Thursday, November 30, 2006

Martha Jones

There may have been as many as 7 -12 women named Martha Jones in Greenbrier, Monroe, Summers, Fayette and Pocahontas Counties.

(1) Martha Jones who was the first wife of Peter Jones
She appears on the 1870 Census in Monroe County (MC), Second Creek (2nd Creek), as a Black Female, age 40, keeping house, with Peter Jones.

(2) Martha Ann Payne Haynes Jones who was the second wife of Peter Jones (who she married in 1885)
Her first husband was Solomon Haynes & she & Solomon had been the neighbors of Peter & his first wife, Martha. In the compilation "Black Residents of Greenbrier ..." by C. Haynes she is listed under Martha Ann Payne Haynes. She & Solomon Haynes married in Fayette County shortly after emancipation, on July 4, 1865. At that time she had five children (Socrates, Albert, Elizabeth, Dudley, & Catherine). She & Solomon would later have James & Percy/Purcy. During slavery she was Martha Payne & one of her children (Albert) would always retain the surname Payne even while his other siblings became known as Haynes.

(3) Martha/Catherine Robinson Jones who was the wife of Reuben Jones & the mother of Anderson Jones

1870 Census where she appears in GC, Big Levels District as a 20 y.o., Black Female, b. in Va., keeping house, with Reuben Jones
1880 Census where she apepars in GC, Lewisburg, as a 35 y.o., Black Female, b. in Va., wife of Reuben Jones (33) & the mother of Mary E. (9), Margaret A. (7), & William A. (3).
1900 Census where she appears in GC, Williamsburg District, unknown age & date of birth, widowed, b. in Virginia, had 8 children, 3 still living. (check this, the 8 could be due to poor penmanship or a blurry/hard to decipher document)
1910 Census where she appears in GC, Lewisburg, as a 54 y.o., b. ? 1856, widowed, had one child, one still living, servant/cook for the James M. Rader Family, with Ricky (14). (Note that William A. is probably Anderson)
1930 Census where she appears in GC, LD, BF, 74, with Anderson (55)
Mentioned in THE GREENBRIER GHOST AND OTHER STRANGE STORIES by Dennis Deitz, onpages 12 & 15, "Aunt Martha Jones", mother of Anderson Jones.
Shuck's Greenbrier County Birth Records, page 172
Shuck's Greenbrier County Death Records, page 145
WV Death Certificate # 4117, as the mother of the decedent, Mary Ellen Lewis, who died in Summers County in 1953.

(4) Martha Jones who married Samuel Robinson

(5) Martha Jones who was the wife of Charles Jones
On WV Death Certificate # 16059 she appears as the wife of the decedent, Charles Jones who died in GC in 1944

(6) Martha Jones who was the wife of Irving Jones
She appears on the 1880 Census in Fayette, Mountain Cove as a 16 year old married to Irving Jones.

(7) Martha Jones who was the mother of Jefferson Christian & who was the mother in law of Emma Haynes
Her son, Jefferson Christian, married Emma Haynes on 7/4/1882

(8) Then, there were another 6 Martha Jones who can not yet be positively identified as being the same person as one of the above.

--- Martha Jones who appears in the article "Lewisburg's Dr. Graybill", Journal of the Greenbrier Historical Society, Volume 7, #2, 2000, p. 17
--- Martha Jones who appears on the 1920 Census in Greenbrier County (GC), Lewisburg District (LD) as a Black female, age 70, widowed, servant for Conrad Skaggs
--- Martha Jones who is listed in the Greenbrier Cemetery Book for the LD, & who died on Jan/11/197X.
--- Martha Jones who was the mother of William Gibson Jones who married Mary Preston on 8/29/1893 in Summers County
--- Martha Jones who appears as the mother of the decedent, Martha M. Cousins on WV Death Certificate #11665
--- Martha Jones who appeared on the 1910 Census in Fayette County, Sewell Mountain as a Black Female, age 32, born in Va, servant, divorced (& who does not appear to have any children).

Monday, November 27, 2006

Rev. (? first name) Brooks

Rev. (? first name) Brooks officiated at the following (Black) Greenbrier County marriages:

1951 -
Edna Mae Parks & Charles Junior Lee, 8/20/1951

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Rev. Thomas Brooks

Rev. Thomas Brooks officiated at the following (Black) Greenbrier County marriages:

1926 -
Andrew Miller & Mary Frances Seams

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Rev. Bosley Boyce

Rev. Bosley Boyce officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:

1883
Edward Lewis & Alice Pack, 5/11/1883
Alexander Hughes & Carrie Barnett, 12/27/1883
Samuel Morris & Amanda Hoke, 12/31/1883

(I'm not sure of Rev. Boyce's racial designation)
(On 2/9/1887 he married Johana Dickenson in Upshur, WV)

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Journal of the Greenbrier Historical Society, Vol 8, # 2, 2006

This issue of the Journal of the GHS contains an article by Mr. Layton in which he summarizes certain old courthouse documents including documents regarding free persons of color and enslaved individuals who lived in Greenbrier County. The journal is available through the GHS at Lewisburg, W.V. He indicates that he will summarize more courthouse documents in the next issue of the journal.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Rev. Charles Lewis (Black minister)

Rev. Charles Lewis officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:

1882 -
Charles Paxton Bradley & Georgia Williams, 5/24/1882

Note that Rev. Charles Lewis was the husband of Mary E. Lewis. He can be found on the 1900 Census, Greenbrier County, Fort Spring District where he is listed as a Black male, age 55, born May 1845 at Virginia. He was a Clergyman & had been married for 24 years to Mary E. (age 44). Also in the household were Willie (14), Lillie L. (11), Malan M. (9), Roland O. (7) & Cornelious R. (5)

There was another Rev. Charles Lewis in Summers County. He appears on the 1880 Census for Summers County at the Pipe Stem District, Black Male, 58, preacher of the gospel, with his wife, Ann (35).

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Rev. Floyd Meadows

Rev. Floyd Meadows officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:
1876 -
Meshack Pack & Tessia (Letitia) Landcraft, 9/3/1876

Rev. J.J. Meadon

Rev. J.J. Meadon officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:
1894 -
Mat R. Price & Ella Cheatwood, 1/13/1894

Rev. F.A./J.A. Meade

Rev. F.A./J.A. Meade officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:
1895 -
Phil Williams & Aggie Preston, 4/2/1895
Willie W. Davis & Ellen Tinsley, 5/24/1895
1897 -
James Doran & Bettie Fletcher, 10/5/1897
J.E. Rhodes & Ida Wheeler, 10/6/1897
1901 -
P. Mann & Harriet Jackson, 8/29/1901

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Rev. J.D. Noll

Rev. J.D. Noll officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:
1874 -
Charles Crump & Mary Johnson, 12/9/1874
William Banks & Gracey Jefferson, 12/9/1874

He officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:
1874 -
John Woodson & Cynthia A. Pack, 5/1874

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Rev. William N. Nickell

Rev. William N. Nickell officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:
1875 -
James Nickell & Eliza Susan Dunsmore, 12/29/1875
Samuel Kilbreath & Dora Nickell, 12/30/1875
1876
George Williams & Maggie Dunsmore, 12/21/1876