Mendie Octavia Hayes

Mendie Hayes and her sister.
I was told her sister was named Lucie
but after researching the family, don't see
a sister with that name.

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.

Mendie Octavia Hayes, daughter of Waddy Thompson Hayes and Nancy Rice, was born in Carnesville, Franklin County, Georgia on July 9, 1892. Her parents had their hands full with 15 children—Francis C. Hayes, Mary E. Hayes, Sarah Hayes, Alice Hayes, Margaret Hayes, Dora Hayes, Charles B. Hayes, Cornealyos J. Hayes, James Rice Hayes, Parkes T. Hayes, Nancy E. Hayes, Harrison (Henry) L. Hayes, Mendie Octavia Hayes, Bessie (or Dessie) M. Hayes, and Alex E. Hayes. Mendie would be the wife of my 2nd cousin 3x removed. We have no common relative.

On June 20, 1900, Mendie and her large family lived in Canon, Franklin County, Georgia. Her mother was enumerated as having had 15 children, 13 of which were living. Her father was a farmer, most likely assisted by his six oldest children who were all enumerated as farm laborers. Nancy, Harrison, and Mendie were attending school. In what had to be devastating to the family, Mendie’s father died at the age of 61 on Valentine’s Day 1907. He was buried at Carroll’s United Methodist Church Cemetery in Carnesville, Franklin County, Georgia. Mendie was just 14 years old when she lost her father.

On May 5, 1910, Mendie lived with her brother James on Jim Hayes Road in Canon, along with her widowed mother Nancy, sisters Dora and Dessie, brother Harrison, and niece Sara Casey. At 25 years of age, James was head of the household. He was enumerated was a farmer on a general farm with everyone in the home except for Mendie helping on the farm.

Mendie married Robert Chester Lankford, son of William Mell Lankford and Nancy Ella Young, on December 2, 1917 in Oglethorpe County, Georgia. Together they had seven children—Robert Chester Lankford Jr., Nancy Lowe Lankford, Mell Thomas Lankford, William Norris Lankford, Vesta Mendie Lankford, Otis Young Lankford, and an infant son that did not survive. I believe her husband went by Chester.

Marriage certificate

On January 6, 1920, Mendie, Chester, and their son Robert lived on Lexington Road in Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, next door to Chester’s parents. Chester was farming on the family farm. Both Mendie and Chester could read and write. Mendie was a new mother with Robert just eight months old. Daughter Nancy was born in Oglethorpe County in June 1920, son Mell was born in Canton, Georgia in February 1922. Sometime after Mell was born and by the time Norris was born in April 1924, the family had moved to Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, which is where Norris was born. They lived in a house on Tremont Avenue during that time. Chester worked as a brick layer to support the family. Instead of being a joyous time for the family, Christmas 1926 turned into a very sad holiday. On December 22, Mendie gave birth to a baby boy. The baby was most likely born prematurely and hadn’t fully developed yet so they probably immediately knew he was in trouble. Dr. H. N. Abernathy attended to the baby, but his little body couldn’t sustain life and he died four days later on December 26. His death certificate recorded him as “Infant of R. C. Langford” so it’s possible he was never given a name, but I can’t confirm that. They buried the baby the following day at Trinity Cemetery in Charlotte.

On April 22, 1930, the Lankford family lived in a house valued at $1500 on Glenwood Drive in Charlotte. Chester worked as a brick mason in the public works sector. Mendie was kept busy keeping track of her five children ranging in age from 11 to a year and a half. They were still living in Charlotte when Vesta was born in October 1928 and Otis in October 1930. Sometime after Otis was born, the family moved to Missouri, settling in St. Louis. Their lives would be turned upside down when Chester died of heart disease at the age of 46 in Brentwood, Missouri on October 22, 1938. Now Mendie was left to raise their six children alone. Chester’s body was returned home to Georgia and buried at Bairdstown Cemetery in Bairdstown.

On April 13, 1940, a widowed Mendie and her children lived at 8913 Pendleton Street in Brentwood, Jefferson Township, St Louis County, Missouri. They had been living in this same home since at least April 1935. The census enumerator noted that she had an 8th grade education and wasn’t working. Her 21-year-old son Robert was an assistant timekeeper for a fire brick manufacturer with an income of $1100. Her 19-year-old daughter Nancy was a beauty operator in a commercial beauty shop. Mendie’s son Norris enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 1943, serving as an infantryman during World War II. He was reported missing in action in Germany on December 16. Three months later, on March 2, 1945, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Norris was actually a prisoner of the German Government. At the time, Mendie lived at 459A Laurel Street. I believe Norris was released from captivity on May 1, 1945 and released from the Army on November 29, 1945.

In October 1950, Mendie probably received a phone call that all parents fear after her son Otis was involved in a car accident. He and his three passengers all suffered non-life-threatening injuries after crashing the car into a tree. In November 1951, Otis enlisted in the U.S. Marines, serving during the Korean War.

Mendie died in St. Louis, Missouri on December 30, 1979. She was buried beside her husband Chester at Bairdstown Cemetery in Georgia.

References

• “Among War Casualties from St. Louis Area,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, March 2, 1945.
• Charlotte, North Carolina, City Directory, 1925.
• Find A Grave Memorial 32145777, Mendie Octavia Hayes Lankford.
• Find A Grave Memorial 23490318, W. T. Hays.
• “Five in County Injured When Auto Overturns,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri, October 5, 1950.
• Infant of R. C. Langford, certificate number 313, North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909–1976.
• Otis Young Lankford, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007.
• Robert Lankford Certificate of Death no. 36755, Missouri State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics.
• “Scout Unit Notes,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri, November 12, 1939.
• U. S. Federal Census, Canon, Franklin County, Georgia, 1900.
• U.S. Federal Census, Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 1930.
• U.S. Federal Census, St. Louis, Brentwood County, Missouri, 1940.
• U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1898-1929, Robert Chester Lankford Jr., October 16, 1940.
• U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Mendie Octavia Lankford.

William Norris Lankford

Norris Lankford (ca. 1942)

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “soldier.”

In writing this blog post, I learned that a member of the extended Lankford family was held prisoner of war in Germany during World War II.

William Norris Lankford, son of Robert Chester Lankford Sr. and Mendie Octavia Hayes was born in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina on April 13, 1924. There were seven children in the Lankford family—Robert Chester Lankford Jr., Nancy Lowe Lankford, Mell Thomas Lankford, William Norris Lankford, Baby Boy Lankford, Vesta Mendie Lankford, and Otis Young Lankford. He went by Norris and is my 3rd cousin 2x removed. Our nearest common relatives are Charles L. Lankford and Miss Moore. Norris’ great grandfather, Robert Chester Lankford, and my 3rd great grandfather, James Meriweather Lankford, were brothers.

In 1926 when Norris was two years old, his mother gave birth to a baby boy on December 22 and sadly, the baby died four days later. He was buried the next day at Trinity Cemetery in Charlotte. A sad Christmas for the Lankford family.

On April 22, 1930, the Lankford family lived on Glennwood Drive in Charlotte. His father, a brick mason, owned their home which was valued at $1500. Sometime between the time this census was taken, and 1938, the family moved to Brentwood, Missouri, near St. Louis.

Norris’ father died from heart disease in St Louis, Missouri on October, 22, 1938. He was buried at Bairdstown Cemetery in Bairdstown, Oglethorpe County, Georgia where his parents and grandparents were buried.

In November 1939, Norris was a member of the Boys Scouts of America, belonging to Troop 320 with the Frazier School. On November 12, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat published a news item that recognized Norris as one of several boys receiving a merit badge.

On April 13, 1940, Norris, his widowed mother, and his siblings lived on Pendelton Street in Brentwood, Jefferson Township, St Louis County, Missouri. They had been living in this same home at least since April 1935. The census enumerator noted that his mother had an 8th grade education. It didn’t appear that she was working, however, his 21-year-old brother Robert was an assistant timekeeper for a fire brick manufacturer. Robert had an income of $1100 and had worked the last 52 weeks. His sister, Nancy, age 19, was a beauty operator in a commercial beauty shop.

Norris attended Brentwood High School, graduating in 1942. While there, he was active in the Games, Dancing, Tumbling, and Archery Clubs, as well as the Intramural Teams and Work Program. The Brentwood Log, his school yearbook, noted that Norris was “tall and lanky.”

From Norris' 1942 Brentswood High School yearbook, The Brentwood Log

 On June 30, 1942, Norris registered for the World War II draft in Brentwood. He was 18 years old and worked at the Way Side Market. Norris listed his weight as 147 pounds, he had a light complexion, blue eyes, and blonde hair. As noted in his 1942 yearbook, he was tall at 6’1.” He listed R. C. Lankford (his brother) as his next of kin. Norris enlisted in the U.S. Army at Jefferson Barracks on March 13, 1943, serving as an infantryman.

World War II draft registration card

On December 16, 1944, Norris, a Private, was reported as missing in action. In early March 1945, it was determined that he had been taken prisoner in Germany and was a prisoner of the German government. The Army notified his mother, who was living at 459A Lauren Street. German prisoners of war (POW) were often separated into camps by officers, the Navy, and enlisted men. According to U.S. History, …“At those camps, the quarters typically consisted of a single-story barracks with multiple bunk beds. A stove sat in the center of the room, but some men made their own out of bricks. The men were given two small meals a day, plus deliveries of such “luxury” items as butter and other staples from the Red Cross.” I believe Norris was released from captivity on May 1, 1945. Norris was released from the Army on November 29, 1945 at Camp Crowder, Missouri.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, MO (March 2, 1945)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, MO (March 2, 1945)

The Social Security Death Index shows that Norris’ social security number was issued in Missouri before 1951 so it appears that Norris stayed in Missouri after he returned home from the Army. He was living in St. Louis in 1958 according to the St. Louis, Missouri city directory, renting a home at 2652 Louis Avenue. Norris was a foreman at General Refractories, a fire brick business at the time. Not surprising since his father was a brick mason.

Norris’ mother died in St. Louis on December 30, 1979. She was buried beside his father at Bairdstown Cemetery in Georgia.

By the time Norris’ brother Robert Jr. died at Baptist Hospital Highlands in Jefferson County, Kentucky on October 11, 1986, Norris had moved to Aberdeen, Mississippi. Public records show that Norris lived on Pinehill Drive in Aberdeen at least from 1992 to 2002.

Norris lost his brother Otis in 1997 and his sister Vesta in 2000. Norris himself died on May 5, 2001. He was buried at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Aberdeen, Mississippi.

References

• Allen Percival Green, The State Historical Society of Missouri, Historic Missourians; https://historicmissourians.shsmo.org/historicmissourians/name/g/green/.
• Brentwood Log, Brentwood High School, Brentwood, Missouri, 1940, 1941, 1942 (yearbooks).
• United States History, Allied POWs, German POW camps; https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1778.html.
• Infant of R. C. Langford, certificate number 313, North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909–1976.
• Otis Young Lankford obituary, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, January 15, 1997.
• Pvt. William N. Lankford, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, March 2, 1945 and March 3, 1945.
• Robert Chester Lankford Jr. obituary, The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, October 13, 1986.
• Social Security Death Index.
• St. Louis, Missouri, City Directory, 1958.
• Troop 320, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri, November 12, 1939
• U.S. Federal Census, Brentwood, St Louis, Missouri, 1940.
• U.S. Federal Census, Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina, 1930.
• U.S. Phone and Address Directories, 1993–2002.
• Vesta M. Murphy obituary, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, August 31, 2000.
• William Lankford, U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1898–1929.
• William N Lankford, World War II Prisoners of War, 1941–1946.
• William N. Lankford, Missouri, Reports of Separation Notices, 1941–1946. Robert Chester Lankford II obituary, The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, October 13, 1986.
• William N. Lankford, U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775–2006.
• William N. Lankford, U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938–1946.
• William Norris Lankford, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007.

Baby Boy Langford

For my last post of 2018, I’d like to remember an infant whose time on Earth was too short. Ninety-two years ago this month, Baby Boy Langford was born on December 22, 1926 to Robert Chester Lankford Sr. and Mendie Octavia Hayes. It was Christmas week and should have been a time of joy and happiness for the Lankford family who lived in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. It was anything but that. Baby Boy Langford was most likely born prematurely and hadn’t fully developed yet so they probably immediately knew he was in trouble. Dr. H. N. Abernathy attended to the baby, but his little body couldn’t sustain life and he died at 6 p.m. on December 26. His death certificate recorded him as “Infant of R. C. Langford” so it’s possible he was never given a name, but I can’t confirm that. Baby Boy Langford was buried at Trinity Cemetery in Charlotte the following day. He left behind four siblings who ranged in age from seven to two and were probably confused by what had happened to their little brother—Robert Chester Lankford Jr., Nancy Lowe Lankford, Mell Thomas Lankford, and William Norris Lankford. His parents would go on to have two more children—Vesta Mendie Lankford and Otis Young Lankford.

Baby Boy Langford would be my 3rd cousin, 2x removed. Our nearest common relatives are my 4th great grandparents, Charles L. Lankford and Miss Moore. His father, whom I believe went by Chester, was originally from Oglethorpe County, Georgia, but moved the family to Charlotte sometime after 1920. Chester and Mendie are buried near my grandparents at Bairdstown Cemetery in Oglethorpe County.

In case you’re wondering why I’ve spelled the baby’s last name with a “g” and his father and siblings with a “k,” I’ll note that those letters are often switched with the names Lankford/Langford. I’ve chosen to use Langford for the baby since that’s how it’s listed on his death certificate. You can even see where a “k” was originally used for his father but then someone wrote a “g” over the “k” in three places. Most of the records I’ve found for his father uses the “k,” so I use Lankford for him and his other children.

Gone, but not forgotten.


References:

• U.S. Federal Census, Bair, Enumeration District 137, Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 1920.
• Infant of R. C. Langford, certificate number 313, North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909–1976.
• Obituary, Mr. Chester Lankford, Oglethorpe Echo, October 27, 1938.
• Obituary, Otis Young Lankford, St. Louis Post, January 15, 1997.
• Obituary, Vesta M. Lankford Murphy, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 31, 2000.

Baby Girl Lankford

Baby Girl Lankford, daughter of Cornelius Lankford and Betty Cross Reid, was “born dead” in Tempe Hospital in Tempe, Maricopa County, Arizona on November 26, 1949. Baby Girl Lankford was a victim of RH disease. Her death certificate listed the disease or condition directly leading to death as monstrosity, caused by her mother being Rh negative and her father Rh positive. Wait, what? I had never seen monstrosity listed as a cause of death and it shook me. I can’t imagine how it made her parents feel when they were handed a copy of the death certificate. A time in their life that should have been filled with great joy was instead labeled a monstrosity! Baby Girl Lankford, part of the Curtis Caldwell Lankford/Nancy A. E. McCarthy line, was buried at Tempe Cemetery on November 28. Curtis Lankford was the brother of my 3rd great grandfather, James Meriweather Lankford, so she would have been my 4th cousin, 1x removed.

Partial death certificate for Baby Girl Lankford (ca. 1949)

This was the first time I had seen a Lankford in my family tree living in Arizona so of course I had to find out what took them there. Cornelius, originally born in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, moved to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina at some point in the 1940s where he must have met Betty, born in Charlotte. Betty’s mother was Bessie Mae Cross Reid, also born in North Carolina. Bessie divorced Betty’s father Fred Olin Reid and married Daniel Thomas Selvage on May 1, 1948 in Mecklenburg County. Bessie and Daniel apparently moved to Arizona after they married. If you dig deep enough, you find that Daniel previously had ties in Arizona. Bessie was living in Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona on February 12, 1949 when Cornelius and Betty were married so that tells me that Cornelius and Betty were either visiting her mother in Arizona or had moved there. Betty died in Charlotte on January 27, 1999 so apparently didn’t stay in Arizona.

Partial marriage certificate for Cornelius Lankford and Betty Cross Reid

Anyone who does genealogy knows how easy it is to get sidetracked when doing research. This is what happened to me when I sat down to do some research for another blog entry. I originally planned to research Joseph Jackson Lankford, grandfather of Cornelius Lankford. Instead, during one of my searches on ancestry.com, I found the death certificate for Baby Girl Lankford and the next thing you know, three hours had passed.

Although this happened years ago, after I finished writing this blog entry, I said a prayer for Baby Girl and her parents Cornelius and Betty.