Showing posts with label Johns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Johns. Show all posts

Monday, March 19, 2012

Amanuensis Monday - Land Deed DB 6:177


Shadrach Johns is my 2nd Great Grandfather. I have written about him and his family in a past post. He served, at age 60, in the Civil war and was captured at the Battle of Marianna, in Florida. This land deed places my great great grandfather in Washington County, Florida in December 1866. Between this date and the 1880 Marlboro County, SC census, he lost his entire family except for one son and two grandchildren. 

LAND DEED -BOOK 6 PAGE 177 CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, SC

S. Johns & Others to Alice Goodwin Deed[1]

State of South Carolina
Know all men by these presents, that we, SHADRACH JOHNS and MARY JOHNS of the county of Washington and State of Florida, and JAMES EDDINGS, ANN EDDINGS, and REBECCA BONE of the District of Chesterfield, and State of South Carolina, have in consequence of ninety dollars to us in hand the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged paid by ALICE GOODWIN of the District of Chesterfield and State of South Carolina, have granted, bargained, sold, and released, and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell and release unto the said ALICE GOODWIN all that parcel or tract of land, containing eight acres, more or less, being a part of a tract of land purchased by MARY BONE deceased of A. P. LaCOSTE deceased together with all and singular the rights, members, hereditaments, and appurtenances, to the said premises belonging or in anywise incident or appertaining; to have and to hold, all and singular the premises before mentioned unto the said ALICE GOODWIN, her heirs and assigns forever; and we do hereby bind ourselves, our heirs,
executors and administrators, to warrant and forever defend, all and singular the said premises unto the said ALICE GOODWIN, her heirs and assigns, against ourselves and heirs, and all persons whatsoever lawfully claiming, or to claim the Same or any part thereof Witness our hands and seals this the third day of December in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, and in the ninety-first year of the Sovereignty and Independence of the United
States of America.                                     Anna X Johns
Signed, Sealed and delivered                    A. C. Toler
in the presence of E. Rushing                   James X Eddings
James Grant                                              Ann Eddings
W. T. Goodwin                                         William T. Goodwin
W. H. Eddings                                          Effie Goodwin
F. T. Eddings                                            Rebecca X Boan
                                                                 H. J. Johns

                                                    U. S. stamps amounting to
                                                    Fifty Cents properly canceled

State of South Carolina}
County of Chesterfield}
Personally appeared before me W. T. GOODWIN who made oath that he was present and saw JAMES EDDINGS, ANN EDDINGS, EFFY GOODWIN and REBECCA BOAN, sign seal and as their act and Deed delivered the within written deed, and that affiant E. RUSHING and LAURA GRANT witnessed the execution thereof.
                                                                   W. T. GOODWIN

Sworn to before me this 30th}
day of June 1880}
W. L. T. Prince}
Trial Justice}

State of South Carolina}
County of Chesterfield}
Also personally appeared before me F. T. EDDINGS and makes oath that he saw the within named ANNA JOHNS, A. C. TOLER and H. J. JOHNS sign seal and as their act and Deed delivered the
within written deed and that he with W. M. EDDINGS witnessed the execution thereof.
                                                                              F. T. EDDINGS 

Sworn to before me this 4th}
day of Oct. 1879}
H. D. Malloy}
Notary Public}
Auditor's Office}
Chesterfield County}

Recorded 5 Apr. 1880 in Sales Book A page 156
                                                          C. L. Evans
                                                          Auditor

Recorded 1 Nov. 1880
Orig'l deliv'd to W. T. Goodwin








[1] Chesterfield County, South Carolina,  Deed Book 6, Page 177, Register of Deeds, Chesterfield.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

My Grandparents


Today's posting is in remembrances of my grandparents. I only knew one of my four grandparents. All except Grandma Pearlie had died before I was born. 

James Francis "Jim" Purvis and Lucy Pearl "Pearlie" Deese were married about 1908 in Anson County, most likely in Morven. Jim & Pearly had 7 children; 4 girls and 3 boys. One daughter, Levina died at birth in 1910. The other 6 lived to adulthood and two of the daughters are living today.  
James Francis Purvis & Lucy Pearl Deese
 The photo above was probably taken when they were married in 1908.

Julius Johns and Mamie Catherine Brock were married on 16 June 1912 in Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.
Julius & Mamie had 8 children, seven lived to adulthood. One boy b. 27 Dec 1923, died on 27 Jan 1924. The other 7 children were 5 boys and two girls one of which was my Mother. Only one of the eight children is living today.
Mamie Brock Johns with baby.


I had some wonderful times with my Grandma Pearlie even though I was very young.  If only we could go back and relive those days, how different they would be with the knowledge I now have of my ancestors.  Growing up, I never heard anyone speak of my grandparents, when I started asking question most of the family claimed no knowledge or very limited knowledge. After 36 years of research, I am still "Brick walled" at my great-great-grandfather William A. Purvis (b. 1824, d. after Sept 1899 & before May 1900) in Anson County, North Carolina.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Family Vanishes…The Search Continues

Over the years I have been through a magnitude of human emotions with my family research. There has been many peaks and valley stretching across a gamut from sadness to pure joy.

It is this family that has baffled and saddened my heart for many years. We start our look at the family in 1850 Chesterfield County, South Carolina. My Great, Great Grandfather Shadrach JOHNS[1], his wife Mary, daughter Alice C. and sons Thomas H. and Joseph [my Great Grandfather] are living there and were enumerated in the Chesterfield County 1850 Censuses.

By 1860 they had migrated from Chesterfield County, South Carolina to Russell County, Alabama. We find the Family in the 1860 Census[2] living at Seal Station, Russell County, Alabama. The family has grown and we know have Shadrach JOHNS, his wife Mary, daughters Alice C. and Anna W. along with sons Thomas H. and Henry J.[oseph] in the household.

While my Great Great Grandparents were not aware in 1860, we know the Civil War is on its way to encompass them in its battle. I know that Shadrach, even though he was 60 years of age in 1860, enlisted into the Confederate Army. He served with Co. K, 24th Alabama Infantry[3] and with the Florida Home Guard[4].

Shadrach survived the War and we find him and all the Family members signing a Land Deed in Chesterfield County, South Carolina on 3 December 1866.

DEED[5]: Chesterfield County South Carolina Land Deed between Jas. Eddings & Others recorded in Book 5, Pages 598-599.


The first line in this Land Deed shows the Family living in the Washington County, Florida. Shadrach Johns is mentioned as a participant in the 1864 Raid on Marianna. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~fljackso/cox/WFW4.htm

Since Thomas H. Johns is not mentioned in the 1866 Land Deed above and the other 3 children are listed I think it safe to assume that he was a victim of the Civil War. However, I could not find him on the National Parks CWSS database. I haven’t yet searched the Fold 3 website.

On 30 September 1869[6], Shadrach and Mary oldest daughter Alice Catherine Johns weds Joel S. Toler in Bullock County, Alabama. This union would produce two children – Mary Toler and William Shadrac Toler.

Nothing more is known about this family until 1880. In the 1880 Census[7] for Marlboro County, we find Shadrach, Henry Joseph, and two grandchildren - Mary Toler and William Shadrac Toler.

By 1880, Mary Johns, Alice Catherine Johns, Joel S. Toler, Thomas H. Johns and Anna W. Johns had completely vanished. I assume that some Communicable Disease consumed this family but not knowing for the past 35 years has been heart wrenching, disappointing and very sad. At this time, I do not feel that “a reasonably exhaustive search” of the records per The Genealogical Proof Standard has been conducted and somewhere in Bullock County, Russell County, Alabama or Washington County, Florida the answer to this puzzle lies buried in some dusty archive or file. If you are researching in this geographical area please remember my search and drop me a line if you come across any pertinent information on this family. Hopefully someone among you, the readers of this blog, will provide the pieces to solve this mystery.



[1] 1850 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) No ED, page 109A, Line 11, Dwelling 161, Family/161, Household of Shadrach JOHN; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed July 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M432 Roll 851.

[2] 1860 U. S. Census, Russell County, Alabama, population schedule, Seals Station, Russell County, Alabama, enumeration district (ED) No ED, page 893, Line 7, dwelling 238, family 227, Household of Shadrick Johns; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed July 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M653_22.

[3] LDS FHL GS Film #0821971 and GS Film #821971.

[5] Land Deed - Jas. Eddings & Others to W. T. Goodwin Deed; 3 December 1866; Deed Book #5; Page(s) 598 & 599; Register of Deeds; Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina; 1999.

[6] Bullock County, Alabama, marriage (30 September 1869), Joel S. Toler to Catherine Johns; Montgomery, Alabama, USA, State of Alabama Center for Health Statistics, Record Services Division.

[7] 1880 U. S. Census, Marlboro County, South Carolina, population schedule, Marlboro County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) #108, page 460A, Line 22, Dwelling # 43, Family #43, Household of Shade JOHN; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : viewed July 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm T9_1235.