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. 

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. 

Jesse Shivers, Continental Line Musician

As part of my ongoing series honoring America’s approaching 250th anniversary, I turn next to the life and service of Jesse Shivers, a Pitt County native who served as a musician in the North Carolina Continental Line.

Jesse Shivers was born around 1760, almost certainly in Pitt County, North Carolina, where he lived his entire life along the Tar River and the branches of Mark’s Swamp. He was one of at least eight children of Jonas and Sarah (“Sary”) Shivers: Jesse, Jonas Jr., Shadrach, Amasa, Mary, Elizabeth, Nancy, and Bethia. The Shivers family had settled along the Tar River and Mark’s Swamp by the 1760s, and Jesse grew up among the Briley, Davis, Ewell, and Rodgers families who appear repeatedly in later deeds.

Jesse is connected to my family through my paternal grandfather, Carroll Harvey Lankford Sr. His mother, Alice Beman Lankford, was married to Robert Dawson Callaway. Through that marriage, the line descends as follows: Jesse Shivers Sr. → Jesse Shivers Jr. → Mahala Eliza Ann Shivers → Lemuel Lunceford Callaway → Robert Dawson Callaway → Alice Beman Lankford → Carroll Harvey Lankford.

At about 18 years old, Jesse entered military service during the middle years of the Revolutionary War. On “the last of April or first of May 1778,” he enlisted at Martinborough (now Greenville) for a nine-month term in the North Carolina Continental Line. He served as a musician—an enlisted soldier responsible for carrying commands by fife or drum, not a hired helper—in Captain Francis Child’s company of Colonel James Hogun’s regiment. State records show that he was mustered on July 20, 1778, receiving his enrollment certificate while passing through Petersburg, Virginia. He also appears in The State Records of North Carolina, vol. XVI (1899), listed as “Shivers, Jes., musc.” in Child’s Company, 10th Regiment, confirming his role and regiment in the compiled military abstracts.

 

Jesse as he appears in The State Records of North Carolina, vol. XVI (1899)

Musicians were essential to eighteenth‑century military life. Their fifes and drums carried commands across the noise of camp and battlefield, regulated marching cadence, and structured the daily routine. Jesse’s records do not specify whether he was a fifer or drummer, but his role placed him at the center of regimental communication and discipline.

Jesse later testified that he “served until about the first of May 1779,” when he was discharged at Halifax, North Carolina. He stated that he “was in no battle,” which was true of many who marched north during that year. The Continental Army needed men to hold the line, to keep the regiments intact, and to support the larger movements of Washington’s forces. Jesse did exactly that. His 1819 pension testimony, given more than 40 years later, matches the details of his 1778–1779 service exactly, confirming the reliability of his recollections.

In November 1785, the State of North Carolina issued Jesse a pay voucher for £26.10.0, the standard compensation for a nine‑month Continental soldier. It was a modest sum, but it represented the state’s acknowledgment of his service. 

State of North Carolina pay voucher for Jesse Shivers

After returning home, Jesse resumed farming in the Mark’s Swamp neighborhood, where he quickly began acquiring land. His name appears in county deeds by the late 1780s, already established within the Mark’s Swamp–Tar River community. The name of his wife is unknown; no surviving deed, probate record, or court entry identifies her. Census records, however, show that Jesse had a large family. The 1790 enumeration lists 1 adult male, 1 adult female, 3 sons under 16, and 3 daughters. By 1800, Jesse appears as the sole adult in a household of 12 children, with no adult woman present—evidence that he had become a widower by this time. At least 4 sons can be documented through later deeds: Shadrach, Benjamin, Jesse Jr., and James.

Jesse’s landholdings expanded steadily. In 1787, he purchased more than 300 acres from his father, Jonas Shivers, strengthening his position in the Mark’s Swamp neighborhood. After Jonas Sr.’s death in 1790, Jesse received Tract No. 1 in the estate division—a substantial portion of the original Shivers plantation. Its boundaries, shared with Briley, Davis, and the old Shepherd patent, match the landmarks that appear repeatedly in Jesse’s later deeds. 

Throughout the 1790s, Jesse continued consolidating land. He purchased roughly 200 acres from Robert Flake and Abraham Burly in 1792, sold a 60-acre tract to William Norcott in 1793, and appeared as executor of the Henry Proctor estate in 1797, selling 50 acres on the north side of the Tar River and Mark’s Swamp to Solomon Ewell. That same year, he bought 73 acres from Isaac Briley, and in 1798 he purchased land from his brother-in-law Levi Rodgers, husband of his sister Elizabeth. By the end of the 1790s, Jesse controlled several hundred acres on both sides of Mark’s Swamp, forming the core of the Shivers family holdings for the next generation.

In 1799, the state issued Jesse a 98‑acre land grant on the north side of Mark’s Swamp, followed by a smaller adjoining grant of two acres. These grants anchored him geographically in the same neighborhood where his siblings and children appear in later records.

98‑acre State Land Grant issued to Jesse on March 14, 1799

1798 Survey: Jesse Shivers 98 Acres on Mark’s Swamp,
Pitt County, North Carolina

By 1800, Jesse was living in the Greenville District of Pitt County with a large household of children. In 1802, he sold a 150‑acre tract on Highsmith’s Branch to Richard Harris and purchased a 255‑acre plantation from William Slade on the south side of the Tar River. Both deeds were witnessed by Shadrach Shivers and Rebeckah Shivers (wife of Jonas Jr.), showing the close involvement of his siblings in his affairs.

In 1803, Jesse conveyed 101½ acres to his son Shadrach “for the natural love and affection” he bore him. The deed’s reference to the private path leading from Jesse’s house to the public road places his residence firmly within the long‑standing Shivers neighborhood near Mark’s Swamp.

In 1810, Jesse conveyed another tract to Shadrach—a formal sale of land on the north side of Great Swamp bounded by Wells, the John May patent, Clarke, Vanwright, Cummings, and the main road. Later that year, he purchased 77¾ acres from his sister Sarah and her husband William Harrell, land inherited from their father, Jonas Sr.

In 1811, a 50‑acre tract Jesse had applied for in 1807 was surveyed for him on the north side of the Tar River and south side of Grindal Creek, beginning at a corner of his son Shadrach’s property.

Survey of Jesse Shivers’s 50-acre tract on Grindal Creek,
Pitt County, September 19, 1811

In 1819, at about 59 years old, Jesse applied for a federal pension under the Act of 1818. Fellow soldier Henry Barnhill testified that Jesse had completed his nine‑month term “on the continental establishment,” and neighbor John Anderson confirmed that Jesse was old, poor, and in need of assistance. Jesse was placed on the pension roll at $8 per month beginning June 16, 1819, but was removed in 1820 under the strict provisions of the Act of that year.

Pension Roll of the United States for Revolutionary War Pensioners
(Jesse is on the bottom line)

In the final months of his life, Jesse transferred his remaining landholdings to his sons. On January 24, 1820, he conveyed 49 acres to Shadrach. On August 10, 1820, he sold the 750‑acre home plantation on the north side of the Tar River to his son James for $700. Because the 49‑acre deed was proved in February Term 1821 after Jesse’s death, his death occurred between August 10, 1820 and February 1821.

A U.S. Revolutionary War Burial Index card on Ancestry lists Jesse’s death as May 11, 1820, but this date is not reliable. These cards were created from compiled service and pension summaries, and the “May 1820” date reflects the Act of May 1820, when pensioners were required to re‑qualify—not an actual death record. The card correctly identifies him as a musician and places his burial in a family cemetery in Pitt County, but the details are general. Deed evidence shows Jesse was still alive on August 10, 1820, and had died by February 1821, establishing the true death window. Many researchers repeat the incorrect May 1820 date or link him to a Jesse Shivers from Isle of Wight, Virginia, but the evidence shows that Jesse was born in North Carolina and lived there his entire life.

Jesse Shivers spent his life within a few miles of the Tar River, moving from Revolutionary War musician to one of the principal landholders of the Mark’s Swamp neighborhood. His deeds, surveys, and pension testimony trace the life of a man who served his country, raised a large family, and helped anchor a multigenerational community in Pitt County. Though his wife’s name is lost, his children and their descendants carried the Shivers presence forward long after his death in 1820–1821. His life, documented through his service and land records, reflects the experience of many Revolutionary War veterans who returned home to raise families and rebuild their communities.

References

• Greene County, Alabama, Court Records 1844–1846, images 100–101, FamilySearch.
• James Hogun; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hogun. 
• Jesse Shivers Sr., Revolutionary War Burial Index.
• Jesse Shivers, Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, compiled ca. 1800–ca. 1912, documenting the period ca. 1775–ca. 1900.
• Jesse Shivers, North Carolina Revolutionary Pay Vouchers, 1779–1782.
• Jesse Shivers, North Carolina, Secretary of State Land Grant Records, Pitt County, Warrant No. 17, December 1, 1798, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh.
• Jesse Shivers, Pension Roll of the United States for Revolutionary War Pensioners.
• Jesse Shivers, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S 42010, North Carolina: United States. Military Pension Records 1775–1900, images 1–11, FamilySearch.
• Jesse Shivers, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560–1900.
• Jesse Shivers, U.S., Revolutionary War Pensioners, 1801–1815, 1818–1872.
• Jesse Shivers, U.S., Revolutionary War Service Records, 1775–1783.
• Jesse Shivers, U.S., The Pension Roll of 1835.
• Pitt County, North Carolina, Deeds 1788–1794, 1793–1797, image 386, FamilySearch.
• Pitt County, North Carolina, Deeds 1817–1819, 1819–1822, images 57 and 371, FamilySearch.
• Pitt County, North Carolina, Deeds January 1797–September 1804, images 42, 138, 193 and 480, FamilySearch.
• Pitt County, North Carolina, Land Records 1779–1783, images 723–724, FamilySearch.
• Pitt County, North Carolina, Land Records 1788–1793, images 283–284 and 651, FamilySearch.
• Pitt County, North Carolina, Land Records 1797–1801, images 51–52, 186, 206–207, and 341, FamilySearch.
• Pitt County, North Carolina, Land Records 1805–1807, image 449–450 and 511, FamilySearch.
• Pitt County, North Carolina, Land Records 1813–1817, image 365, FamilySearch.
• Pitt County, North Carolina, Land Warrants 1735–1957, images 44 and 268, FamilySearch.
• The State Records of North Carolina: Published Under the Supervision of the Trustees of the Public Libraries, By Order of the General Assembly,” vol. XVI—1782–’83, collected and edited by Walter Clark, 1899.
• U.S. Federal Census, Greenville District, Pitt County, North Carolina, 1800.
• U.S. Federal Census, Pitt County, North Carolina, 1790. 

Alexander Carruth: North Carolina Militiaman

As part of my ongoing look at the Revolutionary War in honor of America’s 250th birthday, I turned to the service of Alexander Carruth, the father‑in‑law of my 5th great‑uncle, John Lankford, son of Nathan Lankford and Marion Caldwell. John married Linda Myra Carruth, daughter of Alexander and his first wife, Sarah Logan. Although connected by marriage, we share no direct ancestry.

Alexander served as a private in the North Carolina militia, completing two tours totaling just over six months. A later witness recalled hearing Alexander say that he had served “one tour” and was “in the Army when peace was made.” His service appears in the Salisbury District pay records for January 1783—records the federal government later relied on when verifying Revolutionary War claims. Although this service would have qualified him for a pension under the Act of June 7, 1832, Alexander died before the act was passed.

Because he died in 1826, six years before veterans were invited to submit detailed personal narratives, Alexander’s pension file contains no account of his campaigns, officers, or battles. The government instead relied entirely on North Carolina’s pay records, which documented only the length of his service—six months and eight days.

I located two surviving vouchers issued to Alexander. The first, approved by the Salisbury District Board of Auditors on September 26, 1782, shows that he was allowed £11.6.0 specie (actual gold or silver) under an act passed the previous year. These vouchers were North Carolina’s official method of compensating soldiers, and this one confirms that Alexander personally served in the militia during the war.

1782 pay voucher showing £11.6.0 specie allowed to Alexander
for militia service

The second voucher, approved June 30, 1803, shows an additional allowance of £5.12.6 under a 1791 act, again specifically for militia service. Like the earlier certificate, it affirms Alexander’s Revolutionary War service and the state’s later settlement of his pay.

1803 pay voucher granting Alexander £5.12.6 for additional militia service

After the war, Alexander settled permanently in Rutherford County. In 1787, he claimed 100 acres on Little Creek, using the land rights he earned through his militia service. A warrant for the tract was issued the same day, and the state later granted the land to him. The survey, completed in 1797, shows a square parcel crossing Little Creek, with Robert Carruth and John Forister serving as chain carriers.

Warrant issued in 1787 directing the survey of Alexander Caruth’s
land on Little Creek

Alexander married Sarah Logan, daughter of James and Mary Logan, on March 12, 1792, in Rutherford County. They had four daughters. Sarah died sometime before June 11, 1808, when her sister wrote her will and left Sarah’s share of the estate to those four daughters.

About 10 years later, in 1818, Alexander married Letitia (Letty) Scott, daughter of John and Letitia Scott. Several members of the Scott family witnessed the marriage, including William Scott. Alexander and Letitia continued to live in Rutherford County.

Alexander died in Rutherford County on August 30, 1826 (some records suggest 1827), at about 65 years of age. In 1856, decades after his death, Letitia applied for a widow’s pension in Benton County, Alabama. Because she married Alexander long after the war, she could not provide details of his service, and witnesses could only testify that he was widely known as a Revolutionary War soldier. In her application, she stated that he served “two tours,” one lasting about six months, but she could not name his officers or the battles he fought.

Her pension was approved on September 2, 1857, under the Act of February 1853, granting $20.88 per year, backdated to 1853. She remained a widow for the rest of her life and continued receiving payments, even petitioning for their restoration after the Civil War disrupted federal disbursements. Letitia lived until April 26, 1870, over 90 years old. She later moved to Calhoun County, Alabama, to live with her son, William Scott. Because William carried the Scott surname, he was likely born out of wedlock. Letitia appears in her mother’s 1824 will, but I have found no evidence that she and Alexander had children together.

Letitia’s widow’s pension certificate

References

• Alexander Carruth, DAR, North Carolina Revolutionary War Pay Vouchers.
• Alexander Carruth, North Carolina, Marriage Records, 1741–2011.
• Alexander Carruth, North Carolina, U.S., Land Grant Files, 1693–1960.
• Alexander Caruth, US, Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800–1900, Fold3.
• James Logan, Rachel Logan, Letitia Carruth, North Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1665–1998. 

Celebrating 100 Years of Sam Lankford: A Life in Photos

Samuel Terrell Lankford—my Daddy—liked to say he’d live to be 110, because he still had plenty of people left to piss off. He didn’t make it quite that far, but he filled 93 years with grit, humor, and a whole lot of life. Born in 1926 and gone in 2019, he would have turned 100 today, March 26, 2026. To honor his centennial, I’m sharing a walk through his life in photos, decade by decade—a hundred years of stories in the face of one man. Happy 100th birthday in Heaven, Daddy—we’re celebrating you today!

1940s

Daddy with his sister Alice on the right

Boot camp, U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois, 1944

Daddy is on the right end in the left photo

Daddy (center) worked for his uncle Jerry Gregory at
Gregory Plumbing and was trained by the man on the right

Mama (Fay), my sister Bonita, and Daddy

Daddy and Bonita 

1950s

Daddy and Mama with my sisters Bonita and Jennifer

Daddy with Bonita and Jennifer

Bonita, Jennifer, and Daddy holding me 

Mama and Daddy on the right

Celebrating my 2nd great grandmother Martha (Ogle) Shields on her
88th birthday—front center—with Bonita, Mama holding me,
Daddy holding Michael, and Jennifer gathered around her

Daddy and Daisy (Shields) Vest (my granny)

Daddy and Michael

Daddy with his siblings and parents at the old Lankford home place in
Penfield: Liz, Lucile, Grandma (Floria), Grandpa (Carroll Sr.),
Alice, and Betty, Sport (Carroll Jr.), Grover, Clark, and Daddy

1960s

My uncle Grover; Uncle Clark holding me on the left and Michael on
the right; my Grandma Lankford; Bonita; Daddy; and Jennifer

Daddy with his children: me, Jennifer, Michael, Vanessa, and Bonita

Jennifer, Vanessa, Michael, Daddy, me, and Bonita at the Lankford
home place in Penfield

Me, Jennifer, Daddy, and Michael at Grant Park in Atlanta

Daddy, Vanessa, Michael, and Jennifer

Me and Daddy, taken at our Macon Drive house in Atlanta

Taken at our Macon Drive house in Atlanta

1970s

Uncle Ralph Epps, Daddy, Michael, Uncle Clark, and Grandpa Lankford
at Bairdstown Cemetery after Grandma’s burial

My cousin Tim Griffith, Uncle Lawrence Griffith, and Daddy

Daddy with grandsons Brian and Jonathan Streetman at our
Macon Drive house

1980s

Lankford siblings: Liz, Betty, Alice, Lucile, Sport, Clark, Grover, and Daddy

Wife Louise (my stepmother), grandson Chris Murphy, and Daddy in
front of the White House, Washington, DC

1990s

Celebrating the birthday of Willie B., Zoo Atlanta’s silverback
gorilla for 39 years. The zoo built a giant ice‑cream sundae on rows
of conference tables, and we watched them fill it with ice cream
and toppings before everyone got to enjoy it.

Daddy with our dog Barney. After our dog Murph
died, my young son asked if he could “die for a
 little while” so he could go see his dog again. When
I told Daddy the story, he brought Barney
to us—and Barney always remembered him
when he visited.

Grandson Kevin Murphy, Uncle Clark, grandson Chris Murphy, and Daddy

Daddy and grandson Kevin Murphy on the left, and Daddy holding
the Scarlett O’Hara figurine he received for his birthday on the right—he
loved Gone With the Wind.

Daddy in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics

2000s

A happy day for Daddy at lunch with his family at Anne & Bill’s in Forest Park

Aunt Lucile, Uncle Sport, and Daddy

With grandsons Chris Lankford on the left and Chris Murphy
on the right (the photo with Chris Murphy was taken at
Daddy’s 80th birthday party)

Daddy, me, Bonita, Jennifer, Vanessa, and Michael

 2010s

Daddy and granddaughter Nikki Lankford

Me, Daddy, Bonita, and Jennifer after lunch at the Atlanta State
Farmers Market Restaurant

Daddy at a rehabilitation center after he broke his elbow

Daddy, granddaughter Emily, and Jennifer celebrating Christmas

Daddy and grandson Chris Murphy on the left; Daddy on the
right—both at Autum Village Assisted Living

Daddy and Jennifer on the left; Daddy and Vanessa on the
right—both at Christian City Nursing Home

Celebrating his 90th birthday at Christian City Nursing Home
(I remember he didn’t want to be there that day)

Me, Daddy, Jennifer, Michael, and Vanessa

Daddy celebrating his 93rd birthday
at Christian City Nursing Home

Today, Daddy rests at Bairdstown Cemetery, surrounded by his parents, his brothers and sisters—Lucile, Sport, Alice, and Clark—along with the wider circle of Lankford family who share that patch of earth, including a niece, a nephew, and several in‑laws. For years, he donated money to help with the cemetery’s upkeep, a tradition I now continue each year in honor of his birthday. One hundred years later, the best of him lives in the people who loved him.