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Genealogy: Finding Your Folks

John Harper and Leah Maddox

By Judy Fowler Kilgore

There is little doubt that Bethany United Methodist Church in north Fayette County has a rich history. The people who founded it back in the 1850s were not only those who had been in Fayette for decades, but also those who moved to Fayette from neighboring counties.

One of the late-coming families, but one which played an important part, was the Harper family of Pike County. Last week, we ran the genealogy of Benjamin Franklin Harper, son of John Harper and Leah Maddox, whose descendants are buried in Bethany’s historic cemetery. But that Harper family was not the only one which moved to Fayette. He had many brothers and sisters who came to Fayette from Pike.

This week, I would like to do a genealogy on Benjamin Franklin Harper’s parents and siblings, showing just how many members of this family played a part in Bethany’s heritage.

Once again, Mary Harper of Florida has contributed the story on this family and I am greatly indebted to her for her help. Here is John Harper’s story:

John Harper was born in 1783 in Sussex County, Va., to William and Jane (Bonner) Harper. He was called grandson in the will of John Bonner dated May 1802 and probated Dec. 1804, and was given one Negro named Abram.

John Harper migrated with his father, William, to Georgia. He was married 30 Nov. 1809 in Putnam County to Leah Maddox, daughter of Joseph and Comfort (Wingate) Maddox. They were in Putnam County until after the 1820 census and moved to Pike County before 1828, stopping in Hancock County for a few years.

In Pike County he bought land and began to farm and raise a large family. Leah, who was born 20 Sept. 1790, died 20 July 1853. On 15 Feb. 1855 John married Elizabeth Jordan. She was born 15 Dec. 1821.

John made application in Spalding County for bounty land on 2 April 1855. He said he was a resident of Pike County and that he was a Private in the company commanded by Capt. Samuel Lane in a regiment of volunteers commanded by Col. Jones in the War of 1812. He said he served six months and was honorably discharged at Fort Hawkins about May 1 in 1813 or 1814. He made application for the purpose of obtaining 80 acres of bounty land under an Act passed in 1850.

John Harper made his will on 2 June 1866 and died 20 June 1868. Elizabeth Jordan Harper married Robert Harper on 18 Aug. 1870. She died 5 July 1906. Both Elizabeth and Robert Harper were buried in marked graves on the original Harper land. It is believed that John and Leah Harper were buried in unmarked graves in the same family cemetery.

After 1850, John Harper’s children began a migration themselves. Already Eliza and her husband, John Rivers, had moved to Mississippi. Others moved into the Fayette County area. Benjamin F. and Mary A. E. M. (Patton) Harper, Robert A. and Jane Caroline (Harper) Rivers, Wyatt A. and Louisa (Gilmore) Harper, Hullum H. and Emeline D. (Harper) Carroll, and W. M. and Amanda Frances (Harper) Thompson settled in the Fayette area.

In addition Edward C. Bustin and his wife, Caroline Turner Rivers, chose to live in the same area. Edward was a nephew of John Harper, being his sister Martha’s son by her husband, William Bustin.

The children of John and Leah (Maddox) Harper were:

1. Eliza C. Harper b. c. 1810 in Ga.; m. John Rivers on 19 Feb. 1829 in Pike Co. This family left Pike County and moved to Mississippi after 1831. John Rivers was a school teacher and son of Dr. John and Sarah (Hunt) Rivers.

2. Sarah K. Harper b. 6 April 1812 in Ga.; d. 6 Mar 1892, Pike Co.; m. Henry S. Yarborough on 11 Aug. 1831, Pike Co.

3. Jane Caroline Harper b. 16 July 1814 in Ga.; d. 22 July 1896; m. Robert Augustus Rivers on 28 Nov 1833, Pike Co. Buried at Bethany.

4. Benjamin Franklin Harper b. 1 Aug. 1817 in Ga.; d. 20 Jan. 1897 in Fayette Co.; m. Mary Ann Elizabeth M. Patton, 10 Sept. 1841, Pike Co. Buried at Bethany.

5. Rebecca Bonner Harper b. 1820 in Ga.; d. 1850-60 in Ga.; m. Joel Rivers 1 Oct. 1839, Pike Co.

6. Wyatt Appleton Harper b. 1822 in Ga., d. 28 April 1864 Rock Island Barracks, Ill.; m. Louisa M. Gilmore 18 Nov. 1845, Pike Co. Louisa is buried at Bethany.

7. Martha Ann E. Harper b. 27 Aug. 1823, d. 7 Sep 1899; m. Absalom Ogletree on 2 Dec. 1851, Fayette Co. He was b. 25 Oct 1817, d. 2 Aug. 1910, buried County Line Cemetery.

8. Emeline D. Harper b. 27 Sept. 1825, d. 17 May 1871, Fayette Co., m. Hullum Hodge Carroll 6 Jan. 1842, Pike Co. They are buried at Bethany.

9. Amanda Frances Harper b. 24 March 1827, d. 3 Sept. 1900, Fayette Co., m. William Thompson 2 Sept. 1847, Pike Co. She is buried at Bethany.

10. Tabitha M. Harper b. 29 Dec 1830 in Ga., d. 17 Nov. 1893; m. Matthew M. Scott and (2) Alfred Wiggins on 6 Oct. 1863, Pike Co.

11. Harriet A. Harper b. 1831 in Ga.; m. Joseph Deason 20 June 1850, Pike Co.

12. John M. Harper b. 1834; m. Sarah J. Harris 22 Oct 1854, Pike Co.

13. James J. Harper b. 1835 in Ga.; d. Feb. 1880; m. (1) Mrs. Emma A. Grimes 18 Nov 1866, Pike Co., (2) Nancy E. Sullivan on 13 Aug. 1878, Pike Co. He was the Pike County Ordinary for a number of years.

Mary gives as her references: James E. Harper, Pike County Georgia Marriage Records 1822 - 1872; Pike Co., Ga. Will Book C, p. 430-431; Putnam County Georgia Marriages; Southern Christian Advocate, July 17, 1868, p. 116; Sussex Co., Va. Will Book F, p. 445; tombstones, Bethany UMC Cemetery; tombstone, Harper Family Cemetery, Pike Co., Ga.; and Williamson Methodist Church Records.

I encourage all of you to send your genealogies on those buried at Bethany so that we can honor these families on the church’s upcoming 150th anniversary.

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!