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.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
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
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
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
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.
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.
Monday, June 10, 2013
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Madison Gooch - estate of James Gooch, Union County, GA
Union County} The Honorable, the Court of Ordinary for the County & State aforesaid To Matison Gooch:
Whereas James Gooch, late of the State and County aforesaid, being deceased, died intestate, having whilst he lived and at the time of his death Real and personal estate within the county and state aforesaid by means whereof, the full disposition and power of granting the administration of all and singular the real and personal estate of said deceased, and also auditing the accounts, calculations and reckonings of the said administration and a final dismission of the same to this court is manifestly sworn to belong: I, descrive that the real and personal estate of the said deceased may be well and truly administered converted and ?1wd? disposed of do hereby grant unto the said Matison Gooch full power and by the tenor of these presents to administer the real and personal estate of the said deceased which to him in his lifetime and at the time of his death did belong and to ask, levy, sue for, and recover and receive the same and to pay the debts in which the deceased stood obligated so far forth as the said real and personal estate will extend (2nd pic) according to their rate and order of law, being first sworn on the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God to make a true and perfect inventory thereof, and to exhibit the same into the court of ordinary aforesaid in order to be recorded on or before the 1st day of December, 1913 next issuing, and to render a just and true account, calculation and reckoning of the said administration of all and singular the real and personal estate of the said deceased.
Witness the Honorable V. I Burg, ordinary for union county, this the 6th day of Oct 1913.
//signed// V. I. Burt
Ordinary
Recorded Oct 7 1913
//signed// V. I. Burt
Ordinary
Thursday, May 27, 2010
serendipity
Well, moving definitely throws me off balance when it comes to posting. Let's see if I can't make this more regular.
My sister and I have spent the last several years looking for the marriage date and place for our grandparents Charles Gordon Garner and Mattie Hendrix. At first we thought it would be an easy effort, just check out the records in the county where they lived when they got married (Toombs County, GA). Well, there was no record there, so we checked the county where she was from (Union County) and the neighboring counties since transport sometimes made it easier to get to a different courthouse (Lumpkin, White, Fannin). No luck. A cousin thought they got married in Athens, so checked out Clarke county. Then, since we were in the area, checked out the counties where he grew up (Washington and Hancock). We tried the county where they honeymooned (Chatham), where he had lived a couple of years before (Stephens), where his closest sibling lived (Fulton) and then a couple of counties because we were in the area - Crawford, Peach, and Houston. We had actually printed out the Georgia map on the GAGenWeb site and marked off counties as we went.
The only "known" facts we had were that their engagement was announced in November 1920 in the Atlanta Constitution, with no date given for the wedding but a statement that it would be "soon". And in the 1920 census, both of them were shown with their parents, in Union and Hancock counties respectively.
At that point, we had just about reached the point of just working out from all those counties until we had got lucky or eliminated the entire state. However, at that point a little bit of luck hit in. As I had done many times before, I did a news search on her name (genealogybank.com) and had a social news hit - Miss Mattie Hendrix of Swainsboro visited her sister Mrs. Floyd in Atlanta. I knew my grandmother had a sister Maude Floyd, so even though we had no knowledge of any connection to Swainsboro, we checked it out and there it was! Embarrassing moment of high-fives in the courthouse, but the staff just wrote us off as crazy genealogists.
So why Swainsboro - it turns out Mattie was a teacher there at the time. Once I knew that this was my Mattie, I did more research and found out that she was also on the 1920 census down there (something I would have dismissed before since I knew I had her with her parents. Didn't think to check the dates). This also explained the long-term question of how they met - she was running literacy programs from Statesboro, he was doing extension agency outreach in Lyons, putting them actually in fairly close proximity to each other and in fields where their missions might have overlapped.
And the moral of this story - check and recheck every possible source of information. I had checked her name in genealogybank and ancestry many times, but genbank had added more source newspapers and I was not being careful on the census or I would have caught the duplicate entry for her.
My sister and I have spent the last several years looking for the marriage date and place for our grandparents Charles Gordon Garner and Mattie Hendrix. At first we thought it would be an easy effort, just check out the records in the county where they lived when they got married (Toombs County, GA). Well, there was no record there, so we checked the county where she was from (Union County) and the neighboring counties since transport sometimes made it easier to get to a different courthouse (Lumpkin, White, Fannin). No luck. A cousin thought they got married in Athens, so checked out Clarke county. Then, since we were in the area, checked out the counties where he grew up (Washington and Hancock). We tried the county where they honeymooned (Chatham), where he had lived a couple of years before (Stephens), where his closest sibling lived (Fulton) and then a couple of counties because we were in the area - Crawford, Peach, and Houston. We had actually printed out the Georgia map on the GAGenWeb site and marked off counties as we went.
The only "known" facts we had were that their engagement was announced in November 1920 in the Atlanta Constitution, with no date given for the wedding but a statement that it would be "soon". And in the 1920 census, both of them were shown with their parents, in Union and Hancock counties respectively.
At that point, we had just about reached the point of just working out from all those counties until we had got lucky or eliminated the entire state. However, at that point a little bit of luck hit in. As I had done many times before, I did a news search on her name (genealogybank.com) and had a social news hit - Miss Mattie Hendrix of Swainsboro visited her sister Mrs. Floyd in Atlanta. I knew my grandmother had a sister Maude Floyd, so even though we had no knowledge of any connection to Swainsboro, we checked it out and there it was! Embarrassing moment of high-fives in the courthouse, but the staff just wrote us off as crazy genealogists.
So why Swainsboro - it turns out Mattie was a teacher there at the time. Once I knew that this was my Mattie, I did more research and found out that she was also on the 1920 census down there (something I would have dismissed before since I knew I had her with her parents. Didn't think to check the dates). This also explained the long-term question of how they met - she was running literacy programs from Statesboro, he was doing extension agency outreach in Lyons, putting them actually in fairly close proximity to each other and in fields where their missions might have overlapped.
And the moral of this story - check and recheck every possible source of information. I had checked her name in genealogybank and ancestry many times, but genbank had added more source newspapers and I was not being careful on the census or I would have caught the duplicate entry for her.
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