Ahnentafel #16 William Garner and #17 Sarah Johnson

William Garner was born on 27 May 1811 in Washington County, Georgia to Henry and Sarah Garner.    He was the second oldest of 5 known children, 4 boys and a girl.  Sarah was born on 28 February 1819 to Timothy and Judith Knowles Johnson.   She was the second child and oldest daughter, with at least 9 younger siblings.  She lived in Hancock County until her marriage.

William starts to appear on the extant tax records about the same time he got married.  In 1836 he appears next to his probable aunt Patience and his father.  He owns no land but pays a poll tax.  The same is true in 1837.  In 1838, William's father Henry paid for sons John, Joshua, and William as well as for his probable sister Patience.  Patience owned land but the 3 sons only paid poll tax.  

William and Sarah (Bill and Sally according to some descendants) married on 27 Jul 1837 in Hancock County.  They apparently lived with his parents after their marriage.  They do not appear on the 1840 census, but Henry's household includes both a male and female 20-30 plus two females under 5, which could be them and their daughters Minerva (born 1838) and Frances (1839).   All of his brothers are listed in their own households, again making it likely that William is the son still living with Henry.

William's aunt Patience Garner was a founding member of Union Baptist Church near Warthen in Washington County.  The church was founded in 1844.  William's parents joined in 1845, while he and Sarah joined in 1848 and he was made a trustee shortly thereafter.  Throughout the 1850s, he was frequently one of the men charged with investigating problems among the church congregation, including the fact that Sister Cherry was no longer attending. 

The next surviving tax record is 1848 with William again listed by his father, aunt, and two brothers.  He is the only one to not own land at this point, with his father having 600 acres, his aunt 200, and his brothers 150 each.  It is probable that he was in fact still working his father's property or possibly his Aunt's.   In 1849, he and Patience are still listed with Henry but John is further away in that same district and Joshua does not appear there at all.  None of them own slaves.

William and Sarah do appear in the 1850 Federal census, in Washington County.  William, age 38, is a farmer with no property listed.  Sarah appears to be 30.  The household includes their children Manerva (Minerva), 12, Frances - 10, John L. 9, Andrew J. 6, William C 4, and James T. 2.  Also in the household is John Bridges, 16, listed as a labourer.  Frances and Lawson (John L.) both attended school.  Everyone in the family was born in Georgia.  With no property, William does not appear in the agricultural census for that year, nor is he in the slave owner's census.

The last available pre-war tax record in 1851 is interesting because William again just pays a poll tax.  Patience, listed next to him, pays property tax but Henry is not listed in the records even though he was certainly alive and owned property at that time.  As noted previously, Patience probably died between 1851, when she is last noted paying taxes, and 1855 when William purchased from Nancy Garner the land she had inherited from Patience. 

In 1860, William (49) and Sarah (41) appear in the census with a whole flock of children:  Minerva - 21, Frances - 19, John L. - 18, Andrew - 16, William - 14, James T - 12, Levi (Lee Roy) - 10, Green L - 10,  Lavina - 7, Washington - 6, Linton - 4, and Elizabeth - 2.  Also living with them is George Barron, "mechanic", age 49. 

This census is the first document to reflect William owning any property, giving him a real estate value of $1200 and personal property of $1000.  William does appear on the 1860 agricultural census, immediately above his father.   That census shows him having 200 acres of land, of which 25 acres were unproductive.  This matches closely the 200 acres that Patience had been paying tax on.  At that time he had 4 horses, 2 milch cows,  2 oxen and 8 other cattle.  He produced 8 bushels of wheat, 350 bushels of Indian corn, and 7 bales of ginned cotton. 

Sarah died early the following year, cause of death unknown.  She was 42 at the time and her youngest child was about 2, so she might have died in childbirth or just from one of many diseases.  William did not remarry after her death despite having so many children to raise.  The 1860s turned out to be a hard time for him, not only with the war and Sarah's death but he lost his mother in 1865, his father in 1867 and probably also his oldest daughter Minerva in 1867.   And while their exact dates of death are not known, Sarah's father and mother apparently died during that period as well. 


Sarah's death will have spared her the anxiety of seeing several of her sons go to war.  Lawson, A.J., Columbus and James all ended up either volunteering or being drafted into the Confederate army, although they all survived.  Lee Roy and Green Lee were just slightly too young when the war ended to have to serve. William was very fortunate in this regard, as two of his brothers did lose sons in the war.  William, his brothers and his sons took the Oath of Allegiance on 12 July 1867.  William and his brother John probably went together since they are sequential on the oath pages.  Both signed with their marks although their sons could write their names.

Despite the difficulties of the 60s, William was still doing fairly well in the 1870 census.  He is still a farmer, with $2305 real estate and $1200 personal property.  His children are growing up, but most are still at home.  Thomasa, age 30 (possibly Frances) is listed as a housekeeper.  Frances did not marry until late in life, so it would make sense for her to still be in her father's house.   John L. age 28 is next in the household, although he is listed as a farmer and has property in his own right, $1930 real property and $700 personal.  Andrew J. age 28 is also listed as a farmer.  He has no real property but he does list personal property of $1000.  The remaining children at home were James L. age 22, Leroy (Lee Roy), age 20, Greenleaf (Green Lee) age 20, Lavinia 17, Washington 15, Linton 13, and Sarah E 12.  James, Lee Roy and Green were all listed as farm laborers.  Lavinia was stated as having no occupation and the youngest 3 were attending school.   His sister Sarah (too many Sarahs in this family) does not show up in the census, but was probably living with him or possibly one of his brothers.  Family lore has it that she inherited property from her father which she eventually gifted to her niece Lavinia and her husband, but in 1870 Lavinia was still unmarried.

The 1870 agricultural census reflects William's relative prosperity as well.  He has more land now, having presumably inherited some from his father.  The number is hard to read, but he appears to have 280 acres of improved land, 231 acres of woodland, and 30 acres of "other unimproved" land.  His farm was valued at $1200 and farming implements and machinery at $200.  He had paid $400 in salaries the previous year, including any room and board offered.  He owned 4 horses, 2 mules, 4 milch cows, 2 oxen, 12 other cattle, 17 sheep, and 60 pigs for a total livestock value of $750.  The 60 pigs are interesting, that's far more than any of his neighbors.  He had produced 155 bushels of spring wheat, 800 of Indian corn, and 75 of oats.

There are 3 surviving tax returns for William between 1872 and 1877.  Unfortunately, they do not give the year on the returns but they are in sequence.  On the first, William has 3 children between 6 and 18, so this would have had to have been in 1872 since that is the year Washington turned 18.  He owned 706 acres of land, valued at $3580.  He had $643 in cash or solvent debts.  All other property was valued at $1032.  This gave him a total value of $5255 and a taxable value of $5055.  As a farmer, he did not have to pay the additional Professional tax.

On the next tax record he has 750 acres valued at $4641.  He did not pay a poll tax, presumably because of his age.  He owned household and kitchen furniture worth $300, livestock worth $810, and farm equipment worth $548, giving him a total value of $7554.

The final assessment for this set, so some point between 1874 and 1877, William's property has grown to 938 acres with a value of $4581.   His household goods are valued at $300, livestock at $805, and farm equipment at $440 for a total property value of $6833.

In 1878 or 1879, his property is assessed as 870 acres worth $4241.  His household and livestock have not changed significantly, $300 and $730 respectively, with  $395 of farm equipment. That made his total property assessment for that year $6666.

1880 is the final census where William appears.  He is a farmer, age 69, widowed.  He states he was born in Georgia with his father born in South Carolina and his mother in North Carolina.  He was not able to read and write.  Also in the household were Lawson, 40,  Andrew J, 38, Lee Roy, 30, Washington, 26, and Linton Stephens, 23.  Lawson and A.J. were listed as farmers.  Lee Roy and Washington were described as 'working on the farm' and Linton as a physician.  All were listed as single, although in Lawson's case that is only technically correct.  All were also listed as unable to read and write.  They could all certainly write their names but Linton in particular, as a university graduate, was highly unlikely to be illiterate.

William has not been found on the 1880 agricultural schedule but neither have his sons.  The extant schedule for that area is not in good physical shape and there are several Williams for whom the surname cannot be read.

William's tombstone states that he died in 1894.  However, the tombstone appears to be much newer than the grave and may have been added considerably after the fact.  In his estate records, his son Lawson, the executor, states that he died on 6 January 1889. He died intestate but Lawson was granted letters of administration on the estate.  Lawson took out a $12000 bond for this, witnessed by 3 of his brothers.  He first estimated the value of the estate at close to that, including 1000 acres of land and personal property but shortly afterwards changed that to $6200.  Lawson quickly requested permission to sell all perishable goods as well as some of the land.

The land sale was to pay off debts and to facilitate dividing the estate among the children.   The land was described as The Home place, 250 acres, the Mathis/Mathews place 500 acres and the Watkins place 249 acres.  This was later revised to be as follows:

  The Mathews place - 310 and 3/4 acres bounded by J.C. Duggan and J.L. Garner on the North, A.M. Mathews and T.G. Duggan and T.J. Cummings on the East, and by his own land on the South and West.

  Also 20 acres  adjoining lands of J.M. Archer on the North, East by  T.T. Brown, South by J.J. Garner, West by John Garner.

  Also 33 acres of land near Union Church, bounded on the North by G.W. Garner, East by Duggan, South by Duggan and West by G.W. Garner.

  The Home place was 503 acres bounded on the North by S.A. Garner [his sister Sally Ann], J.L. Duggan, East by his own lands and T.J. Cumming; South by G.E Walker, J.E. Garner, A. J. Garner and J.C. Duggan; West by S.A. Garner and L. S. Garner. 

After the land, crops, and personal items were sold, each of William's heirs received $466 in January 1890, an additional $275 each in 1891, and $10 in 1892.   Sarah Elizabeth's share, which would have gone to her children, was dispersed to their father J.P. Carr, who was designated as the guardian.

William and Sarah Johnson Garner had the following children:

• Minerva.  Born 7 Nov 1838, supposedly died 8 August 1867.  Never married and no children. 
• Frances (Fannie), born 16 Dec 1839, died 6 Dec 1911, buried at Union Baptist Church cemetery in Washington county.  She married James Roberts in 1880 and her widowed brother-in-law John P. Carr in 1889.  She did not have any children. 
• John Lawson, born 18 Aug 1841, died 7 Jan 1897, buried at Union Baptist church.  He married Mary Victoria McCook on 18 Aug 1892, after they had already had four children. 
• Andrew Jackson (A.J.), 23 March 1843 - 23 Dec 1911.  Buried at Union  Baptist Church.  Never married and no children. 
• William Columbus (seen in some family records as Christopher Columbus or just Columbus), born May 1845,  married Mary Catherine Dutenhoefer 15 Dec 1867.  Date of death has not been determined.  He may be the W.C. Garner of the correct age who appears in the Milledgeville Asylum in 1910 and 1920.  When his brother A.J.'s estate was distributed in 1911, his son Hollifield signed as his guardian, indicating some sort of incapacity.  He had 7 children.
• James Thomas, 29 Feb 1848-17 Jun 1926.  He is buried at Balerma Baptist church in Hancock County.  He married Louise Victoria McCray on 27 Dec 1877 and they had 6 children. 
• Lee Roy, 4 Jun 1850- 3 Nov 1932.  Twin brother to Green Lee, buried at Union Baptist Church. He married Catherine Lou Dutenhoefer and they had 5 children. 
• Green Lee, 4 Jun 1850 - 14 Mar 1930.  Married first Amanda Lou Walker on 21 Jan 1879 and then Hattie Gheesling on 18 Jan 1884.   Buried at Union Baptist Cemetery. 
• Louvenia (also seen as Lavinia and her tombstone says Lounera), 6 Dec 1852 - 6 Nov 1897.  Buried at Union Baptist Cemetery.  Married Green Mills on 27 April 1879.  They had at least 3 sons but only one lived to adulthood.  
• Washington Moses, 11 Aug 1854 - 28 Sep 1896.  Buried at Union Baptist Church. He married Claudia May Hood on 2 May 1889 and they had 3 children.  She later married a second time to Lee Blount.  
• Linton Stephen, 16 Nov 1856 - 26 Sep 1893, Buried at Union Baptist Church.  He was a medical doctor.  He married Addie Lee Archer on 11 Sep 1881.  They had 4 children of whom one died as a young child.  After his death, Addie married a second time to Oscar E. Smith.  
• Sarah Elizabeth (Lizzie), 16 Jun 1858 - 19 May 1889.  Buried at Union Baptist Church.  She married John (J.P.) Carr, but date of marriage is unknown.  They had 5 children.  After her death, John married her sister Fannie.

Ahnentafel #14 James Edward Wade and #15 Carrie Horne

James Edward (Ed) Wade was born on 19 January 1870 in Houston County (now Peach County), GA.   He was the oldest of the 14 children of Moses Thomas Wade and Irene Moore.  Fort Valley is right on the Crawford-Houston border and as a result, he grew up living variously in Houston and Crawford Counties, appearing with his parents in Houston County in 1870 and 1880.  In 1870, he is 4 months old.  In 1880 he was not listed as attending school at the time, but neither is anyone else on that page, so the census taker may just not have noted it.  His name has led to some speculation in the family.  His next youngest brother (William Thomas) is named after their paternal grandfather and father, the third brother (Robert Lee) is named after the general and the 5th brother (John Henderson) is named after his maternal grandfather and has his paternal grandfather's middle name.  The fourth son is another whose name origin (George H.) is unknown.  Some family stories indicate that James Edward was named after an officer his father served under in the Civil War, but this has not been verified.

Carrie Frances Horne was born on 23 January 1880 in Crawford County Georgia to Washington William Buchanan Horne and Mary Ann Morris.  She was the youngest child and only surviving daughter.   She lived her entire life in Crawford County, where she appears with her parents in the 1880 census.   Her father was committed to the State asylum the month before she was born and died there just before her 5th birthday, so she was essentially raised just by her mother.  Without their father's income, the family was extremely poor, just scraping by.

Ed and Carrie were married by a Justice of the Peace in Crawford County on 14 February 1897, shortly after her 17th birthday.  Ed was 27.  Throughout their married life, they farmed in Crawford County. 

Their first son, Hiram Alvin Wade, was born on 18 July 1897 but sadly died at 8 months old.  By the 1900 census, they are living next door to Carrie's mother and brother, with their 8 month old second son Homer and have been married 3 years.  Carrie reports that she had had two children, of whom one was living.  They rent their farm and both of them can read and write.  For some reason, in this census Ed (as James) is also listed in his father's household, also in Crawford County, as the same age but single and working as a farm laborer.

The 1910 Crawford County census was badly water damaged and so far Ed and Carrie have not been found in the surviving portion.  It seems probable that they lost at least one child between Homer (1899) and Bessie (1905), but without the 1910 numbers, it is difficult to know.   By 1920, they owned a farm on the Macon-Columbus road.   Son Homer had left home already, but daughters Bessie, Viola, Lillie and Clyde, as well as son Louis were still at home.  Bessie, Viola and Louis were attending school, but Lillie and Clyde were still too young.  Their youngest child, James Edward Jr, was born a few months after the census was taken.

 The 1930 census is a mess as far as this family is concerned.  Ed (listed here as Edd) still owned the farm and Carrie is listed as a housekeeper.  Their ages are correct, but their ages at first marriage are given as 15 and 25, rather than 17 and 27.   Ed generally listed his father as born in North Carolina, even though it was probably Virginia and he does so here.   But Carrie generally correctly listed her parents as born in South Carolina and Alabama.  In this census, however, her father is listed as Alabama and her mother in Mississippi.   The oldest daughter Bessie is listed as Bessie Wade, widowed.  She shows a "first married" age of 16, but it is crossed out.  In fact at this point she was Bessie Griffin and divorced, back living with her parents.  She was 14 (and 9 months) when she married.  The youngest son is listed as John instead of James, but the other children are correct.  In this census, Clyde, 13,  and James, 9,  are the only two children in school.  Bessie's 7-year old son Leroy Griffin is also living with them and is also in school.

By 1940, the children had all left (or left again), except for James Jr.  Even though he's only 19, he is married to  Lillian, age 16, and they are living with Ed and Carrie.  Ed, Carrie and James are living in the same house they were in in 1935, which they own and which is worth $500.  Lillian, who was presumably not married in 1935, was living in Peach County at that time.  Ed claims to have finished 7th grade and Carrie 6th grade.  James and Lillian both did 2 years of high school.  Both Ed and James said they had worked 52 weeks the previous year even though both listed their income for that period as $0.  Both of them also worked the week of 24-30 March 1940, with Ed doing 40 hours and James 50, both of them on the farm. 

Ed died on 18 April 1946 and was buried in Macon Memorial Park, Macon, Georgia.  Carrie in turn died on 8 June 1960 and was buried next to him.

The children of Ed and Carrie Wade:
 

• Hiram Alvin Wade, 1897-1898
• Homer Leonard Wade, 1899-1964.  Married Gladys Pullen and lived most of his married life in Florida. 
• Bessie Florence Wade, 1905-1988.  Married 1) Alfonso Clay Griffin, 2) James Wesley Childers, 3) Unknown Smith and 4) Charles Dennard Wood.  
• Viola Elizabeth Wade , 1907-2000, married Frank Becham
• Ira Louis Wade, 1910-1977.  Married Thelma Ola Pope. 
• Lillie Maude Wade, 1913-1988.  Married Chester Payton somewhat late in life.  
• Caroline Clyde Wade, 1916-2006.  Married John Allen Green.  They eventually settled in Mount Pleasant, SC.  She was a nurse.   She claimed that she was originally named Carrie Clyde Wade, after her mother, but that she thought Caroline sounded better. 
• James Edward, Jr, 1921-1993.   He was married first to Lillian, then Matilda.  Neither of their surnames have been identified.

Ahnentafel #12 Franklin Lafayette Becham and #13 Sarah Lodelia Mathews

Franklin Lafayette (Fate) Becham was born in September 1871 in Crawford County, Georgia to Washington Becham and Ann Catherine Perry.   He was generally called Fate (short for Lafayette) but occasionally appears in the records as Frank.  He lived his entire life in the county and appears with his parents in the 1880 census. 

Sarah Lodelia (Delia) Mathews was born 26 February 1870 in Brooks County,  Georgia to Thomas Franklin Mathews and Susan Catherine Peterman.  The family had moved back to Crawford County, GA by the time she was 10, since she appears there in the 1880 census.  She is with her parents in both the 1870 and 1880 censuses.

Fate and Delia married on 22 December 1895 in Crawford County, Georgia, where he followed in his father's footsteps as a farmer and potter.  Fate's pottery has developed some reknown in Georgia and in fact an example of it is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  

 

This photo is of his great-great-

Granddaughter looking at the jug in the Smithsonian. It is the one on the far right.










 In 1900, Frank and Lodelia are renting a farm near Roberta, with their two oldest children Frank and Washington (generally known as W.P.).   This particular census is the first one I ever looked up as a genealogist, back when the only way to find one was at the Archives.  The magic of seeing my grandfather as a young child hooked me totally and I've never looked back.   In this one, they duly note that they've been married 5 years, and have had two children, both of whom were living.

In 1910, they are still on the farm, but the family is now up to 6 children, 5 boys and 1 girl.  Another child has apparently died since Delia states that she has had 7 children but 6 were living.  Their youngest child, another boy Walker, was born two months after this census was taking.   By 1920 they own their farm, although they do have a mortgage on it.  In this census, Frank and his 3 oldest sons were all listed as house carpenters.  The youngest 3 boys were in school and daughter Lucile was married.

About this time, Frank was apparently very involved with the Methodist church, since this is when he had the photo taken of himself and his sons, in the church group. Delia had been noted joining Old Bethel Methodist church in 1897. Fate may have already been a member there since that is where his father is buried. 

By 1930, all the children had left home except W.P., who continued to live there until his death in 1974.   Their son Frank was widowed by this time and had returned home with 4 of his 5 children.  The baby, Sarah, was living with her aunt Lucile.   Fate was listed as a farmer and W.P. was described as a laborer on his father's farm.  Frank was still working as a carpenter.   Fate owned the farm but no value was given for it.

In 1931, Fate and his son Frank went to a family reunion hosted by his sister Ophelia (Mrs. J.W.) Thomason, in Dry Branch GA, celebrating his brother-in-law's 71st birthday.  Also from Roberta were Fate's sisters Mrs Bill (Addie) Smith and Mrs. Virginia Smith.

In 1940, Fate, Delia and Washington are living on the farm they own, now valued at $4700.  Their son Henry lived next door.  Fate was listed as a brick mason laying brick, but not working and he had not worked the census week of 24-30 March 1940.  He had worked 10 weeks in 1939, for which he earned $50.

Fate died on 14 June 1958 age 86 and was buried in the Roberta City Cemetery.  His will left $300 to his wife with the remainder going to his son W.P. with the request that W.P. look after his mother.  The will added that this was just a request, not a stipulation, but W.P. did in fact look after his mother until her death.  Delia in turn died on 15 June 1965, age 95.  I was taken to see her a few weeks before she died and she was the only one of the great grandparents that I was aware of meeting.

Fate and Delia had the following children:

1.  Frank Jones Becham, 1897-1985, married 1) Ola Pauline Bryant and 2) Viola Elizabeth Wade.  
2.  Washington Perry (W.P.) Becham, 1899-1974, never married
3.  Henry Lafayette Becham, 1901-1989, married Edith Williamson.  Remained in Crawford County.
4.  Lucile Delia Becham, 1901-1994, married Robert Edward Hortman.
5.  James Alfred Becham, 1904-1971, married Cecile Laing while serving in the navy in California.  Eventually returned to Roberta after he and Cecile divorced.
6.  Edgar P. Becham, 1908-1936.  Married Verlin Hutto but died of cancer shortly after the marriage.
7.  Walker M. Becham, 1910-1987, married Gladys Johnston.

Fate and Delia Becham and some of their descendents, probably early 1950s.

Ahnentafel #10 Warren David Hendricks and #11 Lucinda Jane Gooch

According to his own account, Warren David Hendricks was born 8 Sep 1854 to George Washington Hendricks and Jane (Jenny) Keith, in Pickens County, SC.  His mother died a few years later after the birth of his younger brother James and his life became rather peripatetic at that point. The family lived in Alabama as well as various places in Georgia, before finally reaching Lumpkin County, which is where he married Lucinda Jane Gooch.

Lucinda Jane Gooch was born 19 Mar 1857 in Lumpkin County, Georgia to James Gooch and  Elvira Grizzle.   They had moved to Union County by the time she was 13 and she married Warren when she was 16, on 27 March 1873.  The ceremony was performed by Warren's cousin (by marriage) George Whitmore, who was a J.P. 

The young couple almost immediately settled in the Gaddistown area of Union County, where they raised a very large family.  Warren was primarily a farmer, Jane was a midwife, mother, and homemaker.   For the first 20 years of their marriage, Warren's brother James lived next door to them, before moving down to Madison County.  James was married to Jane's sister Eliza.   The brothers must have been close, since they named their first sons after each other. They also lived quite close to Jane's parents as well as her brothers William and Madison. Tax records indicate that they owned 260 acres of land.

In 1880 Warren and Jane first appear in the census as a family, with their two oldest children Lucy Ann and John James.  Also in the household was a 14-year old orphan Elizabeth Rider.  Her relationship to the family is not known but Warren and Jane did later take in at least one other orphaned child whom they raised. 

In March 1890 Warren was arrested for making whiskey, although he was not charged with selling it.  He was released when one of the witnesses (who worked for him) changed his testimony.   Family tradition maintains that he did in fact make whiskey.  A few months later, the Atlanta Constitution wrote a short piece about him in their section "Dahlonega Nuggets":  'Mr. Warren Hendricks, One of Union County's most prosperous farmers, was in Dahlonega some days ago.  Mr. Hendricks is worth about two thousand dollars and made it by hard licks.  He never wore a store coat or store pants in his life, but wears clothing manufactured by the "folks at home."  Instead of furnishing his little boys with a bicycle and ((unreadable)) pair of shoes, he gives them a long pair of home-made pants, suspenders knit by his girls, tenders them a hoe and puts them in the cornfield barefooted, with instructions to cut the weeds so as to let the corn grow, is why he prospers.'

By the 1900 census, Jane and Warren's two oldest children were married, with 7 more still at home, the youngest being 4.   An additional 4 children had not survived.   Her daughter Mattie always claimed that Jane was an excellent midwife, but that she had great difficulty with her own pregnancies and was often bedridden for them.

In 1903, Warren was appointed as the road commissioner for the Gaddistown district, along with two other men.  About the same time, he was also made a jury commissioner, a position he remained in until his death.

By 1910, several more of the children had married and left home, but 5 were still living with Warren and Jane as they ran the farm.  About 1915 they fostered Evelyn Ingle from Copper Hill, Tennessee.  She was about 4 at the time.  To date, we have not discovered why she was sent to a family in Union County, Georgia.  Her father had died and her 4 brothers were also fostered, separately.  She was apparently very fond of Warren and Jane, naming two of her children after them, including her first son.

In 1920, Warren and Jane show daughters Mattie, Maude and Evelyn still at home.  Mattie and Maude were both teachers.  This census entry is not totally accurate since Mattie was also listed on the census in Emanuel county, where she was working. Since the census was taken in January, its possible that she was still home for the holidays when the census taker came by.   Maude was at home but left to marry a few months later.   The fact that Mattie and Maude were both teachers is a reflection of the importance that the family apparently attributed to education.  At least 3 of the daughters (Viana, Mattie and Maude) and one of their sons (Luther) had attended North Georgia Agricultural college in Dahlonega.

In 1930, Warren is still apparently farming, despite now being 76.  Foster daughter Evelyn is still with them, as well as their daughter-in-law Ellen Jones Hendrix Seabolt.  Ellen's first husband was their son Joseph.  In 1920, he had been serving as the mayor of McCaysville, GA when he intervened in an incident with a drunken man, who shot him in the head.   Ellen later married James Seabolt but by 1930 was listed as widowed again.

In 1940, Jane and Warren are living at the same place but he is no longer listed as a farmer.  All the children are now gone, but they do have a 15-year old maid in the house.  Both Jane and Warren are listed as having done 4 years of school.  Warren died on 28 August 1940 and Jane followed him on 25 May 1942.  Both of them are buried at Mount Pleasant #2 (the Hill Church) in Suches.

Jane and Warren had the following known children:

     -- Mary LucyAnne Hendrix, born 29 September 1875, died 29 April 1956.  She married Anderson Asberry McDougald and lived her entire life in Union County.
     -- James John Washington Hendrix, born12 Dec 1877, died 17 Mar 1954.  He was named after Warren's father Washington and his two brothers James and John.  He married Vinnie Gurley and eventually settled in Morgan County, GA.
    --  Joseph Benjamin Hendrix, born 18 Mar 1881, died 25 April 1920 while serving as mayor of McCaysville, GA.  Married Ellen Jones.
    -- Allen Luther Hendrix, born 16 Feb 1884, died 11 Mar 1959 in Gwinnett County, GA.  He became a preacher, and met and married his wife Cora Blanche Clyde while serving in Holt County, Nebraska. 
   --  Vianna Hendrix, born 22 May 1885, died 19 Sep 1947.   She married William Carl Gurley.
   --  Elvira Hendrix, born 23 Sep 1889, died 20 Aug 1968 in Monroe County, GA.  She married John Richard Bearden.
   -- William Arthur, born 20 Jan 1891, died February 1976 in Hall County, GA.  He lived much of his working life in Franklin County, Ohio, but returned to Georgia after his wife died.  He married Gilla May Sparks of Fannin County.
   -- Mattie Irene Hendrix, 13 June 1893 - 12 April 1975, Married Charles Gordon Garner
   --  Maude June Hendrix, born 21 Oct 1895, died 4 Aug 1967 in Atlanta.  She married Edward Lee Floyd, who had been one of the instructors at NGC when she and Mattie were there.
   --Alice Evelyn Ingle, born 7 Oct 1911, died 24 Dec 2007 in Haywood County, NC.  Married James Thomason and then Dennis Ammons.

Warren and Jane with their descendents, taken about 1938.

Ahnentafel #8 Green Lee Garner and #9 Harriet Gheesling

Green Lee Garner was born on 4 June 1850 in Washington County, Georgia, the son of William and Sarah Johnson Garner.  He lived in Washington County until about 1930 when he moved to Decatur County.   He had a twin brother Lee Roy Garner.   Green and Lee Roy were just young enough to miss the Civil War, turning 15 just as it ended.  They had several brothers who served but none who were killed, unlike many of their neighboring families.  They were the 7th and 8th children of twelve who survived to adulthood.  All the children grew up working on the farm and most became farmers themselves as adults.

On 21 January 1879, Green married Amanda Lou (Lou) Walker, 19, the daughter of Freeman Flournoy Walker and his wife Amanda Lou Hooks.  Rev Asa Duggan performed the ceremony.  Both attended - and were later buried at - Union Baptist Church near the Hancock/Washington county line.  The families were also connected in that two of Lou's brothers married Garner cousins.  They settled in Hancock County, where Green farmed and Lou ran the household.   Green and Lou had two daughters, Minnie (14 September 1880) and Lou Wixie (30 May 1883).  Lou died a month after her second daughter was born, presumably of complications from childbirth, and Lou Wixie herself died the following year, just before her first birthday. 

Green married for a second time on 18 Jan 1884, to Harriet (Hattie) Gheesling. They were married by Thomas West, a minister, in Warren County.   Hattie was born on 30 June 1852 in Warren County to Samuel Gheesling and Elizabeth Duggan.  I used to wonder how they met, until I realized that Hattie's grandfather lived next to Green's father.  Again the families were or became intermingled, in that Hattie's niece Frances Emily married Green's brother James Thomas Garner.  Hattie lived in Warren County until her marriage and the rest of her life in Hancock County.  Nothing is known about her education, but in the 1860 and 1870 censuses she is listed as attending school and in the later ones she is apparently able to read and write. 

Hattie and Green had 4 sons, all of whom appear with them in the 1900 Hancock County census.  They were Thomas Lawton (Nov 1884), William Samuel (16 Aug 1886), Henry Grady (Sep 1889) and Charles Gordon (1 Jan 1893).   All of the boys went by their middle name.  Hattie was apparently a good stepmother, since Green's daughter Minnie named her only daughter Hattie Lou, after her stepmother and mother.

The 1884-1887 Georgia tax digest shows Green owning 261 acres of land in Hancock County, worth $783, worked by 10 hands.  This is a high number of hands compared to other farms of similar size.  The value of his other property (stock, tools, furniture, etc) brought his total taxable value up to $1683.  In 1900, Green and Hattie are on the farm with the boys and Minnie.  Green was a farmer, while the children were all in school.  Hattie claimed to have had 4 children, all of whom were living. Green owned his farm.  By 1910, all of the children except Gordon had married and left home.  Minnie was in Atlanta, Lawton in California, Sam in Hancock County, and Grady in Kentucky.  They had sold the farm (or given it to Samuel) and were renting a house elsewhere in the county, while Green and Gordon worked as carpenters.

In 1912, they lost their son Lawton to disease, while he was still working out in California, leaving a wife Edna and a young daughter Marcellite.  Lawton's widow married his cousin Ivey William Garner, who raised Marcellite after Edna died a few years later.   Marcellite went on to work for the early Disney company as an illustrator and as the original voice of Minnie Mouse.

The 1920 census has the same household, with son Gordon still at home.  He has now finished college and is working as a farm demonstration agent, while Green is a farm superviser.   Green and Hattie still rent the house.

Hattie died in 1925, but I have been unable to find her death certificate, even though one should have been issued.  She was buried at Union Baptist Church, near Warthen.  Green died on14 March 1930 in Faceville, Decatur County, Georgia.  I have not found him in the 1930 census, so it is unclear whether he lived there or was just visiting his son.  Like his wives, he was buried back at Union Baptist Church in Washington County.

Green Lee and Amanda Lou had two children:

    i.  Minnie Lou Garner, 14 Sep 1880 to 15 Oct 1969.  She married Robert E. L. Carroll and taught school in DeKalb county, where they resided.
   ii.  Lou Wixie Garner, May 1883 - May 1884

Green Lee and Harriet A. had the following children:

   iii. Thomas Lawton Garner, Nov 1884 - 30 Jan 1912.  Married Edna May Michaels on 10 Oct 1908. They resided in California.
   iv.  William Samuel Garner, 16 Aug 1886 - 11 Jul 1966.  Married Mary Lou Boyer about 1906.  They lived first in Hancock County, then in Decatur County and finally in Dekalb.
   v.  Henry Grady Garner, 25 Sep 1889 - 12 Feb 1937.  According to family lore, he married several times and had no children.  He lived in Kentucky most of his adult life.
   vi.  Charles Gordon Garner, 1 Jan 1893 - 27 Nov 1955.  Married Mattie Hendricks on 10 December 1921. 

Ahnentafel #7 Viola Elizabeth Wade

 Back from vacation and time to get back on track with this.  Today's entry is short, as I'm afraid many of those for the women will be. 

My grandmother Viola Elizabeth (Vicky) Wade was born on 9 December 1907, the fourth child (third surviving) of  Ed Wade and Carrie Horne, in Crawford County, Georgia.  She lived her entire life in Crawford County except for the last 3 or 4 in a nursing home in LaGrange.

Vic was pulled out of school early, mostly claiming that she only went through third grade, because of the need to help around the house.  The 1940 census, however, claims that she finished 7th grade, which was fairly normal for the area she lived in.  It is possible, of course, that she did not want to admit at that time to less education and she was the one answering the questions.

Viola Wade married Frank Becham on 10 July 1932.  He was a widower with 5 children.  Two of his children were severely (Frances) or mildly (Sarah) mentally handicapped and, according to Frank's daughter Louise, it was Vic who insisted that they be put in a home.  So while they frequently visited, only 3 of the older children actually lived with them.  She and Frank then had 3 children of their own.  Betty, born in May 1933, was the first child in the family ever to be born in a hospital.   The next child, Gladys, was premature and was born at home.  Viola's sister Clyde, a nurse, was visiting at the time and reportedly nursed her through.  The youngest child, Paul, was again born in the hospital.

Vic and Frank lived in Crawford county their entire married life.  For a period they were in Musella, where in addition to Frank's carpentry work, they ran a motel and a small store.  A new highway was put in which made the motel unprofitable, at which time they built a new home just outside Roberta.  Vic lived there even after Frank's death, until she was too old to cope with the house on her own.  At that point, she moved to a nursing home near her son Paul, in LaGrange, where she died  on 30 January 2000, at the age of 92. 

Ahnentafel - #6 Frank Jones Becham

Frank Jones Becham was born on 5 Mar 1897 in Crawford County, Georgia, the eldest son of Franklin Lafayette Becham and Sarah Lodelia Mathews.  Despite much research - and asking large portions of the family - I have not been able to determine why the "Jones" in his name.

Frank's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all potters as well as farmers.  He himself came of age just as prohibition (which was imposed in Georgia before the national law) made pottery making unprofitable, since many of the jars they made were intended for whiskey.  He and several of his brothers instead directed their crafting skills into construction.

Frank lived almost his entire life in Crawford County.  He appears there with his parents and siblings in the 1900, 1910 and 1920 censuses.  He was just a toddler in 1900, with his parents and brother W.P.  By 1910, he is a 13-year old listed as a farm laborer on the family farm, and was attending school.  W.P., then 10, was also a farm laborer, but the younger children were just in school. The 1940 census indicates that Frank finished 7th grade.   In 1920, Frank was between Navy tours, listed as a house carpenter, as were his father and his brothers W.P. and Henry.

Frank enlisted in the Navy reserves in June 1918 and was called to active duty in August of that year.  At the time of his enrollment, he was described as being 5 ft, 11 inches, 151 pounds, blue eyes, light brown hair, ruddy complexion, with a number of scars on his hands and legs. After finishing basic training, he was assigned to the U.S.S. Cypress in Charleston, SC.  While technically a WWI veteran he did not see combat. He was a machinist throughout his service.   In May of 1919, he was released from duty and apparently returned to Crawford County.  However, he was recalled to active duty in November 1920.   He served on the USS Baltimore and the USS Ludlow, finally ending up at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  There he requested that he be discharged so that he could return to the U.S.  Apparently Pearl had a problem with sailors asking to get out, getting a transfer back to the U.S. and then re-enlisting there so they could have a Stateside assignment.  He did have to sign a paper stating that this was not what he was doing.  He was honorably discharged at Mare Island, California in December 1921.  During his service he got top marks for sobriety, obedience, and proficiency in his skill area. He also started out making $35.90 per month, from which $6.50 was subtracted for life insurance.  By the time he got out in 1921, this had risen to $54 per month.


In November 1921, Frank married his first wife Ola Pauline Bryant in Crawford County, Georgia, the daughter of James Bryant and Moselle Sandifer.  They largely lived in Crawford county although they did spend a short time back in Charleston around 1928.   However, they were back in Georgia by July 1929, when Ola died from complications of pregnancy following the birth of her 5th child.   In the 1930 census, Frank and his four oldest children Frances, Louise, Franklin and Caroline are living with his parents.  Baby Sarah is living with his sister Lucile Becham Hortman.  He is again working as a carpenter, as he would do for the remainder of his life.

On 10 July 1932, Frank married his second wife, Viola Elizabeth (Vicky) Wade.  This was her first marriage.  In the next few years they had three more children - Betty, Gladys and Paul.  According to Vic's sister Clyde, Gladys was born premature, at home.  Clyde, a nurse, was there at the time and managed to successfully nurse her through the first few days.   In 1940, the family is living in Sandy Point, Crawford County, Georgia.  All the children were still at home although Sarah is not listed with them in the census (or anywhere else that can be found).  Frank is a carpenter and farmer, who owns his home, worth $800.  Frank had worked 52 weeks of the previous year, for which he had earned $425.  None of the children worked.

Frank and Viola remained in Crawford county for the rest of their life.  He ran construction crews for many years, but after becoming too old for that, they ran a motel in Musella.  They eventually retired from there, building themselves a new house just outside Roberta.  At some point, probably as a young man, Frank abandoned his Methodist upbringing and switched to the Primitive Baptist church, where he was a faithful member and an avid adherent.   Towards the end of his life, he was at the VA home in Dublin, Georgia, where he died on 18 April 1985.  He is buried with his two wives at the Roberta City Cemetery in Roberta, Georgia. 

Ahnentafel - #5 Mattie Irene Hendrix

My grandmother Mattie Irene Hendrix was born on 13 June 1897 to Warren David Hendricks and Lucinda Jane Gooch in Gaddistown, Union County, Georgia, near modern-day Suches.  Mattie was the next-to-youngest of 9 surviving children and in fact, her oldest sister married the same year she was born. She and her sister Maude always claimed that they were not given middle names at birth, with the expectation that when they married they would use Hendrix as their middle name.  Both of them chose to adopt a middle name anyway. The spelling of the family name was definitely in flux at this time, which is really obvious when you look at their college yearbooks, and see it spelled differently on the same page. 

Very little is known about her early years.  Her father ran a farm and took pride in being a somewhat stern taskmaster.  There was no high school in the area, but there was apparently a small country school that the children used to get the basics. Certainly Mattie and her siblings could all read and write, which was not a given for the area.   As they got older, several of the children, including Allen Luther, Vianna, Mattie and Maude, went to North Georgia Agricultural College (later North Georgia College, then North Georgia College State University, now University of North Georgia).   The college had a preparatory program specifically designed for local students who did not have other access to secondary education.  Mattie did the full preparatory program, then went on to get her domestic science certificate, which qualified her as a graduating senior in 1914.   All three of the girls played basketball while at the school.  According to the yearbook, Mattie "plays for all it's worth at guard's position.  Her speed is a feature in every game, and she plays the ball splendidly.." Mattie later used to tell her grandchildren that she was one of the first women in Georgia to play basketball in shorts (bloomers) rather than a skirt, something she was proud of.

Shortly after graduating, Mattie began working as a teacher in Emanuel County, Georgia, possibly as a home demonstration agent.  In newspaper reports, she is just noted as a teacher, while the census

has her as a U.S. vocational teacher.  Her photo of her first car, shown here, was labeled as "home demonstration agent".  She was the 1921 Attendance officer for education in Emanuel County and  heavily involved in literacy programs for the county, as well as demonstrating at the county fair and joining the Camp Fire girls on a camping trip.   She was also active with the county Georgia University alumnae association, attending their meetings.

Mattie married Charles Gordon Garner on 10 December 1921 in Swainsboro.  Apparently at the time this meant that she could not continue in her job, so this was the end of her professional career.  She and Gordon lived first in Lyons, Toombs County, where their first two sons Charles Gordon,Jr and Warren Hendrix were born.  About 1931 they moved to
Athens, where James Arthur and Robert Edward joined the family.   After her father died in 1940, Mattie and Gordon purchased his property in Gaddistown, Georgia. In the late 40s, she moved back there with Jim and Bobby.  Gordon joined them after his retirement.

Left a widow in 1955, Mattie continued to run the farm for many years, until finally selling the property in the late 60s.  She lived for some time after that with her sons in Kansas, Georgia and Oklahoma.  She died in 1975 in Oklahoma City, having been living at the time with her son Warren in Cordell, Oklahoma. She and Gordon are both buried at Mt Pleasant Church #2 (the Hill Church) cemetery in Suches, GA.

Ahnentafel series - Charles Gordon Garner

I have decided to do at least a weekly post just working up through my Ahnentafel.  Since the point of this blog, among other things, was to let me see the gaps in what I know or have documented, at least some systematic approach, once in a while, is a good idea.

I'm skipping my parents (nrs 2 and 3 in my report), so the first one I come to is #4, my Grandfather Charles Gordon Garner.  Gordon, or C.G., Garner as he was known was born on 1 January 1893 near Sparta, Georgia, to parents Green Lee Garner and Hattie Gheesling.  He was the youngest of 4 boys born to them, but he also had an older half-sister Minnie, from his father's first marriage.  They were a farming family, which is probably significant considering Gordon's later choice of career.   Green Garner owned the family farm where Gordon grew up, but with 4 boys apparently did not need to hire outside help, at least according to the 1900 census.

By 1910, Green and Hattie had moved off the farm and were renting a house, still in Hancock County, Georgia.  Gordon was the only son still at home.  His father was working as a carpenter and Gordon was listed as a "carpentering laborer."   This was probably in the Granite Hill area, just outside Sparta, since that is where Gordon claimed to be from in college.

 In 1914, Gordon enrolled the University of Georgia.  There was no obvious reason for his enrolling at a fairly advanced age (21).  He was not in the military.  Considering that he was already known as "Co-op Garner" by his sophomore year, my speculation is that he was working in agriculture, became interested in the nascent co-op system and realized that he needed a university degree to work in that field.

 From the various yearbooks, it is apparent that he was active in student life.  He was noted as a photographer, as a member of the YMCA, as a Bible study member, as a member of the track team, and as an officer in the honorary agriculture fraternity, Alpha Zeta.  He was already known as "Co-op" Garner, and would be nicknamed that for the rest of his life.  In 1917, he received a bachelor's degree in Agriculture at the University of Georgia and was apparently hired almost immediately as a County extension agent, since he was working in Stephens County by June of that same year.

In the 1920 census, he is shown again with his parents, but listed as an agricultural demonstration agent.   He was still active in the State's efforts in agriculture, being listed as one of the delegates at a March 1920 conference which established the Georgia Association, a union of the chambers of commerce, farm bureaus and other industrial entities.  In newspapers from the era, it is obvious that he quickly established himself as an expert in agricultural marketing.  He was first interested in beef marketing with UGA.  Then after becoming a county extension agent in Lyons, he traveled throughout the state, appearing as a marketing expert in various meetings and agricultural gatherings.  About 1931 he started working directly for the  University, moving his family to Athens.  In 1940 he got his Masters from the University and spent the early 40s advising farmers on efficient ways to get their goods to market, taking into account shortages and rationing caused by the war.

In December 1920, Gordon married Mattie Irene Hendrix, who was working as a demonstration agent in Emanuel County.  They settled in Toombs, Lyons County, while he was the extension agent there and then moved to Athens, Clark County, where they raised 4 sons and where he lived until his retirement in 1955.   At that point, he joined Mattie in the Gaddistown, Union County area, where she had grown up and where she had moved with the boys some years earlier.  Sadly, he died less than a year later of a heart attack.