Waits cousin found ... would you believe in Tyrone?

It never ceases to amaze me when my genealogy research takes some strange twists and turns and information sometimes comes from unlikely sources.

Take the note that was waiting for me when I arrived at the office Monday.

Mr. J. Albert Williams of Fayetteville dropped me a note about the Waits family I had been frustratingly searching for these past few weeks. Mr. Williams also is a member of Owl Rock United Methodist Church and invited me to the church's homecoming May 18. (More about Owl Rock in a minute.)

I called him Tuesday night and thanked him both for the note and the invitation. A delightful conversation ensued and I found out a lot of things I didn't know. The most amazing was the fact that I had a cousin living in Tyrone. Later information revealed that she and I were once neighbors.

Another thing I didn't know was that the children living in the Sandtown Community of Campbell County attended Russell High School in East Point back in the 1930s and 1940s. Mr. Williams, himself, was a Russell High graduate ... and so was my newly-found cousin, Clara Waits Peppers, who lives in Tyrone. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's back up.

Mr. Williams had picked up on my statement in a previous column that one of the Waits boys was the warden of the "Industrial Home for Colored Males," back in the 1930s. It actually was what used to be called a "reform school" and it was for young boys only. The warden was Ephriam Jackson Waits, son of William Waits and Sarah Elizabeth McCullough. Mr. Williams added that Ephriam's brothers, Homer and Frank, also worked at the farm, and so did their cousin, Albert Waits (son of Ephriam Washington Waits and Joanna Fowler). In fact, Mr. Williams told me, Albert's daughter, Clara, currently lived in Tyrone.

Well, I was so excited at this information that I could hardly wait to call this lady and see if she really was my cousin. Also, I wanted to know if my sleuthing endeavors had brought me to the correct conclusion that Albert, Lucy and William Oliver Waits were, indeed, orphans of Joanna and Ephriam Waits who both died before 1900.

Clara was most gracious when I called. (Sometimes people who are not into genealogy are not exactly thrilled to discuss their family histories.) She was very surprised to find out that we were cousins and shared a lot of information I probably would never have found elsewhere.

My assumptions had been right about the three orphaned children. Clara confirmed that her father was raised by his aunt, Rosa Waits Woodall, and the two other children, Lucy and William Oliver, were raised by their uncle, William Waits. William Oliver, for reasons unknown, was called "Arch."

But one of my most important questions will go unanswered a while longer. Clara couldn't shed any light on the reason for the death of the young couple, Ephriam and Joanna Fowler Waits. Since her dad was orphaned at such a young age, she said, he didn't even remember his parents. That is always so sad.

Clara also said that her husband's Peppers family, although they lived in the Sandtown area, were originally from Buford in Gwinnett County. That is where my Peppers were from too and I'm eager to see if they are related.

I am most grateful to both Mrs. Peppers and Mr. Williams for helping me out so much with my research. I am definitely going to attend Owl Rock's homecoming in hopes of meeting more cousins from that branch of the family.

Now ... a little history of Owl Rock Church. There is a historical marker in front of the church which details its founding and history. I quote:

"Owl Rock Church was founded in 1828 by Richmond Barge and other members of the Mutual Rights faction that withdrew from the Mount Gilead Methodist Episcopal Church. The church is named for an eight-foot natural rock closely resembling an owl which is to the rear of the building.

"This church has taken part in four distinct phases of Methodism in Georgia: as an Associated Methodist Church, 1828-1830; as a Methodist Protestant Church, 1830-1916; as a Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1916-1939; and, since 1939, as a Methodist Church. The Annual Conference session of the Methodist Protestant Church was held here in the year 1900.

"During the Battle of Atlanta many skirmishes were fought in the area and the church is mentioned frequently in the Official Records. Following the War Between the States the church sponsored an elementary public school. In 1921 the Sandtown School was created as a consolidation of the Owl Rock, Boat Rock, and Sandtown schools."

The marker was erected by the Georgia Historical Commission in 1960. Since then, Owl Rock has become one of the many United Methodist Churches in Georgia.

The homecoming is Sunday, May 18, with services beginning at 11 a.m. and dinner on the grounds to follow.

Mr. Williams said someone once asked him where the best food in Atlanta could be found. He said he answered, "At the Owl Rock Homecoming."

Do you think I could turn that down? No way!

I know many of you have tales and memories about Fayette, South Fulton, Coweta and other counties on the south side of Atlanta in the earlier days. Let's hear them. I'm also looking for stories about your ancestors, their families, your research and genealogy tips.

Send them to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; E-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!

(Judy regrets that time does not permit her to do personal research for others, but she will willingly share research information on her own family lines.)