigated by the Newton County grand jury. Ernest was buried at Corinth Christian Church Cemetery in Loganville on July 22, 1936.

Mollie’s brother Oscar died in Loganville in October 1938 from heart lesions and was buried at Bay Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. Her brother Thomas died in Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia, in February 1940 from chronic myocarditis, a long-lasting inflammation of the heart muscle. He was buried at Walker United Methodist Church Cemetery in Greensboro.

On April 27, 1940, Mollie and her family were living on Conyers Road in the Broken Arrow District of Walton County. The household included Mollie, her husband Will, daughter Frances, and sons John and Junie. I believe the son recorded as John may have been William Wardell Allen, who appeared as William in earlier records, although I have not found evidence proving they were the same person.

The entire household participated in farm work. During the week preceding the 1940 census, Will worked 50 hours, Mollie 16 hours, Frances 20 hours, and John 40 hours. Junie, age 15, was also recorded as a farm laborer, although no hours were listed for him. For 1939, the census reported earnings of $150 for Will, $30 for Mollie, $58 for Frances, $90 for John, and $60 for Junie.

When William submitted his World War II draft registration card on October 16, 1940, he listed his mother as the person who would always know his address. William was still living at home at the time, and the address given was R.F.D. 3, Covington, Newton County, Georgia.

Mollie’s sister Virginia died on December 23, 1943, and was buried at Corinth Memorial Gardens. Her sister Mattie died on January 13, 1948, and was buried with their parents at Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery. Both cemeteries are located in Walton County.

Sisters Mattie and Jenny (front); Lizzie and Mollie (back)

By April 1, 1950, Mollie, Will, and Junie had returned to the Buncombe District. At age 60, Will still farmed on a part-time basis, working 20 hours during the week before the census was taken. Junie carried most of the workload and had worked 50 hours as a farm helper. Mollie was no longer recorded as assisting with farm labor. Her son William lived three farms away.

Mollie’s brother Abijah died in Atlanta on September 16, 1954, and was buried at Mt. Vernon Christian Church Cemetery in Monroe. Her sister Lizzie died suddenly from a heart attack in Walton County on February 24, 1959, and was buried at Bay Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Loganville. Her brother Joseph died on May 6, 1960, and was buried at Bay Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. Her brother Benjamin died in Newton County on October 22, 1965, and was buried at Corinth Memorial Gardens in Monroe.

Mollie died at Newton County Hospital in Covington, Newton County, Georgia, on September 27, 1974. Funeral services were held at Corinth Christian Church on September 29, with Rev. Robert Murrell officiating. Burial followed in the church cemetery. At age 85, Mollie had spent nearly all of her life in Walton County. She was a member of Gum Creek Baptist Church.

Mollie was survived by her husband Will; daughter Frances; sons John and Junie; 11 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and 1 great-great-grandchild.

References

• Abijah W. Burnette, Joseph B. Burnette, and Benjamin F. Burnett, Georgia Deaths, 1919–98.
• Burnette family information shared by Austin Landis Burnett.
• Family Row Blamed for Fatal Shooting at Snapping Shoals, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia, p. 1, July 20, 1936. 
• Funeral Notices, Mr. Abija W. Burnette, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, September 17, 1954.
• Funeral Notices, Mr. Joseph B. (Joe) Burnette, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia, May 8, 1960.
• Funeral Notices, Mrs. Frances A. Burnett, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, May 23, 1975.
• Mollie Burnett Allen, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007.
• Mollie Burnett, Georgia, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Mollie M. Allen, Georgia Deaths, 1919–98.
• Mr. Ernest Allen, Certificate of Death no. 19701 3607, Georgia Department of Public Health, Burean of Vital Statistics, 1936.
• Obituaries, Mrs. Will Allen, Walton Tribune, Monroe, Georgia, p. 13, October 1, 1974.
• Obituaries, Will P. Allen, Walton Tribune, Monroe, Georgia, p. 2, June 28, 1977.
• Oscar L. Burnette, Certificate of Death no. 29672, Georgia Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1938.
• Personal visit to Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Corinth Memorial Gardens, and Bay Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Walton County, Georgia.
• Personal visit to Walker United Methodist Church Cemetery, Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia.
• Sympathy, Mrs. Lizzie Guthrie, Walton Tribune, Monroe, Georgia, March 4, 1959.
• Thomas Terrel Burnette, Certificate of Death no. 4275, Georgia Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1940.
• U.S. Federal Census, Broken Arrow, Walton County, Georgia, 1940.
• U.S. Federal Census, Buncombe, Walton County, Georgia, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1950.
• U.S. Federal Census, Walnut Grove, Walton County, Georgia, 1930.
• Victim of Gunshot in Critical State, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, p. 7, July 20, 1936.
• William Wordele Allen, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947.

Theft of Rachel, property of Elijah Ballard

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

Georgia, Greene County

The Grand Jurors sworn, chosen, and selected for the County of Greene to wit Thomas Stocks, John Slaughter, John Mercer, Ambrose Hutcheson, Francis West, Thomas Moseley, George Heard, Gilly Moore, Jesse Perkins, James K. Daniel, John Powers, Alexander King, Joseph McBride, John Love, John Mapp, Thomas Crawford, James Culberson, Joseph Riley, Thomas Dawson, Isaac Mitchell, John J. Beatie, Rene Fitzpatrick and John Park, in the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia, charge and accuse McQuinney Iles and John Barnhard, both of the County aforesaid, with the offence of Larceny of a Slave, for that the said McQuinney Iles and John Barnhard on the twenty-seventh day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two, at the plantation of Elijah Ballard in the county aforesaid, with force and arms, a certain negro woman slave named Rachel, the property of the said Elijah Ballard, of the value of four hundred dollars, then and there being found, did feloniously steal, take and carry away, to the great damage of him the said Elijah Ballard, contrary to the laws of said State the good order, peace and dignity thereof.

Adam G. Saffold, Sol. Genl.
Elijah Ballard, prosecutor
March Term 1822

The State vs. McQuinney Iles and John Barnhard
Witnesses: Elijah Ballard, Danl. McIver, John Brown, John Clapp, Dan Macon
Larceny of a Slave
True Bill
Thomas Stocks, Foreman

Copy and list of Witnesses waived as to McQuinney Iles and Copy and list of Witnesses furnished John Barnard.

The defendants arraigned and plead not guilty.
March Term 1822
Adam G. Saffold, Sol. Genl.

Reference

Greene County, Court Minutes 1812–1827, image 391, FamilySearch.

Dena Willingham

Dena Willingham, daughter of Elijah Willingham and Nancy Kay, was born in South Carolina—likely in Anderson County—on November 16, 1873. She was the fourth of nine children: Lewis “Preston,” Francis Jeanette “Nettie,” Andrew Jackson, Dena, William Franklin “Frank,” Charles W. “Charlie,” Bertha “Bertie” Virginia, Nora E., and Elijah “Eugene” Tillman Willingham. Dena married into my Holland line as the wife of my 1st cousin 3x removed, Anda Holland; she and I share no common ancestor.

Her father, Elijah Willingham, was a Civil War veteran who served at age 16 during the final six months of the conflict. Her youngest brother’s given name was Elijah, though he later went by Eugene.

On June 9, 1880, the Willingham family lived in the Broadway Township of Anderson County. Dena’s name was recorded as “Denah” in the census. Her father farmed the land with help from her brother Lewis, while her mother Nancy kept the household. Lewis was noted as “sick.”

Dena married Anda “Andy” Holland, son of Elijah Major Holland and Jemima Kay, about 1897, likely in Anderson County. They had five children: Ina Mae, James “Jamie” Andrew, Justus A. “Pete,” Joseph “Joe” Erwin, and Bertha “Bertie” Holland.

By June 9, 1900, Dena, Andy, and their daughter Ina were living on a rented farm in Broadway Township. The census notes that they had been married three years and had one child. Andy worked as a farmer, and both he and Dena were able to read and write. Dena’s parents lived next door with four of her siblings, and her brother Preston lived beside them with his own family.

Dena and Andy spent a short period in Greenville, South Carolina, where their son Joseph was born in 1907. The Greenville City Directory lists them as Andrew and Dena Holland. Andy worked as a clerk for Busbee & Wood, a livery stable that boarded, rented, and serviced horses and horse‑drawn vehicles. They rented a home at 515 St. John Street.

Dena’s sister Nettie died at age 40 on March 8, 1908, in Anderson County. Nettie’s infant son Frances, born March 5, 1908, died on June 8, 1908. Both were buried at Pelzer Community Cemetery, likely victims of the same illness.

By April 23, 1910, Dena and Andy had returned to Anderson County and were renting a farm in Williamston. Andy was again working as a farmer. In July 1910, Dena purchased five shams, one set of silver knives, one mattress, four quilts, and five counterpanes from the estate of Jacob Alewine—household goods typical of estate sales in that era.

On September 10, 1913, Dena died in Williamston at the age of 39, just three months after the birth of her youngest child, Bertie. Her oldest child, Ina, was 15. Dena was buried in Williamston Cemetery after a service conducted by Rev. Thayer. The community mourned her as a devoted wife, loving mother, and noble woman whose kindness touched many lives.

Andy married his second wife, Victoria Martin, on August 30, 1914, in Pelzer, Anderson County. In 1920, Andy, Victoria, and the children—James (19), Justus (16), Joe (13), and Bertie (6)—were living together in Williamston. On October 6, 1921, just eight years after Dena’s death, Andy died in Williamston, leaving their five children orphaned. Ina, married in 1916, was living in Williamston with her husband Joe Ellison, their children Albert and Dena Mae, and her widowed mother‑in‑law Georgia Ann Ellison in 1920. After Andy’s death, it is unclear whether the younger children remained with Victoria or moved in with Ina. By 1930, none of the Holland children lived with Victoria; Bertie was living with Ina and her family in Williamston.

References

• “Pete” Holland, The Greenville News, Greenville, South Carolina, October 27, 1986.
• Anderson County, South Carolina, Probate Estate Case Files 1909–1911, images 747–751, FamilySearch.
• Confederate Veteran Answers Final Call, The Greenville News, Greenville, South Carolina, December 14, 1924.
• Dena Holland, Greenville, South Carolina, City Directory, 1907.
• E. T. Willingham, The Greenville News, Greenville, South Carolina, August 21, 1964.
• Eligah Willingham, Certificate of Death no. 21614, State of South Carolina, Bureau of Vital Statistics, State Board of Health.
• Elijah Willingham, Veteran Dies at Belton, The Greenville News, Greenville, South Carolina, February 1, 1960.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/115407791/frances_jeanette-snipes: accessed 21 Sep 2026), memorial page for Frances Jeanette “Nettie” Willingham Snipes (1 Mar 1868–8 Mar 1908), Find a Grave Memorial ID 115407791, citing Pelzer Community Cemetery, Pelzer, Anderson County, South Carolina, USA; maintained by Gerald (contributor 46623097).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/115407733/frances-snipes: accessed 21 Sep 2026), memorial page for Frances Snipes (5 Mar 1908–8 Jun 1908), Find a Grave Memorial ID 115407733, citing Pelzer Community Cemetery, Pelzer, Anderson County, South Carolina, USA; maintained by Gerald (contributor 46623097).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/93629697/charles_w-willingham: accessed 22 Sep 2026), memorial page for Charles W. Willingham (13 Nov 1879–13 Dec 1915), Find a Grave Memorial ID 93629697, citing Belton Cemetery, Belton, Anderson County, South Carolina, USA; maintained by John Burgess (contributor 47495171).
• Ina Mae Kay, Certificate of Death no. 73 011872, State of South Carolina, Board of Health, 1973.
• Joseph Erwin Holland, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947.
• Mrs. A. J. Willingham Reported Dead in Pickens, The State, Columbia, South Carolina, August 26, 1925.
• Pelzer News, The Greenville News, Greenville, South Carolina, September 21, 1913.
• Personal visit to Williamston Cemetery.
• U.S. Federal Census, Broadway, Anderson County, South Carolina, 1870, 1880, 1900.
• U.S. Federal Census, Limestone, Cherokee County, South Carolina, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, Williamston, Anderson County, South Carolina, 1910, 1920, 1930.
• W. F. Willingham, The State, Columbia, South Carolina, December 14, 1924. 

Dolly conveyed in Seaborn Owens Deed of Trust

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

March Term 1860. Georgia, Greene County. 

To the Hon. Iverson L. Harris, Judge of the Superior Courts for the Ocmulgee Circuit.

The petition of Seaborn I. Owens respectfully shows unto your Honor that heretofore to wit, on the 25th day of February in the year 1856, he executed a Deed of Trust to himself as Trustee for his wife Mary Owens and his children Martha J., Emily A., and Mary E. and any children that he might thereafter have born unto him by his Wife, conveying a certain negro girl slave Dolly, about eleven years of age. The original of which said Deed of Trust is herewith annexed.

And your petitioner further shows unto your Honor, that at the time of the execution of said Deed of Trust, he was and is at this time free from debt. And your petitioner further shows that it will be greatly for the interest of his said wife and children to change said Trust property having been offered a large sum of money for said negro girl, the interest upon which said sum would double the present hire of said negro girl and in view of the uncertainty of life, he is unwilling to risk the whole estate of his said wife and children in the life of said negro.

Therefore, your petitioner prays your Honor to grant an order allowing him to sell said negro girl and invest the proceeds of said sale for the uses and purposes set forth in said Deed of Trust and as in duty bound will ever pray, etc.

Geo. O. Dawson, Petitioners Atty.

Upon hearing the foregoing petition of Seaborn I. Owens, Trustee etc. to change trust property. It is ordered by the Court that said Trustee be empowered to sell said negro slave Dolly and invest the proceeds of said sale in stocks or such other securities and notes as are of marketable par value, in the name of said Seaborn I. Owens, Trustee as aforesaid and in accordance with the provisions of said deed of Trust, thereby preserving the identity of said Trust property.

Reference

Greene County, Georgia, Court Minutes 1856–1868, image 228, FamilySearch.

Margaret “Maggie” Athya

Margaret “Maggie” Athya was born April 19, 1861, in Hutchesontown, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, the daughter of James Athya and Jane Wylie. She was the fourth of eight children: James Wylie Athya, Isaac Athya, David Athya (who died at 17 months), Margaret Athya, John D. Athya, Hugh Wylie Athya, David Athya (named for his deceased brother), and Jeanie Athya (spelled Aithey on the birth register). Maggie is my husband’s second great‑aunt, their nearest common relatives being her parents.

When Maggie was born at home at 117 Hospital Street, her father worked as a clerk in a cotton factory. The 1861 census shows him as a power‑loom factory clerk, and the home had three rooms with one or more windows. Maggie was born after that census was taken, so she was not recorded.

Birth register (1861)

By 1871, the Athya family still lived at the Hospital Street address. Her father continued in the cotton trade, now as a weaver. Her brother Isaac was not listed with the family that year. All four children recorded—Jane, Maggie, John, and Hugh—were attending school.

Scotland census (1871)

In 1881, Maggie worked as a general servant in the home of Mary Allan, a 34‑year‑old widow and confectioner. The household, with two rooms having one or more windows, was located in the Barony Civil Parish of Milton, Glasgow, a heavily industrial area where domestic service was common.

Scotland census (1881)

Maggie’s mother, Jane Wylie Athya (age 51), died April 2, 1882, in Gorbals, Lanark, Scotland, of chronic bronchitis. She was buried in Lair 860, owned by Maggie’s grandfather Isaac Athya, at Southern Necropolis Cemetery in Glasgow.

Maggie married William Stewart, a widower, on November 7, 1884, in the District of Plantation, Lanark, Scotland, after publications according to the forms of the Wesleyan Methodist Church—a denomination less common in Glasgow at the time. Maggie, a spinster, was employed as a furnishing shopkeeper. William was a coach‑builder (journeyman). Both lived on Eaglesham Street in Govan—Maggie at No. 124 and William at No. 80. William’s parents were Francis Stewart and Elizabeth McKendry, both deceased.

Marriage register (1884)

Maggie died April 10, 1885, from complications of childbirth. She had a congenital physical condition that made labor impossible, and after two days of struggling to deliver, she developed fluid in her lungs (pulmonary edema) and passed away. The cemetery register recorded her cause of death simply as “child bed.” Maggie died at 124 Eaglesham Street, the same address listed on her marriage certificate. She was only 23 years old and had been married less than a year. No birth, death, or burial record could be found for a child.

Death register (1885)

Like her mother, Maggie was buried at Southern Necropolis Cemetery in Glasgow, in Lair 860.

Southern Necropolis Cemetery burial register (1885)

Nothing more is known of William after Maggie’s death.

References

• James Athya, Census 644/10 55/19, National Records of Scotland, 1861.
• Jane Athya, Census 644/10 71/20, National Records of Scotland, 1871.
• Jane Athya, Statutory Registers Deaths 644/122 239, National Records of Scotland, 1882.
• Maggie Athya, Statutory Registers Marriages 646/1 83, National Records of Scotland, 1884.
• Margaret Athya, Statutory Registers Births 644/10 723, National Records of Scotland, 1861.
• Margaret Athya, Statutory Registers Death 646/1 140, National Records of Scotland, 1885.
• Margaret Athye, Census 644/8 76/11, National Records of Scotland, 1881.
• Margaret Stewart, Southern Necropolis: Glasgow, Burial Registers 1881–1888, image 250, FamilySearch.