Mary Franklin Williamson

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.

Mary Franklin “Minnie” Williamson, daughter of William F. Williamson and Emily Allen, was born in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, on June 8, 1867. She was the seventh of eight children born to William and Emily: Susan, Matilda Caroline, Mary, Sarah, John (Jeff) D., Emma (or Emily) L., Mary Franklin, and Ella Janie Williamson. Likely because an older sister was also named Mary, the younger Mary was called Minnie, the name used throughout this sketch. Minnie later married my 1st cousin 4× removed, Charles Moore Lankford; we share no common ancestor.

Minnie was born into a blended and already well‑established Oglethorpe County family. Before her birth, her father, William F. Williamson, had first married Charlotte M. Brown in 1836. According to an online family history, William and Charlotte moved to Cherokee County, Alabama shortly after their marriage, and William returned to Oglethorpe County following her death. The family does not appear in the 1850 census—common for that county’s incomplete enumeration—so the full list of children from that marriage is uncertain. By 1860, William and his second wife, Emily Allen, were living in Bairdstown, where William farmed property valued at $1,400. Their household included children from both marriages; two daughters, Mary and Sarah, appear in the 1860 census but not in 1870.

By 1870—three years after Minnie’s birth—the Williamsons were living in Maxeys, Oglethorpe County. The census oddly records her birth month as March rather than June. William continued farming, though his property holdings had declined since 1860, and Emily was noted as unable to read or write. All of William’s older children from his first marriage had left the household. Emily’s mother, the widowed Sarah Allen (age 75), was also living with them, and several of Minnie’s half siblings lived nearby.

By June 8, 1880, the family had moved to the Bowling Green District of Oglethorpe County. William, now 66, was still farming but was recorded as blind since age 63, with the notation “weak eyes.” Emily managed the household, while Jeff worked as a farm laborer. Minnie—enumerated by that name—and her sister Ella were both attending school.

In 1881–1882, Minnie appeared in an Oglethorpe County ejectment case after she and her siblings leased 50 acres of their father’s land for 50 years. The tenant claimed he had been forced off the property, requiring all the Williamson children—including minors like Minnie, represented by their father—to be named in the suit. William was the legal owner, but the children were listed because they held a future interest in the land. Minnie’s half‑brother Thomas, who was living on the property, was named the “tenant in possession.” The jury ultimately ruled that Thomas could remain on the land, and the case was dismissed. Because the Williamson children had initiated the suit, they were responsible for the court costs, totaling $12.30.

Minnie’s father William died in 1885 in Oglethorpe County; his burial place is unknown. The following year, on February 18, 1886, Minnie married Charles Moore Lankford, son of Curtis Caldwell Lankford and Nancy A. Elizabeth McCarty, in a ceremony officiated by Justice of the Peace John F. Smith. Her name appears as Minnie on the marriage certificate.

Marriage certificate

Minnie and Charles had three children, two of whom survived to adulthood: Maude E. Lankford (born 1889) and Horace M. Lankford (born 1897). A third child died in infancy.

On June 1, 1900, the family was living in Bowling Green. Minnie and Charles had been married 14 years. The census notes that Minnie had given birth to three children, with two living. It also records her birth month as July. Their daughter Maude—enumerated as Mary—was 11 and attending school. Charles supported the family as a farmer.

Maude married Andrew C. McElreath, son of Charles C. Lee McElreath and Emaline Peeler, on May 14, 1905, in Oglethorpe County. By 1910, Maude, Andrew, and their daughter were living in Bowling Green, but Minnie, Charles, and Horace cannot be located in that census despite extensive searching.

By February 2, 1920, Minnie—enumerated again as Minnie—Charles, and Horace were still in Bowling Green, living on Washington Road. Charles was farming, and Horace was working as a laborer on the home farm. Maude, Andrew, and their daughter Knollie Belle lived next door. Knollie later named her daughter Minnie “Estell” Fulcher (born about 1923), a clear tribute to her grandmother’s name. 

1920 Census Soundex Card

On April 19, 1930, Minnie, Charles, and Horace were living in Militia District 607 of Taliaferro County, Georgia, in a rented home. Minnie and Charles were not employed at the time, while Horace worked as a lumber hauler. Next door lived Maude, Andrew, Knollie—now widowed—and seven‑year‑old Estell. Andrew worked as a laborer at a sawmill, likely alongside Horace, keeping the two households closely connected.

Sometime after the 1930 census, Minnie moved to Penfield in Greene County, where she spent her final years. She died at home on March 9, 1939. Because no doctor was present, her death was recorded simply as “senility,” a common notation in that era. Minnie was laid to rest in Bairdstown Cemetery in neighboring Oglethorpe County.

I’ve noted several inconsistencies regarding Mary’s birthdate in this sketch, so I want to explain how I arrived at June 8, 1867. Mary’s death certificate does not list a date of birth, but it does record her age as 71 years, 9 months, and 1 day. Her obituary states she was born in June, which conflicts with the 1870 census, where the enumerator wrote “Mar.” in the column reserved for children born within the census year—a category Minnie did not fit. The 1900 census adds another discrepancy by listing her birth month as July. Because her death certificate provides her exact age in years, months, and days, the most reliable approach is to work backward from her date of death, March 9, 1939, which produces a calculated birthdate of June 8, 1867.

Her obituary also contains an incorrect marriage date. It states that Minnie married Charles on February 22, 1885, although the marriage certificate clearly records the date as February 18, 1886. In this case, the official record created by the Ordinary and the Justice of the Peace must take precedence over the obituary’s later, less precise account.

References

• Charles Lankford, Georgia, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Ejectment case, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, Court Records 1878–1886, images 205–206 and 242–243, FamilySearch.
• Georgia, U.S., Census for Re-Organizing the Georgia Militia, 1864.
• Jenkins, Mrs. Nelle Morris, Yarbrough–Yarborough and Allied Families: A Quarterly, U.S. Family History Books, 1961–62.
• Mrs. M. W. Langford Passes at Penfield, newspaper unknown, March 1939.
• U.S. Federal Census, Bowling Green, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 1880, 1900, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, Militia District 607, Taliaferro County, Georgia, 1930.
• William F. Williamson, Georgia, Compiled Marriages, 1754–1850.