Stories from Gus Adams, published in Tifton Gazette, Tift Co. GA
Walker Family
************************************************
Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm
************************************************
File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
J. E. (Edd) Dorminey edorminey@dishmail.net
Around the "turn of the Century" (1912) there was a man by the name of
Gus Adams (friends called him "Pat") who lived near Chula, Tift County,
GA with several families. First with William and Louisa Jane Branch and
then at the home of some of their grown children. After a while he moved
in with the D.H. Hogan family. Gus was from Brooklyn, New York and came
to Georgia about 1878 where he followed his occupation as a painter and
decorator. While residing and working around the Chula area, he went from
home to home and knew all the old residents of this section and visited
with them. He attended family reunions, annual meetings and celebrations,
and his writings of these gatherings were an interesting feature of the
"Tifton Gazette" in Tifton Georgia for many years. Gus died in 1933.
These stories live on to tell some very interesting histories of the
different families of the area. Look especially at the "Whiddon" write
up as it is very interesting in relation to the Dorminy family and
where they originated.
SAVED FROM DESTRUCTION
Bob Morrell was editor of the Tifton Gazette 30 years ago when he and his
wife Betty discovered and salvaged these genealogies from some old Tifton
Gazette papers that were crumbling and falling apart from being exposed to
age, dust, South Georgia heat and humidity. Betty took these old papers and
copied the Gus Adams genealogies onto "teletype" paper on her typewriter.
She said that during the process the act of turning the pages would tear the
brittle newsprint and she had to have something placed under them to turn
them or they would crumble in her hands. If she hadn^t saved these family
histories, they would have been lost forever as no other source has been
found that has copies of these articles except the one on the Paulk^s and
part of the one on the Dorminy family which we obtained from another source
CAUTION!!! Please be aware that Mr. Adams did not have the benefit of
a computer to cross check his information. He has a LOT of mistakes in
these histories but if you use them, and are aware of this fact, you
can benefit by having a starting point. Do not use this information as
your final reference . I know for a fact that a lot of Dorminy
information as well as other information is partially WRONG so to be
forwarned is to be forarmed.
====================================================================
Tifton Gazette
April 12, 1912
Vol. XXI No. 49
THE WALKER'S
Hezekiah, Jonathan, Jack and Wash Walker came from South Carolina, in
the early days of Irwin county. Hezekiah married Becky Hall, sister of
Jim Hall, who killed old Thomas Young. Their children were: Joe, Jim,
George, Hezekiah Jr., Tom, Dan, Betsy, Susan, Judy and Dave.
Joe, son of Hezejuah, married Eliza Griffin. They moved to Florida.
Jim, son of Hezekiah (One-Arm Jim),married Roxy Baker, sister of
Harmon Baker. Their children were: Harmon, Jack, Hamo, Lennon, Julia
and Susie, single. Tint married Lucie Purvis; Addie married John
Salter; Kate married Murdock Stone; Babe married Eph. Cory; Miami
married K. Blansette; Jane married J. Poole; Bessie married Fred
Gibbs.
George married Mary Jane Goff, sister of John Goff. Their children
were: Dan, who married Winnie Simmons; George married Diancy Sumner,
daughter of Stewart Sumner; John married Feraby Eldridge; Eliza
married Ed Johns of Chula; Minnie married Tom Willis; Lucy married
Luke Goodman; Arley was burned to death in the field. The clothing
caught fire from a trash pile.
Hezekiah Jr., son of old Hezekiah, married Betty Purvis. Their
children were: Joe married Delany Eldridge; Tom died; Jim married
Narcissa Purvis; Mattie died.
Tom, son of old Hezekiah, married Mary Nall. They separated. Their
children were: Dan, Tom and Becky. He next married Frankie Purvis.
Dan, son of old Hezekiah, never married.
Betsy, son of old Hezekiah, married Dave Hancock; Susan married Jacob
Tucker; Martha married Frank Sinclair.
Dave, son of Hezekiah, married Sarah Anne Simpson. Their children
were: Sam, Susie, Jane, Mattie, and Viola.
Jonathan, brother of Hezekiah, married Betsy Gibbs.
Jack married Sabry Clements, sister of old Abraham Clements. They
lived on the west side of the Alapaha river, directly upon the Bone
pond.
Bone ran the first steam grist mill near Irwinville and utilized the
pond named after him. He concealed a slave near the close of the war.
The slave was the property of Sam Young. Jack Walker detected the
darky in the Bone swamp upon Bone's premises. Bone and Walker
evidently had a struggle, in which Walker was killed, his body dragged
in the swamp and apparently concealed by Bone. Walker's folks missed
him when he failed to return. He had departed from home early in the
morning. A posse of neighbors searched and discovered his body in the
Bone swamp. Bone never confessed the crime but his 14-year-old son
divulged the particulars. Bone was lynched at the west end of the farm
and buried by the citizens and neighbors.
The children of Jack and Sabry were: Abraham, John, Sam, "Dink" or
Melanchton, Rachel, Sarah, Jane, Jonathan, Joseph, and Jim. Abraham
died.
John married Jane Hogan, daughter of D.M. Hogan. Their children were:
Milton, Dave and Jane, who married John Smith, son of Lawson.
"Red Sam", son of Jack, married Annie Belle McCoy. Their children: Eli
married Unie Luke, daughter of J.J. Luke. Mary married John Dorminy,
son of Willis Dorminy.
Melanchton, son of Jack, married Martha Fletcher. He was killed by
Short-Neck John Williams. Their children were: John, who married Laney
Marchant; Jehu married Mary Strobell; Mattie married Robert McCant. He
was accidentally shot and killed by his brother. She next married
Millard Moore.
Rachel, daughter of Jack, married D. Jonah Hogan, who was tax
collector of Irwin county 1902-1904. They moved to Florida. Their
children were: John married Jane Ewen, Mattie married Prof. H. Mirray;
Julia married Boy Purvis. All reside in Irwin County. Sambo and Elija
accompanied their parents to Florida.
Sarah, daughter of Jack, is single.
Jonathan, son of Jack, married Margaret Fletcher, daughter of old
Black Jim. Their children: Jim is single; Alice married Ed Clements;
Kate married Robert Land.
Joseph, son of Jack, married Jane Hancock, daughter of Rev. Joe
Hancock. Their children: Morris is single; A.P. married Miss Smith;
Dink married Miss Hall; Jonathan, Jane and George, single.
Jim, son of Jack, married Minnie Cowan. Their children: Ed married
Unie Taylor; Jack, single.
---
Please take note that this information came from long ago and has not
been corrected for accuracy. Many of these sketches have names
transposed or just plain wrong information so use this as a starting
point, not the final end to your research. THIS IS NOT AN ORIGINAL
DOCUMENT. It is a summary of the genealogical findings of one man, Gus
Adams, which were unsubstantiated and should be used as such.
---