New Lovelace and Cobb Photos Added to HaywoodCountyLine.com

I recently blogged about the great photos of my third great grandparents sent to me by Diane Lyle (who is, by the way, married to "Jack" so every time I type her name, I have a little ditty by Mellencamp in my head).

She also sent some photos of other relatives that were a little further out on the branches of my tree that were just as interesting since they were people who I had included in my ancestry charts. Now I have faces to go with the names. I have added them to the Lovelace and Cobb pages of my Web site, HaywoodCountyLine.com but wanted to post them here as well.

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Ed and Pearl Lovelace Patterson

Pearl Lovelace was the sister of my great grandfather, Jim Lovelace. This photo was taken on Poplar Corner Rd. in Haywood County which is where my grandfather also grew up and lived his entire life. The children of Pearl and Ed Patterson were Irene, Helen, Homer Edward, Viola, and Richard Hess.

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Will and Martha Adeline "Pat" Cobb Mann in 1949

Pat and Will Mann were the parents of Hattie and Sallie "Bett." Pat was the sister of my second great grandmother, Mary Etta Cobb Brantley. Another connection is that Pat and Will were married by Robert Green Marbury, my third great grandfather. Pat and Will also raised Will's nephew, Sidney Outlaw. Sidney's parents, Bill and Leanna Outlaw, died one day apart and left seven children. Leanna was Will's sister and she died when when Sidney was two years old. The rest of the children went to live with various relatives.

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Nora Cobb Gordon, Pat Cobb Mann and her daughter, Sallie Bett Mann in 1958

Nora Cobb Gordon was another sister of my second great grandmother, Mary Etta Cobb Brantley and Pat Cobb Mann. Nora and her husband, Walter Louie Gordon, were also married by my third great grandfather, Robert Green Marbury. Nora and Walter were the parents of Thomas George, Louis Clarence and William A. Gordon.

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Top L-R:  Irene Patterson, Bethie Lovelace. 
Mid. L-R:  Blanche Lovelace, Helen Patterson. 
Bot. L-R:  Myrtle White, Ebbie Lee Lovelace.

These girls were all cousins and granddaughters of Charlie B. and Nancy Jane Yelverton Lovelace. Blanche, the little girl in the middle on the left, is the sister of my grandfather, Guy Lovelace. There is a possibility they were at Charlie and Nancy Jane's farm when this photo was taken. If it is the spot I suspect it is, the pond is still there. That's the same farm my grandfather eventually purchased and on which he raised his own family including my mother. Today, it's owned by my uncle, Bill Lovelace.

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Alice Lovelace White

Alice was another sister of my great grandfather, Jim Lovelace. She married Oscar White who had originally been married to her sister, Addie Lovelace who died in 1913. According to oral family history, on her deathbed, Addie asked her sister Alice to marry her husband and take care of her children, Otie Thomas, Chester Aubry, Myrtle Lee and Oscar "Dock."

Once married, Alice and Oscar had Carl Odel whose photo is below.

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Myrtle White and Carl Odel White

Since Myrtle White and Carl Odel White had the same father and their mothers were sisters, they were both half siblings and cousins.

If you happen to have some photos of any of the families on my site, please let me know so I can include them on HaywoodCountyLine.com.

Photos and Video from Holly Grove Stew

This weekend, we attended a "stew" at Holly Grove Baptist Church in Haywood County, TN.

When I was a kid, both grandparents had an endless supply of "stew" kept in jars and brought out anytime the family gathered to eat. This particular kind of stew is unlike anything I have encountered anywhere else in the world. 

Holly Grove Baptist Church figures prominently in my genealogy. Around 1875, my third great grandmother, Nancy Castellaw, donated the land where the event was held for a school to be built. Dorsey H. Watridge, the brother of my third great grandfather donated the land next to it for the church in 1886. In 1900, Jeremiah Fletcher Castelaw, the brother of my second great grandfather donated the land that would be used for the church's cemetery. My father attended the church as a boy and his parents were members there for many years. Many of my ancestors are buried in the church cemetery.

The church holds a "stew" each year as a fundraiser.


A book published in 1939 by the Federal Writers' Project, called "Tennessee: A Guide to the State" references "stew" and is likely the type that is still prepared in Haywood County, TN today although squirrel meat has been replaced with chicken and beef. The book calls the making of this kind of stew a "distinctive activity" of Haywood County.

"Haywood County is one of the oldest towns in West Tennessee. It has grown because of productivity of the cotton lands of Hatchie River. A distinctive activity is the making of Old Virginia Brunswick Stew. For many years, Brunswick stew suppers , with squirrel as a meat base, have been held in Haywood County, usually around the small lakes or clubhouses of the river bottoms."

If you want to make your own batch of stew, you can try this recipe which is from Milton and Becky Booth (another ancestry connection - my second great grandfather is buried in one of Milton's fields)  who are also featured in the video above. You may want to invite a few friends over since the recipe calls for 18 chickens and two roasts.

Stew
18 Chickens
2 Beef Roasts
3 gallons of tomato juice
3 gallons of ground corn
4 cups of sugar

Use a 20 gallon pot. Cover chickens and roasts with water. Cook until chickens are done. Remove bones. Add sugar and tomato juice. Cook approximately 1 hour.  Add corn. Stir continuously. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 Below are a few photos from the stew:

More than Headstones Now

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Thomas A. and Quincy A. Shirley Lovelace

Joan, the distant cousin I met in Bells, TN recently connected me with another family member, Diane, who had some great family photos. In addition to many photos of Lovelace relatives that I will post later, she had photos of my third great grandparents. Until recently, they were just Thomas A. and Q. A. Lovelace and they were just two headstones I tripped over occasionally in the Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Haywood County, TN.

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Headstones of Thomas A. and Quincy A. Shirley Lovelace in
Zion Baptist Church Cemetery, Haywood County, TN

I had already done a little research a few months ago after figuring out they were my fourth great grandparents so I knew a little about them but being able to actually get some photos of them was way more than I expected and very much appreciated.

Thomas A. Lovelace was born in Iredell County, NC on October 1, 1812. Then at some point he moved to Haywood County TN and met and married Quincy Angeline Shirley. She was the daughter of Uriah and Unity Shirley who had lived in Haywood County for many years. According to the 1860 Federal Census Slave Schedule, T.A. Lovelace owned two slaves: a 14 year-old female and a 13 year-old male. In the census of 1860, Thomas was 47, his wife Quincy was 33 and they had two sons at home, Lynn who was five and Charles who was three. Charles Buchanan Lovelace would grow up to be the grandfather of my grandfather, Guy Lovelace. I can remember Charles being referred to by my grandfather as "Cha-lee B."

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l to r: Thomas A. Lovelace, Charles Buchanan Lovelace,
James Luther Lovelace and Guy Clinton Lovelace

Also living with the Thomas Lovelace family in 1860 was Williams C. Byrd who was 53. Thomas was a farmer and listed the value of his real estate as $3,400 and the value of his personal estate as $3,820. 

Quincy and Thomas lost three children in quick succession in the late 1860s. John Alford died at less than a year old in 1866, William Wilbert died in 1867 at around two months old and then an infant child died in 1868.

In the census of 1870, Thomas listed the value of his real estate and personal estate at $2,000 each. The Civil War had ended so any Thomas' slaves would have been freed and since he had a small number of children, he would have become dependent on sharecroppers to work a large farm.

Lynn was then 15, Charles 13 and they had added a brother, Thomas A. who was eight in 1870 so you can assume they spent their lives working on the farm.

Thomas A. Lovelace died at age 64 on October 22, 1876.

In the census of 1880, the "head of household" was Quincy who was 50. Her oldest son Lynn was 25 and still single as was Thomas who was then 18. Charles who was 23 in 1870 appears to have moved next door with his wife Nancy Jane Yelverton who was 19 and they had a daughter Addie who was one and a daughter whom they had not yet named. Her name would be Dora.

Quincy died on October 13, 1897 and was burried next to her husband and other family members in the Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Haywood County, TN.

Mrs. Quincy A. Lovelace Obituary

"The sad messenger, death, with its silent tread, has again invaded our community and taken from our midst a beloved sister, mother in Israel, in the person of Mrs. Quincy A. Lovelace, nee Shirley, who departed this life, February 8, 1898. Her funeral was preached by her pastor, Rev. C.J. Mauldin, to a large company of relatives and friends, on the morning of the 9th, and her remains were interred in the Old Zion Cemetery to await the resurrection morn.

Sister Lovelace was born and reared in Haywood County, Tennessee, which has been her home through life. In young womanhood, she was happily married to Thomas A. Lovelace, who with several children preceded her to the Glory Land. She believed in and enjoyed the old time religion. Though rather a timid woman, she rarely ever failed to stand up and declare herself a witness for Jesus, when an opportunity was offered.

On the 13th of October, 1897, she passed her sixty-ninth birthday. She leaves three sons with their family, two brothers and hosts of friends to mourn her loss, but we sorrow not as those who have no hope. Her tears of joy and frequent shouts of victory, together with her true Christian character lure us onward towards the home of the true and faithful."

For more about this family, visit The Lovelace page on HaywoodCountyLine.com.

Ask and You Shall Receive...Better Photo Found

On a recent blog post, I mentioned I was looking for a better copy of the photo of the students at Centerville School. Thankfully, I received a call from a distant cousin I did not know who had a much better copy. Joan (pronounced Jo Ann) lives in Bells, TN and when my family and I were there recently, we stopped by to get a copy of the photo. Joan also had some really great photos of some of my other ancestors from Haywood County so it was a great find. I am really thankful she gave me a call.

I marked a few of the people in the photo and listed their relationship to me.

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Children at Centerville School in Haywood County, TN around 1918

1. Leslie Fowler – In the 1920 census, Leslie is living in home of Louis M. Fowler and his wife Sarah Patterson Fowler, my third great grandparents. They were the parents of Ruby Fowler Lovelace who was the mother of my maternal grandfather, Guy Lovelace. Leslie was 11 in 1920. I am not certain who he was but he was possibly their grandson.
2. Robert Brantley – The son of Vivian Brantley and his wife Joseph Castellaw. “Viv” was the brother of Henry Preston Brantley, my second great grandfather.
3. Blanch Lovelace – the sister of my grandfather, Guy Lovelace.
4. Camillia Watridge – daughter of Champ Watridge (the guy with the peg leg)
5. Joe Watridge – son of Champ Watridge
6. Ovid Lovelace – brother of my grandfather, Guy Lovelace
7. Clara Brantley – Sister of my great grandfather, “Willie” Brantley
8. Guy Brantley – Brother of my great grandfather, “Willie” Brantley
9. Mabel Marbury – Sister of my great grandmother, Allie Marbury Brantley
10. Gladys Brantley – Sister of my great grandfather, “Willie” Brantley

Eva Pearl Lovelace and Edward Mansfield Patterson

Eva Pearl Lovelace, (b. Feb 1889 in Haywood County) who was Joan’s grandmother, was the sister of my great grandfather, Jim Lovelace. Eva married Edward Mansfield Patterson (b. Feb 1889 in Haywood County) on April 2, 1905 in Haywood County. Their children were Irene, Helen, Homer Edward, and Viola. They also had a son named Richard Hess who died at 18 months.

They lived and farmed near the home of Eva’s parents, Charles B. Lovelace and Nancy Jane Yelverton who were my second great grandparents.

Edward died in 1944 and Eva died on February 15, 1951 and was buried at Zion Cemetery.

Bill and Helen Patterson Cobb

Eva and Edward’s daughter, Helen, married Bill Cobb. To me, this photo really represents both the fashion and the style of homes in Haywood County during that day. Helen and my grandfather, Guy Lovelace were first cousins.

L to r: Rob Jacocks, Walter Borders, Arthur Jacocks,
Bill Cobb, Tom Watridge, Edd Patterson.
Boys are J.T., Solon and Russell Jacocks

The little boy who is first on the front row is J.T. Jacocks who was married to my grandmother’s sister, Cordilia Brantley Jacocks. Uncle J.T. and my grandfather, Guy Lovelace, were very close and I remember him very well and am still close to his and Aunt Cordilia's children. In later years Uncle J.T. and my grandfather worked together in a construction and home repair business there in Brownsville.

On the day of Uncle J.T.’s funeral, after he had died from injuries when a tornado hit his home, my grandfather sighed and said to me, “I buried my best friend today.”

I’ve always liked the letter my Aunt Cordilia wrote my grandmother in 1939 because it shows what was important to people of that time: Friends, family and work. You can read her letter on the Brantley page.

Al Cobb

Here is a photo that Joan had on which someone had written “Al Cobb” the back. I thought he sounded familiar and then I remembered the photo I received from my distant relative in Texas of Fletcher and Mary Castellaw. Their daughter, “Bina,” married an Al Cobb and he is pictured in that photo. I compared the two and discovered it was in fact the same Al Cobb.

Al was a son of Sim Cobb and was actually named Albert Lafayette and was also called "Bud Al."

According to Joe Cobb's book, "Al was remembered as handsome, witty and a good conversationalist." Al and Bina moved to Ennis, TX with Fletcher Castellaw in 1896. They had three children and shortly after the third child was born, Bina died and was burred in the Myrtle Cemetery. Al returned to Haywood County, TN by 1900 and later married Lenora "Nonie" Thomas and they had three children together. Al died of a heart attack in 1936 and he and his second wife are burred in the Holly Grove Baptist Church cemetery.

You can read more about the Lovelaces, Cobbs, Castellaws and others on HaywoodCountyLine.com.