Some Carroll County and East Point McWhorters

I want to thank all of you who have sent me your family information, genealogy tips, and compliments on the column.

I sincerely appreciate each person who has taken the time to do that.

But I have asked you to send me your family "stories." Not too many have done that, which leads me to believe that maybe you didn't understand my request.

I feel that stories about an entire family are utterly fascinating ... even those which are not even remotely connected to my own. I have pored over the stories in my Cleburne County Heritage Book and the History of Fayette County, enjoying not only finding ties to my own family, but also learning about others. When you have family histories and stories from one area, it gives you a kind of glimpse into the past, if you will, and tells the story of a whole community of people.

Having just written three short stories for the Carroll County Heritage Book, I thought maybe if I shared one of those with you, it would give you an idea of what I would like to have from you. Before I started doing genealogy, I knew little of my grandparents. I knew my grandfather McWhorter died the year before I was born, that he was a school teacher and a railway mail clerk, and that he was a very sweet man.

All this, of course, was conveyed to me by my mother, who loved her father very much. I have learned so much more about him now, especially his background, and I'd like to tell you about him. His name was John Allen McWhorter and this is his family story.

John Allen McWhorter was born Dec. 23, 1882 in Carroll County, Ga., a fourth generation Carroll County McWhorter. His great-grandfather, the Rev. Leroy McWhorter, came from Greenville, S.C. to Carroll County and settled near Villa Rica with his wife, Mary Elizabeth Thomasson (also seen as Thompson) and nine children: Moses Allen; Sarah M.; Mary Ann; Johnson; Laura; Thomas Benson; Elizabeth; Newton Alexander; and D. Franklin.

The Rev. Leroy, a Baptist minister, set about doing the Lord's work right away, and was one of the founders and first pastor of Carroll County's Macedonia Baptist Church in 1847, a church which is still thriving today. He also was among three ministers who started Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in 1849, and in 1858 was pastor at Centralhatcheee Baptist Church, now in Heard County.

John Allen was the grandson of Moses Allen McWhorter (1820-1902) and Sarah Kinney (1830-1915) and the son of William Leroy McWhorter (1857-1900) and Eliza J. Wren (1859-1894?)

William and Eliza had eight children: Eliza Della, b. 1880; John Allen, b. 1882; William Oliver, b. 1883; Ida Jane, b. 1885; Emma Angeline, b. 1886; Alice Pearl, b. 1888; Grover Emerson, b. 1889; and Benjamin Franklin, b. 1891. Eliza died about 1894 and William moved with the younger children to Cullman, Ala. where he married Mrs. Selie Bentley in 1897. William died Oct. 12, 1900 and is buried in Emeus Baptist Church cemetery in Cullman.

John Allen was only 12 when his mother died and only 18 when his father passed away. What he did between 1894 and 1900 is uncertain, but family stories say that he and his Uncle Tom sold the family horse to obtain money to attend college. Tom apparently enrolled first, as he was seven years older than John Allen, but the two were close and remained so during their lifetimes.

Dedicated to education and following in the footsteps of his uncle, John headed for Athens, Ga., sometime after 1900, where he attended teacher's college and became a school teacher. Both John and his Uncle Tom returned to Carroll County to teach. John fell in love with one of his students, Sarah Jane Payne, daughter of Joseph Joshua Payne and Louisa Elizabeth Boyd, and married her Aug. 19, 1906, in Carroll County. They moved to Shellman, Ga., where John had a teaching position. In 1908, their first child, Ruby Faye (1908-1996), was born.

John and Sarah next moved to Turin, Coweta County, Ga., where, again, John taught school and Sarah gave birth to another daughter, Gladys Mae (1910-1995). Excerpts from the Newnan Herald and Advertiser dated Dec. 10, 1910, note: "Born to Mr. and Mrs. J.A. McWhorter, a daughter ..."

With a growing family to support, John took a mail clerk's job with the railroad and moved to Atlanta, where, in 1917, the couple's third daughter, Marian Payne, was born. John and Sarah eventually settled permanently in East Point. Sarah's mother, Louisa, whom John called "Miss Lou," lived with them and helped with the child rearing. All the girls graduated from Russell High and two attended business college.

Faye married George Leonard Barron, son of Raymond Barron and Carrie Myrtice Gill of LaGrange. They had two children: George Leonard Jr., and Beryl Leah. Gladys became a musical child prodigy and, by the age of 5, was amazing the neighbors with her classical piano skills. She later played for the USO during WWII, played for the silent movies in East Point, and played for auditions on "Stars of Tomorrow," an early TV talent show broadcast in Atlanta back in the 1950s and 1960s.

Gladys married Francis Dennard (Frank) McDuffie, son of Rodie McDuffie and Lillie Maude Coppedge of East Point, and had four children: Marjorie Faye, Francis Dennard, Jr., John Rodie, and Laura Lizbeth.

Marian married William J. (Dub) Fowler, son of Luther Clarence Fowler and Lula Gadsey Blake, and they had three children: Judith Jane (yours truly), Lula Kay, and William Jethroe Jr.

In 1938, John suffered a heart attack, and, after several days in the hospital, died July 26. Sarah lived on Hamilton Avenue in East Point until her death from a stroke in 1952. Both she and John are buried in College Park Cemetery.

Now, that's what I want you to send me ... a real, honest-to-gosh story. It really gives you a different perspective on your ancestors when you put their life events into chronological order. Send your stories to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!