Jemima Durie

Durie tartan (personal)
Crown copyright, source: Scottish Register of Tartans;
https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails?ref=1053.

I’m not ashamed to admit it … I play with elves. For the past seven Christmas seasons, I’ve posted daily pictures of my elf on the shelf named Athya (pronounced like Cathy, but with an A instead of a C). Athya was named for my husband’s grandfather, George Durie Athya. At my request last summer, my son and daughter-in-law gave me a baby elf for my birthday. The baby needed name so it made sense to continue with the Scottish family name and he was given the name Durie. After Christmas was over, it dawned on me that family members wouldn’t necessarily know where the name came from so I decided it was time to dedicate a blog post to a Durie family member to start off the year 2020. Meanwhile, if you’d like to see photos of the elves, click here.


Jemima Durie, daughter of James Durie and Jane Braidwood, was born in the District of Clyde, Glasgow, County Lanark, Scotland on July 26, 1856. There were at least nine children born to James and Jane—Mary Durie, Agnes Durie, Elizabeth Durie, George Durie, Jemima Durie, Andrewina Durie, John Durie, Robert Durie, and Jane Durie. Jemima is the only family member that I have researched at this point so it’s unknown to me how many of the nine survived into adulthood but you’ll see below I’ve taken a guess at some of them. Jemima was my husband’s great-grandmother.

In 1861, Jemima and her family lived at 62 Brown Street in the District of Clyde of the Glasgow St. George civil parish. Her father was an engine smith, a person who “made parts for and repaired engines using the tools of a Smith—similar work to that of a Blacksmith” according to the Hall Genealogy Website of Old Occupation Names. The 1861 census record recorded six children in the home: Mary (11), Elizabeth (10), George (8), Jamima (4), Andrewina (2), and John (3 months). Agnes, who was born about 1851, before Jemima was born, was not enumerated so has most likely died.

By 1871, Jemima and her family had moved to 22 Pitt Street in the Blythswood District of Barony, County Lanarkshire, Scotland. Her father was now an engine fitter, a job where he was “mainly responsible for properly fitting the engine and other electrical parts required in the engine room of a ship” according to Marine Insight. This 1871 census record shows six children in the home: Mary (21), Elizabeth (20), Gane (18 – George), Lemma (14 – Jemima), John (10), and Robert (8). Andrewina was not enumerated in this record. Since she would have been 12 now and too young to leave home, she has most likely died. A brother named Robert was born after the 1861 census was taken.

Jemima married James Athya, son of James Athya and Jane Wylie, at Lancefield Street in Glasgow on March 23, 1877. The marriage record listed her as a spinster, working as a cotton power loom weaver at the time of her marriage Their family would grow to at least nine children—Jane Athya, Margaret Wylie Athya, Elizabeth Athya, Isabella Athya, Robert Durie Athya, John Athya, George Durie Athya, David Athya, and Mary Athya. My husband’s uncle once told me he thought there may have been 13 children, but I haven’t found evidence of that yet. Jemima’s oldest daughter Jane was born in Glasgow about 1877 so I believe the pregnancy happened quickly after the marriage took place and that baby Jane was born by the end of that year.

By 1880, the family had moved to Liverpool, England where were both Margaret and Elizabeth were born, Margaret in 1880 and Elizabeth about 1883. They moved back to Scotland and lived at 5 Reid’s Lane in Wishaw where Isabella was born about 1886. Times must have been tough for the Athya family at that time, enough so that on November 30, 1886, Jemima submitted an Application for Parochial Relief in the Parish of Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire, Scotland. She noted that she was of protestant faith and a housewife. Parish inspectors were scheduled to visit the home at 10:35 a.m. on December 1, 1886. Jemima told the Parochial Board that her husband had left her four days ago to look for work. As a housewife, she didn’t work so they had no income at that time. The application noted that Isabella and Robert were both born in Wishaw, while John, David, and Mary were born in Mossend, Lanarkshire, Scotland. George was born in Glasgow.

Portion of the Application for Parochial Relief

In 1891, Jemima, James, and their children Margaret, Elizabeth, Isabella, Robert, and seven-month-old John lived in the Civil Parish of Bothwell, County Lanarkshire. The census record transcription shows the address as No. 10 Back Ac Square. I tried to find this address on a map to better understand it, but haven’t had any luck so far. James worked as a joiner, a skilled carpenter.

In 1901, Jemima, James, and their children Robert, George, David, and Mary lived at 50 Hope Street in Motherwell, located in the Dalziel Parrish of County Lanarkshire. Youngest son John was no longer in the home. He would have only been 10 or 11 years old so since he’s not enumerated, I’m assuming he’s died since the last census was taken. Jemima’s husband James continued his work as a joiner. A couple in their mid-30s named John and Rosina Beck lived with them. John Beck was a draper, a retailer in the clothing business.

Margaret Athya Close

On May 8, 1912, Jemima’s second daughter, Margaret (Maggie) and her family left Glasgow aboard the S.S. Grampian, headed for Quebec, Canada. Maggie’s husband John Close was a miner and upon arrival in Canada, they settled at Joggins Mines in Nova Scotia where they lived for two years. The outward passenger list listed Maggie’s daughter as Jemima, not Ina as I had been told. When I looked at the 1911 Bellshill, Bothwell District, Scotland census record, she’s listed as Jemina, close enough that it appears she was named for her grandmother Jemima Durie Athya. Maggie listed her mother as the relative in the country from whence alien came on the ship manifest when they left Canada for America.

Jemima’s husband James died in Glasgow sometime in 1913 at the age of 57. Jemima and James had been married for 36 years.

Scotland entered World War I in 1914, an event that would have heavy consequences for the Athya family. All three of Jemima’s sons served—Robert and George with the Cameron Highlanders and David with the Second Highland Light Infantry.

Chalk drawing of George, David, and Robert Athya

Sadly, Jemima would receive the most devastating news a mother can receive—David was killed in action at France & Flanders on May 10, 1915. Family lore is that he was most likely killed during the second Battle for Ypres, standing in a Belgium trench between his brothers Robert and George but we have no proof of that. The Evening Times Roll of Honour ran the following story and photo:

Official word has been received by Mrs. J. Athya, 8 Garngad Road, Glasgow, that her son, Private David Athya, 2nd Battalion H.L.I., was killed in action in France on May 10. Deceased enlisted when the war broke out. Previous to that he was employed in Messrs Stewart and Lloyds. Other sons are in the firing line.

Credit: Evening Times Roll of Honour and The Mitchell Library, Glasgow, Scotland

David was awarded the Victory, British War, and 15 Star medals for his service in France. These medals were most likely given to Jemima. David’s name is inscribed at the Le Touret Memorial in Pas de Calais, France. Jemima received a Dependent’s Pension of five shillings a week from June 3, 1917 to May 3, 1918 after having been listed as David’s dependent and certified as wholly impaired.

On October 30, 1920, Jemima said goodbye to her son George as he left Glasgow aboard the ship S.S. Columbia. George was on his way to America to join his sister Maggie in Steubenville, Ohio. That was probably the last time Jemima saw George.

Jemima lived at 192 Dalmarnock Road in the Bridgeton District of Lanarkshire, Glasgow from at least 1919 until her death in 1924 or 1925, most likely in Glasgow.
 
The Durie family, from the Scottish Lowlands, can be traced back to the 1200s. Below is a map showing the Scottish Lowlands (in light green) and the Scottish Highlands (darker green).

Map of the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands, Jrockley [Public domain]; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scottish_Highlands_and_Lowlands.png.

References

• Applications for Relief, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, Poor Law Applications and Registers, 1849–1917.
• Durie Family History—a Resumé, The Durie Family; https://www.duriefamily.co.uk/durie_history/durie_history.htm.
• Glasgow, Barony Civil Parish, County Lanarkshire, Scotland Census, 1871.
• Glasgow, Bothwell Civil Parish, County Lanarkshire, Scotland Census, 1891.
• Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Electoral Registers, 1857–1962 (1919, 1921, 1924).
• Glasgow, St. George Civil Parish, County Lanarkshire, Scotland Census, 1861.
• Hall Genealogy Website, Old Occupation Names; https://rmhh.co.uk/occup/e.html.
• Kantharia, Raunek, “The Not-So-Famous Marine Jobs: Shipfitters,” Marine Insight, November 12, 2019; https://www.marineinsight.com/careers-2/the-not-so-famous-marine-jobs-shipfitters/.
• Motherwell, Dalziel Civil Parish, County Lanarkshire, Scotland Census, 1901.
• Page 1—UK, WWI Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914–1923 (1917).
• Victorian Occupations, London Census 1891 Transcription Blog; http://www.census1891.com/occupations-j.php.

Thirteen random things about me

me (ca. 1974)

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “you.”

I guess that means I have to write about me but that’s not something I normally care to do. So, the easiest thing for me is to just tell you 13 random things about me.

1.  I’m a huge introvert. That’s right, I’ll do anything I can to avoid putting myself in a situation where I have to make conversation with someone I don’t know or stand before a crowd. If you know me, you already know that. Years ago, several co-workers and I were re-assigned to the executive office at work after our bosses were promoted. After several months in our new location, one co-worker told me that some people thought I was a b*%#$ (rhymes with witch). By then, she had gotten to know me though and told them, no, she’s just shy. And she was right. Now if you want to get me talking though, just ask me about genealogy!

2.  I’m left-handed. Yes, I’m part of that 10 percent of the population. But having lived all my life in a right-handed world, I’ve had to make adjustments.

3.  I’m terrible at brainstorming. Put me in that situation and my mind goes blank. I’ll never forget the time I was volunteering on an elementary school committee tasked with coming up with a school slogan. We broke up into teams of two. My teammate must have had the same problem so we just sat there, staring at each other. It was embarrassing when it came time to present our idea and we had nothing!

4.  In April 2014, I found a bald eagle nest 10 minutes from my house. From April 5 until mid-June that year, my husband and I watched the two adult eagles and two eaglets that hatched that spring. In the beginning, we visited the nest only on the weekends, but by May and early June, we were going to the nest almost every day. That spring I had more fun watching the four eagles than I think I’d ever had in my life. It was an exciting time watching the eaglets grow and fledge.

Adult and eaglet in nest

Two eaglets

5.  I’m a sucker for bagpipes and a drumline. Either one takes me to a happy place.

6.  I’m the middle child. I have two older sisters and a younger brother and sister.

7.  My favorite number is 13. If you ask me to pick a number between 1 and whatever, it will always be 13.

8.  I hate all of the political BS that people post on social media. Thank goodness Facebook allows you to “hide all” from a particular person or group. I hide so many posts on Facebook now that if they ever take that function away, I’ll just have to leave social media behind. I see too much hatred on the one-sided, partisan (on both sides) posts. I don’t understand why a person thinks that cramming their political views down my throat will make me want to vote for their candidate. It actually might make me do the opposite. OK, that’s enough said and all I’ll say on that topic.

9.  I’m an avid believer that things happen for a reason. It may take years to understand why something happened, but you’ll eventually figure it out. And if a mistake was involved, learn from it!

10.  I’d like to have a dog but my husband says no. Now mind you, he has a rabbit so what’s up with that? He says he doesn’t want to go through the pain of losing one again but I say you don’t think about that. Instead, you think about all the years of joy they bring to you. I’m waiting until I retire and then I’ll probably just get one.

Our bunny. He ran the neighborhood for a summer and would stop and look in the front door.
Now he can look out the door.

11.  I moved to Virginia in 1979 for a fresh start. I found it as soon as I arrived and 40 years later, I’m still here.

12.  As a teenager, I earned money cutting grass. I regularly cut three yards in the neighborhood, all with a push mower. I was paid $3 each for the two smaller yards and $5 for the large yard. That was big money then.

13.  If you follow my blog, you already know I’m the family historian. It’s a never-ending job that I love and it’s become my passion. In addition to the research, I enjoy writing the stories for this blog. I like to say I’m not a writer but I don’t let that stop me. I learn something new with each story I write.

This was the last 52 Ancestors prompt for 2019 and I’ve managed to post a story for all of them. I haven’t decided whether I’ll follow the prompts for 2020 yet but I do plan to keep writing.

Christmas in Italy, 1944

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “future.”

Everyone wants to be home for Christmas, surrounded by the ones you love, baking sweet treats together and sharing family traditions with Christmas carols playing in the background. But what happens when that’s not possible? Last week I told you how Johnnie Marston kept up the tradition of sending holiday greetings to his family via V-mail during World War II. This week I want to tell you how he celebrated Christmas in December 1944. Yes, I know I’m supposed to be talking about the “future” but don’t worry, I’ll work that in.

Seventy-five years ago today, The Atlanta Constitution reported that one Georgian had been killed in action, one was missing, and 65 had been wounded. Johnnie was one of the wounded, although his injury had actually happened earlier in the Fall.

The following day, Johnnie’s wife Lucile received a letter from Ellis Arnell, the Governor of Georgia, expressing his sympathy and appreciation for Johnnie’s service to the country. Lucile also received a letter dated December 21, 1944 from the Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross expressing their sympathy upon learning of Johnnie’s injuries. By the time all of this was happening, Johnnie was already out of the hospital and back with his unit—Company B, 337th Infantry, U.S. Army.

Company B, 337th Infantry, Italy, June 1945 (click to enlarge)

It was Christmas 1944 and World War II was raging. Johnnie was in Italy, over 5,000 miles from his family. So that year, the Army was his family and they didn’t disappoint. The Army treated his company to a Christmas dinner just like they would have experienced back home. The menu included roast turkey, mashed potatoes, asparagus tips, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy, green peas, dressing, apple pie, coffee, mixed nuts, candy, and cigarettes. Each soldier received a program that listed the menu on the back and the names of all the members in his company on the inside. Johnnie and many of his fellow soldiers signed the front cover of his program—Wesley B. Wright, James B. McKinley, Pvt. Chas W. McBee, Pfc. John H. Marston “Georgia Boy,” Harvie L. Ellison, D. L. Cates, Sgt. Leo Pomana, Chas E. Lockard, Sgt. David Wood, Pvt. Roy J. McMurphy, P.F.C. E. Edd Alexander, James M. Lamn, P.F.C. Felton B. Smith, Dalton Ga. Ploy Boy, and Clyde W. McClain.

click to enlarge

Johnnie must have sent his program home to Lucile and of course he wrote his trademark statement on the inside—I miss you a lot and I love you a million.

I bet Johnnie enjoyed this special Christmas dinner that day, but I wonder what was going on in his mind at the time. I’m sure he was thinking about his family back home. But what about his future. Was he worried about what it would bring? Would he survive the war? Would he make it back home to see his darling Lucile again? If you read his letters, you know that he wanted children so was he thinking about the family that he wanted to share with Lucile? If Johnnie looked far enough into the future, he would know that he did in fact survive the war and he and Lucile would go on to have three children. And if he looked further into the future, he would see that his son Randy would also spend a Christmas away from his family while serving with the U.S. Army.

My brother-in-law Randy Marston on the left, Camp Udairi, Kuwait, Christmas 2003

This Christmas, let’s all take a moment to say a prayer for those serving our country on foreign soil and can’t be home with their families. And let's all pray that their future brings them back home safely.

You can learn more about Johnnie at the following links:

Sending love via a Valentine V-mail

What was Johnnie doing on D-Day, June 6, 1944?

Keeping up a tradition via V-mail during World War II

Easter greetings during World War II

November 2020 update: Sharing Johnnie's story during the Genealogy Blog Party honoring veteran and military ancestors.

References

• “Georgian Killed in Action, One Missing, 65 Wounded,” The Atlanta Constitution, December 20, 1944.
• Christmas Dinner Menu, 337th Infantry.
• Personal letter collection of Johnnie and Lucile Marston.

Keeping up a tradition via V-mail during World War II

John Henry Marston Jr.

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “tradition.”

In April 2018, my brother-in-law Randy shared 340 letters, V-mail, and postcards his father Johnnie Marston wrote to his mother Lucile Stacks Marston. The letters began after Johnnie met Lucile in July 1939 and ended in October 1945 at the end of World War II. Johnnie lived in Atlanta, Georgia; Lucile lived in College Park, Georgia, a 10-mile drive by today’s standards. Johnnie didn’t have a car or a telephone, so between visits, he communicated with Lucile by sending letters and postcards. During the war, Johnnie continued his letters to Lucile and also wrote other family members. Lucile saved them, keeping them locked away and private during her lifetime, including letters Johnnie wrote to her father and mother, Sam and Leola (Lemons) Stacks, whom he dearly loved.

In November 1942, Johnnie joined the U.S. Army, serving with Company B of the 337th Infantry. In December, he shipped to Camp Howze in Texas for training. From there he went to Louisiana, and then in January 1944, he was off to New Jersey before being shipped overseas. In December 1944, Johnnie’s company was under continuous training in Italy. The 337th regimental “Report of Operations” for the period December 1 – 22, 1944 notes:

Training was continued in the Gagliano tent area during the month of December. The daily schedule included scouting and patrolling, small unit tactics, mine training, physical conditioning, night exercises, weapons training, and other subjects in which deficiencies had been noted in combat. Special attention was given to the training and orientation of replacements. The new men received two extra hours of instruction in basic subjects each day. Maximum use was made of the known distance and combat ranges which were established near Mount Calvi (8598). Tactical firing exercises in the attack were conducted for all rifle platoons and companies in which fire and movement were stressed. 

Motor maintenance was given particular attention in an effort to have all vehicles in top condition for the next phase of operations. Special winter clothing including jackets, parka, bedrolls, waterproof suits, were issued to the Regiment and distributed. …

Sending Christmas cards has been a holiday tradition since Henry Cole sent the first Christmas card in 1843 in England. Shopping for Christmas cards, if that was even an option, would not have been high on Johnnie’s list. It was cold, with possibly snow on the ground, and his regiment was under constant stress to train and be ready for whatever came next in the war. But Johnnie still wanted to send seasons greetings to the people he loved back home. So, 75 years ago tomorrow, he wrote two V-mails to family, both dated December 14, 1944. V-mail, short for Victory Mail, was a process used by the United States military during World War II to ship huge quantities of mail to and from soldiers overseas. Letters were written on standard sized paper, photographed, and then transferred to microfilm for shipping. Once the microfilm made it to its destination, the letters were printed and cut to a 4 ¼ x 5 ¼ inch piece of paper and mailed to the intended recipient. This freed up space and weight for other cargo needed for the war.

Johnnie addressed one V-mail to the Stacks Brothers Lumber Company, the company owned by his father-in-law back in College Park. There was a small “Western Union” box in the bottom left corner where Johnnie wrote:

To: A Gang’s I Can’t forget
Johnnie

The second V-mail was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Sam Stacks. This V-mail had the same image as the one addressed to the lumber company but in the Western Union box he wrote:

To: Mom and Pop Stacks
God Bless You Both
Love, Johnnie

Johnnie was over 5,000 miles from home, fighting in the conflict of his life, but his family and friends were always close to his heart.

You can read more of Johnnie’s letters here and here.

References

• Hanc, John, The History of the Christmas Card: Borne Out of Having Too Little Time, the Holiday Greeting Has Boomed Into a Major Industry, December 9, 2015; smithsonian.com.
• Personal letter collection of Johnnie and Lucile Marston, December 14, 1944.
• The 337th Infantry Regiment in Italy During WWII, Unit History, Timetable Summary for 337th Infantry, 85th Division; https://www.337thinfantry.net/unit.php.

Ashley’s Christmas stocking—a new family heirloom

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “craft.”

While I don’t consider myself to be a crafty or creative person, I am able to stitch an “x” and follow a pattern, so cross-stitching is one of the few crafts I partake in. And this week’s theme came at a perfect time for me to share a project that I just finished—a Christmas stocking for my daughter-in-law Ashley.

In 1984/1985, I made a Christmas stocking for my son Chris. You can see it and read about it here. Then, after many years of guilt, I locked myself in my bedroom every day for the better part of 2018 making a Christmas stocking for my son Kevin. Chris, his wife Ashley, and Kevin all lived with my husband and I up until last month. Because of that, I didn’t want them to know I was working on the stocking, just in case I never finished it. Kevin already gave me a hard time about Chris having a handmade stocking and not him so I didn’t want to give him ammunition to give me more grief! But thank goodness I finished Kevin’s stocking and gave it to him for his birthday last year. You can see that stocking and read about it here. So now we had three stockings hanging on the wall last Christmas, two handmade and one store-bought. As I sat in my chair every night looking at them, I decided I needed to make one more. The store-bought stocking looked sad beside the handmade stockings. So, I ordered a kit, gave it to Ashley for Christmas last year, and then promptly took it back. I told her I’d try to have it ready in time to hang this Christmas, but made no promises.

I started working on Ashley’s stocking on December 30, 2018. Unlike the year before, I didn’t push myself too hard in the beginning but sometime in the spring of this year, decided it was time to get serious. That meant working on it every Saturday and Sunday morning and evening for a couple hours each, followed by a couple hours every Monday through Thursday nights. Friday nights were reserved for working on this blog and I stuck to that. I started posting progress photos on Instagram and Facebook late spring, thinking it would help motivate me, knowing other people knew I was working on it. I had to show progress, right? Since I had to stay hidden away while working on Kevin’s stocking, I got used to spreading out on my bed to work, but this time around I was able to keep the door open. Chris, Ashley, and Kevin periodically stepped in and checked my progress. Charlie and I had many conversations yelling at each other from the bedroom to the living room, especially during October when the Washington Nationals were in the playoffs and World Series!

I kept track of my progress by highlighting the x's on six tabloid sized sheets of paper.
One set was for the x's, the other set for outlining.

Close-up view of the pattern

Outlining

Knowing I was nearing the finish line in October, I bought red satin and velvet while on vacation. Once I completed stitching all the x’s, all that was left was outlining. That should have been a piece of cake, but I was wearing down and had to force myself to work on it. I outlined for one week, took a week off to refresh, then worked hard for one more week, finishing on a Wednesday in mid-November. I washed the finished piece that Thursday evening, ironed it Friday evening, and then took it to the alterations shop Saturday morning. I picked the finished project up the following Saturday morning in time to give it to Ashley when she and Chris arrived to hang the Christmas lights on the house last Saturday.

Finished product before I took it to the alterations shop for sewing

View of the back

So now all three of my kids have a personalized, handmade Christmas stocking/family heirloom. And guess what, at one point this fall, Charlie told me he wanted one too. Not sure I can commit to another year though. I’ll have to think hard about that one. Because if I make one for him, then I have to make one for myself!

An update to Jessie Pope Mullins Langford's story

The 52 Ancestors theme this week is “thief.”

This theme has had me stumped the entire month of November. I couldn’t think of anyone to write about so last week I started thinking about synonyms for “thief.” That didn’t help me either. I even asked my husband for suggestions, to which he responded “well, you’re a thief … you stole my heart.” While I appreciated his sentiment, that didn’t help. I finally came back Jessie Pope Mullins Langford, whose tragic story I’ve already told. If you read her story, you know that she suffered from mental illness and took her own life in 1929, leaving five young children behind. Earlier this year, I found another article in The Atlanta Constitution, published on February 20, 1929 about Pope so thought I would add the additional details to her story.

I previously mentioned that Pope’s death certificate noted that she was in a deranged state when she took her life. This new article goes on to describe her as “a possible victim of kleptomania.” The article also noted that Pope “had been arrested five times since 1924 on shop lifting charges. Each time previously she had been able to make bond and was not forced to spend a night at the police station, but Monday, Gresham and V. D. Young, Jr., told her Langford would have to be informed of her actions, they said, when she was arrested in a store with five pairs of stockings in her pockets.” Wikipedia describes kleptomania as someone with “the inability to refrain from the urge for stealing items and is usually done for reasons other than personal use or financial gain.” Wikipedia further notes that “First described in 1816, kleptomania is classified in psychiatry as an impulse control disorder. Some of the main characteristics of the disorder suggest that kleptomania could be an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder, but also share similarities with addictive and mood disorders.” Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries describes deranged as being “unable to behave and think normally, especially because of mental illness.” So, all this tells me that Pope was in such a state of illness that she couldn’t control herself, and when confronted with having to tell her husband what she’d done, she couldn’t live with that.

The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, February 20, 1929

Pope came “from one of the best families in the county, and as a young girl, at Penfield, she was loved and respected by all who knew her” but that didn’t help her when it came to her illness. I wonder what life would have been for her and her young family if she’d been born today instead of in 1929.

References

• “Suicide is Held Possible Victim of Kleptomania,” The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, February 20, 1929.
• Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries; https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/topic/mental_and_emotional_problems/deranged.

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.