dee_burris | Entries tagged with williams

Following the discovery of the date, place and cause of death of his brother, Urban Orville Williams, I started looking through newspapers to see if I could find Julian Otis and A Virgil Williams.

I started with Julian Otis Williams. I went to newspapers.com and did a fairly broad search for Otis. I knew he was alive in the 1900 census, listed as a printer.

Did not expect to find him dead in Vicksburg, MS in 1910.

Otis Williams, a well known local printer, who has been employed on the Herald as a "sub" for some years past, dropped dead this morning... Vicksburg Evening Post, 17 Jun 1910 at page 1.

As ghastly as those old headlines and articles were in their exacting attention to detail about death, I learned something about Otis.

...He lead (sic) somewhat of a Bohemian life, was generous with his means and liberal beyond his means...The members of the local typographical union who knew him reported him to be a man of many good qualities and possessed of a big heart...

I cannot find Otis' grave, although a couple of other news articles say the family wanted to being his body back to Little Rock.

This article also says he had a wife in Little Rock (never knew that), and then there was this...

...has a brother in the printer's home at Colorado Springs...

Lucien was dead. So was Urban. So that just left Virgil.

I always wondered that the "A" stood for. When looking for Virgil, I'd always seen historic records that either said A Virgil Williams, or A V Williams.

Since Otis died in 1910, and the brother was referred to in the present tense, I took a gamble that Virgil would appear in the 1910 census in Colorado Springs.

No result for Virgil Williams. So I tried A V Williams.

And there he was. Aubrey V Williams, age 59, divorced. Born in Kentucky. Father born in Kentucky, mother born in Germany. Inmate of the Union Printers Home in Colorado Springs.

That's the last I can find of Virgil. I always understood that one of the brothers died in Denver, but not when. Until today, I thought that brother was Otis.

It has to be Virgil. I can't find death records after 1908 digitized for Colorado, and they didn't start keeping death certificates until 1912. I can't submit a request to get a death certificate unless I can provide a date of death. I guess I'll have to call Colorado and see how many times I can get transferred before someone can give me a work-around.

Both brothers were mentioned - as were Arkansas mosquitoes - in The Typographical Journal, Volume 11, publ. International Typographical Union., 1897.

I'm not done yet. I want to find their final resting places. Ditto for brother Lucien.

The journey is good.

...And the rockets' red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave?
O'er the land of the free
And the home of the brave...

Although we all know that the holiday we will celebrate Monday s the 240th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence - a statement declaring that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation - not everyone realizes how the Star Spangled Banner came to be, or that it was not written during the Revolutionary War.

As a matter of fact, Francis Scott Key didn't call it the Star Spangled Banner. His original title was Defence of Fort M'Henry.

It was during the War of 1812 that the verses that would become our national anthem were written.

Key was an influential lawyer who volunteered to negotiate with the British for the return of some American prisoners captured during the war, and being held on the the flagship of the British fleet on the Chesapeake Bay. He and some friends were permitted to board the ship and were successful in their efforts, but since they had learned of plans of the British fleet to attack Fort McHenry at Baltimore, they were allowed to re-board their own vessel, but under British guard.

It was under this close scrutiny that on the night of 13 September 1814, Key watched anxiously as the British fleet continued to shell Fort McHenry, and the Americans became slower and slower to return fire. At twilight, he could still see the 30 by 42 foot Stars and Stripes (one of two flags made the previous year by a woman named Mary Pickersgill), tattered but still flying over Fort McHenry. The shelling continued throughout the night.

By dawn, an eerie silenced descended. Through the smoke, fog and haze, Key and the other Americans looked for the flag. There was a break in the haze, and they could see it.

Our flag was still there... announcing the American victory.

Mary Pickersgill's original flag is preserved at the Smithsonian Institute.

The memory of our ancestors and other relatives who fought for our independence from England during the Revolutionary War, and then fought for it again during the War of 1812, is preserved in our hearts.

Revolutionary War
Joshua Bloomer Ashmore, Sr.
Stephen Bloomer Balch
Luke Chapin
Samuel Chapin
Thomas Hale
Jesse George Hoshal
Alexander Meek
James Meek
Samuel Meek
Nelson Edward Parrish
Elijah Rollins
Ichabod Rollins
Nathaniel Rollins
Jesse Williams

The War of 1812
John S T Callaway
John Ivie
Ephraim C Lemley, Sr.
Keys Meek
Abraham Lincoln Parrish
George Wharton
Jacob Wingfield

photo d5694c39-f08d-45b0-bba1-9abbddb5d59f.jpg

Lest we forget...

I've been putting off writing this entry for years.

Literally.

For so many reasons, not the least of which is that I don't know if I can be fair.

Or charitable. So I'll say up front that this narrative will be a combination of facts and my perspective having lived through these facts.

This one is about my mother.

Judith Ann Williams was born on 20 Oct 1937 in Little Rock, Pulaski Co., AR to Joe Duffie Williams and Doris Geneva Balding. She had an older brother, Joe Carlton Williams, known to everyone as Buddy.

By all accounts, Mom led a fairly privileged childhood. She lived her early childhood years with her parents and brother at 213 Dennison, and had extended family very close by.

She told me of happy memories of her childhood - visiting with her Mema, Hattie Chapin Balding, who lived next door at 217 Dennison. Mom said Mema let her play in her china cabinet, taking things out carefully, having her tea party, and putting them back just as carefully.

Mom, about 4 years old

Mom spoke of her memories of sharing ice cream cones with her dog, and of the lovely clothes her own mother made her. Clothes that were envied by her girlfriends.

But Mom positively beamed when she talked about her dad. She was his princess, and in my memories, she was never happier than when she was with him.

Mom, third from right, with her arm around her Daddy. Photo August 1967

My mother would freely admit she was a Daddy's girl.

It was her relationship with her own mother that first cast a shadow in her life. The relationship was competitive and hurtful - on both sides.

Mom was about 4 or 5 when my grandmother was diagnosed with tuberculosis and admitted to the TB sanitarium in Booneville, Logan Co., AR. Booneville is just under a two hour drive one way these days. I imagine it took longer in the early 1940s.

For as long as I knew my mother, she said her own mother abandoned her - that the black maid employed by my grandfather during my grandmother's confinement raised her - not her own mother. I can see how a young child might feel that way - TB was highly contagious, and children weren't allowed to visit patients at Booneville.

But mom repeated the story her whole life. Even as an adult, she didn't seem to be able to reconcile the facts with the childhood perspective. She also felt that her mother favored her brother, Buddy.

But still, she had her Daddy.

When I was 11 years old, my Papa Joe died -suddenly, unexpectedly as he was going down the stairs in his home on Lombardy Lane. He had an aortic aneurysm that ruptured and was dead before he hit the floor.

My mother sank into a deep, profound depression. Even I as a child could see that.

She self-medicated with alcohol. But she had been doing that already for several years. The fact of my life since I had been in the fourth grade had been to look after my younger sisters when my mother had a hangover. She called it a "swollen brain," and it meant that she pretty much did nothing for the day following her alcoholic binge.

Those binges took place at night at first, and were accompanied by Mom screaming at Dad, slamming doors and throwing things into the wee small hours of the morning. Later on, she would rise mid-morning and start her day with her first drink (vodka was the preferred beverage), continue drinking all day, and rage all night. Lather, rinse, repeat. She meted out physical, emotional and psychological abuse to me and my sisters fairly even-handedly. As we got old enough to date, she'd hit on our boyfriends. I decided by the time I was 12 or 13 that it wasn't safe to bring friends home with me after school. For my 13th birthday - and each year after that, when my Dad asked me what I wanted, I told him I wanted him to divorce Mom and get custody of all three of us.

Mom hit me for the last time when I was 17 years old. It was unprovoked. She slapped me with an open hand against one side of my head and tried to get her fingers into my hair. (One of her favorite tactics was to grab my long hair, and kick me with her knee into my coccyx.)

She tried to get my hair and missed. I decked her. She fell flat on her butt. She ran to go tell my Dad, who was in their bedroom. He stepped out into the hall, sized up the situation, looked at Mom and said, "I guess you better not hit her again."

But the violence against my sisters continued. I left home on May 18, 1977 - the night I graduated from high school. I'd like to say I never looked back, but that would be a lie. I felt incredibly guilty about leaving my sisters with Mom.

I saw the film Ordinary People for the first time in 1981, about a year after it was released, when I was living in Lake Charles, LA during my first marriage.

Mary Tyler Moore's depiction of Beth Jarrett took my breath away. There was my mother, but sober.

"Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People" (Watch on YouTube)

I have no idea how many times I've watched the movie, but I cry every time.

So much pain. Such an awful waste.

I split with my first husband shortly after that, and in 1981, moved back to Little Rock.

Things were different, and if it were possible, they were worse. Mom detoxed and sobered up for a few years, before unceremoniously announcing to me one day that she wasn't an alcoholic, she just had problems with alcohol. She could still drink now and then.

And by now, there were grandkids...

Mom liked being a grandmother from a distance. She was clear that she did not want to be called Grandma, or any similar moniker. She was Nanny.

Nanny competed with her grandkids to be the center of attention at their birthday parties. She would agree to babysit, and call the parent before the agreed upon departure time because she just couldn't take it any more.

I took a four day, three night business trip when my son was six years old. When I got back, Mom had a litany of complaints about him - he was noisy, too active, and he put his feet on the bed with his shoes still on. I asked her if she told him to take them off.

Yes.

Did he mind you?

Yes.

Then, what's the problem? He's 6 years old.

As we were driving away from her house, my son begged me to never again leave him with his Nanny. I didn't.

As the years went on, things got worse. Mom had a drink in her hand almost all the time, even when she was diagnosed with end stage renal disease and had to start dialysis.

She would try to start problems between my sisters and me by telling each of us something about the other designed to be hurtful. She became cruel and cutting with her best - and probably only - friend from childhood, another woman named Judy. Judy in particular mourned the loss of the friend she had always known, and told me repeatedly how my mother used to be. Back in the day when she was the envy of all their girlfriends.

We stopped having alcohol at family gatherings when we knew she would be there. She brought her own. I never drank when I knew I was responsible for a child, yet she would follow me from room to room, insisting I drink with her.

My grandmother died in 1998. My mother's performance immediately following her own mother's death killed any remaining love I had for her.

I gave myself permission to divorce my mother.

During the last five years of my mother's life, I can probably count on both hands the number of times I had contact with my mother - either by telephone or in person.

Judith Ann Williams Neumann took herself off dialysis and went home to die in hospice care. She crossed over on 22 May 2004. The memorial service was on 5 Jun 2004.

I felt no sense of loss or grief. To this day, I do not grieve my mother's passing. I would like to be able to unravel the tangled web that was my mother's life, and get some understanding of what it was that made her so desperately unhappy - and in the process made her want to create misery for those closest to her.

Perhaps I'll get to ask her. On the other side.

I've finally gotten around to transcribing two letters from my great grandaunt, Mildred Carlton "Minnie" Williams Shinn, to her brother, (my great grandfather), Jo Desha Williams.

Some comments before we start...
These letters were written with a dip pen. I am posting photos of each page for two reasons - first, I think it's remarkable that I can read as much as I can of letters written a century ago with a dip pen. I have a dip pen holder and several nibs. I can tell you it is no small feat to be able to finish a string of words without running out of ink, and then not dripping ink on the page when you've dipped the pen anew.

Second, I need some help with some of the words. I have transcribed the letters as she wrote them, including all the commas that were used when a period was needed. (These are some of the longest run-on sentences in the history of writing. Perhaps it was the style of the time for personal letter writing.) I have inserted a blank anywhere I cannot make out a word or words. Please feel free to comment with any suggestions for the missing words.

It cost two cents to mail these letters to Desha from Washington DC to Little Rock. As you will see, every available blank space on the page was filled.

Equally remarkable to me is that the letter could simply be addressed "Jo D Williams Russellville Arkansas" and it got to him. These were the days before zip codes.

I will add editorial comments in regular type after points in the second letter where I have information that will allow you to read the letter in context.

Letter postmarked 25 Jan 1915

My dear Desha,

Hazen is not dreaming dreams or seeing visions, although he is getting pretty near three score and ten, and I am not far behind him, we have just passed our 40 years of wedded life, and when I think of your four children in the parlor, seated upon the green sofa in the corner, when we walked in, looking so prim all in a row, I have to laugh for it seems as though it must have been in the beginning. But I must confess I do not feel any much older, till I begin to think of the great discoveries that have been made electric cars, telephones, autos ____ ____ flying machines and last but-not-least- doing away with the old time bath houses, as Pa always called them, we are strictly sanitary at present. I am enclosing some verses Hazen wrote for the dinner friends thought so fine had Roy run off a few copies, now see if you can come up that in your old days. With many good, and much love to all of you from the Shinn family, your sister, Minnie.
Comments: Hazen was what Minnie called her husband, Josiah Hazen Shinn. Roy was their son. They lost their daughter, Grace Electra Shinn, to typhoid fever at the age of 10 while they were still living in Russellville.
ETA: filling in one blank with the word "sanitary."

Letter postmarked 4 Feb 1915
Page 1

My dear Desha and Maxie,

Your good letters, and box of many good things came as quite a happy surprise, and I can ashure you have been greatly enjoyed by the entire family. I never had so many goodies in all my life before. They just come in time for our quarterly missionary meeting, when we take box lunch at an all day session, and they have been used at several luncheons I have had since my return, and still have my plum pudding for thanksgiving, so you can see I am making good use of them.
(NOTE: According to a biography in History of the Shinn family, by JH Shinn, published 1903, at page 254, Minnie was a member of the Christian Church and active in several ladies' circles of the church.)

I had often wondered if your children ever fully realized just what it ment to care for four extra ones upon a poor salary for only nine months in the year. It was trying to meet this new demand, that we had to open our little store, which proved our ruin for we lost everything as you will remember, and had to turn to our friends with nothing to face the future save our six children, that we still held to, and how well we have succeeded you know.
(NOTE: Minnie and Hazen married in Bridgeport, Franklin Co., KY on 17 Jan 1875. In October that year, their first child, Grace Electra was born. Joseph Roy Longworth Shinn was born on 18 Mar 1880. On 14 Jan 1879, Minnie's mother died, leaving her father with her four youngest siblings to raise. For whatever reason, Jacob Williams was not up to the task, so Minnie's sisters and brothers - Margaret, Mattie, Desha and Julian - went to live with Josiah and Minnie. Minnie's household exploded from four family members to eight. Minnie and Hazen moved to Arkansas in 1882, and then to DC in 1902. Minnie raised her siblings to adulthood.
ETA: "how well" in blank before "how well we succeeded you know.")

The Lord was with us and blessed us in our every undertaking. We have never doubted him and his goodness, and we did not flinch when other burddens came to us, such as Zella _____ Judd, and our own father.
(NOTE: Although I cannot read the two words preceding "Judd," I feel this must be a reference to Hazen's mother, Elizabeth Frances Gilpin Shinn Judd, who died in 1892 in Russellville, and is buried there. Minnie's father, Jacob Williams, died in 1900 in Russellville. So it is likely that from 1885 to 1900, Minnie and Hazen had their son Roy, Minnie's dad and Hazen's mother, and Minnie's youngest brother, Julian in some combination in the household. We don't have the 1890 census to see how many there were.
ETA: "Zella" in one of the blanks preceding Judd.)

We still tried to do our duty as best we could although not all ways understood or appreciated. With all our burrdens and troubles we tried to keep sweet and happy and make the most of life, and have found many pleasures all along the way and many many blessings, such as our lovely trip this summer, and new friends as well as old ones met, and other avenues of services oferred to us, we have not found very much time to lay up treasures below, although trust we may have a few above.

Page 2 (written on the back of page 1)

It seemed sweet to do the one thing that had always been upon my heart, that of moving our mother. This was a duty of love and devotion long deferred, on account of our obligations to the living, though after all of your children have been reared, and well placed in life, and the grandfathers put away, Then we could gather a little unto our selves, and do some things we liked and had always wanted to do, of course we are glad to have all of you share in this labor of love with us, and do you know that she still lives in the heart and lives of the people there as much as ever, after thirty six years.
(NOTE: I do not know where Catharine C Mueller Williams was originally buried. I do know she is now interred in Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, Franklin Co., KY.
ETA: To fill in blanks in "Then we could gather a little...")

It was our dear mother who was the most ______ of person I heard about during my visit, her life had not been lived in vain, her praises were still sung by all. We counted this duty long deferred the crowning joy of our delightfull ________, and a most happy ending, and do you know that the first letter written by Hazen upon our return was a letter of love and sympathy to a niece, in ____, whose mother died while we were away a half brother's child, to make our roof her home though she wishes as long as her grandfather will stay with him, her mother and grandmother died this year. Hazen will soon be her _____ _____ as the grandfather is very much broken in health. When we thought we had finished our task here the Lord has still further service for us I believe. She is eighteen and a very lovely girl finishes college this year. I am glad to hear that the grandbaby is such a lovely sweet child, guess our next trip will be down to see for our selves, and peep in upon Cedric and Katheline, had a lovely card from her inviting us, have answered thanking her and asking them, know that she must be a lovely girl from all you say, am so glad to hear of their beautiful little flat - know they must be happy, and trust that nothing may ever come but happiness to them, again thanking you for your many good things, and kind words appreciation and love, your devoted sister, Minnie.
(NOTE: The grandbaby was Gwendolyn Williams, daughter of Paul Meek Williams and Ruth Youngblood. Cedric was Cedric Hazen Williams, who must have announced his engagement to Kathleen Kilgore. They would marry on 14 Jul 1915 in Butler Co., MO, but the marriage would not last.
ETA: Words to help complete "...a letter of love and sympathy to a niece in [location] whose mother died while we were away, to make our roof her home though she wishes...")

Two months prior to the death of Mattie Williams, the sister of Minnie and Jo D Williams (my great grandfather), Minnie's only surviving child died.

He was Joseph Roy Longworth Shinn. He died on 13 Feb 1930 in Washington D C.

Here's a transcription of the telegram sent to Jo D Williams by his sister, Minnie. It was received in Little Rock on 13 Feb 1930 at 9:39 p.m.
NL=Washington DC
James D Williams
2310 Ringo St Little Rock Ark

Roy passed away of heart trouble very suddenly at five pm today. Services Saturday the fifteenth at five pm. Expressing remains after services to Vernon Russellville Arkansas. I am bearing this sorrow very well. My health is as usual. Telegraphing Vernon to make arrangements.
Minnie

Then, the telegram from the funeral home in DC, received in Little Rock on 14 Feb 1930 at 3:51 p.m.
Washington DC 437p
J D Williams
2310 Ringo St Little Rock Ark

Remains Joseph Shinn leaving Saturday February fifteenth by railway express eleven forty seven pm. B and O no three.
The S H Hines Co.

It always bothers me when I learn that someone has died alone. Even more so when I learn that they died days before the body was discovered.

And so it was with Martha "Mattie" Williams, older sister of my great grandfather, Jo Desha Williams.

But not only did she die alone, two days before her body was discovered, strangers to her family organized her funeral because my great granddad and his oldest sister, Minnie, did not - would not? - attend.

Indeed, from the telegrams from Hubert Wise notifying them of Mattie's death, it seems Minnie was only concerned with the estate.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm reading this chronology the wrong way.

You decide.

Telegram #1 - received in Little Rock, 15 Apr 1930, 10:18 p.m.
Extra=Chigaco ILL 1009p
J W Williams 2310 Ringo Street Little Rock Ark
Regret to tell you we found your sister Mrs Fisher passed away suddenly this evening, I have taken charge and will follow instructions left in letter by her. Have also notified Mrs Shinn nightletter following.
Hubert Wise 4738 Kenwood Avenue

Telegram #2 - received in Little Rock 16 Apr 1930 12:55 a.m. (This was Wednesday. Mr. Wise discovered the body late Tuesday night.)
NL=Chicago ILL
J W Williams
2310 Ringo St Little Rock Ark
Dear Mr Williams not hearing from Mrs Fisher since I took her home Sunday evening and getting no response by telephone I went out this evening and with the janitor opened the apartment and found Mrs Fisher laying on the floor. I fetched Dr. Thompson who said death had taken place Sunday night. Mrs Fisher has left written instructions to be laid by her husband in Elmwood Cemetery. Also undertaker and service she desired. Will have autopsy performed and coroners inquest will be held in morning. Have enjoyed such close friendship with Mrs Fisher for many years. We shall do everything possible to carry out her wishes and shall await your instructions.
Hubert Wise

This makes me wonder if she committed suicide. I now will have to try and get her death certificate.

Telegram #3, from Minnie Williams to brother J D Williams, received in Little Rock on 16 Apr 1930 at 7:14 a.m.
NL Collect=Washington DC
J W Williams
2310 Ringo Street Little Rock Ark
Please go to Chicago for me and look after Matties affairs. I was looking for her to be with me. I am not able to go. Hope to bear it. Her furniture has just arrived but not her personal belonging have to be looked after.
Minnie

Telegram #4, from J D Williams to Hubert Wise, 16 Apr 1930
Little Rock Ark 4/16/30
Hubert Wise
4738 Kenwood Ave
Chicago Ills
Received message and nightletter. Carry out completely her instructions. This was her desire indicated to me after her husband passed away. You take charge of all her possessions of every nature including all funds held by her and follow instructions in regard to burial. We will be satisfied with what ever you do and thank you so much for your kindness and attention to this matter. Under the existing circumstances do you think it advisable for me to come. If so advise immediately. We know everything is in safe hands. May God bless you for your kindness to us.
J D Williams

Telegram #4, Received in Little Rock on 16 Apr 1930, 7:17 p.m.
Chicago ILL 710p
J H Williams
2310 Ringo St Little Rock Ark
Dear Mister Williams thank you for your message of love and confidence placed in us. Have arranged for funeral service Friday at one thirty from Lawrence Undertaking Parlors in exact accordance with yours and Mrs Fishers request. It is not necessary for you to come. Every detail taken care of. Letter follows giving full particulars. Lovingly
Hubert Wise

And so Mr. Wise sent J D Williams the order of service for Mattie's funeral. I have not transcribed it, but you should be able to tell from the account that Mattie's friends put much time and effort into organizing her service.

Wire from J D Williams to Minnie Shinn, dated 16 Apr 1930
Little Rock Ark April 16/30
Mrs Minnie C Shinn
624 Rock Creek Church Road
Washington D C
Night letter received - have been waiting to get notice from Mr Wise. He advises - Dear Mister Williams thank you for your message of love and confidence placed in us. Have arranged for funeral service Friday at one thirty from Lawrence Undertaking Parlors in exact accordance with yours and Mrs Fishers request. It is not necessary for you to come. Every detail taken care of. Letter follows giving full particulars. Lovingly
Hubert Wise - Now Minnie I could not change their plans - Mattie [illegible] as to all details planned by her as being executed and all belongings will be properly handled steel yourself and you can bear this burden and all will be well - will go later if necessary to wind up affairs better than now - desire to remember her as in life - not in death - now that all details are so well taken care of - the Good Lord has blessed us by her passing in the midst of loving and Christian friends - let us be thankful it is this way - will advise you by wire and mail the b[illegible] just as soon as received.
J D Williams
Address - 2310 Ringo St Little Rock Ark
Phone 4-6343

Telegram #5, received in Little Rock on 19 Apr 1930 at 5:24 a.m.
NL=Chicago ILL
J W Williams
2310 Ringo St Little Rock Ark
Your dear sisters remains were placed beside her husband this afternoon. Service was expressive of her life - dignified graceful and loving. Many beautiful floral pieces indicated the high esteem in which she was held by many friends. Her last wishes have been carried out to the letter an obligation I consider very sacred. Will you please notify law department First Trust and Savings Bank thirty eight South Dearborn street Chicago immediately authority to pay all bills presented by myself? Letter follows explaining this request. Similar request made to Mrs Shinn.
Hubert Wise

Wire from J D Williams to the bank, granting power of attorney to Hubert Wise, dated 19 Apr 1930
Little Rock Ark - - 4/19/30 - -
Law Department - First Trust and Savings Bank
#38 South Dearborn St
Chicago Ills
Power of Attorney is hereby granted to Hubert Wise to act in my place - Pay all bills and accounts incident to the death and burial of my sister Mrs Mattie Williams Fisher out of any funds held by your bank in trust by her and this wire is your authority to honor the checks as issued by him for that purpose on the said funds as held by our bank.

My sister Mrs Minnie C Shinn Washington City D C the only two legal heirs to her estate including myself.

Witness my hand and seal this date Little Rock Arkansas.

J D Williams
2310 Ringo St Little Rock Ark
Phone 4-6343

Wire to Minnie Shinn from J D Williams, dated 26 Apr 1930
Little Rock April 26/30
Mrs Minnie C Shin
624 Rock Creek Church Road
Washington D C
Just arrived home - am sending Special Delivery letter all correspondence from Mr Wise and others - they acted wisely. You do not need legal services - stop that expense for statement will be sent you of all expense - you will receive all over that amount - I have waived my rights by wire to bank last week. We are lucky indeed to have such good Christian friends to do this for without pay - compose yourself - dont worry - all will be well. You are alright and in safe hands for Matties will or request will executed exactly like she directed - You will receive balance some over two thousand without any legal action on your part.
J D Williams
2310 Ringo St Little Rock Ark
Phone 4-6343

That last one sounds to me like Minnie was going to sue Mattie's friends - who organized and attended to all the details surrounding her death, without asking to be compensated - to ensure she got every dime left over from the estate of the sister she wanted to attend her in her old age.

But she couldn't go to the funeral.

Because of the letters and telegrams from Minnie Shinn to her brother, Jo Desha Williams, I am able to reliably track my great grandparents' movements, and the places they lived.

The 1915 letters place them at their home in Russellville, where they began their married life.

The latest of those two letters was postmarked 4 Feb 1915.

The 1930 telegrams announcing the death of Minnie's son, Joseph Roy Longworth Shinn, were dated 13 and 14 Feb 1930, and sent to my great grandfather in Little Rock, at 2310 Ringo Street.

With the letters and telegrams alone, I knew that Desha and Maxie moved from Russellville between 4 Feb 1915 and 14 Feb 1930.

However, from the 1920 census - taken on 10 Jan 1920 - I learned they were already in Little Rock, living at 709 East 14th Street.

Now, I'd like to narrow it further.

I think I'll spend some time at the library, looking through old Little Rock City Directories on Ancestry.
Image from Google Earth, taken July 2015

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photo MaryCDunnCallawayWilliams edit.jpg

Mary C Dunn, during the time of her marriage to Allen Mason Lowery Callaway, 1866-1877

She was my great great grandmother. Her name was Mary C Dunn. Over the years, I've documented her first and second marriages in Clark Co., AR, her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Even 4th great grandchildren. I know how and when she died. I know where she is buried.

But I could never find her parents. I tried. I talked to her portrait frequently, hoping to prompt some lucid dreaming that would show me some obvious thing I had overlooked.

Then, a few years after I started my search, I met a cousin through Mary's second marriage.

He was VERY helpful in finding information about Mary's younger brother, Bob Dunn, who came to see her from Texas. We were fortunate to have this very weird photo of the two of them standing in front of a bedsheet.

From time to time, I would search through census records in Floyd Co., GA, looking for Dunns that fit this family of three known siblings, Martha, Mary and Robert J Dunn. Floyd Co., GA is where Bob Dunn (or RJ, as he was called in many historic documents) was born, according to a birth certificate for one of his daughters.

I could find age appropriate combos of any two of those names, but not all of them together, when they had to be little kids.

In any event, Floyd Co., GA didn't cut it for any date after 8 Sep 1866, when Mary married my great great grandfather.

I ordered her death certificate, thinking since she died at her daughter's house, the information would be there.

Nope. Her son and informant for the certificate, Ruben Ned Williams, said her mother was unknown. And that her father was Mr. Dunn.

I did not believe that Mary had never talked about her parents to her children, even if she was separated from them by distance or death.

Highly irritating. I can trace my Callaways back to 1667 in Somerset Co., MD, when Maryland was Maryland Colony, because there was no United States of America.

But in Mary's case, I couldn't get back any farther than 5 Jan 1849, when she was born.

Over the weekend, I got an email from Jason Williams, who is the cousin who found all that Texas information on Bob Dunn. Jason had been looking at some DNA matches for his father, and was back in census records for Floyd Co., GA.

He wanted me to look at one from 1850.

photo 1850 census Floyd Co GA pg1 crop1.jpg

There at the bottom of the page were a couple - E Dunn, age 28, and his wife, Sarah Ann Dunn, age 24. Both were born in Georgia.

photo 1850 census Floyd Co GA pg1 crop2.jpg

E Dunn (whom we soon determined was Ezekiel Dunn) and Sarah Ann Dunn had four children, according to the transcription of the census. Sure enough, at the top of the next page were four children.

photo 1850 census Floyd Co GA pg2 crop1.jpg

The census enumerator had written the first two names of the oldest child - 6 year old William Berry. Then s/he had enumerated the younger children, James E, Mary C, and Martha L. With a quote ("), sometimes seen as DO on census records, meaning same surname. S/he never carried the family surname, Dunn, over to the top of the second age for this family. It also looks to me as if the children had originally been enumerated as a separate household, someone realized the error later, and went back and scribbled out the house and family numbers at the far left of the first line.

So for a transcriptionist - all transcriptionists throughout all the years - the four children had become William Berry/Burry, James E Berry/Burry, Mary C Berry/Burry, and Martha L Berry/Burry.

Except for my eagle-eyed cousin, on what must have been his umpteenth pass through 1850 census records for Floyd Co., GA. It didn't look right.

Obviously not. I knew Jason was on to something.

In case any of my first cousins are reading this, and wondering how a guy named Jason Williams is related to us, he's our third cousin. Mary was his great great grandmother through her second marriage to David Andrew Williams.

Mary C Dunn -> Ruben Ned Williams -> Howard Ruben Williams -> Jason's dad -> Jason

Many, many emails later, Jason (who has done almost all the work) and I have determined the following...

Ezekiel Dunn and Sarah Ann Meeks married on 8 Sep 1842 in Floyd Co., GA.

They had at least 6 children: William Berry Dunn, born 1844 in Floyd Co., GA, died before 1870 in Clark Co., AR; James Alexander Dunn, born 3 Feb 1846 in Floyd Co., GA, died 29 Mar 1908 in Searcy Co., AR; Martha L Dunn, who said she was born in 1848 in order to get her marriage license in Clark Co., AR in 1869 to marry David Andrew Williams, died 2 Nov 1876 from tuberculosis in Clark Co., AR; Mary C Dunn, born 5 Jan 1849 in Floyd Co., GA, died 9 Apr 1929 in Clark Co., AR; Robert J Dunn, born 3 Dec 1853 in Cave Spring, Floyd Co., GA, died 15 Dec 1926 in Sulphur Springs, Hunt Co., TX; and Ezekiel Dunn, born 1856 - probably in Floyd Co., GA, although there are records that say he was born in Arkansas.

Then we lose the children in 1860 - at least neither Jason or I have found them with other surnames yet.

But Sarah Ann Meeks Dunn was found in the 1860 census - with her new husband, David Benjamin Cagle - whom she married in Clark Co., AR on 13 May 1860. They were living in Greenville Twp., Clark Co., AR. None of Sarah's children are with the new couple, although several of David Benjamin Cagle's children are living with them.

Now, Mary's marriage record to Mace Callaway in 1866 made more sense to me:
Oct. 15th 1866 Clark Co Ark.

This is to certify that I, James Wilson, a regularly ordained minister of the gospel of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church did on the 8th of September 1866 solemnize the rights of matrimony between Mace Callaway, aged 20 years and wife Mary C Dunn, aged 17 years. He having no parent or guardian and her having no Father and the consent of her mother made her home with another family. In their presents (sic) was the right for [illegible]. Both residents of this county and State. My credentials recorded Batesville Independence County Ark. James Wilson

Sometime between 1856 and 1860, Sarah Ann Meeks had been widowed, and relocated to Clark Co., AR. Her six children had been placed with other families. In 1870, Jason found 14 year old Ezekiel Dunn living with Green Anderson Malcom and his wife, Susan, in Greenville Twp., Clark Co., AR.

Did David Benjamin Cagle refuse to allow his new wife to have her children with her? At the time of their marriage, her youngest was only 4 years old. Were the children with either Ezekiel or Sarah's families back in Floyd Co., GA until she could get settled and send for them? Was there just no room at the Cagle inn for them?

Sarah Ann Meeks and David Benjamin Cagle had two known children - Rufus Miles Cagle, born 7 Feb 1861 in Clark Co., AR, died 10 Jan 1929 in Clark Co., AR; and Henry E Cagle, born 1865 in Clark Co., AR.

In the 1900 census, Sarah Ann Meeks, having been widowed after the 1880 census, was living with her son, Rufus Miles Cagle, and his family in Caddo, Clark Co., AR. She said she was the mother of 9 children, 5 of whom were living at the time of the census. Jason and I have only documented 8 children. I think there was a Dunn child - probably her firstborn - who died at birth or in infancy.

And here's the kicker - in that 1900 census, Sarah Ann Meeks is living one home over from her widowed daughter, Mary C Dunn Callaway Williams, and Mary's two sons, Ruben Ned and Willie Williams.

So why didn't Ned Williams remember his grandmother 29 years later when he gave information for his mother's death certificate?

We will probably never know.

Naturally, the next steps are to flesh out as much information as we can about Mary's siblings and their families, and to try to keep going backward to find the parents of Ezekiel Dunn and Sarah Ann Meeks. Jason is hot on that trail, burning the midnight oil.

And the journey is good.

As I write this, I am sitting in one of my favorite places - my east porch, which looks out on gardens I built.

I have lived in this spot for twenty years. As I age, I am very glad I built the bones of these gardens as a younger woman.

And as I admire the results of my efforts two decades ago, I feel very close to both of my grandmothers. They also built gardens, and spent considerable time in their gardens.

Addie Louise Herrington had an herbaceous perennial border six feet deep around the perimeter of her home on Crittenden Street in Arkadelphia. I remember especially her camellia, and all of those blue hydrangeas.

Grandma Burris didn't have a porch, apart from the screened entryway to the kitchen. But she and Granddaddy Burris did put lawn chairs in the shaded part of the backyard.

photo AddieLouiseHerringtonBurris1928.jpg

Louise Herrington Burris, 1908-1980

Doris Geneva Balding had a fully landscaped garden - of her design and built with a lot of her sweat. She hired out the large jobs - like the brick wall she paid my dad to build around her back garden.

Grandma Dee had a terrace, and almost always had a comfortable cushion laid out on her favorite terrace chair. She and Papaw Joe used the terrace as an extension of their home, an outdoor room.

Doris Balding Williams, 1907-1998

I totally "get it."

I know why my grandmothers spent so much time and put so much effort in their gardens.

There are times when you have to earth yourself. Times when yanking out weeds, and feeling crumbly earth slipping through your fingers allows you to leave behind what seemed just a few moments ago to be so important.

Times when you lose track of time as you let your garden consume all your senses. When the garden tells you that we are all connected.

And it teaches you that no matter what your spiritual paradigm, we humans are totally unnecessary to the changing of the cycles of nature. We're just gravy on the finished product, and will leave this earthly experience behind one day.

And the cycles will go on. So we don't need to go messing up this wondrous creation with toxins and a laissez faire attitude that we can just use, and use, and use without ever giving back.

These days, I am trying to just maintain the gardens. There's enough work in that for me.

My building projects have now turned to gardening in miniature.

gnome garden, May 2015

My anchor plant in the gnome garden is a dwarf twisted Hinoki cypress.

photo 06 11 2015 dwarf hinoki cypress.jpg

Dwarf Twisted Hinoki Cypress 'Tsatsumi'

This little tree is a slow grower. Eventually it will outgrow the space, getting a couple of feet tall and about as wide. I haven't researched how it would respond to root pruning to keep it smaller. I'm really looking forward to seeing curling bark.

As time goes by, I can enjoy the planning of its replacement, and relocate this little cypress to its own pot.

The journey is good. I can make it even better by taking time to appreciate my garden.

I love and miss you both.

I'll see you on the other side.

Although the family tree is full of veterans and heroes of service - past and present - in the armed forces of the United States, I focus today on my ancestors who served in battles before and during the American Revolution.

James Samuel Ashmore - born 4 Nov 1732 in Harford Co., Maryland Colony. He was the son of Richard Ashmore and Margery Lindley.

James was one of the rabble-rousers who was determined to annoy, harass and set back the cause of our fledgling country's British oppressors.

So in an act of covert defiance, on 2 May 1771, James - along with his half-brother, Joshua Hadley, and several other men - burned a gunpowder train that was on its way to Tory General Waddell, which was intended to be used against the group of colonists protesting the unreasonable taxes being imposed upon them by the Brits. This group of men became known as The Black Boys of Cabarrus County, North Carolina, due to them blackening their faces before setting out on their destructive mission.

In his deposition about the incident taken on 22 Jun 1771, James said:
...they found and stopped the waggons and enquired for the powder that was carrying to General Waddell. When in the waggon belonging to Col. Alexander they found the powder and took it out of the waggons, broke open the hogsheads and kegs that contained the powder, and set the same on fire and destroyed some blankets, leggins, kettles, and other things, and then dispersed soon after, having at this deponent first joining of them sworn him to secrecy as they informed who they all before, and further his deponent sayeth not. (Sourced to this website.)

Public sentiment among the colonists grew overwhelmingly in favor of "The Black Boys." As stated here, When the drama of the Revolution opened, these same "Black Boys" stood up manfully for the cause of American freedom, and nobly assisted in achieving, on many a hard-fought battlefield, the independence of our country.

Line of descent to me:
James Samuel Ashmore/Elizabeth Balch
Joshua Bloomer Ashmore/Mary Henderson
Andrew Sawyer Ashmore/Elizabeth McCarley
Elizabeth Adeline Ashmore/James Littleton Burris
George Washington Burris, Sr./Mary Mathilda Wharton
George Washington Burris, Jr./Addie Louise Herrington
my dad
me

Jesse Williams - born 19 Jun 1750 in Newcastle County, Delaware Colony, died 29 Sep 1834 in Rockcastle Co., KY after being kicked by a horse he was shoeing.

He was the son of David Shion and Mary Williams, immigrants to Delaware Colony from Wales.

Jesse enlisted in the Revolutionary War at Baltimore, MD in the summer of 1776, and as was the practice for the voluntary army made up overwhelmingly of farmers, served his multiple week tours of duty until the summer of 1781. (Sourced to his descendant's application for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution, at this link.) Note - paywall for the link.

Line of descent to me:
Jesse Williams/Elizabeth Rachel Gott
David Williams/Elizabeth Rowe
Jacob Williams/Catherine C Mueller
Jo Desha Williams/Maxie Leah Meek
Jo(e) Duffie Williams/Doris Geneva Balding
my mother
me

Joel Chapin - born 22 Apr 1732 in Springfield, Hampden Co., Massachsetts Colony, died 17 Mar 1805 in Bernardston, Franklin Co., MA.

He was the son of Caleb Chapin and Catherine Dickinson.

History of the Town of Bernardston, Franklin County, Massachusetts. 1736 - 1900 by Lucy Jane Cutler Kellogg (publ. E A Hall and Company, 1902) describes Joel Chapin as one of the members of the "committee of inspection" established on 30 Jan 1775, "when war was an almost assured event" in colonial Massachusetts. Although I have been unable to turn up his service record, Joel must have served because his gravestone in Old Cemetery, Bernardston, Franklin Co., MA says he was Lieut. Joel Chapin.

Line of descent to me:
Joel Chapin/Sarah Burke
Solomon Chapin/Rebecca Porter
Joel Chapin/Adeline Foster
Nathaniel Foster Chapin/Elizabeth Pancoast-Harris
Frederick Chapin/Eada Belle Parrish
Hattie Belle Chapin/Victor Claude Balding
Doris Geneva Balding/Jo(e) Duffie Williams
my mother
me

Betsey Ross flag at Valley Forge

The older I get, the more I understand some of the things my grandmother, Doris Balding Williams, did.

Now, I understand the only-damp-but-not-soiled paper towel lying on the kitchen counter, ready to be used again.

Now, I understand the clotheslines strung up in the garage, and the car parked in the driveway.

Now, I understand the empty boxes of Russell Stovers candies. With me, it's those paper bags with the sturdy handles.

Now, I understand the joy of moving slowly through the garden making new discoveries every day. And sharing them with others.

Now, I understand leaving the sewing machine up. All the time.

Grandma Dee, it took me a half century, but now I understand.

Doris Balding Williams, in her garden in 1972

I have ~~occasionally mentioned~~ frequently whined about my great grandmother Maxie Leah Meek's failure to label so many of the wonderful photos in her photo album.

As I initially paged through it after my mother's death in 2004, I wondered why we had so many photos of Teddy Roosevelt in our album. I can imagine that my Williams great grandparents were supportive of their President, but still, it was a mystery to me.

And lo and behold...one of them was labeled, like this one in the Williams family photo album.

It was that last one. It said Desha on the back of it.

That was Maxie's husband, Jo Desha Williams.

Here's a photo of the real Teddy Roosevelt.

As far as I know, I have no kinship to the Roosevelts.

But I believe my great grandfather was a dead ringer for one of them...

This is a Sepia Saturday post.

Head over there to look at more wonderful old photos and postcards.

My mother and father married on 19 May 1956.

These photos were taken in the home of my maternal grandparents, Joe Duffie Williams and Doris Geneva Balding.

.

.

Judith Ann Williams, 1937-2004

I cropped this one. It shows a happy young couple, envisioning a wonderful life together.

Sadly, that wonderful life did not materialize in the 23 years of their marriage, although there certainly were happy moments.

That, however, as well as my complex relationship with my parents - both highly complex people - is a subject for future posts.

Jasper and Julia Herrington house, Clark Co., AR

George W Burris Jr. house, 8th and Crittenden, Arkadelphia, Clark Co., AR

Jo Desha and Maxie Williams house, Russellville, Pope Co., AR. Original construction.

photo TheWilliamshouseinRussellvilleThanksgiving1899crop.jpg

First addition

Last addition

George W Burris Sr house, Russellville, Pope Co., AR. 500 Glenwood, after the family moved to town from the farm.

photo GWBurrisSrfamilyat500GlenwoodRsvl.jpg

This is a Sepia Saturday post.

Head over there for more wonderful sepia memories.

This post is on the Massengale ancestry for one of my friends. We believe James D Massengale was the progenitor of this family. Not much is known about him, or his wife, Mary Sun. Some researchers say she was native, but absent a Y DNA test for some of her female descendants, that would be hard to verify.

There is also lots of quibbling on surname message boards about how many children James D Massengale had, and who they are.

My friend's direct ancestors in bold.

First Generation

1. James D Massengale was born in 1760.

James married Mary Sun.

They had the following children:

+ 2 M i. Warren Massengale was born in 1788. He died in 1855/1860.

+ 3 M ii. Reddick Massengale was born in 1789. He died about 1870.

Second Generation

2. Warren Massengale (James D) was born in 1788 in Nash Co., NC. He died in 1855/1860.

Warren married (1) Unknown in North Carolina. Unknown died before 1841.

They had the following children:

4 M i. Warren Massengale .

5 M ii. William Massengale .

6 M iii. John Massengale was born in 1806 in North Carolina.

7 M iv. Joseph Massengale died about 1864 in Shubuta, MS.

+ 8 M v. Jesse Massengale was born in 1812.

9 F vi. Texas Anna Massengale .

10 F vii. Georgia Massengale .
Georgia married Bill Morris .

11 F viii. Bessie Massengale died before 1930.

Warren married (2) Susan MNU on 27 Apr 1841 in Jones Co., GA. Susan was born in 1815 in Georgia.

They had the following children:

+ 12 F ix. Elizabeth Massengale was born in 1842.

+ 13 M x. Thomas J Massengale was born in Sep 1845.

+ 14 M xi. Baldwin B Massengale was born in 1848.

15 M xii. Troup Massengale was born in 1855 in Georgia.

3. Reddick Massengale (James D) was born in 1789 in Nash Co., NC. He died about 1870 in Smithville, Monroe Co., MS.

Reddick married Sarah Francis Hawk about 1810, probably in North Carolina. Sarah was born in 1793 in North Carolina. She died after 1860.

They had the following children:

+ 16 F i. Mary Massengale was born in 1811.

+ 17 M ii. Alfred Washington Massengale was born in 1814. He died in 1879.

+ 18 F iii. Nancy Massengale was born in 1819. She died before 1880.

+ 19 F iv. Martha Massengale was born in 1822.

+ 20 F v. Lucinda Massengale was born in 1823.

+ 21 M vi. William Robert (Reddick?) Massengale was born on 13 May 1828. He died on 2 Jul 1903.

+ 22 F vii. Jane Massengale was born in 1830.

+ 23 M viii. James Massengale was born in 1830. He died in 1866.

+ 24 F ix. Anna Elizabeth Massengale was born in 1834. She died before 1880.

Third Generation

8. Jesse Massengale (Warren, James D) was born in 1812 in North Carolina.

Jesse married (1) Nancy Price on 7 Nov 1836 in Perry Co., AL. Nancy was born in 1819 in Perry Co., AL. She died before 1852 in Perry Co., AL.

They had the following children:

25 F i. Elizabeth H Bettie Massengale was born on 7 Nov 1837 in Perry Co., AL.
Elizabeth married J B Prole .

26 F ii. Mary Ann Mollie Massengale was born in 1839 in Perry Co., AL.
Mary married Tom Gills .

27 M iii. William Baxter Massengale was born in 1841 in Perry Co., AL.
William married Mary A Mollie Simms on 10 Feb 1867 in Perry Co., AL. Mary was born in 1850 in Alabama.

28 M iv. John H Massengale was born in 1844 in Perry Co., AL. He died about 1864 in Okolona, MS. The cause of death was measles during the Civil War.

29 F v. Eliza Jane Jennie Massengale was born in 1846 in Perry Co., AL.
Eliza married Charles Moore .

Jesse married (2) Jane Elizabeth Vaughn on 6 Mar 1852 in Perry Co., AL. Jane was born in 1822 in Alabama.

They had the following children:

30 M vi. Thomas Alexandria Massengale was born on 22 Jan 1853 in Perry Co., AL.

31 F vii. Sarah Lavina Massengale was born in 1855 in Perry Co., AL. She died in 1925.
Sarah married J Elijah Jones on 13 Jan 1872 in Rankin Co., MS. J Elijah Jones was born in 1839 in Alabama.

32 M viii. James Richard Massengale was born on 11 Oct 1856 in Perry Co., AL.
James married Mary Susan Burrow daughter of Andrew J Burrow and Mary J MNU on 6 Mar 1886. Mary was born in Jun 1866 in Alabama. She died on 29 Nov 1926.

33 M ix. Joseph Leander Massengale was born in 1859 in Perry Co., AL.

34 F x. Beatrice Alline Massengale was born in Aug 1863 in Perry Co., AL.
Beatrice married George Y King on 28 Oct 1879 in Rankin Co., MS. George was born in Dec 1858 in Mississippi.

12. Elizabeth Massengale (Warren, James D) was born in 1842 in Georgia.

Elizabeth married Taliaferro J Jarrell on 16 Sep 1869 in Jones Co., GA. Taliaferro was born in Apr 1849 in Georgia. He died on 17 Jan 1924 in Spaulding Co., GA.

They had the following children:

35 F i. Susan C Jarrell was born in 1871 in Jones Co., GA.

36 F ii. Annie D Jarrell was born in 1873 in Jones Co., GA.

37 F iii. Mary J Jarrell was born in 1875 in Jones Co., GA.

38 F iv. Mittie L Jarrell was born in 1876 in Jones Co., GA.

39 M v. Thomas Jefferson Jarrell was born on 10 Jul 1877 in Jones Co., GA. He died on 21 Mar 1955 in Macon, Bibb Co., GA. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Macon, Bibb Co., GA.
Thomas married Lula Forence Everidge in 1900 in Bibb Co., GA. Lula was born in Jul 1878 in Georgia. She died in 1949.

40 F vi. Lille May Jarrell was born on 23 May 1883 in Jones Co., GA. She died on

28 Mar 1918 in Bibb Co., GA. She was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Macon, Bibb Co., GA.
Lille married William Floyd Preston . William died on 20 Jul 1935 in Bibb Co., GA. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Macon, Bibb Co., GA.

13. Thomas J Massengale (Warren, James D) was born in Sep 1845 in Georgia.

Thomas married Laura J Christian daughter of Lewis Christian and Hester Anne MNU on 7 Jan 1868 in Jones Co., GA. Laura was born in May 1848 in Jones Co., GA.

They had the following children:

41 M i. John T Massengale was born in 1869 in Jones Co., GA.
John married Mattie MNU in 1889 in Jones Co., GA. Mattie was born in 1863 in Georgia.

42 M ii. Andrew J Massengale was born in 1871 in Jones Co., GA.

43 M iii. Benjamin L Massengale was born in 1873 in Jones Co., GA.

44 F iv. Viola P Massengale was born in 1878 in Jones Co., GA.

45 F v. Beulah C Massengale was born in Mar 1880 in Jones Co., GA.

46 M vi. Alexander H Massengale was born in Nov 1883 in Jones Co., GA.
Alexander married Ida MNU in 1907 in Jones Co., GA. Ida was born in 1890 in Georgia.

14. Baldwin B Massengale (Warren, James D) was born in 1848 in Georgia.

Baldwin married Mary Anne Christian daughter of Lewis Christian and Hester Anne MNU on 31 Dec 1867 in Jones Co., GA. Mary was born on 6 Jan 1845 in North Carolina. She died on 24 Jan 1891 in Jones Co., GA. She was buried in Fortville Cemetery, Fortville, Jones Co., GA.

They had the following children:

47 F i. Lizzie Massengale was born in Aug 1869 in Jones Co., GA.

16. Mary Massengale (Reddick, James D) was born in 1811 in North Carolina.

Mary married Joel A Osborn son of William J Osborn and Nancy MNU. Joel was born in 1811 in Georgia. He died in 1880 in Lamar Co., AL.

They had the following children:

48 F i. Mary J Osborn was born in May 1829 in Georgia.
Mary married Amaziah Stafford on 23 Aug 1849 in Itawamba Co., MS. Amaziah was born in Mar 1827 in Mississippi.

49 F ii. Nancy Osborn was born in 1835 in Georgia.

50 F iii. Martha Osborn was born in 1838 in Georgia.

51 M iv. Julius Osborn was born in 1839 in Alabama.

52 F v. Elvira Osborn was born in 1841 in Mississippi.
Elvira married James B Gilmore on 6 May 1866 in Itawamba Co., MS. James was born in 1842 in Mississippi.

53 M vi. George W Osborn was born in 1843 in Mississippi.
George married Mary Elizabeth Pearce on 9 Nov 1864 in Monroe Co., MS. Mary was born in 1844 in Missouri.

54 F vii. Rhoda A Osborn was born in 1845 in Mississippi.

55 M viii. William Rolen Ausborn was born in Mar 1847 in Mississippi. He died in 1924 in Monroe Co., MS. He was buried in New Hope Cemetery, Hatley, Monroe Co., MS.
William married Mary Jane Thomas in 1863. Mary was born in Sep 1845 in Mississippi. She died in 1925 in Miles, Runnels Co., TX. She was buried in New Hope Cemetery, Hatley, Monroe Co., MS.

56 F ix. Carolina Osborn was born in 1847 in Mississippi.

57 M x. James Osborn was born in 1850 in Mississippi.

58 F xi. Amanda Osborn was born in 1857 in Mississippi.

59 F xii. Samantha Osborn was born in 1859 in Mississippi.

17. Alfred Washington Massengale (Reddick, James D) was born in 1814 in Nash Co., NC. He died in 1879.

Alfred married Rhoda M Tyre on 5 Dec 1838 in Itawamba Co., MS. Rhoda was born in 1820 in Alabama.

They had the following children:

60 F i. Lucy Francis Massengale was born in 1840 in Itawamba Co., MS.
Lucy married T W "Tom" Walker on 6 Jan 1869 in Monroe Co., MS.

61 F ii. Nancy Ann Massengale was born on 18 Feb 1842 in Itawamba Co., MS. She died on 23 Oct 1903 in Monroe Co., MS. She was buried in Hatley Cemetery, Hatley, Monroe Co., MS.
Nancy married Jesse James "JJ" Nash son of William Nash and Martha Hubbard on 19 Aug 1874 in Monroe Co., MS. Jesse was born on 18 Nov 1818 in Anson Co., NC. He died on 1 Mar 1899 in Hatley, Monroe Co., MS. He was buried in Hatley Cemetery, Hatley, Monroe Co., MS.

62 F iii. Martha Jane "Mattie" Massengale was born on 28 Feb 1844 in Itawamba

Co., MS.
Martha married F Marion Little on 24 Aug 1880 in Monroe Co., MS.

63 F iv. Elizabeth T "Betty" Massengale was born on 9 Sep 1850 in Mississippi. She died on 5 Jan 1922 in Monroe Co., MS. She was buried in New Hope Cemetery, Hatley, Monroe Co., MS.
Elizabeth married Calvin Lafayette Brasfield son of John Calvin Brasfield and Nancy Hancock on 16 Jul 1877 in Monroe Co., MS. Calvin was born in 1850 in Alabama. He died in 1929 in Monroe Co., MS. He was buried in New Hope Cemetery, Hatley, Monroe Co., MS.

64 M v. James Massengale was born in 1852 in Mississippi.

65 M vi. John Thomas Massengale was born on 20 Apr 1854 in Itawamba Co., MS. He died on 26 Apr 1911.
John married Mary L Reedy in 1881 in Itawamba Co., MS. Mary was born on 1 Apr 1854 in South Carolina. She died on 10 Nov 1907.

66 F vii. Mary Lucinda Massengale was born on 15 Jul 1855 in Mississippi. She died on 3 Jun 1914.
Mary married William Z (F) Little on 5 Aug 1877 in Monroe Co., MS. William was born on 3 Mar 1855. He died on 6 Oct 1895.

67 M viii. Joseph H Massengale was born in Aug 1857 in Mississippi.
Joseph married Henrietta Hawkes on 23 Dec 1885 in Monroe Co., MS. Henrietta was born in Dec 1850 in Alabama.

18. Nancy Massengale (Reddick, James D) was born in 1819 in North Carolina. She died before 1880.

Nancy married Joel Marshall Coker about 1843 in Alabama. Joel was born in 1822 in Alabama. He died on 9 Mar 1888 in Monroe Co., MS.

They had the following children:

68 M i. Joel Lafayette Coker was born on 2 Nov 1854 in Mississippi. He died on 10 May 1926 in Smithville, Monroe Co., MS. He was buried in Bethlehem Cemetery, Smithville, Monroe Co., MS.
Joel married Cordelia Francis Ritter in 1881. Cordelia was born on 15 Apr 1862 in Mississippi. She died on 17 Nov 1934 in Smithville, Monroe Co., MS. She was buried in Bethlehem Cemetery, Smithville, Monroe Co., MS.

69 M ii. William Franklin Coker was born in 1856.
William married Fannie Higginbotham on 22 Jan 1880 in Monroe Co., MS.

70 M iii. Thomas Benton Coker was born on 6 Jan 1858. He died on 19 Mar 1923 in Kaufman Co., TX.
Thomas married (1) Jina Dowly .

Thomas married (2) Carrie Frances Wilson .

71 M iv. Columbus W Coker was born in 1844 in Alabama.

72 M v. Francis M Coker was born in 1846 in Alabama.

73 F vi. Laura J Coker was born in 1848 in Alabama.

74 F vii. Sarah C Coker was born in 1850 in Alabama.

19. Martha Massengale (Reddick, James D) was born in 1822 in Georgia.

Martha married Harvey (Henry) Sullivan on 3 Dec 1839 in Itawamba Co., MS. Harvey was born in 1813 in Tennessee.

They had the following children:

75 M i. William H Sullivan was born in 1840 in Itawamba Co., MS.

76 M ii. John W Sullivan was born in 1841 in Mississippi.

77 M iii. James H Sullivan was born in 1842 in Mississippi.

78 F iv. Elizabeth Sullivan was born in 1844 in Mississippi.

79 F v. Martha J Sullivan was born in 1846 in Mississippi.

80 M vi. Daniel H Sullivan was born in 1848 in Mississippi.

81 F vii. Susan C Sullivan was born in 1850 in Monroe Co., MS.

20. Lucinda Massengale (Reddick, James D) was born in 1823 in Georgia.

Lucinda married Sampson Stafford on 10 Jul 1844 in Itawamba Co., MS. Sampson was born in 1823 in Tennessee. He died before 1880.

They had the following children:

82 F i. Margaret "Peggy" A Stafford was born in 1845 in Itawamba Co., MS.

83 F ii. Lucinda Virginia Stafford was born in 1853 in Mississippi.

84 M iii. Thomas Stafford was born in 1859 in Itawamba Co., MS.

85 M iv. William H Stafford was born in 1862 in Itawamba Co., MS.

21. William Robert (Reddick?) Massengale (Reddick, James D) was born on 13 May 1828 in Georgia. He died on 2 Jul 1903 in Durant, Bryan Co., OK. He was buried in Highland Cemetery, Durant, Bryan Co., OK.

William married Mary Feltcher Williams, daughter of Thomas Stafford Williams and Martha C "Peachy" Reddin on 28 Mar 1861 in Itawamba Co., MS. Mary was born on 13 Aug 1846

in Mississippi. She died on 13 Feb 1924 in Bryan Co., OK. She was buried in Highland Cemetery, Durant, Bryan Co., OK.

They had the following children:

86 F i. Sarah Jane Massengale was born in Sep 1862 in Itawamba Co., MS.
Sarah married Garrett . Garrett died about 1894.

87 F ii. Nancey Ann Massengale was born on 9 Sep 1865 in Itawamba Co., MS. She died on 7 Oct 1906 in Honeyville, Box Elder Co., UT. She was buried in Honeyville Cemetery, Honeyville, Box Elder Co., UT.
Nancey married James Lawrence Wise son of James W Wise and Mary Jane Harris on 1 Jan 1884 in Itawamba Co., MS. James was born on 14 Sep 1865 in Amory, Monroe Co., MS. He died on 25 May 1933 in Corrine, Box Elder Co., UT. He was buried in Honeyville Cemetery, Honeyville, Box Elder Co., UT.

88 F iii. Mary Lucinda Massengale was born in Jun 1868 in Itawamba Co., MS.
Mary married James B Garrett son of Joseph Garrett and Samantha C MNU on 9 Jan 1887 in Itawamba Co., MS. James was born in Nov 1866 in Alabama.

89 F iv. Martha Ellen Massengale was born on 18 Aug 1869 in Itawamba Co., MS. She died on 13 Mar 1937 in Chickasaw Co., MS. She was buried in Rosehill Cemetery, Chickasaw Co., MS.
Martha married (1) George Washington Stafford son of Amaziah Stafford and Mary J Osborn on 11 Sep 1887 in Monroe Co., MS. George was born in Aug 1869 in Itawamba Co., MS. He died before 1907 in Mississippi.
Martha married (2) Butts . Butts was born in Alabama.
Martha married (3) Hughes .

90 F v. Hattie Massengale was born in 1875. She died in 1879. The cause of death was diptheria.

91 M vi. George Thomas Massengale was born in 1877.
George married W M Garrett on 7 May 1892 in Itawamba Co., MS.

92 F vii. Susannah Elizabeth Massengale was born on 24 Sep 1879 in Mississippi. She died on 3 Jan 1946 in Durant, Bryan Co., OK. She was buried in Highland Cemetery, Durant, Bryan Co., OK.
Susannah married David T Haskett on 30 Jan 1898 in Itawamba Co., MS. David was born in 1874 in Alabama. He died in 1932 in Durant, Bryan Co., OK. He was buried in Highland Cemetery, Durant, Bryan Co., OK.

93 M viii. James Walter Massengale was born on 21 Jun 1881 in Mississippi. He died on 7 Nov 1954 in Bald Knob, White Co., AR. He was buried in Shady Grove Cemetery, Bald Knob, White Co., AR.

James married (1) Mary L "Polly" Doyberry on 26 Jul 1901 in Monroe Co., MS. Mary died about 1907.

James married (2) Susan Cordia Hancock, daughter of Abner Perry Hancock and Susan Alice MNU on 11 Mar 1906 in Bryan Co., OK. Susan was born on 17 May 1885 in Izard Co., AR. She died on 27 Mar 1965 in West Plains, Howell Co., MO. She was buried in Salem Cemetery, Salem, Fulton Co., AR.

22. Jane Massengale (Reddick, James D) was born in 1830 in Georgia.

Jane married Burrel Pearce on 27 Feb 1850 in Itawamba Co., MS. Burrel was born in 1829 in Mississippi. He died before 1860.

They had the following children:

94 M i. John Pearce was born in 1852 in Itawamba Co., MS.

95 M ii. George Henry Pearce was born in 1854 in Itawamba Co., MS.
George married Fannie MNU . Fannie was born in 1862.

96 F iii. Sarah L Pearce was born in 1857 in Itawamba Co., MS.

23. James Massengale (Reddick, James D) was born in 1830 in Georgia. He died in 1866.

James married Elizabeth J Bennett on 13 Apr 1854 in Monroe Co., MS. Elizabeth was born in 1836 in Mississippi.

They had the following children:

97 i. Abram M Massengale was born in 1865 in Mississippi. Abram died in 1867 in Mississippi.

24. Anna Elizabeth Massengale (Reddick, James D) was born in 1834 in GA or AL. She died before 1880.

Anna married Randy Coleman on 4 Nov 1852 in Itawamba Co., MS. Randy died before 1880.

They had the following children:

98 M i. Hunley Coleman was born in 1858 in Mississippi.

I'm trying to get some hits by researchers of the Massengale/Hancock/Roach families of North Carolina, Missouri and Arkansas.

This is one of the other family trees I research. Comments are welcome. (For guests who comment, you can post a comment anonymously, but will not see your comment until I unscreen it. Not to worry, it's there...)

My friend's direct ancestors in bold.

First Generation

1. John Thomas Hancock was born in 1782 in Randolph Co., NC. He died on 24 Feb 1841 in Randolph Co., NC.

John married Mary Saunders. Mary was born in 1785 in North Carolina.

They had the following children:

+ 2 M i. Abner Perry Hancock was born on 22 Jun 1811. He died on 10 Mar 1846.

+ 3 M ii. John Pipkin Hancock was born in 1817. He died in 1880.

+ 4 M iii. Hilary Hogan Hancock was born on 2 Mar 1820. He died on 3 Sep 1898.

+ 5 F iv. Nancy Hancock was born on 17 Dec 1823. She died on 14 Jun 1901.

+ 6 M v. Elias Henderson Hancock was born in 1827.

Second Generation

2. Abner Perry Hancock (John Thomas) was born on 22 Jun 1811 in Randolph Co., NC. He died on 10 Mar 1846 in Randolph Co., NC.

Abner married Mahala Cox on 14 Feb 1832 in Randolph Co., NC. Mahala was born on 10 Sep 1810 in Randolph Co., NC. She died on 15 Oct 1861 in Randolph Co., NC.

They had the following children:

7 F i. Mary E Hancock was born in 1836 in Randolph Co., NC.

+ 8 M ii. John Milton Hancock was born on 27 Aug 1838. He died on 3 Jan 1877.

9 F iii. Nancy Jane Hancock was born on 8 Jun 1841 in Randolph Co., NC. She died on 16 Mar 1927 in Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC. She was buried in Asheboro City Cemetery, Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC.
Nancy married Randal Presnell . Randal was born on 17 Dec 1848 in North Carolina. He died on 10 Oct 1925 in Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC. He was buried in Asheboro City Cemetery, Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC.

3. John Pipkin Hancock (John Thomas) was born in 1817 in Randolph Co., NC. He died in 1880.

John married (1) Minerva Anne Elliott on 18 Feb 1848 in Wiselane, Randolph Co., NC. Minerva was born in 1830 in North Carolina. She died on 16 Apr 1865 in Lebanon, Leclede Co., MO.

They had the following children:

10 F i. Louisa Jane Hancock was born on 4 Aug 1849 in Randolph Co., NC.

11 M ii. Winfred Scott Hancock was born on 12 Aug 1852 in Randolph Co., NC.

12 F iii. Sarah Elizabeth Hancock was born on 28 Aug 1854 in Randolph Co., NC.

+ 13 M iv. John Randolph Hancock was born on 23 Jun 1857. He died on 29 Oct 1932.

14 F v. Levina Anne Hancock was born on 16 Mar 1861 in Lebanon, Leclede Co., MO.

15 F vi. Mary Ellen Hancock was born on 17 Oct 1862 in Lebanon, Leclede Co., MO.

16 F vii. Malcy Hancock was born on 16 Apr 1865 in Lebanon, Leclede Co., MO.

John married (2) Debora Bess MNU on 26 Sep 1875 in Randolph Co., AR. Debora was born on 17 Feb 1830 in Missouri. She died on 18 Jul 1898.

They had the following children:

17 F viii. Mary Susan Hancock was born in 1867 in Lebanon, Leclede Co., MO.

4. Hilary Hogan Hancock (John Thomas) was born on 2 Mar 1820 in Randolph Co., NC. He died on 3 Sep 1898.

Hilary married Eutha Cole on 14 Jan 1843 in Randolph Co., NC. Eutha was born in 1823 in North Carolina.

They had the following children:

18 M i. William H Hancock was born in 1844 in Randolph Co., NC.

19 M ii. E A Hancock was born in 1847 in Randolph Co., NC. He died before 1860 in Randolph Co., NC.

20 M iii. Abner C Hancock was born in 1850 in Randolph Co., NC. He died before 1860 in Randolph Co., NC.

21 M iv. Edward Caswell Hancock was born in 1852 in Randolph Co., NC.

22 M v. Raiford C Hancock was born in 1856 in Randolph Co., NC.

23 F vi. Elizabeth Hancock was born in 1859 in Randolph Co., NC.

5. Nancy Hancock (John Thomas) was born on 17 Dec 1823 in Randolph Co., NC. She died on 14 Jun 1901.

Nancy married Dawson Lewallen on 2 May 1848 in Randolph Co., NC. Dawson was born in 1825 in North Carolina.

They had the following children:

24 F i. Mary A Lewallen was born in 1849 in Randolph Co., NC.

6. Elias Henderson Hancock (John Thomas) was born in 1827 in Randolph Co., NC.

Elias married Lavinia Lewellen on 22 Nov 1846 in Randolph Co., NC. Lavinia was born in 1827 in North Carolina.

They had the following children:

+ 25 F i. Mary Jane Hancock was born in 1848.

+ 26 M ii. Abner Perry Hancock was born on 12 Jul 1849. He died on 8 May 1932.

27 M iii. John J Hancock was born in 1852 in North Carolina.

+ 28 M iv. Benjamin Franklin Hancock was born on 28 Jul 1856. He died on 14 Mar 1940.

29 F v. Minerva A Hancock was born in 1859 in Missouri.

+ 30 M vi. William M Hancock was born in May 1860. He died in 1938.

+ 31 M vii. Robert Lee Hancock was born on 8 May 1863. He died on 11 Jan 1952.

Third Generation

8. John Milton Hancock (Abner Perry, John Thomas) was born on 27 Aug 1838 in Randolph Co., NC. He died on 3 Jan 1877 in Randolph Co., NC. He was buried in Asheboro City Cemetery, Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC.

John married Lydia Jane Page on 26 Sep 1872 in Randolph Co., NC. Lydia was born on 2 Feb 1845 in Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC. She died on 2 Dec 1922 in North Carolina. She was buried in Asheboro City Cemetery, Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC.

They had the following children:

32 F i. Minnie Lee Hancock was born on 14 Dec 1873 in Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC. She died on 30 Oct 1959 in Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC. She was buried in Asheboro City Cemetery, Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC.
Minnie married William Cicero Hammer . William was born on 24 Mar 1865

in Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC. He died on 26 Sep 1930 in Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC. He was buried in Asheboro City Cemetery, Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC.

13. John Randolph Hancock (John Pipkin, John Thomas) was born on 23 Jun 1857 in Lebanon, Leclede Co., MO. He died on 29 Oct 1932 in Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR. He was buried in Sutton Cemetery, Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR.

John married Predonia Jane Tompkins on 24 Dec 1876 in Randolph Co., AR. Predonia was born on 4 Feb 1860 in Kentucky. She died on 16 Oct 1921 in Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR. She was buried in Sutton Cemetery, Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR.

They had the following children:

33 F i. Mary Lou Hancock was born on 28 Nov 1877 in Randolph Co., AR. She died on 9 Apr 1953 in Randolph Co., AR.

34 F ii. Lora H Hancock was born in 1881 in Randolph Co., AR. She died in 1962 in Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR. She was buried in Sutton Cemetery, Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR.
Lora married John A Rogers . John was born in 1873. He died in 1949 in Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR. He was buried in Sutton Cemetery, Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR.

35 F iii. Kate T Hancock was born on 22 Oct 1883 in Randolph Co., AR. She died on 21 Aug 1925 in Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR. She was buried in Sutton Cemetery, Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR.
Kate married Hiram S White . Hiram was born on 29 Oct 1887. He died on 17 Apr 1968 in Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR. He was buried in Sutton Cemetery, Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR.

36 F iv. Gusta E Hancock was born on 10 Aug 1885 in Randolph Co., AR. She died on 31 Mar 1959 in Randolph Co., AR. She was buried in Masonic Cemetery, Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR.
Gusta married Bass .

37 M v. John Willie Hancock was born on 11 Jan 1887 in Randolph Co., AR. He died on 15 Jan 1911 in Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR. He was buried in Sutton Cemetery, Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR.

38 M vi. Burley Henderson Hancock was born in 1889 in Randolph Co., AR. He died in 1928 in Randolph Co., AR. He was buried in Sutton Cemetery, Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR.

39 M vii. Emmett Winfield Hancock was born on 1 Apr 1891 in Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR. He died in 1950 in Randolph Co., AR. He was buried in Sutton Cemetery, Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR.

40 M viii. Charlie Wesley Hancock was born on 14 Oct 1894 in Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR. He died on 22 Jan 1971 in Kidder Co., ND. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Steele, Kidder Co., ND.

41 M ix. Thomas Quillert Hancock was born on 5 Feb 1897 in Randolph Co., AR. He died on 28 Nov 1923 in Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR. He was buried in Sutton Cemetery, Pocahontas, Randolph Co., AR.

42 F x. Bessie M Hancock was born on 3 Feb 1900 in Randolph Co., AR. She died on 8 Jan 1997 in Morgantown, Monongalia, W VA.

25. Mary Jane Hancock (Elias Henderson, John Thomas) was born in 1848 in Randolph Co., NC.

Mary married Benjamin F Whittenberg on 1 Nov 1868 in Jasper Co., MO. Benjamin was born in 1842 in Tennessee.

They had the following children:

43 M i. L H Whittenberg was born in Feb 1870 in Dent Co., MO.

26. Abner Perry Hancock (Elias Henderson, John Thomas) was born on 12 Jul 1849 in Randolph Co., NC. He died on 8 May 1932 in Ozark Co., MO. The cause of death was cancer of the skin, mouth and throat per death certificate. He was buried in Bakersfield Cemetery, Bakersfield, Ozark Co., MO.

Abner married (1) Susan Alice MNU about 1870 in Fulton or Independence Co., AR. Susan was born in 1852 in Arkansas. She died about 1897 in Fulton Co., AR.

They had the following children:

44 M i. George H Hancock was born in 1871 in Fulton Co., AR.

45 M ii. Walter Hancock was born in 1877 in Fulton Co., AR.

46 M iii. Faburn Lee Hancock was born on 15 Sep 1884 in Izard Co., AR. He died about 1927.
Faburn married Tennie A MNU in 1909 in Fulton Co., AR. Tennie was born in 1895 in Arkansas.

47 F iv. Susan Cordia Hancock was born on 17 May 1885 in Izard Co., AR. She died on 27 Mar 1965 in West Plains, Howell Co., MO. She was buried in Salem Cemetery, Salem, Fulton Co., AR.

Susan married James Walter Massengale, son of William Robert (Reddick?) Massengale and Mary Feltcher Williams on 11 Mar 1906 in Bryan Co., OK. James was born on 21 Jun 1881 in Mississippi. He died on 7 Nov 1954 in Bald Knob, White Co., AR. He was buried in Shady Grove Cemetery, Bald Knob, White Co., AR.

48 M v. John R Hancock was born on 13 Aug 1887 in Izard Co., AR. He died in Sep 1973 in Fulton Co., AR. He was buried in Union Cemetery, Union, Fulton Co., AR.
John married Addie MNU . Addie was born in 1887 in Arkansas.

49 M vi. Buford Noone Hancock was born on 30 Apr 1889 in Izard Co., AR. He died in 1957 in Fulton Co., AR. He was buried in Salem Cemetery, Salem, Fulton Co., AR.
Buford married Lottie Pearl Lee . Lottie was born in 1894. She died in 1985 in Fulton Co., AR. She was buried in Salem Cemetery, Salem, Fulton Co., AR.

Abner married (2) Sarah Belle Bratton daughter of John Bratton on 14 Feb 1900 in Fulton Co., AR. Sarah was born on 30 Oct 1868 in Tennessee. She died on 16 Mar 1935 in Ozark Co., MO.

They had the following children:

50 F vii. Dora J Hancock was born on 29 Sep 1903 in Wiseman, Fulton Co., AR. She died on 10 Mar 1920 in Bakersfield, Ozark Co., MO. The cause of death was influenza, per death certificate. She was buried in Bakersfield Cemetery, Bakersfield, Ozark Co., MO.

51 M viii. Frank Hancock was born in 1914 in Fulton Co., AR.

28. Benjamin Franklin Hancock (Elias Henderson, John Thomas) was born on 28 Jul 1856 in Asheboro, Randolph Co., NC. He died on 14 Mar 1940 in Kingfisher Co., OK. He was buried in Kingfisher Cemetery, Kingfisher, Kingfisher Co., OK.

Benjamin married Mary Elizabeth Armstrong daughter of James K Armstrong and Lydia L MNU on 12 Nov 1876 in Newton Co., MO. Mary was born on 2 Nov 1857 in Davis Co., IA. She died on 1 Nov 1935 in Kingfisher Co., OK. She was buried in Kingfisher Cemetery, Kingfisher, Kingfisher Co., OK.

They had the following children:

52 M i. James Harvey Hancock was born on 14 Feb 1880 in Shoal Creek, Newton Co., MO. He died on 14 Mar 1919 in Logan Co., OK. He was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Logan Co., OK.
James married Mary L Ballard . Mary was born on 17 May 1885. She died on 14 Nov 1914 in Logan Co., OK. She was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Logan Co., OK.

53 F ii. Clara B Hancock was born in Oct 1884 in Kansas.

54 F iii. Minnie Minerva Hancock was born in Jul 1887 in Indian Territory, OK.
Minnie married George E McKinney .

55 F iv. Mary E Hancock was born in Aug 1890 in Oklahoma.

56 M v. Franklin Henderson Hancock was born on 7 Aug 1893 in Logan Co., OK. He died on 17 May 1930 in Brownsville, Cameron Co., TX. He was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Logan Co., OK.
Franklin married Anna R MNU .

57 M vi. Robert Perry Hancock was born on 11 Mar 1897 in Logan Co., OK. He died on 24 Jul 1965 in Logan Co., OK. He was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Logan Co., OK.
Robert married Lucile C MNU .

58 M vii. Benjamin George D Hancock was born in Mar 1899 in Logan Co., OK.

30. William M Hancock (Elias Henderson, John Thomas) was born in May 1860 in Missouri. He died in 1938 in Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., KS. He was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., KS.

William married (1) Unknown . Unknown was born in Missouri.

They had the following children:

59 F i. Nola M Hancock was born in May 1881 in Missouri.

William married (2) Maggie C Ironsides daughter of George R Ironsides and Emily Kenison in 1886. Maggie was born in Feb 1868 in Indian Territory, OK. She died in 1938 in Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., KS. She was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., KS.

They had the following children:

60 F ii. Luella Hancock was born in Dec 1886 in Indian Territory, OK.

61 F iii. Jessie L Hancock was born in Oct 1888 in Indian Territory, OK.

62 M iv. Robert L Hancock was born in May 1890 in Indian Territory, OK. He died in 1931 in Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., KS. He was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., KS.
Robert married Unknown .

63 F v. Nelly I Hancock was born in May 1893 in Indian Territory, OK. She died in 1976 in Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., KS. She was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Coffeyville, Montgomery Co., KS.

31. Robert Lee Hancock (Elias Henderson, John Thomas) was born on 8 May 1863 in Cuba, Crawford Co., MO. He died on 11 Jan 1952 in Logan Co., OK. He was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Logan Co., OK.

Robert married Ruth Ellen MNU in 1883. Ruth was born on 28 Nov 1863 in Illinois. She

died on 17 Jul 1928 in Logan Co., OK. She was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Logan Co., OK.

They had the following children:

64 F i. Leona A Hancock was born in Jun 1885 in Indian Territory, OK.

65 F ii. Mary Jane Hancock was born on 15 Nov 1887. She died on 6 Dec 1887. She was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Logan Co., OK.

66 M iii. Elmer Henderson Hancock was born on 17 Sep 1889 in Indian Territory, OK. He died on 11 Nov 1927 in Logan Co., OK. He was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Logan Co., OK.

67 F iv. Oma Ann Hancock was born on 5 Mar 1891 in Guthrie, Logan Co., OK. She died on 15 Aug 1894 in Guthrie, Logan Co., OK. She was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Logan Co., OK.

68 F v. Ruth Rebecca Hancock was born on 20 Jan 1894 in Logan Co., OK. She died on 13 Feb 1928 in Logan Co., OK. She was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Logan Co., OK.

69 M vi. William F Hancock was born on 14 Feb 1897 in Oklahoma.

70 M vii. Robert Luther Lee Hancock was born on 25 Jan 1900 in Logan Co., OK. He died on 6 Apr 1987 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Co., OK. He was buried in Harmony Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Logan Co., OK.

71 F viii. Lavinia E Hancock was born in 1902 in Logan Co., OK.

72 M ix. John A Hancock was born in 1906 in Logan Co., OK.

Jo Desha and Maxie Leah Williams family, Christmas Day 1900
photo by McLeod, the Wild West photographer

Every time I see this one, I just dissolve into gales of laughter.

Can't you just imagine the dinner table discussion a couple of weeks before the holiday?

"Honey, what shall we do this year for Christmas? After all, it's the first Christmas of the new century."

Oh, I don't know. . .hey, why don't we get that McLeod guy to take a picture? We could dress up and go sit outside on some rocks."

"Marvelous idea, darling! And we could put Paul and Cedric on a couple of asses. They've been acting like asses for a few days now. It would serve them right. . ."

The back of the photo has an extensive ad for "McLeod, the Wild West Photographer. . . the man who made Happy Hollow famous the world over."

I don't know how you celebrate this holiday season in your home. However you do it, do it with gusto. Laugh and love and enjoy.

You could do it in Williams family style. Dress up in all your finery and go sit on some rocks. Take a photo. Take lots of photos.

From me and the petting zoo at the cottage, happy holidays.

This is a recycled post for Sepia Saturday 199.

Head over there for other great old images.

Was researching some of my Williams family descendants this morning, and ran into a puzzle.

Not that puzzles in my family are out of the ordinary or anything...

But now I'm really curious.

Homer Franklin Wells is my first cousin, twice removed.

He was the son of James Webster Wells and my great grand aunt, Margaret Letcher Williams.

He married Ruth Haseltine Hester, daughter of Charles E Hester and America Gooch, date unknown. He and Ruth had two children, Margaret Hester Wells Roper and Calvin Ratcliff Wells.

The Hester family hailed from Virginia. Historic documents indicate their roots were deep in Virginia soil. Ruth was born in Virginia.

In 1930, Homer and Ruth were living in Richmond, VA - a long way from Arkansas where Homer was born. Homer was a foreman for a foil manufacturing company.

In 1940, they were still married, but living about a mile and a half apart in Washington DC. Homer lived in a boardinghouse run by a man named William Miner, who was a marble cutter. Homer was a gardener for the War Department. The address of the boardinghouse was 1113 Massachusetts Avenue NW. Along with several other men, there were two men who worked for the FBI living there. Not all the men had government jobs.

Ruth was living with the kids at 2000 16th Street NW. Her occupation was saleslady.

That seemed curious to me. Why were they living apart in 1940?

It got even more curious.

Ruth died in 1943. She was buried in Hillcrest Cemetery, Louisa, Louisa Co., VA, the town where she was raised, and in the same cemetery as her parents.

In 1951, Homer was living in Manhattan, KS. It was there that he applied for a membership in the Arkansas Chapter of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, based on the Revolutionary War service of our many greats grandfather, Jesse Williams, who served in Ens Union's Company, Lux Regiment in the Maryland Infantry.

When Homer died in 1953, he was buried in Ft Leavenworth National Cemetery, Ft Leavenworth, KS - not with his wife. His burial was arranged and marker ordered by his daughter.

And I cannot find any trace on the internet of anyone looking for Ruth's family, or anyone besides me looking for information on Homer Franklin Wells as an adult.

ETA: Thanks to Rainbow, I know now that America Gooch was America Gooch Tisdale.

Love. This.

It's a 1905 ad - I wish I knew the exact date - for my family's Williams Grocer Co. in Russellville, Pope Co., AR.

And if you're not keeping up, you haven't realized that both my parents' families of origin came from Pope County...

But, I digress.

1905 Williams Grocer Co Ad

Isn't it a hoot?

Still in the Lead! it proclaims.

And at the end, this cutie...

When Hungry C Us

And here I thought chat-ese and text language was a new-fangled thing...

I drove 175 miles today on what I was convinced was a sure bet.

I set out to match up a distinctive gravestone with the person whose remains lay beneath it.

It's a turn-of-the-century photo - another unlabeled one from the Williams family photo album.

I was just sure the grave had to be in Oakland Cemetery in Russellville.

Several of my Williamses, including Maxie and Jo's two daughters, Mildred Imognene, and Katherine Leah are buried there.

Why would we have such a large photo - the photo itself measures about 6" by 6" not including its black cardboard mount - unless this was the grave of someone in the family?

Mercifully, our temp stayed under 100 today - it was only 99.

So my first pass through the cemetery was in the car. And none of the tall monuments matched.

So I got out of the car in selected locations and started looking for a monument that could have been broken off, with other stones around it as in the photo. With a raised concrete border around the plot. Or concrete overgrown with grass.

I looked for the fence surrounding the plot in front of the monument.

Or evidence there had been one at one time.

Nothing. Zip, nada, zilch.

But it wasn't a wash...

Because I found Grace Electra Shinn's grave. She was the daughter of my great grandaunt, Mildred Carlton "Minnie" Williams and Josiah Hazen Shinn.

Grace's grave is with her paternal grandmother's, and her uncle's. Her grandma - Josiah's mother - was Elizabeth Frances Gilpin. After she divorced Josiah's dad, she married Samuel Reed Judd. The stone for the family plot says Shinn on one side, and Judd on the other.

But the question still remains...

Whose grave is it?

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Dee Burris Blakley

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Shakin' the Family Tree

A never ending journey...

Entries tagged with williams

So then I started looking seriously for Otis and Virgil Williams...

The wars for American independence...

The toughest entry I've ever tried to write...

Letters from Minnie

Two more telegrams related to the Williams family

This is very sad for me...

Narrowing the gap...

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Mary...

Musing on cycles...

Patriots in the family tree

Now, I understand

Sepia Saturday 205: Maybe the moustache made the man?

Wedding photos...

Sepia Saturday 201: The places they called home...

Massengales

One of those boring surname posts...

Sepia Saturday: Happy holidays to you

Now I want to know why...

[Almost] Wordless Wednesday

Tombstone Tuesday: So whose grave is it?