Reflections From the Fence: September 2022

Friday, September 30, 2022

Lorena Eley Norsworthy Dews Harlow Lenahan Collins, And Her Lost Babies, Research Report, the As It Is Series

This continues a series of posts, done in a very efficient (make that speedy fast) manner to share some research on the ancestors. This is NOT intended to be the end all to end all report. It's a work in progress, to show you what I have found, right or wrong. Kind feedback is welcomed via comments.

Let’s begin - -

We have discussed Lorena a time to two before. But, never her lost babies. I'll group them all on this post. So, they are not forgotten.

Here is Lorena, her 5 husbands listed to the left. Also her children. Today we will be looking at child # 1, 5 and 6.

Lorena married first Mills Norsworthy. They had two children before Mills passed, they were a baby boy and Bessie. It's the baby boy we are interested in here.

Not a lot to learn, my notes are slim at best:

"This son was still born per Pearl Robinson." (Pearl was a dear distant cousin who helped me build the basics of our clan.) There is no birth record for this child to be found in the Isle of Wight County, Virginia birth records. I extended my search to all of Virginia birth registers/records and found nothing. We include this child due to the 1910 census enumeration in which Lorena claims to have had 8 children born. No Find A Grave memorial.

It should be noted that J. Diggs, descendant of Bessie Norsworthy Forbes told me in 2006: "Both mother and her sisters and brothers told me that there was a daughter whose name was Clara and she died at 9 with a childhood illness." I have not found any records for such a child, using the surname of Norsworthy OR Dews. I often wonder if this referenced daughter could be Delphine Dews (see below).

Mills Norsworthy died sometime around 1886, and in October 1887 Lorena married as her second husband, William Henry Dews. William and Lorena had 6 children, we believe. (Yes you heard a long sigh.)

Next, we share, the 3rd child born to William and Lorena:

This baby boy was 9 days old when he died, cause of death was not given in the record. Lorena's name was spelled Lurena in the record.

Nothing more is known of this child. There is no Find A Grave memorial.

Next, is Delphine "Della":

Per family tradition, Della died at age 2 or 3 of burns suffered from boiling kettle of water.

We do find Della on the 1900 census with her parents, William and Lorena:

William is enumerated on the 1900 U. S. census for Kempsville, Princess Anne County, Virginia as follows: Henry Dews, born Jan. 1865, age 55, married 12 years, born Virginia, parents born Virginia, farmer; Lorena, wife, born July 1865 age 34, married for 12 years, 4 children born, three still survive, born Virginia, parents born Virginia; Henry Jr., son, born Dec. 1887, 12 years old, born Virginia; Sarah, daughter, born July 1892, 7 years, born Virginia; Delphine, daughter, born July 1897, 2 years old, born Virginia.

I have not found a birth record, a death record or a Find A Grave memorial for Della. Della's father died in 1906.

Lorena had a long life, she died at age 82. She had, according to records and stories I have been able to forage around and locate, 8 children, 3 of whom did not live long. She was the daughter of a Civil War veteran who died when she was about 5 years of age. She was a bride 5 times, having children by her first two husbands.

* Disclaimers, I use Find A Grave, Ancestry dot com, FamilySearch, several newspaper subscriptions, free sites, such as Virginia Chronicles, Virginia Chancery Cases online at the Library of Virginia and more to research my ancestors. I pay for subscriptions, full price.

** My judgements may or may not be correct. Transcriptions may or may not have errors.

*** Links, URL's, for the most part will not be included henceforth on my posts, as so many of them change and then I have to come back and try to re-discover and relink. Frankly folks, I have no desire to spend my limited time here on this side of the sod with those kinds of do overs. As researchers, or just members of the internet community, sites such as Find A Grave are easy to find, some are free to use and with the information I am sharing with you, hopefully, you can duplicate the research/findings. That said, I have seen memorials at Find A Grave be removed. If you have questions, I suggest you leave a nice comment for me. OR find the method I have outlined on my blog for contacting me.

Saturday, September 10, 2022

Marion Thelma Blanton, Research Report, the As It Is Series

Let’s begin - -

Meet - - Marion Thelma Remley.

Thelma Blanton

in the 1910 United States Federal Census

Name: Thelma Blanton

Age in 1910: 2

Birth Date: 1908

[1908]

Birthplace: Georgia

Home in 1910: Lockhart, Bulloch, Georgia, USA

Street: Buttermilk Road

Race: White

Gender: Male

Relation to Head of House: Son

Marital Status: Single

Father's Name: Marian Blanton

Father's Birthplace: Alabama

Mother's Name: Susie Blanton

Mother's Birthplace: Georgia

Household Members Age Relationship

Marian Blanton 52 Head

Susie Blanton 32 Wife

Thelma Blanton 2 Son ** Sigh, I double checked the image, yes, it says son.

Selma Blanton

in the 1920 United States Federal Census

Name: Selma Blanton

Age: 10

Birth Year: abt 1910

Birthplace: Georgia

Home in 1920: Militia District 271, McIntosh, Georgia

Street: Ridgeville on Dixie Highway

Residence Date: 1920

Race: White

Gender: Female

Relation to Head of House: Daughter

Marital Status: Single

Father's Name: Marion Blanton

Father's Birthplace: Alabama

Mother's Name: Susie Blanton

Mother's Birthplace: South Carolina

Able to Speak English: Yes

Attended School: yes

Able to read: Yes

Able to Write: Yes

Household Members Age Relationship

Marion Blanton 58 Head

Susie Blanton 36 Wife

Selma Blanton 10 Daughter. ** And, I double checked this image and I could not make a "T" out of that first letter.

See? Here is a partial clip of the 1920 census - -

It is interesting to note that the Bowen and the Blanton families are enumerated so closely. Minnie Bowen is the sister of Susie Blanton. We note with sadness that both Joseph E., age 21 and Selma (Thelma), age 10, first cousins would have both passed by the 1930 census enumeration. I posted about Joseph here.

According to "Cemeteries of McIntosh County Georgia" by the Lower Altahama Historical Society, Thelma died "Crossing the Bar". Her death certificate states she died of "some form of spinal cord trauma".

Her headstone reads: "Marion Thelma Blanton, Mar 20, 1908 to Sept 28, 1926. I hope to see my pilot face to face. When I have crossed the bar"

No obituary for Marion could be found in Darien newspapers, as there are no papers. However, an obituary was located in the Savannah Morning News, Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia on September 29, 1926, thanks to Linda Wallis (one of the many genie angels who have helped me over the years) for obtaining a copy:

"Miss Thelma Blanton, Darien

Darien, Ga., Sept. 28 - - Miss Thelma Blanton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marion Blanton of Darien, died at her home this morning in her nineteenth year after a very long illness. She was a graduate from the Darien High School and last year went to Jacksonville to take a business course which she had almost completed. She was taken quite ill and her case puzzled the physicians so much that she was sent to John Hopkins for examination. After a short stay there she was brought home and at first seemed to improve but about three months ago it was seen that she was failing and in spite of the devoted care of her parents, aided by everything that friends and physicians could do, she failed steadily and passed quitely away. She was a brilliant young woman with marked poetic ability and recently had published a small book of her own productions, Her death has saddened her many friends. She is survived by her father and mother. The funeral will be held tomorrow afternoon from the Presbyterian Church here of which she as a consistent member, and interment in St. Andrew's Cemetery."

I maintain her Find A Grave memorial (see # 60859445), this photo there was taken by little ole me so many years ago.

While writing this post I discovered that her stone has been cleaned, it's beautiful. Thank you Find A Grave member "Backroad traveler" for posting that fabulous photo. I was so pleased to find that gorgeous photo I actually made it the main photo on Marion's memorial.

** My judgements may or may not be correct. Transcriptions may or may not have errors.