Stories from Gus Adams, published in Tifton Gazette, Tift Co. GA
Harper Family
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
J. E. (Edd) Dorminey edorminey@dishmail.net
Around the "turn of the Century" (1912) there was a man by the name of
Gus Adams (friends called him "Pat") who lived near Chula, Tift County,
GA with several families. First with William and Louisa Jane Branch and
then at the home of some of their grown children. After a while he moved
in with the D.H. Hogan family. Gus was from Brooklyn, New York and came
to Georgia about 1878 where he followed his occupation as a painter and
decorator. While residing and working around the Chula area, he went from
home to home and knew all the old residents of this section and visited
with them. He attended family reunions, annual meetings and celebrations,
and his writings of these gatherings were an interesting feature of the
"Tifton Gazette" in Tifton Georgia for many years. Gus died in 1933.
These stories live on to tell some very interesting histories of the
different families of the area. Look especially at the "Whiddon" write
up as it is very interesting in relation to the Dorminy family and
where they originated.
SAVED FROM DESTRUCTION
Bob Morrell was editor of the Tifton Gazette 30 years ago when he and his
wife Betty discovered and salvaged these genealogies from some old Tifton
Gazette papers that were crumbling and falling apart from being exposed to
age, dust, South Georgia heat and humidity. Betty took these old papers and
copied the Gus Adams genealogies onto "teletype" paper on her typewriter.
She said that during the process the act of turning the pages would tear the
brittle newsprint and she had to have something placed under them to turn
them or they would crumble in her hands. If she hadn^t saved these family
histories, they would have been lost forever as no other source has been
found that has copies of these articles except the one on the Paulk^s and
part of the one on the Dorminy family which we obtained from another source
CAUTION!!! Please be aware that Mr. Adams did not have the benefit of
a computer to cross check his information. He has a LOT of mistakes in
these histories but if you use them, and are aware of this fact, you
can benefit by having a starting point. Do not use this information as
your final reference . I know for a fact that a lot of Dorminy
information as well as other information is partially WRONG so to be
forwarned is to be forarmed.
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Tifton Gazette
April 19, 1912
Vol. XXI No. 50
THE HARPER'S
Leonard Harper, the pioneer came from McIntosh County with his family.
They were among the first settlers. Their children were: John, Lewis,
Henry, Jacob and Becky. John, son of old Leonard, married Lottie
Gaskins. Their children were: Mary, J.R. , Hester, Fannie, Leon,
Susan, Dave L.C., Martha, J.J. or Buck, Eliza and Peter. Mary, the
oldest daughter of John, married Isom Swilley; she died. J.R. married
Nellie Swilley; Len, another son of John, married Mary Jane Godfrey;
Susan and Hester, daughters of John died. Dave L.C., son of John,
married Mary Paulk. J.J. or Buck, son of John, married Mahalia Tucker,
daughter of Micajah Tucker. Their children were: Zara, who married
Maggie Paulk; John, who married Miriam Griffin; Jim, who married
Willie Middlebrook; Pearly, who married Nannie Whitely; Reason,
Charlie, Elbert, Willis, single. Catherine married Charles Merritt;
Unie married Oliver Purvis; Mary Jane married L.L. Hall; Rosy married
Madison McNeese. Bessie is the only single daughter. Buck next married
Miss Hickman.
Eliza, daughter of John, married Mose Daniels. Peter, youngest son of
John, married Sarah Anne Whitley. Their children were: Leonard, who
married Miss Vickers, and John. Lewis, son of old Leonard, married
Dicey Whitley. Their children were: Flem, Mose, Lyte, Becky, Luke,
Delilah, Micajah and Tom. Flem, son of Lewis, married Georgian Harper;
Mose and Lyte, died in the war. Becky, daughter of Lewis, married Dan
Tucker. (All in Tucker group.)
Luke, son of Lewis, called "Texas Luke", married Millie Tucker. She
died leaving Clinton, who married Babe Paulk, daughter of "Baldhead
Tom" Paulk. She died. He next married Ada Whitley, daughter of Judge
Wiley Whitley. C.L., another son of Luke, married Annie Kirkland. He
is Tax Collector of Irwin County. Luke died in 1905.
Delilah, daughter of Lewis, married Jacob Purvis. Micajah, son of
Leonard, married Pace Luke, daughter of Wm Luke. Henry, son of old
Leonard, married Nancy Meritt. Their children were: Becky, Jacob,
Luke, Susie, Leon, Hester Anne, Mose Anne, Flem, Henry, Nancy and Jim.
Becky, daughter of old Henry, married Cabney Nobles. Their children
were: Elber, who married Mary Paulk; Warren who married Tucker, and
Jim. Jacob, son of Henry, married Sally Paulk, daughter of John Paulk.
Their children were: Lott, who married miss Hickman; Jowel, who
married Amanda Bruce; Walter, who married Miss Gaskins; Sewell, who
married Eva Forbes; Alonzo, who married Emma Buchan; Elizabeth, who
married Richard Kirkland; Oliver, who married Wooty Paulk, H.B. and
Albert, single. Luke, son of old Henry, married Judy Paulk. She died,
leaving Rachel, Riley, Nancy, Wiley, Jehu, Judy, Elbert, and Susie who
married Warren Vickers. He next married Mrs. Martha Whitley.
Susie, daughter of Henry Harper, married J.D. Griffin. They settled
near Phillips mill in Coffee county. Their children were: Mary, who
married Joe Merritt. She died. Susie, who married Jim Smith and
Reason, who married Miss Harper. Leon, son of Henry, married Kate
Griffin.
Hester Anne, daughter of Henry, married George Tucker. She died. Mose
Anne, daughter of Henry, married Dennis Vickers.
Flem, son of Henry, married Nellie Vickers. Their children were: Jim,
who married Miss Jones and Wiley, single. Henry, son of old Henry,
called "Shanks", married Polly Vickers.
Nancy, daughter of old Henry, married Wiley Vickers; Rachel, daughter
of old Henry, married Jacob Paulk. Jim, son of Henry, married Georgian
Paulk. She died, leaving Osier, who married Alice Paulk; Betty, who
married Joe Merritt; Kate who married Charlie Tucker; Alice who
married Ed Maddox, John, Lillie and Mortis, are single.
Jacob, son of old Leonard, married Nancy Young, daughter of old Thomas
Young. She died, leaving one son, Henry, who married Sally Vickers.
Their children were: Wiley, who married Miss Paulk; Jacob, who married
Miss Maddox. Jacob next married Florida Tucker. Their daughter, Mary,
married Arthur Lott. Becky, daughter of old Leonard, married Asa
Townsend. They moved to Florida.
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Please take note that this information came from long ago and has not
been corrected for accuracy. Many of these sketches have names
transposed or just plain wrong information so use this as a starting
point, not the final end to your research. THIS IS NOT AN ORIGINAL
DOCUMENT. It is a summary of the genealogical findings of one man, Gus
Adams, which were unsubstantiated and should be used as such.
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