Stray Horse of Moses Hollis, 1767 SC

This little clipping, over 250 years old, is probably the oldest newspaper account of an ancestor I have found. I am amazed that this still exists and that I was able to find it online. It is a part of a list of descriptions of "stray horses." This was, most likely, a serious problem for my ancestor. However, I am pleased that the missing horse resulted in my finding his name in the newspaper. 

Moses Hollis

1728 Fairfax, Virginia - 1794 South Carolina

Son of John Hollis & Esther Canterbury

Husband of Rosannah Berry Hagan 

Revolutionary War Soldier

My 6th great grandfather

The South-Carolina and American General Gazette

Charleston, SC, 7 August 1767, page 4

Newspapers.com

 

Marriage: John Wolf, 1833 PA

A New Discovery!

I was very excited to find this newspaper announcement. Previously I did not know this wedding date or location. 

John Franklin Wolf

11 Apr 1809 York, PA - 10 Mar 1883 OH

Son of John Frederick Wolf & Esther Barbara Shaffer

Elisabeth Burkholder

24 May 1814 York, PA - 22 Jun 1856 OH

Daughter of Abraham Burkholder

My 3rd Great Grandparents

Married

24 October 1833 PA

Gettysburg Compiler, Gettysburg PA

12 Nov 1833, page 3 

Newspapers.com 

Forget Me Not: Thomas C. Ott, 1927 MS

Thomas Ott was a "pioneer citizen" of Osyka. When I see those words in a newspaper article I pay close attention. It often means I am finding one of our early family members. 

 

Thomas Charles Ott

25 Jan 1854 LA – 4 December 1927 MS

Son of Samuel Edward Ott & Elenor Esther Addison

Husband of Emily Jones

 

My 2^nd cousin, 3x removed

 

Tom Ott Dies At Osyka

 

The death of Thomas Ott, one of the pioneer citizens of Osyka, occurred Saturday and he was buried at Osyka Sunday. He was 74 years of age and a life – time citizen of that locality. Everyone knew him as Uncle Tom, and everyone was his friend who came in contact with him. For many years he was in the saw mill business at Osyka, until a few years ago when he sold out his interest in the mill to Walter Ott. Hundreds of people who go to Osyka will miss the familiar figure of Uncle Tom and his cherry words of greeting.

 

 

Source: Tom Ott Dies At Osyka (McComb, MS, Semi - Weekly Journal, 7 Dec 1927) 1; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed Feb. 2023.  

 

Children of Tom & Emily:

 

Charles Monroe Ott

William Jones Ott

Annie E. Ott

Carrie Pearl Ott

Seaborn G. Ott

Harry Leon Ott

 

 

 

Forget Me Not: Dudley C. Brumfield, 1971 MS

Dudley Clarence Brumfield

 

20 November 1881 MS – 21 December 1971 MS

Son of Isaac Preston Brumfield & Ann McClendon

 

 

 

Dudley Brumfield Rites Set

 

Tylertown – Funeral services for Dudley C. Brumfield, 90, were held at 10 a. m. today in Progress Baptist Church.

 

Mr. Brumfield, a farmer, died Tuesday in a local nursing home following a lengthy illness. He had been patient there for the last six months. 

 

Born in old Pike County, he was a lifelong resident of the Progress community.

 

Survivors include three sons, DeWayne Brumfield, Progress. D. C. Brumfield Jr., McComb, Virgil Brumfield, Denham Springs, La.; two daughters, Mrs. Georgene Cuniff, New Orleans, La., Mrs. Laverne Holcomb, Miami, Okla. And eight grandchildren.

 

Rev. Allen Foster officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery with Hartman Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

 

 

 

Enterprise Journal

McComb, MS, 22 Dec 1971, page 3

Newspapers.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stolen Beehives, 1886 MS

In 1886 the theft of these beehives was probably a serious situation. However, it makes me smile to read about the bread and biscuits left behind at the scene of the crime. Did the thief spread the honey on the bread and have a feast on the spot? I wonder if the hives were ever found and if more were stolen. 

 

 

 

Jeremiah Smith

30 Apr 1821 Pike, MS - 13 May 1894 MS

Son of Jeremiah George Smith & Joanna Dillon

Husband of Pernesia Smith

My 4^th great uncle

 

Mr. Jeremiah Smith whose beehives were stolen some time since, we understand, declines to prosecute the intruders. He found near the spot a basket of cold bread and biscuit probably left to reserve for another haul; from the amount of bread found the gentleman believes that sooner or later all of his fifty bee-hives will be stolen.

 

The Magnolia Gazette

Magnolia, MS, 2 July 1886, page 2

Newspapers.com

Vintage Photograph: 5 Morrison Sisters

I wonder how often these five sisters got together. Was this a yearly gathering? Was there a special reason they all came together? Were the three brothers included and was a photo taken of the brothers? I am happy to have this vintage photograph, to see these ladies with their curly hair and pretty dresses. I wish I could read their thoughts. 

 Morrison Sisters

Daughters of Seth Benner Morrison & Margaret Jane Gruissy

left to right:

Florence Vera Morrison Rowlee, 

29 Nov 1896 OH - 9 Jan 1966 CA

Pauline Ann Morrison Maurer, 

6 Dec 1899 OH - 12 Jun 1979 OH

Emily Augusta Morrison Peters,

 12 Sep 1888 OH - 1950

Lena Bella Morrison Swagler, 

24 Mar 1883 OH - 28 Jun 1962 OH

Mona D. Morrison Hurd, 

8 Aug 1881 OH - 8 Oct 1968 MI

Related Posts:

• Vintage Photograph: Shirley Fortenberry
• Vintage Photograph: Hubert Allen Brown
• VIntage Photograph: Morrison Family

Forget Me Not: Julia Tate Ott, 1939 TN

This brief obituary is very interesting. I had Jesse A. Ott in my records but not his wife. What I find interesting is Jesse died in 1878 at the age of 28 from Yellow Fever. His widow lived for over 60 more years. The obituary does not mention a second husband. Julia lived for a very long time after Jesse’s death.

 

 

Julia Ann Tate Ott

c 1856 MS – 11 July 1939 TN

Widow of Jesse Alexander Ott

Pike Pioneer Passes Away in Memphis

 

Mrs. Julia Ott died in Memphis yesterday at the age of 83 years. She was the former Miss Tate of Pike county, lived in Osyka for a long time, and was the wife of J. Alex Ott, who died with yelloe fevver in 1878.

 

Mrs. Ott was the grandmother of Commissioner Davis of Memphis, the aunt of Charlie Tate and great aunt of Nick Tate of this city. Funeral services were to be held in Memphis today.

 

Source: Pike Pioneer Passes Away in Memphis (McComb, MS, Enterprise - Journal, 12 July 1939) 1; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed Feb. 2023.  

 

 

After reading this obituary at Newspapers.com, I went back to the website and searched Memphis newspapers and found this obituary for Julia.

 

 

Commissioner Davis’ Grandmother Dies

 

Services For Mrs. Julia Ott Will be Held Today – Mrs. Julia Ott, grandmother of Commissioner Davis, died at 5:02 0’clock yesterday morning at Baptist Hospital following a three week’s illness. She was 83.

 

Mrs. Ott had undergone an operation and a blood transfusion. She lived in Osyka, Miss. Her home town, most of her life. She moved to Memphis 28 years ago and made her home with her son – in – law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. O. A. Davis, 1418 South Lauderdale. She was a Baptist.

 

She leaves her daughter, Mrs. Davis; her son, Omer O. Ott; and three grandchildren, Mrs. E. P. Hanna, Miss Marie Davis and Commissioner Davis, all of Memphis.

 

Pallbearers will be George L. O’Connor, Chauncey Barbour, Jesse Kuhn, A. I. Conrad, Hugh Sanders and J. J. Schuburg.

 

 

 

Source: Commissioner Davis’ Grandmother Dies (Memphis, TN, The Commercial Appeal, 12 July 1939) 10; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed Feb. 2023.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Report: Historical Southern Families

 

 

 

Historical Southern Families

23 Volumes

 

By John Bennett Boddie

Clearfield Company, Inc.

Genealogical Publishing

1998 Reprint

 

These books are packed full of information about early southern families. Besides birth, marriage and death data, for some families there is immigration details, land transactions, and wills. Some family tree charts are included. A few black and white photos are included. The amount of information about each family varies. 

 

It is difficult to tell which families are in each book. The Table of Contents in each volume highlights the primary families and the index, in tiny print, lists the other people included. 

The photograph, below, is the Table of Contents from Volume II. It gives an idea of how each volume looks.

The photograph, below, is from Volume VIII. This is a family of mine, The Lawrence Family in Virginia and North Carolina. It continues for 7 pages. 

These books have been useful for my research.

1904 Reunion, Smith & Alford Families, MS

This is a wonderful little newspaper notice. Just imagine 1,000 family members gathered together for a reunion! I wish some of the names were listed. 

 

Smith and Alford Families Reunion

 

Jackson, Miss., July 12 – The Smith and Alford families held a reunion in Pike county a few days since that was attended by 1,000 persons, all related, and all from two families of Smiths and Alfords who settled on Silver Creek, a beautiful little stream about 100 years ago when all south Mississippi was an unbroken wilderness. The children of the two families married and intermarried, and married into other families until they are several thousand strong. The orator of the day was a Smith – Alford from Houston, Texas.

 

Vicksburg Evening Post

Vicksburg, MS, 12 July 1904, page 1

 

 

Here are my Alford – Smith marriages:

 

Edwin Barksdale Alford (1792 – 1878) & Martha P. Smith (1802 – 1861) m. 1818 MS

My 3x great grandparents

 

Eugene Booth Alford (1882 – 1949) & Sarah Emma Smith (1885 – 1965)

 

Jacob Lauhon Alford (1834 – 1884) & Sarah Ann Smith

 

Martha Aner Alford (1867 – 1926) & William Jasper Smith (1862 – 1950) m. 1887

 

Noel Waddell Alford (1838 – 1915) & Mary Elizabeth Smith

 

Sarah Simmons Alford & Sidney L. Smith (1876 – 1942) m. 1901

 

 Do You have any Alford - Smith families in Your Tree?