Don't Go Over the River, But Do Go Through the Woods

     "If you get to the river you've missed it."  Those were part of the directions sent to me by my cousin, Mitch, as we arranged to meet and track down the grave of my 4th Great-Grandfather, Willis Craft, in Elbert County, Georgia.  I had learned of this grave very early on my genealogy research, almost 10 years ago.  A few years back, I'd found a map with the location of the grave: out in the middle of the woods with no roads labeled.  I honestly never thought I'd be able to find it.

     Earlier this month, my cousin posted a photo of a Craft cemetery to Facebook.  I asked about it and, though it was out in the middle of the woods in Elbert County, Georgia, it was a different cemetery.  However, he was able to ask around and he found a lady who knew where the grave was.  He went out to find it, then took me out to see it today.

     I drove two hours, along with my mom, to reach a rural intersection just a short distance from the Savannah River.  I met Mitch and Diane and followed them down a series of gravel roads, which was part of a subdivision that had been partially developed but currently looks stalled. When we reached a cul de sac we got out and walked a few hundred yards into the woods.  On the top of the rise set a single grave that I'd been hoping to find for almost a decade.

     I had seen a black and white photo of the grave before, in which it was laying down.  This stone had been repositioned and was now upright.  Because of this, the death date is now buried.  Despite this, I would think that the upright position is better for the stone in the long run. And I do have the old photo, which shows the date.

     Willis is buried alone, while his wife and a few of his children (who died within a decade of Willis) are buried not too far away at the Rock Branch Baptist Church.  We speculated about why that was, but could only think it was sentimental.  Did he want to be buried on his own land with a view of the river?

     Standing at the grave, you could see water through the trees on two sides.  We trekked a bit further and found that we were in a bit of an inlet off of the Savannah River.  And boy was it beautiful!  It must have been amazing to live on this land in the 1800s, right along the river.  Hungry?  Go fish!  Mitch told me that the story is that the families used to farm on the islands in the river.  I certainly wouldn't complain to live on this land.

     Mitch also took me over to see the cemetery that he's posted pictures of on Facebook.  It was the burial place of Anderson and Lucy Craft, as well as a few others.  I took pictures of those graves and have updated everything on FindAGrave, including GPS coordiantes.

     Overall, it was a great day.  Who wouldn't drive two hours to meet up with a cousin you've never met before out in the middle of nowhere to go tromping through the woods to find a cemetery?  I'd love to have the chance to do it again soon.

Finding PawPaw's CCC Camp

     A few years ago, I obtained my PawPaw's Civilian Conservation Corps records.  They indicated that he, Thomas Craft, served at Camp SP-3 at Albemarle, North Carolina.   The records gave me a lot of information about him, but not much about the location where he served.  I've searched on and off for more information, but tonight I must have finally done something right.

     I discovered that my PawPaw served at Camp Doughton, which helped to build Morrow Mountain State Park.  I found mention of the park's grand opening, which mentioned the CCC, and then found a silent video, posted by the State Archive of North Carolina on YouTube, which has some scenes of the camp.  Looks like I'll need to plan a trip to visit this park some time in the future.

Camp scenes begin at the 3 minute mark

Sally Ruth Evans (52 Ancestors)

     I'm participating in the 52 Ancestors Challenge in Ahnentafel order, and week nine is about one of my paternal great-grandmothers.  I know I'm behind but I don't even know how far - one week or two? I went on vacation and I'm all mixed up.

     Sally Ruth Evans was born 17 August 1902 in Hart County, Georgia to John H Evans and Leila F Craft.   She was only eight years old when her father died, and 10 when her mother married James W Brown.  From the 1940 census, it appears that she attended school only through the 7th grade.  When she was 16 she married Bennie E Craft, and at 17 gave birth to her first of nine children.

     My Great-Grandmother is one of those cases where an ancestor's name is constantly in flux.  Sometimes she's recorded as Sallie or Sally, sometimes as Ruth.  As a child and a young wife, the census listed her as Sallie.  It seems like the older she got, the more likely she would be recorded as Ruth.  Later in life she often appeared as Sally Ruth.  When I asked my dad, he said she was Ruth.  I don't know if it's a case of going by her middle name but giving her legal name, or what.  It's just confusing though.

     She was the only great-grandparent still living when I was born and I have a vague recollection of meeting her once at a family reunion.  I don't remember much, just the image of an elderly lady in a wheelchair coming down the isle between picnic tables.

     She died 20 June 1999 in Hart County, Georgia, and was buried with her husband at the Rock Branch Baptist Church in Elbert County, Georgia.

Bennie England Craft (52 Ancestors)

     I'm participating in the 52 Ancestors Challenge in Ahnentafel order, and week eight is about one of my paternal great-grandfathers.

     Bennie "B. E." Craft was born 6 Feb 1896 in Hartwell, Georgia.  He was the son of George Craft and Effie Powell, a farming family.  Given B. E.'s age, I thought that there was a chance that he fought in World War I.  WWI Draft Cards are one of my go-to records for finding information on my ancestors, but I was confused when I couldn't find one for B. E.  I was using the record collection on Ancestry.com, and I don't know how many times I searched or browsed that database.  He was the right age - why was there no draft card?  Could there be a problem with this database?

     After a while, I found out (through a fellow researcher), that one of B. E.'s brothers had fought in WWI - but he didn't have a draft card either.  Of course, he could have signed up before being drafted, but I saw this as an indication that there could be a problem with the database.  I made and broke plans a few times to visit the National Archive's Atlanta branch to view the "original" microfilm.  Before I got around to that, however, FamilySearch, put up the same WWI draft cards.

     Only, they weren't quite the same.  This collection included B. E.'s card!

     So, this experience reminds me of a few things: Don't assume that one version of a record collection (especially a copy-of-a-copy) is 100% correct; follow up with plans to seek alternative access to record collections.

     In the end, B. E.'s draft card doesn't really give me any new information, but it's another piece of the puzzle, another document about my ancestor.  And I want them all.

Thomas Spurgeon Craft (52 Ancestors)

     I'm participating in the 52 Ancestors Challenge in Ahnentafel order, so week four is about my paternal grandfather (Pawpaw).  It's a week behind, but I'm working on catching up !

     Thomas Spurgeon Craft was born 26 Dec 1919 in Elbert County, Georgia (though some records indicate neighboring Hart County).  He was the oldest child of Bennie Craft and Ruth Evans, who were farmers.  To help the family recovering from the Great Depression, Thomas joined the CCC and served in Albemarle, North Carolina as a cook.  I've heard that his dad bought a car with the money Thomas sent home for the family.  After coming home from the CCC, he continued to farm and do other jobs in the community.  He married Sarah Britt and, with three children at home, was drafted to fight in World War II.  Luckily he served in Europe after most fighting had ended and was home soon.  He moved the family to Atlanta soon after, where he got a job at Atlantic Steel.  He also ran his own sanitation company, until the county took over all residential services.

     My most personal memory of my grandfather is of him giving me and my sister rides on his John Deere riding mower.  He had attached an extra seat to the side and would give us rides around the yard.

   I was always curious about my grandfather's middle name: Spurgeon.  I'd tried googling before and came up empty, but for some reason when I did it just now, I found something.  There was a British preacher named Charles Spurgeon who was apparently pretty famous.  He died in the 1890s, around the time Thomas' mother was born.  Spurgeon was a Baptist preacher and many generations of the Craft and associated families attended the Rock Branch Baptist Church.  My guess is that my grandfather was named for the famous preacher.

They're In the Army Now

Week 11 of the Book of Me, Written by You blog prompt series.

     This article, and others like it, appeared in The Hartwell Sun newspaper, of Hart County, Georgia.  Published on 3 Aug 1945, this article lists 57 men, "the largest group of men to leave Hart County in months," who had just been drafted into the army.  Included in this list is my Grandfather, Thomas Craft.  He served in Germany as a truck driver and, thankfully, return home a year later.

The largest group of men to leave Hart County in months went to Ft. McPherson, Atlanta, Monday, where they are being inducted into the armed services.      Names of the 57 white men are reported by the Local Draft Board as follows: William C. Stowe, Cleo Harris Sanders, Dorsey Partain, Pelzer H. Herring, George Harper, Charlie H. Sanders, Inman E. Reed, Lucius B. Alewine, Thomas S. Craft, James H. Estes, Bernice T. McCurley, Fay H. Cleveland, Charles S. White, George E. Hilley, Charlie T. Pilgrim, Joe G. Hailey, Fred Y. Norton, D. C. Phillips, Jr., Artis D. Ertzberger, Frank H. Thrasher, James M. Wicker, Jack Cordell, James V. Cantrell, Thomas J. Bailey, Jr., Charles M. Cobb, Robert A. Floyd, Billy J. Floyd, Howard W. Earwood, Fletcher Dove, Billy E. Clark, Clifton Floyd, Jr., Herbert W. Maret, Luther Thompson, Jr., J. B. Weaver, Jr., Beverly J. Bailey, Charles L. Whitaker, Jr., Frank D. Pulliam, Asa L. Childs, Dwain E. Gurley, Owen M. Teasley, Dewey H. Beggs, Kyle J. Crook, James M. Brown, Jr., Early B. Sanders, Edward D. Kesler, Edgar W. Kay, C. B. Alewine, C. L. Brown, Jr., Hansel D. Cole, Prue M. Banister, Jr., T. J. Carnes, Leonard M. Seymour, John E. Kelly, Larry E. Senkbeil, Herschel B. Sayer, Harold R. Bailey, Thomas H. Bowers.

A Surfeit of Juniors

     I descend from two different Craft lines: my direct paternal surname is Craft, and my paternal Grandfather's maternal Grandmother was also a Craft.  Got that?  Both lines lived in Elbert County, Georgia for many generations, and are commonly believed to connect at the 4th Great-Grandfather level.  I waver back and forth on whether or not I believe that my Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfathers, Willis Craft and William J Craft were brothers (marked with stars in the diagram), the sons of John Craft and Mary Moss.

     I only recently found a document that that connects Willis Craft to his father, John Craft.  This record was found in Estate Records, and lists Willis Craft and John Craft Jr as the minor children of John Craft Sr.  I'm lucky that there are no other Willis Crafts in the area at this time, so when I see the name, I know it is my 4th Great Grandfather.

     What struck me when I found this record was the mention of John Craft Jr.  Note that John is listed before Willis, which can indicate (but is not a guarantee) of the childrens' birth order.   However, it does fit the birth order of my William (1803) and Willis (1809).

     So, I have likely proven that Willis Craft is the son of John Craft Sr. - but what about William J Craft?  Could the J be for John? (And I should note that only the 1850 census gives Williams' middle initial as 'J'; no other document supplies a name or initial.)

     Doesn't look like it.  Next, I found this 1840 census record from Elbert County, Georgia.

     This record proves that that there was a William Craft and there was a John Craft Jr.  This William is younger than mine, but his children and wife's ages are correct - maybe his age was just recorded wrong?

     Let's jump to another record, the marriage bond of William Craft and Sarah Cash that I just found yesterday:

     Did you notice? William is given the suffix Junior.  I know that this is my William J Craft, but this is the first time I've seen him listed as a Junior.   Is one little suffix the bit of evidence that proves William and Willis were not brothers?

Sigh...

     I haven't been doing much genealogy lately.  I've let my Ancestry.com subscription lapse and haven't made any trips to archives or libraries.  But I did receive a death certificate in the mail today, which has given me a bit of jump start.

     I ordered the death certificate of my Great-Great-Great Grandmother recently, when reviewing my documents for a potential DAR application.  I realized that I was missing her death certificate, as well as that of her son, so I sent off for it.  Yesterday I received her DC in the mail and... sigh... not helpful.
   

     Rossie Alexander Craft was 98 years old when she died and her death certificate was filled out by her daughter in law.  Apparently Mrs JW Craft didn't have the best information.  Rossie's father was Georgia Alexander, not George Craft; Rossie's mother is listed simply as "Miss Cash," no first name given.   So for the sake of paternity, this death certificate is practically useless.

     At the same time, it's been almost a month since I emailed my local DAR chapter (the only form of contact seemingly available).  Aside from a "I'll forward this to the right person," I haven't heard back from them.  I'm only moderately interested in joining, so I don't have a ton of patience to wait for information.  I've sent them a followup email and we'll see what happens.

I Know Where My Ancestors Where 150 Years Ago Today. Do You?

     150 years ago today five of my ancestors were brought together on a battlefield in Pennsylvania.  There, they fought on the Confederate side of one of the most famous battles of the Civil War: Gettysburg.  Were your ancestors there as well?  If you don't know, I'll share how I traced my ancestors to the battlefield.

     I started by making a list of all male ancestors in my family tree who were between the ages of 14 and 60 in the early 1860s.  I then searched for Civil War Service Records for those men, using the indexes available on Ancestry.com and images on Fold3.  Once I found their records, I made a list of my Civil War soldier ancestors with their enlistment date, regiments, and discharge date, as listed on their Civil War Service Records.

     Next, I researched the regiments and units that each soldier served in, to find out which battles they fought in.  This can be difficult, as each regiment has been researched to a different extent.  Some regiments were large and part of even larger armies, others were small and participated in smaller battles.  Regiments were often reorganized, becoming part of a larger army (ex Army of Northern Virginia).  Here, Google was my friend and will be yours as well.  There are lots of small websites out there, dedicated to particular regiments or units.  I also found good information on Wikipedia, in some cases.  For those doing Georgia research, the website, Georgia Confederate Units, will be very helpful to understand the organization of regiments.  But don't neglect books either!  Check out the collections at nearby libraries and archives to see if there is anything available.

     As you can see in the service record shown here, my Great-Great-Great Grandfather, Nathan W Hyler, enlisted with Company C of the 15th Regiment South Carolina Infantry on 7 April 1862.  This record shows that he was "Present" with his unit during the months of July and August of 1863.

     The dates on this record are key; I know when he joined the war (so I don't need to look earlier than this date) and I know that Nathan was with his regiment in July of 1863.  From researching his regiment, I know that at that time they were fighting at Gettysburg!

     Using the information I uncovered about my ancestor's military units, I came up with the following list of ancestors who fought there:

• From my Paternal line
• William Anderson Craft of Elbert County, GA, with the 15th Reg GA Infantry, Co F
• Wiley Powell of Elbert County, GA, with the 38th Reg GA Infantry, Co F
• From my Maternal line
• William Washington Sprouse of Abbeville County, SC, with the 1st Reg SC Cav, Co A
• detached to Hampton's Brigade
• Franklin Edwin Leaphart of Lexington County, SC, with the 15th Reg SC Inf, Co C
• Nathan Washington Hyler of Lexington County, SC, with the 15th Reg SC Inf, Co C

     I then visited CivilWar.org to look at battlefield maps from Gettysburg.  I was able to find each of my ancestors' units on the maps.  This image shows a portion of "The Wheatfield Fight."  You can see where the 15th Georgia and the 15th South Carolina fought in this battle.  That's three of my ancestors fighting very close together.  Hopefully one day I'll visit Gettysburg and will be able to walk where my ancestors fought.  Hopefully you found some helpful tips here and will be able to walk where your ancestors fought too.

A Guardianship Question

     I found this document on FamilySearch.org in alphabetized Estate Records for Elbert County.  I'm confused by it and hoping someone can provide some insight.

     I'm reading that John Craft Sr is being made guardian of John Craft Jr and Willis Craft, sons of John Craft Sr.  Is this record giving guardian ship of a father to his sons, or are there two John Craft Seniors? Where John Craft Sr is named as the father, the words "late of said county, deceased" are crossed out, indicating that he is alive.  But why does a father need to be named guardian?  This record is in the Estate Records; is he becoming guardian of property they have inherited?

Willis Craft: Postmaster

     Ancestry.com has a relatively new database, "Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971."  I came across it as a hint for another relative, and then started searching for other relatives. I already had a newspaper clipping that said that my 4x Great Grandfather, Willis Craft, had been postmaster. I wanted to see if the information was backed up in this database.

    The newspaper clipping above is dated 1851, but the only result I could find in the Postmasters database showed that Willis became Postmaster of Craftsville in 1858 (after leaving his position as State House Representative).  His predecessor, Kelly Sullivan took over in 1854.  Perhaps Willis had been postmaster before that?

     Unfortunately, I had trouble searching the database. When I searched for results in Elbert County, Georgia, I came up with "no matches."  That's strange, since the above listing is for Craftsville, Elbert, Georgia.  And other search by location turned up results, such as Lincoln County, Georgia. There seems to be a problem with Elbert County - and probably other random locations as well.

     I ended up browsing pages to find the previous years for Elbert County, and did eventually find what I was looking for. Willis Craft first became Postmaster in February of 1851, as indicated by the newspaper article.

     This entry had been mis-transcribed, which is why I couldn't find it by a name search. I should have been able to find it by location though. For a database that was created based on location, it's a pretty big deal that the location search doesn't work properly.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Finding Connections in the Final Episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are?'

     I was excited to watch the final episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are?,' knowing that Paula Deen's episode would cover Georgia genealogy. I was surprised at how closely the story shown in this episode mirrored a branch of my own family tree.

     Paula's 4x Great Grandfather, John Batts, had a lot in common with my 5x Great Grandfather, Willis Craft. The most remarkable connection: they both served in the Georgia House of Representatives as pro-slavery Democrats from 1857-1858. Paula did some research at the Georgia Archive, similar to what I've done, including using their General Name File. Here's a photo I had taken of my ancestor's card, as well as a screenshot of Paula's ancestor:

     Paula learned that after the war John Batts suffered, due to his politics pre-war and a bad economy. The listing for Willis Craft in the 1870 census lacks estate and property value information and I have not seen tax information from this time. However I imagine that my ancestor suffered much like Paula's did.  He lost his ten slaves, which were valued at $8,800 in a 1860 tax record. If he managed to maintain his land during the war, it would now cost him a lot more to cultivate it.

     Due to their political activity, both John Batts and Willis Craft, would have needed to seek a pardon from the post-war government to participate in certain activities, such as voting. John did this, and can be found in ancestry.com databases for a pardon and voter registration. For some reason Willis chose not to seek a pardon and never re-registered to vote, though his sons were registered.

     John Batts died in 1879 of suicide after economic ruin. Willis Craft died in 1874 at age 64, only a few months after selling 320 acres of his property, on which he lived, to his son, John. In the land deed, it is specified that Willis and his wife, Martha, will live on and cultivate the property until they died.  I always thought it a bit strange that Willis didn't just will the property to his son, though Willis actually left no will at all. Perhaps he needed the money to pay off personal debts? Somehow, I am under the impression that Willis was in financial difficulty.

And This Is Why You Can't Believe Everything You Read

     I found this article in "The Hartwell Sun," published in Hartwell, Georgia 1920. It references my 4x Great Grandfather, Willis Craft, and his ancestors.  It states that his descendants can trace his family back about 150 years to a Miss Washington, the sister of George Washington. Yes, this article claims that the Crafts of Elbert County are related to our nation's first President. So, is it true?

     According to this article, the information is "said to be authentic and published as a bit of history without the knowledge of the Craft family." Well that doesn't bode well.

     But what about the facts themselves? Did the unnamed Miss Washington marry Griffin Craft?  In this situation, it would obviously be much easier to trace down the tree from George than up the tree from me.  It should be pretty easy to find out who his sisters were and who they married.  Turns out George Washington had only one sister who lived to adulthood, and she did not marry a Craft. Betty Washington married Fielding Lewis and it looks like none of their daughters married a Craft either.

     There could be some hint of truth in the article somewhere. Perhaps there is a Miss Washington in the family tree - just not one with such a famous brother. Or perhaps there is some other connection to the Washington family - through Mrs. Martha Washington's family perhaps?  There has to be some sort of basis for this story. But that could be only that someone wanted to invent a famous connection...

     Even if there is some small smidgen of truth buried somewhere in this story the boldly stated facts are patently false. You just can't believe everything you read.

Wordless Wednesday

After They Served

     Tomorrow is Veterans' Day, a day in which we remember and give thanks to the men and women who served in our nation's armed forces. But their military career wasn't the extent of their lives, though it often impacted it dramatically.

     My Pawpaw, Thomas Craft, left his family behind when he was drafted into World War II.  His leaving was a hardship for his wife and two young daughters. They were a family of farmers, either working as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. The cotton crop, the family's main source of income, came in while Thomas was in Europe. Without Thomas there to lead the family harvest, the crop was stollen.

     Thomas came back home and worked until he could buy the land the family farmed. However, he gave up farming only a few years later. He moved the family from Elbert County, Georgia to DeKalb County, Georgia. He soon began to work at Atlantic Steel, a mill in Atlanta. He would work there for more than 30 years before he retired

     But one job wasn't enough to support himself, his wife and seven children. Thomas always had another job or two on top of his full time work.  My dad recalls that his father worked at a convenience store, a gas station, driving a taxi, and finally started his own sanitation company in 1968.

     My dad often worked along side his father and remembers how hard he worked. When I remember him on Veterans day, I don't just give thanks for his military service, but also for the sacrifices he made to give his family a better life.

Granny & PawPaw's House Deed

     My paternal grandparents lived in a three bedroom house in Liburn for as long as I knew them.  I recently came into possession of their original copy of the deed. From this I learned that they purchased the house and 2.02 acres of land in 1962 for $11,200.  Looking online, I see the house listed on Zillow 1.7 acres and built in 1964.  I'd heard that part of the land had been sold and know that the house had burned down at one time, this deed adds credence to those facts.

Warranty Deed - Form 36 10m-3-60 American Seal & Stamp Company - Atlanta Standard Warranty Deed STATE OF GEORGIA DeKalb  County THIS INDENTURE, made the 6th day of April in the year of our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred and Sixty Two between Luxuria, Inc. of the State of Georgia and County of DeKalb of the first part and Thomas S. Craft of the State of Georgia and the County of Gwinnett of the Second part    WITNESSETH: That the said parties of the first part for and in consideration of the sum of Ten ($10.00) and other valuable consideration DOLLARS in hand paid at and before the sealing and delivery of these presents, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged has granted, bargained, sold and conveyed and by these presents does grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, all that tract or parcel of land lying and being in Land Lot 120 of the 6th District of Gwinnett County, Georgia, and being more particularly described as follows: BEGINNING at the point of intersection of the Southeast line of Land Lot 120 with the Northeast line of Harmony Grove Road, formerly Harmony Grove Church Road (as widened to an 80 foot right-of-way); running thence Northwesterly along the Northeast line of said Harmony Grove Road, two hundred thirty five (235) feet to an iron pin corner; running thence Northeasterly three hundred seventy five (375) feet to an iron pin corner; running thence Southeasterly two hundred thirty five (235) feet to an iron pin of the Southeast line of said Land Lot 120; running thence Southwesterly along the Southeast line of said Land Lot, three hundred seventy five (375) feet to Harmony Grove Road, at the point of beginning, being more particularly shown by the plat of survey of the property of Luxuria, Inc., as made by B.J. Globe, Jr., Surveyor, dated March 30, 1962, the same being a portion of the 39.5 acre tract, as shown on the plat of the property of H. R. Martin, dated July 25, 1950, and recorded in Plat Book E, Page 188, Gwinnett County Records. Being improved property having located thereon a one-story frame dwelling. Part of the second part agrees to assume and pay a Loan in the amount of $11,200.00 in favor of DeKalb County Federal Savings & Loan Assn. [Stamp] TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said bargained premises, together with all and singular the rights, members and appurtenances thereof, to the same being, belonging or in any wise appertaining, to the only proper use, benefit and behoof of him the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, forever, IN FEE SIMPLE.      And the said parties of the first part, for its (their) heirs, executors and administrators will warrant and forever defend the right and title to the above described property unto the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, against the lawful claims of all persons whomsoever.      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, The said parties of the first part has hereunto set its hand and affixed its seal, the day and year above written.      Signed, sealed and delivered in teh presence of  Lewis Whittington [signature] |  Luxuria, Inc Manson J Hannah [signature] |  Fred Hannah                         President                                                       [seals]

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Floor Plans - The Craft House

     My paternal grandparents, Thomas and Sarah Craft (aka Granny and PawPaw), lived in Lilburn, GA. They lived on a curve in the road with a large tree at the end of their driveway. There was an old well in the front yard that had been filled in at some point, though it never occurred to me until later that this meant the house didn't originally have indoor plumbing. As far as I was concerned the house consisted of two rooms: the living room and kitchen.

     The living room was where Granny and PawPaw sat in their recliners and Granny painted our nails. They also had lamps that turned on with a touch and a candy dish full of mints. The kitchen was a long room, but the main features were the fridge full of cokes and the drawer with candy bars. When we would visit we would watch rodeos, cooking shows or the Atlanta Braves on tv, or the two VHS tapes they had: "Mrs Doubtfire" and "Dances with Wolves."

     As I said, in my mind the house consisted of the kitchen and living room. After Granny passed away a few years ago, the family emptied the house and I explored the guest bedrooms and the (huge) basement for the first time. Here's a floor plan of the house, that I completed with the help of my parents:

Tombstone Tuesday - Craft

     My Great-Great Grandparents, George and Effie (Powell) Craft are buried at the Cokesbury Methodist Church. It's located just inside Hart County, walking distance from the Elbert County line.

     A few other Craft family relatives a buried here as well, including George and Effie's infant grandson, Bennie England Craft Jr.  I walked the entire cemetery, however I could not find the boy's grave. I suspect that he might be buried in the lefthand side of his grandparent's plot. Bennie was a casualty of the 1928 flu epidemic that ravaged the country and sickened his entire immediate family.