Wednesday’s Child~Gone by 19

Fannie Lee Johns was born 10 May or 17 April 1936 to Walter Joseph and Ellen Grooms Johns. She was their 3rd child, the two previous children being boys. Fannie died on 31 July 1955.^{1 2}

Her Obituary appeared in the August 1st edition of “The State” newspaper from Columbia, South Carolina. ³

Miss Johns Dies; Services Today
Chesterfield, July 31 (Special) -- Miss. Fannie Lee Johns, 19, of Chesterfield died today in the business the hospital after a short illness. She is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Johns, two sisters and four brothers.
Funeral services will be at Pleasant Grove Church Monday at 3 PM. Burial will be in the church Cemetery.

Nineteen is such a young age to pass away so I was curious as to the cause of death. Her South Carolina Death Certificate #55-019646 shows the cause of death for Fannie Lee Johns as a cerebral hemorrhage. The due to block is filled with a “?” mark.

There is a conflict in her birth date. Her tombstone and here SC Death certificate shows 2 distinct dates but the year of birth are the same. On her tombstone her birth is recorded as April 17, 1936; the SC Death Certificate (44-019646) shows birth as May 10, 1936. She’s listed as 4 years old in the 1940 census.  .
 

Photo Courtesy of Julious Burr

Fannie Lee Johns was buried on August 1st, 1855 at Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Chesterfield County, South Carolina. ⁴

Fannie Lee Johns is my 1st cousin once removed.

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[1] Fannie Lee Johns, death certificate 010646 (31 July 1955), Vital Records, Department of Health and Environmental Control, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina.
[2] Fannie Lee Johns, death certificate 010646 (31 July 1955), Vital Records, Department of Health and Environmental Control, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina.
[3] Fannie L. Johns obituary, The State, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina, 1 August 1955, page 5-A.
[4] James C. Pigg, Chesterfield County Cemetery Survey; Chesterfield County Genealogical Services, 1995, Page 706. Tombstone of Fannie L. JOHNS; 17 April 1936–31 July 1955, Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.