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Genealogy: Finding Your Folks

Antiques appraisal event planned in Sharpsburg

By Judy Fowler Kilgore

Before you all start yelling at me for the obvious boo-boo I made in last week’s column, please be assured I caught it well before you did but it was too late to change it.

The erroneous statement I made was that the town of Lone Oak was in Troup County. Of course, it is not. It is in Meriwether County. It is, however, on Ga. Hwy. 54 between Luthersville and Hogansville, “just across the Troup County line in Meriwether ...” not vice versa. I apologize to all the residents of that beautiful little town for the error.

Lone Oak’s history goes back to the founding of Meriwether County after the 1827 land lottery when, in 1830, Daniel Fling settled on 400 acres, according to Regina Pinkston’s “Historical Account of Meriwether County, 1827-1974.” The town even experienced a gold mining boom in the 1830s and 1840s, and several years later, mine workers were brought in from Birmingham. I am assuming this was Birmingham, Alabama, since that town is a famous mining town. Apparently, mining was quite dangerous as a comment is made in the book that several mine workers are buried in Lone Oak.

Probably the most prominent and the most impressive thing in Lone Oak is the historic Allen-Lee Memorial Methodist Church (formerly Prospect) with its picturesque graveyard framed with towering pine trees.

I first became acquainted with Lone Oak about 20 years ago when I was driving my daughter to a horse show in Hogansville. I took the back road from Tyrone through Peachtree City (as opposed to traveling on the Interstate) and was pleasantly surprised to come across the sleepy little town. It would be a nice place to live, far from the hustle and bustle of traffic and city lights.

I also found out a little more about Mrs. Elizabeth Parham of Lone Oak whose estate sale I attended recently. She was married to Ralph Parham who died a year or so ago and they had no children. So, if anyone comes forth to obtain her West Georgia College yearbook, it will not be a direct descendant. I am still offering this book at no charge to a family member.

Mrs. Parham had a lot of pretty things sold at the auction and you will probably see them in local antique shops in the south metro area.

And, speaking of antiques (forgive me for getting off the subject of genealogy for another week), I recently found out about an upcoming event which should interest many of you genealogists who also collect antiques and vintage items.

Most of us are familiar with the TV show, “Antiques Road Show,” which airs on PBS. Well, there is a similar event being organized for our area by well-known Sharpsburg resident, Herb Bridges.

The “Sharpsburg Appraisal Day,” scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 19, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Sharpsburg Recreation Center, will feature experts in several fields who will evaluate your antiques and family treasures at no charge. Only one item per person will be evaluated. The categories include home furnishings, jewelry, books, dolls, Civil War items, silver and crystal, coins and stamps, and clocks.

While you’re there, you will definitely want to visit the many antique shops in Sharpsburg, tucked away in historic buildings mostly owned by Herb, who has been instrumental in keeping the little town alive and thriving. One of the most recent shops to open is that of Phil and Peggy Anderson whose tastes and choices are similar to mine when it comes to “vintage” furniture from the early 1900s.

Phil, Peggy and I shared a lunch table at the most recent auction in Hogansville and I was surprised to learn that Phil and I were both natives of East Point. Small world, huh?

Why is it that we genealogists can’t even sit down with someone without inquiring about their family background? We look for cousins everywhere, I suppose. It’s just habit.

Anyway, Sharpsburg is literally alive with antique shops and it would behoove any of you who are interested in that sort of thing to visit the town and attend the antiques event. I’m still looking around my house trying to decide which item I’d like to have evaluated.

Sharpsburg also features a festival day twice a year (spring and fall) which is attended by both vendors and shoppers from all over. It is really an “antiques and collectibles” town.

Next week I promise to get back to the topic of pure genealogy with an e-mail I received from Patricia Holloway Vermeer who works in Fayetteville and who is looking for her Parrott and Griggs ancestors in Fayette County. Patricia has some questions some of you may be able to answer and is seeking information on John Parrott and Wiley Jane Griggs, her 3rd great-grandparents. I know both of those surnames are very prominent among Fayette residents and her search should be both interesting and fruitful. There are many references to those surnames in the “History of Fayette County, 1821-1971” and there are two stories on the Parrott family in “The Fayette County, Georgia Heritage Book.”

Patricia also sent me a photo of one of her Parrotts but I can’t use it in the column. Those of you who are Parrott relatives might be interested in seeing it, however. More details of Patricia’s letter will be included next week, but, in the meantime, you may reach her at tootles525@worldnet.att.net.

I welcome all letters and e-mails about genealogy and info on south metro Atlanta families. Send them to The Citizen, P.O. Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com. Any letters and/or e-mails I receive are subject to being used in the column.

Until next week, happy hunting!