The 1907 Brumfield Family Reunion & Centennial Celebration

In March 1907 the descendants of John B. Brumfield gathered in a family reunion. This newspaper account gives details of the special day and includes genealogical information. I have added family notes [in green].

Family Reunion, 

The Brumfield Family 

Met in Amite County

On Sunday March 1 an excursion was run over the Liberty White Railroad from Holmesville to Liberty, Miss. To accommodate the Brumfield family who had arranged to hold a reunion and centennial celebration at the residence of Mrs. Lucinda Andrews [Susan Lucinda Brumfield Andrews, 1845–1933], the only surviving daughter of the late Jesse Brumfield [Jesse Kelly Brumfield, 1807-1884] who now resides on the old Brumfield plantation east of Liberty.

            The train left Holmesville at 7 am, McComb at 8 and arrived at the plantation about 8:35 in a shower of rain which for a few -?- considerably disturbed the excursionists.

            The Brumfield family is one of the largest and most influential families in the State. John Brumfield  [John B. Brumfield, b 2 Nov 1768 NC], Benjamin Bickham and Benjamin Youngblood [1773 GA-1860 MS] came to Franklinton, La. From York District, S. C. about 1811, settled near Franklinton and raised large families. Jesse Brumfield, son of John Brumfield, was born March 12, 1807, and died at the Brumfield plantation in Amite County July 25, 1884. He was the father of Lucinda, Joe, Monroe and Henry S. [and 7 more children] and it was the 100^th anniversary of his birth which was celebrated by the family Sunday.

         Henry S. Brumfield, who is well known in South Mississippi, having served as treasurer of Pike County for several years, married Martha E. Bickham [1840 – 1893] in 1855, he having five sons, John [John Benjamin 1868-1952], Jesse [Jesse Thomas 1858-1946], Charley [Charles Edgar 1874-1959], Henry [Henry Sims Jr. 1877-1959] and Dudley [Dudley Atkinson b1879]; and seven daughters, Mesdames W. W.  Leggett [Mary Emma 1857-1950], Hugh Bridges [Lucinda 1858-1946], Henry Lee [Elizabeth 1864-1950], Jesse Lee [Alice 1870-1953], Walter Lampton [Martha Lucy 1866-1939], H. G. Mackey, Ewell Gill [Amanda 1872-1897] and Miss Myrt [Myrtis S. 1884-1959]. Three sons and all his daughters and their families were present at the reunion, making a total of fifty direct descendants of Henry S. Brumfield present! And we were informed that fully thirty more absent. Besides these were the children and grandchildren of Joe [Joseph Warren Brumfield 1841 – 1910], Monroe [James Monroe Brumfield 1843-1899] and Mrs. Andrews [Susan Lucinda Brumfield Andrews, 1845–1933], making a total of eighty seven direct descendants of Grandpa Jesse Brumfield who were present, besides many of these were absent. It is estimated that the descendants now number about 150.

            Besides the Brumfield family a large number of friends had been invited, making the total number in attendance at the reunion nearly 200.

            In conversing with members of the family we gathered several interesting facts about the early history of the family. Jesse Brumfield and his wife [Hannah Ann Youngblood 1808-1885], parents of Henry S. Brumfield are buried side by side in the old family grave yard on the plantation and after dinner the entire assembly visited the grave yard in a body, even to the old negro slaves, who gazed sadly at the headstones of their old master and mistress.

            Mr. H. S. Brumfield’s grandmother [Margaret Kelly b 1772] was of Irish descent, she being a Kelly.

            The Brumfields and Bickhams are of revolutionary fame, several members of both families being officers in the revolutionary war. Mr. Dolph Bickham of Franklinton, La. Now being in possession of a sword carried by his grandfather. Several uncles of H. S. Brumfield were also in the battle of 1812 at New Orleans.

            The day was very pleasantly spent, the dinner being spread upon a large table extending across the front yard, and consisted of a great variety of delicacies, which all seemed to greatly enjoy.

            We will not elaborate upon the events of the day, as our correspondent from Fernwood, who was with -?- editor has taken -?- notes -?- has covered the ground so thoroughly that anything we could say would only be a repetition of what our correspondent has already said of what took place that day.

Source: Family Reunion, The Brumfield Family Met in Amite County, (Jackson, MS: Clarion-Ledger, 21 March 1907) 2; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed February 2018.

Related Posts:

• Charles Brumfield's Obituary, Is it Accurate?
• Thomas M. Brumfield; Another Pioneer Crosses the River

Forget Me Not: Susan Ryals Fortenberry, 1935 MS

Searching for, and even finding, obituaries for women can be frustrating. In the past they were often only referred to by their husband’s name. Mrs. Fortenberry or Mrs. Jesse Fortenberry can refer to more than one woman in my records. However, this obituary is informative. It gives the deceased’s first name and her maiden name. It also lists her daughters by their first names! Hurray! 

 Susan Ryals Fortenberry

1857 - 1935

Wife of my 1st cousin 4x removed

Photograph from Find A Grave

Memorial #93459659

Mrs. Susan Ryals Fortenberry, widow of the late Jesse Fortenberry, succumbed at her home in the New Zion community of Walthall county recently. Deceased leaves four sons and four daughters. Sons are: George, Esley, John and Willis Fortenberry, all of Walthall county. Daughters are: Mrs. Dixie Hopgood, McComb; Mrs. Sarah Smith, Prentiss; Mrs. Ruby Wood and Mrs. Nellie McDaniel, Tylertown. Internment was in the family cemetery with the Reverends W. F. Gunn and James S. Bryant officiating. Mr. Fortenberry during his lifetime was a leading farmer of this section and a prominent member of the Fortenberry family of Pike and Walthall counties.

Source:  

Mrs. Fortenberry Dies in Walthall. (McComb, MS: Semi-Weekly Journal, 7 March 1935) 1; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed July 2018.

Related Posts:

• The Terrible Hurricane in South Mississippi, 1882
• Euseba Fortenberry Smith, Mother of Civil War Soldiers 

Happy Birthday, Ivy May Smith Fortenberry

Ivy May Smith Fortenberry

23 May 1895 MS – Aug 1978 LA

Wife of Willis Franklin Fortenberry 

Mrs. W. F. Fortenberry Of Progress Enjoys Birthday Celebration at Home Sunday

Progress – A large number of friends and relatives gathered Sunday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Fortenberry [Willis F. Fortenberry & Ivy Smith Fortenberry] of Progress to honor Mrs. Fortenberry on her 51^stbirthday. Everyone enjoyed the “get together” to the upmost.

At noon a picnic dinner was spread on the lawn in the cool shade of the trees, and a most enjoyable time was had by all. During the day the Fortenberry sisters, Pansy, Arlea, Bonnie Bea, and Lockie Mae, entertained the group with piano numbers and singing. A nice number of gifts were received by Mrs. Fortenberry. 

Those present were:

Mr. and Mrs. B. B. Fortenberry and two children;

Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Fortenberry,       [Willis F. Fortenberry & Ivy Smith Fortenberry]

Bonnie Bea,                                        [daughter of Willis & Ivy]

Lockie Mae,                                        [daughter of Willis & Ivy]

Karl and Gilbert Fortenberry,          [sons of Willis & Ivy]

Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon McGehee and two children;

Mr. and Mrs. Alton Smith and four children;

Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Bond and three children;

Mr. and Mrs. I. M. McGehee and two children, all of Progress; [daughter, Edith]

Mrs. Mallie Smith,

Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Tate,

Mrs. Janie Burch,

And Miss Glendora Schilling, all of Mt. Herman, La.;

Cecil Fortenberry and Joe Case of Louiseville, Ky.;

Mrs. S. S. Dixon of Denham Springs, La.,

Mr. and Mrs. M. A. Bond and six children.

Mr. and Mrs. M. M. Smith and two children of Franklinton, La.;

Mr. and Mrs. Shirley Fortenberry and three children of New Orleans, La.; 

[Shirley R. & Thelma  Ginn Fortenberry with Charles, Dorothy & Shirlene]

Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Fortenberry and son;

W. C. Blades,

Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Blades and twin sons of Baton Rouge,

Mr. and Mrs. Otis Sims of Tylertown,

Mrs. I. U. Ball and granddaughter, Shirley Ann Ball, of Magnolia.

The Rev. Clyde Jones, pastor of Silver Springs church, read two passages of scripture, made a short talk and had prayer in the afternoon.

[Notes in green are mine.]

Source: Mrs. W. F. Fortenberry Of Progress Enjoys Birthday Celebration at Home Sunday (McComb, MS: Enterprise - Journal, 28 May 1946) 3; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed July 2018.

Forget Me Not: Betty Jane Pierce, 2000 MS

Betty Jane Pierce

17 July 1937 MS - 15 May 2000 MS

My first cousin, once removed

Photograph from Find A Grave

Memorial #101806357

Betty Jane Pierce, 62, of Tylertown, died May 15, 2000, at Forest General Hospital in Hattiesburg. Visitation is 10 am Wednesday at Capps Funeral Home in Tylertown until services there at 2 pm. The Revs. Albert Pendarves and Tony Davis will officiate. Burial will be in Tylertown Cemetery. Miss Pierce was born July 17, 1937, in Walthall County. She was the daughter of Arlie Wesley Pierce and Lyda Merle Brown Pierce. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Curtis Pierce. Survivors include two brothers, Malcom B. Pierce of Mobile, Ala., and E. J. Pierce of Tylertown; two sisters, Iris Brock of Mobile and Wesley Lessinger of Metaire, La.; and a host of nieces and nephews.

Source: Betty J. Pierce (McComb, MS: Enterprise-Journal, 16 May 2000) 12; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed Feb. 2018.

Fourth of July

Goodnight 

by Carl Sandburg

Many ways to say good night.

Fireworks at a pier on the Fourth of July
     spell it with red wheels and yellow spokes.
They fizz in the air, touch the water and quit.
Rockets make a trajectory of gold-and-blue
      and then go out.

Railroad trains at night spell with a smokestack mushrooming a white pillar.

Steamboats turn a curve in the Mississippi crying a baritone that crosses lowland 
cottonfields to razorback hill.

It is easy to spell good night.
            Many ways to spell good night.

Book Report: Life in Civil War America

Life in Civil War America

By Michael O. Varhola

OH: Family Tree Books, 1999

Chapter 1: North & South, One Nation, Two Peoples

Chapter 2: Where People Lived: Life in City, Town, and Country

Chapter 3: Education: From Schoolhouses to Universities

Chapter 4: Slang and Idiom: How People and Events Shaped Language

Chapter 5: Religion: What People Believed

Chapter 6: Fun and Games: How People Entertained Themselves

Chapter 7: Wages and Currency: Coins, Greenbacks, and Postal Currency

Chapter 8: Clothing and Dry Goods: What Items Cost and the Impact of Shortages

Chapter 9: Food and Diet: How People Ate at Home and on the War Front

Chapter 10: Technology: Inventions That Changed Life and Warfare

Chapter 11: The War on the Home Front; the Draft and Civil Unrest

Chapter 12: Brothers at War: Billy Yank, Johnny Reb

Chapter 13: Arms, Equipment, and Uniforms: Supplying the Servicemen

Do you want to know more about the Civil War than the battles? What was happening on the home front? How did everyday life continue despite shortages? How was life different in the north and in the south? I have lots of questions about how the lives of our family members were changed by the conflict. This book answers lots of those questions. It is very interesting and fun.

Test yourself. Do you know the definitions of these words?

Cashier           To dishonorably dismiss from the military

Calaboose       Jail

God’s Flag       Term used by the Union troops to refer to the US flag

Jawing            Talking

Pie-Eater        A country boy, a rustic

The Shakes     Malaria

Spondulix       Money

Tay                 Tea

Top Rail          First class

Did you know:

 The gatling gun, the player piano and barbed wire were invented during the war? 

Doctors did not yet have hypodermic syringes, blood transfusions or antibiotics.

 Most of the nation’s railroad tracks and rolling stock existed in the north. The south had difficulties maintaining and repairing the track and equipment they did have. 

Confederate rations, when available, included: bacon, chicory, cornmeal, molasses, peanuts, sugar, tea and vegetables. 

That’s just a small sample of the little details included in this book. Pick up a copy. It is a fun read.

MY LIBRARY

At the top of this blog, click on My Library for many more books that I have found useful for genealogical & historical research.

Related Posts:

• Book. Liberty's Daughters
• Book. The New Civil War Handbook

Happy Fathers' Day!

Happy Fathers' Day

My Dad,

Delbert Keith Brown 

1928 OH - 200 NY

Son of Roy Jesse Brown & Ivy Regina Mark

Oldest of seven children

Mechanic, Trucker, Proprietor of Gas Station

With my brothers & me in days gone by.