J. H. Brissey Dies of His Injuries

Obituaries are often some of my favorite sources of genealogical information. The good ones provide information about the deceased's birth, parents, siblings, spouse, children, hobbies, occupation, burial, cause of death, and locations lived. Others, however, will merely state that someone died and where to send flowers.

The one for my fourth great-grandfather, Jessie Ambrose Brissey, is one of the good ones.

Newspaper in which the obituary was published

Taken from what would have been his local paper, Anderson Daily Intelligencer, this account of Jessie and his death is quite thorough, even if they mistakenly report his middle initial as an "H," instead of an "A." I will share his obituary with you now.

NOTE: All punctuation and capitalization is as it appears in the obituary. I have inserted some things in parentheses for words that seem to be missing letters or if I can't make out a word in the text. I will post the questionable passages and if you think you know what something may say, just send me a message or leave a comment.

Headline for the obituary

Venerable Citizen of This County Never Rallies - Funeral This Afternoon at 5:30

M. J. H. Brissey who has been desperately ill at Anderson county Hospital for several days, passed away yesterday afternoon at 5 o'clock. The funeral services will be held this afternoon at 5:30 at the home of his son, W. L. Brissey of Calhoun street.

Mr. Brissey was seriously injured one week ago last Tuesday when a horse which he was driving ran away and caused him to receive injuries which from the first appeared to be very serious. He had come to the city from High Shoals in a wagon that day, and even before leaving for the city expressed a premonition that he should not come. On the return to the country the horse ran away with the sad results stated.

Mr. Brissey was rendered unconscious and was never thoroughly aroused to consciousness, although he aroused partially at times. He sank into a stupor about three days (a)go (a)nd never rallied. He did not appear to be in pain, but just slipped away.

The deceased had for many years been one of the staunch citizens of Anderson. He was born in Greenville county on the 11th of April 1842, and went to the war with a company from that county. He was a good soldier and served continuously in every battle that his company went into, but was never wounded. He was one of the happiest of the old soldiers at the reunion this year.

He settled in Pickens county after the war and lived there about 25 years and about the same length of time in Anderson. His old home was on South Main near the Orr Mill. Mr. Brissey was a carpenter and millwright by trade and was well known over all of this section of the state. His wife was Miss Permelia Francis Rodgers, daughter of John Rodgers of Greenville county who preceded him to the grave 22 years ago.

Mr. Brissey had retired from active work in the last few years and was giving his time to visiting around among his children. At the time of the accident which caused his death he was living with his son J. H. Brissey at High Shoals five miles east of the city. Mr. Brissey had property in Alabama and Florida.

Of the 11 children born to Mr. and Mrs. Brissey 6 are living. Messrs W. I.(,) J. H. and John Brissey of this city; Mrs. J. C. Nalley of this county; Mrs. Charley Burgess of Jacksonville, Fla, and Mrs. Pr(illegible) Tribble of Belton. It is expected that all of the children with the exception of Mrs. Burgess will be here today.

List of surviving children and where the children currently reside

Mr. Brissey is also survived by four brothers and one sister, C. C. Brissey of Orrville; Dave Brissey of Charlotte, N. C., Charles Brissey of Richland, Ga., Jim Brissey of Pendleton and Mrs. Granger of Greenville.

The announcement of pall-bearers could not be made last night, but the funeral services will be conducted at the home of his son by the Rev. J. W. Speake, his pastor, at 5:30 this afternoon. Interment at Silver Brook. Mr. Speake said last night that he had been urged to stay in Char(illegilble) where he has been on conference matters, but he felt that something was drawing him home and he is glad that he came back at this time. He saw Mr. Brissey passing on the wagon on the day of accident and the good man seemed unusaully happy and cheerful that day. He was a good man indeed, is the encomium(?) of his pastor.

Final paragraph of obituary

Sources:

• 14 June 1914 issue of "Anderson Daily Intelligencer," Page 2 (accessed on Chronicling America)

William B. Findley

On 20 June, I discussed one of my "brick wall" ancestors, George Hodson Triplett. This week, I thought I would talk about another. His name is William "Ben" (which I have come to assume to be either Benjamin or Bennette) Findley. Like George, I think I know who Ben's parents are, even though I can't yet prove it. (I believe them to be John M. Finley/Findley and Sydney Louisa Brissey.) Here's what I do know:

According to Ben's tombstone, he was born 4 June 1883. According to every census record I find him living, he was born in South Carolina.

The issue for me is not Ben's beginnings though. It's everything else.

The first piece of evidence I found, at some point during my research, was the following document.

Certificate of Marriage, UNKNOWN SOURCE

I don't know where it originated (I think someone posted it in an Ancestry tree, but I haven't been able to track down the original uploader), but it appears to be from a Family Bible. Whose Bible? I don't know. If you know who has the original Bible or copy of this record, PLEASE send me a message or leave a comment here.

So, here we have my great-great grandparents, W. B. Findley and Pearl Olivia Cargill. The record states they were married 14 April 1907. It also says they were both from Anderson County, South Carolina when they got married.

Clipping from the 1907 Anderson, Anderson County, South Carolina Directory

Clipping of 1907 Anderson, Anderson County, South Carolina Directory

Now, if we attempt to walk through the census records, that's where it really gets confusing.

I think I have found them in 1910 living in Lee County, Georgia. The only thing that baffles me slightly with this record is that the child, who would be my great-grandfather, is listed as Ben Jr. My great-grandfather's name was Jesse Lee. I am curious if and when they changed his name because I had never heard of him ever being called or named Ben.

Clipping from 1910 Lee County, Georgia U.S. Federal Census

In 1920, it gets more confusing.

Here, they are seen living in Hart County, Georgia. By this time, my great-grandfather's name is correct and some of his siblings are present.

Clipping from 1920 Hart County, Georgia U.S. Federal Census

But then, here they are seen living in Walhalla, Oconee County, South Carolina.

Clipping from 1920 Walhalla, Oconee County, South Carolina U.S. Federal Census

This census is also from 1920. Also, notice Jesse, Jack, and Pope (spelled Hope in the Hart census) are missing and another child, Ollie May, has taken their place.

I can't help but think this has to be a different family. The children are different. Pearl is listed as being born in South Carolina instead of her actual homestate of Georgia. And Pearl is listed to be about 10 years younger than she is.

Now, all of these things could be explained as follows: They moved between the 5th of January when they are shown in Oconee and the 23rd of January when they are shown in Hart. Pearl's place of birth could have been miswritten or assumed on the part of the enumerator (though there are several families on the same page who are from multiple locations aside from South Carolina). And Pearl's age could have been mistakenly recorded 20 instead of 30.

Despite all of those explanations, I feel confident these are two different families. The problem, however, lies here:

Look at how close all of these locations are! All three counties in question (Anderson, Oconee, and Hart) are touching. This could still very well be the same family.

In 1930, I find the family living in Hart County, Georgia again.

Clipping from 1930 Hart County, Georgia U.S. Federal Census

(Remember, Jesse Lee was living in Chicago by this point.) So it seems once again that the family is clearly living in Georgia, and not in Anderson, South Carolina.

Meanwhile, from 1931 through 1959, a Pearl and a William E Fendley are shown listed in the city directories of Anderson. To me, this proves that this William and Pearl are a different family unit than my Ben and Pearl.

Still, even with this large entanglement sorted out, I find myself with a million questions about this family. My main question is: Why did they move to Anderson County, South Carolina in 1907? What drew them there? Pearl, I assume, moved there with her (recently?) widowed mother and sister; but this is the only time I see Ben listed as a butcher. He always appears as a farmer in the records.

Perhaps it was just destiny playing out. Somehow, the two of them had to have the chance to meet. I've been playing around with Google Earth lately. I hope to plot their respective addresses from the 1907 directory to see where they lived in relation to one another and where Ben's butcher shop was located. Be sure to look for that post further down the road.

Sources:

• 1907-1959 Anderson, Anderson County, South Carolina City Directories (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1910 Lee County, Georgia U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1920 Rays, Hart County, Georgia U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1920 Walhalla, Oconee County, South Carolina U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1930 Rays, Hart County, Georgia U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1940 Rays, Hart County, Georgia U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• Bible Record of unknown origins
• Map of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee (found here on FamilySearch)
• Tombstone, William B. and Pearl Olevia Findley (as viewed on Find-A-Grave)

John M. Hitchcock and Mary Roberts Hitchcock

Today, I thought I would tackle a family I know very little about prior to the 1850 census: my Hitchcock line. John Matthew Hitchcock was born about 1805 in Georgia. His parents were Jesse and Lucinda ("Lucy") Harris Hitchcock. (Lucy was the first slave owning ancestor I have come across in my family, but I'll save her for another post.)

On 4 September 1845, John married Mary Roberts. She was born about 1816 in South Carolina. I do not know anything about her family as of yet. (I really haven't even tried looking yet simply because a common name like "Roberts" worries me - particularly when it's before 1850!)

The only children I have been able to find for this family so far are:

• Louisa Hitchcock
• Jesse Hitchcock
• Lucy Ann Hitchcock
• John Hitchcock
• Overton Hitchcock
• Joseph Columbus Hitchcock

Clipping from 1850 census showing Hitchcock household

Clipping from 1860 census showing Hitchcock children in household

The only issues with this list of children is that Louisa and Jesse were born in the mid-1830's which was before Mary and John were married. While I know this did happen from time-to-time back then, the likelihood of it happening that long before their marriage is fairly low.

I have, so far, not found records of John marrying a woman prior to Mary. I have also not been able to locate any proof of the mother of Louisa and Jesse in any records.

As I said before, I know very little about this family before the 1850 census, and unfortunately, the parents of this line died in the 1870's. John died 16 March 1870 (despite appearing in the 1870 census as still being in the household) and Mary died 14 July 1875. Both died in Polk County, Georgia.

This family still requires quite a bit of research, but I'm hoping the fact that I don't know of a Revolutionary War Patriot on this side of the family that I could submit to the Daughters of the American Revolution will only further my quest for answers on this branch.

Sources:

• 1850 Militia District 986, Paulding County, Georgia U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1860 1083 District, Paulding County, Georgia U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1864 Census for Re-Organizing the Georgia Militia (accessed on Ancestry)
• 1870 19th District, Paulding County, Georgia U.S. Federal Census (accessed on Ancestry)
• Georgia Marriages to 1850 (accessed on Ancestry)

Queen Ellis' Bible

This week, instead of highlighting a couple or family, I thought I would highlight a genealogical document. I chose my mom's mom's mom's mom's family Bible.

Queen Ellis' Bible

Queen Vistie Snipes was born 10 January 1899 in Union County, North Carolina. She married Clyde Ellis on 5 April 1914 in Lancaster County, South Carolina. The Bible was printed in 1924, so this would have been her Bible as a married woman.

Copyright dates found on second page of bible

Queen didn't fill in any information on her parents or grandparents in this Bible, but she did complete the Children's Register pages with all 13 of her children's birthdays. Here is what she included (I have left all of her original spellings as she wrote them):

• James Clarence Ellis, born 11 January 1915 in Chesterfield, South Carolina; married Ola Mae in Kansas City, Missouri
• Virgil Vernon Ellis, born 6 June 1917
• Albert Ellis, born 18 April 1918
• Robert Ellis, born 8 June 1929
• Arthur Fred Ellis, born 17 July 1921 in Gastonia, North Carolina; married Marie Conner in 1962
• Jessie Roberta Ellis, born 21 November 1922 in Gastonia, North Carolina; married Everett M. Grimm on 2 February 1960 in Dinsmore, Florida

(Side note: I find it interesting that Jessie Roberta, my great-grandmother is listed as marrying Everett Grimm instead of her first husband, my great-grandfather, Gerald Dean Richerson. I wonder if Queen didn't approve of their relationship.)

• Dorothy Ellis, born 23 March 1924 in Gastonia, North Carolina; married Warren H. Hall on 11 November in Lancaster, South Carolina
• Clara Ma Ellis, born 17 January 1925 in Gastonia, North Carolina; married Veto A. Vespoint in York, South Carolina
• Earl Dugar Ellis, born 17 September 1927 in Gastonia, North Carolina; married Renee
• Margaret Mae Ellis, born 23 July 1931 in Charlotte, North Carolina; married Don E. Penninger in Lancaster, South Carolina 
• Mikie Berry Ellis, born 27 September 1933 in Charlotte, North Carolina; married Francis White
• Franklin D Ellis, born 29 October 1936 in Charlotte, North Carolina; married Faye Dowell on 28 August 1960 in Statesville, North Carolina
• George Emitt Ellis, born 22 November 1939 in Charlotte, North Carolina

I love seeing how the first child was born in South Carolina, followed by several who were born in Gastonia, and then seeing the family finally settle down in Charlotte where my grandmother eventually was raised. I always find it fun to follow the families as they grow to see where they move to raise their kids.

I love old Bibles, and this is a great one. I think it's fantastic to be able to see my great-great-grandmother's handwriting as she wrote out the names of her children, made notes in the margins of the text, and tucked newspaper clippings inside which were important to her. Plus, the fact that this is a large Bible (measuring over a foot long), it gives insight into the role religion played in Queen's life.

My favorite part of her entire Bible, however, is a completely non-genealogical page I found inside: The Family Temperance Pledge.

Family Temperance Pledge page from Queen's Bible

Being that this bible was copyrighted in the early 1920s, the topic of alcohol and alcohol consumption was a controversial one. I found this page added a touch of character to the Bible that I wasn't necessarily expecting otherwise. This pledge provides a list of 12 rules or ideals by which the family is agreeing to follow:

Family Temperance Pledge
Rules 1-6

1. Moderate drinking tends to drunkenness, while total abstinence directly from it.
2. It is said on reliable authority that in recent years one boy in five becomes addicted to drink by the time he is 21 years of age.
3. Intoxicating drinks can do no good as a beverage, and there are always safer and surer remedies to use in case of sickness.
4. The idea of moderation is full of deceit, and our estimate of the power of our own will is usually a mistaken one.
5. The drinking habit is the cause of the larger portion of the misery, poverty, and crime in our land.
6. Both science and experience prove that even moderate drinking is injurious to health.
7. Eternal interests are often forfeited through drink, for the Bible declares that no drunkard shall enter heaven.
8. The Bible pronounces no blessing upon drinking, but many upon total abstinence.
9. It is easier to keep a pledge publicly, solemnly given than a simple resolution.
10. The pledge protects us from the solicitations of friends, and removes us from the temptations of the saloon.
11. Persons miscalculate their ability to drink in moderation, and become slaves to the drinking habit before they are aware of it.
12. Intemperance obstructs civilization, education, religion and every useful reform.

To me, more fascinating than the existence of the page at all is the fact that it isn't a "completed" page. No one signed it. Is that because Queen was indifferent to temperance? Is that because she was opposed to temperance? Or did she simply not want to mark a beautiful page in the Bible unnecessarily? My grandmother, who currently has possession of her grandmother's Bible, may know the answer. I will need to ask her about her grandparents' views of alcohol next time I speak to her. 

Queen Vistie Snipes Ellis
Provided by Thomas Cardenas

Sources:

• Queen Vistie Snipes Ellis, 1915-1962, The Holy Bible, Hertel's New Standard Alphabetically Indexed Bible (Chicago, Illinois, USA:  The John A Hertel Co., 1924); privately held by Clara R. Findley.
• Photos of Bible taken June 2013 by Brittany Jenkins
• Photo of Queen Ellis provided by Thomas Cardenas