Living Left in a Right‑Handed World

I was reminded by another blogger today, August 13, that it’s Left‑Handers Day, and that prompted me to revisit a post I wrote 16 years ago about the adventures of being left‑handed. It’s still very much a right‑hander’s world, and lefties learn early that ordinary tasks come with their own set of challenges.

I think back to first grade, when my teacher insisted I write with my right hand. I tried, but my brain revolted—I turned every letter backwards. My hand simply rebelled, flipping each letter the second I was told to use the “wrong” hand.

School never got much easier. Spiral notebooks were torture devices, with those metal rings digging into the side of my hand. I was lucky enough to avoid the classic pencil‑smudge problem, but desks, scissors, and even simple classroom tools were designed with right‑handers in mind. And don’t get me started on the number pad on a keyboard—always on the right, as if left‑handed people don’t exist.

Life outside the classroom wasn’t much kinder. At restaurants, my left‑handed son and I try to sit beside each other so we don’t play elbow wars with right‑handed diners. At work, I’d return from vacation to find all my supplies moved to the right side of the desk. My wireless mouse baffled every right‑handed IT guy who tried to use it without switching it over. Even the measuring cup in my kitchen seems determined to make me look through the glass to read the markings.

Household tools are their own adventure. Most handheld can openers are built for right‑handers, so making a pot of chili becomes a workout. Gravy ladles often have a single pour spout—on the right, of course—so pouring gravy with my left hand is a comedy routine. And while backward checkmarks feel perfectly natural to me, they look like hieroglyphics to everyone else.

Outdoor hobbies weren’t immune either. Fishing reels were made for right‑handers, and as a child I remember thinking about flipping the pole upside down just so I could crank with my left hand. Golf was no better; I never figured out which side of the ball I was supposed to stand on, which probably explains my lifelong disinterest in miniature golf.

Even everyday interactions take a little extra thought. Handshakes are expected with the right hand, so I have to consciously switch. When someone hands me paperwork to sign, it’s always angled to the right, requiring me to rotate it back. At the dinner table, I keep my glass on the left — and keep an eye on it so the right‑hander beside me doesn’t accidentally drink my beverage.

Some moments still make me laugh. My boss spent 20 years wondering why papers in the file folders were always upside down when he opened them. And when I was a teenage cashier—back in the days before scanners, when every SKU and price had to be typed in by hand—I had to remind my floor manager to assign me to the register where I could enter numbers with my left hand and move products with my right. Otherwise, every transaction took twice as long.

There are bright spots, of course. A few relatives share my left‑handedness—a son, two nieces, my late uncle, and my late mother‑in‑law. And I’m watching my grandson closely; he often favors his left hand. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I’d love to welcome another lefty into the club.

So, to all my fellow left‑handers: Happy Left‑Handers Day. We manage just fine in a world built for right‑handers. 

Winney, Sena, Granville, and Lucius named in Thomas Thompson's estate

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

This receipt is included among the probate estate documents for Thomas Thompson of Greene County, Georgia, who died in June 1856.

Received four Negros to wit Winney a woman, Sena a girl, Granville a boy, & Lucius a boy as my full shair of the Negros of the Estate of Thomas Thompson, Deceased this Decr 26th 1856.

S. H. Thompson

Reference

Union Point, Greene County, Georgia, Probate Estate Case Files 1790–1943, image 766, FamilySearch. 

Frances J. Burnett

Frances J. Burnett was born on September 24, 1859, in Georgia, the daughter of Joseph B. Burnett and Drucilla Henson. Before Frances’ birth, Drucilla had been married to William Caton, with whom she had three children: Samuel Pride, Edward George, and Mary Elizabeth. After William’s death, Drucilla married Joseph Burnett sometime after 1845, and the couple had four children together: Madison T., Frances J., Laura, and Jane Burnett. Samuel and Edward adopted the Burnett surname following their mother’s remarriage. Frances is my half 3rd great aunt, our shared ancestor being her mother, Drucilla Henson.

By June 26, 1860, the blended Burnett–Caton household was living in Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia. Joseph worked as a miller and held a personal estate valued at $100. Drucilla’s older children—Samuel, Edward, and Elizabeth—were still at home. Samuel, then a young farmer, held a small estate valued at $30. Frances, an infant at the time, was the youngest in a household that included her parents, her brother Madison, and her older half‑siblings. Sometime between 1860 and 1862, the family relocated to Newton County, Georgia, where they remained throughout the 1860s.

Frances grew up during the Civil War, a conflict that deeply affected her family. Her two older brothers, Samuel and Edward Burnett, both served in the Confederate Army, and each was taken prisoner—Samuel in Virginia in 1864, and Edward twice, first in 1862 and again in 1864. Both young men endured harsh conditions in Union prison camps before eventually returning home.

On September 22, 1870, the Burnetts were living in Conyers, Newton County. Only two children remained in the home: Frances (12) and Laura (10). Joseph continued working as a miller, while Drucilla kept the household. The Burnetts lived next door to the family of John M. Overton, brother‑in‑law to Frances’ half‑brother Samuel, who had married Millicent “Virginia” Overton. Other Overton relatives—including Abijah and Elizabeth Overton and Elizabeth Wooley—lived nearby. I descend directly from Abijah and Virginia Overton, linking my family to Frances’ through both the Henson and Overton lines.

On December 25, 1875, Frances married James T. Harrison, son of Asa Harrison and Mary A. E. Taylor, in Gwinnett County. Rev. G. J. Bagwell performed the ceremony. Over the next 15 years, Frances gave birth to 12 children: Garland Winfield, Charles “Charley” S., Georgia Savannah (“Georgie” or “Vanie”), Effie P., Felix P., Joseph “Joe” B., Emily Ophelia, Maggie L., William “Willie” V., and three unnamed children who died young.

Marriage license for Frances and James

On June 18, 1880, the Harrisons lived in the Harbins District of Gwinnett County. James farmed while Frances managed the home. Their sons Garland (3) and Charles (1) were their only children at the time. Frances’ brother Samuel, his wife, and their eight children lived next door. Sometime after 1880, Frances’ mother Drucilla died. Around 1893, her father Joseph remarried a woman named Elizabeth, and in 1894, Frances’ half‑brother Edward died and was buried at Almand Cemetery in Conyers.

On June 25, 1900, Frances and James were living in the Cains District of Gwinnett County. They had been married 23 years, and Frances had given birth to 10 children, with 9 living. James continued farming, assisted by sons Garland, Charles, Felix, and Joseph. Frances, James, Charles, Georgia, and Felix were recorded as literate; Effie, Joseph, and Emily were not. James’ widowed mother Mary (72) lived with them. Next door lived Frances’ father Joseph and his second wife Elizabeth, who reported having borne five children, four living—though it is unclear whether any were Joseph’s, which would make them additional half‑siblings to Frances.

The Harrisons remained in the Cains District through at least April 1910. Frances had now borne 12 children, nine still living. She and James had been married 34 years. James and their son Garland worked the home farm, while Felix and Joseph labored alongside them. The youngest child, William, was 16. Six adult children still lived at home, ranging from ages 18 to 29. All could read except Felix, and Georgia, Felix, and William were unable to write.

Frances’ husband James died on July 7, 1916, and was buried at Hog Mountain Baptist Church Cemetery in Dacula. When their son Felix registered for the World War I draft in September 1918, he listed Frances—then living in Winder, Barrow County—as his nearest relative.

Frances died on August 26, 1919 in Winder. The physician listed the primary cause of death as acute dilatation of the heart, meaning her heart suddenly enlarged and failed. The secondary (contributory) cause was chronic endocarditis, a long‑term inflammation of the heart’s inner lining that weakened it over time. Together, these show that her long‑term heart disease eventually led to a fatal heart failure. Frances was buried at the old Hog Mountain Baptist Church Cemetery in Dacula with her husband on August 28. Her death certificate listed her parents as Joe Burnett and Drucilla Henderson—a slight error, as Drucilla’s maiden name was Henson. Frances’ son Charles served as the informant.

Photo by Toni McCall, Find A Grave
 member 46868460

References

• Asa Harrison, Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Edward G. Burnett, U.S., Civil War Service Records (CMSR) - Confederate - Georgia, 1861-1865
• Felix Harrison, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.
• Frances Burnett, J. B. Burnett, Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Francis Harrison, Certificate of Death no. 10276, Commonwealth of Georgia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, State Board of Health, 1919.
• Fulton and Campbell Counties, Georgia, Cemetery Records, 1857–1933. 
• Knox County, Tennessee, Marriage Records 1792–1900, image 112, FamilySearch.
• Samuel P. Burnett, Georgia, Confederate Pension Applications, 1879–1960.
• Samuel P. Burnett, U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861–1865.
• U.S. Federal Census, Cains District, Gwinnett County, Georgia, 1900, 1910.
• U.S. Federal Census, District 407, Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia, 1860.
• U.S. Federal Census, Harbins, Gwinnett County, Georgia, 1880.
• U.S. Federal Census, Hog Mountain, Gwinnett County, Georgia, 1870.
• U.S. Federal Census, Subdivision 163, Conyers, Newton County, Georgia, 1870. 

Catharin, Isabellar, Anderson, and Napolion named in Thomas Thompson's estate

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

This receipt is included among the probate estate documents for Thomas Thompson of Greene County, Georgia, who died in June 1856.

Received four Negros to wit Catharin a girl, Isabellar a girl, Anderson a boy, Napolion a boy, my full shair of the Negros of the Estate of Thomas Thompson, Deceased This Decr 26th 1856.

Henry E Thompson.

Reference

Union Point, Greene County, Georgia, Probate Estate Case Files 1790–1943, image 769, FamilySearch.

Xenophon Whitlinger McIlwain

Xenophon Whitlinger McIlwain, son of James “Jim” Xenophon McIlwain and Emaline “Emma” Hildebrand, was born June 23, 1859 in Apollo, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest of nine children: Xenophon Whitlinger, Jennie, Frankie, Harry White, Georgia Anna, Charles Kettering, John Kelly, James Lawrence, and Margaret Chambers McIlwain. His parents had married only months earlier, on October 12, 1858. Xenophon is my husband’s half 1st cousin 2x removed; their nearest common ancestor is Jane Gordon, Xenophon’s grandmother and my husband’s second great‑grandmother.

Just before Xenophon’s second birthday, the Civil War began, and his father enlisted in June 1861 in the 40th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. James wrote home often, referring to Xenophon affectionately as “Sonny.” He sent money for a cap, mentioned sending books, and asked Emma to “kiss Xenophon” for him. Emma, in turn, once called her son “Xen” in her letters and sent James a lock of the boy’s hair. During James’ absence, two of Xenophon’s younger siblings—Frankie and Jennie—died. 

Excerpt from undated Civil War letter by James X. McIlwain
to his wife, asking her to “kiss Xenophon and Jennie for me”

James was discharged on June 13, 1864 in Pittsburgh, roughly 35–40 miles from Apollo. He likely traveled home by Pennsylvania Railroad to a nearby stop such as Leechburg or Saltsburg, then completing the remaining distance by wagon or on foot. The trip would have taken a few hours to a day.

By June 23, 1870, the McIlwain family lived in the Kelly’s Station neighborhood of Apollo Borough. Eleven‑year‑old Xenophon was attending school. Two younger siblings—Harry (4) and Georgia Anna (2)—were at home. James, with a personal estate valued at $150, worked as a saddler, while Emma kept house. They lived four houses from Eunice Alvira (Smith) Jack, Xenophon’s half‑aunt.

On June 25, 1880, the family was still in Apollo. Twenty‑year‑old Xenophon worked as a plasterer. James continued as a saddle and harness maker, though unemployed for three months that year. Harry worked on a farm. Xenophon’s future wife lived only eight houses away. In 1881, he served as a mail messenger for the Apollo post office, earning $96 per year for transporting mail between postal points.

Xenophon recorded on the 1880 census Soundex (card 1)

1880 census Soundex (card 2)

James died on August 4, 1883 in Apollo at age 52. The family purchased Lot 112, Section A in Apollo (Riverview) Cemetery for his burial.

Xenophon and Josephine Juliette Henry applied for a marriage license on October 29, 1885. He was 26, living in Kiskiminetas Township and working as a plasterer; she was 27, the daughter of William Henry and Juliet Day Garvin, and living in Apollo. They married the same day at the First Presbyterian Church in Kittanning, with Rev. Henry L. Mayers officiating and Mrs. Lewis Phillips and Eliza Phillips Mayers as witnesses.

 

Marriage application and license

First Presbyterian Church register, Kittanning, Pennsylvania

They had seven children: Erma Ruth, James H. B., Walter F., Hugh Owens, and Jesse Bryan McIlwain, with two additional unknown children. In January 1889, Xenophon—then living in Kiski Township—borrowed $400 from the Apollo Mutual Building & Loan Association, a loan later fully repaid.

Two sons died young: Walter in 1890 at two and a half months, and James in 1893 at age six. Both were buried in Apollo Cemetery.

McIlwain family (ca. 1898)—Front row: Harry, their mother Emmaline,
and Xenophon. Back row: Charles, Margaret, John, Georgia Anna,
and Lawrence

By June 27, 1900, the family lived in Kittanning, where Xenophon continued plastering. Josephine was recorded as the mother of seven children, three living. Their daughter Erma was the only child in school. All three could read and write, and Xenophon owned his home. Around 1903, Erma married Thomas Murray Young, eventually giving Xenophon eight grandchildren.

On April 16, 1910, the family lived at Opalco and Kittanning Road in Kiskiminetas Township. Xenophon was still plastering, though unemployed for three months. Only Hugh (18) and Jesse (16) remained at home; Hugh worked as a chauffeur for a private family. Josephine had neither had nor lost additional children since 1900.

Hugh married Mary Helen McGeary on December 21, 1912 in Cramer, Indiana County, giving Xenophon three grandchildren. Jesse married Mary Elma Stitt on April 5, 1917 in Wellsburg, West Virginia, giving Xenophon seven grandchildren, including John Frederick, who died at five months in January 1924.

When Jesse registered for the World War I draft in June 1918, he listed Xenophon as his nearest relative.

Xenophon’s sister Margaret died on February 14, 1919 in Kiskiminetas from broncho‑pneumonia following influenza. She was buried at Apollo Cemetery on February 16.

Xenophon does not appear in the 1920 census, though Josephine was enumerated in Apollo with their son Hugh. She was listed as “married.”

His mother Emma died on January 5, 1920 from debility following a 1913 femur fracture and a December 1919 hip injury. She was living with daughter Georgia Anna at the time and was buried at Apollo Cemetery on January 7.

On March 10, 1920, Xenophon appeared before a Justice of the Peace as a sworn witness in the burial application for Civil War veteran Eden Eakman. Along with A. F. Young, he affirmed that he was of full age, lived in North Apollo, and believed the facts in the burial statement to be true.

Josephine died on June 4, 1922 and was buried at Apollo Cemetery. Xenophon survived her by six years. On May 28, 1928, he fell from a scaffold while working and died the next day, May 29, 1928, at Citizens General Hospital in New Kensington from shock and injuries sustained in the fall. The coroner ruled the death accidental. He was buried beside Josephine at Apollo Cemetery on June 1.

Xenophon was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Apollo.

Photo by Janet (McIlwain) Larocco

References

• Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Burial Records 1885–1914, image 328, FamilySearch.
• Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Mortgages 1805–1943, image 134, FamilySearch.
• Charles Kettering McIlwain, Illinois, U.S., Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916–1947.
• Compendium of James X. McIlwain Civil War letters, compiled by Janet (McIlwain) Larocco.
• Emmaline McIlwain, Application for Burial of Indigent Widow of Deceased Soldier or Sailor.
• First Presbyterian Church, Apollo, Pennsylvania, Deaths, Baptisms, Births, Marriages, 1857–1904.
• Hugh O. McIlwain, Pennsylvania, Marriages, 1852–1968.
• James Lawrence McIlwain, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007.
• James X. McIlwain, U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861–1865.
• Jesse Bryan McIlwain, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.
• Jesse McIlwain, West Virginia, U.S., Marriages Index, 1785–1971.
• Letter written by Emmaline McIlwain to her husband James, May 14, 1865.
• Letter written by Jas. X. McIlwain to his wife Emma, undated.
• Letter written by Jim X. McIlwain to his wife Emma from Camp at Harrisons Landing, July 24, 1862.
• Margaret Chambers McKinstry, Certificate of Death no. 18584, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics.
• McIlwain tombstone, Apollo (Riverview) Cemetery, Apollo, Pennsylvania.
• Mrs. Emma McIlwain, Certificate of Death no. 3584, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics.
• Naomi Ruth Young, Pennsylvania, Birth Records, 1906–1908.
• Personal visit to Apollo (Riverview) Cemetery, Apollo, Pennsylvania.
• Thomas, Augusta Dillman, The Bowmans: A History of Hans Dieterick Bauman and His Descendents, p. 62.
• U.S. Federal Census, Apollo, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 1870, 1880.
• U.S. Federal Census, Kiskiminetas Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 1910, 1920, 1930.
• U.S. Federal Census, Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 1900.
• U.S. Federal Census, North Apollo, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 1940.
• U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970.
• X. W. McElwain and Hugh O. McIlwain, Pennsylvania, U.S., Marriages, 1852–1968.
• X. W. McElwain and X. N. McIlwain U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701–1970.
• X. W. McIlwain, U.S., Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service, 1863–1959.
• Xenophon W. McIwain [sic], Certificate of Death no. 53929, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. 

Pheby, Abram, Jacob, and Ephraim, property of Brazier Anderson’s estate

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

Know all men by these presents that I Jesse Boles [Booles] of the County of Greene and State of Georgia am held and firmly bound unto William Anderson, Frederick Hillsabeck, and John Wilson, all of the County and State aforesaid, and to them in trust for Alford, Claibon [Claiborne], and Matilda Anderson, the heirs of Brazier Cook [Cocke] Anderson, deceased, in the just and full sum of four thousand dollars, for the true and faithful payment whereof I bind myself, my heirs, executors, or administrators and every of them.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this fifteenth day of November in the thirty ninth year of the Independence of the United States of America, and in the year of our Lord 1814.

The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas I the said Jesse Booles have now in my possession four negroes, to wit: Pheby, Abram, Jacob, and Ephraim, which was intended by Thomas Houghton to be sold and the money arising thereby to be equally divided and distributed amongst the children and heirs of Brazier Cook [Cocke] Anderson deceased above named.

Now I do by these presents agree and firmly engage to deliver up the said negroes into the hands and possession of the above named William Anderson and all brothers and sisters by blood being the children of the deceased Anderson; provided if any of the said negroes shall sicken and die, that I will not be accountable for such as shall or may be dead, but upon the full delivery of such as shall be alive on or before the first day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixteen, then the above obligation shall be null and void, otherwise to remain in full force and virtue.

Jesse Booles [Seal]

Signed, sealed, and delivered in presence of us.

Test.
John Wiggons (his mark)
J. Houghton Jr.

The heirs of the above-mentioned property have fully agreed that Jesse Booles shall not be put to law for any part of estate Brazier C. Anderson under the term of two years from the date hereof by us.

John Wilson 
Frederick Hillsabeck
Wm. Anderson

Georgia, Greene County. Personally came before me Joshua Houghton who being sworn saith that he heard the within named Jesse Booles acknowledge the within instrument of writing for the purposes therein mentioned and that himself was a subscribing witness to the same, and also the signature of John Wiggins appeared to the within.

J. Houghton Junr.

Sworn to before me this 15th Nov. 1814 
A. Bledsoe, JP

Recorded this 5th Decr. 1814
J. Bethune, Clk.

Reference

Greene County, Georgia, Deeds 1816–1818, 1811–1815, 1810–1811, image 344, FamilySearch.

Moses Wyllie

Moses Wyllie was born and baptized on August 24, 1773 in Pollokshaws, Eastwood Parish, Renfrewshire, Scotland, the son of James Wyllie and Margaret Deans, who had married the year before. He had at least one younger brother, Thomas, born in 1776. Moses is my husband’s 4th great-grandfather.

Like many Scottish families, the Wyllies repeated names across generations, so this Moses is a different man from the one I’ve written about previously. The surname appears in records as both Wyllie and Wylie, a common variation in Scottish parish registers.

Moses as recorded in the Scotland birth register (1773)

Pollokshaws in 1773 was a small village beside the White Cart Water, a clear river that powered early textile work and fed the wide bleaching greens where cloth was soaked and laid out to whiten in the sun. A few stone cottages stood near the water, and families mixed farm labor with spinning and weaving. Most residents were tenants of the Maxwell estate at nearby Pollok House, and daily life moved at a quiet, steady pace.

By 1796, Moses had left Eastwood Parish and moved about 17 miles southwest to Kilmarnock in Ayrshire. He married Janet Armour (or Armor) after proclamation on December 2, 1796, and worked as a weaver, later described specifically as a cotton handloom weaver.

Moses and Janet as recorded in the Scotland marriage register (1796)

Moses and Janet had at least five children, all born in Kilmarnock. Four of the birth records clearly identify each child’s birth order, allowing their family structure to be reconstructed even though the fourth child’s record has not been found. Their children, following traditional Scottish naming patterns, were:

1. Moses, born November 22, 1798, baptized November 25; named for his paternal grandfather, Moses Wyllie.
2. Thomas, born May 19, 1800; named for his maternal grandfather, Thomas Deans.
3. James, born August 5, 1802; named for his father, James Wyllie.
4. Unnamed daughter, birthdate unknown; likely named Mary after her maternal grandmother, possibly Mary Bowman.
5. Margaret, born August 30, 1808; named for her paternal grandmother, Margaret Deans.

Birth record for son Moses (1798)

Birth record for son Thomas (1800)

Birth record for son James (1802)

Birth record for daughter Margaret (1808)

The Wyllie children began forming their own households in the 1820s and 1830s. Son Moses married Mary Thomason in 1822; Thomas married Janet Dreghorn in 1823; James married Margaret Gilchrist in 1826; and Margaret married Robert Wyllie in 1835. All but Robert were living in Kilmarnock at the time of their marriages; Robert lived in the Low Church Parish.

In the 1841 census, Moses appeared alone on Back Street in Kilmarnock, working as a woolen‑loom weaver. This suggests that Janet had died before the census date of June 6, 1841. He was difficult to find because the enumerator wrote his name as “Mosey Wyllia” and recorded his age as 60. Adult ages in 1841 were rounded down, often by several years, which explains why he appears younger than his true age of about 67. His residence on Back Street also aligns with his daughter Margaret’s address when she married Robert Wyllie in 1835.

Moses in the Kilmarnock, Scotland census (1841)

By 1851, Moses was a widowed lodger, age 78, living in the household of Margaret McRay in Kilmarnock. The home also included Margaret’s daughter Janet Miller, her cousin Gavin Alston, an orphan named Ann Pairns, and another lodger, William Connell. The census described Moses as an “old weaver (pauper),” indicating he was no longer able to support himself through his trade.

Moses in the Kilmarnock, Scotland census (1851)

Moses likely died sometime after the 1851 census (taken March 30) but before December 30, 1854. This timing places his death just before Scotland introduced statutory civil registration on January 1, 1855. No death record for him appears in either the statutory registers or the Old Parish Registers on Scotland’s People, suggesting his death was not recorded, or the entry has not survived.

Kilmarnock in the years Moses lived there was a busy weaving town where handloom weavers worked in small shops or in the front rooms of their cottages. The narrow streets around the town center were lined with modest homes, workshops, and the steady activity of the textile trades. As mills and shoemaking grew, families like Moses and Janet found regular work in weaving while still living close to the surrounding farms and open fields. Moses likely led a simple working life, spending long days at his loom.

A handloom weaver in Kilmarnock during his lifetime would have worked at a large wooden floor loom—a sturdy, practical machine that filled much of a cottage room and produced the steady clatter that defined a weaver’s day. It would have been built mostly of oak or pine, with a wide rectangular frame standing several feet tall. Moses would have sat on a simple bench at the loom, using his feet to work the pedals that moved the threads into position. With his hands he sent a small wooden tool carrying the thread back and forth through the loom, then pulled the heavy frame toward him to press each new line of weaving firmly into place.

An example of the type of loom Moses might have used.
Catalan manual loom, photo by Enfo, licensed under CC BY SA 3.0, via
Wikimedia Commons. 

References

• 1841 census (1841 Census Questions), National Records of Scotland.
• James Wylie, Statutory Registers, Deaths 644/8/297, National Records of Scotland, 1873.
• James Wyllie, Old Parish Registers, Births 597, Kilmarnock, National Records of Scotland, 1802.
• Margaret Deans, Old Parish Registers, Births 562, Eastwood, 1752.
• Margaret Deans, Select Counties, Scotland, Church of Scotland, Marriages, 1615–1854.
• Margaret Gilchrist, Old Parish Registers, Marriages 597, Kilmarnock, National Records of Scotland, 1826.
• Margaret Wylie, Old Parish Registers, Births 597, Kilmarnock, National Records of Scotland, 1808.
• Moses Wylie, Old Parish Registers, Marriages 597/60 84, Kilmarnock, National Records of Scotland, 1796.
• Moses Wyllie, Census 597/20/30, National Records of Scotland, 1851.
• Moses Wyllie, Old Parish Registers, Births 562, Eastwood, 1773.
• Moses Wyllie, Old Parish Registers, Births 597, Kilmarnock, National Records of Scotland, 1798.
• Moses Wyllie, Old Parish Registers, Marriages 597, Kilmarnock, National Records of Scotland, 1822.
• Mosey Wyllia, Census 597/11/11, National Records of Scotland, 1841.
• Robert Wyllie, Old Parish Registers, Marriages 597, Kilmarnock, National Records of Scotland, 1835.
• Thomas Wyllie, Old Parish Registers, Births 562, Eastwood, 1776.
• Thomas Wyllie, Old Parish Registers, Births 597, Kilmarnock, National Records of Scotland, 1800.
• Thomas Wyllie, Old Parish Registers, Marriages 597, Kilmarnock, National Records of Scotland, 1823. 

Jim and Lavina named in Will of Jesse Booles

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

In the name of God, Amen, I, Jesse Booles of the above county and state, being reduced low by illness and viewing life as uncertain, but being of sound mind and memory, do make and constitute this my last will and testament, viz:

Item 1st. I will that all my lands, together with my stock and all other of my property not hereinafter disposed of, be sold, and from the proceeds thereof all my just debts be paid.

Item 2nd. I will to my beloved wife Sarah one negro man by the name of Jim and one negro woman Lavina, together with her increase; two beds, bedsteads and furniture; one set of walnut tables and one pine cupboard during her lifetime or widowhood, and upon her death or marriage to be equally divided between my children Emily J. Bowls, Nancy F. Fuller, Seaborn W. Bowls, and one‑fourth part to Delilah H. Barnwell, to be managed as herein after directed.

Item 3rd. I will to my daughter Emily J. Bowls one bed, bedstead and furniture and fifty dollars.

Item 4th. I will to my son Seaborn W. Bowls one bed, bedstead and furniture and fifty dollars, and the expenses of one year’s schooling at a good country school.

Item 5th. I will to my daughter Delilah H. Barnwell one‑fourth part of my estate not heretofore disposed of, to be held in trust by my executors for the aforesaid Delilah and that she have all the interest and benefits arising from the same during her natural lifetime; and at her death, if she has no heirs of her body, to return to the rest of my children or their legal representatives, but provided she shall have a surviving child or children, it shall be equally divided between the same.

Item 6th. I will that the other three‑fourths of my estate be equally divided between my children Emily J. Bowls, Nancy F. Fuller, and Seaborn W. Bowls.

Item 7th. I will that my executors have power to make such division. By a division of my negroes or by a sale of the same, which in their wisdom they may conceive most advantageous to my legatees.

Item 8th. I constitute and appoint Thomas C. Janes and Bivin Bowls my lawful executors to this my last will and testament to execute the same according to the tenure thereof.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this seventh of March eighteen hundred and twenty‑six.

Signed and sealed in presence of:

Francis West
Thos. Moseley
Jno. Wilson

Jesse Booles (Seal)

Note: Lavina's nickname is Viny as shown in a notice published in the Southern Recorder, Milledgeville, Georgia, on August 13, 1827.

Reference

Jesse Booles, Georgia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1742–1992.

Pearl C. Durham

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.

Pearl C. Durham, daughter of Thomas Rufus Durham and Mary Ann Cordelia “Mollie” Reynolds, was born in Alabama on May 24, 1878. Although no record has been found to confirm her middle name, her Find A Grave memorial lists it as Cordelia. Given that Cordelia was her mother’s middle name, it is possible that Pearl shared it. She was the second of four children—William “Willie” Marshall, Pearl C., Florence, and Elizabeth “Lizzie” T. Durham.

Pearl is the wife of the brother-in-law of my 1st cousin 4x removed, connecting through Robert Chester Lankford, brother of my 3rd great grandfather, James Meriweather Lankford.

On June 9, 1880, the Durham family lived in District 138 of Greene County, Georgia. Thomas worked as a farmer while Mollie kept the household. Pearl, age two, and her brother Willie, age four, were the only children in the home at that time.

Pearl married Wesley Bluford Young, son of Samuel Yancy Young and Matilda N. Guill, on December 15, 1897, in Greene County. Wesley was 12 years older than Pearl. Together they had five children: Ernest Willie, Thomas Yancy, Gladys E., Margaret “Florene”, and Wesley Bluford Young Jr. Thomas’s middle name honored his paternal grandfather, who shared the same middle name.

In June 1900, Pearl and Wesley were living in Woodville, Greene County, where they rented a home and Wesley worked as a farmer. Their first child, Ernest, was the only child in the household. Pearl’s father died on July 11, 1909, and was buried at Woodville Cemetery.

By April 1910, the Young family had moved to Sparta in Militia District 102 of Hancock County. Pearl had given birth to four children, all of whom were living. Wesley’s 40‑year‑old uncle, Mike Young, lived with them. Both Wesley and Mike worked as carpenters, while Mollie maintained the home. Everyone except Gladys and Florene could read and write. This census listed Pearl’s birthplace as Georgia rather than Alabama. Pearl’s sister Florence died on June 27, 1914, two days before her birthday, and was buried at Woodville Cemetery. When Ernest registered for the World War I draft around 1917–1918, he listed his father—then living in Stephens, Oglethorpe County—as his nearest relative.

By January 1920, the Young family had settled in Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, living on Stephens Road. All members of the household were literate. Wesley farmed with the help of his son Thomas, while Ernest was attending business college. Pearl’s sister Lizzie died on February 14, 1924, and was buried at Woodville Cemetery.

By April 1930, the children had left home, and Pearl and Wesley had returned to Woodville, where they rented a home on Woodville Road. Once again, the census recorded Pearl’s birthplace as Georgia. Wesley was now working as a grocery store merchant. Pearl’s mother died on February 14, 1933, and was buried at Woodville Cemetery.

In April 1940, Pearl and Wesley were still living in Woodville, in the same home they had occupied since 1935. At age 74, Wesley was no longer able to work and had no income. Pearl had completed the second year of high school, while Wesley had a sixth‑grade education. Their daughter Gladys, her husband Lawrence Steele, and grandchildren Edward, John, and Marilyn lived next door. Wesley died on May 16, 1947, and was buried at Bairdstown Cemetery. Their son Wesley Jr. served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

By April 1950, Pearl—now widowed—was living alone in Woodville at age 71.

Pearl’s son Ernest died in Cook County, Illinois, on November 19, 1969. His remains were returned to Georgia and buried at Bairdstown Cemetery. A month later, on December 20, 1969, Pearl died in Union Point, Greene County. She too was buried at Bairdstown Cemetery.

References

• Ernest Willie Young, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52989702/thomas_rufus-durham: accessed June 18, 2026), memorial page for Thomas Rufus Durham (30 Dec 1847–11 Jul 1909), Find a Grave Memorial ID 52989702, citing Woodville Cemetery, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Samuel Taylor Geer (contributor 46925792).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52989703/mary_ann_cordelia-durham: accessed June 18, 2026), memorial page for Mary Ann Cordelia “Mollie” Reynolds Durham (16 Dec 1849–14 Feb 1933), Find a Grave Memorial ID 52989703, citing Woodville Cemetery, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Samuel Taylor Geer (contributor 46925792).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52989705/florence-durham: accessed June 18, 2026), memorial page for Florence Durham (29 Jun 1881–27 Jun 1914), Find a Grave Memorial ID 52989705, citing Woodville Cemetery, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Samuel Taylor Geer (contributor 46925792).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52989704/elizabeth_t-durham: accessed June 18, 2026), memorial page for Elizabeth T. Durham (11 May 1883–14 Feb 1924), Find a Grave Memorial ID 52989704, citing Woodville Cemetery, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Samuel Taylor Geer (contributor 46925792).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52991531/pearl-young: accessed June 18, 2026), memorial page for Pearl Durham Young (24 May 1878–20 Dec 1969), Find a Grave Memorial ID 52991531, citing Bairdstown Cemetery, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Samuel Taylor Geer (contributor 46925792).
• Pearl D Young, Georgia, U.S., Death Index, 1919–1998.
• Pearl Durham, Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Pearl Durham, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007.
• Personal visit to Bairdstown Cemetery, Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia.
• U.S. Federal Census, Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, District 138, Greene County, Georgia, 1880.
• U.S. Federal Census, Sparta, Militia District 102, Hancock County, Georgia, 1910.
• U.S. Federal Census, Union Point, Greene County, Georgia, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, Woodville, Greene County, Georgia, 1900, 1930, 1940, 1950.
• Wesley Bluford Young Jr., U.S., Veterans' Gravesites, ca. 1775–2019. 

Amy and Sukey, property of John Wilson Jr.

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

The Georgia Journal, Milledgeville, Georgia, April 13, 1824

On the first Tuesday in June next, will be sold at the court house in the town of Greenesborough, Greene county, between the usual hours of sale, the following property, to wit.

Two negroes, Amy a woman about 25 years old, and her child Sukey about 4 years old, levied on as the property of John Wilson, jr. to satisfy a fi fa on the foreclosure of a mortgage in favor of Jesse Booles, vs John Wilson, jr.—property pointed out in the fi fa.

WILLIAM GREER, D.Sh’ff. 

Reference

The Georgia Journal, Milledgeville, Georgia, p. 4, April 13, 1824. 

Mountain State Forest Festival Parade (May 1963)

The photos I’m sharing today come from the Ralph Murphy photo archive, which my husband received from his Aunt Jean in 2012. This collection includes 21 boxes of slides—thousands of images Ralph captured between 1947 and 1984. His slides document scenic travels across the United States, family gatherings, and candid moments with friends and co‑workers. I digitized the collection in 2015, and they still bring me joy today.

These particular photos show another parade—this time, part of the Mountain State Forest Festival held in Elkins, West Virginia.

The festival, founded in 1930, began as a community effort inspired by regional homecoming and harvest celebrations. With guidance from organizers of Winchester, Virginia’s Apple Blossom Festival, Elkins created a fall event highlighting West Virginia’s forests and natural beauty. The first festival was a success and has since grown into a major annual tradition—run largely by volunteers, expanded to more than a week of events, and interrupted only during World War II. In 1963, the Forest Festival took place in Elkins from October 2–6.

Centennial‑Year Celebration
The 1963 Mountain State Forest Festival marked West Virginia’s centennial with its trademark autumn pageantry. Events included parades, folk dancing, wildlife exhibits, wood‑chopping contests, and the coronation of Queen Silvia XXVII.

Special guests featured Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Band, Metropolitan Opera star Eleanor Steber, and winners of the State Centennial Photographic Contest. Thousands of visitors gathered to enjoy the colorful fall scenery and festivities dedicated to preserving the state’s timberlands.

Centennial Parade Circuit
In 1963, the Elkins Forest Festival played a statewide role. Its longtime director, Phil K. Harness, was known for staging smooth, high‑energy parades in Elkins. That reputation earned him a new assignment during the Centennial year—helping organize a season of themed parades across West Virginia.

Throughout the summer and fall, a core set of professionally built floats traveled from town to town, forming the backbone of each celebration. Local bands, marching groups, and community entries filled out the rest, giving every stop its own personality.

The parade series began in Clarksburg (May 4), then moved through Huntington, Bluefield, Charleston, Martinsburg, Weirton, Parkersburg, Wheeling, and Oak Hill, before returning to Elkins in early October—just in time to merge with that year’s Forest Festival.

The Clarksburg parade alone included 20–30 floats and 40–50 bands, lasting about three and a half hours. Aunt Jean labeled this group of slides “Parade May 1963.” The photos you see below were captured by Uncle Ralph.

Queen Silvia XXVII—Ann Clayton Bradt
Ann Clayton Bradt of Martinsburg was chosen as Queen Silvia XXVII, reigning over the festival’s royal court. A college student majoring in elementary education, she had previously earned honors as Miss Berkeley County and first runner‑up for Miss Shenandoah Apple Blossom. Known for her academic excellence, community involvement, and love of teaching, Ann represented West Virginia’s grace and achievement during the centennial celebration.

You’ll see her in the photo below, identified through yearbook images from James Madison University (1963) and Shepherd University (1964).

Ann Clayton Bradt, Queen Silvia XXVI (1963)

The festival’s royal court included 36–45 members (newspaper accounts vary). I’ve confirmed 23 names: Judith Shelton, Marsha Widney, Elizabeth Parker Welton, Elizabeth Lee Harness, Mary Gretchen Singleton, Mary Alicia Tutwiler, Wendy Robertson Walker, Carolyn Tyson Rice, Jo Anne Sheridan, Candy Blair, Elizabeth Kaye Fox, Mary Elizabeth Morgan, Carolyn Sue Howard, Cynthia Parcell Neal, Mary Rachel Smoot, Sally Hresan, Olivia Bibb, Patricia Lee Jones, Sharen Ann Stover, Bettina Altizer, Cheryl Sue Horton, Linn Marie Bland, and Marie Diane Buck.

Centennial Queen—Nancy Grace Conwell
In addition to Queen Silvia’s coronation, the festival featured West Virginia’s Centennial Queen, a one‑time statewide honor marking the state’s 100th anniversary, bestowed on Nancy Grace Conwell. Her presence linked the Elkins celebration to the broader centennial festivities held across the state that year.

You’ll see her in the photo below, identified through Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register and Beckley Post-Herald newspaper accounts (1963).

Nancy Grace Conwell, of Clarksburg, West Virginia,
Centennial Queen (1963)

Four women were named Queen finalists: Sandra Lee Ross, Dee Ann Moore, Peggy Catherine Tucker, and Barbara Ann Broadwater. Nancy’s float, along with one for her court, appeared in every parade. Following her coronation, she toured the state throughout 1963, greeting crowds and representing the Centennial spirit.

Nancy was a gifted student and campus leader whose poise, intellect, and creativity earned her recognition statewide. A 1959 graduate of Bridgeport High School, she earned her degree in English and Education from Fairmont State College (1963), where she served as Homecoming Queen, held leadership roles in Gamma Chi Chi and the Young Democrats, and appeared in numerous theatrical productions. After student teaching at Bridgeport High, she taught briefly at Lumberport Middle School.

Her accomplishments culminated in her selection as West Virginia’s Centennial Queen of 1963, placing her at the center of the state’s hundred‑year celebration.

In 1964, Lumberport High School honored her achievements with a yearbook section titled Special Awards Won by Students and Teachers at L.H.S., featuring a photo of Nancy accepting the West Virginia Centennial trophy.

Centennial Floats
Several of Ralph’s photos capture the professional Centennial floats that toured the state. The “100th Anniversary of Emancipation” float celebrated the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation (1863–1963). Three young women in white gowns represent freedom and progress, and behind them stands a torch of liberty symbolizing enlightenment and emancipation. The float’s red, white, and blue design, with laurel leaves and flags, echoes the Centennial’s patriotic theme. You’ll also notice the official 1963 West Virginia Centennial Commission logo hanging on poles in several of these photos.

West Virginia Centennial Commission,
Official Logo (1963), public domain

The State Capitol float features four princesses seated beside a model of the State Capitol dome, framed by a large white outline of West Virginia with a red star (likely marking Charleston) and the centennial years 1863–1963 spelled out in red letters.

   

Although the image quality isn’t perfect, I hope you enjoy this group of photos from Ralph’s archives. They capture a vivid moment in West Virginia’s history—when local pride and statewide celebration came together in one unforgettable parade.

To see others from his collection, click here.

References

• Ann Bradt, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia (1963), U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900–2016.
• Ann Bradt, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, West Virginia (1964), U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900–2016.
• Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, p. 5, July 1, 5, 15, and 29, 1963.
• Centennial Parades Chairman Named, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, May 19, 1963.
• Centennial Queen’s Identify to be Withheld Four Months, The Weirton Daily Times, Weirton, West Virginia, December 15, 1962
• Clarksburg Girl Crowned Queen of Centennial, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, April 28, 1963.
• Daily Calendar, Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, July 18, 1963.
• Elkins Forest Fete to Open on Thursday, The Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston, West Virginia, October 1, 1963.
• Festival Maids of Honor Chosen, Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, July 30, 1963.
• Festival Princess, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, June 20, 1963.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/110796544/nancy_grace-hall: accessed June 13, 2026), memorial page for Nancy Grace Conwell Hall (10 Aug 1941–17 May 2013), Find a Grave Memorial ID 110796544, citing Bridgeport Cemetery, Bridgeport, Harrison County, West Virginia, USA; maintained by Gina (contributor 46846562).
• Forest Festival Princesses, The Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston, West Virginia, July 5, 1963.
• Gowns of Forest Festival Princesses Designed in Fall Shades of Silk Velvet, The Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston, West Virginia, October 1, 1963
• Helps in Staging Centennial Parades, The Raleigh Register, May 21, 1963.
• History of Mountain State Forest Festival; https://www.forestfestival.com/history/. 
• In Elkins Oct. 2–6, Martinsburg Girl Chosen Queen to Reign Over Forest Festival, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, July 21, 1963.
• Local Girl Named Princess for Forest Festival Event, Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, July 11, 1963.
• Logo of the 1963 West Virginia Centennial Commission; https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/images/2751. 
• Named Princess, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, June 22, 1963.
• Nancy Conwell, West Virginia, Lumberport High School (1964), U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–2016.
• Nancy Grace Conwell Centennial Queen, Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, April 29, 1963.
• Nancy Grace Conwell, West Virginia, Fairmont State University, Fairmont, West Virginia (1964), U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–2016.
• Princesses Named, Hinton Daily News, Hinton, West Virginia, June 27, 1963.
• Stage Set for Forest Festival, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, September 29, 1963.
• The Weirton Daily Times, Weirton, West Virginia, p. 5, June 24, 1963.
• The Woman’s Page, Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, p. 5, July 8, 1963.
• WVU Coed Selected to Serve in Festival Court, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, July 21, 1963. 

Jim, Viny, and child, property of Jesse Booles’ estate

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

Southern Recorder, Milledgeville, Georgia, August 13, 1827

Agreeable to an order of the Inferior court of Greene county, sitting for ordinary purposes, will be sold at the Court-house door, in the town of Greenesboro’ Greene county, on the first Tuesday in September next, three negroes, Jim, a fellow, and Viny and her child, belonging to the estate of Jesse Booles, late of said county, dec’d—sold for the benefit of the creditors of said dec’d.

BIVEN BOOLES, Ex’r. July 11 

Update 7/12/26: Viny is a nickname. Her real name is Lavina as listed in the Last Will and Testament of Jesse Booles.

Reference

Southern Recorder, Milledgeville, Georgia, p. 4, August 13, 1827. 

John Wilson, Virginia Continental Soldier

As part of my ongoing look at the Revolutionary War in honor of America’s 250th birthday, I turned to the service of John Wilson, my 5th great‑grandfather, connecting to my Lankford line.

John Wilson, an early settler of Greene County, Georgia, was born about 1750 in Virginia. In 1779, he enlisted in the Virginia Line of the Continental Army, serving as a Private in Captain Benjamin Taliaferro’s Company, Colonel Richard Parker’s Virginia Regiment. His term of enlistment was for 18 months, and he first joined under Recruiting Officer Richard Worsham at Petersburg, Virginia, where the regiment was organized under General Charles Scott. The company’s officers included Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Parker, Adjutant Thomas Parker, Major John Cowell, 1st Lieutenant Beverley Stubblefield, and 2nd Lieutenant Samuel Sildon.

John marched south with Colonel Parker’s Virginia regiment as part of the reinforcements sent to the Continental Army’s Southern Department during the critical 1780 campaign. He was present during the long Siege of Charleston, South Carolina, where about 5,500 American defenders faced more than 10,000 British troops supported by a powerful naval fleet. The Virginia Continentals endured constant shelling, dwindling food, and exhausting work as British trenches crept closer each day. Colonel Parker was killed during the fighting, and by May 12 the defenders were outnumbered, outgunned, and surrounded. When the Americans surrendered on May 12–13, John was taken prisoner—but, as he later recalled, he “did not remain long,” escaping captivity and making his way back to Virginia. He eventually received a discharge from Lieutenant Samuel Sildon, though the document had been lost by the time of his 1832 pension application, in which he described these events from memory.

A surviving pay calculation in his widow Elizabeth’s pension file confirms that John ultimately served 4 months and 15 days, with his pay totaling $23.16. The document lists payment “4 months at $5 … 20.00; 15 days … 2.50; short paid 10¢,” a typical rate for Virginia militia service in 1781. John died before receiving this final payment, and in 1835 Elizabeth authorized attorney Anthony Porter of Savannah to collect the arrears due for the period March 4 to July 23, 1834—the months leading up to his death. A receipt from the Planters’ Bank of Georgia shows Porter receiving the $23.16 on her behalf, closing John’s Revolutionary War account.

On September 2, 1780, John married Mary “Elizabeth” [last name unknown] in Virginia. A Virginia marriage index includes the marriage of a John Wilson to Elizabeth Moore on September 18, 1780, in Prince Edward County, Virginia. John’s pension file includes a letter stating he married Elizabeth on September 2, 1780, so it is possible these refer to the same couple, though no record has yet been found that explicitly ties them to Prince Edward County. John and Elizabeth had four children: John Jr., Mary, William, and Jesse M. Wilson. I descend from John Jr. and his wife Mary H. Anderson, daughter of Brazier and Sarah Anderson.

After the Revolution, John and Elizabeth left Virginia for North Carolina, part of the broad post‑war migration into the southern frontier. By the late 1780s he was already familiar with the dangers of that frontier. In sworn affidavits given in Greene County in 1822, John testified that in 1787–1788 Creek Indians stole livestock from him, burned stored corn, and destroyed property—losses he and his neighbors pursued more than 40 miles toward the Ocmulgee River. These early experiences on the Georgia frontier preceded his later permanent settlement in what became Greene County, where he and Elizabeth made their long‑term home in the Fishing Creek community, though he owned other tracts elsewhere in the county.

There John built the steady life typical of many Revolutionary War veterans on Georgia’s frontier. He entered Georgia’s backcountry early, receiving a state land grant in 1788 and another in 1792 on the waters that became part of Greene County, documenting his presence in the area decades before Greene County was fully organized. By 1789–1790 his name appears among citizens of the county’s Lower Battalion who petitioned Gov. Telfair about militia officer appointments, showing him already settled and engaged in local civic affairs. County records through the early decades of the nineteenth century show him managing modest property and carrying out routine land transactions. The 1820 census places John and Elizabeth in a small household with one adult son and three enslaved individuals, a modest farm operation typical of the Fishing Creek community. His frequent appearances in county minutes, estate files, and debt actions show how regularly he participated in the legal and economic life of his neighborhood. Though his military service defined his eligibility for later pension recognition, it was his long residence in the Fishing Creek community that shaped the remainder of his life.

By 1830 John was in his 70s, living with Elizabeth and a younger female relative in a small household that reflected his advancing age and the quiet, family‑centered rhythm of his final years. By the early 1830s, Wilson family land still formed part of the Fishing Creek neighborhood, with his son John Jr. serving as a Justice of the Peace and witnessing local deeds. When John was 77 years old, he applied for a Revolutionary War pension on August 30, 1832. In April 1833, the War Department formally accepted John’s service as authentic under the Act of June 7, 1832. His pension certificate was issued on April 15, 1833, signed by Lewis Cass, Secretary of War, and J. L. Edwards, Commissioner of Pensions, confirming that his testimony and supporting evidence met federal standards for verified military service. John was entitled to receive $60 a year during his natural life beginning March 4, 1834, paid semi‑annually on March 4 and September 4 every year.

On August 23, 1833, John conveyed a 90‑acre tract on Fishing Creek to his son John Jr. for $400. The land included the Wilson family shop, the spring used by John Jr., and a stretch of the Fishing Creek bank. This deed documents the transfer of the Wilson homestead from father to son, documenting the generational handoff of the family land shortly before John’s death.

In October 1833, sensing his declining health, John wrote a simple will describing himself as “old and very infirm.” He left all of his property to his wife Elizabeth and named trusted friends Oliver Porter and James K. Daniel as executors.

John died on July 23, 1834, in the Fishing Creek neighborhood. His death was certified by Vincent Sanford, Clerk of the Inferior Court, on June 8, 1835, when his widow sought to collect his final pension arrears. The Greene County certification also confirmed that John had originally had four children, but only three survived him.

After John’s death, Elizabeth executed a power of attorney on June 8, 1835, authorizing Anthony Porter of Savannah to collect the pension arrears owed to her. Porter certified that the transaction did not involve any sale or transfer of the pension, as required by law.

Elizabeth lived in Greene County for more than two decades after her husband’s death in 1834. Her final appearance in the records comes in July 1857, when the Court of Ordinary appointed her son John Jr. administrator of her estate, noting that Elizabeth Wilson, “late of this county,” was deceased. Because the court had already issued and published the required citation before the July 6 session, her death must have occurred only shortly beforehand—almost certainly between May and early July 1857. Her death closed the family’s direct connection to John’s pension, but it also prompted one final attempt by her children to recover additional arrears. Their petition was rejected because the law did not permit children or grandchildren to recover unpaid benefits after the widow’s death. A letter written in August 1857 summarized the ruling: “…as John Wilson did not pretend to have performed any service after his escape from captivity, shortly after the capitulation [surrender] of Charleston, which was in May 1780, while the family record shows that the marriage was solemnized on the 2d of September 1780, after his return to Virginia.” 

John’s journey from the Virginia Line to the Georgia frontier reflects the experience of many Revolutionary War veterans who helped shape the early nation. His service at Charleston, his years on the frontier, and his long life along Fishing Creek form a small but meaningful part of America’s founding story—one carried forward today through the records he left behind and the family who remembers him.

References

• Greene County, Georgia, Court Minutes 1812–1827, image 430, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Court Records 1815–1817, image 85, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Court Records 1821–1824, image 394, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Deeds 1793–1802, 1785–1792, image 604, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Deeds 1799–1804, 1803–1808, image 265, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Deeds 1830–1840, 1832, image 31, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Deeds 1839–1852, image 435, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Land Records 1785–1793, Enslavement Records 1785–1793, image 492, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Probate Records 1852–1879, image 195, FamilySearch.
• Greene County, Georgia, Wills 1786–1795, 1794–1810, 1840–1877, 1806–1816, 1817–1842, image 467, FamilySearch.
• John Wilson, Georgia, Wills and Probate Records, 1742–1992.
• John Wilson, U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660–1820.
• John Wilson, U.S., Final Payment Vouchers—Georgia, 1818–1864.
• John Wilson, U.S., Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800–1900.
• John Wilson, Virginia, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1660–1800.
• U.S. Federal Census, Capt. Awtreys District, Greene County, Georgia, 1820.
• U.S. Federal Census, Greene County, Georgia, 1830.