52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 16 - Charlie McClendon

Charles McClendon was born in Odessadale, Georgia, a little town in Meriwether County, Georgia on the 8 of June 1888.   His mother, was Sylvia Martin who married Cornelius McClendon.  Sylvia was the younger sister of my great grandmother, Josephine Martin that married Wiley Woodard in 1868.  Sylvia and Cornelius married  in 1879,  had eight children and the two families grew up in the small community of Odessa.   Charles/Charlie McClendon and John Henry Woodard grew close as first cousins while growing up and that relationship continued through their moves working as coalminers, marriages and raising their children.  Charlie and John Henry's companionship went on until the death of John Henry in January 1932 with Charlie being the informant on John's death certificate.  Charlie maintained close to John's children after his death.  I remember my mother who was born in 1932 talking about him.  She spoke of a picture of Charlie in a white suit that I wish that I could find.

Cousin Charlie was the fourth child of Cornelius and Sylvia.  His siblings were Lula Belle (1870), Leanah (1880), Cornelius Jr. (1882), Mattie (1891), Savannah (1893), Jermiah (1894) and Tobe (1898).  This information was found in the 1900 US Census for Odessadale, Meriwether County, Georgia.  This family was also found in the same area in 1910.  I visited the area in 1990 and met a 92 year old, Ida Strozier who was very familiar with the McClendon and Woodard families that lived in the area.  She particularly recalled Sylvia and that Cornelius had died before Sylvia.  Two census records, a local cemetery without well marked headstones and the word of a senior member of the community were excellent resources on my search.

The challenge of not finding either cousin Charlie or grandfather, John Henry Woodard in the 1920 Census to date still stands.  John's sister, Hannah Woodard Rosser and her husband, Henry Rosser moved to Etowah, Alabama and I believe influenced Charlie and John Henry move to Alabama.  John Henry met and married his wife in Jefferson County. Records show they married in 1913 and so it is pretty safe to say the move took place after 1910.  On 5 June 1917, cousin Charles registered in the World War I Draft Card files.  He was working as a coal miner, had a wife with two children, was tall with medium built and registered in Marvel, Alabama.  While I couldn't locate him in the 1920 Alabama Census by the 1930 Census he was living in Fairmont, Marion County, West Virginia.  Three of his six children were born in Alabama from 1920-1926, he registered for the draft in 1917 so these fact pretty much place him in the area.  Now his other three children born between 1914-1919 were recorded as being born in Georgia.  This leads me to believe, he married his wife Sarah in Georgia; left Georgia for Alabama to work as a miner and moved his family to Alabama later.  It appears that since John Henry Woodard married Susie Mae Young in Jefferson County in 1913, they may not have  moved at the same time to Alabama.  Interesting the census record show cousin Charlie and his wife, Sara, married when they were twenty-eight years old so it was about 1916 and perhaps in Georgia.  Sara's maiden name may have been Ludon and she may have been born in Terrell County Georgia.  More research is needed on Sara.  

By the 1930 US Census, Charlie and his family along with his cousin, John Henry Woodard and family all lived in Fairmont, Marion County, West Virginia working as coalminers.  Charlie and Sarah lived at 1221 Field Street and own their own home.  Five of their children, Ann D., Mabel, Theodore, Charles Jr. and Earl R. were living with them by the 1940 US Census in Fairmont.

Charlie registered for WWII Draft in Marion on 27 April 1942.  He is listed as working for Kingston Pacs in Hemphill, West Virginia.  The card describes him as about 5'11" tall, medium built and weighting about 174 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.  He signed the form.

The last I remembering hearing was Charlie lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and so did several of his children.  The Social Security Death Index records his death as 1 June 1966.  It always excites me when the records and verbal history fits well.   The records reveal a great deal of information yet I would love to sit on a bench with him to discuss his experience. More to be found on cousin, Charlie McClendon and I can't wait to continue my journey.

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 11 Susie Mae Young 1897-1937

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 11 Susie Mae Young 1897-1937

How I would have liked knowing you in person, Susie Mae Young. I could have called you grandma, grandmother, Nana or maybe granny.  It was not meant to be in this lifetime but maybe in the next.

On my journey, I’ve hunted for you and found: Your birth was 19 December 1897 in Jefferson County, Alabama. You married John Henry Woodard, on July 24, 1913 in Jefferson County, Alabama according to your Alabama Marriage License.   I interviewed our cousin, Henry Ross and our adopted aunt, Bertha Hodge who attended your wedding as six-year old children.  They both remembered your special day.   I forgot to ask why the memory was still in their minds in their senior years of life and they have passed on now.

Your older children remembered you loving flowers and planting them in your garden.  I wonder whether I acquired my love of flowers from you. They recalled you hating West Virginia, the soot and dirt of the Fairmont mining community.  I wonder whether your dislike came after the death of your husband due to black lung in 1932.  You bore him eleven children, seven girls and four boys.  Your youngest child, my mother was born six months after his death and missed the relationship she could have had with both of you.

You moved to Pennsylvania to begin again within a few years of your youngest child’s birth.  The death of your husband left you without a home since you could no longer live in the Coal Mining Company’s house at 26 Franklin Street, Fairmont, WV.  Eli, and his wife, Carrie Woodard, a miner and in some way related to your husband took you in along with your seven minor children.  Somehow and in someway you amazingly made the courageous move to New Kensington with your underage children around 1935.

Your youngest son remembers that you spoke with your eyes and the look clearly communicated approval or disapproval.  He remembers you being a tall woman with a kind firm manner and a religious mother.  Proof is in all of your children’s names coming from the bible and your participation in a Christian camp outside of Pittsburgh.  While I’ve hunted and hunted no picture of you has been found. 

It has been on this journey where I learned you and your husband, John along with your children visited New Kensington, Pennsylvania in 1920 and stayed with John Williams and his family.  Were they related or were you all exploring opportunity to move to New Kensington, PA?  Labor issues were going on in the West Virginia mines and that certainly could be a consideration.  Later I learned there was a John Young born in Alabama same as you that might have been related.  Moving to Pennsylvania with underage children meant being away from the only parents you knew, Matildia (Harris) and George Freeman that lived in Idamay, WV.  You moved, lived on Eighth Street and worked as a domestic in a private home.

Who knew that you would leave your underage children much too soon?  You came down with pneumonia shortly after your move.  According to your son, Bill, who went to get Dr. Harris to attend you, Dr. Harris didn’t come in time to treat you.  During your illness, you designated a middle daughter, Naomi to care for and raise the younger children.  You saw something special in her and were right for she fought to keep her orphaned younger siblings together.  You died on the 6th of January 1937 and are buried at the Union Cemetery in New Kensington, PA.

So while I haven’t uncovered your biological parents or a picture, I know more about you through my journey.  I’ve become the family storyteller and feel compelled to share what I know of you.  The journey continues and think I will call you, Grandma.  You’re more than dates and places and have a place in my heart.

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 8 John Henry Woodard

John Henry Woodard is my maternal grandfather and the ancestor for this 8th week.   John was born on February 2, 1889 in Meriwether County Georgia to Wiley and Josephine (Martin) Woodard.  He was the youngest child of this couple that married in 1868.  They had nine children and by 1900 five were living in Odessadale, Georgia.  Odessa Township is a small farm community that is five miles west of Lagrange Georgia.  The Woodard family lived near the Meriwether Troup County Line and worked as tenant farmers. 

It would have been easy to miss this small community when I visited Odessadale in 1990.  Upon entrance to the area we found ourselves going back in time for this old area seems to have stood still from long ago.  The evidence of farming could be seen in the open fields just beyond some of the houses.  We stopped to ask a few children playing in the street whether they knew of any people named Woodard.  Without hesitation they advised us that the Woodard section was just down the road.  The road they directed us to was about one mile long before ending at a small trailer and an old two story seemly abandon shingled house with the upper window open and a lace curtain blowing out towards the empty field.  An older man was in the yard where the trailer sat.  We waved at him and he waved back.  His features came in focus as he approached our car.  It was startling how much he looked like the Woodard family members that I known all of my life.  He introduced himself as Henry Woodard and I explained who I was telling him some basic family information that led me to Odessa.  Henry was open and friendly advising me that his father was Henry Woodard Sr.  He did not really know his father having grown up and living in Troup County (five miles away) most of his life.  Henry shared that his aunt, Ida Strozier lived on the main road in Odessadale and knew more of the family history.  After our short visit with Henry, we went to the main road and knocked on Ida Strozier's door.  She was an older woman and later I learned she was ninety-two and her maiden name was McClendon. She was a little leery at first of this stranger.  Yet as I shared what I knew about the Woodard family, she opened up about where the family lived, which Woodard’s where related and remembered my great grandparents, Josephine and Wiley, when they died and remembered my great grandaunt, Sylvia Martin and her husband Cornelius McClendon.  Ida was a treasure chest of information, sharing information of where my grandfather, John Henry was born and information about his parents.  Ida told me I didn’t look like a Woodard then looked at my sandaled feet and said my feet were not like the Woodard’s.  I explained my feet were like my father’s.  Finally, she looked at me and said there is something about your eyes that remind me of the Woodard’s (I do have eyes like my mom).  Interesting enough when we met Henry, he had no shoes on and my husband said his feet look like my mother’s feet. 

John Henry left this area with his first cousin, Sylvia and Cornelius’ son, Charlie McClendon and followed his sister, Hannah and her family to Sayre, Alabama.  The male family members worked in the Alabama coalmines, followed the industry to West Virginia and on to Pennsylvania.  John married Susie Mae Young in Jefferson County Alabama on July 19, 1913.  Their first two children of eleven were born in Sayre, Alabama and the others were born in Fairmont, West Virginia.  John Henry worked as a coalminer most of his adult life and supplemented his income by taking on a second job as a butcher.  The results of working in the unhealthy environment of underground coalmines led to his death from black lung disease.  He died six months before his last child my mother was born.  John Henry and his cousin, Cornelius McClendon remained close all of his life.  Cornelius was the informant on John’s death certificate in January 1932.

My grandfather’s story was shared by his children and gave me the first steps on my family history journey.