Washington Becham's Mysterious Bond

In 1879, Washington Becham put up a bond to become the guardian of his son Columbus J. (Jack) Becham.  This bond is rather mysterious because although page 2 indicates this is to protect his (CJ's) estate, I have not determined where that came from.    Washington's wife is still alive, there is no reference to his other children, nor any record found so far of CJ receiving an unusual inheritance, although that would of course be a primary reason for an underage boy to have an estate which needs protecting.  

Washington puts up the bond of $1000, with his brother John as security.  Washington signs the document with his mark, as he did with his confederate contract.  However, this time his mark appears to be the letter "W", while before he had just signed with an X.  John actually signs his name.  It's not stated in the bond, but Jack was 17 at the time this was done.  At this point, I need to check probate records and wills to determine if CJ came into money and, possibly, why the other children did not. 

  The original for this was found in the Georgia State Archives, Miscellaneous Records of the Inferior Court of Crawford County, Record Group 179, section 2, Box 1, file Washington Becham.

A Worthy Man Dies

Atlanta Journal Constitution, 4 July 1882, at the tale end of an article about lightning deaths in Milledgeville - "On the same day an aged German, a worthy, inoffensive man, Jacob Dutenhofer, died."

The Short Autobiography of Warren David Hendricks

When she was a young lady, probably in the 1920s, Hattie McDougald (Bell) interviewed her grandfather Warren David Hendricks about his life and wrote down what he told her.  She retained this for many years and then in the 1970s shared copies with the family.  This is a transcription of what she had written down.  In places, she is quoting him so exactly that she starts to write "Uncle" and then crosses it out.  I am not vouching to the accuracy of this, although much has been confirmed from other sources.


Allen Keith lived on Saluta river 4 miles of Table Rock, had one or two boys and several girls (?) Jenny Keith born 1829 and married about 1850 when she was about 23 years old. Had a lot of goods and was given two slaves as a present by her father when she married. Warren Keith her brother, also Matt Keith, drank a good bit.

Mose Hendrix of South Carolina had 7 boys and 7 girls. George Washington Hendricks married Jenny Keith. lived in Pickens county about 4 miles from Table Rock. Father own nearly all of the land along the Illinois river near Table Rock N. O. Estate was given to children just before the war and Keith's estate settled soon after the war.

George W Hendricks and his wife lived at Pumpkin town S.C. until 1861. Moved in 1861 to Alabama. Un ((crossed out)) Ben Hendrix G. W. brother lived there. He had two sons to die near the beginning of the war with fever. 1861 G.W. Hendricks enlisted in Alabama in Calvary. '62 came to Ga. and joined army. 1859 Mrs. Hendrix died, 1860 Rosa Trotter was married to G. W. Hendrix in S. C. moved to Alabama soon after.

1862 moved to Ga and lived on Nimberwill from there to Yahoola in Lumpkin County.
1854 Warren David Hendrix born, 1856 James Larkin Hendrix born John R. E. Lee Hendricks born in 1869. G. W. Hendrix fought under Capt Craven in Ga was discharged at Kingston Ga in '65. Gus, negro who lived with Hendricks family during the war was offered 9 hundred dollars in gold and offered to give Gus half , but Gus begged G. W. Hendricks not to sell him. Negro stayed with family a year after slaves were freed. Lived near Mill Creek after war and died there about 1898.
Warren Hendrix married Jane Gooch in 1873. Jane daughter of Jim Gooch. Jim Gooch fought with South during part of the war, left army and went to north but did not fight with northern army. Did not get pension after war.
Lived in Lumpkin 4 months after marriage then moved to Canada district and in July 1873 moved to Gaddistown.

Outsmarting the Census Indexes - Callie Sauley Patrick

Callie Sauley was born in 1872 in Spalding County, Georgia, married William Patrick in 1892 in the same county, and died in 1967 in Butts County.  Her death certificate gave her parents as Warna T. Sauley and Emily Tucker.  However, the information was provided by her grandson and the name was unusual enough that extra verification was needed. 

With the 1890 census missing, the only census that she would have appeared with her parents was 1880.  However, searches in Spalding county were fruitless.  I searched on Warna, War*, W. T., Emily, Callie, and did a Soundex search on Sauley.  No results that looked like her.  So I did a search on Spalding county, female, born 1872, born in Georgia. If this had not worked, I would have extended the search a year in each direction.  However, I very quickly spotted Caroline Sanley in the list, parents William Z and Emerly.  Pulling up the record, it was obvious that the surname was in fact Sauley and probable that the Z should have been a T.   There is no other record of Callie's name being a nickname for Caroline, but that could have been a census taker error. 

Using Emily and the names of the older children in the census, I went back to 1870 and 1860, where the father was listed as W. T. and Thomas respectively.    I then found a record for a civil war soldier named William Thomas Sauley who enlisted in Pike County, which is the neighboring county from Spalding.  Using his death date from that record, I found an obit for him in 1921, which did in fact list his daughter Callie Patrick.  It's hard to imagine where the grandson got the name "Warna" from the very common William but it does look like he was wrong. 

Washington Becham - A Different Kind of Confederate Service

Washington Becham, born about 1832, enlisted with his brothers in Company F, 57th Georgia Infantry in Crawford County, GA, on 3 May 1862.  Muster rolls of July 1862 show that he was rejected by the surgeon, although no reason was given.  However, in 1863 he was recruited by the office of the Confederate Surgeon General to make pots and other vessels for the confederate hospital in Macon.  The text of the contract is below.  One item of note is that one of the witnesses was his brother Elijah Becham, who we had previously assumed had died before the war since he disappeared from the census.   B.J. (Benjamin)  and John Becham were also his brothers.  Robert Hancock was married to his wife's sister and Gray Andrews was a neighbor.   In his military pension application, he states that he was in the 57th for the duration of the war but detailed to do pottery work in Georgia for the military. The original of the document was found on fold3, Confederate Citizens File.

State of Georgia
Bibb county

This contract made at Macon State and county aforesaid this thirtieth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three between Washington Becham of Knoxville Crawford County State aforesaid.  Party of the first part and William H. Prioleau Surgeon & medical purveyor Confederate States army.  Party of the Second part.  Witnesseth that the said Washington Becham Party of the first part does hereby bind himself and does here by promise and agree to furnish and deliver to the said W. H. Prioleau Surgeon & Medical Purveyor Party of the second part within the period of eight calendar months from the date of this instrument of writing, for the use of the Medical Department of the Army of the Confederate States of America.  The following named articles at the prices affixed.

500 vis Five hundred chamber pots at one dollar each
500  Five hundred plates at fifty cents each
200  Two hundred mugs at ((blank))
200  Two hundred jars of the capacity of two (2) pounds each
300  Three hundred jars of the capacity of (5) pounds each

And the said Surgeon W. H. Prioleau Party of the Second part does hereby bind himself and his successors in office to pay to the said Washington Becham Party of the first part at the expiration of each month, the value of whatever of the articles contract for in this Instrument of writing.  With the promise that he

((page two))
the said surgeon W. H. Prioleau Party of the second part, shall retain in his possession one third of the purchase money until the whole contract shall have been completed, and the said Washington Becham party of the first part, does with his securities Robert Haancock, residing at Marysville Crawford county and John Beckum residing in Crawford County state aforesaid, bind themselves their heirs executors and assigns to pay or cause to be paid to the authorized agent of the Confederate States of America.  The sum of one thousand dollars should he the said Washington Becham county of the first part fail to deliver the articles contracted for in this instrument of writing within the time specified herein.  It is further agreed between the contracting parties that no member of Congress is to be admitted to any part or portion of this contract or to any benefit to arise therefrom.

Witness our hands and seals at Macon State and County aforesaid day and year above written.

Washington (x) Becham

Witness
B. J. Becham
Gray Andrews
Robert Hancock
Elijah Bekcom

Osceola Butler     W. H. Prioleau
                  Surg, Med Purveyor

S.G.O. Richmond Va Dec 7 1863
Approved
 S. Moore
 Surgeon General
  C.S. Army

William Aaron Garner's father

Baptist church records, particularly in the South, are not often very useful for genealogical purposes.  Sometimes, however, they can at least provide a strong pointer to the answer. 

William Aaron Garner was born in 1850 and first appears in the 1860 census with his mother Nancy, living in the household of Moses Garner.   While that census does not give relationships, Nancy is living with him in 1880, described as his mother.    It has long been known that he was illegitimate but not who his father was.

Enter the minutes for Union Baptist Church of Washington County, GA.  There is a very short entry, where James L. Cook and Nancy Garner are expelled from the church for adultery.  This record appears about 5 months before William's birth, so presumably about the time that it became obvious that she was pregnant.   More evidence is needed, but James appears to be a likely candidate for William's father.

John Garner's secret family, Washington County, GA

In the traditional history of the Garner family in Washington County, GA, compiled about 1956, John Lawson Garner, the son of William Garner, was shown as marrying Mary Victoria Cook, and having no children.  However, in looking at the estate records for his brother A. J. Garner, there is a document where all of A.J.'s heirs agree to share the estate with John, James and William Garner, the heirs of John Garner.  A.J. died intestate so his estate would have been divided evenly among his heirs.

This lead to a backwards trail.  The estate records for John indeed shows his property being divided among John, James and William Garner as well as with Thomas Dudley, the husband of the late Sarah Garner.   Going back to his will, which was drafted about 5 years before his death (and before his marriage), he left his estate to John, Sarah, James and William McCook, described as being the children of Mary McCook.  A check of marriage records shows that he married Mary Victoria McCook in 1892, two months after the birth of her youngest son William.

The 1880 Washington County, GA census does in fact show a household with Malinda McCook (62), Mary Victoria (25) and John (3).  John McCook is listed as a "son" in the household, but this is almost certainly an error considering Malinda's age and he would in fact probably be the son of Mary Victoria just above him.  John Lawson Garner appears in the household of his father.    John L. Garner died in 1897 and by 1900, Mary Garner, widow, is the head of a household with 3 children, John, Jim and Bill Garner.   This conjunction of dates explains why the children were not previously associated with John, since he never appears in the same household with them.  It also explains the appearance of a John Garner in the 1900 census who did not appear under that name in 1880.

The fact that the rest of the family was willing to consider these three young men joint heirs to the estate of A.J. Garner would tend to indicate that they were already known as members of the family.  This in combination with their naming pattern (named after their father, maternal grandfather, paternal grandfather) and the fact that they used the Garner name for the rest of their lives would tend to indicate that they were in fact the children of John Lawson Garner.  The question still remains as to why John and Mary didn't marry until after the 4th child was born.