52 Ancestors - #21: Bartow Jones (week 5 - plowing through)

Bartow Jones

Bartow Jones, son of Henry Clayborn Jones and Sarah Elizabeth Tuck, was born on August 12, 1861 in Walton County, Georgia. He was my great-grandmother’s brother.

On July 22, 1870, 8 year old Bartow lived with his family in Monroe, Lindley’s District, Walton County, Georgia. The enumerator listed him as Barta.

On June 8, 1880, the family lived in the 415th district of Walton County. Eighteen year old Bartow was a worker on a farm. His father was farming so I’m guessing that since Bartow is the oldest son at home he’s probably helping his father.

On November 28, 1883, Bartow married Ella J. Lumpkin Clegg, daughter of J. Clegg and Francis (last name unknown) in Walton County. Together they had one child (that I know of)—Jesse Manly Jones. Unfortunately, my knowledge of Ella ends here. Did Bartow and Ella divorce? Or did she die? I’ll keep looking.

Bartow and wife Lillie

On December 23, 1888, Bartow married Lillie Ida Jones, daughter of Elijah Jones and Martha Oliver, in Loganville, Walton County. Together they had nine children—Etta Robena, Wayne Belton, Clarence Loren, Alma Elizabeth, Zelma Pauline, Flora Jane, Lennie Rhee, Fannie Lou, and Johnnie Lee Jones.

On June 1, 1900, Bartow and his family lived in the Brook District of Walton County. It’s no surprise that Bartow was a farmer. The census record shows that he rented his farm, that he and Lillie had been married for 11 years, and that Lillie had five children, all of which were living.

On November 9, 1900, Bartow’s son Wayne Belton Jones died in Walton County at the age of 8 years old. He was buried at Bay Creek Cemetery in Loganville in Walton County.

In 1908, Bartow attended a Jones family reunion in Between, Walton County. Click on this link to see a photo taken that day. Bartow is number 11. My grandmother, Floria Mae Burnette Lankford, is number 17. Her mother and my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Jones Burnette, is number 4. If anyone can help identify someone, please let me know!

Bartow, plowing through the fields

On April 29 1910, Bartow and his family lived in the Buncombe District of Walton County. The enumerator listed him as Barto. This record shows that Bartow had been married twice. Bartow was a farmer on a general farm, able to read and write. Bartow rented his farm which was enumerated on schedule 106. Lillie was shown as having had nine children, eight of which were living. All eight were still living in the home.

By February 14, 1920, Bartow and his family had moved to Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia. He continued to farm on a general farm.

Bartow died of liver cancer in Loganville, Walton County on November 22, 1925 at the age of 64. He was buried at Bay Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Loganville on November 23, 1925.

The picture of Bartow with his mule shows him doing something he must have done many times during his lifetime of farming—plowing through a field!

52 Ancestors - #20: Earl Lloyd Murphy (week 4 - closest to your birthday)

Photo credit: Melissa Price

Earl Lloyd Murphy, son of Charles Homer Murphy and Dessie Church, was born on August 8, 1928 in Littleton, Wetzel County, West Virginia. He was the youngest child of five—Ralph Junior, Wilma Evelyn, Raymond Bernice, Howard Glenn, and Earl Murphy.

The week 4 theme for the 2015 edition of the 52 Ancestors challenge is “closest to your birthday.” I didn’t need to dig through my files to figure out who that person would be because for the last 34 years, I’ve celebrated my birthday with Earl, my father-in-law, our birthdays being five days apart. Unfortunately, last August will be the last birthday we’ll share together as we lost him to a massive stroke earlier this month. Now I don’t consider myself a writer so my 52 Ancestors blog entries have basically been timelines. This blog entry will stray from that format as I feel the need to document the last years of his life. Not that he did anything exciting, just the fact that I’ve been living it with him.

Wedding photo, January 12, 1951

First a little background to understand his state of mind. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer in the early 1990s. She was treated with chemotherapy and radiation and did far better than we expected. She was later diagnosed with emphysema. Once she became oxygen dependent, she required a lot of care and Earl was there for her, giving it his all until her death on December 26, 2006. I don’t think he ever recovered from that. They had been married for 55 years.

Their house was an hour’s drive from ours. After she died, we talked to him about moving closer to us but he didn’t want to leave her alone. He eventually had a health scare in which my husband had to race to his house on a rainy Friday night in the middle of rush hour. After that incident, we pushed harder. It took a year to convince him but he finally moved into senior apartments 10 minutes from our house. He had a few good years—making new friends, attending social gatherings, taking day trips to wineries. He even had a girlfriend or two!


Around 2013, he suffered a minor stroke and then had difficulty communicating. He’d had a series of strokes after open heart surgery years ago and lost his speech but bounced back from that. He was told to take speech therapy both times but refused. That came back to haunt him. Other health issues stacked on in 2013 and into 2014. In March 2014, he suffered from major back problems that caused a lot of pain. He ended up in the hospital and was told the pain was due to arthritis and spinal stenosis. By the time he was released from the hospital, he could hardly walk the pain was so great so he came to live with us. He wanted to go home but it wasn’t safe in his condition. He was very weak when he first arrived and struggled to walk or even hold a fork to feed himself. Physical therapists came to the house twice a week and taught him simple exercises that helped him regain some strength. He fought doing the exercises but went through the motions—probably to shut us up. Once he started to improve, the physical therapist had him take short walks outside which I think he enjoyed. During the spring and summer months, he spent a lot of time on the front porch—watching cars, people, and planes go by. He’d always point out the jet trails in the sky. We bird watched together a lot. He and my husband watched a lot of westerns on TV—Bat Masterson, Gunsmoke, John Wayne, and Bonanza. They both love them so they were happy watching them together.

But he still wasn’t happy and he’d often tell us he wished he would die, that he didn’t want to live anymore. By September, he’s gained enough strength to finally go home. My brother-in-law lived with him but he worked and couldn’t be with his Dad all the time. Once home, Earl only did his exercises when the physical therapist came. His health started to deteriorate again.

Thanksgiving week, he had a minor heart attack. It was at that time, the doctor told us that he couldn’t be left alone anymore so he came back to our house for good on Thanksgiving Day. Again, he was very weak so the doctor set him up for in-home physical therapy and doctor visits. He worked hard, doing his exercises every day, and we started to slowly see him get stronger. He used a walker and needed to use both hands and legs to move about. He wanted to do things for himself and would try to push his walker while carrying his cup or plate. We wanted him to concentrate on the task at hand so he wouldn’t fall so we’d take the dirty dishes out of his hands. He didn’t like us waiting on him though and would give us the “look.” We explained to him that we wanted him to concentrate on walking so he didn’t fall. Finally, the physical therapist backed us up and he gave in. We didn’t get “the look” any more after that conversation. He still had a few falls but fortunately was never hurt by one.

We held our family Christmas party in mid-December 2014 and thankfully the entire family was able to come. Earl was excited about the party and rested at home the week before so he would feel up to going. He looked forward to it and seemed to have a good time. That is until we wouldn’t let him ride the Harley! My nephew arrived on his Harley, parking it in the driveway. Mid-afternoon, Earl asked my husband to take him outside to look at the bike. At least that’s what we thought he wanted to do. They got outside and someone brought a helmet over—a wild looking helmet—and handed it to Earl thinking it would be a cool photo op. Then the unthinkable happened—Earl put the helmet on and wanted to go for a ride. My husband told him no, it was too cold. After being told no several times, Earl started poking his index finger into my husband’s chest and told him “don’t tell me what I can’t do.” Then Earl turned to my nephew, pointed to the bike, twirled his finger around, and told him to “turn it around” so he could go for a ride. That went on for a few tense minutes until he finally got angry, took the helmet off, and went back inside the house. He told everyone goodbye and then headed out the front door, ready to leave. He didn’t talk to my husband or his brother during the entire 45 minute drive back home. Once home, he continued the silent treatment for several hours. He eventually fell asleep and by the time he woke up we had dinner (we made sure we got something he liked) and he was back to normal, not mentioning the Harley again. We ate dinner and then he watched the Christmas parade that came down our street that evening.



Photo credit: Melissa Price

We had a good Christmas Day that ended with us watching a One Direction special. My niece and two great-nieces couldn’t help but sing along and he seemed to enjoy it. Back in the day he might have told them to “shut the *#@* up.” The next day was the anniversary of my mother-in-law’s death. No one mentioned it that day but my sister-in-law stopped by for a visit that evening. As she was leaving, he reached his hand out to her and said “Mama died.” Then after she left, he told my husband he wanted to go the cemetery so they agreed to go the next day. He got up the next morning bright eyed and bushy tailed, heading straight to the bathroom to clean himself up. Something he didn’t bother to do at all some days. He ate a quick breakfast and was ready to go. You could tell he was excited to be going to visit her grave.

As we welcomed 2015, Earl was doing great. He was doing his exercises every day and getting stronger. He had even started talking about going home again, although we weren’t going to let that happen. The doctors made it clear that he couldn’t be left alone. But everything changed on January 10. It was a lazy Saturday hanging around the house watching TV. I cooked dinner and when it was ready called my husband and Earl in to eat. My husband headed to the bathroom to wash his hands and Earl walked himself into the dining room. He pulled his chair out, sat down, and I came up behind him to help push his chair in. As he and the chair moved forward, he slumped over onto his plate. He’d had a massive stroke. Just like that. He was still breathing and had his eyes open but it was as if the light was on but nobody was home. He was rushed to the hospital but he finally got his wish and died peacefully at 1:46 a.m. on January 13. He was ready to go. Their anniversary was on January 12.

After he died, weird things started happening and we all agreed he was talking to us:

• My sister-in-law was in the room by herself after he died. My husband and his brother left to get coffee while they waited for others to arrive at the hospital. She was in a chair, laid back with her legs crossed. All of a sudden her leg kicked out and uncrossed like someone had kicked her. My husband told her it was Dad kicking her one last time.
• Once my husband got back home, he was getting ice out of the freezer drawer. When he closed the drawer, a Popsicle was laying on the floor. His Dad was the only person that ate the popsicles. He picked it up and told me Dad wants a Popsicle.
• We have an 8x10 picture of my in-laws on a shelf in the living room. A smaller 3x5 of Earl in the Navy leans against it. For two years, the pictures have faced to the right. That morning, the small picture was lying flat and the larger picture had turned to the left. No one in the house claimed to move it. Then someone realized it was now facing the spot where my husband always sits and said, hey, they want you to know they’re together again.
• My sister-in-law and niece went to i-Hop after leaving the hospital. They ordered pancakes and the waitress brought them small rectangle containers of syrup. As my sister-in-law reached for the syrup, it moved. They checked the table and there was nothing under the syrup (like water) that would have made it slide around. My niece said normally she would say it was just her crazy mother making up things but she saw it for herself.
• My laptop was sitting on a table in front of me with Facebook open. I noticed the screen move and looked to see what new piece of news had been added to my wall. No news but instead a private message I had sent to my sisters telling them about Earl’s death was open. I hadn’t opened it. Then I noticed the cursor moving on the screen. I wasn’t touching the mouse—it was sitting on top of the table. I grabbed the mouse and moved it a little. The cursor moved in a different direction than what I was moving it. As I looked at the monitor, the cursor was on the move again in a straight line across the screen. It hovered over “Events,” just below “Messages.” Well this freaked me out so I shut the computer down! Haven’t seen a floating cursor since then. Now maybe someone had hacked my computer for all I know but it was really weird.
• My sister-in-law stopped by two days after his death. She sat on the couch and when she left I noticed a penny on the floor beside where she sat. I wouldn’t have thought anything about the penny except for the fact that two days after her first visit she stopped by again. During the visit she started telling me about a penny that she found on the floor that seemed to come out of nowhere. A penny for your thoughts.

Maybe not weird to some people, but to us, it was spooky.

So there you have it. I just had to tell his story. I loved him and I’ll miss him. Not everyone can say that about their in-law, huh!

No regrets.

52 Ancestors - #19: Drucilla Henson (week 3 - a tough woman)

The week 3 theme for the 2015 edition of the 52 Ancestors challenge is a “tough woman.” After spending time pondering which of my female ancestors fit the theme I finally decided that I would blog about Drucilla Henson, my third great-grandmother. Drucilla has been a tough woman to research because we haven’t been able to locate all of the necessary records required to track her and her family. A timeline has been pieced together using the records we’ve found along with speculation on the missing pieces.

Taking a look back, in late 2000 my sister and I were just getting started on our Burnett(e) line. We knew our great-grandfather was Thomas Terrell Burnette. The family Bible listed his parents as Samuel P. Burnette and Virginia Overton. We started our research by looking at the Ancestry.com message boards and quickly found a woman looking for Samuel and Virginia. A week or so later we discovered a man doing the same thing. That soon followed with two more researchers—all with the same goal. We were scattered across five states—Virginia, Georgia, Maine, Alabama, and Tennessee. For the most part, each of us could document our direct lines and were aware of Samuel and Virginia, but didn’t know much more. We shared what we knew, compared notes, and then set out to do more research. I offer here details found in records as well as our speculation.

In my Family Tree Maker file, I have Drucilla Henson listed as being born on January 22, 1818 in Knox, Tennessee. Her parents were William Henson and Charity Charlotte. I sourced this information based on an email from one of the researchers. Unfortunately, I don’t know where he got this info and he died a couple of years ago. The same researcher recalled stories being passed down that Burnett was not the original family name. He was told it might have been Cain, Caton, or Katon. He was also told that Samuel may have assumed the name of the family he lived with ... or he may have been an orphan. He recalled his grandmother telling him that somewhere back in the line a widow married a Burnett and the children assumed the name. Based on this information, he searched Georgia and Tennessee records and found a Knox County marriage record for a Drucilla Henson who married William Caton on September 26, 1840 in Knox County, Tennessee.


Knox County, TN marriage record for William Caton and Drucilla Henson

On October 3, 1850, the enumerator recorded Drucilla (age 31) living in Knox County with two children—Edward G. (age 6) and Mary E. (age 4), both born in Tennessee. On November 27, the enumerator recorded Samuel Caton (age 9, born in Tennessee) living in Blount County with Lucinda Hitch. What happened to William Caton? Did he die? Did he divorce Drucilla prior to the 1850 census? And who was Lucinda Hitch?


1850 Knox County, TN census record for Drucille, Edward, and Mary Caton

1850 Blount County, TN census record for Samuel Caton living with Lucinda Hitch

On June 26, 1860, the enumerator recorded Drucilla (age 38, born in Tennessee—issue with age here) in Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia, married to Joseph Burnett (age 35, born in Virginia). Joseph’s occupation was Miller. The children in the home all had the surname Burnett:

• Samuel, age 18, born in Tennessee
• George, age 16, born in Tennessee (as in Edward George)
• Elizabeth, age 15, born in Tennessee
• Madison, age 4, born in Georgia
• Francis, age 1, born in Georgia

Note the 11 year age gap between Elizabeth and Madison.


1860 Gwinnett County, GA census record for Drucilla, Joseph, and family

It’s assumed that Drucilla married Joseph B. Burnett about 1854 or 1855 and then moved to Georgia. It’s also assumed that Samuel left the Hitch household in Blount County and went back to live with his mother after she remarried. And finally, it’s assumed that Samuel, Edward, and Elizabeth changed their last name from Caton to Burnett after Drucilla married Joseph.

Sometime before 1864, the family moved to Newton County, Georgia where Joseph was listed in the “1864 Census for Re-Organizing the Georgia Militia.” On April 6, 1867, Joseph was recorded in the Newton County “Georgia, Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 18671869.”

On September 22, 1870, Drucilla and Joseph lived in Conyers, Newton County, Georgia. Drucilla was “keeping house.” Only two children lived in the home now—Francis J. (age 12), and Laura S. (age 10, born in Georgia). Laura was born after the 1860 census. The family lived next door to John M. and Jane Overton and six houses from Abijah and Elizabeth Overton. John and Abijah Overton were brothers. Drucilla’s son Samuel would eventually marry Millicent Virginia Overton, daughter of Abijah and Elizabeth Overton. It’s fun to figure out how and/or where people meet.


1870 Newton County, GA census for Drucilla, Joseph, and family. John M. Overton lives next door.

Joseph is recorded in the Georgia Tax Digest (1872 – 1875). He lived in the Harbins District of Gwinnett County. The record shows that he had two of his own children living in the home between the ages of 6 and 18. Joseph is recorded in the Georgia Tax Digest (1873 – 1877). He lived in District 476 of Rockdale County. It’s not clear in either record what the exact tax year was.

On June 15, 1880, Drucilla and Joseph lived in District 476 of Rockdale County. The enumerator recorded two daughters living in the home—Laura (age 18—another age issue) and Jane (age 16).


1880 Rockdale County, GA census record for Drucilla, Joseph, and family. Last record found.

I don’t find anything for Drucilla and Joseph after the 1880 census. It’s like they dropped off the face of the Earth. I assume they’re buried in Gwinnett, Newton, or Rockdale Counties since that’s where they lived after moving to Georgia but really have no clue. So many questions – what happened to William Caton? Why was Samuel living with Lucinda Hitch and how was she connected to the family? When and where did Drucilla and Joseph marry? Did the Caton children change their last name to Burnett legally? Are we totally off-base in our speculation? I need to track down more records—death, marriage, etc. to try to answer some of these questions. It’s on my list. Drucilla is definitely one of the toughest problems in my tree.

By the way, group research can be so much fun. Each person brings something different to the table. Try it sometime if you haven’t done so already. We had a ball and made new friendships along the way.

52 Ancestors - #18: Prince Albert Burnett

Prince Albert Burnett

Prince Albert Burnette, son of Thomas Terrell Burnette and Elizabeth Jones, was born on November 2, 1903 in Walton County, Georgia. He was the 7th child of 13—Luther Terrell, Eva Drucilla, Floria Mae, Jesse, twin to Jesse, Willie Loyd, Prince Albert, Claudia (twin), Maudie (twin), Henry T., Eleanor Estelle, Samuel A., and Julia Virginia Burnette.

On June 28, 1910, six year old Prince lived with his family in Greene County, Georgia. The enumerator recorded him as Price.

By February 13, 1920, Prince and his family had moved to the Walker District of Greene County. The enumerator got his name wrong again, spelling it as Prence. Prince had not attended school since September 1, 1919, but was able to read and write. At age 16, he was a laborer on the home farm.

An infant Prince

Prince married Mary Lee Queen, daughter of Lewis Benton Queen and Cornelia Vandora (AKA Dora) Dellinger, in 1923. At the time of their marriage, Prince was 20 and Mary 19 years old.

On April 16, 1930, Prince and Mary lived in the 141st Militia District of Greene County where he rented his home. Prince was a farmer on a general farm.

Prince and Mary only had one child, a daughter they named Kathryn Loretta Burnett who was stillborn on November 4, 1934 in Greene County, Georgia. Kathryn was buried at Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery in Penfield, Greene County.

Kathryn Loretta Burnett's stone

On April 5, 1940, Prince and Mary lived in Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia. Three family members lived with them—his mother-in-law Dora Queen, sister-in-law Cora B. Queen, and an aunt, Nora Wilson. Prince was a farmer on genaral farm, working 40 hours a week.

I don’t find a military record for Prince and his death certificate says he never served in the military. I expected to find him in the World War II draft and am curious as to why he didn’t register.

Prince was the owner and operator of an agriculture and cattle farm.

My Daddy remembers his Uncle Prince as the kindest, nicest man you’d ever know.

Prince died of a heart attack on May 15, 1993 at the Minnie G. Boswell Hospital in Greensboro. He was 89 years old. The doctor estimated that the approximate interval between onset and death was 30 minutes. Prince was buried at Greensboro City Cemetery. He lived at 1230 Hanson Road in Greensboro at the time of his death.

I joined Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2014 challenge late so I’m continuing to work toward number 52. However, when I can, I plan to map to her 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2015 edition which has weekly themes. The theme for week 2 is “King.” While Uncle Prince wasn’t a king and in fact doesn’t have anything to do with royalty, I always smile when I think about “Prince Albert” marrying a “Queen.”

 

 

 

 

 

52 Ancestors - #17: John W. Close Sr.

The New Year brings a new 52 Ancestors challenge by Amy Johnson Crow, this year with themes. I didn’t join in the fun until late last year—September 21, 2014 to be exact—so have only completed 16 ancestor blog entries of the first 52. Last week when I set Genealogy Goals for 2015 (for the first time ever), I decided that I wanted to continue what I started in September so as you can see, John W. Close Sr. is ancestor number 17. When I can, I’ll work Amy’s themes into an ancestor. As luck has it, John Close fits the bill of a “fresh start,” the theme for 2015 week 1.

 

John W. Close Sr.

John W. Close Sr., the son of James Close, was born on October 23, 1877 in Coatbridge, Scotland. I found the name of John’s father on a ship manifest record but haven’t found anything listing his mother’s name so she remains unnamed. Both of John’s parents were born in Ireland according to U.S. census records.

John married Margaret (AKA Maggie) Athya, daughter of James Athya and Jemima Durie, in Glasgow, Scotland on June 6, 1902. Together they had three children—James, Ina, and John W. Close Jr.

John’s first child, James, was born in Bellshill, Scotland in 1905. Daughter Ina was born in Scotland on Christmas Day, 1907.

It appears that John and his family left Glasgow via the S.S. Grampian in 1912. They arrived in Quebec, Canada on June 16. An Athya family member remembers hearing the story that they lent a large trunk to a neighbor and John had to tunnel through the snow to get the trunk back to come to the United States. Once arriving in Canada, they settled in Joggins Mines in Nova Scotia where they lived for two years.


1914 Manifest

In 1914, John left the family behind in Nova Scotia and traveled to America. He arrived via Class D at the Port of Vanceboro, Maine on July 9, 1914. He was 36 years old and was joining his uncle, William J. McCandler, who lived in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio. John listed his father James of Coatbridge, Scotland as his nearest relative on the manifest. John was 5’ 7”, had a medium complexion, brown hair, and brown eyes. He paid for his own passage. His wife Maggie, son James, and daughter Ina left Nova Scotia and joined John in Steubenville in November 1914. 

At the age of 40, John showed his allegiance to his newly adopted country and registered for the World War I draft in Steubenville. The year was 1917. His address was 641 Grandview Avenue Steubenville. He declared himself an alien, a citizen of Scotland. John was a first helper/open hearth at La Belle Iron Works in Steubenville.

John’s third child, John Jr., the only child born in the United States, was born in Steubenville on July 30, 1917.

On January 22, 1920, John and his family lived at 641 Grandview Avenue in Steubenville. John owned the house free and clear. The census record shows that the family immigrated in 1915 although we know from previous records it was 1914. John had already submitted his naturalization papers. The record listed the rest of the family as aliens. John’s native tongue was English and he was able to read and write. He earned an hourly wage working in a mill on heater furnaces. A divorced friend named Della Jarvis lived with the family.

1920 Soundex card

On February 21, 1925, John’s 19 year old son James died of pneumonia at home in Steubenville. He was buried at Union Cemetery in Steubenville.

On April 2, 1930, John, Maggie, and John Jr. still lived in the Grandview Avenue house. John W. Irvin and Norma Irvin lived with the family. John owned the home valued at $3,200. The 1930 census record listed his immigration year as 1914. John was a laborer in a steel mill.


The 1938 Steubenville (Ohio) City Directory listed John and Maggie Close as living at 641 Grandview Avenue.

On August 18, 1940, John and Maggie still lived in the Grandview Avenue house. Fifth grade was the highest grade that John had completed. He worked 32 hours a week as a scrap bailer in a steel mill. His income was $800 which I believe was yearly.

In 1942 at the age of 64, John registered for the World War II draft. He still lived in the Grandview Avenue house and worked at the Wheeling Steel Company in Steubenville.

John retired from the Strip Mill Department of Wheeling Steel Corporation in 1954.

John died of lobar pneumonia on December 15, 1957 at the age of 80. His death occurred at the Ohio Valley Hospital in Steubenville where he had been a patient for 12 days. He was survived by his wife Maggie, son John Jr., his daughter Ina Close Schneider, and two grandchildren, John Carl Close and Shirley Jean Close. His funeral was held on December 18 at the Cole Brothers Funeral Home. The Rev. Dr. Charles W. Fulton officiated, followed by burial at Union Cemetery in Steubenville. His grave is located in section 31, lot 72.

John was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. I was told he lost half of one of his hands. He had a thumb, but no fingers. John used to play around and scare the little kids with his hand.

As far as I’m concerned, leaving your home in Scotland and traveling to America to live permanently constitutes a fresh start. I just wish I knew why he chose to make the journey.

52 Ancestors - #16: Caroline B. Hobbs

Caroline B. Hobbs, daughter of Nathan Augustus Hobbs Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Lankford, was born in Greene County, Georgia on January 13, 1821. Caroline was the fourth child of eight—Robert L., Joel Garner, Rebecca B., Caroline B., Nathan Augustus Jr., Minor Smith, Elizabeth Fanny, and Marian Langford Hobbs. Caroline is my third great-grandmother.

Now I don’t want to spread misinformation regarding Caroline’s birth year so will state publicly that this one has me confused. The 1850 census listed her age as 26. In 1860 she was 36, 1870 she was 47, and in 1880 she was 50. The 1900 census listed her birthdate as January 1830. Her February 1901 pension application listed her birthdate as January 13, 1821 and said she had lived in Georgia for 80 years “since my birth.” And finally, her 1903 and 1904 pension applications listed her birth year as 1819. Since the 1901 pension application is the only record that listed a full date and the fact that James McWhorter, Greene County Ordinary, signed an affidavit stating that Caroline was born in 1821, I choose to go with 1821, although technically she would have been 81 years old since she was born in January and she filed the application in February. If anyone can prove otherwise, please let me know.

The 1830 Greene County census record for Nathan Hobbs shows that two “Free White Persons – Females  ages 5 through 9” lived in the home. The 1840 Greene County census record for Nathan Hobbs shows that two “Free White Persons – Females ages 15 through 19” lived in the home. I assume in both cases that this would have been Caroline and her sister Rebecca. Of course, it’s not safe to assume so again, know that I could be wrong.

Caroline married James Meriweather Lankford, son of Charles L. Lankford and Miss Moore, on December 1, 1844 in Greene County. The ceremony was performed by Jeremiah Lindsey. Together they had seven children—Mary F., James C., Emma S., Emerette R., Nathan, Laura J., and Marion Lankford. I would love to figure out who Miss Moore is.

Caroline gave birth to her first child, Mary F., on September 1, 1845 in Greene County, Georgia. Her second child, James C., was born in November 1849 in Woodville, Greene County, Georgia.

On August 14, 1850, Caroline and James lived in the 14th district of Greene County. Her parents lived three houses away. Their last name was spelled Langford vs. Lankford in this record. I’ve found that the “k” and “g” are often swapped out in the name Lankford. Their two children, Mary and James, lived with them.

Caroline’s third child, Emma S., was born in 1852 in Georgia, most likely Greene County. I believe Emma married James L. Wilson and died before 1880. She was buried at Penfield Cemetery in Penfield, Greene County, Georgia. Her fourth child, Emerette R., was born on October 1854 in Penfield. Emerette (AKA Nannie) lived with her mother her entire life. Caroline’s fifth child, Nathan, was born in 1856 in Georgia. Her sixth child, Laura J., was born in 1857. Her seventh and last child, Marion, was born in January 1859. Marion, like Emerette, lived with her mother her entire life. Emma, Nathan, Laura, and Marion were most likely born in Greene County.

I wrote this paragraph for my blog post on James M. Lankford. Because Caroline was mentioned, I will repeat it here: An 1860 slave schedule shows that James owned three slaves—a 65 year old male, a 50 year old male, and a 26 year old female. The word “Murder” is written beside the female’s name. A Southern Watchman article dated April 5, 1860 speaks of a female slave—most likely the 26 year old female listed in the 1860 slave schedule: “Three Children Drowned! We learn from the Washington Independent that a negro woman belonging to Mr. James M. Lankford, of Penfield, threw her three children into his well on Tuesday night of last week, and to make sure of their destruction she descended herself by means of the rope. She was drawn out next morning, and turned over to the authorities.” Bryant’s book How Curious a Land* devotes two and a half pages to the story of slave Becky, age 26. As the mother of three children, Becky was considered valuable to the Lankford’s. When Caroline caught Becky stealing dough, she threatened to severely punish her. The next day, Mary Lankford, daughter of James and Caroline, discovered Becky and her three children in the bottom of their well. Becky was still alive but her children had died. Local officials ruled the deaths murder and Becky was taken to jail in Greensboro. There were rumors of different versions of the event—did Becky murder her children to get back at the Lankford’s for threats made by Caroline? Or was Becky despondent over the threats, attempt suicide, and decide to take her children with her in death? James was known to drink and lie. Did he make up the story in a drunken stupor? Becky was valuable property to a slave owner so George Dawson, the lawyer hired by James, took the suicide angle. She was only tried for one death and it was never mentioned that it was her child. Becky was eventually found not guilty and returned to the Lankford household. If Becky thought her life was hard before, what must she have thought after all this!

On July 21, 1860, Caroline and James lived in Woodville, Greene County, Georgia. Their last name was spelled Lankford in this census record. All seven children lived in the home with them at this time.

On April 24, 1861, James joined the Confederate cause and enlisted in Penfield, Greene County, Georgia as a private in Company C of the Third Regiment Georgia Infantry, or the Dawson Grays, C.S.A. Caroline was left to raise the children alone when he mustered into service at Augusta, Georgia on May 3, 1861. James served until May 1865 when he was honorably discharged with his command and returned home.

On July 6, 1869, Caroline filed for and received a plot of land in Penfield under the Homestead Act, a federal law enacted to help with Reconstruction after the Civil War ended. The plot contained four acres and was bounded by lands of Robinson and Mercer University, belonging to her husband James M. Lankford. I personally don’t understand how the Homestead Act worked. Why was Caroline filing as head of household when James was still alive? Why was she given property bounded by land owned by her husband? If anyone can shed some light on this for me, please leave a comment to this blog. Caroline was required to attach a list of personal property to the application. She declared the following items:

Household and kitchen furniture          $100.00
25 hogs                                              $50.00
5 cows and yearlings                           $75.00
1 gold watch and chain                        $30.00
1 horse wagon                                    $20.00
Total                                                $275.00

The land, which could not be worth more than $2,000, was awarded on July 17, 1869. The homestead petition stated that Caroline was the head of household, consisting of herself and five children—Emma Lankford, Amerette B. Lankford, Nathan Lankford, Samuel Lankford and Maria Lankford. Caroline’s children are a mystery to me. Who is Samuel? I don’t find him listed in any other record for this family. I would consider that Samuel was Nathan’s middle name but Nathan was listed as one of her five children along with Samuel. Mary married in 1867 and James in 1868 so they were no longer in the home. And what about Laura? She would have only been 12 so why wasn’t she listed? She was with the family in 1860. I have no further information about her after that year. Most of Caroline’s children have been hard to track. Obviously, more work needs to be done on this line.

On June 21, 1870, the family lived in Penfield, Greene County, Georgia. Mary, James, and Emma have left the home and James is farming. They lived at the corner of Watson Spring Road. Caroline was “keeping house.”

By June 10, 1880, Caroline and her family have moved to Falling Creek, Oglethorpe County, Georgia. The enumerator listed her husband as J. L. Lankford. Only three children lived in the home then—Emerette, Laura, and Marion. Grandsons Walter Wilson, age 8, and Julien Wilson, age 6, are living with the family. Walter and Julien (or possibly Julius) were the sons of daughter Emma, who had apparently died. James and Caroline’s son, James C., lived next door with his family.

On several Indigent Widow’s Pension records, Caroline stated that her husband James died in Lithonia, DeKalb County, Georgia on October 29, 1887. J. Boswell and E. S. Powell, who fought with James during the war, signed affidavits stating that James died in 1888.

By June 16, 1900, Caroline had moved back to Penfield. Daughters Emerette (AKA Nannie) and Marion lived with her. Caroline was enumerated as being 70 years old, born January 1830. The record also showed that she had seven children, five of which were living. Caroline was able to read, write, and speak English. She rented her home.

Caroline first filed for and was approved an Indigent Widows of Confederate Soldiers pension in Greene County on February 22, 1901. She lived in Penfield. Caroline stated that she had been a resident of Georgia for 80 years since her birth. She further stated that she was born on January 13, 1821 in Greene County, Georgia. She declared that her husband was James Meriweather Lankford (this is the only time I’ve found his middle name spelled out) and that he was born in Jackson County, Georgia in 1820. Caroline also stated that she and James were married in Greene County, Georgia. James served with Company C, Third Georgia Regiment for six months and then with Company C, State Troops Regiment for more than two years. He was with the State Troops and not the Third Georgia Regiment when they surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. She stated that James died in Lithonia, Georgia in 1888. Caroline’s application was based on her age and poverty—she had not been able to support herself for more than 15 years. She had previously supported herself as a seamstress. Caroline stated she had no real or personal property or income and that she had not owned a “dollars worth” of property since the death of her husband. She had been supported by help from her two daughters. Her application was approved by John W. Lindsey, Commissioner of Pensions. She authorized James B. Park Jr. of Greene County to receive the pension on her behalf and to remit the same to her at Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia by his check or registered mail.

James H. McWhorter signed an Ordinary Certificate on February 22, 1901. McWhorter certified that Caroline resided in Greene County and had been a bonafide resident of Georgia since the day of her birth in 1821. McWhorter further certified that the tax digest of Greene County showed that Caroline returned zero dollars worth of property for taxation in her own name in 1899 and 1900.

On February 22, 1901, J. O. Boswell and E. S. Powell also supported Caroline’s application by swearing that she had lived in Penfield and that they had known her for 50 years. Both Boswell and Powell were acquainted with and knew her husband for 50 years as well. They were present when James M. Lankford enlisted with Company C, Third Georgia Regiment on May 3, 1861 and served in the same regiment. They stated that Lankford left his command in Portsmouth, Virginia when he transferred to the Georgia State Militia. Boswell and Powell both stated that Lankford died in Lithonia, Georgia in 1888; however, he was a resident of Greene County and had been all of his life. They knew Caroline to be his lawful widow and that she had remained unmarried since her soldier husband’s death. They also knew Caroline had no income of her own; she lived in their town, had no property since her husband’s death, and they knew that she was destitute. Both stated that Caroline was physically unable to wait on or support herself. She had been supported by her two daughters for 1899 and 1900 with Caroline contributing nothing. Their full and complete statement of Caroline’s physical condition was that she was 80 years old and not able to do anything whatsoever. Both stated that they had no interest or relationship in the recovery of the pension that Caroline would receive.

On February 23, 1901, J. M. McGaughey, MD and J. Wilson, MD swore that they had carefully examined Mrs. Caroline B. Lankford, applicant for a Pension under Act of 1900, and after such personal examination said that her physical condition was that she was 80 years old and extremely feeble and infirm on account of age and was absolutely unable to earn a living and could not leave her house. They had no interest in said pension if allowed.

George N. Boswell supported Caroline’s pension application by swearing an oath on October 8, 1901 to the following facts: James M. Lankford, Caroline’s husband, joined the army at Penfield, Georgia in February 1864 and served in the Georgia State Troops up to the surrender in 1865. Boswell swore that James M. Lankford was with his command in Augusta, Georgia when the command surrendered. Boswell swore his means of knowing the above facts were that he joined the company at the same time that Lankford did. Boswell stated that Lankford made a good and faithful soldier and was honorably discharged with his command in Augusta, Georgia at the surrender.

I don’t find an Indigent Widow’s Pension application for 1902 but find applications for 1903, 1904, and 1905 that basically state the same information each year. In each application, Caroline also authorized James B. Park of Greensboro, Georgia to receive her pension and requested that he remit it to James H. McWhorter at Greensboro. On January 16, 1905, Caroline declared that she was feeble due to age and that she was confined to her bed most of time.

Caroline died in Baldwin County, Georgia on January 8, 1906 according to an Application for Pension Due to a Deceased Pensioner filed by her son James C. Lankford on February 14, 1906. James declared that Caroline was on the Widow’s indigent Pension Roll of Greene County at the time of her death and that an unpaid pension of $60 was due to Caroline at that time. The application further stated that she left two dependent daughters and had no estate of any value sufficient to pay her funeral expenses which amounted to $65. It’s interesting that James C. declared that Caroline left two dependent daughters as Emerette would have been in her 50s and Marion in her late 40s in 1906 and both had been supporting their mother before she received her first pension payment in 1901.

The connection to Baldwin County is another mystery to me. Why was Caroline there when she’d lived in Greene County the majority of her life? Why can’t I find a death record for Caroline? A third mystery is the burial location for Caroline and her husband James. Why weren’t they buried in Penfield where other Lankford family members are buried? James and Caroline were prominent in the area during their lives.

I definitely need to do more work on this line. There are still too many questions that need to be answered.

*Bryant, Jonathan M., How Curious a Land: Conflict and Change in Greene County, Georgia, 1850–1885, published by the University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1996.

Genealogy Goals for 2015

For the first time ever, I’m setting goals for the upcoming year – genealogy goals that is. My hope is that by writing them down I’ll feel compelled to spend time in 2015 actually working on these goals. Most have been in the back of my mind for a while. I have many goals so have decided to start with just five. In no particular order, my genealogy goals for 2015 are:

1. Finish the 52 Ancestors challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow on January 3, 2014. I didn’t start the challenge until September 21, 2014 so I have a lot of catching up to do. 15 blog entries done, 37 to go.
2. Start documenting our family treasures to include a photo and short history of each item.
3. Scan 2 boxes of the 10 to 12 boxes of slides given to my husband by his aunt in 2012. Each box contains approximately 200 slides so it’s more work than it sounds. I managed to get through 5 boxes in 2012 but the process was interrupted when we remodeled our house and everything we owned went into storage for close to a year. The boxes haven’t been touched since then.
4. Load the new Family Tree Maker software I bought for myself, I mean my husband gave me for Christmas. It’s been years since I upgraded my software so this means I need to spend time checking out the new features.
5. Update my five Lankford surname notebooks. I’ve done a lot of research on my Lankford lines since I first put the notebooks together. I’m sure most of the family group sheets are out of date.

Let’s give it a shot and see what happens.