52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Black Sheep

This post is part of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks for 2018. The prompt for the week of June 25, 2018, is Black Sheep.

I hate to call anyone in my family a black sheep. We’ve all made mistakes and have our own failings. But if I were to pick a person, I suppose it’d be my paternal great uncle Hoyt Henry Brown. Actually, I don’t think of him as a black sheep (unless I find out otherwise). I think of him as a rouge for leaving behind a wife and daughter in England. My dad mentions this in his memoirs, and that Hoyt's wife had written to Hoyt's mother Hattie looking for him. Then I found out recently from Hoyt's grandson that he also had son with his English wife. (This grandson is the son of Hoyt's son.)

Hoyt was my grandmother Helen’s twin brother. He was a merchant marine, which says to me that he was adventurous, while his whole family stayed close to home in north Florida and south Georgia. I get the impression from my dad’s memoirs that my great uncle was fun-loving, loud, physically strong, a drinker, and life of the party, and I think he was probably very charming. My dad wrote that Hoyt "always seemed a rebel" and was "always the topic of hushed conversation." I’ve wondered if there were other women and children elsewhere in the world, near the ports where he stopped. 

My paternal great uncle Hoyt Henry Brown.
I don't know where or when this photo was taken.
And I don't remember which cousin sent it to me!
 I apologize to that cousin for my faulty memory.

I've wondered if Hoyt and Helen and their siblings (Lucy Belle, Lavada, and Elliot) had a very stable home life growing up in Pensacola, Florida. Traveling as a merchant marine may have been Hoyt's method of getting away from whatever was going on. Although, he did end up settling in Pensacola.

I’ve written about the death of Hoyt's mother (my great grandmother): Fearless Females: The Tragic Death of Hattie Finney Brown, and about their father: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - #23 Henry Washington Brown

All families have their issues and dysfunctions. I don't care how "perfect" they appear on the outside. I believe that how we’re nurtured (as well as our nature) shapes our lives. And sometimes in families there's at least one child who has trouble finding their way (to put it nicely). Out of Hoyt and his siblings, he seems to be the one.  

Catherine

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - #43 Mary Gregory

Mary Gregory was my paternal 7th great grandmother. She was born in Essex, Rappahannock County, Virginia, in 1665 to John Gregory and Elizabeth Bishop. I have her siblings as Ann, Elizabeth, John, and Richard.

Mary married James Taylor in 1682. When I noticed that the date for her husband's birth was 1635 on the marriage index record on ancestry.com (see below), making him 30 years older than she, I thought it possible that he may have been married before or maybe the dates are wrong.

U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 about Mary Gregory

Name: Mary Gregory Gender: Female Birth Place: VA Birth Year: 1665 Spouse Name: James Taylor Spouse Birth Year: 1635 Marriage Year: 1682

According to a findagrave.com memorial for James, he was married twice before. His first wife is noted as Elizabeth Underwood and his second wife as Frances (no maiden name given). He had children by all three wives according to his memorial. The children he had with Mary are noted as Ann, Elizabeth, John, Mary Bishop, Edmund, James, and John Powell.

A findagrave.com memorial for Mary says that she died on April 30, 1698. It gives James' birth as 1615 and his arrival in America as 1635. It notes Frances Walker as his only other wife, and the death date for Frances is given as 1680.

The only children I have listed for Mary are Ann, Mary Bishop (1688-1779, my 6th great grandmother), and John (1696-1780).

A genealogy on James Taylor lists his children by Mary Gregory as follows:

Anne b. 1685
Elizabeth b. 1685 (died in infancy)
Mary b. 1686 (died in infancy)
Mary Bishop b. 1688
Edmund b. 1690
John b. 1692 (died in infancy)
Elizabeth b. 1694
John b. 1696

The above genealogy notes that Mary's second husband was Rowland Thomas of Caroline County, Virginia.

According to the findagrave memorial noted above for James Taylor, he died on September 22, 1698. I have Mary's death date as 1747 in Bowling Green, Caroline County, Virginia. The findagrave memorial for Mary gives her death as April 30, 1698.

I did a little more research on Mary Gregory but didn't find anything definite. Several records were conflicting. One of these days, I'll get back to researching Mary and her family.

My descent from Mary Gregory:

1. Mary Gregory and James Taylor
2. Mary Bishop Taylor and Henry Pendleton
3. Elizabeth Coleman and James Pendleton
4. Martha Aubrey and Philip Pendleton
5. Martha Gilbert and  Coleman Pendleton
6. Catharine Tebeau and Philip Coleman Pendleton
7. Susan Parramore and Alexander Shaw Pendleton
8. Helen Brown and Albert S. Pendleton Sr
9. Leona Redles and Albert S. Pendleton Jr
10. me

Catherine

This post is part of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge by genealogist Amy Crow at No Story Too Small.

52 Weeks of Sharing Our Memories - Let's Visit Grandma!

This post is part of the 52 Weeks of Writing our Memories by Lorine McGinnis Schulze at Olive Tree Genealogy who has challenged us to write our memories for our future generations.

My maternal grandmother, Leona Roberts (Redles), died from breast cancer on April 19, 1955, a few months after I was born. Here's a photo of her holding me not too long before she died. I can tell from the photo just how ill she was. (I love the labels my dad wrote on these photos.)

My maternal grandmother Leona Roberts (Redles) and me in 1955.
Taken at the J. T. Roberts house.

She grew up in the J. T. Roberts house. The photo behind my blog title was taken of the Roberts clan on the side porch of that house. After the death of my grandfather William Redles, she moved back to the Roberts house with her daughters, my mom Leona and Aunt Catherine, and lived there with three of her sisters and their families. One of her brothers lived next door with another one of their sisters and her family. Everyone called the Roberts house the Big House (we still call it that). We continued to visit our relatives there for many years after my grandmother died.

I don't remember a lot about visits to my paternal grandmother Helen Brown's (Thomas, Pendleton) house. I remember picking up pecans in the back yard and playing in the front yard. I remember what the inside of her house looked like and the layout. I remember sneaking in her bedroom to smell her Jergens lotion. That scent still reminds me of her. She and my granddad Albert Pendleton Sr. lived in a stucco house on a quiet street--the same house my dad and his siblings grew up in. Below is a photo taken on their front porch.

My mother holding me on the left, in the center is my grandmother Helen Brown (Thomas, Pendleton), on the right is my Aunt Frances Thomas (McLaughlin) holding her son/my cousin Rob McLaughlin (we called him Bobby back then).

I enjoyed visiting Grandmama and Granddaddy (Helen and Albert) and going to the Big House where my great aunts and uncles lived and where Grandmother Leona and my mom and aunt grew up!

Catherine

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - #23 Henry Washington Brown

Twenty-one out of 22 of my 52 Ancestors posts have been about my foremothers. In honor of Father's Day coming up, I thought I'd write about one of my forefathers. I've been avoiding writing about my paternal great grandfather Henry Washington Brown, because of the tragedy he caused, but his blood runs through my veins, too, and it's time I tried to get to know more about him.

One of ten children, Henry was born on March 4, 1863, in Covington County, Alabama, to William Jackson Brown and Sarah Adams. By the time he was born, the American Civil War had been raging nearly two years.

Henry grew up on the 120-acre family farm in Covington County where they grew wheat, corn, rice, tobacco, cotton, peas, and barley; raised pigs and cows; churned butter; and made molasses from sugar cane.[1] His siblings were Thomas Jefferson (b. 1847), William Franklin (b. 1849), Elizabeth (b. 1851), James Andrew (b. 1852), Mary (b. 1855), Sarah Cecille (b. 1858), John Berry (b. 1862), Willis Jackson (b. 1864), and Robert Joseph (b. 1867). Henry's mother died about a month after her last child Robert was born when Henry was just four years old.

By the time Henry was 17, he had moved out of his father's house, but I don't know where he went or why he moved out at such a young age. Probably to find work. He's not listed with his father in the 1880 census and I haven't found him elsewhere.

Where's Henry? The James Brown and Franklin Brown in the above 1880 Covington County, Alabama, U. S. census are Henry's older brothers. W. J. Brown is Henry's father. Henry is also not listed with his brother Thomas Jefferson Brown. (Click the image for a larger view.)

Henry married Hattie Finney on April 16, 1884, in Escambia County, Alabama.[2] Their children were Lucy Belle (b. 1887), Lavada (b. 1890), Elliott Medric (b. 1893), Helen Larue (b. 1896, my grandmother), and Hoyt Henry (b. 1896, my grandmother's twin). My dad wrote in his memoirs that their children were named after Henry's friends.

Henry seemed to have held a variety of jobs over the years, but most might be the same job or within the same field--lumbering. At the time of the 1885 Florida state census, he was working as a cooper. By 1900, he was a log driver. The 1910 Federal census index on ancestry.com does not match the digitized original record that comes up, but the 1910 Pensacola, Florida, city directory says he was a laborer. Here are a few more:

• 1911 Pensacola city directory: contractor
• 1913 Pensacola city directory: lumber
• 1916 Pensacola city directory: laborer
• 1919 Pensacola city directory: carpenter
• 1920 Escambia County, FL, census: foreman in a shipyard
• 1921 Pensacola city directory: carpenter
• 1924 Pensacola city directory: carpenter

By the 1930 census, Henry had a truck garden business. By this time, he was 67 years old and probably retired. According to my dad, Henry also had a moonshine still.

In my post Fearless Females: The Tragic Death of Hattie Finney Brown I wrote about the tragedy that I mentioned above, so I won't recount it here. I also wrote about Henry's death two years later in that same post. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of this family.

My dad wrote in his memoirs,

My mother was Helen LaRue Brown (Thomas) Pendleton (1896-1972).  Her parents were Henry Washington Brown and Hattie Finney Brown of Pensacola, Florida, formerly of Alabama. Mama said one parent was Scotch [sic] and the other was Irish—and that was an unpredictable combination. 

Catherine

This post is part of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge by genealogist Amy Crow at No Story Too Small.



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[1] 1860 U. S. census, Covington County, Alabama, nonpopulation schedule, p. 21, line 20, William J. Brown, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 April 2014), citing NARA microfilm publication M279.

[2] Ancestry.com Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 (Selected Counties), for Henry Brown and Hattie Finney.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - #14 Sarah Adams

Sarah Adams, my paternal second great grandmother, was born on January 15, 1829, in Sumter County, Georgia. Her parents were Lucy Ivey and Rowell Adams, and her siblings were George, Mary (b. 1825), Celia (b. 1838), Henry (b. 1840), and Lucy (b. 1843).

Sarah married my second great grandfather William Jackson Brown in 1847 in Sumter County. She gave birth to ten children: Thomas Jefferson (1847-1923), William Franklin (b. 1849), Elizabeth (b. 1851), James Andrew (b. 1852), Mary (b. 1855), Sarah Cecille (b. 1858), John Berry (1863-1930), Henry Washington (1863-1933, my great grandfather), Willis Jackson (1864-1941), and Robert Joseph (b. 1867). The online Georgia digital marriage records is missing the books that would have their marriage record.

By the time of the 1860 census, Sarah and her family, her parents, and her sister Mary and brother-in-law William Hardin had moved to Covington County, Alabama. On their farm, Sarah and William grew wheat, corn, rice, tobacco, cotton, peas, and barley. They had at least one horse, some cows, pigs, and "other cattle." They churned butter and made molasses from sugar cane. Sounds like they had a very busy farming operation going! They had a total of 120 acres at this time, with 40 acres of it improved. William received a patent for this land in 1861.

Sarah and William J. Brown's land is outlined in red (aerial from Google Earth and section and quadrangle lines from Earth Point, labels added)

The approximate location of Sarah and William J. Brown's land is outlined in red and was southeast of Andalusia, Alabama (aerial from Google Earth, labels added)

They were all still living in Alabama after the Civil War as of the 1866 Alabama state census. About a year after that census was taken, Sarah died on September 12, 1867. After her death, her parents Lucy and Rowell Adams moved back to Sumter County Georgia and were there at least by the 1870 census. Sarah's sister Lucy Ann is living with them. Next door to her parents is Sarah's sister Mary and brother-in-law William Hardin and their children. Sarah's husband William and their children stayed in Alabama.

I haven't discovered where Sarah is buried. William lived out the rest of his life as a widower.

Catherine

This post is part of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge by genealogist Amy Crow at No Story Too Small.



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Sources used:

1850 U. S. Census, Sumter County, Georgia, population schedule, District 27, dwelling 1046, family 1046, Rowell Adams, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 January 2014), citing NARA microfilm publication M432.

1860 U. S. census, Covington County, Alabama, nonpopulation schedule, p. 21, line 20, William J. Brown, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 April 2014), citing NARA microfilm publication M279.

1866 Alabama State Census 1820-1866, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 January 2014), citing Alabama Archives and History microfilm publication M2004.0008-M2004.0012, M2004.0036-M2004.0050, and M2008.0124.

1870 U. S. Census, Sumter County, Georgia, population schedule, Militia District 993, dwelling 687, family 685, Rowell Adams, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 January 2014), citing NARA microfilm publication M593.

Bureau of Land Management, digital image, Patent 24186 for William J. Brown, dated September 10, 1861 (http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/ : accessed 24 August 2010).

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #4 Lucy Ivey

Genealogist Amy Crow at No Story Too Small has challenged us to blog about one ancestor a week for 52 weeks. This will get me writing about other branches of my tree than the ones I tend to focus on the most. It will be a way to get to know more of my ancestors, even if it's just a brief write-up. I will also take a look at some of the challenges that I'm having in my research.

Lucy Ivey

My paternal 3rd great grandmother Lucy Ivey was born about 1803 in North Carolina or Virginia (census records vary) to Adam Ivey and Mary Adams. Lucy married Rowell Adams in Columbia County, Georgia, on September 21, 1820. I don't know if Rowell was a relative of Lucy's mother. (Click on the images for a larger view.)

By 1830, Lucy and Rowell were living in Warren County, Georgia, and they had four children. I have a son named George in my tree with no birth or death dates. One of these four children in this census is their daughter Sarah born in 1829. Sarah was my 2nd great grandmother and the wife of William Jackson Brown (Adams, Ivey, and Brown are on my father's maternal line). The rest of the children that I have in my tree (Mary, Celia, Henry B., and Lucy Ann) were born after 1830. As of the 1840 census, they were still living in Warren County.

By the 1850 census, Lucy and Rowell had moved to Sumter County, Georgia, with their children Mary, Celia, Henry, and Lucy. Living next door was their daughter Sarah and son-in-law William Brown. Rowell was a farmer, and according to the 1850 agriculture schedule, they had 50 acres of improved land on a farm worth $250. They had two horses, two cows, three "other cattle," and 40 "swine." They grew corn, sweet potatoes, and cotton. The value of their "animals slaughtered" was recorded at $100.

Lucy and Rowell's daughter Mary married William Hardin in 1854 in Sumter County. Then the Adams, Brown, and Hardin families moved to Covington County, Alabama, by the time the 1860 census was taken. They were all still living in Alabama as of the 1866 Alabama state census.

This is the 1866 Alabama state census page for W. J. Brown, W. D. Hardin, and Rowell Adams

Lucy and Rowell had moved back to Sumter County Georgia by 1870. Their daughter Lucy Ann is living with them. Next door is their daughter Mary and son-in-law William Hardin with their children. Lucy and Rowell's daughter Sarah Adams Brown died in Alabama in 1867. Sarah's husband William and their children stayed in Alabama.

The 1870 Sumter County Georgia census for Rowell and Lucy Adams. Their daughter Mary and son-in-law William Hardin are listed just above them.

This is an 1863 Georgia-Alabama map that I've labeled with the counties and years to show the migration of Lucy Ivey and Rowell Adams from Columbia County Georgia to Covington County Alabama and back to Sumter County Georgia (A. J. Johnson's map of Georgia and Alabama from http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/histcountymaps/ga1863map.htm)

I haven't found death dates or burials for Lucy or Rowell, or what happened to their daughter Celia and son Henry, or whether or not they had a son named George. I've found a few clues, but I don't know if I have the correct people. The search continues!

Catherine

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Sources:

Marriage Books, Columbia County Ordinary Court, Georgia Archives. Marriage Record for Lucy Ivey and Rowell Adams, Columbia County Marriage Book 1806-1829, Georgia's Virtual Vault. (http://cdm.georgiaarchives.org:2011/cdm/landingpage/collection/countyfilm : accessed January 12, 2014).

1830 U. S. census, Warren County, Georgia, population schedule, Not Stated, p. 212, Rowell Adams, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 January 2014), citing NARA microfilm publication M19.

1840 U. S. Census, Warren County, Georgia, population schedule, Rylands District, p. 14, Rowell Adams, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 January 2014), citing NARA microfilm publication M704.

1850 U. S. Census, Sumter County, Georgia, population schedule, District 27, dwelling 1046, family 1046, Rowell Adams, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 January 2014), citing NARA microfilm publication M432.

Georgia Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828-1978, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 January 2014). Marriage record for Mary Adams and William D. Hardin, 14 December 1854.

1860 U. S. Census, Covington County, Alabama, population schedule, Andalusia, dwelling 710, family 710, Rowell Adams, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 January 2014), citing NARA microfilm publication M653.

1866 Alabama State Census 1820-1866, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 January 2014), citing Alabama Archives and History microfilm publication M2004.0008-M2004.0012, M2004.0036-M2004.0050, and M2008.0124.

1870 U. S. Census, Sumter County, Georgia, population schedule, Militia District 993, dwelling 687, family 685, Rowell Adams, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 January 2014), citing NARA microfilm publication M593.

Fearless Females: The Tragic Death of Hattie Finney Brown

Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist wrote a post for Women’s History Month titled “Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.” There is a topic for each day of the month of March to commemorate the “fearless females” in our families. I planned to follow along from March 1, but I got behind getting ready around that same time for my trip to my home town to visit family. I checked to see what today’s topic (March 11) was and saw that it was to honor a “fearless female” who “died young or from tragic or unexpected circumstances.” I immediately thought of the post below. I wrote it months ago but was hesitant at the time about posting it. Now is a good time.

The Tragic Death of Hattie Finney Brown

On one of my visits home to Valdosta, Georgia, a year or so before my father died, he asked me to look for his memoirs, Growing Up South Georgian (n.d.).  (He was bedridden with Parkinson’s Disease and couldn't look for them himself.)  It seemed to weigh on his mind not knowing where they were.  It took me a little while, but I found most of his memoirs scattered around his office.  He asked me to read them and then put them somewhere so they would be found when we were ready to make copies to give out to family. 

I must not have read all of the chapters at the time or maybe this particular chapter about the circumstances surrounding the death of my paternal great grandmother Hattie (Finney) Brown was one I found later, because it sure came as a shock when one of my cousins told me how she died.  Another cousin (or maybe it was the same one...I've since forgotten) sent me some newspaper clippings about it.  I wondered why I had not heard about this before. Why didn't my father tell me?  How could I have missed this in his memoirs?  A couple of years ago, I started retyping and editing my dad’s memoirs, and I came across what he wrote about Hattie's death at the end of one of his chapters (below is her death certificate):

Just recently, I was reminded of just how Mama Gangie [Hattie] died.  Papa Gangie [Henry] thought he heard someone after his chickens one night, got up to see and shot Mama Gangie accidentally.  He was arrested and released but not before the newspapers had a field day with it.  Mama Gangie died instantly.  About five years ago one of Aunt Lucy’s [Brown Ward] sons told me that Papa Gangie was a bootlegger and thought someone was after his moonshine, that Hoyt [Hattie and Henry's son] was there one day in 1933, had an argument with him, and left in a huff in his truck, but first he backed over Papa Gangie in the yard.  Mama kept a lot from us.  That was her right.

My father wrote that Hattie and Henry lived in a place called Brownsville outside of Pensacola, Florida.  Hoyt was my grandmother Helen's twin brother and was at Hattie and Henry's when Hattie was shot.  She died right in front of him.  Henry met with a tragic end, too.  My father writes in Growing Up South Georgian (n.d.) about the death of Henry,  "Papa Gangie died when a kerosene lamp blew up and he didn't survive the burns."


Lisa asks in today’s blog prompt, how did this death affect the family? I wish I knew. I know how it affected me when I found out about it. After I told one of my cousins about Hoyt backing over his father Henry with his truck, he said there was probably no love between them after Hattie’s death. Sometimes in researching family history, you find out things you'd rather not know.  I try not to pass judgment on how my ancestors lived their lives or on the things that they did.  It's not easy sometimes, though.  After I found out how my great grandmother Hattie died, I didn't want to know anything about my great grandfather Henry. I was angry with him for what he did even though it was ruled an accident. However, later on I began to wonder about this family and wanted to know more.  What were their lives like?  Why did Henry have moonshine still (silly me)?  I don't even know what Hattie and Henry looked like.  I came across a wedding photograph on ancestry.com of their daughter Belle and her wedding party.  There are some older couples in the photo, but the person who posted the photo didn't know if Hattie and Henry are in it.  I'm sure they are, but which couple are they?  My cousin showed the photograph to his mom (my father's sister).  She was pretty sure she'd picked them out.  My father didn't seem to know a whole lot about them, so I hope one day that a descendent of Hattie and Henry will fill in the blanks for me. 

Catherine

Nearly Wordless Wednesday—Albert & Helen

My paternal grandparents, Albert Sidney Pendleton, Sr. and Helen Larue Brown Thomas. This photo was taken sometime in the 1960s when they were on vacation in Bermuda.  I remember them meeting us at the beach after their trip (only I don’t remember which beach, but it was probably Fernandina Beach, Florida, because that’s where we went the most).  I love that they’re holding hands in this photo.  I think my grandfather had a stroke and died not too long after this.  He died in 1965.  This is when people dressed up to travel!  Looks like they’re wearing name tags, so I wonder if this was a vacation package type trip.  I remember being surprised that they went “all the way” to Bermuda!

Catherine

Will the Parents of Kate and Hattie Please Stand Up

Yep.  A genealogical brick wall.  Hattie Josephine Finney (1869-1931) was my paternal great grandmother, and Catherine Florence Finney (Kate, 1863-1922) was her sister.  Until two or three years ago, I knew nothing about Hattie except that my father called her Mama Gangie, she was married to Papa Gangie (Henry Brown), she lived in Pensacola, Florida, and she was the mother of my grandmother Helen Brown. 

When I started working on this branch of my tree, I contacted one of my first cousins to see what he knew.  As we started working though this branch, he made contact with a descendent of Kate Finney who has done a phenomenal about of research into the parentage of these two sisters.  He shared his research with us, and we have all continued to look for and share information about this elusive family.

I just want to kick myself for not getting interested in this branch before my father died!  What did he know about this family?  I don’t think he knew a whole lot about who came before Hattie and Henry or he would have told me.  A couple of years ago, I was looking for clues in the infamous paper piles in his office during one of my annual visits home.  I found a 1986 note that his sister Frances and written to their sister Clyde that included some names of possible fathers of Hattie.  This note told me that my dad and his sisters were looking for clues themselves two decades ago.  They were going on the assumption that Finney was the father’s name.   However, it appears that Finney is the maiden of their mother who was one of several sisters.  But which one?  It’s also interesting that other children of some of these sisters also went by the name Finney.  And that’s not the only crazy-making feature of this family.  Just delving even a little into the Finneys makes my head hurt. 

We know that the maternal grandparents of Kate and Hattie were Harriet B. Jones and John Finney from Laurens County Georgia (Harriet was probably born in Jones County Georgia but moved to Laurens as a child).  They had five daughters and one son: Irene (b. 1841), Sarah (b. 1843), Eliza or Elizabeth (b. 1845), William (b. 1848), Rebecca (b. 1850), and Virginia (b. 1853).  Sometime before 1850, the Finneys moved to Washington County Florida.  The 1850 census lists all of the children except for Virginia who was born after the census was taken [1].  This census also includes Harriett’s stepmother Sarah Jones and her half sister, also named Sarah Jones.




John died, and Harriett married Ira Shine Williams sometime before 1857.  They had son George Williams before 1860.  This marriage was brief as Ira isn’t listed with Harriett in the 1860 Washington County census (See image below.  Notice son George with last name of Finney; maybe a mistake by the census enumerator) [2].  Ira Williams is in Texas by 1860 with his children by his first wife [3].  Also, Harriett’s children Eliza and William disappear after the 1850 census.  Irene is in Thomas County in 1860 with the Thomas S. Jones family.  She is listed as Irene Huson with Isaiah Huson and son Jasper [4].




In the 1870 Walton County Florida census, Kate and Hattie appear on the scene.  They are with their grandmother Harriett and her son George Williams and daughters Sarah, Rebecca, and Virginia Finney (misspelled as Frunetz) [5].  Kate is six years old and Hattie is only eight months old [6].  Their last name is listed as Williams.  This may have been an assumption made by the enumerator, or maybe that’s what he was told, or maybe that was really their last name.  Next door is Harriett’s daughter Irene (Finney) Huson and Irene’s son Jasper Finney (see what I mean about the maiden name).   Below are pages from the 1870 Walton County Florida census.  Harriett, Sarah, Rebecca, and Virginia are at the bottom of page 57, and George, Kate, Hattie, and Irene and Jasper are at the top of the following page 58.





Below is the 1880 Santa Rosa County census listing Kate and Hattie as granddaughters of Harriett and with the last name of Finney [7]. 




Kate married Orin Martin Merritt in 1882, and Hattie married Henry Washington Brown in 1886 [8, 9].  Both the Merritts and the Browns ended up in Escambia County Florida where they lived out their lives [10, 11].

There is way more to the Finney story than what I’ve written here and way more research that has been done (using both direct and indirect evidence) by my Finney cousin than just the census records that I present above.  From what I understand in reading my Finney cousin’s research, he’s narrowed down the mother of Kate and Hattie to possibly Sarah, but so far he hasn’t been able to confirm this.  I don’t even want to get started discussing the possible fathers (I’ve mentioned one here).

I’m sending this into cyberspace in the hope that information about the parentage of Kate and Hattie is out there somewhere in someone’s family history…Please get in touch!

Catherine
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[1] Ancestry.com.  1850 United States Federal Census.  Division 3, Washington, Florida; Roll: M432_59; Page: 302B; Image: 582, for John and Harriett Finney.
[2] Ancestry.com.  1860 United States Federal Census.  Washington, Florida; Roll: M653_109; Page: 1033; Image: 505; Family History Library Film: 803109, for Harriett Finney.
[3] Ancestry.com.  1860 United States Federal Census.  Seven Leagues, Smith, Texas; Roll: M653_1305; Page: 65; Image: 133; Family History Library Film: 805305, for Ira S. Williams.
[4] Ancestry.com.  1860 United States Federal Census.  Thomas, Georgia; Roll: M653_138; Page: 71; Image: 71; Family History Library Film: 803138.
[5] Ancestry.com.  1870 United States Federal Census.  Uchee Anna, Walton, Florida; Roll: M593_133; Page: 814A; Image: 765; Family History Library Film: 545632, for Harriet Williams.
[6] Ancestry.com.  1870 United States Federal Census.  Uchee Anna, Walton, Florida; Roll: M593_133; Page: 814B; Image: 766; Family History Library Film: 545632, for Kate and Hattie.
[7] Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census.  Precinct 1, Santa Rosa, Florida; Roll: 132; Family History Film: 1254132; Page: 190D; Enumeration District: 136; Image: 0076, for Harriett, Kate, and Hattie.
[8] Ancestry.com.  1900 United States Federal Census.  Muscopel, Escambia, Florida; Roll: T623_168; Page: 27A; Enumeration District: 15., for marriage year of Kate Merritt.
[9] Ancestry.com. Alabama Marriage Collection, 1800-1969. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006, for Hattie Finney and Henry Brown.
[10] Ancestry.com. Florida State Census, 1867-1945.  Florida State Census of 1885; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M845, 13 Rolls); Record Group 29, for Kate Merritt.
[11] Ancestry.com. Florida State Census, 1885.  (National Archives Microfilm Publication M845, 13 Rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29, for Hattie Brown.

Elizabeth Bashaba Cook

Elizabeth Bashaba Cook was my third great grandmother on my father's side and Aaron Brown's wife (see Aaron Brown Part 1 and Part 2).  Her age on the 1850 Sumter County Georgia census looks like it says "41" which would make her birth year 1809 and make her about 10 years old when her first child was born (see Aaron Brown, Part 1) [1].  It more likely says "46" which would be more in line with what the 1860 Sumter County Georgia census and the 1870 Covington County Alabama census records indicate--around 1803 [2] [3].  The 1850 and 1860 Sumter County Georgia and 1880 Covington County Alabama census records say she was born in Georgia.  The 1870 Covington County Alabama census record has ditto marks under the "SC" for Aaron as her place of birth.

Several family trees on ancestry.com have Nathaniel Cook and Elizabeth Jordan as Elizabeth's parents, but so far, I haven't found anything to substantiate this.  I wrote a letter last year to the Elbert County Historical Society in Elberton, Georgia, asking for information about Nathaniel Cook and Aaron Brown.  The historical society forwarded my letter to the Elbert County Public Library.  Among the information that the library sent me were copies of a couple of pages from a book titled Grandma Where Are You: Cook/Cooke Cousins of the South by Marie Kellogg Taylor.  On page 461, Nathaniel Cook's wife is listed as Elizabeth, but no maiden name is given.  Their children are Daniel, Joseph, James, John, Jordan, Jethy, Elizabeth, Unity, and Sarah.  Jordan is the only child for whom wives (he had 3) and children are listed.  Was Jordan the maiden name of Nathaniel's wife Elizabeth?  Even if Nathaniel Cook turns out to not be Elizabeth Cook's father, I believe that there is certainly a close tie between the two families.  Aaron Brown and Elizabeth Cook named one of their sons Jordan (see the list of their 15 children in Aaron Brown, Part 1), and as I mentioned in Aaron Brown, Part 2, their second son had the middle name of Nathaniel.

Elizabeth was about 16 years old when she married Aaron Brown on March 21, 1819, in Elbert County Georgia [4].  They were living near Nathaniel Cook in the 1820 Elbert County census, and it appears that they were living in Monroe County by 1830, as was Nathaniel (see Aaron Brown, Part 1).  Jordan Cook, a child of Nathaniel, is listed in the 1840 Monroe County census on the previous page (his name is spelled Jourdan) [5].  Daniel Cook is on the same 1840 Macon County census page as Aaron Brown [6].  Could this be the Daniel Cook noted above as a child of Nathaniel Cook?  Jordan Cook is in the 1850, 1860, and 1870 Sumter County census records [7, 8, 9].  This is the same county where Elizabeth and Aaron Brown were living as of the 1850 and 1860 censuses.  By the 1870 census, Elizabeth and Aaron had moved to Covington County Alabama where their oldest son William was living [10].  They may have been in Alabama earlier.  A transcription of the Goodhope Primitive Baptist Church records on an Alabama genealogy website trackingyourroots.com notes that on June 8, 1867, "Bersheba Brown" was received by letter (http://www.trackingyourroots.com/data/goodhope.htm).  This could be our Elizabeth Bashaba Cook Brown.  The location of the church is given as County Highway 63, Section 1, Township 6N, Range 16E.  The township and range are the same as that given in the 1870 Covington County census for Aaron and Elizabeth's location; however, the Section is not recorded.  Below is a Google Earth image of the church and cemetery on County Highway 63 in northeastern Covington County.

Goodhope Primitive Baptist Church and cemetery in Covington County Alabama on County Highway 63 where Elizabeth Bashaba Cook Brown may have been a member at one time (image from Google Earth).

After Aaron died in 1872, Elizabeth and their adult daughter Caroline moved in with son William and his family; they are listed with him in the 1880 Covington County Alabama census [11].  Elizabeth died on July 12, 1886.  I found a listing of the graves in the Goodhope cemetery (http://www.prairiebluff.com/aacemetery/gdhopecem-aa.html), but no Browns are listed.  The website notes that there are 71 unmarked graves.  If Elizabeth was still living with William when she died, perhaps she is buried in a cemetery closer to where William lived.  There are several churches near the land William owned in the middle of Covington County.  The website trackingyourroots.com has a list of several of the cemeteries in Covington County and a list of the people buried in them.  I haven't found Elizabeth or Aaron.  There are several Brown family members listed as buried in the Salem Baptist Church cemetery.

I thought I might see if I could get a copy of a death record for Elizabeth and/or Aaron.  According to the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) website (http://www.archives.state.al.us/referenc/vital.html) death (and birth) certificates were not required by Alabama law until 1908.  Before that time, some vital records were kept at the county level beginning around 1880, although some record keeping began before and after 1880.  On their Local Government Records Microfilm database you can look up a given county to see what records are available.  This is for ordering entire microfilm rolls (which I don't want).  They do have some Covington County wills from 1882 to 1895.  (They have land records, too.)  Also on the database page is a link to a map that shows where and when courthouse fires have occurred across the state, thus the chance that all of the vital records for a given county up until the fire have been destroyed.  Well, the courthouse in Covington County burned in 1895, but apparently there are some records for Covington per the ADAH website.

I'd like to find a birth record for Elizabeth, and I'd like to find death records for both Elizabeth and Aaron and find out where they're buried.  I'd also like to know what drew them from Elbert, to Monroe, to Macon, and to Sumter counties in Georgia.  I presume they moved to Covington County Alabama because their son William was already there.  I have more digging to do where Elizabeth and Aaron are concerned. I'm not done with their story.

Catherine
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[1] Ancestry.com. Year: 1850; Census Place: District 17, Sumter, Georgia; Roll: M432_82; Page: 175A; Image: 356.
[2]  Ancestry.com. Year: 1860; Census Place: District 17, Sumter, Georgia; Roll: M653_136; Page: 475; Image: 486; Family History Library Film: 803136.
[3]  Ancestry.com. Year: 1870; Census Place: Township 6 Range 16, Covington, Alabama; Roll: M593_11; Page: 484A; Image: 392; Family History Library Film: 545510.
[4]  Ancestry.com. Georgia Marriages, 1699-1944 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
[5]  Year: 1840; Census Place: District 634, Monroe, Georgia; Roll: 47; Page: 157; Image: 903; Family History Library Film: 0007045.
[6]  Year: 1840; Census Place:  , Macon, Georgia; Roll: 46; Page: 15; Image: 613; Family History Library Film: 0007045.
[7]  Year: 1850; Census Place: District 26, Sumter, Georgia; Roll: M432_82; Page: 145A; Image: 296. [8]  Year: 1860; Census Place: Districts 26 and 27, Sumter, Georgia; Roll: M653_136; Page: 509; Image: 520; Family History Library Film: 803136.
[9]  Year: 1870; Census Place: Militia District 884, Sumter, Georgia; Roll: M593_174; Page: 327B; Image: 659; Family History Library Film: 545673.
[10]  See footnote 3 above.
[11]  Year: 1880; Census Place: Fairfield, Newberrys, Harts and Red Level, Covington, Alabama; Roll: 9; Family History Film: 1254009; Page: 302D; Enumeration District: 52; Image: 0611.

Aaron Brown, Part 2

In Aaron Brown, Part 1, I wrote about my research into my third great grandfather on my father's side, Aaron Brown.  In that post, I noted that two census records (1850 and 1860 Sumter County Georgia) say he was born in North Carolina, while one record (1870 Covington County Alabama) says South Carolina.  (I'm leaning toward North Carolina, but I could be wrong.)  I want to know where Aaron came from, who his parents were, and whether or not he had any siblings (or any relatives for that matter).  So far I haven't found the answer to my questions.  I also wonder if he has a connection to Nathaniel Cook, i.e., is Aaron's wife Elizabeth Nathaniel's daughter?  Is that why both families ended up in Monroe County by 1830?  Is that even "our" Aaron Brown in that census.

Having read somewhere (I forget where) that families tended to move together (or move to places where they had relatives), I browsed the 1820 Elbert County census on ancestry.com and made a list of all of the Browns.  I felt that maybe at least one of them is related to Aaron, and they may have come to Elbert County together from North Carolina, or maybe Aaron or his family knew someone already living there (could even have been someone who wasn't a Brown).  There are 13 heads of household with the last name of Brown (not counting Aaron).  However, Aaron is the only Brown in Captain Oliver's District in Elbert County.  He could be living in that district because that's where his wife Elizabeth Cook's family is living.  There are several Cooks on the same census page as Aaron.

I read somewhere that the Genealogy Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files was a good place to look for information on veterans of that war [1].  These abstracts list birth and death dates, parents, spouses, children, and sometimes other relatives of the pensioners as well as places where the pensioners lived.  I thought it was possible that Aaron's father may have served in the war and had later moved his family to Elbert County from North Carolina.  There are over 30 pension abstracts for soldiers with the last name of Brown spread over 36 pages (in small typeface that hurt my old eyes to read), so I concentrated only on the Browns who enlisted in North Carolina.  I actually found an Aaron Brown, but none of his children were named Aaron (recall from Part 1 that the 1840 Macon County census listed Aaron as "Jr.").  I found a Benjamin Brown who enlisted in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and had moved to Elbert County after the war, but I haven't been able to tie him into our Aaron.  I plan to go back to the library one of these days and look for Browns from South Carolina in the abstracts just in case.

The Georgia census records for 1790 (when the Federal census first began) to 1810 no longer exist [2].  On top of that, there are no 1790 records for Elbert County, because it wasn't formed from neighboring Wilkes County until after the census was taken that year [3].  I looked through the Reconstructed 1790 Census of Georgia on ancestry.com which does have a section for Elbert County; the people listed are actually those living in Wilkes County before Elbert was formed [4].  I jotted down all of the Browns for future reference.  I searched the Georgia Tax Index 1789-1799 on ancestry.com, but nothing for Elbert County came up [5].  I did make a note of any Browns in Wilkes County, though.  I didn't see any reconstructed census records or tax records for Georgia for 1800-1810 or anything else up to the 1820 Elbert County census.  It's also possible that Aaron and his parents lived in a different county, maybe a neighboring one, until he married in 1819 and moved to Elbert County. That might be unlikely; how else would he have met Elizabeth if they weren't close neighbors already?

One set of records that I haven't looked through are the Georgia land lotteries (except for finding Aaron in the 1827 lottery.  See Part 1.).  Aaron and his parents may have ended up in Georgia as a result of the first (1805) or second (1807) land lotteries (which were for land in other counties) and then eventually made their way to Elbert County.  Another land lottery wasn't held until 1820 (for information on Georgia land lotteries see http://www.sos.ga.gov/archives/what_do_we_have/land_lottery/default.htm).

I've looked at naming patterns.  Is Aaron and Elizabeth's first son William named after Aaron's father or a brother?  His second son has the middle name of Nathaniel, the name of Elizabeth's probable father Nathaniel Cook.  Their first daughter was named Elizabeth, maybe after Aaron's wife Elizabeth or Elizabeth's probable mother who is also named Elizabeth (wife of Nathaniel).  Aaron didn't name a son after himself until later (see the list of his children in Part 1).  Their son William could simply be named after someone who was famous back then.  For example, they named one of their sons Thomas Jefferson.  There are three William Browns in the 1820 Elbert County census:  in the Talom District, Terrill District, and Whites District. However, none of them are old enough to be Aaron's father...brother maybe (all are in the age range 16-26).  The William Brown in the Talom District is "William U. Brown."  I found him on a family tree on ancestry.com.  It says he was born in North Carolina in 1801.  No sibling named Aaron is listed on the tree, but that doesn't necessarily mean there wasn't one.  Sometimes people (myself included) just follow their direct line in their family tree; however, I've learned that it helps to add the siblings.

One more thing before I close.  One of my first cousins with whom I've worked quite a bit researching our mutual ancestors was told by another family researcher that Aaron's son William was 3/4 Cherokee.  Well, that started a whole other direction of research (or rather, a new obsession for me).  I emailed this person, but I have to say, the response I received was rather confusing to me and he/she didn't respond to my further questions for a reference as to where this information was found.  Maybe he/she got distracted and busy.  That happens to me, too.  I'll write about this research later.  Does this mean that Aaron was Cherokee or had Cherokee ancestry?  Or his wife Elizabeth?  So far I haven't found anything to substantiate this.  I've asked several family researchers of other branches of this Brown tree if they have ever heard this.  All except one have said yes, but no one had any record of it.  Rats!

Catherine

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[1]  Genealogy Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files. Vol. I.  Abstracted by Virgil D. White. (The National Historical Publishing Company, Waynesboro, Tennessee, 1990).
[2]  Marie de Lamar and Elizabeth Rothstein, compilers.  Reconstructed 1790 Census of Georgia: Substitutes for Georgia's Lost 1790 Census. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore 1989).  Digital copy available on ancestry.com.
[3]  See footnote 2 above.
[4]  See footnote 2 above.
[5]  Ancestry.com.  Jeffery, Alice. Georgia Tax Index, 1789-1799 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1998.

Aaron Brown, Part 1

Aaron Brown was my third great grandfather on my father's side.   (I mentioned him in a previous post, Common Names in My Family.)  Here's the lineage:

Aaron Brown (b.1800-1803, d.1872)

|

William Jackson Brown (b. 1818 or 1819, d. 1890)

(son of Aaron)

|

Henry Washington Brown (b. 1863, d. 1933)

(son of William)

|

Helen Larue (Brown) Thomas Pendleton (b. 1896, d. 1972)

(daughter of Henry)

|

Albert Sidney Pendleton, Jr. (b. 1925, d. 2006)

(son of Helen)

|

Catherine Leona Pendleton (me)

(daughter of Albert)

Aaron was born in the early 1800s.  The 1850, 1860, and 1870 census records indicate he was born around 1801, 1802, or 1803.  The 1850 and 1860 Sumter County, Georgia, census records note that he was born in North Carolina [1] [ 2].  The 1870 census says South Carolina [3].  Aaron married Elizabeth Bashaba Cook, in Elbert County, Georgia, on March 21, 1819 [4].  She may be the daughter of Nathaniel Cook of Elbert County; at least that's what the family trees say that I've found.   I haven't yet found any records that attest to this.  (I'll write about Elizabeth in a separate post.)  Aaron and Elizabeth's first child was my second great grandfather William Jackson Brown.  So far, I don't know who Aaron's parents were or where he came from in North Carolina (or South Carolina).  How did he end up in Elbert County?  He seems to just suddenly appear.

Aaron is listed in the 1820 Elbert County census, and his possible father-in-law Nathaniel Cook is listed 1 row down (there's a Mary Cook between them; see image below) [5].  In 1827, Aaron is still in Elbert County.  He drew land that year in the 1827 Georgia land lottery.  The land was located in Bells District in Troup County; his residence is listed as Elbert County [6].

A portion of the 1820 Elbert County Georgia census.  Aaron Brown is marked in red.  Nathaniel Cook is listed one row down from Aaron.  There are other Cook family members on this page.  I'll discuss them in a later post (click on the image to enlarge; from ancestry.com)

By the 1830 census, I believe that he has moved with his family to Monroe County, Georgia; his name is spelled "Aron" in this census (see image below) [7].  (For folks that don't know, only the heads of household were listed in the U. S. census until the 1850 census, and the number of males and females were noted in age ranges.  Beginning with the 1850 census, all members of a household were listed separately by name, age, etc.)  Aaron's possible father-in-law Nathaniel Cook has moved to Monroe County as well [8].  The Brown and Cook families may have moved to Monroe County together, or it could just be a coincidence that there is an "Aron" Brown in the same county as Nathaniel Cook.  The age ranges of the children for "Aron" Brown in the census don't exactly match the ages of the children born before 1830 and still living at the time, but they're close (see the list of children below).

A portion of the 1830 Monroe County Georgia census showing "Aron Brown" marked in red (from ancestry.com).  Nathaniel Cook is listed three pages earlier (on page 204) of this census.

By 1840, it appears that Aaron and his family have moved to Macon County, Georgia [9].  The age ranges of the children in this census are a closer match to the ages of the children born before 1840 and still living at the time of the census (see list of children below).  Interestingly, if this is "our" Aaron, he is listed as "Aron" Brown, Jr., in this census (see image below). 

A portion of the 1840 Macon County Georgia census.  Aaron Brown's name (marked in red) is listed as Aron Brown, Jr.  (click on the image to enlarge; from ancestry.com)

As I noted above, in the 1850 and 1860 census records, the Browns are in Sumter County, Georgia [10].  (Their oldest child William has married by this time and is listed as a separate household in Sumter County in 1850.)  In 1850, Aaron's occupation is listed as "farmer."  In 1860, he is listed as a "farm laborer," with real estate valued at $1,000 and personal property of $263.  The Browns (including son William and his family) have moved to Covington County, Alabama, by the 1870 census [11].  Aaron's occupation is listed a "miller," and the only property value listed is personal property of $150.  Quite a change in property value from the 1860 census.  Aaron died in Covington County, Alabama, on September 15, 1872.
 
Here are the 15 children of Aaron and Elizabeth Brown.  I have not been able to verify all of the dates below thus far. 

William Jackson Brown (1818 or 1819-1890) (my second great grandfather)
Elizabeth H. Brown (1820-1826)
Jesse Nathaniel Brown (1822-1827)
Patsy Adleline Brown (1825-?)
Sarah Ann Susan Brown (1827-1858)
Mary Ann Brown (1828-1871)
Caroline E. P. Brown (1831-1899)
Thomas Jefferson Brown (1832-?)
James A. M. Brown (1834-?)
Jordan Davis Brown (1836-1908)
Bashaba Antinet Brown (1838-1910)
Aaron Pearson Brown (1841-1921)
John D. C. V. Brown (1842-1853)
Amanda M. Brown (1845-1921)
Alexander Taylor Brown (1848-1927)

Below is an 1863 map that I've labeled (and cropped some) to show the migration of the Browns through Georgia and over to Alabama. 

This is an 1863 Georgia-Alabama map that I've labeled with the counties and census years to show the migration of the Browns through Georgia and over to Alabama where they finally settled (click on map to enlarge; A. J. Johnson's map of Georgia and Alabama from http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/histcountymaps/ga1863map.htm)

I think I'll stop here before this post gets too much longer!  In Aaron Brown, Part 2, I'll go over some more of the research that I've done.

Catherine

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[1] Ancestry.com. Year: 1850; Census Place: District 17, Sumter, Georgia; Roll: M432_82; Page: 175A; Image: 356.
[2]  Ancestry.com. Year: 1860; Census Place: District 17, Sumter, Georgia; Roll: M653_136; Page: 475; Image: 486; Family History Library Film: 803136.
[3]  Ancestry.com. Year: 1870; Census Place: Township 6 Range 16, Covington, Alabama; Roll: M593_11; Page: 484A; Image: 392; Family History Library Film: 545510.
[4]  Ancestry.com. Georgia Marriages, 1699-1944 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
[5] Ancestry.com. 1820 U S Census: Capt Olivers District, Elbert, Georgia, Page: 192; NARA Roll: M33_8; Image: 137.
[6] Martha Lou Houston.  Reprint of the Official Register of the Land Lottery of Georgia 1827. Easeley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1986.

[7]  Ancestry.com.  1830 U S Census:  Monroe, Georgia, Page: 207; NARA Roll: M19-19; Family History Film: 0007039.
[8]  Ancestry.com. 1830 U S Census:  Monroe, Georgia, Page: 204; NARA Roll: M19-19; Family History Film: 0007039.
[9]  Ancestry.com. Year: 1840; Census Place:  Macon, Georgia; Roll: 46; Page: 15; Image: 613; Family History Library Film: 0007045.
[10]  See footnotes 1 and 2 above.
[11]  See footnote 3 above.

My Paternal Grandmother: Helen Larue (Brown) Thomas Pendleton

My paternal grandmother, Helen Larue (Brown) Thomas Pendleton, made the best caramel cake!  I believe it was my father’s favorite.  I loved it!  I would eat the icing and leave the cake.  I remember her mayhaw jelly, considered a delicacy in the South.  I remember picking up pecans in her backyard on Slater Street when I was a kid, and I used to sneak into her bedroom to try a little of her Jergens lotion.  It smelled like candy to me.  To this day, that scent of Jergens reminds me of her.  Her house always seemed so quiet and serene, unlike my own that was filled with noise and chaos created by my siblings and me.  

Helen Brown

The information about my grandmother comes from my father’s unpublished memoir Growing Up South Georgian (n.d.).  My grandmother was born in Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida, on October 26, 1896.  My father would sometimes get my birth date mixed up with hers (mine is October 21).  Her parents were Henry Washington Brown and Hattie J. Finney.  She had two sisters, Lucy and Lavada, and two brothers, Elliott and Hoyt.  Hoyt was her twin brother.  My father writes that she never liked her middle name, and her mother had told her that her father Henry had tried to name all of his children after his friends!  For entertainment when she was young, my grandmother went to musical shows and movies at the Pallafox Theater, listened to phonograph records, and spent time at the nearby beach. (Oh, to live so near a warm beach! Heaven!)

Sisters Lavada (on left) and Helen (on right) Brown

She married Wiley Lawton Thomas on June 5, 1914, in Pensacola.  She met Wiley when he was either working as a shoe salesman in her brother-in-law’s (F. E. Brawner) store in Pensacola or was traveling through town.  Wiley was from Valdosta and was the son of William Lang and Susan Frances (Elder) Thomas.  Their first daughter, Helen Clyde Thomas, was born on September 26, 1915, and their second daughter, Frances Hoyt Thomas, was born on March 3, 1917.  My father notes that Wiley had wanted to give Frances a different name,

When Frances was joining the Waves in World War II, she was having trouble obtaining a birth certificate in Tallahassee.  When it did arrive, it was for “Josie Thomas.”  Mama said Wylie had wanted to name Frances for his brother Joe, but she didn’t know he had actually submitted the name.

After Frances was born, they moved to Perry, Florida.  Not long after this, Wiley died during the flu epidemic in 1918, so my grandmother and her children moved back to Pensacola to be near her family.  Her mother-in-law, "Grandma Thomas," asked her and the children to move to Valdosta to live with her.  My grandmother got a job in the Staten-Converse Store in Valdosta working for Tom Converse, and Grandma Thomas looked after Clyde and Frances during the day.  She had a few dates with my maternal great uncle Leland Roberts, and even ran into my maternal grandparents, Leona Roberts and Will Redles (before they married), while they were all out on dates.  (Valdosta was a very small town back then.)

As I wrote in my post about my grandfather Albert S. Pendleton, Sr., my father said it was “inevitable” that my grandparents would meet.  Tom Converse was a friend of my grandfather’s and my grandmother's, and Wiley’s sister Clyde had married one of my grandfather’s brothers, William Frederick Pendleton.  Two of Wiley’s nieces, Lila and Virginia, where also cheering them on.  My grandparents were married on November 18, 1923, at the Thomas home on Central Avenue in Valdosta.  My father was born on March 15, 1925, and on April 13, 1927, William (Billy) Frederick Pendleton II was born.  My father seemed to really be attached to his mother.  He writes,

I remember always wanting to be with Mama.  She’d have to run to the car or hide behind a door in the effort to “get away.”  Just a coat and hat in her hands meant she was going away.  Later, she took me with her and I’d stay in the car and blow the horn—which I’d been instructed not to do.  When we had to stay at home, we’d wait for her in Daddy’s room because we could see from there all the way to Brookwood Place and catch a glimpse of her car coming by.  She always got a big greeting, and many’s the time we’d rush out too soon and almost get hit by the car.

My grandparents had friends over on Saturday nights and again on late Sunday afternoons for parties and get-togethers, but during World War II, they did this less and less as none of their friends “had anyone in the war.”  They had three children serving in the military during the war; my father was in the Army and Billy and Frances were in the Navy (Clyde had married by this time). 

Billy, Frances, and Albert

After my father was wounded, my grandparents kept mainly to themselves and only visited with Clyde and her husband Charlie (Charles) Joyner and “haunted the postman” until everyone came home from the war.

Helen Larue Brown Thomas Pendleton

Sometime after my grandfather died in 1965, my father and his siblings had my grandparents’ house turned into a duplex.  My grandmother lived in the apartment in the front, and she rented out the back.  One day, she fell and broke her hip, and she was never the same.  She was put in a nursing home.  I remember going to visit her with my dad.  Sometimes she would know who we were and sometimes she wouldn’t.  She would sometimes talk about people who were long dead as if she had just seen and talked to them.  I used to wonder what tidbits she might reveal about the family!  My grandmother died on November 28, 1972, in Valdosta; she’s buried next to my grandfather in Sunset Hill Cemetery.

Catherine