My Great-Great-Grandparents, Robert L. Campbell and Fannie Mills

Robert Lee Campbell was born about 1848 in Caroline County, VA. This estimate is based on his age given in the 1850-1880 censuses.

He was listed in his parents, Cornelius Campbell and Emily Dulaney, household in the 1850 census on November 16, 1850 in Caroline County, VA along with older brothers William S. Campbell, Joseph W. Campbell, and Cornelius R. D. Campbell. As mentioned, Robert was listed as 2 years old and born in Virginia. By the time of this census, his oldest brother, French D. Campbell, had moved to a nearby farm in Caroline County.

He was listed in his parents, Cornelius Campbell and Emily Dulaney, household in the 1860 census on September 28, 1860 in Sparta, Caroline County, VA along with older brothers Cornelius R. D. Campbell, William S. Campbell, and Joseph W. Campbell, and younger sister Emma B. Campbell. Robert  was 12 years old and had attended school prior to the census date.

Robert joined the Confederate Army during the Civil War. I haven’t yet found any information about when he enlisted, but he was probably around 15 or 16 years old when he did. According to the Confederate Widow's Pension Application his widow Fannie filed in 1923, Robert was a Private in Company F of the 24th Virginia Cavalry and was a prisoner of war when the war ended. He signed a Parole of Honor on May 2, 1865 in Bowling Green, VA not to take part in any hostilities against the Government of the United States. After he signed the parole, he was allowed to return to his home. I have a typewritten version of the parole statement that was attached to Fannie’s pension application. It confirms Robert was a Private in Co. F, 24th Virginia Cavalry and a prisoner of war. The Union officer granting the parole was M. A. Prugn, Captain and Provost Marshall. The final sentence in the parole says "The Bearer, Robert L. Campbell, having taken the oath of parole, has permission to go to his home in Caroline County, Va." Robert would have been about 17 years old at this time.

Compiled service records for Robert in the Confederate soldiers from Virginia confirm that he was a Private in Company F of the  24th Virginia Cavalry and he showed up on a list of paroled prisoners at the Provost Marshall's Office in Bowling Green, VA.. There is no enlistment record for Robert. According to Wikipedia, the "24th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was organized in June 1864, by consolidating eight companies of the 42nd Battalion Virginia Cavalry and two companies of Dearing's Confederate Cavalry. This unit served in General Gary's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia, and fought in various conflicts around Richmond. Later it was involved in the Appomattox Campaign and surrendered with 19 officers and 144 men. Its commanders were Colonel William T. Robins, Lieutenant Colonel Theophilus G. Barham, and Major John R. Robertson." Also in the 24th were Robert's brothers French and William.

Card from Robert's compiled service record stating he was a paroled prisoner

Robert’s father, Cornelius Campbell, passed away in 1868 and Robert received land from the probate of Cornelius’ will on August 10, 1868 in Caroline County, VA. At the time of his death, Cornelius owned at least three properties, comprising over 1500 acres of land, which he divided equally among his heirs. Robert received Lot 2, Plot A (170-3/4 acres), Lot 3, Plot B (125 acres), and Lot 5, Plot C (100 acres). I haven’t researched where Plots A, B and C were located in Caroline County.

Robert bought the 29-acre tract of land containing the old Lewis mill for $800 in Caroline County, VA on January 17, 1870 from his older brothers (French, Joseph, William and Cornelius) and their wives. The land was part of what was described as Plot C of the Millwood Farm.  The $800 included the mill, which had suffered extensive damage during the Civil War from Union troops passing through Caroline County.

He was listed in the household of his mother, Emily Dulaney Campbell, in the 1870 census on June 11, 1870 in Bowling Green, Caroline County, VA along with younger sister Emma B. Campbell, domestic servant Rosana Epps, and farm laborer Woodson Puller. Robert was 22 years old and a farmer with real estate valued at $8510 and a personal estate worth $330.

Robert Lee Campbell and Fanny S. Mills were married on May 19, 1875 in Frederick Hall, Louisa County, VA. They were married by Reverend Scott.

Robert and Fanny appeared in the 1880 census on June 4, 1880 in District 29, Caroline County, Virginia along with their daughter Emma D. Campbell and sons Jeter Dallas Campbell, Robert L. Campbell Jr. and William Floyd Campbell. Robert was 32 years old, married to Fannie and a farmer. Both he and his parents were born in Virginia. Fannie was 30 years old and keeping house. She and her parents were born in Virginia. Their son, William, my great-grandfather, was 4 years old. Robert, Jr. was 2 years old, Emily was 1 year old and Jeter was 3 months old, born in February 1880. All of their children were born in Virginia. They also had a couple of servants living with them. James Holmes was black, 16 years old and was born in Virginia as were his parents (former slaves?), worked on the farm and had attended school. The other household member listed was Lucy Shepherd, who was white, 13 years old and born in Virginia as were her parents, worked as a domestic servant and had also attended school.

Robert Campbell's household in the 1880 census

Robert died of obstruction of the bowels on January 15, 1886 at the age of 38 in Caroline County, VA. He was sick for less than 24 hours according to the doctor who attended him, C.S. Webb. This information came from Confederate Widow's War Pension application that his wife, Fanny, filed in 1923. Family folklore was that his appendix burst while he was soaking in a hogshead barrel filled with brine water, which was a common folk treatment for appendicitis in those days. I heard this story many times from my grandfather, Thomas Floyd Campbell, who was Robert’s grandson.

Robert was buried in Caroline County, VA. The location of his grave is unknown.

Fanny S. Mills, Robert’s wife and daughter of Andrew L. Mills and Susanna D. Boxley, was born on July 20, 1850 in Louisa County, VA.

She was listed in the household of Susanna D. Boxley in the 1860 census on June 23, 1860 in Northern District, Louisa County, VA along with older siblings Patrick B. Mills, Andrew L. Mills, Edmund Mills, and younger siblings Estell Mills, Joseph Mills and Tamasia Mills. By this time, Susanna had been separated from her husband, Andrew Mills, for several years. Fanny was 9 years old and born in Louisa County, Virginia.

It seems Fanny was enumerated twice in the 1870 census. On July 12, 1870 in Bowling Green, Caroline County, VA she was a member of the George Washington Broaddus and Elizabeth Mills household at a farm in Bowling Green, Caroline County, VA along with James I. Broaddus, Odessa C. "Dessie" Broaddus, Ophelia Broaddus, and Susan I. "Susie" Broaddus. Fannie was listed as 20 years old and born in Virginia. She had no occupation. This is the only Fanny Mills listed in Caroline County, VA in this census, and her age matches with her birth date. However, there is another Fannie Mills listed with the Susanna Mills family in Frederick Hall, Louisa County, VA, 18 years old, that I believe to also be the correct Fannie Mills also, since her mother's name matches and she later married Robert L. Campbell at Frederick Hall, Louisa County, VA in 1875. She was listed in the household of Susanna D. Boxley in the on August 1, 1870 in Northern District, Louisa County, VA along with siblings Andrew L. Mills, Edmund Mills, Joseph Mills, Tamasia Mills, and Patrick B. Mills.

Fannie appeared in the census on June 13, 1900 at a farm in Bowling Green District, Caroline County, VA as the head of the household. She was 49 years old, widowed, with 7 children born and 6 children still living. Her occupation was farming, and she owned her farm without a mortgage. Listed in her household were her daughters Emma and Susie, and her sons Jeter and Talmage, who was born after his father, Robert, died.

Fanny was listed again as head of household in the 1910 census on May 11, 1910 in Bowling Green, Caroline County, VA along with son Dewitte Talmage Campbell and daughter Suzanne F. "Susie" Campbell. Dewitte (listed as David in the census) and Susie were 24 and 26 years old, respectively, and both were single. At this time, Fannie was 59 years old, widowed, with 7 children born and 6 children still living (as in the 1900 census). Her occupation was still farming, however her farm now was mortgaged.

Over the next 10 years or so, Fannie moved around quite a bit. According to her grandson Robert Campbell, sometime after 1910 Fannie, her son Talmadge and her daughter Suzanne moved to Richmond, VA to live with Jeter and Robert.  At that time, Jeter was working for the VA Electric Power Company.  In October 1916, Fannie, Talmadge, Suzanne, Jeter and Robert moved to a farm inherited by Jeter and Robert from Jeter's wife in King William County, VA called Rumford Academy.  In 1918, Fannie, Talmadge and Suzanne moved back to the old Campbell home place in Caroline County, VA.  A few years later, Fannie, Talmadge and Suzanne moved to a farm in Stafford County near Heflin, VA.  Fannie’s son, Robert, came to live with them at this farm and remained there until he died.

In the 1920 census, Fannie was a family member in the household of her son, Dewitte Campbell, as enumerated on January 5, 1920 in Bowling Green, Caroline County, VA. Still living in the household was her daughter, Susie Campbell, similar to the 1910 census except Dewitte was now listed as the head of household. Fannie was now 69 years old, widowed and with no occupation.

Fanny applied for a Confederate Veteran/Widow pension on April 21, 1923 in Heflin, Stafford County, VA based on her being Robert’s widow. This pension application was known as Form No. 5, "Application of a widow of a Soldier, Sailor, or Marine of the Late Confederacy Under Act Approved February 28, 1918, as amended by act approved, March 11, 1922". Fannie provided the following information on the pension application: her name was Fannie S. Campbell; she was 73 years old; she was born in Louisa County, VA; she had lived in Virginia all 73 years and had lived at her current location in Heflin, Stafford County, VA for about 3 years; she was living with her son; her husband's full name was Robert Lee Campbell; they were married on May 19, 1975 near Frederick Hall in Louisa County, VA by Rev. D. Scott; her husband Robert passed away in Caroline County, VA; his cause of death was obstruction of the bowels; the physician who attended Robert was C. S. Webb, M.D.; she had not married since the death of her husband; and her husband had served with Company F of the 24th Virginia Cavalry. She also stated she had received no income, owned no property, her husband had previously been on a pension roll, she had never applied for a pension in Virginia before, and there was no camp of Confederate veterans in her county. A lot of the scanned pension application is unintelligible, including Fannie's signature on the first page. As best as I can make out, the witnesses were L. A. Skinner and C. M. Heflin, both of Stafford County. The "Affidavit of Comrades" part of the pension was left blank, but the "Affidavit of Witnesses, Not Comrades" part had Skinner and Heflin swearing that they personally knew Fannie, they had known her for about 4 years, she was the widow of Robert L. Campbell, and that he had died on January 15, 1886 (hard to read this date due to the quality of the scan - this is my best guess). The "Certificate of Physician" part signed by C. S. Webb, M.D. on Sept 5, 1923, stated the cause of death as obstruction of the bowels, and that Robert was sick less than 24 hours. The "Certificate of Commissioner of Revenue" part of the application signed by R.C.L. Moncure on March 24, 1925 stated that Fannie owed no money and had an estate (real, personal, or mixed) worth $1000. The Pension Board for Stafford County approved the pension application on March 31, 1925 and the pension was certified by the judge (name unintelligible) on April 14, 1925.

Fannie again appeared in her son Dewitte’s household in the 1930 census on April 10, 1930 at House No. 4-8 in Rock Hill District, Stafford County, Virginia. Fannie was 79 years old, still widowed and with no occupation. Also living in the household was her daughter (and Dewitte’s sister) Susie, who for some reason, was enumerated as “Fannie S. Campbell” also, even though her age identified her as Susie. By this time, Susie was nurse in a local hospital.

This could be a picture of Fannie Campbell...not sure

The final census Fannie appeared in was the 1940 census, taken on May 22, 1940 at a rural address on State Road 612 in Heflin, Stafford County, Virginia. Her son, Dewitte, had passed away, so Fannie and her daughter Susie were living in the household. Fannie was the head of household, 89 years old and still widowed, with 2 years of high school education. She claimed to have lived in the same house in 1935. She had no occupation, no salary in 1939 and no other income.

Fanny died from myocarditis complicated by arteriosclerosis on July 21, 1946 at the age of 96 in Stafford County, Virginia. At the time of her death, Fannie lived in Stafford County, Virginia. On her death certificate, Fannie's date of birth was given by the informant, Susie Campbell (Fannie's daughter) as July 20, 1850. She was listed as the widow of Robert L. Campbell. Susie did not provide the names of Fannie's parents or their birthplaces on the certificate. The doctor, Lloyd Busch, MD of Fredericksburg, VA attended Fannie from July 20 until July 21, when death occurred at 9 pm. By the time she passed away, all of Fannie’s sons had already died.

Her obituary appeared on July 22, 1946 in the Free Lance-Star newspaper in Fredericksburg, VA. The obituary said: “Mrs. Campbell, 96, Dies At Her Home. Mrs. Fannie S. Campbell, 96, widow of the late Robert L. Campbell, died at her home at Cropp last night. She is survived by two daughters, Miss Susie Campbell of Cropp; Mrs. Emma Young of Rockville, Md.; seven grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. The body will remain at Elkins Funeral Home until 1 pm Tuesday when it will be removed to Grace Methodist Church, Fauquier County, for services to be conducted at 2 pm by the Reverend Lloyd Boutyard. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Serving as pallbearers will be Morris Heflin, L. H. Dodd, Thomas Stevens, Lester Heflin, and William and Arthur Grove.

Fannie Campbell's Obituary, 1946

Fannie was buried on July 23, 1946 at Grace United Methodist Church Cemetery in Somerville, Fauquier County, VA. The funeral director was Elkins Funeral Home in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Robert Lee Campbell and Fanny S. Mills had the following children:

1) William Floyd Campbell (my great-grandfather) was born on February 22, 1876 in Caroline County, VA, married Elizabeth S. Carneal on August 8, 1900 in Caroline County, VA, and died July 30, 1941 in Caroline County, VA.

2) Robert L. Campbell was born on July 7, 1877 in Caroline County, VA and died on January 19, 1935 at the age of 57 in Rock Hill District, Stafford County, Virginia. Robert’s death certificate said he committed suicide by shooting "his face and forehead entirely off with a shotgun". It went on to say the contributing cause was "not feeling well and not sleeping for several months". Robert was single when he died and I have found no evidence he was ever married. He was buried on February 3, 1935 in Fauquier County, VA.

3) Emma D. Campbell was born on January 15, 1879 in Caroline County, VA, married John William Young on May 10, 1910 in Loudoun County, Virginia, and died on March 14, 1971 in Rockville, Montgomery County, MD.

4) Jeter Dallas Campbell was born on February 7, 1880 in Caroline County, VA, married Virginia Byrd Abraham on October 14, 1908 in Washington, DC, after Virginia died, married Olive O. Pugh on December 28, 1915 in Washington, DC and divorced her shortly thereafter, and died on February 27, 1939 in Acquintan District, King William County, Virginia.

5) Suzanne F. "Susie" Campbell was born on July 24, 1882 in Bowling Green, Caroline County, VA and died on August 20, 1959 at the age of 77 in Rockville, Montgomery County, MD. In the Rockville Cemetery, her tombstone has "Fannie S. Campbell" on it; she applied for her Social Security number in 1951 using the name Fannie - I think she started using that after her mother, Fannie, died. She was buried at Rockville Cemetery in Rockville, Montgomery County, MD. As far as I can tell, Susie was never married – like her brothers Robert and Dewitte.

6) Dewitte Talmage Campbell was born on April 27, 1886 (about 3 months after his father died) in Caroline County, VA and died on April 28, 1940 at the age of 54 at Western State Hospital in Staunton, Rockingham County, VA. According to his nephew, Robert Campbell of King William County, VA, Talmadge was in a mental institution at Staunton, VA when he died. This was confirmed by the death certificate. He had been confined to the institution, the Western State Hospital, for 3 months and 25 days. He died from bronchopneumonia 9 days after contracting it. The doctor confirmed the diagnosis by physical exam and an autopsy was performed. Dewitte was buried on April 30, 1940 in Staunton, Rockingham County, VA and may have been buried on the grounds of the Western State Hospital in Staunton, VA where he had been confined when he died.

My Great-Great-Great-Grandparents, Cornelius Campbell and Emily Dulaney

Cornelius Campbell's signature from his Petition for Amnesty letter
sent to President Andrew Johnson in 1865 after the Civil War

Cornelius Campbell was my paternal great-great-great-grandfather. He was a large landowner in Caroline County, Virginia, who, by 1850, owned nearly 100 slaves and over 1500 acres including a grist mill. As near as I can tell, he was born in 1800 in Virginia to Joseph Campbell, Jr. and Rosa Sale. This estimate of his birth year comes from information in the 1850 and 1860 federal population censuses, in which he was listed as 50 years old and 60 years old, respectively, and a letter he wrote to President Andrew Johnson in 1865 petitioning for amnesty. I’ve also found alternate birth information from a database of Virginia death records that indicate his birth year was 1803.

I can find no record of Cornelius in the federal population censuses prior to 1850, nor can I find any record for his father, Joseph Campbell, Jr. There is a Cornelius Campbell listed in the 1820 census in Shenandoah County, VA but the ages in the household don’t quite line up and this county is pretty far (by early 1800s travel standards) from Caroline County. The earliest reference I’ve found for Cornelius in Caroline County, VA was a land transaction on December 12, 1838, in which he paid $980 to Francis U. Scott, Francis V. Sutton, John D. Hargrove, and William Kidd for a parcel of land upon which the "poor house establishment" was situated and consisting of 360 acres. This parcel adjoined other land which Cornelius owned, indicating land records may exist that establish his presence in the county prior to 1838.

Cornelius married Emily Dulaney, daughter of French Dulaney, in Fauquier County, VA on August 2, 1825. As with Cornelius’ birth family, I have been unable to find the Dulaney family in any censuses prior to 1850.

Cornelius and his family are listed in the 1850 and 1860 agricultural and population censuses. In the 1850 agricultural census, taken in June 1850, Cornelius owned a farm near Sparta in Caroline County worth $20,000. His oldest son, French D. Campbell, lived on the farm next to this farm. Cornelius' farm had 1136 acres, worth $7000, and had horses, a mule, milk cows, oxen, other cattle, sheep and swine. The farm produced wheat, Indian corn, wool, peas, beans, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, butter, beeswax and honey. Cornelius is listed as the owner of the farm where his son, French, lived.  This farm had 691 acres, worth $10,500, and had horses, mules, milk cows, oxen, cattle, sheep and swine. This farm produced wheat, Indian corn, ginned cotton, wool, peas, beans, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, beeswax and honey. Cornelius also owned a grist mill in 1850, located on the west side of Rte. 2, about 2 miles north of Bowling Green, VA, near Bowie Pond in the Millwood tract, and known as "Lewis Old Mill".  The mill used 1200 bushels of corn to produce 7200 bushels of corn meal, and was powered by water and used three pair stones. Cornelius' mill employed one male laborer, paid $8 per month.

Cornelius owned slaves to work these farms. In the 1850 slave schedule census, taken on November 15, 1850, he owned 83 slaves, ranging in age from 1 year old to 70 years old. Of the 83, at least 4 were listed in the census as mulatto, indicating some Caucasian parentage.

Cornelius and his family were listed in the 1850 population census taken on November 16, 1850 in Caroline County, VA. Cornelius was 50 years old, born in Virginia, and a farmer on a farm worth $2000, which doesn’t match up with the agricultural census figures. Emily was 42 years old and also born in Virginia. Their sons living with them were Joseph W., 18 years old, born in Virginia and a student; Cornelius R. D., 11 years old and born in Virginia; William, 8 years old and born in Virginia; and Robert H., 2 years old and born in Virginia. Robert was my great-great-grandfather.

In the 1860 agricultural census, taken on September 28, 1860, Cornelius owned a farm near Sparta, Caroline County that was 1582 acres and worth $13,000.  The number of livestock and the farm agricultural production had both increased since the 1850 census. His mill now used 8000 bushels of corn to produce 8200 (?) bushels of corn meal.  The mill was also used to process wheat into flour; during 1860, 400 bushels of wheat was milled to produce 82 bushels of flour.  The mill still employed one male laborer, who was paid $12 per month.

Cornelius and his family were listed in the 1860 population census taken on September 28, 1860 in Sparta, Caroline County, VA. Cornelius was 60 years old and a farmer with real estate worth $35,000 and a personal estate worth $85,000 (from the large number of slaves). Emily was 51 years old, and their children living with them were Joseph W., now 27 years old and a manager of the farm; Cornelius R. D., now 19 years old; William S., now 16 years old and attending school; Robert L, now 12 years old and attending school; and a daughter, Emma B., 9 years old and attending school.

Cornelius may have had a son with a slave named Mary in 1862 in Caroline County, VA. The baby's race was Colored and he was named Cornelius Campbell, with the father as Cornelius Campbell (Owner) and the mother named Mary, presumably a slave. I don't know if the father was Cornelius Campbell or his son, Cornelius R. D. Campbell. I have not looked for this Cornelius Campbell in subsequent censuses.

Cornelius sold fodder, hay, corn and corn shucks to the Confederate Army from December, 1862 to January, 1864 in Caroline County, VA. He sold these products in Dec 1862, Feb 1863, Oct 1863 and Jan 1864. His total for all of these products was over $3000.

Cornelius owned several large farms in Caroline County, named Belmont, Egypt (supposedly because of the corn production) and Millwood.

As mentioned previously, southern landowners suffered property losses during the Civil War. One instance was described in The Daily Dispatch newspaper, published in Richmond, VA, on June 22, 1864. The article was titled “Outrages of the enemy in Caroline”:

“A citizen of Caroline county furnishes some items of interest. He says that during the passage of Grant's army through that county, when he was "changing his base" and making fast time for Richmond, the most outrageous excesses were committed upon the inhabitants by the negro troops. They stole everything they could lay their hands upon, offered indignities to the ladies, and committed excesses that ought to cause the blush of shame to mantle even a Yankee check. Among the buildings burnt by these finds was the house on the Belmont estate, owned by Cornelius Campbell; Campbell's mill, and a mill owned by Hon. R. M. T. Hunter, the latter in the upper part of Essex. There is a report that Mr. Hunter's residence has since been burned, but we presume this is without foundation. The people of Caroline will long remember the passage of the "Union" devils through their borders.”

Cornelius Campbell signed an amnesty oath on July 27, 1865 in Caroline County, VA. Cornelius' amnesty oath was signed on July 27, 1865 by M. A. Prugn, Captain and Provost Marshall. This was the same person who signed Robert L. Campbell's (youngest son of Cornelius) amnesty oath.

Cornelius Campbell Amnesty Oath

Cornelius Campbell petitioned President Andrew Johnson for amnesty on August 17, 1865. On May 29, 1865, President Andrew Johnson issued his first amnesty proclamation. One of the exclusions to amnesty was voluntary participants in the rebellion who had property valued at more than $20,000. It was this exclusion that caused Cornelius to petition President Johnson for amnesty on August 17,1865. Here is the text of Cornelius' letter to President Andrew Johnson:

"To his Excellency Andy Johnson, President of the United States. Your petitioner Cornelius Campbell, respectfully represents that he is native of the County of Caroline, State of Virginia; was born in the year 1800, has always resided in said County, and has been engaged exclusively in agricultural pursuits. For several years past he has been afflicted with almost total blindness. Has never held any office either under the State or so called confederate government; or acted directly or indirectly, as an officer or soldier or been otherwise engaged in the late rebellion, whereby his property might be regarded as liable, in his opinion, to confiscation. That on the 29th of July last, he took the amnesty oath required by your Excellency's proclamation of the 29th of May 1865, with intent to observe and keep the same, in good faith; a copy of which oath, as taken, is hereto annexed. That his property has been, or probably will be assessed as of greater value than twenty thousand dollars, he respectfully asks to be relieved from the disability imposed by the 13th section of said proclamation and he prays. Respectfully submitted. Cornelius Campbell."

I suppose the sale of corn, fodder, etc. throughout the war to the Confederate Army does not mean Cornelius was "otherwise engaged in the late rebellion". He did make over $3000 from the transactions, but if he was paid in confederate money, it probably wasn't worth much.

A John M. Hudgin certified that "the foregoing petition was subscribed and sworn to in solemn form before me in my said County, by the petitioner, Cornelius Campbell. Witness my hand this 17th day of August 1865."

An L. H. Prupoint (not sure of this name - hard to read handwriting) stated: "I recommend this petition for pardon." The date for this recommendation looks like Sept 4, 1865 but it is hard to read handwriting.


In September 1865, Cornelius was listed in the tax assessment in Caroline County, VA for owning a piano and a carriage. He was listed in Division No. 14, Collection District No. 4 for the state of Virginia. The taxes he owed were $1 for the carriage and $2 for the piano.

In his will, which was submitted to the Caroline County Court on June 6, 1868, Cornelius named his wife, Emily, as Executrix and gave to Emily and his daughter, Emma D. Campbell, his homestead including all the dwellings, his mill, buildings and all the lands attached thereto, and all his household and kitchen furniture, all his stock of every kind, plantation utensils, farming implements and everything pertaining to the homestead, and also the debt due from F. C. Foster for land in Fauquier sold to him, and any other such other debts. To his sons, he left all his other lands consisting of his farms Belmont, Millwood, and Marshalls to be equally divided among them. He also bequeathed to his daughter Emma his gold watch. His will was signed, sealed and declared by the testator in the presence of Henry F. Thornton, J. L. Jourdan and H. B. Brooks.

Cornelius passed away on June 12, 1868 in Caroline County at the age of 68. He was buried soon after in an unknown location, probably on the family farm. This farm may have been located in the part of Caroline County that became Fort A. P. Hill after the Civil War, and closed off to the general public.

During probate, his will was produced again in Caroline County Court and authenticated on August 10th 1868. The will was proven by the oaths of Henry F. Thornton and J. L. Jourdan, two of the witnesses from when his will was entered in June. His land was divided up among his sons: French - Lot 1, Plot A (170-3/4 acres), Lot 2, Plot B (125 acres), Lot 4, Plot C (112-1/2 acres); Joseph - Lot 4, Plot B (135 acres), one-half of Lot 5, Plot B (76-1/2 acres), Lot 5, Plot D (160 acres); Cornelius - Lot 2, Plot C (47 acres), Lot 1, Plot C (107 acres), Lot 3, Plot C (112-1/2 acres), Lot 3, Plot D (168-1/2 acres); William - Lot 1, Plot B (140 acres), one-half of lot 5, Plot B (76-1/2 acres), Lot 4, Plot D (152 acres); and Robert - Lot 2, Plot A (170-3/4 acres), Lot 3, Plot B (125 acres), Lot 5, Plot C (100 acres).  The tract containing Lewis old mill was left undivided. On January 17, 1870 Robert bought the 29-acre tract of land containing the Lewis old mill and described as Plot C of the Millwood Farm from his brothers (French, Joseph, William and Cornelius) and their wives. He paid $800 for the mill and the land. The locations of these parcels might be determined form the probate records. This adds up to a lot of land as well – French had about 400 acres, Joseph had about 377 acres, Cornelius had 434 acres, William had 368 acres and Robert got about 396 acres for a total of approximately 1600 acres.

Cornelius’ wife, Emily, daughter of French Dulaney, was born around 1808 in Virginia. I have not researched the Dulaney family yet in the census records for Virginia. Since she and Cornelius were married in Fauquier County, that would be a place to start. There is also the clue from his will that he had sold land in Fauquier County to F. C. Foster – could this land have belonged to Emily or her family? I also don’t know the name of Emily’s mother, who would be my great-great-great-great-grandmother.

After her husband died, Emily had to sign a promissory note against a $10,000 bond to perform her duties as executrix of her deceased husband's estate on August 10, 1868. The $10,000 note would be forfeited if she performed her duties satisfactorily. I also found a record for Emily and her son, Cornelius, selling land on January 26, 1870. I need to research this more to find out where the land was located and to whom it was sold.

Emily was living on a farm in Bowling Green, VA when the census was taken on June 11, 1870. Her farm was worth $4000 and she had a personal estate worth $100. Still living with her were her daughter, Emily, now 19 years old and without an occupation, and her youngest son, Robert. Robert was 22 years old, a farmer, with real estate worth $8510 and a personal estate worth $330. There was also a domestic servant living with them, Rosana Epps, who was Caucasian, 19 years old and unable to read or write. A farm laborer was also listed – Woodson Puller, a 17-year old mulatto.

Emily died on March 1, 1879 at the age of 71 in Caroline County, Virginia. Her estate was probated from June to July 1879 in Caroline County, VA. The probating of Emily's estate included a payment of $9.20 on June 9, 1879 to her nephew, Dr. C. C. Broaddus, for her medical bill.  It also included a payment made in July 1879 to the Sheriff of $3.50 for the case of Campbell vs. Campbell. I need to see if this case is online at the Library of Virginia Chancery Court Records site. On July 26, 1879, her estate paid $6.25 to her son Robert.  On January 17, 1880 her estate paid $6.25 to the following:  S. W. Broaddus (son-in-law), F. W. Campbell (son), C. R. D. Campbell (son), A. B. Chandler trustee for W. S. Campbell (son, who had passed away in 1879), and Joseph W. Campbell (son).

Cornelius Campbell and Emily Dulaney had the following children:

1) French D. Campbell, born October, 1828, Virginia; married Judith A. Saunders, December 1, 1853, Caroline County, VA; died October, 1902, Virginia.

2) Joseph W. Campbell, born about 1832; married Mary Elizebeth Bower/Brower, July 23, 1863, Richmond, VA; married Julia Glass, November 20, 1876, Hanover County, VA; died 1884, Hanover County, VA.

3) Cornelius R. D. Campbell, born December, 1840, Virginia; married Lucretia A. Haynie, October 11, 1869, Caroline County, VA; died before 1904.

4) William S. Campbell, born about 1842; married Lucy Ida Broaddus, February 1, 1869, Caroline County, VA; died September 27, 1879, Caroline County, VA.

5) Robert Lee Campbell, born calculated 1848; married Fanny S. Mills, May 19, 1875, Frederick Hall, Louisa County, VA; died 1886, Caroline County, VA. (My great-great-grandfather)

6) Emma B. (or D.) Campbell, born about 1850, Caroline County, VA; married Silas Wilbur Broaddus, October 2, 1870, Caroline County, VA; died June 10, 1883, Bowling Green, Caroline County, VA.

My Granduncle, John Terry West

John Terry West, 1965, at his mother's 80th birthday party

John Terry "Terry" West was born on December 6, 1909 in Virginia. This birth date is supported by his 1910, 1920 and 1930 census entries, where he was listed as 4 months old, 10 years old, and 20 years old, respectively. His tombstone, however, lists his birth year as 1911, and his Social Security Death Index (SSDI) entry says he was born in 1911. His Certificate of Marriage to Monnie Williams and his World War II draft registration both support a birth year of 1911-1912. His obituary notice in 1993 stated he was 81 years old, which also supports a birth year of 1911-1912.

He was listed as a member of John Beamer "J. B." West and Mary Evelina Akers' household in the census in 1910 in Smith River Township, Patrick County, VA along with Akers Martin West and Mary Elva "Elva" West. John was 4 months old and born in Virginia.

He was listed as a member of John Beamer "J. B." West and Mary Evelina Akers' household in the census on January 27, 1920 in Giles Magisterial District, Amelia County, VA along with Akers Martin West, Mary Elva "Elva" West, and Kathleen Virginia West. Terry was living with his family and his age was 10. He had attended school and was able to read and write.

Terry was listed as a member of John Beamer "J. B." West and Mary Evelina Akers' household in the census on April 16, 1930 in Giles Magisterial District, Amelia County, VA along with Akers Martin West and Kathleen Virginia West. He was 20, single and living with his family. He indicated he had attended school or college since September 1, 1929 and was able to read and write. His occupation was not listed.

Akers, Terry and Granny West, ca 1930s, on the farm in Amelia County, VA

He lived in Richmond, VA in 1935. This information came from the 1940 census, where he indicated in 1935 he had lived in the same place (Richmond) but not the same house.

He appeared in the census on April 3, 1940 at 2419 Park Avenue in Richmond, VA. Terry was boarding with Nettie Hughes, her sister Annie Page and her son William Page Hughes. He was 28 years old, single and had 3 years of high school. He worked as a salesman for a retail coal company (probably A. T. Massey Coal Co.) and had worked 35 hours the week before the census. He made $2900 income for 52 weeks worked in 1939 and had no income from other sources.

Marriage Party for John Terry West and Margaret "Monnie" Williams (front, left), 1940

John Terry "Terry" West and Margaret "Monnie" Williams were married on May 18, 1940 at St. Luke's Episcopal church in Richmond, VA. On their Certificate of Marriage, Terry's full name was John Terry West and Monnie's full name was Margaret Wren Williams. He was 28 years old (this matches a birth year of 1912, instead of 1909) and she was 24 years old. Both were single and neither indicated they were married previously. Terry worked as a Traffic Manager at Massey Coal Co. and his current residence was 4303 Smithdeal Ave, Richmond, VA. He was born in Patrick County, VA to John B. West and Mary Akers. Monnie was born in Talladega, AL to George R. Williams and Katherine Baird, and she was currently living in Richmond, VA as well. They applied for their marriage license on May 14, 1940 with the proposed date of marriage as May 18, 1940 and proposed place as Richmond. Walter Christian, a Clerk of Hustings Court (predecessor to the Circuit Court in Richmond) granted their license. Edwin R. Carter, Jr., a priest of the Episcopal Church, married them on May 18, 1940 in Richmond.

I found an article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch dated May 19, 1940 about the wedding. It said the wedding was held in St. Luke's Episcopal Church at 11:30 AM on Saturday, May 18 with the Reverend Edwin R. Carter officiating. Miss Mary Katherine Williams, Monnie's sister, was maid of honor and only attendant. James E. Anderson of Amelia was the best man, and ushers were Lewis B. Williams (Monnie's brother), William E. Massey, L. Wilson Black and F. Linwood Hendricks. It said the married couple left immediately after the ceremony for a "Southern motor trip" and after they got back on June 1 they would live at 4303 Smithdeal Avenue in Forest Hill, a suburb of Richmond. The article also mentioned that a reception was given by the bride's parents at their home on West 42nd Street in Forest Hills on Friday evening, May 17, for the wedding party, the two families and close friends.

They lived at 4303 Smithdeal Avenue in Richmond, VA on October 16, 1940. This house is still standing (see picture below).

4303 Smithdeal Avenue today

Terry registered for the World War II Young Men's draft on October 16, 1940 in Richmond, VA. On his WWII draft registration card, Terry's full name was John Terry West, residing at 4303 Smithdeal Ave, Richmond, Virginia, with telephone number 40135. He was 28 years old, born on Dec 6, 1911 in Stuart, Va. He listed his wife, Mrs. Margaret Williams West, at the same address, as the person who would always know his address. (They had been married almost 5 months by this time.) He worked for the A. T. Massey Coal Company, Inc. at the Richmond Trust Building in Richmond, Va. Terry signed the card as "J. T. West". On the Registrar's Report, he was described at 5' 9-1/2", 164 pounds, with brown eyes, gray hair and dark complexion. There were no obvious physical characteristics noted that could aid in identification.

John Terry West World War II Draft Registration

He lived in Richmond, VA on September 13, 1953. This information came from his father's (John Beamer West) obituary.

He was living in Richmond, VA on October 28, 1967. This information came from the obituary of Mary E. West, Terry's mother.

Terry was an executive vice president of A.T. Massey Coal Co. until he retired sometime around 1975–1977. He probably worked there until age 65, and then retired.

He was living in Chesterfield County, VA until October 29, 1993 when he passed away.

Terry and Monnie had no children.

He died on October 29, 1993 at the age of 83 in Midlothian, Chesterfield County, VA. In the Social Security Death Index, his birth date was given as 6 December 1911, death date as 29 October 1993, and last place of residence as Chesterfield, VA.

Terry's obituary appeared on October 30, 1993 in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. His obituary notice said: "West, John Terry, 81, of Midlothian, retired executive vice president of A.T. Massey Coal Co., husband of Margaret W. West."

He was buried at Maury Cemetery in Richmond, VA. His tombstone inscription is:

John Terry West

December 6, 1911

October 29, 1993.

Margaret "Monnie" Williams, daughter of George Rader Williams and Katherine Baird, was born on August 31, 1915.

She died on March 1, 2004 at the age of 88.

Her obituary appeared on March 4, 2004 in the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, VA. Her obituary said: "Margaret Williams West, 88, of Richmond, widow of John Terry West, passed away March 1, 2004. She is survived by her sister, Louise Daniel of Lynchburg; also four nieces, Betsie Kielty, Susie Poole, Katherine Cole, and Susan Anderson. The family will receive friends Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Huguenot Chapel Woody Funeral Home, 1020 Huguenot Rd, where services will be held Friday, 2 p.m. Interment Maury Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to The Alzheimer's Association."

Monnie was buried at Maury Cemetery in Richmond, VA.

My Great-Grandparents, Austin W. Leitch and Ella Elinora Thomasson

Austin Leitch ca. 1897

Austin W. Leitch was born on July 4, 1877 in Virginia. His marriage record to Alice Southard from 1927 states he was born in Staunton, VA. The Family Data Collection - Individual Records database at Ancestry.com states he was born in Beverly Manor, August County, VA. Beverley Manor is adjacent to Staunton in Augusta County, Virginia.

He was listed as a member of James Henry Leitch and Cynthia M. Depriest's household in the census on June 5, 1880 at a farm in Beverly Manor, Augusta County, VA along with Celestine Leitch, Ella J. Leitch, Eva Lulu Leitch, Mary J. Leitch, Preston Thompson Leitch Sr., Samuel D. Leitch, and Franklin P. Leitch. Austin was listed as their son, 2 years old and born in Virginia.

He registered for the World War I draft on September 12, 1918 in Snow Hill, Worcester County, MD. He gave and signed his name as "Auston Wilford Leitch", his age as 41, and his birthdate as July 4, 1876 (he would have been 42 with this birth date; his real birth year was 1877). His permanent address was Pocomoke, Worcester County, MD. He was white, native born, and worked as a ship builder for Nelson Bocsfield(?) in Crisfield, Somerset County, MD. He gave his nearest relative as Ella Lenora Leitch, his wife, who also lived in Pocomoke, Worcester County, MD. Austin was of medium height and medium build, with blue eyes and black hair.

Austin Leitch's World War I Draft Registration

Austin lived with John Howard Leitch at 84 Post in Hilton Village, Newport News (Warwick County), VA in 1923. In the 1923 city directory for Newport News, both Austin and his son John were listed as carpenters. According to their 1925 divorce record, Austin and Ella were separated by this time. This is corroborated by Ella having a separate listing in the same 1923 city directory at a different address.

He was a farmer in Richmond, VA on July 20, 1925. This information came from the divorce decree from his first wife, Ella Thomasson.

He was a carpenter in Elmont, VA on September 1, 1927. This information came from the record for his marriage to his second wife, Alice Southard.

Austin was the informant on the death certificate of Alice "Allie" Southard. Alice had been his wife for 12 years when she passed away in 1939.

He appeared in the federal population census on April 27, 1940 in Ashland, Hanover County, VA. John (aka Austin Leitch) was living by himself in a home he owned worth $4000. He was 63 years old, widowed and had a 6th grade education. He had lived in the same house in 1935, He was not working, not seeking work and was unable to work. He had no salary from 1939 but did earn income of more than $50 from other sources. John/Austin was no longer working on a poultry farm like he was in 1930. Charles Harris is listed on the same census page and is no longer listed as owning a poultry farm, but the Linker family listed in 1930 is not on the page, either. John/Austin being widowed matches up with his second wife, Allie, passing away in 1939, and this was before he married his third wife, Melba. His given age, 63, lines up with being born in mid-1877.

He registered for the World War II "Old Man's" Draft on April 27, 1942 in Hanover County, VA. This draft registration was for men born on or after April 28, 1877 and before February 16, 1897. John's name on the registration card was John Wilfred (misspelled - should have been Wilford) Southard, and he lived on Gilman Store Rd., Ashland, Hanover County, VA. His mailing address was R.F.D. 2, Box 22, Ashland, VA. He had no telephone number. His age was listed as 59 (he was actually 64) and his date of birth was July 4, 1882 (actually July 4, 1877) in Augusta County, VA. John gave his wife's name, Mrs. Melba Southard of the same address, as the person who would always know his address. He worked for Southeastern Goode of Charlotte, NC and was currently working at Richmond Air Base, Sandston, Henrico County, VA. I couldn't find any information about his employer, but the Richmond Air Base was an Army Air Base located outside of Richmond in Sandston during World War II. He signed the registration as "J. W. Southard".

Austin Leitch / John Southard World War II "Old Man" Draft Registration

Austin died on August 30, 1954 at the age of 77 at Blue Ridge Sanitarium in Charlottesville, VA. John (aka Austin) had been at the Blue Ridge Sanitarium in Charlottesville, VA for 3 years before he passed away. His usual residence was Route 1 in Ashland, Hanover County, VA. His full name was given as John Wilford Southard, married, 77 years old and born on July 4, 1877 in Virginia. He was a farmer and a carpenter, and his parents were listed as James H. Southard (should be Leitch) and Cynthia Dupriest (I've also seen it spelled as Depriest or DePriest). It was his mother's name on this certificate of death that was the major break in determining that he had changed his name, corroborating the family story I had heard, and what he changed it to. His wife's name was listed as Mrs. John H. Southard, and the informant on the certificate was the records at the sanitarium. John died directly from pulmonary insufficiency which lasted 18 hours, and was due to pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema lasting 3 years, as well as bronchial asthma and bilateral advanced pulmonary tuberculosis that had lasted 4 years. An autopsy was performed. His doctor, H. Charles Walker, Jr., M.D. at the sanitarium attended John from October 13, 1951 until he died on August 30, 1954, when death occurred at 12:15 P.M. Burial was planned for August 31, 1954 at Forest Grove Church in Hanover County, VA. Preddy's Funeral Home in Charlottesville, VA was in charge of arrangements.

Austin Leitch / John Southard Certificate of Death

He was buried on August 31, 1954 at Forest Grove Methodist Church in Ashland, Hanover County, VA. The name on his gravestone was John W. Southard, the name he had changed to after marrying his second wife, Alice Southard. His third wife, Melba Fetty Southard is also buried in the same church graveyard, along with a son from their marriage, Warren Wilford Southard. His birth date on the gravestone is 1882; it is really 1877 but for some reason he started using that birth date when he married Melba.

Austin went through many variations of his name. On the marriage register for Augusta County, VA, his name is listed for his first marriage to Ella Thomasson is Williamsford A. Leitch. Other variations include Austin W. Leitch (from the 1880, 1900, 1920 censuses, his 1925 divorce decree from Ella and his marriage record for his marriage to his second wife, Alice Southard), Auston W. Leitch (1910 census), and Auston Wilford Leitch (from his WWI draft registration). Sometime after his marriage to Alice and before the 1930 census, he changed his name to John (Jack) Southard. In the 1930 census, he is listed as Jack Southard and in the 1940 census his name is John Southard. On his second wife Alice's certificate of death, he is listed as J. W. Southard. On the marriage certificate for his third wife, Melba Fetty, and on his death certificate, he is listed as John Wilford Southard.

Austin W. Leitch and Ella Elinora "Big Mom" Thomasson were married on October 27, 1897 in Staunton, Rockingham County, VA. Austin and Ella were married by C. H. Crowell.  On the marriage register for Augusta County, VA, his name is listed as "Williamsford A. Leitch", his age as 21 (he was really 20), marital status as single, place of birth and current residence as Augusta County, VA, parents as J. W. Leitch and C. M. Depriest and occupation as farming.  Ella's age was given as 17 (she was really 15), marital status as single, place of birth and current residence as Augusta County, VA.

Austin and Ella Leitch, ca 1897 - wedding picture?

They appeared in the census on June 13, 1900 at a house in Middle River District, Augusta County, VA along with John Howard Leitch and Francis A. "Fannie" Frank. Austin was 22 years old, born in July 1891 (the census is hard to read - could be 1877, which matches up with being 22 years old). He and Ella had been married for 2 years. He was born in Virginia, as were his parents, and he worked as a farm laborer. Ella, his wife, was 18 years old, born in December 1881. She had 1 child born and 1 child still living. Ella was also born in Virginia, as were her parents. Both were able to read and write. Their son, John Leitch, lived with them. John was 1 year old, born in October 1898 in Virginia. Also living in the household was Ella's mother (Austin's mother-in-law), Fannie (Frank) Thomasson. Fannie was 56 years old, born in May 1844 in Virginia, as were her parents. She was widowed, and had 10 children born, with 7 children still living. Fannie was also able to read and write.

They appeared in the census on April 16, 1910 at Rehoboth Road in Dublin, Somerset County, MD along with Emma Linora Leitch, Frank C. Leitch, John Howard Leitch, Mamie Virginia Leitch, and William W. Leitch. Auston (a variation on the name "Austin") was 33 years old and married for 12 years to Ella. He worked on his own account as a farmer on their rented farm. Although he was not at work on census day (April 15), he claimed he worked the entire year of 1909. Ella was 28 years old and claimed to have had 6 children, of which 5 were still living. Their older children: John (11 years old), Frank (9 years old) and Emma (7 years old) were all born in Virginia and had attended school since Sept 1, 1909. Their younger daughter, Mamie (my grandmother, 4 years old) was born in Virginia, however, their youngest son, William (5 months old) was born in Maryland.

Austin and Big Mom appeared in the census on January 1, 1920 at Piez Avenue, Hilton Village in Newport Magisterial District, Warwick County, VA along with Emma Linora Leitch, Hunter Austin Leitch, John Howard Leitch, Mamie Virginia Leitch, and William W. Leitch. Austin was 42 years old, married to Ella, and working for wages as a ship carpenter at a shipyard - probably the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company. Ella was 38 years old and had no occupation listed in the census. Their oldest son, John (21 years old), was single and still living with them, and also worked for wages as a carpenter at a shipyard, presumably the same one his father worked at. Their older daughter, Emma (16 years old), was single and no longer in school. She worked for wages as a bookkeeper at an electrical store. Their younger children: Mamie (14 years old), William (10 years old) and Hunter (8 years old) had all attended school since Sept 1, 1919.

1920 Census for Austin Leitch family - about 1/3 down the page from the top

The family lived in a part of Warwick County called Hilton Village. Hilton Village was a planned, English-village-style neighborhood in Newport News, Virginia. Recognized as a pioneering development in urban planning, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The neighborhood was built between 1918 and 1921 in response to the need for housing during World War I for employees of Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company and is recognized as the United States' first Federal war-housing project.

They were divorced on July 20, 1925 in Newport News, VA. On the divorce decree, the cause was given as desertion and abandonment. The place of marriage was given as Newport News, Va although I have found other evidence that they were married in Staunton, Va. The duration of marriage was 28 years and the time lived together was 25 years, which meant that Ella and Austin had been separated for 3 years (since 1922) before the divorce was granted. My grandmother, Mamie (Leitch) Todd, told me how she had to go to work after Austin left the family (around 1922) and had to lie about being 16 to get a job (she would turn 16 in 1922). According to my Mom, after Austin left Ella ran a boarding house on 34th Street for a judge that practiced in Hampton. One other thing to note from the divorce decree: the ages for both Ella and Austin are a year older than other information I've found, although their ages do agree with the ages given in their marriage information.

1925 Divorce Decree for Austin and Ella Leitch, filed by Ella

Ella Thomasson, ca. 1897

Ella Elinora "Big Mom" Thomasson, daughter of George W. Thomasson and Francis A. Frank, was born on December 25, 1881 in Rockingham County, VA. This date was provided by her second husband, George F. Dunaway, on her death certificate. I believe this to be her correct birth date, with no birth certificate to back it up, and it is supported by her death certificate, her obituary that stated she was 72 when she passed away, and the 1900, 1910 and 1920 census records. I have also found records though indicating she was born a year later than this date, on December 25, 1882. This date is supported by her Social Security application information, the 1940 census and her tombstone, which has her birth year as 1882. However, this 1882 birth date would have meant she was only 14 years old when she married Austin Leitch in 1897. To add to the confusion about her real birth date, her 1925 divorce decree from Austin Leitch indicates a birth year of 1880, while the 1930 census supports a birth year of 1883.

She lived with Mamie Virginia Leitch at 127 34th Street in Newport News, VA in 1925. This address was listed in the 1925 Newport News city directory as a boarding house that Ella ran. Mamie was my grandmother.

She lived in Newport News, VA on July 20, 1925. This information came from her divorce decree. She probably lived at the same boarding house she ran that was listed in the 1925 Newport News city directory.

Big Mom applied for Social Security in May, 1937 in Virginia. She gave her name as Ella Thomason Dunaway, birth date as Dec 25, 1882 and parents as George W. Thomason and Fannie A. Frank. Her Social Security Number was 231-05-0822, and the signature on her card was Ella L. Dunaway. The signature on her Social Security application was different; it was Ella Thomason Dunaway. Note that Thomasson is spelled with one "s" as Thomason.

She was listed in the household of George Dunaway in the census on April 1, 1940 at 1239 22nd Street in Newport News, Warwick County, VA along with Pryor David Martin Jr. She was married to George and 57 years old. She had no occupation outside of the home, no salary from 1939, but had received more than $50 from other sources in 1939. Ella had a 6th grade education. She and George had lived in the same place in 1935.

She lived in the residence of George Dunaway at 111 Cedar Avenue in Newport News, Warwick County, VA in 1946. This information came from the 1946 Newport News city directory.

Ella's children threw a 70th birthday party for her about December 25, 1951. I have a picture from the party, showing all her children and their spouses, except William.

My great-grandmother Ella Dunaway's (seated) 70th birthday party at the Warwick Hotel, Newport News, VA in December 1951. Standing, l-r: Annie Leitch, Zack Todd, Mamie Todd, Hunter Leitch, Frank Leitch, Gladys (Happy) Leitch, George Dunaway, John Leitch, Emma Love, and Hazel Leitch.

Big Mom lived at 309 Pennsylvania Avenue in Hampton, VA until she passed away on September 16, 1954.

She was a member at the time of her death at Ivy Memorial Baptist Church in Hampton, VA on September 16, 1954. She was president of the T.E.L. Bible Class and a former leader of the Rosalie Mills Circle of the W.M.S.

She died of carcinoma of the gall bladder and tongue on September 16, 1954 at the age of 72 in Hampton, VA. At the time of her death, Ella was living at 309 Pennsylvania Avenue, Hampton, Virginia with her second husband, George F. Dunaway. Ella's date of birth was given by the informant, George, as Dec. 25, 1881. George incorrectly listed her father as Frank Leitch and didn't know who her mother was. The doctor, Dr. Siegel, MD of Newport News, VA attended Ella from Aug 7, 1953 until Sep 16, 1954, when death occurred at 1:30 pm.

Ella Dunaway's Certificate of Death

Big Mom's obituary appeared on September 17, 1954 in the Daily Press Newspaper in Newport News, VA. Text of the obituary: "Mrs. Ella Leitch Dunaway, 72, of 309 Pennsylvania Ave., Hampton, died at 1:30 yesterday afternoon at her home after a long illness. A native of Rockingham County, she was a resident of Hampton for the last 35 years. She was a member of the Ivy Memorial Baptist Church, president of the T.E.L. Bible Class and a former leader of the Rosalie Mills Circle of the W.M.S. She is survived by her husband, George F. Dunaway, Hampton; two daughters, Mrs. D.M. Love, Norwood, PA, and Mrs. Z.T. Todd, Hampton; four sons, John H. Leitch, Richmond; Frank C. Leitch, Hampton; William W. Leitch, Chester, PA; and Hunter A. Leitch, Norwood, PA; two sisters, Mrs. Emma Cape, Fresno, Calif., and Mrs. Cora Crider, Harrisonburg; a brother, Robert F. Thomasson, Fresno, Calif.; 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon from the Ivy Memorial Baptist Church with the Rev. W.F. Farrar, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Peninsula Memorial Park Cemetery. The body will remain at the Peninsula Funeral Home until 1:50 Saturday afternoon when it will be taken to the church."

She was buried on September 18, 1954 at Peninsula Memorial Park in Newport News, VA. Her gravestone has her birth year as 1882; I believe it was 1881 based on other evidence.

Austin W. Leitch and Ella Elinora Thomasson had the following children:

1.      John Howard Leitch, born October 25, 1898, Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, VA; married Hazel Estelle Pearce, about 1924, Richmond, VA; died December 20, 1960, Richmond, VA.

2.      Frank C. Leitch, born July 4, 1900, Verona, Augusta County, VA; married Annie T. Mathews, June 15, 1919, Pocomoke City, Worcester County, MD; died January 14, 1976, Hampton, VA.

3.      Emma Linora Leitch, born May 11, 1903; married Pryor David Martin Sr, September 2, 1920, Hilton Village, Newport News (Warwick County), VA; married Alfred Paul Ransome, September 29, 1929, Newport News, VA; married Donald Love, after 1940; died January 7, 1976, Hampton, VA.

4.      Mamie Virginia Leitch, born February 25, 1906, Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, VA; married Zachary Taylor Todd, March 2, 1926, Norfolk, VA; died September 23, 2007, Hampton, VA.

5.      William W. Leitch, born November 24, 1909, Maryland; married Helen Brewster, June 10, 1931, Newport News, VA; died June 5, 1962, Upland Borough, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

6.      Hunter Austin Leitch, born May 28, 1912, Maryland; married Gladys Dawn Dresser, October 4, 1936, Camden, North Carolina; died December 1, 1963, New Castle, New Castle County, DE.

Austin W. Leitch and Alice "Allie" Southard were married on September 1, 1927 in Gordonsville, Orange County, VA. My grandmother never would tell me anything about her father's second marriage. One family story was that he took the maiden name of his second wife, but this marriage index record doesn't say anything about that. This was later proven to be true with his entries in the 1930 and 1940 censuses, among other sources.

They appeared in the federal population census on May 3, 1930 in Ashland, Hanover County, VA. Austin was going by the name of Jack Southard at this point, having changed both his first name to Jack (John) and his last name to the surname of his second wife (Southard), and corroborates what I heard from family tradition. He and his wife, Allie (Alice) lived on a farm they owned. His age was listed as 52 years old, which lines up with being born around July 1877. He claimed he was 48 years old when first married, which roughly lines up with his marriage to Alice in 1927. This is a strange entry because his first marriage was to Ella Thomasson (my great-grandmother) in 1897 when he was 20 years old. The census said he was born in Virginia, as were his parents, and he worked as an employer on a poultry farm, where he was at work the day before the census was taken. His wife, Allie, was 48 years old and 44 years old when first married, again roughly lining up with their marriage in 1927. She was also born in Virginia as were her parents, and she had no occupation listed.

A Charles Harris is listed immediately following the Southard listing and is the only poultry farm owner on the census page. He is probably the owner of the poultry farm that Jack/Austin managed. Another neighbor, Karl Linker (German) also worked on the poultry farm. The Linker family is listed immediately above the Southard family on the census page.

Alice "Allie" Southard, daughter of Harrison Southard and Lucinda Dogger, was born about 1884 in Orange County, VA.

She lived in Gordonsville, Orange County, VA on September 1, 1927.

She died on October 17, 1939 at the age of 55 in Ashland, Hanover County, VA. On her certificate of death, Alice's full name was Allie W. Southard and she had been living in Glen Allen, VA. She was married to John W. Southard (AKA Austin Leitch). Allie was 54 years old, born in Virginia, and worked in her own home. Her parents were James Soudth (Southard?), born in Virginia, and Mary Clayton, also born in Virginia. The informant on the certificate was her husband, J. W. Southard. Her death was primarily due to cerebral apoplexy that occurred on October 15, 3 days before she died. Arterial hypertension was a contributing cause. There was no autopsy, and her doctor, Alexander McLeod, M. D., of Glen Allen, Va, attended her from October 15 through October 18, when she passed away at 8 P.M. Burial was planned at Forest Lawn cemetery in Richmond, VA on October 19, 1939. Crew Clayton Perkins, of Ashland, VA was the undertaker in charge of arrangements.

Allie's obituary appeared on October 18, 1939–October 19, 1939 in the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper. Her obituary on October 18, 1939 said: "Allie W. Southard, wife of John W. Southard, died Tuesday at Glen Allen. Surviving are her husband and son, John Southard. Funeral arrangements had not been completed last night."

From the October 19, 1939 newspaper: "Funeral services for Mrs. Allie W. Southard, wife of John W. Southard, who died Tuesday at home in Glen Allen, will be held at 3 P. M. Thursday at the Crew, Perkins and Clayton Funeral Home in Ashland. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery here. Surviving are her husband and a son, John Southard."

She was buried on October 19, 1939 at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Ashland, Hanover County, VA.

Austin W. Leitch and Melba Elizabeth Fetty were married on July 29, 1940 in Hanover County, VA. The Certificate of Marriage for John Wilford Southard [aka Austin W. Leitch] and Melba Elizabeth Schwartz stated that John was 58 years old [born about 1882 - he was really born in 1877], born in Augusta County, VA, widowed and had been married twice before. He was a farmer then living in Glen Allen, VA., and his parents were James H. Southard [Leitch] and Cynthia Depriest. Melba was 28 years old [30 or 35 years younger than John, depending on using his birth dates of 1882 or 1877, respectively], born in Hanover County, VA, divorced and had been married once before. Her maiden name was Melba Fetty. She was living then in Ashland, VA., and her parents were Charles Fetty and Flora Farabee. The date of proposed marriage was July 29, 1940 and the place of proposed marriage was Hanover County, VA. Their marriage license was dated July 29, 1940 and it was signed by F. A. Taylor, Deputy Clerk of Circuit Court for Hanover County, VA. They were married on the proposed day and at the proposed place by E. B. Joyner, a Methodist minister.

John's father's name was actually James H. Leitch. His mother's name is correct on the certificate; that was one of the clues that proved Austin had changed his name to John Southard. I don't know if this was the wife that he visited my Grandmother with sometime around 1941. It probably was. If so, I have a picture of the two of them taken around that time. He supposedly told my grandmother to be "nice" to his new wife.

Austin Leitch and his 3rd Wife - Melba Fetty, ca. 1941

Melba Elizabeth Fetty, daughter of Charles Fetty and Flora Farabee, was born in 1912 in Hanover County, VA.

She died in 1990 at the age of 78. I could not find an obituary for her at GenealogyBank.com.

She was buried at Forest Grove Methodist Church in Ashland, Hanover County, VA. She is buried next to her husband, John W. Southard (aka Austin Leitch) and their son, Warren Wilford Southard.

Austin W. Leitch and Melba Elizabeth Fetty had the following child:

                          i.   Warren Wilford Southard was born on February 28, 1949.

He died on February 8, 2010 at the age of 60.

He was buried in Ashland, Hanover County, VA.

My Great-Granduncle, John Dewey Akers

This is a post about one of my great-granduncles, John Dewey Akers, who died with his wife and son in a horrific automobile accident in 1932. It was generated using RootsMagic v7.5.5 Narrative Report feature.

This is the only picture I have of Dewey, taken with the rest of his family
sometime around 1920. He's on the right side of the picture.

John Dewey Akers was born on May 30, 1898 in Vesta, Patrick County, VA.

He was listed as a member of Samuel Green Akers and Mary Henrietta "Etta" Terry's household in the census on June 13, 1900 at a farm in Smith River District, Patrick County, VA along with Fannie Edna Akers and Mary Evelina Akers. Dewey was their son, 2 years old and born in May 1898 in Virginia.

He was listed as a member of Samuel Green Akers and Mary Henrietta "Etta" Terry's household in the census on April 22, 1910 at a farm in Smith River Township, Patrick County, VA along with Dovie M. Akers, Fannie Edna Akers, and Velva May Akers. Dewey was 11 years old, born in Virginia, and was a laborer on the home farm. He was able to read and write, and had attended school since 1 September 1909.

John was listed as a member of Samuel Green Akers and Mary Henrietta "Etta" Terry's household in the census on February 6, 1920 at a farm in Stuart Town, Dan River Township, Patrick County, VA along with Dovie M. Akers and Velva May Akers. Dewey, who was listed as Isac [sic] D in this census, was 21 years old and had attended school since 1 September 1919. He had no occupation listed in the census.

He was a teacher at Jefferson High School in Roanoke (city), Virginia in 1929.

Dewey traveled from Newfoundland on the ship S. S. Roselind on April 26, 1932 and arrived in New York, NY on May 3, 1932. There was one other passenger: Lorraine M. Murphy of New York.

He died on August 16, 1932 at the age of 34 in Roanoke County, VA. Dewey and his wife, Mary, died in an accident when their car went over the bank on a public highway. He suffered a crushed right chest, with a fractured skull and cerebral hemorrhage. The informant on his death certificate was Mrs. J. S. Atkinson, who was his mother-in-law.

The accident was reported in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on August 17, 1932:

"Machine Goes Over Cliff, Man And Wife Die
Three-Year-Old Son Suffers Fractured Skull; Recovery Is Improbable
Baby Little Hurt
Roanoke Family in Accident on Bent Mountain
ROANOKE, VA., Aug 16 (AP)
A man and his wife were killed and their two children were injured, one so seriously he is not expected to live, when their car went over a cliff on the Bent Mountain Road about 10:30 or 11 o'clock this morning and smashed to pieces in Back Creek.

The dead are: Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Akers of Virginia Heights, Roanoke; John Stuart Akers, 3-year-old son, has a fractured skull and is not expected to live. His sister, Janet, 10 months old, is bruised, but will recover, physicians said.

The family has been here for several weeks on a vacation. Mr. Akers, who was an instructor in business administration at Jefferson High School for a number of years, has been working in New York for several months.

They had left home about 10 o'clock this morning in a coupe. The wreck was discovered at 11:45 and State officers, the county coroner and other officials were summoned.

Mr. Akers was killed instantly, Dr. G. A. L. Kolmer, county coroner said. Mrs. Akers and the two children were brought to Jefferson Hospital here, suffering from a fractured skull and other head injuries. Mrs. Akers died about 1:45.

Stuart Akers, the 3-year-old child, received a fractured skull while Janet, 10 months old baby, was bruised.

The woman and oldest child were unconscious when found.

The accident occurred about three-quarters of a mile up the mountain from the intersection of the Starkey and Bent Mountain roads. The automobile landed in the creek near a place called Green Hole.

Officers could not tell whether the accident was due to a break in the steering apparatus of the car or whether the driver, apparently Mr. Akers, let the car get too near the edge of the road, where it went over before he could stop."

Here's another article from the Roanoke Times newspaper (I believe) on 17 August 1932 that tells more about the wreck and their son's death:

"TRIPLE FUNERAL FOR VICTIMS OF BACK CREEK WRECK
Third Member of Akers Family, Boy, Dies Early Today

The third victim of the wreck which occurred yesterday afternoon on the Bent Mountain road about three miles from Roanoke, in which Mr. and Mrs. John D. Akers were killed, died this morning at 3:40 o'clock in Jefferson Hospital. He was John Stewart Akers [2] and 1-2 year old son of the young couple.

Janet Akers, age ten months, the sole survivor of the wreck, will recover, physicians said at the hospital today. Shielded in her mother's arms, she suffered only a few bruises as the car plunged down the 70-foot cliff, hurling its occupants on the many large boulders.

The father, J. D. Akers, was found face down in Back Creek at the foot of the cliff. He had been killed before striking the water, Dr. G. A. Kolmer, county coroner, said.

The child, whose skull was also fractured, died early this morning.

A triple funeral service will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at the Raleigh Court Presbyterian church. The three bodies will be interred at Evergreen cemetery.

The family, staying at 803 Windsor Avenue, Virginia Heights, while here on a vacation from New York, had been riding on the new road. Reaching the point where construction is still in progress, they turned and started back to Roanoke. Filling station attendants said they saw the car going toward Roanoke a few minutes before the wreck was found. It was traveling between 25 and 30 miles an hour, they thought.

The car rounding the long, banked curve, plunged over the bank, on the right side of the road, stopping against a stump, part in and part out of the creek. No guard rails are on the road at this curve.

The wreckage was discovered about [1] o'clock by R. C. Gates, of the Starkey community, who notified Deputy Sheriff H. H. Spencer. W. E. Hunley, driver of a truck for the Carter Lumber Company, of Blue Ridge, and John [W]ebster, of Peters Creek, carried the dead and injured back up the cliff to the road, where they were placed in ambulances.

Officers checking over the wreckage found marks of a blow on the right front wheel and a ben radius rod. The car was a Ford cabriolet with rumble seat, and was not badly damaged. The top had been torn off, a trunk in the rear bent, and a wheel damaged. The windshield was slightly cracked, but not broken, and the car was able to return to Roanoke under its own power when wrecking crews succeeded in hauling it from the creek and back, a roundabout way, to the highway. Mr. Akers is survived by his parents, of Amelia; a sister of Fredericksburg, another sister of Roanoke, and his daughter.

His wife was, before marriage, Miss Mary Atkinson, and is survived by her mother, Mrs. Janet Atkinson, two brothers, William and Stuart, a sister Mrs. Hughes T. Angell, and daughter, Janet."

Part of Bent Mountain Road just SW of Roanoke with Back Creek paralleling the highway.
Did the Akers family crash somewhere along this stretch?

John was buried on August 18, 1932 at Evergreen Burial Park in Roanoke, Roanoke County, VA. Here's an account of the planned funeral services from the Roanoke Times newspaper on 18 August 1932.

"Mr. and Mrs. Akers and Son
Funeral services for Mr. and Mrs. John Dewey Akers and their son, John Stewart Akers, will be conducted in the Raleigh Court Presbyterian church at 2:30 o'clock this afternoon by the Rev. Z. V. Roberson. The Knights of Pythias will hold a service at the grave for Mr. Akers. Interment will be in Evergreen.

John Dewey Akers, 34 , is survived by his ten-months old daughter, Janet Terry; his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. S. G. Akers, Amelia, Va.; and four sisters, Mrs J. B. West, Amelia, Mrs. W. M. Clifton, Roanoke, Mrs. R. L. Reynolds, Fredericksburg and Mrs. L. W. Charles, Amelia.

Mrs. Mary Akers, 26, is survived by her little daughter, her mother, Mrs. James S. Atkinson; two brothers, William and Stewart Atkinson, and one sister, Mrs. Hughes T. Angell, all of Roanoke.

Little John Stewart Akers, two and a half years of age, leaves his infant sister, Janet Terry.

The bodies were taken yesterday to the home of William Atkinson at 555 Arlington Road, Raleigh Court.

Active pallbearers for Mr. Akers will be: S. A. Peck, P. M. Jackson, C. M. Vaughan, Dewey H. Marshall, A. D. Hurt and Clarence M. Mills. Honorary pallbearers will be: W. E. Parsons, Robert H. Angell, D. R. Hunt, C. S. McRae, L. R. Tucker, M. P. Buchanan, C. M. Seymour, M. F. Weaver, G. M. Broyles, Thomas E. Pasley, G. M. Hyle, and F. B. Wilson.

Pallbearers for Mrs. Akers will be: A. Frye Ayers, Roy Sanford, S. O. Goff, K. O. Barnett, Alfred Atkinson and K. S. Atkinson.

Flower bearers will be: Mrs. S. W. Peck, Mrs. P. M. Jackson, Miss Evaline Martin, Miss Elsie Dyer, Miss Clara Black, Mrs. H. L. Gardner, Miss Helen Atkinson, Mrs. J. W. Cook, Mrs. Sam Webb, Mrs. Reba Dent, Mrs. S. F. Caldwell, Mrs. W. B. Koontz, Miss Julia McNeil, Miss Rebecca Rogers, Miss Leona Rogers, Mrs. Herbert West, Miss Selma Hayes, Mrs. Harold Pearn, Mrs. C. R. Hughes, Mrs. G. M. Hyle, Mrs. E. L. Davis and Mrs. Eugene Shaw.

Pallbearers for John Stewart Akers will be: William Pearson, James Robertson, Terry Akers and Arthur Angell."

John Dewey Akers and Mary Atkinson were married about 1926.

They lived at 35 Day Avenue SW in Roanoke (city), Virginia in 1929. Dewey was a teacher at Jefferson High School.

They appeared in the census on April 4, 1930 at 803 Windsor Avenue in Roanoke, VA. John and Mary were living with Mary's mother, Janet, who was widowed at the time, in a house that Janet owned worth $8700. They had a radio set. John and Mary had been married about 4 years, and he was a public school teacher. He was also a World War I veteran. Mary's maternal grandfather was from Scotland, and her maternal grandmother was from Nova Scotia.

Mary Atkinson, daughter of Janet (Atkinson), was born on June 1, 1906 in Henry County, WV.

She died from a fractured skull suffered in an automobile accident on August 16, 1932 at the age of 26 in Roanoke, Roanoke County, VA. She was unconscious when brought to the hospital, but died early in the afternoon.

She was also buried with John Dewey Akers on August 18, 1932 at Evergreen Burial Park in Roanoke, Roanoke County, VA.

John Dewey Akers and Mary Atkinson had the following children:

                          John Stewart Akers was born on January 30, 1930 in Roanoke, VA.
                          He was listed as a member of John Dewey Akers and Mary Atkinson's household in the census on April 4, 1930 at 803 Windsor Avenue in Roanoke, VA along with Janet Atkinson and James S. Atkinson. John was 2 months old at the time of the census.

                          He lived in 803 Windsor Ave until August 17, 1932.

                          John died on August 17, 1932 at the age of 2 at Jefferson Hospital in Roanoke, Roanoke, VA, ,. Cause of Death: Cerebral trauma as result of fracture of skull. Death due to accident on August 16, 1932 in Roanoke County, VA. Automobile went over an embankment. Time of death was 3:40 AM. The accident also killed his mother and father. His sister, Janet, was slightly injured.

                          He was also buried with John Dewey Akers on August 18, 1932 at Evergreen Burial Park in Roanoke, Roanoke County, VA.

                          Janet Terry Akers, born October 7, 1931, Roanoke, VA; married Robert Anderson Craighead, November 28, 1952, Roanoke, VA; died July 15, 2007.