Stories from Gus Adams, published in Tifton Gazette, Tift Co. GA
Sumner 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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This was written in 1912 and published in the "Tifton Gazette"
J.E.(Edd) Dorminey, 923 Dorminey-Doss Road, Tifton^GA 31794
Feb. 23, 1912 Vol. XXI No. 42
THE SUMNERS
Joe and Jesse Sumner, brothers, and their cousin, William came from
Emanuel County. Joe married Mahala Smith, who accompanied him to
Irwin. Their children were: Gordon, Sallie, Dan, Jack, Joe M. ,
Matilda, Martha, Tom, George, Sophronia and Missouri. Joe and his wife
had the pleasure of raising a large family and lived to a ripe old
age, to see their grandchildren settle down and prosper. Their
children were: Gordon, the oldest son of Joe, married Rachel Marchant.
Their children: Joe L. who married Josephine Thornhill: Mahala, who
married L.A. Kelly; Tempy, who married A.J. Paulk; and George, who
married Ruth Paul. Gordon and his family settled at Isabella; Mahala
and George have no children. George, son of Joe L., married Georgeia
Ann Ford, daughter of G.G. Ford. Vita, daughter of Joe L., married
L.L. Simmons. Elizabeth married John Spring first, afterwards, W.R.
Glover; she died leaving a son, Robert, who is a student at the
Agicultural School, Tifton. Beulah married N.G.Houston. Lou married
William Connolly. Emma married George Houston. Tilthy married J.J.
Mims of Sylvester. Dr. Gordon married Emma Chapman, they live at
Shingler. Tempy and Jack Paul have two sons, Gordon and George, both
married.
Sally, daughter of old Joe, married Ben Willis, son of old Ben Willis
(In the Willis group). Dan, son of old Joe, married Martha Monk. Their
children were: Jane, William, Marion, Georgian, Ellen, Ellafair,
Martha, Matilda, Beauregard and Eliza. Jane married J.J. Whiddon;
William married Rhohem Mitchell; Marion married Mary Harris; Georgian
married Shade Hancock; Ellen married Jerry Hancock, she died. Mattie
married Dan Bridges. Beauregard married Becky Thornhill. He died.
Eliza married Walter Dunn. Ellafari died; Matilda single. Jack, son of
old Joe, married Becky Ann Young, daughter of "Fat Jake." She died. He
next married Polly Hobby. She died. He next married Pennaline Joiner.
The town of Sumner was named for him. Joe M. son of old Joe, married
Jane Young. Their children were: Tom, who married Jane Branch;
daughter of John Branch; Leonard married Cora Balcomb; Betsy married
Dr. Warren Williams; Frances married M.C. Lemons of North Carolina;
Oscaer first married Clifford Royal, daughter of Peleg Royal of
Sycamore, and next married Josie Jones; John married Belle Deariso;
Hattie married Jim Dykes; Maude married Charles Williams: Eliza
married Aurelias Bass; and Henry single. Matilda, daughter of old Joe,
married Jehu Fletcher, of the tribe of Joseph. Martha married Tom
young, son of Fat Jake.
Tom, son of old Joe Sumner, died in the war.
Sophronia married Elbert Fletcher. She died and was buried near Chula,
near the old homestead. Missouri, daughter of old Joe, married Joe
Sutton (See Suttons) George, son of old Joe, married Rhoda Porter.
Their children were: Buck, who married Eliza Poulan, had one son,
Charles, who married Mittie Bradshaw. Dan, son of George, married Mary
Bridges. Ellen married W.R. Glover. She died. Alice married Sheppard
Pittman. Florence married Jacob Fletcher, son of Sandy Jim. She died.
Tom married Lou Pittman; they had two children, Myra and Glenn.
Lizzie, daughter of George, married Collie Stanford. Willie married
Nora Jordan. Julia, youngest daughter of George, single.
___________________________________________
Jesse Sumner, brother to old Joe, married Viney Yates, in Emanuel
county, who accompanied him to Irwin. They had a large family of
children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Joe, the oldest son,
died. The other children were: Jim, Alexander, Ashley, Burrell, Jesse,
William, John, Ransom, Nancy, Rachel, Winnie (died unmarried), Betsy
and Eliza. Jack, oldest son of Jim, married Faithy Paulk. He was
killed at a barn raising at Sycamore. She died previously. Jim, son of
old Jim, married Jane Hooks. He was the first representative of Turner
County in the legislature, and one of the wealthiest farmers in the
county. They had no children. Millie, daughter of old Jim, married
Lott Warren. They settled near Inaha and raised a large family. Their
children were: Mary married Gordon Clyatt, of Florida; they settled in
the northern part of Tift county. Jim married Abigail Hendricks of
Macon; she died. Jane married W.D. Fountain of Sycamore. Sallie
married Dr. Theodore Ellis; he died leaving a daughter , Berta; she
next married James Denham; he died leaving three small children.
George married Otha Clements of Sycamore. Lottie married Charlie Ray
of Ashburn. Blonnie and Lott Jr. Are single. Liza, daughter of old Jim
Sumner, married Ben Cravey, County Commissioner of Turner. Their
children were: Mary married George Brookes; Millie married Rufus
Parks; Bee married Burt Sheppard; William married Lizzie Luke; Leacy
and other small children. Old Jim Sumner died, leaving his widow to
mourn for him. He left a handsome estate. His widow spent her
declining years in the old log house that he built. Cager, son of
Burrell, married Ethel Sullivan of Arkansas.
Alexander, son of old Jesse Sumner, married Laney Marchant, sister to
Toney and Willis. Both died childless. Ashley, son of old Jesse,
married Martha Sutton. He died, leaving Ellen, Jane, Burrell, John,
and Seaton. Ellen, daughter of Ashley, married Tom McMillan. She died
childless.
Jane married Jesse Smith. He died, leaving, Jim, who married Mary
Yarbrough; Ruth married Emanuel Yarbrough; she died. Mattie married
Tim Sheffield; they separated. Nan married Duncan Willis, son of Tom.
Betsy married Nick Willis, son of John I. Lou not married.
Burrell, son of Ashley, married Roxie Lamb. No children.
John, son of Ashley, married Minnie Kitchens.
Seaton, son of Ashley, married Mattie Fletcher, daughter of J.M.. They
raised a large family. Their son, Ashley married Blonnie Daniels.
Martha married William Butler. The others are: Mary, Camille, Marcus,
Hershel, Gray and Omie.
Burrell, son of old Jesse Sumner, married Nancy Branch, daughter of
Dave. He died in the war leaving one child, Burrell or B.B. who
married Becky Ann Vickers, daughter of old Wiley Vickers of Coffee
County. They settled near Waterloo on the Albany and Irwinville road
where they raised fifteen children. Their oldest son, Wiley, is
Cashier of the Willacoochee Bank.
Nancy married Greenberry Felts of Chula.
Micajah married Leacy Branch.
Walter married Minnie Cravey, daughter of Jim Cravey of Worth County.
Mary Jane, Millie, Sallie, Unie, Lucy, Hattie, Edwin, Mattie, Chelsey,
Rebecca, and Berta, all alive and healthy.
Jesse, son of old Jesse Sumner, whom everyone in Tift and Irwin
counties knew as "Uncle Jesse" married Polly Ann Drawdy. His second
marriage was with Kate Sutton; both lived to a ripe old age. Their
children were: Jordan married Jane Willis; He was killed by Conger and
Gibbs, leaving Missouri, Ben, Jesse, Elbert, and Millie.
Alex, son of Jesse, married Phela Register. William married Sarah
Elliot. Seaborn married Louise Porter, daughter of Hamp Porter. Rachel
married Tom Jackson. Sallie married Tom Butler. Lucy married Jim Yawn.
All have large families.
William, son of old Jesse, married Betsy Warren. He died.
Rachel, daughter of old Jesse, married old Malcolm McMillan. Nancy,
daughter of old Jesse, married John Roberts. Her daughter, Nancy,
married "Fried Meat John" Smith. She was the mother of B.E., or "Ras"
who married Ella Royal; Oscar, who married Miss Fountain; Ella who
married Mr. Morgan; and Reason.
Other children of John Roberts were: Dan, William, Maria, Jesse, and
Betsy.
Betsy, daughter of old Jesse Sumner, married Ryan Kinard. Their
children were: Martha, Ryan, Rachel and Rufus.
Eliza, daughter of old Jesse, married John Marchant, brother of Toney
and Willis. They settled near Omega.
John, son of old Jesse Sumner, married Cornelia Sutton. He died after
the war, leaving Joe, who married Peggy Hooks. Susie married Augustus
Phelps. He died, leaving Minnie, who married Jehu Branch. Peal married
Jack Davidson; Nora married Arthur Whiddon, and Clorinda married Allen
Smith, son of Griffin.
Elizabeth, daughter of John Sumner, married John Butler. No children.
Melissa, daughter of John, never married.
Walter, son of John, married Annie Elliott. He died, leaving a family.
Henry, son of John, married Mamie Felts, daughter of Rev. G.B. Felts.
Sallie, daughter of John, married John Elliott.
Ed, youngest son of John, married Fannie Swain; she died, he next
married Lona Belle Turner.
______________________________________________
William Sumner, cousin to Joe and Jesse, who came from Emanuel county,
married Nancy McDaniel. Their children were: Mehala, Sallie, Caroline,
Angeline, Cynthia, Belisa, Berry, Robert, Stewart and Matthew.
Sallie married Willis Marchant, brother of Tommy and John.
Angeline married ??d Walker.
Mahala, Caroline, Cynthia, Belisa, Berry, Mathew, and Robert single.
Stewart married Nancy Blanchard. Their children were: William married
Mattie Porter, daughter of Joe Porter; Nancy married William Horne;
Sarah married Aaron Chandler; Cynthia married Lenwood Jordan; Dollie
single.