David Harry .... wagon maker

 

David Harry lived during the time period when Pennsylvania Germans near the Conestoga River first made Conestoga wagons around 1750 to haul freight. By the 1810s, improved roads to Pittsburgh and Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) stimulated trade between Philadelphia, Baltimore, and settlers near the Ohio River. Wagoners with horse-drawn Conestoga wagons carried supplies and finished goods westward on three- to four-week journeys and returned with flour, whiskey, tobacco, and other products. The Conestoga wagon’s curved shape shifted cargo toward the center and prevented items from sliding on mountain slopes. Railroads replaced Conestoga wagons by the 1850s, but the prairie schooner, a lightweight, flat variant, carried pioneer settlers from Missouri to the West Coast.

 

The variety of wagons in use during this time period was considerable.  Small carts, buggies, and large wagons for families traveling great distances required great attention to detail.  The following document shows that David was a wagon maker.

On the Request of David Harry was the following deed recorded April 6th, 1785 towit.. 

                  This Indenture was made this 24th day of March in this year of our Lord one Thousand seven hundred and eighty five. Between Jonathan Hagar Junior of Washington County in the State of Maryland heir at Law of Jonathan Hagar late of the aforesaid county deceased of the ........part and David Harry of the county and state aforesaid Wagonmaker of this other part{ ....whereas the aforesaid Jonathan Hagar

 

 

Another find in my mother's papers.  The notes are all hers. 

 

Is this home tied to our family?

Several pieces of information in my mother's papers may help me know more about Cyprian Bulloch.

Tradition says after Stephen Bulloch's wife Winnie Robinson died, he brought his two sons, Cyprian and Henry, to live with their grandmother Robinson in Greenville, GA.  Now Meriwether County was founded in 1827; so this would have been Troup County.

These items may point my efforts to dig a little deeper
1) a newpaper article my mother saved
2) a note she added to the side of the article
3) marriage records

These items may indicate that the Robinson family Cyprian & Henry Bulloch came to live with may be the Robertson's family.  The spelling of names was very fluid during this time period. 

So I am sharing the information without final conclusions.

1) The article

"Built by Slave before 1860…

Greenville’s Winsor Hall is feature of Historical Tour

 

One of the highlights of the Meriwether Historical Tour will be Winsor Hall. It will be opened to the public on Dec 12 from 10:00 until 5:00 and Dec 13 from 1:00 until 5:00. This house, one of the first completed private houses in Greenville, faces the old Greenville-Newton highway. Through the years all visitors to Greenville, have no doubt wanted to tour the house. Winsor Hall will be recognized as the tour trademark on tickets, posters and brochures.

This house was purchased in May of this year by Mr and Mrs Paul Rogers of La Grange. Mrs Rogers is an antique dealer and has furnished the house with many exquisite pieces. The Tour Committee is very grateful to her, as well as to the owners of the other six houses, for allowing the house to be opened.

Winsor Hall was built by a slave named Lovejoy before 1850 for J.M.C.Robertson, great-grandfather of Mrs. Idas Robertson, Sr of Manchester. One of Greenville’s most famous tales is how this slave worked out the specifications so exactly that there was scarcely enough lumber left to build a chicken house."

(The newspaper article was clipped without a reference to the date printed or the newspaper that printed it. ) 

Twin Oaks, also known as Winsor Hall, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 1980.

 

Mother added the note below. My guess is she either knew or believed this was the Robinson family that Stephen brought Cyprian and his brother to after their mother died.  However, that is uncertain.  This house would have been built by a cousin if they are related. It would not have been a home he grew up in.

2. Her note

" Stephen Bulloch  brought Henry and Cyprian, his two sons, to Greenville from Edgecombe Co, NC after his wife Winnie Robinson died. Cyprian was overseer for Render’s plantation near Greenville before moving to Warm Springs and Manchester."

 I found this photo of The "Render homeplace" in Greenville.  It is also on the National Registry.

 

 *Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

 

 

I am not sure exactly when the Render home was built.  Cyprian Sr. would not have lived in this home as an overseer. It probably meant he had a good or better than average education. The lithograph of him shows him to be a well dressed man.

 



The term "overseer" brings too many images to mind to make it a pleasant reference.

Yet it tells me he would have been able to manage a variety of tasks and responsibilities.  His sons, Cyprian Jr, Benjamin, Jesse Hood would have grown up aware of all the variety of endeavors needed to maintain a large property, which would have prepared them to work together establishing their own businesses. Cyprian Jr. was the first man in the county to have all eight of his children obtain a college education.

 

4. Marriage Records

MERIWETHER COUNTY, GA -  MARRIAGES   1828-1844

   *****************

     Copyright.  All rights reserved.

     http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm

     http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm

***********************

This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by:

Doris Robbins        http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00011.html#0002700   

For MORE information see: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ga/county/meriwether/

        MARRIAGES 1828 – 1844

      BULLOCH, Cypion                 GRAY, Licinda               1 Feb 1833 

      BULLOCH, John                   WILLIAMS, Jane              11 Mar 1832 

      BULLOCK, Henry                  BUSSEY, Cinderilla          26 Oct 1831 

      BULLOCK, John                   ERTZ, Frances               11 Sept1842 

    

      ROBINSON, Edward M.             HALL, Susan                 20 Dec 1832

      ROBINSON, James H. C.           RANDAL, Mary                27 Oct 1842

      ROBINSON, William               MATHIS, Sarah               18 Apr 1839

      ROBINSON, William               NEWSOM, Elizabeth           1 Feb 1840

 

Notice the spelling of all the names above.  Cyprian's name is spelled "Cypion", Lucinda, his wife, has her name spelled Licinda, his brother's surname is spelled with a "k"rather than an "h".

My question...did the Robinson's begin to spell their name as Robertson?

1925 letter regarding family history

 

 

While visiting with my family, I scanned this fascinating letter written to my grandmother Mabel.  The first two pages (top) update current family news.  Most of the subject is regarding illness in the community and extended family.  There must additional page/s because the document is unsigned. The unnamed writer discusses her hens.  The  writer is a daughter of Jesse Hood Bulloch which makes her Mabel's cousin. I believe "Aunt Julia" was my great grandmother & Mabel's mother, Julia C Parkman Bulloch.

 

This letter appears to be a response to a request for information.  This was about the same time that Mabel and Ida Mae were gathering information for a family history.  Mabel hired a genealogist to search courthouse records.

 

While the letter was written in 1925, the information dates back to the early 1800's when Cyprian's father was brought to live with his grandparents The Robinson's.  From this letter we don't know if her source of information was a family bible, tradition, a journal, stories shared from older family members,whatever.  I have been able to document the information from other sources.

 

This letter brings our family history to life. My grandmother, 88 years ago, knew aunts, uncles who lived, shared stories and experiences with family whose lives intersected hers.  The joys and sadness, the wars and depressions, the success and failures, their values impact us in a myriad of subtle ways. Their experiences shaped Mabel, my mother  and through me, my children and grandchildren. 

 

It also confirms very subtle way, conclusions I reached regarding Serena Parkman.  But I will write about that another day.

 

What can I say .... write it down, save information, organize your records.  Find out who you are, where your roots are.   It is fascinating.

Julia Frances Harry Bennett

 

 

Julia Frances Harry Bennett, 91, of Spartanburg, SC, passed into eternal life on Monday, September 16, 2013, at Eden Terrace-Spartanburg. Born January 19, 1922, in New Orleans, LA, she was the daughter of the late Rev. Woodfin Grady and Mabel Bulloch Harry, and widow of James Henry Bennett. She was the last surviving member of her immediate family, also having been predeceased by her sister, Margaret Harry Thompson, and brother, Henry Grady Harry. 

A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Mrs. Bennett was former District Six educator at Woodland Heights Elementary School. She was a faithful member of Covenant Presbyterian Church, a long-time member and pianist of the Fellowship Sunday School Class, former president of Women of the Church, Circle leader, and a delegate to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. She was a member of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Surviving are her daughters, Jan Bennett Bates of American Fork, UT, Gaye Bennett Pappas (Ted) of Fernandina Beach, FL, and Barbara Bennett Davis (Charlie) of Spartanburg, SC; eight grandchildren; and ten great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be conducted at 11:00 AM Thursday, September 19, 2013, at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 880 W. O. Ezell Blvd., Spartanburg, SC 29301, by the Rev. Robert Brozina. The family will receive friends following the service. Burial will be private.

Memorials may be made to Covenant Presbyterian Church, 880 W. O. Ezell Blvd., Spartanburg, SC 29301; or Regency Hospice, 880 S. Pleasantburg Drive Suite 1A&F, Greenville, SC 29607.

The family wishes to express their deep appreciation to the staff of Eden Terrace Assisted Living.

Floyd's North Church Street Chapel

            88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

My mom slipped away today. She possessed a gentle soul and a giving heart. As a young mother she experienced so much challenge and still managed to keep her girls happy, safe and unaware of her stress.

Her mother was ill for several years, her husband was deployed twice (Once to Okinawa and then to Korea), her mother died, our home was destroyed by a tornado. Yet she made handling everything seem easy. Her great secret was reliance on her great faith. There were few times we missed church ... once on a Christmas we girls didn't get dressed in time. Only being sick with a fever was an acceptable reason. As a girl her mom often practiced the adult and children's Sunday School lessons on Julia and her brother and sister just in case she had to teach them. Mother taught Sunday School, Bible School in the summer, was often President of the Women of the Church. Church was her second family, a place of refuge and peace.

When mother became unable to drive to church, my sweet sisters took turns coming to the assisted living center to dress her and take her to services. Gaye drove from North Augusta to Spartanburg and Barbara drove a half hour one way.

She valued education and had the expectation that we would also. Her daughters and grandchildren have followed her example. She loved her family, daughters, 8 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren with another great grandson to come in December.

I could fill pages with memories, but I will simply add ... Mama you were a lady who set the bar high. You asked a lot of yourself and we love you dearly. Your Heavenly Father knows of your great love. You will be missed and remembered always.

*********************************

Matthew Bates This is my wonderful grandmother, Julia Bennett. She passed away this afternoon peacefully and restfully, with her three daughters close by. I'm on a business trip here in Washington, D.C. for the annual Air Force Association conference at the National Harbor complex. I got a phone call from my mother at about 3:00 and I knew she was calling with the news, but I couldn't bring myself to pick up the phone to talk. I waited until the conference was over for the day and most of the crowd had already slipped away. I found a quiet place by myself and called my mom. As I spoke to my mother I was looking out over the Potomac River at a gorgeous sunset, with the beautiful Masonic temple in Alexandria still being lit by a gently setting sun. In moments it would disappear behind the trees on the Virginia side of the River.

 

The clouds and the sky looked like a postcard that I know my grandmother would appreciate - she always loved history, especially her family history and our ancestors' story going back to the Revolution. She once told me of our ancestor who took part in General Washington's funeral procession/remembrance in Gaithersburg, Md., not far from here. She loved our country and its history, and knew well the sacrifices of those who have served our country. Her father, afterall, was the mayor (and local presbyterian minister) in Warm Springs, GA, where President Roosevelt came down to receive his polio treatments. We have a picture of her father meeting the President in Warm Springs, and I remember her telling us that her dad would greet the President when he got off the train! She loved our country and knew of sacrifice, having watched her husband go off to fight Hitler in Patton's Army, only to return to Korea to fight some more. She was a proud Army wife! As I spoke to my mother a member of the Air Force band was playing a lilting melody on his bagpipes in the stairwell.

 

My mother began to tell me that shortly before she passed, she perked up enough to tell her, "children everywhere, children everywhere. Little boys, little girl." She had a picture of my children posted by here bed, and I'm sure she had pictures of all of her children and great grandchildren close by. She loved them all dearly.

 

The picture above was taken four years ago while she was still living on her own, but the last time we all saw her together about a year ago, she didn't have the strength to move around. Instead, we all sang songs to her from her Presbyterian hymnal, while she laid down and hummed along to a few favorites that she had memorized long, long ago. Age could take away her strength and ability to speak, but it could not take away the Hymns of God in her heart!

 

So, with these precious memories of her spinning through my mind, with this beautiful scene of God's sunset smiling down on me, all I could do was break down and melt in tears, grateful for this wonderful woman and all that she has meant to me, my brothers and sister, my cousins and their children, my children, and her own daughters who were by her side these final few days of her mortal life. She has now been reunited with her husband, Lt. Col. James H. Bennett. I know that he was there to meet her as she passed through the veil, and that she has returned to her God - our God - who she loved with all her heart, might, mind, and strength. I know that He has welcomed her home and into His rest.

 

While my heart is broken a bit today and my eyes are still a bit wet with tears, I know that I will someday see her again. I love you grandmama. Families are forever, and I look forward to seeing you soon. Tell granddaddy I said Hi, and maybe you can pay me a visit one of these days in my dreams!

September 17 at 1:14am · Like · 4

Becky Ann Hunter What a grand eulogy, written for a beautiful lady. I've lost both of my grandmothers, so I can empathize, Matthew. May God's peace wash over you as you reflect upon her life. <3

September 17 at 2:06am via mobile · Like · 1

Michael Tobias Estes Matthew, that was amazing. I'm sorry for your loss, but the history speaks volumes. If you are going to be in D.C. for a few days, you are welcome to stop by. We'd love to see you.

September 17 at 9:01pm · Like

Kaddiz Gonzales Silvestro Thank you for sharing your heartfelt sentiments in this space. Wishing you comfort and beautiful memories as you grieve.

September 17 at 9:28pm · Like · 1

Stephen Silvestro My condolences old friend

Special Gifts

Some people have a wonderful talent for selecting just the right gift for friends and family. They remember a longing glance through a store window or a comment in a conversation. They match the glance, the comment, the interest with a gift some time in the future.  

 

My mother-in-law was a great gift giver.  She enjoyed finding cute clothes and special toys for the kids. As seasons changed there would be a box filled with items.  She had the knack of picking items my kids adored.  She and Granddaddy Bates took the boys on the last steam train trip between Gaffney and Spartanburg. She bought Star Wars swords.

 

One Christmas this was a personal challenge. My shopping was done.  Frances wanted to know what to buy and I just could not think of one more item.  I told her I had just bought a yellow school bus for Andy because he played with one like it at mother's morning out.

 

She misunderstood and rushed out to buy him one.  I had to return mine. 

  

I felt like a spoiled kid.  While Andy would not remember who gave him the toy, I wanted it to be a gift from me!  It would be a favorite toy.   Logic and emotion can be miles apart. I wanted to be grateful for her thoughtfulness and I wanted to be understanding of her desire to give the "special gift".  I was not proud of my feelings, but there I was stuck with trying to be better than I was. I guess I remember this mostly because I struggled with my feelings.

***

 

 

When I was a teen, my parents gave me a cultured pearl necklace for my birthday.  It was my go to jewelry for Sunday dresses and special occasions for years.  It was always returned to the special black velvet box.

 

Babies love to play with mom's earrings and necklaces.  One Sunday in Rock Hill Andy tugged and broke mine.  The pearls went flying.  After church I made sure to gather all the pearls.  I took them home with plans to have them restrung. Young marrieds have many budget needs and restringing pearls didn't seem that important.

 

Several years later planting flowers along the front sidewalk when I found a strand of five or six pearls.  Immediately I knew these were "my" pearls.  I summoned Matt and Andy, who must have been 7 or 8, to ask them how they came to be outside.

 

Matt's quick response.  They were buried treasure.  No idea where the others were buried.

****

 

 

Like most kids I really looked forward to my birthday. My Christmas birthday always seemed less significant than the holiday.  I really looked forward to turning thirteen, a teen.

 

However, I was really upset that day with my dad.  Now 99% of kids understand that parents have to work on their birthday. One thing that makes a Christmas birthday tolerable is family can all be there together.  (Please understand I am recounting how I saw things at thirteen.) However, my dad had to work that day.  He was "Officer of the Day" at Ft Benning. He was stand-in for the Commanding General.  I suppose if Russia had declared war; my dad would have been in charge (until he made a phone call to the commanding general).

 

A car driven by MP's came to pick him up to chauffer him to work.  He wore side arms. This was the only time I recall that happening. He was gone all day!

 

What was my reaction?  I huffed and puffed and acted like he chose to work that day. So you ask,  what does this have to do with gifts?  Well my dad had bought me the necklace above.  It was a Sara Coventry necklace with two teen's dancing with a juke box.  The links were adjustable to go from a necklace to a bracelet. I would look like the guys on American Bandstand when I wore it.

 

Was I appreciative of the effort he had gone to buy it?  Nope.  I wanted to punish him because he had not arranged to be home.  Wow.  I guess I thought that would show him. 

 

In the spring our family went to visit Spartanburg and see my Dad's family.  My aunt Ruby asked me how I liked the necklace? She told me how excited he had been when he ordered it for me. 

 

I felt so ashamed of how I had acted.  Suddenly the necklace seemed much more important.

 

 

 



 



Wicked Stepsister

Pictures are powerful.  I probably would not remember this event without the photo to solidify the memory.  This is my first, perhaps my last theatrical appearance.  I played the wicked stepsister.  Cinderella is dancing with the Prince.  I am dancing and smiling just behind his shoulder.

Julia Frances in a Goat Cart

They could not get her to smile.