Three Church Deaths in 1895

Sometimes when researching, I find something that makes me sad. That was the case when I found the death of three family members in just under eight months—Lucinda C. Jackson Church, Josiah T. Church, and Clara R. Church. Lulie is the wife of my husband’s 2nd great-uncle, George Church. Their children would be his 1st cousins 2x removed.

Lucinda “Lulie” C. Jackson, daughter of Garrison P. Jackson and Elizabeth “Eliza” J. Lieutz, was born in Wetzel County, West Virginia on October 3, 1869. When Lulie was 17, she married George Church, son of Henry Church and Rebecca Longwell, in Wetzel County on October 31, 1886. After obtaining consent from Lulie’s father, the marriage took place at his home in a ceremony performed by W. H. Shaw, a minister of the M. E. Church. 

Church-Jackson marriage license/certificate/endorsement (click to enlarge)

Lulie and George welcomed four children between 1887 and 1894—Clyde Porter Church (1887), Clarence Benjamin Church (1891), Josiah T. Church (1892), and Clara R. Church (1894). My best guess is that Clara’s middle name is Rebecca, after her paternal grandmother.

Josiah and Clara both contracted scarlet fever and died, likely at home in Long Drain, in early 1895. Josiah’s death occurred on January 6, Clara’s on February 3. The Wetzel County register of deaths recorded Josiah’s age as 2 years, 11 months, 18 days; Clara was 1 year, 2 months, 15 days. 

Probably still grieving the death of her two children, Lulie contracted consumption (tuberculosis) that summer and died in Long Drain, Wetzel County, West Virginia on August 16, 1895, in what would have been a slow and painful death. Her husband George Church was the informant on all three death registers.

Register of Deaths, Wetzel County, West Virginia - page 1 (click to enlarge)

Register of Deaths, Wetzel County, West Virginia - page 2 (click to enlarge)

Lulie, Josiah, and Clara were all buried at Low Gap Cemetery in Knob Fork, Wetzel County, West Virginia. Lulie’s tombstone reads:

LULY C. CHURCH
WIFE OF GEORGE CHURCH
BORN OCT. 3, 1869.
DIED AUG. 16, 1895.
AGE 25 Ys, 10 Ms, & 13 Ds.

Kind friends before, as you pass by,
as you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, so you must be,
prepare therefore to follow me.

The first three words of her epitaph are hard to read so what I’ve transcribed may be wrong, but it’s close. Josiah’s tombstone is also hard to read but I believe the words are:

JOSHIA T., SON OF GEO. & LULY CHURCH
BORN JAN. 24, 1892
DIED JAN. 6, 1895
AGE 2 Ys, 11 Ms, 18 Ds.

 

Clara’s tombstone reads:

CLARA R.
DAUG OF GEO & LULY CHURCH
BORN NOV. 20 1894
DIED FEB. 3, 1895
AGE 1 Ys, 2 Ms, & 15 Ds. 

Tombstone photos used with permission of K. Alan Lewis, Find A Grave Member ID 46967048.

I discovered a discrepancy in the dates for Clara. If the death date on her tombstone and her age on the West Virginia Death Register (and tombstone) are correct (1 year, 2 months, 15 days), her birth would have taken place in November 1893, not 1894. Had she been born in 1894, she would have only been 2 months old when she died. Unfortunately, the West Virginia Birth Register does not contain a birth record for Clara.

References

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59679082/lucinda-c-church: accessed 01 March 2023), memorial page for Lucinda C. Jackson Church (3 Oct 1869–16 Aug 1895), Find a Grave Memorial ID 59679082, citing Low Gap Cemetery, Knob Fork, Wetzel County, West Virginia, USA; maintained by KAL (contributor 46967048).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59678870/josiah-t-church: accessed 01 March 2023), memorial page for Josiah T. Church (24 Jan 1892–6 Jan 1895), Find a Grave Memorial ID 59678870, citing Low Gap Cemetery, Knob Fork, Wetzel County, West Virginia, USA; maintained by KAL (contributor 46967048).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59678800/clara-r-church: accessed 01 March 2023), memorial page for Clara R. Church (20 Nov 1894–3 Feb 1895), Find a Grave Memorial ID 59678800, citing Low Gap Cemetery, Knob Fork, Wetzel County, West Virginia, USA; maintained by KAL (contributor 46967048).
• George Church and Lula C. Jackson Marriage License/Certificate, Wetzel County, West Virginia, October 31, 1886.
• George Church Certificate of Death 6721, West Virginia State Department of Health, May 31, 1943.
• L. C. Jackson, General Index and Register of Births—Wetzel County, W.Va.
• Painter, Sally, What Does Dying of Consumption Mean?, Love to Know, August 3, 2020; https://dying.lovetoknow.com/death-cultures-around-world/what-does-dying-consumption-mean. 
• Register of Deaths Within the District of I.D. Morgan, Assessor, for the County of Wetzel in the Year Ending 31st December 1895.
• U.S. Federal Census, Center, Wetzel County, West Virginia, 1880. 

Carl Edwin Jackson

Carl E. Jackson

Carl Edwin Jackson, son of Enos “Perry” Jackson and Anna B. Church, was born on July 23, 1910 in Smithfield, Wetzel County, West Virginia. Carl had an older brother named Otto Virgil Jackson, born in 1906. Carl is a 1st cousin 1x removed of my husband Charles. Their nearest common relatives are Robert Church and Lucinda Murphy who were married on April 2, 1876 in Wetzel County.

The 1910 census was taken at the Jackson home on April 25, three months before Carl’s birth. That census record tells us that the family home in Smithfield was on Hayes Street in the Grant District of Wetzel County. His father was a salesman in a general store (Dragoo Brothers) and they had a boarder named David Ringer (age 53, widowed, born in Pennsylvania) living in the home with them. His mother was 23 years old and his father 31 years. Sometime before 1918, Carl’s parents divorced, an assumption I make based on the fact that his father’s World War I registration card dated September 12, 1918 listed Virgil Jackson as his nearest relative. Sometime between 1918 and 1920, Carl’s mother Anna married Everett Franklin Evans, son of William and Jane Evans.

On January 15, 1920, Carl was living with his father Perry and brother Virgil in Smithfield, Grant District of Wetzel County. His father was still a salesman in a general store. This census record notes that Perry was widowed, however, we know that his ex-wife Anna was still alive and I haven’t found another marriage record for Perry. On June 22, 1924, Carl’s mother gave birth to a premature baby boy they named Everett Franklin Evans Jr. Complications must have occurred and Baby Everett died on June 30, surviving for only nine days. He as buried at the Masonic Cemetery in Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia on July 1.

On April 3, 1930, Carl was still living in Smithfield with his father and brother Virgil. This census record shows that his father Perry was divorced, not widowed. The house they lived in was owned by Perry, had a radio, and was valued at $600. Perry still worked at the general store, Virgil was a laborer with an oil company, and Carl was not working. Wedding bells rang for Carl on February 6, 1938 when he married Pansy Virginia Burdine, daughter of Lewis Fountain Burdine and Lovie Mae Haught, in Wetzel County. Carl and Pansy set up house in Smithfield. Their daughter Sandra Sue Jackson was born in November of that year.

Carl and his wife Pansy

On April 10, 1940, Carl and his family lived in Smithfield. He worked for the South Penn Natural Gas Company as a rouster. A third child was born about 1942, named James Jackson. On April 5, 1945, Carl went to Huntington, West Virginia and enlisted as a private in the World War II draft. His registration noted that he had a grammar school education. Carl was still working at the gas company. His wife Pansy was listed as the person who would always know his address. They were still living in Smithfield at the time. He was 30 years old.

Carl's World War II registration card

Just a month after Carl’s trip to Huntington, his wife Pansy gave birth to their daughter Marilyn Elaine Jackson. Sad times were ahead for Carl and his family before the decade came to an end. Of course, I don’t know the circumstances, but with Carl having lived with his father after the divorce, I imagine they had a close relationship. This had to make it harder when his father Perry died in Smithfield at the age of 72 after a brief illness on September 19, 1948. Perry was buried at the Barker Cemetery in Pine Grove, Wetzel County, West Virginia.

Sometime in the 1950s, Carl and Pansy left Wetzel County and moved to Clarksburg. In the late 1950s, they lived in a duplex located at 647 West Main Street, not far from downtown Clarksburg. They later moved to an apartment building at 808 Locust Court. During this time, Carl worked at the MP Company which I believe was the Monongahela Power Company. One Clarksburg city directory notes that he worked as a groundsman there. Carl’s mother Anna died in Weston, Lewis County, West Virginia on March 29, 1959. She was buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Clarksburg. Still in mourning, Carl and Pansy celebrated the marriage of their oldest daughter Sandra to Frederick Riley Knapp, son of Virgil B. Knapp and Iona Clifton, in Harrison, West Virginia on July 18, 1959.

Carl Jackson, his aunt Dessie (Church) Murphy, and her son Earl

On January 11, 1964, Carl’s daughter Marilyn married James Edward Dufour, son of Desire Alfonse Dufour and Rosabell Greathouse, in Harrison County, West Virginia. They apparently divorced and then remarried at the United Methodist Church in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia on November 17, 1969.

Carl died in Clarksburg on February 6, 1978. He was buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Clarksburg.

Carl and Pansy's stone is the 2nd on the left with the large floral arrangement

References

• Carl E. Jackson, U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938–1946.
• Carl Edwin Jackson, serial number 1140, Registration Card D.S.S. Form 1.
• Certificate of Death no. 7255, Everett Evans Jr., West Virginia State Department of Health, July 1, 1924.
• Clarksburg, West Virginia, City Directory, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960.
• Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Health – Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Marriage Return no. 69 045049, James Edward Dufour and Marilyn Elaine Jackson Dufour.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed April 5, 2020), memorial page for Sandra Sue Jackson Knapp (November 26, 1938–April 7, 2015), Find a Grave Memorial no. 144703349, citing Bridgeport Cemetery, Bridgeport, Harrison County, West Virginia, USA ; maintained by Anna (contributor 47477171).
• Smithfield, Enos Perry Jackson obituary, Wetzel Democrat, 1948.
• U.S. Federal Census, Liberty, Marshall County, West Virginia, 1900.
• U.S. Federal Census, Smithfield, Grant District, Wetzel County, West Virginia, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940.
• U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007, Fred Riley Knapp.
• West Virginia, Marriages Index, 1785–1971, Carl E. Jackson/Pansy Virginia Burdine; Marilyn Elaine Jackson/James Edward Dufour.
• World War I draft card, Enos Perry Jackson, September 12, 1918.

Otto Virgil Jackson, the oldest child

Virgil with his aunt Dessie Church Murphy

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “oldest.”

Otto Virgil Jackson, son of Enos “Perry” Jackson and Anna B. Church, was born on June 26, 1906 in Smithfield, Wetzel County, West Virginia. He was the oldest child of two—Otto Virgil Jackson and Carl Edwin Jackson. There was an 11-year age difference between his parents—his mother was 19-years-old and his father 30. He went by Virgil and was my husband’s 1st cousin 1x removed.

On April 25, 1910, Virgil lived with his parents on Hayes Avenue in the Grant District of Wetzel County, West Virginia. His father was a salesman in a general store. David Ringer, a widower, lived in the home as a boarder. Virgil’s parents had been married for seven years; he was their only child at the time. They divorced sometime between 1918 and 1919. Both boys stayed with their father Perry after the divorce. “The Jackson family: a history of Ephraim Jackson, first ancestor to come to America and his descendants, 1684–1960” by Jesse Calvin Cross wrote that Perry was a school teacher. Cross further wrote that Perry “… was a gentleman by instinct, a fine person of fascinating manners, a large heart, and a true and genial nature. He was a consistent and devoted Christian. He early identified himself with the St. James Methodist Church at Smithfield and was a faithful worker and able leader in the affairs of the church.” It sounds like he was a good role model for his two sons.

Virgil's mother, Anna Church Evans

On January 15, 1920, Virgil, his father, and brother Carl lived in Smithfield, Wetzel County, West Virginia. He was enumerated as Otto V. Jackson. At age 13, he was in school and able to read and write. The census enumerator recorded his father as “widowed” versus divorced. Virgil’s father had given up teaching by now and was a salesman in a general store. Virgil’s mother remarried by January 19, 1920. She and her new husband, Everett (Shortie) Franklin Evans, were enumerated in Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia. The family suffered a loss in 1924 when Virgil’s mother gave birth to a premature baby boy in Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia on June 22. The baby was named after Virgil’s step-father. Everett Jr. died on June 30 and was buried at the Masonic Cemetery on July 1. I was unaware of this baby. No one in the family had ever mentioned that Anna had lost a baby. I only found him while researching Virgil on familysearch.org.

On April 3, 1930, Virgil, his father, and brother Carl still lived in Smithfield. His father was enumerated as divorced in this census record. Virgil (enumerated as Virgil O), was 23 and single. He worked as a laborer for an oil company. His 19-year-old brother Carl was not working. His father Perry was still a salesman for a general store. On October 11, 1935, Virgil and Evelyn Wynona Powell, daughter of Martin Maurice Powell and Mary Orela, obtained a marriage license in Marion County, West Virginia. They were married in Durbin, Pocahontas County, West Virginia on October 13, 1935. The 1940 census record showed they lived in Shinnston, West Virginia in 1935. Virgil and Evelyn two children together—David Lee Jackson, born in Wyatt, Harrison County, West Virginia on May 25, 1935 (I double checked the records and the baby came before the marriage) and a daughter Marlene Louise Jackson, born on August 3, 1936.

Pocahontas County, West Virginia marriage license

On April 11, 1940, Virgil, his wife Evelyn, and children lived in Lumberport, Harrison County, West Virginia. He was enumerated as O. V. Jackson and worked 46 hours a week as a tool dresser for South Penn Oil Company. His income was $1750. At the age of 34, Virgil registered for the World War II draft on October 16, 1940. He lived in Lumberport at the time and still worked for the South Penn Natural Gas Company in Wolf Summit, Harrison County, West Virginia. Virgil weighed 170 pounds, had a ruddy completion, blue eyes, blonde hair, and was 5’8” tall. He listed his next of kin as his wife Evelyn. Virgil’s father Perry died on September 19, 1948 of a coronary thrombosis. He was buried on September 22 at Barker Cemetery in Smithfield.

Virgil’s daughter Marlene married Roscoe Blaine Gunn, son of H. D. Gunn and Daisy Jones, in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia on August 16, 1956. Three years later, Virgil’s mother Anna died on March 29, 1959 at the Weston State Hospital in Weston, Lewis County, West Virginia of coronary occlusion due to arteriosclerosis. She was buried on March 31 at Greenlawn Cemetery in Clarksburg.

Virgil’s son David married Marjorie Ellen Newbrough, daughter of Ray Harlen Newbrough and Ollie Mae Jett, on July 16, 1960 at Peora, Harrison County, West Virginia.

On September 29, 1972, Virgil, who suffered from pulmonary emphysema, died of pneumonia at the United Hospital Center in Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia after his right lung collapsed. He was 66 years old. Virgil was buried on October 3 at Shinnston Memorial Cemetery in Shinnston. Virgil and Evelyn lived at 51 Main Street in Shinnston at the time of his death.

Shinnston Masonic Cemetery, Shinnston, West Virginia

Virgil is a descendant of Henry “Old Hundred” Church for whom the town of Hundred, Wetzel County, West Virginia was named.


References

• 1910 census, Grant, Wetzel, West Virginia.
• 1920 census, Grant, Wetzel, West Virginia.
• 1930 census, Smithfield, Wetzel, West Virginia.
• 1940 census, Lumberport, Harrison, West Virginia.
• Cross, Jesse Calvin, “The Jackson Family: A History of Ephraim Jackson, First Ancestor to Come to America and His Descendants, 1684–1960,” October 8, 1988; https://archive.org/details/jacksonfamilyhis00cros.
• Marriage License Application, Harrison County, West Virginia, David Lee Jackson and Marjorie Ellen Newbrough.
• Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Multiple Registrations 26 Jun 1906.
• U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947.
• U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s–Current.
• U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007.
• Virginia, Marriage Records, 1936–2014.
• West Virginia State Department of Health, Certificate of Birth, Otto Virgil Jackson.
• West Virginia State Department of Health, Certificate of Death, Anna Evans, no. 59004951.
• West Virginia State Department of Health, Certificate of Death, Virgil Jackson, no. 72015421.
• West Virginia, Deaths Index, 1853–1973.
• West Virginia, Marriages Index, 1785–1971.

52 Ancestors – no. 52: Jessica Corinne Lankford – (week 36)

Jessica Corinne Lankford
Barnhart

Jessica Corinne Lankford, daughter of James C. Lankford and Mary Ann Wilson, was born December 20, 1877 in Greene County, Georgia. She was the 4th child of 10—Homer J. Lankford, Alice Beman Lankford, Julia Lee Lankford, Jessica Corinne Lankford, James Vason Lankford, Mary Corrine Lankford, Nathan Lawrence Lankford, Vincent Thomas Lankford, Oliver Wilson Lankford, and Lillie Della Lankford. She went by Jessie.

On June 10, 1880, Jessie and her family lived in Falling Creek, Oglethorpe County, Georgia. Her grandparents, James Meriweather and Caroline (Hobbs) Lankford lived next door.

On June 1, 1900, Jessie and her family lived in Woodville, Greene County, Georgia. The census enumerator listed her birthdate as October 1882. Charles C. Davison, a member of the prominent Davison family of Greene County, lived two doors away.

Jessie’s father died in Greene County on January 21, 1908. He was buried at Penfield Cemetery in Penfield, Greene County, Georgia. Five days later and most likely heartbroken over the death of her father, Jessie married Seaborn Brice Barnhart, son of Seaborn Riley Barnhart and Talula Alford, on January 26, 1908 in Greene County. The next year would be much happier with the birth of Jessie’s daughter, Mary Lou Barnhart, in Greene County on March 16, 1909. Mary Lou was Jessie’s only child.

On April 20, 1910, Jessie, Brice, and their one year old daughter Mary Lou lived on Watson Spring Road in the Branch division of Greene County. Brice was an overseer on a farm. There were two servants living in the home, John Jorden and Willie Cosby, both farm laborers.

Lankford sisters -- Julia, Jessie, and Alice

Jessie’s mother died of Bright’s disease in Penfield on March 26, 1919. She was buried at Penfield Cemetery beside her husband. Jessie was the administratrix of the estate—a “large estate of real and personal property, worth the sum of five hundred ($500) dollars.” Jessie applied to sell the land in Penfield on June 9, 1919. The petition showed that Mary Lankford’s estate consisted “of a tract of land in the Village of Penfield, Greene County, Georgia, on northeast corner of Evans Gresham lot, bounded north by Main Street, East by thirty feet street and lot of Mrs. Barnhart, south and west by Evans Gresham lot, formerly owned by Penfield Hosiery Mills.” Jessie sold the land for $600 to pay her mother’s debts and then distributed the remaining money among her mother’s siblings.

On January 30, 1920, the Barnhart family lived in Penfield. Brice was a farmer on a home farm and Jessie a housekeeper. Her brother, Vincent Thomas Lankford Sr. and his family lived four houses away.

Jessie’s sister, Julia Lankford Hazlett, died from an enlarged spleen caused by leukemia in Wilkes County, Georgia on September 2, 1924. She was only 49 years old. Julia was buried the next day at Resthaven Cemetery in Washington, Wilkes County, Georgia.

Jessie, daughter Mary Lou, and husband Brice Barnhart

Jessie’s brother, James Vason Lankford, died on December 22, 1929 from chronic interstitial nephritis in Tryon, Polk County, North Carolina. He was brought home and buried at Penfield Cemetery.

On April 23, 1930, Jessie and her family still lived in Penfield. Her widowed aunt, Nannie Lankford, aged 77, lived with them. Aunt Nannie must have been the wife of her Uncle Nathan Lankford, the only male child of her grandparents besides her father James. Nathan is still a mystery to me. I don’t have much information on him at this point. But I did find a marriage record for a Nathan Lankford who married Mary Moore in Greene County. So it’s a good chance Aunt Nannie was Mary, but that needs to be proven.

On April 13, 1940, Jessie and Bryce lived in Penfield. The highest grade Jessie had attended in school was the 7th. The census enumerator spelled their last name as Barnheart.

About 1946, Jessie and Bryce moved to Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia to be near their daughter.

Jessie died at home in Greensboro on August 1, 1951. Her funeral was held at McCommons Chapel with the Rev. F. A. Kilgore and the Rev. Sewell Dixon officiating. She was buried at Penfield Cemetery on August 2. The Herald Journal ran her obituary on August 10, 1951 reporting that Jessie had been ill for 10 days prior to her death. It further reported that Jessie had a happy childhood spent near Penfield, where she continued to live after her marriage. Jessie was very involved in the Baptist Church and spent “a lifetime of service in the work of her Master.” She frequently entertained ministers in her home and was actively involved with her church until declining health prevented her from doing so. Jessie was devoted to Bryce and Mary Lou and full of love for her friends. She could always be counted on to help others. One of her greatest pleasures was growing flowers, which she shared with friends. Jessie was survived by her husband Bryce, daughter Mary Lou Barnhart Jackson, a grandson Grady Jackson, Jr., three sisters, Della McCollum of Smyrna, Cobb County, Georgia, Mary Callaway of Greensboro, Alice Callaway (who died four months later on December 5, 1951), of Union Point, Greene County, Georgia; and three brothers, Nathan Lankford of Union Point; Vincent Lankford of Greensboro, and Oliver Lankford of Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia.

Did you notice that this was blogpost number 52? That means it completes my first year of Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors challenge. I know, it’s only September so how could it be week 52. Well, I joined in late last year. I didn’t find Amy’s challenge until August 2014 and then I spent a couple of weeks thinking about whether I wanted to accept it or not. I don’t consider myself a writer so I wasn’t sure how it would go. But I decided it would be a worthwhile project to tackle. At the time, my father-in-law was living with us. His health was declining rapidly so we were pretty much homebound with him. The challenge gave me something to do while we sat with him in the evenings. Early on I decided that I would write in a timeline format—beginning with birth and ending with death. For every blogpost, I check to see what information I already have for an ancestor. Then I search www.ancestry.com to see what new information I can find. I also got a little help from Mama and my Aunt Barbara. Along the way, I’ve discovered new information, corrected mistakes previously made in my research, and hopefully not made any new mistakes. It’s been a fun project and now I’m looking forward to year two!

52 Ancestors – no. 40: Anna B. Church – (week 24)

Anna B. Church

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “Heirloom: What heirloom do you treasure? Who gave it to you? What heirloom do you wish you had?” We have several family heirlooms which I’ve already shared on this blog—a handmade baby gown worn by Benjamin Gordon Smith, a water pitcher that belonged to Electra Burnette Smith, a beautiful bubble glass chalk portrait of Bertha Edna Smith—so this week I’d like to share a large, leather bound Bible my husband inherited when my father-in-law passed away this past January. The Bible once belonged to Anna B. Church, my husband’s great-aunt, and has now been passed down at least three generations. The Bible is large—9.5 x 12 x 2.25. The pages inside the Bible are in great shape but unfortunately the spine is torn and falling apart. Anna must have had a thing for four leaf clovers because inside the Bible are lots of dried four leaf clovers along with a dried flower and leaf. Missing, however, is a record of family births, deaths, and marriages. I can’t tell you how disappointing it was to discover that this information wasn’t there! But I won’t dwell on that and will share Anna’s timeline and photos instead.

The Church Girls -
Front: Anna and Martha
Back: Jennie and Dessie

Anna B. Church, daughter of Robert Church and Lucinda Murphy, was born on December 10, 1887 in West Virginia, most likely Wetzel County. Anna was the 5th child of 11—George, Samuel C., James Benton, Jennie F., Anna B., Dessie, Charles Cleveland, Martha, William Henry, Donald Roy, and Presley Church.

On June 9, 1900, 13 year old Anna and her family lived in the Church District of Wetzel County, West Virginia. The census enumerator recorded her as Annie with her birth in February 1887. Her sister Dessie was born in February so perhaps the enumerator confused the month in recording her birth. The enumerator also recorded Anna’s mother Lucinda as the mother of 11 children, 10 of which were living. Anna’s oldest brother George was not recorded with the family so he had apparently died by the time this census was taken.

At the age of 16, Anna married Enos Perry Jackson, a short and stout, blue eyed, brown haired man 11 years her senior. The marriage was performed by James Vanhorn at her parents’ home on July 23, 1903. Perry, born in Silver Hill, Wetzel County, West Virginia on January 19, 1876, was the son of John Josiah Jackson and Lydia Ann Cain. Together Anna and Perry had two children—Otto Virgil Jackson and Carl Edwin Jackson.

Anna’s first son, Virgil, was born in Smithfield, Wetzel County, West Virginia on June 26, 1906.

Left: Full view of Bible
Center: Inside page with color artwork
Right: Regular size Bible sitting on top of Anna's Bible to compare it's size

Dried flower, leaf, and four leaf clovers found inside Anna's Bible

On April 25, 1910, Anna and Perry lived in the Grant District of Wetzel County. Perry was a salesman in a general store. They had a boarder named David Ringer (age 53, widowed, born in Pennsylvania) living in the home with them. Anna’s second son, Carl, was born in Smithfield on July 23, 1910.

Sometime before 1918, Anna and Perry divorced. Perry’s World War I registration card dated September 12, 1918 listed his son Virgil as his nearest relative so it’s assumed that Anna and Perry were divorced by this time. Perry lived in Smithfield at the time and was a clerk at Dragoo Brothers there in Smithfield.

Anna and Everett Evans

Anna married Everett Franklin Evans sometime between 1918 and 1920. Everett, the son of William (Wylie) Evans and K. Jane (maiden name unknown), was born in Marshall County, West Virginia on July 27, 1885. Everett was of medium height and build and had brown eyes and hair. He registered for the World War I draft in Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia on September 19, 1918. He was 33 years old and recorded a birthdate of July 27, 1885. Everett was a teamster with C. A. Harris. His nearest relative was William Evans of Bethany, Butler County, Ohio so I assume the marriage took place after September 1918 or he would have listed Anna as his nearest relative. Anna and Everett lived in Harrison County. They did not have children of their own, nor did they ever own a car. Everett’s nickname was Short or Shorty.

// Revision to original post, April 5, 2020: Several years after posting this, I learned that Anna and Everett did in fact have a child -- a son they named Everett Evans Jr., born on June 22, 1924. Everett Jr. was premature and only lived for nine days. //

On January 19, 1920, Anna and Everett lived alone on Monticello Avenue in Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia. Everett was a driver for a truck company. Virgil (age 13) and Carl (age 9) lived with their father, Perry, in Smithfield.

On April 11, 1930, Anna and Everett still lived on Monticello Avenue in Clarksburg. A lodger by the name of Eva Morris (18 years old and single) lived in the home with them. Everett’s occupation was recorded as driver/horses. I’m guessing the photo below had something to do with that! 

Anna’s brother, Samuel C. Church, died in the Church District of Wetzel County on June 22, 1931. He was buried at Thomas Chapel Cemetery in Wetzel County.

Anna’s father, Robert Church, died in Littleton, Wetzel County, West Virginia on November 29, 1932. Her mother, Lucinda Murphy Church, died in Littleton on January 13, 1933. Both were buried at Thomas Chapel Cemetery.

Anna’s sister, Martha Church McIntire, died in Clarksburg, on August 6, 1936. She was buried at Elkview Cemetery in Clarksburg beside her two husbands, brothers Lester and Chester McIntire.

On April 22, 1940, Anna and Everett lived on Crooked Run Road (outside of Gore) in Coal, Harrison County, West Virginia. Everett worked at the Hope Gas Company. The sixth grade was the highest that Anna had completed. Everett attended school through the 5th grade.

Anna’s sister, Dessie Church Murphy, died in Littleton on November 20, 1940. She was buried at Thomas Chapel Cemetery beside her parents.

Anna and Everett Evans

Anna’s first husband Perry died in Smithfield on September 19, 1948. The immediate cause of death was coronary thrombosis (blood clot) due to acute cholecystitis (a sudden swelling and irritation of the gallbladder). It was further noted on the death certificate that it was thought to be gallstones, possibly cancer, however it was not definitely diagnosed. Perry was buried on September 22 at Barker Cemetery in Smithfield. Ann was listed as Perry’s wife on his death certificate dated/signed September 22, 1948. The certificate recorded Anna’s age as 63 years old. Perry was a retired school teacher at the time of his death.

Anna’s brother Charles Cleveland Church died in Littleton on April 12, 1955. He was buried at Anderson-Bethel Cemetery in Littleton.

Anna died of occlusive arterial disease at Weston State Hospital in Weston, Lewis County, West Virginia on March 29, 1959. She was buried at Green Lawn Cemetery in Clarksburg. Everett died on April 2, 1964 of an intestinal hemorrhage in Clarksburg and was buried beside Anna. The Harrison County, West Virginia Index and Register of Deaths recorded his occupation as farmer and oil field worker.

Anna is a descendent of Henry “Old Hundred” Church for whom the town of Hundred was named.

Anna had two sons so I’m not sure why we have the Bible instead of Virgil or Carl, but we’ll sure take care of it while it’s in our possession. I may even add a four leaf clover to it if I come across one!

Resources:
Ancestry.com
U.S. National Library of Medicine, Medline Plus
West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Vital Records (death)

52 Ancestors – no. 38: Mary Lou Barnhart (week 22)

Mary Lou Barnhart (1929)

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “Commencement” and when I sat down to think about who I could blog about, Mary Lou Barnhart immediately came to mind. Several years ago I found a lovely photo of her graduating class from Greensboro High School so I figured why not share it. There may be other researchers looking for one of the students in her class.

Mary Lou Barnhart, daughter of Seaborn Brice Barnhart and Jessica Corinne Lankford, was born March 16, 1909 in Georgia (most likely Greene County). She was an only child.

On April 20, 1910, one year old Mary Lou lived with her parents on Watson Spring Road in the Branch division of Greene County, Georgia. Her father was an overseer on a farm. There were two servants living in the home, John Jorden and Willie Cosby, both farm laborers.

On January 20, 1920, Mary Lou and her family lived in Penfield, Greene County, Georgia. Her Uncle Vincent Thomas Langford, his first wife Maude, and their five children lived four doors from them.

Jessie (Lankford) Barnhart, Mary Lou Barnhart, and Seaborn Brice Barnhart

Mary Lou graduated from Greensboro High School in Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia in 1927. She then attended Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia, graduating in 1931. The photo at the beginning of this blog entry appeared in the college yearbook in 1929, her sophomore year.

Photo from Vanishing Georgia, Georgia Division of Archives and History, Office of Secretary of State. Greensboro High School graduating class, Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia. Members of the 1927 graduating class at Greensboro High School. They are holding their diplomas and the girls are also holding flower bouquets. Bottom row, left to right: Mildred Powell, Mildred Royal, Martha Morgan, Mary Lou Barnhart, Mary Royal, Katie Moore, Catherine Hall, Fannie Slaton. Middle row: Winston Reynolds, Frances Hall, William Brown, Norenne Holcombe, Horace Brook, Pauline English, John Patton, Evelyn Overton, Emory Campbell, Katherine Taylor, Claude Wills, Anita Boswell, Edwin Arnold, Carolyn Scott. Top row: James Bryan, Robert O’Kelley, Harold Cawthon, Thomas Johnston, Raymond O’Neal, Fred Barry, Tom McGibony, James Brown, Robert Hackney, William Merritt.

On April 23, 1930, Mary Lou and her family still lived in Penfield. Her widowed great-aunt, Nannie Lankford, aged 77, lived with them.

Mary Lou and son Grady Jr. (1941)

Mary Lou married Grady Overton Jackson, Sr., son of William F. Jackson and Mattie Lay. Together they had one son, Grady Overton Jackson, Jr.

On April 11, 1940, Mary Lou and Grady lived on South Street in Greensboro. Mary Lou was a grammar school teacher. Their son Grady Jr. was born in Greene County on September 19, 1940.

Mary Lou’s mother, Jessie Lankford Barnhart, died in Greensboro on August 1, 1951. Mary Lou’s father Brice Barnhart died in Greene County on October 3, 1961. Mary Lou’s husband Grady Sr. died in Greensboro on March 28, 1978. Mary Lou died in Austell, Cobb County, Georgia on April 6, 1997. All four were buried side by side at Penfield Cemetery in Penfield.

I’m glad I decided to blog about Mary Lou. After finding her college photo/information, I realized I had posted incorrect information for her son, Grady Jr. Mary Lou was still in college when I had her giving birth to Grady Jr. I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate me portraying her as an unwed mother when that wasn’t the case!

Penfield Cemetery