Martha Jane Payne Haynes of Palmyra, Virginia & Monroe/Greenbrier, WV.

 I am writing this piece today, two days after my father's sister Edna has died at age 99.  I am not yet ready to memorialize Aunt Edna.  I will gather my thoughts and pictures and will do that soon. 

I have, however, learned more about her great grandmother (my great great grandmother), Martha Jane Payne Haynes.  This information was gleaned from conversations and inquiries with a person at the Fluvanna Historical Society.  I have only bits and pieces but the information seems competent and matches a census that I have seen.  I plan to go to Palmyra in the Spring (hoping Covid will not restrict my travels) and I hope to find out more about Martha and her first "husband" Burton Payne. 

The story appears to be that Burton Payne was the son of a male who possibly owned his mother.  Though Burton was of mixed race he was enslaved.  During slavery he had a "marriage" to Martha.  Two children were born to Martha though it is not clear if the first child, Socrates was his child. The second child was Albert who was clearly his child via oral history.  It seems that Martha and the boys were sold to a 22 year old schoolteacher named Elizabeth (Stone or Smith - I have the census somewhere - she appears in the 1870 census in Lewisburg, WV along with her mother).  They were transferred to Ms. S when Burton was away from the property.  

On July 4, 1865, Martha married Solomon "Saul" Haynes.  She had a number of children before this marriage including my ggrandmother, Elizabeth.  I feel that Saul was too young to have been my ggrandmother's father.  All in all, Martha had about 7 children.  Martha and Saul went back to the Palmyra area after emancipation and can be found there on the 1880 census (working tobacco) - again I will have to verify this information.  However, Solomon is clearly Saul Haynes on the census and should be easy to find with his wife Martha.  The boys (young and older) are all living in one property, and Elizabeth is living with a neighbor.  Charlotte cannot be found after a certain period of time and she may have died young.  Burton's second wife was also named Martha. 

I am writing all of this from memory and will go back and edit it and provide more info.  I believe that the second family of Burton Payne (and his second wife Martha) has done significant research on him but I have not yet seen this information.  I am not sure if they have a blog or if they publish their information in any form. 

Brushy Ridge (Greenbrier County) church

Enslaved individuals mentioned in wills

I am going through my boxes of notes from my WV research & will be posting some of my "notes" or other items that I collected over the years.
This first item was sent to me in an email by DC who was researching her family history.
It is a list of names of enslaved people that she had found in Wills.  It was her hope that someone might be able to use this information to find their family members.  So generous.

Edna Haynes Howard and Nola Haynes

The Haynes family moved from Second Creek in Monroe County to Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County at some point and it was there that George Washington Haynes & Elizabeth Jane Payne Haynes raised their fourteen children.  See Brushy Ridge Colored by Frank Peck (which is online).
This photo is of Edna Haynes on the left.  She married Dr. Robert Howard.  They lived in WV & the are buried in Beckley near her mother, Elizabeth Jane.  On the right is one of the older sisters, Nola.  Nola was impeccable. She always wore pearls.  She lived in Wheeling, WV at the end of her life.  While Nola was one of the oldest, Edna was one of the youngest.  Of all of the siblings I was closest to Edna and Daines.  I think Nola at the end of her life went over to live with her baby sister Berniece (a podiatrist) in Cleveland, Ohio.  Berniece had a huge home and she was a fan of sheltering her family - choosing to live in the attic. 

Sorry - just moderated many many posts.

I appreciate all of the comments.  So sorry I have not published them sooner. 

Friends of Old Stone

The Friends of Old Stone Cemetery have recently gone across the street to the Old Colored Cemetery / Dick Pointer Cemetery to help restore that cemetery as well.  They recently uncovered a Miller family and five graves of children which they lifted up to ground level.  I cannot express how much I appreciate their efforts.  They are also interested in the Sexton for Old Stone who was a Black male surnamed Bowyer.  They have restored his gravesite.  They are truly interested in cemetery restoration and should be applauded by their efforts.  My aunt Mary Ann Hughs and her brother James Littleton (though his stone says James Litton) are buried in the OCC/DPC.  Also, my grandfather's sister's husband Samuel Oscar Braddock is buried there. 

Hi folks - family - WV descendants.
I am still alive and kicking (having managed CA for four years) but more than that I have become interested in the other side of my family.  The Cape Verdean side.  And I have been working on an index of CV' s which is now 1600 pages.  Sorry if I have not responded to comments etc. 
But I WILL be back and do some housekeeping.  Also want to start two new blogs but am having problems navigating the settings on this site. 

W.P. Haynes and unknown woman, Pocahontas, West Virginia (from Dunsmore box of photos)

This photo

 

 

 

This photograph was taken by P.W. Poff. The Library of Virginia in an article about "A Guide to the Pocahotas, Virginia Carte de Viste" states (in part) that Perry W. Poff was born in Virginia about 1845.  He had a photography studio in Pocahontas, Virginia until about the mid 1890's.  Then he relocated to Mercer County where he opened a new studio. 

In a future edit of this post I will leave information about W.P. Haynes. 

Hiawatha Bevely and Julia J. Bevely gravesite

John Carter and Elaine Carter - gravesite - Sinks Grove Cemetery - Neff Orchard Road, Monroe County, WV

Albert M. Payne 1840 - 19__5 and Ida B. Payne 1868 - 1954 gravesite

Scharlotta Gardner

Scharlotta Gardner was born on 5/13/1930.  She was the daughter of Sally K.R. Gardner and Vons Morgan.  She was the granddaughter of William P. Gardner and Alice Sexton Gardner.   She was the great granddaughter of the Lewisburg lawyer Stephen Gardner.  She is mentioned in the 1938 - 1939 Official Minute Book for the Church School Secretary for the John Wesley Methodist Church (Scharlette).  In a telephone conversation with her on 7/28/2004 she indicated that she has no middle name; she is the mother of Jerome Ornell Crump, she is the sister of Doris Gardner Tilghman; Ernest J. Gardner; James E. Seams; Greta Ann Smoot Dry; Carlos J. Smoot; Mason C. Smoot, and Clementine Smoot Dry.  That she was a lifelong member of the John Wesley Church.  She indicated that she attended the Bolling School.  She stated that her great grandfather, Stephen Gardner was part Cherokee Indian; that she lived on Gardner Street in Lewisburg, W.Va. --- and that the street was named after her great-grandfather.  She said that Stephen was pronounced Stefan and that he was a free man during slavery times.  Stephen Gardner bred, raised and sold horses and that Dr. Montgomery is wrong when he asserts (in his papers) that Stephen Gardner was a physician. 

PAULINE MAY HAYNES

Neff Orchard Road
Cemetery - Monroe County, West Virginia. 

ORIS T. HAYNES - July 12, 1885 - Jan 6, 1961.

Neff Orchard Road
Cemetery - Monroe County, West Virginia. 

Photos from Dunsmore box - Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County

More photos from Dunsmore box (thanks to Elaine)

Buckland - See comments after Buckland post - family member made corrections.

The information that I have in my compilation (Black Residents) is from documents which are sometimes supplemented by personal interviews.  The Buckland information is from documents.  However, a family member has commented that her family was not mulatto but part Native American &  ..... (please see comment).  I welcome these comments and corrections. 

Reclaiming cemeteries - historical designations

Two cemeteries that need attention:
The "Dick Pointer Cemetery"/Old Colored Cemetery in Lewisburg, WV behind Carnegie Hall needs attention. There are many headstones under the grass.  I am totally unfamiliar with the process of reviving cemeteries but I think this should be looked into.

The Neff Orchard Road Cemetery/Sinks Grove Cemetery/Mt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery on Neff Orchard Road in Monroe County, WV is well taken care of by "Elaine" but it needs a sign (the old one is no longer there).  Also we need to look into how to get an historical designation if it does not already have one.  I have documented that there are formerly enslaved persons buried there (including my great grandfather - George Washington Haynes & his brother in law Albert Payne). 

Unidentified photos from Dunsmore box - Brushy Ridge - donated by Elaine.

William Brandon Lacy Campos Gravesite - Monroe County, WV