William Farmer and Family

So it has been more than a month since my last post. I have been feeling pretty good lately, just haven't felt like sitting still and typing... :)

William Farmer was born on June 22, 1801 in Oglethorpe County, Georgia. I do not know anything about William's early life. I know he was 38 when he married his first wife, Frances St. John on November 7, 1839 in Newton County, Georgia. I have assumed that Frances was his first wife since I can find no evidence of a previous wife. I have been unsuccessful in locating William in 1850 or prior census records. Was he still in the Oglethorpe/Newton county areas or did he leave and come back? I really do not know. His wife Frances was born in 1820 in South Carolina. Together, they had 8 known children: John C., Samantha Anne Elizabeth, Sarah Emily, Salina Frances, William Thomas, Robert Hardin, Newton Andrew and Martha Eunice. Frances died on May 26, 1858 in Rockdale County, Georgia, when Martha was just 5 months old.
Shortly after the death of his wife, William remarried to a widow, Sarah Ann Boyd, whose maiden name was Goddard. Together, they had 2 children: Charles George and Virginia. A third child is sometimes attributed to them, John. I feel that John was a Boyd and not a Farmer and thus the child of Sarah's first husband. John would have been born in 1859, just shortly before she married William. In the Family Bible my dad has, it states that Charles's siblings were Jennie and John. If John was William's son, then based on the April 1, 1860 marriage date for William and Sarah, then John was conceived out of wedlock. In 1880, John is listed as a Farmer, but in 1900 he is listed as a Boyd with a birth recorded as happening in November of 1859, which was 5 months before the marriage of William and Sarah. Another mistake some researchers have made regarding the children of William and Sarah is assuming that Virginia had died young. Virginia was 16 years old in 1880 and living with her half-sister, Nancy Boyd (who married William Overton) and her family. Since no one could find her after 1880, the researchers assumed she had died. It wasn't until I began researching my Durrett family that I found out what happened to Virginia after 1880. Virginia had married in October of 1882 to Joseph Columbus Durrett, who was an uncle to her brother's (Charles) wife. The couple then moved with their 4 children to Texas and later to Florida, where Virginia died.
Sarah was first married to Robert J. Boyd. I know nothing about him but his name. I have been unsuccessful in finding him on any census records. He married Sarah on October 3, 1844 in DeKalb County, Georgia. They had 4 children: Nancy Ann, Sarah Ann, Ephriam, and the disputed John. Nothing is known about Ephriam. He appears on one census record then disappears. It is not known when Robert died or where he was during all the censuses. In 1850, Sarah is living with who we assume is Robert's brother or some other relative of his with her two daughters. Robert is no where to be found. Robert is presumed dead by 1860 since Sarah remarried.
William died on August 5, 1872 in Rockdale County, Georgia. After William's death, Sarah moved to Cleburne County, Alabama with her daughter, Nancy and her family. Sarah died on September 1, 1891. She is buried at Bethlehem Baptist Church Cemetery in Carroll County, Georgia in an unmarked grave. I visited the church cemetery about 5 years ago and could not locate her grave. There was a large field, but there were only 5 or six marked graves.

Ancestry Page

Sources:
Census Records: 1850 - Newton County, Georgia
Census Records: 1860 - Rockdale County, Georgia
Census Records: 1870 - DeKalb County, Georgia
Census Records: 1880, 1900 - Cleburne County, Alabama
Census Records: 1910 - Tarrant County, Texas
Census Records: 1920 - McLennan County, Texas
Census Reocrds: 1930 - Dade County, Florida
Death Records: Florida - Virginia L. Durretti
Farmer Family Bible
Marriage Records: Robert Boyd and Sarah Goddard

George Farmer

Well, I am feeling pretty good this morning. Perhaps it is true that things start to get better when you get close to the second trimester. I am going to try to get this new post up before I do start feeling bad.

George Farmer was born sometime around 1760 in Virginia, probably Chesterfield County. I do not have any proof as to George's father, but have seen references that his father's name was Elam Farmer. There were many Elam Farmers in Virginia who could be George's father, and so far I have not been able to pin point exactly which, or even if his father's name actually was Elam.
My records show that George married Nancy Hardin on May 15, 1794 in Lunenburg County, Virginia. There have been disputes as to the maiden name of George's wife, or if he in fact married two different Nancys, but according to he research I have done, I am most positive that Nancy Hardin was the wife, and only wife of George. Some researches believe that George Farmer married Nancy Bolling in Oglethorpe County, Georgia on April 17, 1798. If you look at the original records and not the transcripts, you will see that the George who married Nancy Bolling was a Farrar, not a Farmer. One can see how the names can be easily confused. Our George Farmer did move to Oglethorpe County, hence the confusion in his wife's name and the assumption that some researches make in stating that Nancy Hardin died and he then married Nancy Bolling.
George and his family were in Oglethorpe County, Georgia by 1800 where George is recorded in the Tax records and on the census with his wife, one son and two daughters in the household. George probably died in 1810, since he is recorded in the Tax lists but not recorded on the census.
George and Nancy had, according to the 1800 census, 3 children, and since Nancy is listed as 45+, it would seem unlikely that they would have many children after that census. In my records, I have children born up to 1809. Perhaps their was a mistake on the census or some of the children are actually grandchildren and their father is not known. I do not know for sure without looking for more records on the family. I have the following list of children of George and Nancy: Henry, Thomas, Elizabeth, Martha, William, Theodosia, George W., and Robert Hardin. Elizabeth and Martha were the daughters recorded in 1800 and Henry was most likely the son. In 1820, Henry is recorded in the Oglethorpe County census with a male and female between the ages of 10 and 15. They are most likely siblings of his, since they are too old to be his children. That would be there would be at least 5 children. Theodosia is probably the girl and either Robert or George the boy.
I would love to see more records on this family, as William would be my ancestor. I have proven my line up to William, but have not been able to find that record or link that truly connects William to his father, George. I feel very strongly that William is connected to this family. He has named a son Robert Hardin, and another son, my gg-grandfather, has the middle name of George. When I have more time, I will try to write a post on William, but for now, I must stop typing and get ready for work.

I have not added George to my ancestry tree since he is not proven yet to be my William's father, and he is not located on Find-A-Grave.com.

Sources:
Census Records: 1800, 1820 Oglethorpe County, Georgia
Tax Records: 1800, 1805, 1810 Oglethorpe County, Georgia
Marriage Records: George Farrar and Nancy Bolling

A New Generation

Well, I have not felt like typing any new posts lately. I had been typing a few and scheduling them to post on certain days. I found out about 3 weeks ago that I am pregnant with my first child and really haven't felt like sitting up at the computer. I've been very tired and nauseous. Hopefully, when the first trimester is over, I will be able to get more posts up. Supposedly you get more energy during the second trimester, which I hope is true! So, hopefully in the next two or three weeks I'll get some more posts out as I feel better. Thank you to all who have read my blog so far!

Moses Stamps Sr.

Moses Stamps was born in Virginia in 1772 to Thomas Stamps and Ms. Witt. Researcher Will Stamps believes that Moses's mother was Rhoda Witt, daughter of Charles Witt and Lavina Harbour, but offers no convincing evidence of this. There is also some dispute over Moses's name. Many researches have him listed as Moses Witt Stamps Sr., Witt being his mother's maiden name. One research, whose name I cannot remember or locate at this time, says that there is no record or evidence that Witt was his middle name. It is true that no record says his middle name is Witt, but there is some evidence that may suggest it. Moses had a son who he named Moses Witt Jr. Most of the time, a Junior has the same exact name as the father, so it is reasonable to assume that Moses's middle name may have been Witt as well. Since we do not know for sure, I have left out the Witt middle name from this article about Moses.
Moses married Sarah Ann Eason, a daughter of Moses Eason and Sarah Ann Rice some time before 1793, most likely in North Carolina. According to researcher, Muriel T. Cooter, "For her wedding gown, Sarah Ann carded and spun and wove her own material. It is said to have been so sheer that she could draw a width of it through her wedding ring." Sarah Ann Eason was born around 1770. By 1795, Moses and his wife and young child moved from North Carolina to Jackson County, Georgia. In 1803, he purchased 150 acres on Sandy Creek from William Stamps, son of Timothy Stamps and in 1804, he won a land lottery in Oglethorpe County, but he never lived there. Moses purchased a great deal of land in Jackson County, where he lived up until around 1820, when he moved his family to Gwinnett County, Georgia and then by 1825 his moved his family to Coweta County, Georgia.
Moses served in the War of 1812. He was appointed Captain after enlisting the 243rd District of Jackson County, Georgia on April 9, 1812. Besides a soldier, Moses was also a farmer, locksmith and blacksmith. Ann, as his wife was known, also held an occupation, quite unusual for a women in her days. "She was a doctor of note, receiving calls all over the countryside, traveling on horseback to her patients." (From: The Annals of Our Kin, by Mary Pearl Brown Price)
Moses and Sarah had at least ten children together. There oldest, Eason, was also a War of 1812 soldier and also fought in the Indian Wars of 1836. Other children are James Thomas, John Robert, Moses Witt, George Washington (who went to Texas), Mary A. F., Sarah, Louisa, Ann and Elizabeth.

Sarah died in 1847 at the wedding of one of her granddaughters. I do not know at which granddaughter's wedding she passed, but I can narrow down the possibilities. One is Sarah Ann Stamps, daughter of John Robert and Calla Castleberry Stamps. She was married prior to 1850 to Whorton Fletcher Ballard. A second possibility is Nancy Elizabeth Jane Stamps, daughter of Moses Witt and Sarah Freeman Stamps. She married on December 12, 1847 in Coweta County, Georgia to Joseph Baker Moseley. I do not know the husbands or marriage dates for all the granddaughters of Moses and Ann Stamps, so the list above may be incomplete. After his wife's death, Moses sold his land in Coweta County to Jacobus Gibson. Moses died in February 1850 in Carroll County, Georgia of "old age." He was buried at Indian Creek Baptist Church in Bowdon, Carroll County, Georgia.

Ancestry Page
Find A Grave Page

Sources:
1850 Mortality Schedule - Carroll County, Georgia
Census Records - 1820 Gwinnett County, Georgia
Census Records - 1830-1840 Coweta County, Georgia
Grave Photo - Thank you hmoore!
Land Deeds - Coweta and Jackson County, Georgia
The Annals of Our Kin, by Mary Pearl Brown Price
Research of Will Stamps, Muriel T. Cooter

The Stamps Quartet

History of the Quartet
Virgil Oliver Stamps founded the Stamps Music School in 1924 in Dallas, Texas. After his military service, his brother, Frank joined him and formed the Franks Stamps Quartet, which later was known as the Stamps All Stars and finally the Stamps Quartet. According to an article on the history of the Quartet, “The quartet underwent numerous personnel changes from its beginning in 1924 to the present, and, in fact, some other gospel groups would use the Stamps name whether or not they actually had any direct affiliation with the original Stamps brothers.” In 1926, Virgil went into business with J. R. Baxter and formed the Stamps-Baxter Music and Printing Company, which later became the most successful publisher of shape note hymn books in the United States.
The Stamps Quartet was the first southern gospel quartet to sign onto a major record company, and there first great success was “Give the World a Smile.” In 1937, the quartet began singing on a radio show based out of Dallas. They had one show each day, Monday through Friday and two shows on Sunday. When Virgil died in 1940, Frank took over his half of the Stamps-Baxter Music and Printing Company as well as continuing to travel and sing with the quartet. At some point, Frank pulled out from the Stamps-Baxter Music and Publishing Company and formed the Stamps Quartet Music Company. In the 50s, Frank decided to focus his efforts on publishing songbooks. In 1965, after Frank's death, the Stamps Quartet Music Company was sold to the Blackwood Brothers. The quartet continued to live on, and even performed as back up singers for Elvis in 1971, who idolized the singing and songs the group performed. Through the success of the quartet, they were able to open eleven singing schools. There attendance ranged from 500 to more than 1100 students at its height.
Virgil and Frank were inducted into the GMA Hall of Fame in 1973 and South Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1997. Both Virgil and Frank were songwriters, producers and music teachers outside of singing in their quartets.

Virgil Oliver Stamps
Virgil Oliver Stamps was born on September 18, 1892 in Texas to William Oscar Stamps and Florence Corine Rosser. He spend his younger days working in his father's sawmill and used his wages to buy song books. He attended Richard Morgan's music school and after graduating, he taught singing in part of his father's store.
On March 2, 1909, he married Addie Belle Culpepper in Upshur County, Texas. They became the parents of three children, Louise Elizabeth, Oliver Ware, and J. Weldon, who died as a young child. The young family initially lived in Virgil's hometown in Upshur County, Texas, they had moved to Shelby County, Texas by 1920 and later, by the 30s were in Dallas.
In 1914, he went to work with the James D. Vaughan Music Company based out of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. While employed at Vaughan, he also worked for the Tennessee Music Company and sang in a quartet owned by the Vaughan Company. "The Man Behind the Plow" became the first song that Virgil wrote. After Virgil formed the Stamps Music School, he published his first song book titled, “Harbor Bells.”
Virgil died on August 19, 1940 in Dallas, Texas of a heart attack. He was buried at Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas.

Songs Written by Virgil
"Love Is the Key,"
"Singing on My Way,"
"I Am Going."
”My Prayer”
“At Sunset I'm Going Home”
“Don't Forget to Pray”
“He Bore it All”

Music Written by Virgil
“When the Saints Go Marching In”

Ancestry Page
Find a Grave Memorial
Wiki Article

Frank Howard Stamps
Frank Howard Stamps was born on October 7, 1896 in Texas to William Oscar Stamps and Florence Corine Rosser. He was a younger brother to Virgil. Frank married first to Rhoda Mae Sanders on August 19, 1922 in Italy, Ellis County, Texas. A daughter, Dorothy Jane, was born to this union. This marriage did not last long. Frank would met his second wife in Fort Worth, Texas. Her name was Mary Naomi Marks, a daughter of a minister. Mary was only in Texas for a short while before she moved back to Florida. She and Frank corresponded by letter. Frank married Mary on March 8, 1931, at the campgrounds in Wimauna, Florida. To this union, one son, Robert Howard, was born. Frank changed his wife's name is Sally and until her death everyone who knew her, even her parents would call her Sally. Sally, like her husband was an avid music lover, and became known as the “First Lady of Gospel Music.” Frank and Sally worked in the singing schools established by the Stamps Publishing Company. Frank died on April 12, 1964 in Dallas, Texas and was buried in Laurel Land Cemetery.

Ancestry Page
Find a Grave Memorial

Sources:
Death Certificate of Virgil Oliver Stamps and Frank Howard Stamps
1910-1930 Census Records
Newspaper Article: The Gilmer Mirror; Gilmer, Texas Nov. 28, 1971
Marriage Record: Stamps-Sanders
Interview with Sally Stamps Dearman, Frank's second wife – 1987.

I'm My Own Grandpa

So, I never thought I actually find a family where a man became his own grandfather. It is a very interesting set of circumstances and I will endeavor to do the story justice.

John I. Burgess was born in December 24, 1829 in Gwinnett County, Georgia to John P. Burgess, a Methodist Episcopal Minister and his wife Clara. John I. lost his mother at a young age and then with his father moved from Gwinnett County, Georgia to Benton County, Alabama, where his father continued his ministerial work. On July 17, 1851, John married Nancy Ann Kemp, a daughter of James Kemp and Winnie Lott, who were early pioneers to Benton County, Alabama.
John I. Burgess was a very prominent man in the community where he lived. He was a Mason and held extensive amounts of land. He was know to buy and sell land when ever he knew a profit could be made. Though he owned so much land, he and his family resided in a log cabin on a farm near his father's home. John I. donated some of his vast holdings for a school and church and in 1904 the Oak Grove Baptist Church and School was built on that land.
John I. Burgess and Nancy Ann Kemp became the parents of three children: Ophelia Jane, Willis Anthony and Eliza Belzora Margaret. John I. and Nancy's only son died as an infant. John was very grieved at loosing his only son. He desperately wanted a male heir, so when his oldest daughter, Ophelia, was grown and married, he made a deal with the young couple to let him adopt their first born son. Ophelia's first child was a son, who was named John William Lafayette Pounds. John I. went and quickly had the adoption papers drew up so he could legally become the father of his first grandson. Just a few days after his birth, on July 6, 1873, John I. took his new son to his home to raise.

On June 6, 1894, Nancy Burgess passed away, as a result of the typhoid epidemic in the area. On May 8, 1895, John I. married Bettie L. Stamps, a daughter of George William Stamps and Jerusha S. Brown. John I. had made made an arrangement with Bettie to care for him in his old age and in return, she would receive a dowry of 300 acres of land. John I. liked to boast about his possessions and good fortune. He often bragged about his money and his beautiful young bride, who was almost 50 years younger than her husband. Bettie was not fond of these boastings and for a time left John I. She soon returned and fulfilled the arrangements of their marriage. John I. died on June 12, 1909 after suffering from deafness and lameness among other illnesses. John I. was buried next to his first wife and oldest daughter at Harmony Primitive Baptist Church in Cleburne County, Alabama.
John William Lafayette Pounds, the adopted son of his grandfather, John I. continued to live with his step-mother after the death of his father (grandfather). Now, John William was older than his step-mother, so to me, it would seem awkward for them to still be living together. However, less than 1 year after John I's death, his adopted son married his widowed wife. John William and Bettie L. were married on May 1, 1910. So, thus John effectively became his own step-grandfather, but since he was an adopted son of his grandfather, would be only be his own step-father?

John William and Bettie became the parents of one daughter, Lenora Aline, in 1912. Bettie died on October 8, 1935 in Edwardsville, Cleburne, Alabama. Bettie was buried at Oak Grove Church Cemetery in Helfin, Cleburne, Alabama, the same Oak Grove church whose land her first husband donated. John would go on to live until May 11, 1968. He was buried next to Bettie.

Above is a photo of Bettie L. Stamps with her parents, George William Stamps and Jerusha S. Brown and her little sister, Marion.

Ancestry Page of John I. Burgess
Ancestry Page of Bettie L. Stamps
Find A Grave Page of John I. Burgess
Find A Grave Page of Bettie L. Stamps Burgess Pounds

Sources
Census Records - 1880 Carroll County, Georgia
Census Records - 1880-1910,1930 Cleburne County, Alabama
Death Records - Bettie Pounds
Grave Stone Photos - Thanks to A Benefield and Stacey Bland!
Marriage Records - John I. Burgess and Bettie Stamps; John Pounds to Bettie Burgess May 3, 2012 - Update on this post Today I found the obituary of Bettie L. Pounds and learned that her middle name was Lenora. It was published in The Cleburne News on October 31, 1935. I also corrected her date of death from October 9, 1945 to October 8, 1935.

The Twilight Zone

Who ever thought my family history would lead me to The Twilight Zone!

O. C. Ritch was born in 1922 in California to Horace S. Ritch and Onan Alwilda Stamps. Not much is know about his early life. Before he turned 8 years old, his family had moved back to his mothers home state of Oklahoma.
O. C. Ritch was a writer, actor and screenwriter. He was very knowledgeable about motorcycle and mustang repairs and how the various systems in them worked. He wrote many books on the topic between 1960 and 1974. A list of his books will be listed at the end of this post. In 1961, he wrote an episode of The Twilight Zone titled 'Static' and in 1962, he was a ghost writer of The Twilight Zone episode 'Dead Man's Shoes.' Also in 1962, O. C. started as Jack Allardyce in the movie 'The Intruder.'
O. C. died in 1988 from lung disease. It is unknown whether or not he married and had children. It is also unknown where he is buried.

List of Books (This may not be all of them)
1960 - Care and Repair of Your Sports Car
June 1963 - Technical Editor of Clymer's Automobile Topics
1967 - Chilton's Yamaha repair and tune-up guide
1969 - Chilton's Honda repair and tune-up guide
1969 - Chilton's motorcycle electrical systems.
1970 - Motorcycle Electrical Systems
1970 - Triumph Motor Cycle Repair and Tune-up Guide
1970 - Suzuki Repair and Tune-up Guide
1971 - Harley-Davidson Repair and Tune-up Guide
1972 - Chilton's Harley-Davidson repair and tune-up guide
1972 - Yamaha Repair and Tune-up Guide
1973 - Mustang Repair and Tune-up Guide
1974 - The Lincoln Continental
Chilton's BSA motorcycle repair and tune-up guide.
Chilton's Japanese motorcycle repair & tune-up guide.
Chilton's motorcycle carburetion systems.
Chilton's motorcycle troubleshooting guide.
Chilton's Mustang repair and tune-up guide
Chilton's Suzuki repair and tune-up guide.
Honda Repair and Tune-up Guide
Motorcycle Troubleshooting Guide

Sources
Census Records - 1930 McCurtain County, Oklahoma
Amazon.com - book list
Various movie/TV sites show his Twilight Zone work and Movie appearance.
The Intruder Information