Finding Your Folks: Hyde info needed for book

About a month ago I received a letter from Evelyn Fitzgerald Hyde of Buford who is writing a book about the Hyde family of Coweta County. Evelyn was seeking an obituary on a Maurice Herman Hyde, born 23 April 1931, who had died recently and was from Coweta County.

Evelyn said that Liberty Christian Church Cemetery in Coweta was full of Hyde family members and that Henry L. Hyde and his wife, Marthalyn Benton Hyde, donated two acres of land for the church in the 1800s.

Evelyn sent me a family group sheet on this particular Hyde family which I will pass on and hope than others out there can add more information. Some of this is from Evelyn's research and some from my own, as noted below.

The earliest Hyde shown is Henry Lumsden Hyde, born 23 April 1824 in Greenville, S.C., the son of Hiram Hyde Sr. and Nancy Lenderman Hyde. Henry married Marthalyn Benton on 26 Nov. 1846 in Coweta County and they had nine children. Marthalyn was born 1 Feb. 1826 in Newnan, Coweta County, Ga., and died 1 March 1909. Henry died 6 May 1865 at Camp Douglas, Ill. and is buried near Chicago. Marthalyn is buried at Liberty Christian Church Cemetery in Newnan.

This family also is included in "The History of Coweta County, Georgia," page 283, published by the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society in 1988. The author of the story is not given but various family members generally contributed these stories. The story in the history book states that the father, Henry Hyde, purchased land in the 5th District of Coweta in 1846. This area is roughly in the middle of the county around Newnan. Henry was a farmer and also made wagons. His wife, Marthalyn Benton, was the daughter of William Benton and Matilda Lipham.

In the following paragraphs, unbracketed information is from Evelyn's family group sheet. Bracketed information is from the history book. Henry and Marthalyn Benton Hyde's children were:

(1) William Hiram Hyde was born 29 Oct 1847 in Newnan, Coweta County, and died 26 July 188 in Brown County, Texas. He married Dicy Syrene Lane 21 Dec. 1871 in Fayette County, Ala.

(2) James Henry Hyde was born 25 Dec. 1849 in Newnan and died 8 June 1912 in Newnan. He is buried at Liberty Christian. He married Drucilla Jane Beshears 9 Feb. 1882 in Newnan. [Their children were Alice Dorsey (Dial), Molly (Gable), Thomas Marcus Harris Hyde (m. a Hayes), James Robert Hyde (died as an infant), Maggie Lou (died as an infant) and Elsie Evelena (Holman).]

(3) Nancy Matilda Hyde was born 18 Jan. 1851 in Newnan and died 13 Oct. 1916 in Greenville, S.C. She married James Henry Cox abt 1872, probably in Coweta County. [They lived in Greenville, S.C.]

(4) Nathan Smith Hyde was born 5 Dec. 1852 in Newnan, and died in 1896 in Newnan. He married Laura Elizabeth [Betty] Brook on 2 Oct. 1877, also in Newnan. [Their children were James Albert Hyde (m. a Carmichael), Jennie Bell (Copeland), Annie Mae (Dyer), Eddie Roy Hyde (m. a Ward), and Essie Pearl (Brook). Arthur A. and three others died as infants.]

(5) John Sanford Hyde was born 8 Aug 1854 in Newnan and died 18 Nov 1898 in Newnan. He is buried at Liberty Christian. He married Debra Frances [Fanny] Brooks 11 Jan 1876 in Coweta County. [Children were William Harrison Hyde (m. Moore and Thomas), Martha Lou (Crawford), Thomas Brooks Hyde (m. Wortham), John Errett Hyde (m. Jones), and Huelett Hyde (died young).]

(6) Thomas M. Hyde was born 30 March 1856 in Newnan and died 26 Nov. 1856, at the age of seven months.

(7) Joseph Asberry Hyde was born 11 Jan. 1858 in Newnan and died 24 June 1935 in Newnan. He married (1) Emma House on 18 Jan 1883 in Carrollton, Carroll County; he married (2) Lily Estoria Elmore on 26 Dec. 1895 in Coweta County. [Children were Archie Grady Hyde (m. Bell), Roy Elmore Hyde never married, and Martha Lynn (Powell) had no children.] Information from the Coweta cemeteries book says that Archie Grady Hyde, Virginia Lou Bell Hyde, and their daughter, Artie Elaine Hyde, all died in a car wreck on 1 July 1956.

(8) Columbus R. [Lum] Hyde was born 10 Jan. 1860 in Newnan and died 24 Dec. 1885 in Newnan. He is buried at Liberty Christian. He married Nancy Texanna Alsobrook on 31 Jan 1884 in Coweta County. [One child, James Alvin Hyde m. a Hardy.]

(9) Archie Benton Hyde was born 20 Dec 1862 in Newnan and died 30 June 1940 in Newnan. He married Susan Viola Crawford about 1896 in Coweta County. [Archie married first Annie L. Jones and second Susan Viola Crawford. Their children were Emmie Lou (Hardigree), Ernest Hyde (m. a Daniel), Sallie Mae (m. Sewell and Howell), Bessie (m. Gardner and Ritter), Abbie Pearl (Smith), Allie Louise (Horne), Joe Glynn (m. a Gordy), and Erastus Hyde died young.]

Liberty Christian Cemetery is northwest of Newnan going toward Roscoe. Although Henry Hyde is buried near Chicago, he has a memorial marker in this cemetery which says, "In memory of Henry Hyde, 23 April 1821. Died in prison at Camp Douglas, Ill., 6 May 1865."

Other familiar people I found among those buried at Liberty Christian were William Henry Harrison Hayes and his second wife, Amma Moody Hayes. William's first wife was Mary Eunice Tidwell, daughter of Benjamin Tidwell and Nancy Boyd, featured in an article earlier this year. Many members of the Sewell, Dyer, Smith, Jones, Nix, Weir, Estes, and other familiar southside families are buried here.

If you have contributing information on this Hyde family, please contact Evelyn at fitz411@bellsouth.net.

Family histories about your ancestors who lived on Atlanta's south side are always welcome. Send them to jkilgore@thecitizen.com or JodieK444@aol.com. Mail to The Citizen, P.O. Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214. All letters and e-mails I receive are subject to being used in the column.