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Happy 100th, Cousin Louise By JUDY FOWLER KILGORE A week or so ago, I experienced a first. My mother and I attended the 100th birthday party of my first cousin, twice removed, Louise Marian McWhorter Jones Nash, held at her church, Mercer Avenue Baptist, in College Park. What an honor it was to be among the relatives of this wonderful lady celebrating a century of life. And, judging by her general health and alertness, Louise probably will be here for her 101st. I normally don’t write about people who are still living, but a 100th birthday is such a special occasion, I know Louise won’t mind. I didn’t even know Louise existed until several years ago, when she popped in to Carmichael’s funeral home in East Point, during the visitation for my aunt who had died recently. She introduced herself to my mother who was shocked to know Louise was still alive. Not only was she alive, but, then in her early 90s, Louise was still serving as organist for her church. And it was even more of a surprise, when I began to research Louise’s family, to find out that she had spent many of her early years in Turin, Coweta County, where her father was a high school math teacher. Turin, adjacent to Sharpsburg, is just about three miles from my front door. This ol’ world just keeps getting smaller and smaller. Mother and I visited Louise in her home about two years ago. She was still living by herself in a little house just off Virginia Avenue near the airport. We had a delightful visit, with Louise showing us some of her old photos, and we talked of the McWhorters of Carroll County and East Point, my mom’s family. Louise and my grandfather were first cousins. Louise was born Dec. 14, 1903, in Carroll County, the first child of Thomas Newton and Idella McWhorter. Yes, McWhorter was Idella’s maiden name. She and Tom, whether known to them or not, were half third cousins. Their ancestry went back to half brothers Moses and Allen Marlin McWhorter, both sons of a Moses McWhorter who died in Edgefield District, S.C., in 1797. Thomas Newton McWhorter (1875-1965) was the son of Moses McWhorter (1820-1902) and Sarah Kinney (1830-1915) who moved to Carroll County in the 1840s with their parents. Tom was the baby in a family of 13 children. His sisters, Mollie Ann, Pollie Ann and Dollie Ann, were the famous McWhorter triplets of Carroll County. Moses McWhorter, Tom’s father, was the son of the Rev. Leroy McWhorter and Mary Elizabeth Thomasson who moved with their family from Greenville, S.C. to Georgia about 1839. Leroy was one of the founders and the first pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church near Villa Rica, a church which has been going strong since 1847. Idella McWhorter (1880-1959) was the daughter of Egbert B. (Colonel) McWhorter (abt 1851-1917) and Martha Goolsby (abt 1855-1923) of Douglas County, and the granddaughter of Egbert Beall McWhorter and Lydia Tanner. Idella came from a much smaller family of only seven children — at least “small” as families went in those days. Sometime before 1900, Tom left Carroll County and went off to school in Athens (called the “normal” school in those days) and became a school teacher. When he returned home, he began to teach school and was teaching there in 1900, still living at home with his parents. But by 1902, the striking, dark complexioned lady known as Idella McWhorter, had caught his eye and captured his heart. They were married in Carroll County on Nov. 2, 1902. The babies came not long after ... Louise came along first, in 1903, followed by her brother Floyd in 1907, and her baby sister Inez in 1908. Sometime before 1910, Tom and Idella moved to Coweta County where Tom continued to teach. Tom and his family remained in Coweta for at least 10 more years, or until after the 1920 census. Louise says her family was very musical from the very beginning. Her father played the violin and sang in the church choir and her mother played the piano. The McWhorter family — all of them — sang as a group. Louise and her brother both played piano and Louise learned to play the organ. Louise grew to womanhood there in Turin, and later married Yates Atkinson Jones with whom she had two children, Marian and Harvey. Marian married a Rev. Peacock, a Baptist minister, but died at a young age with cancer. Harvey is still living. “Mr. Jones,” as Louise still refers to him, went off to war and returned, but suffered serious mental wounds from which he never recovered. Following his death, Louise married Herman Nash, whose name she carries to this day. Tom and Idella, Louise’s parents, moved from Coweta County to the West End section of Atlanta and lived on Oak Street. About 1958, Idella was hit by a car in front of her home and lingered for about a year before she died in 1959. Tom died a few years later, in 1965, and they are both buried at West View. At Louise’s birthday party, I was pleased to meet more cousins, Virginia McWhorter Haynie and Floyd (Buddy) McWhorter, children of Louise’s brother Floyd. Virginia lives in Buford and Buddy lives in Decatur. I am looking forward to getting to know them better. The attendance of many church members, friends and family at Louise’s party, attests to the wonderful character of this fine lady. Louise presently is a resident of the College Park Health Care Center where she still entertains other residents with her piano skills. Mother and I plan on many more visits with Cousin Louise. I welcome your letters about genealogy and info on your Atlanta metro families. 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.)
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