I’d like to meet…

So #52Ancestors challenge, week 4. I’m not sure who I’d want to meet. Not without just saying all of them! I probably have a question I want to ask any one of them if I had the chance.

This is some of Grandma Lizzie’s Powell family. Her parents are in the top right.

So I guess I’d want to start with my great grandparents – Thomas Edgar Wishum (“Granddaddy Buddy” as we called him), Mary Lizzie (probably Mary Elizabeth) Massey (“Grandma Lizzie”), James Benjamin Waters (“Granpa Waters”), Willie Odessa Nipper (“Grandma Dessa”), Harry Thomas Stone (“Granpa Harry”), Eunice Irene McDonald (“Nana” as we called her), Toombs Haywood Kimbrough (“Granpa Toombs”), Madge Elizabeth Cook (“Gunga” as we called her), and Una Bollinger (“Grandma Una”).

Granpa John, Granma Lou, and their children. That’s Granddaddy Buddy in the middle.

Of all of those, I only met Granddaddy Buddy, Nana, and Gunga. I only met Granddaddy Buddy a time or two since he passed away when I was young. But I knew Gunga and Nana fairly well.

Granddaddy Buddy and Grandma Lizzie.

I’d want to know what my grandparents were like. What were their own lives like as well? What about their parents?

“Papa, Mama, Nip, Grandmother Nipper”

Yep, start with them and work back meeting and getting to know them all! Oh the stories I’m sure they’d tell!

Granpa Toombs and Tata.

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Challenge

So week 2 of #52ancestors with Amy Johnson Crow is on a challenge – or I guess challenges. Mine was an easy decision! I’ve written on him before, so feel free to “click pause” here and read what I wrote before about Granpa Jack.

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  This is one part of a photo of both my Granpa Jack and Granpa Jesse.

So let me explain the challenge I’ve found with Granpa Jack. Namely, I can verify his Civil War involvement. By process of elimination, I think I’ve found the one that’s him in records (like from Fold3, etc.), but nothing outright tells me it’s him. There’s no wife, parent, or brother listed in the records for the Civil War that I can find. Now, I’ve been able to eliminate some of the others when I search for John Worsham by items I see in their records.

I’d have to double check again, but I think I found Civil War Pension records for him that do give enough information to believe it’s him. The problem with that is that I don’t think it actually says his unit, etc. This is probably what led me to the “process of elimination” I did.

The ladies at the Georgia State Archives research room are fantastic! One of the nice ladies introduced me to the Salt List. That’s the list of those who received salt during the war. Salt was still important in those days for preservation and probably other things we’ve forgotten since then. We found two ladies that were listed together that appear to be the wives of my Granpa Jack and his father. The challenge with this remains the same – little way to confirm the identity in order to confirm a match.

This is Granpa Jesse.

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  This is Jesse Hobby, Civil War soldier and father of Lue Hobby.

I need to look into his Civil War records more and verify them as well. At least I have him pretty well figured out – so long as I or others don’t confuse him with the OTHER Jesse Hobby in the Worth county area!

Back in September, I visited Chickamauga Battlefield. I saw a familiar Georgia unit mentioned and scurried back to the gift shop to find the book I saw that I own – Remembering Georgia’s Confederates. I knew it had this picture in it.

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See that unit listed at the bottom, handwritten. That unit fought at Chickamauga and I either hadn’t ever known or forgot! I didn’t find the marker or anything while we were there but it brought on another challenge for myself before I visit any other Civil War sites.

I need to challenge myself to create a list compiling who I know was in what unit and where that unit fought before I go to any more Civil War battlefields or sites. Especially seeing as how I LIVE NEAR Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield!

So what are your genealogy challenges? What’s your challenge to yourself?

“Granpa Daniel”

I think I’ve at least alluded to it previously, but this will likely be as far back as I go in this series of posts on my Worsham/ Wishum line.  (Granted, I may jump back to a few “key” people later, but we’ll see.)  Granpa Daniel is about as far back as I personally can specifically trace via actual documents I have found.  Now, if you look at my tree on Ancestry, that’s a bit different.  A lot of those were snagged from the website of a distant family member who posted his work and subsequent corrections from his book.  So, no, I do no personally have the documentation and am solely going on his work.  The further back, the more guess work I did on some names.   Essentially prior to about 1620 is my own guesswork on this line.  (There’s one exception, but I’ll save that for a later post!)

Daniel Worsham was born about 1814 in Marion county, Georgia, to Daniel B. and Caroline M. (nee Fowler) Worsham.  At some point, he married Alsey Joiner but records to that effect are allusive on my part.  They had nine children, mostly boys but a few girls in the mix.  The oldest was James Monroe “Daniel” Worsham whom I have a picture of from the Civil War.  I originally mistook as as his father, the Granpa Daniel I’m discussing here, which proves that you need to be sure to match up any and all information possible in genealogy.  Then was William “Henry” who was followed by my Granpa Jack.  This is where the first girl comes into play in this family – Harriett Worsham.  Following her was Young Stokes who is also a documented Civil War soldier.  I believe I have found documentation on all four of the oldest brothers as Civil War soldiers with all four having survived the war.  Amazingly, I believe some of them actually survived Gettysburg, but that needs more study to verify.  “Y.S.”, as he’s sometimes listed, is followed by Green Warren, Morres, and sisters Cleopatra & Marzilla.

The 1850 Federal Census places him in Division 57 of Marion county, Georgia.  This record doesn’t list any more in terms of names than him as the head of house.  We find him again in the 1860 Federal Census living in Georgia Militia District 743 of Taylor county, Georgia.  It does list Alsey and the children John, Green, Harriett, Cleopatra (“Cleopartry”), and Marzilla (“Margilla”).  In the 1860s, miscellaneous other documents place Granpa Daniel in Taylor county.  By 1880, we find him in Carsonville, Taylor county, Georgia, but with his son “Stokes” living with him and Alsey.  Presumably the other much younger children are Stokes’ children since they are listed as Granpa Daniel’s grandchildren.  (Stokes’ first wife passed away in 1874 and he didn’t marry his second until 1882.)

Joe Branch wrote the following in 2003: “I don’t know when ggpa Dan went back to Taylor Co but it was some time before 1910, it was said he was setting on the front porch, one evening, and looking way off, said I sure wish I was back in old Taylor co, tonight and sometime after he went back, my grandpa didn’t go to the funeral, but his son, Ambrous, hired some to take him in a T Model Ford abt 1910, said they pushed it most of the way, because of wet clay roads…”  Having driven through Taylor county along Highway 19/41 from Griffin down to Americus, I can see why Granpa Daniel had an affinity for that land and why most of our family never really left the area.

Worsham/ Wishum line… the ladies!

So I realized that I listed the men of the family line, but not the women.  So here goes, the ladies who married the men of the line I’m planning to blog.

 

Thomas Edgar Wishum (1897-1982) married Mary Lizzie (Elizabeth?) Massey

John Collier Worsham  (1872-1940) married Eliza Lucretia Hobby

John “Jack” Worsham (1838-1931) married Elizabeth Johnson (and a Julia, after?)

Daniel Worsham (1814-1891) married Alsey Joiner

Daniel B. Worsham (1791-1835) married Caroline Fowler

David Worsham (1765-1815) married  Martha Smith

Henry Worsham (1740-1795) married Martha Jackson

Charles Worsham II (1687-1735) married Elizabeth Archer

Charles Worsham I (1660-1729) married Mary Beville

John William Worsham (1625-1660) married Elizabeth Littlebery

John William Worsham (1594-1660) married Nancy Bennett

William Worsham (1552-1661) married Susan Taylor

 

I only “think” this is all correct.  Some of the later pieces I just can’t say definitively.  I found the info elsewhere and my not have documentation specifically on these persons.  That said, I do have some.

“Granpa John”

This is really where my discoveries start.  I think I mentioned last post that I remembered meeting Granddaddy Buddy a few times at his house in Doles.  Through Ancestry.com and a website on our family genealogy, I discovered that his father was John Collier Worsham, born June 1872 in Manchester, Meriweather county, Georgia.  His parents were John “Jack” and Elizabeth (Johnson) Worsham.

This may be one of my fave photos of him… and the only one of just him I’ve seen.

He married Eliza Lucretia Hobby, daughter of Jesse and Eliza Amanda (Simpson) Hobby, in 1895.  He was 23, she was 18.  They had a total of 12 children: James Ambrose, Thomas Edgar, Jessie Ivey, Susie Mae, Lillie Pearl, Mamie Lee, Essie Vee, Johnny Jackson, Lester Ree, Ollie Dyce, Elbert Julian, John William.

Granpa John, Granma Lou, and their children…

While Granpa John was born in Meriweather county, the 1880 Federal Census finds the Worsham family living in Cedar Creek, Taylor county, Georgia.  After marrying Granma Lou in 1895, the 1900 Federal Census finds them with their family settled in Militia District 1044, Worth county, Georgia.  All the subsequent Federal Census records show them living in the same district, with the exception that the 1940 one lists them in Sylvester, Worth county, Georgia.

It’s interesting to note that the 1940 Federal Census was taken on April 1, 1940, and Granpa John passed away June 1, 1940.  He’s buried in Providence Primitive Baptist Cemetery with several other close and more distant family members of his.  Interestingly, Granma Lou is NOT buried beside him.  She is buried at Red Oak Missionary Baptist Church where her parents and other family are buried.  (She passed away before him in 1922.)

“Granddaddy Buddy”

In the middle of this photo wearing a hat is my Granddaddy Buddy.  Well, he’s actually my great grandfather on my father’s side.  The little girl on the far left is Mamie Lee (Wishum) Britt.  Granma Lou (Eliza Lucretia Hobby) is holding (Elbert) Julian.  Standing in front of Granddaddy Buddy (Thomas Edgar Wishum) is Lester Ree (Wishum)(Whiddon) Ford.  Granpa John (Collier Worsham, later John William Worsham) is holding Johnny Jackson (Wishum).  The older boy in the back is (James) Ambros Wishum, who is standing behind Essie Vee (Wishum) Branch.  Based on the look of the ages of Julian and Johnny Jackson, this photo is circa 1916.

Granddaddy Buddy was born July 28, 1897 in Worth county, Georgia, to John Collier Worsham and Eliza Lucretia (Hobby) Worsham.  He was the second oldest of 12 children.  His only older sibling was Ambros.  After him, in order, was Jessie Ivey, Susie Mae, Lillie Pearl, Mamie Lee, Essie Vee, Johnny Jackson, Lester Ree, Ollie Dyce, Elbert Julian, and John William.

This photo needs cropping!  🙂

In the 1900 Federal Census record, he’s listed as two years old living in Militia District 1044, Worth, Georgia.  In the 1910 Federal Census record, he’s listed as thirteen and still in Militia District 1044, Worth, Georgia.  (Notice that his birthday probably explains the one year discrepancy with the age.)  In the 1920 Federal Census, he’s listed as twenty-two and single living with his parents in Doles, Worth, Georgia.  The 1930 Federal Census lists him as married to “Lizzie” with two children, “L E” and “Mary L”.  Granma Lizzie was Mary Lizzie (Elizabeth?) Massey.  She’s the daughter of Newton Elmore II and Mollie (nee Powell) Massey.  If you look at the rest of the page, you’ll notice that he’s listed right above his father and siblings, meaning they lived next door.  My guess is that the land was a wedding present or the like.  You’ll also notice elsewhere on the page the last names Hobby and Whiddon, also elsewhere in the family tree.  In the 1940 Federal Census, the most recent one released, he’s listed as married to Lizzie (“Lenie” as it’s transcribed) with three children (“Elie”, which should be L.E., Mary Lou, and “Nolen”, who’s relation is not actually listed).  This is the first Federal Census record that my grandfather, Nolan, is listed on after his birth.  The only notable names on the page with Granddaddy Buddy and his family is Dice (Morris Franklin) and Kate (Arrie Katherine, nee Furney) Hobby.  Dice would have been Granddaddy Buddy’s uncle, Granma Lou’s brother.

Granddaddy Buddy passed away January 2, 1982.  I remember meeting him a few times before he passed away, but I was 6.5 when he died and don’t remember much.  I do remember the overalls he wore, Daddy says all the time!  I asked Daddy once if Granddaddy even owned a suit.  Probably not, he didn’t go to church much that Daddy remembered.  Which makes sense in another way.  Granddaddy Buddy and several Worshams are buried in Providence Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery.  When Anthony and I went to find and visit the grave sites there, I noticed the church sign.  They only met a few times a month.  Here’s a picture of the sign:

The line under the meeting times says Elder Walter Todd, Pator.  Below that indicates that it was “constituted 1860”.  There are several family members buried here which hazards a guess that they were members at this congregation at some point.  I don’t recall having run across records of the “consituting” and charter members or any member lists, but I’m not sure that I’ve searched as of yet.  Next on the list??

Wishum/ Worsham line…

So one of the things I want to do is introduce you to some of my ancestors.  This week, I want to just give you a line – my dad’s going straight back as best I can.  Well, here goes…

Helen Wishum (myself)

Roxy Wishum (living)

Nolan Wishum (deceased)

Thomas Edgar Wishum (1897-1982)

John Collier Worsham  (1872-1940)(often listed as John William Wishum in later days)

John “Jack” Worsham (1838-1931)

Daniel Worsham (1814-1891)(this is where I start losing my confidence, to be honest)

Daniel B. Worsham (1791-1835)

David Worsham (1765-1815)

Henry Worsham (1740-1795)

Charles Worsham II (1687-1735)

Charles Worsham I (1660-1729)

John William Worsham (1625-1660)

John William Worsham (1594-1660)

William Worsham (1552-1661)

On these guys, I think I have the dates “right” for the most part, some of the wives I’m not so sure.  My intention over the next weeks is to now give you more of what I know about these gentlemen.  In the meantime, let me know what you’d like to hear!!  Later I’m liable to come back and do the same for my mother’s side…