This is a work in progress. Much of my direct line is documented, but some may not be. If there is a question, I usually include words like "seems likely" or "possibly" in hopes that it may help someone else or eventually get me closer to documentation. Also, I do make errors when transferring info to my files or to the site. If you find errors that you can correct, please e-mail me and I'll gladly make the changes or if you have more information on anyone mentioned here and can share it, I would be really appreciative.
From recent DNA analysis, we know that in the United States there are at least four separate, unrelated families with the Lovelace/Loveless surname. Also confirmed is that all four of them very likely originated in England or the British Isles.
According to researcher Jack D. Lovelace, the first person with the name of Lovelace/Loveless to appear in colonial Maryland was William Loveless (1643 to around 1693). He was included in a headright list of Thomas Vaughan in Oct. 1664 for transportation to the colonies in Aug. 1663. A Thomas Lovelace migrated into Accomack County, Virginia and then down into Talbot County, Maryland. It’s possible that these two men were brothers.
Not much is known about William Lovelace and there is no proof he is my ancestor, but he is a likely contender. He was possibly the father of my 7th great-grandfather John Lovelace.
John Baptist Lovelace
My 6th Great-grandfather, 1721-1775
John Baptist Lovelace was born in Charles County, Maryland in 1721, likely the only child of John Lovelace (1698 to May 1775) and Mary. (Source: Vicki Kanarr who cites Marcia Lipscomb (1876-1969) who claimed Bible records).
In the early 1740s, in a deed that has now been lost, John Lovelace gave 39 acres of land called “Lovelace’s Addition” to his son, John Baptist Lovelace. This John Lovelace also names Samuel, Luke and Phillip in other deeds. Land associated with John Lovelace includes “Zachia Manor” and “Poor Man’s Hope.”
At some point, John Baptist acquired a tract of land known as “Job’s Comfort” in Charles County, Maryland.
In 1730, John Baptist Lovelace married Eleanor/Ellinor (possibly Wilcoxen) who was possibly from Wilkes County, North Carolina.
From 1762 to 1765, John Baptist Lovelace remitted quit rents on his plantation known as “Hermitage.”
On Sept. 20, 1762, he patented the “Hermitage” in Frederick County, Maryland. (Source: Maryland Land Office Registers: Patents 1761 – 1765; pg 589 [SR7517 for microfilm]. Maryland Land Office Registers: Certificates 1761 – 1765; pg 237 [SR7518 for microfilm]. Settlers of Maryland 1751 – 1765; Peter Wilson Coldham, copyright 1996).
John died in 1765 at the age of 53 leaving behind 8 children from ages 1 to 25.
His will, written in Frederick County, Maryland named his wife and all his children:
- 129 acres of Hermitage to wife Eleanor.
- To William [22], Elias [10], and Luke [24] at Eleanor’s death.
- rest of Hermitage to Charles [21].
- 120 1/2 acres of Job’s Comfort, in Charles County, to Isaac [24].
- 1/3 of personal estate to wife.
- 2/3 of personal estate to Vachel [07], Mary Ann [14], Archibald [04], and Millesent [01]
From the language used to name his children, we know they were all residing close to him in Maryland. None had yet moved to North Carolina. Frederick County, Maryland, Will Book A1, pages 245-246
John’s widow, Eleanor, married a widower, Thomas Robey, and with their combined families they moved to Fifth Creek, Iredell County, North Carolina.
A year later, Eleanor’s son Charles (my 5th great-grandfather) married Thomas Robey’s daughter Sarah (my 5th great-grandmother).
Thomas and Eleanor were slave owners and Thomas Robey mentions an indentured servant with freedom dues to be paid in his will.
Elias and Vachel, sons of John and Eleanor Lovelace, both served in the Revolutionary War and later moved to Kentucky. Both are also said to have spent time as “Indian spies.”
While Charles married his step sister Sarah Robey, on Jan. 12, 1775, his brother Elias married Nancy Anne Robey, another of their step sisters.
Thomas Robey wrote his will in Rowan County, North Carolina on May 17, 1773 and included the names his children: Nathan, Prior Smallwood, Ann, Virlinda, Charlotte, and Sarah Lovelace and his step-children: Vachel, Millesent, Archibald, Isaac, and Charles Lovelace.
Thomas Robey died in 1774.
Eleanor Lovelace Robey died on May 9, 1777 and was buried in the Lewis Cemetery.
This excerpt from a 1944 book written about the Lewis Cemetery gives a nice glimpse of what the community was like.
“Within the memory of those living in 1944 when this is written, the names of those old settlers come back as echoes of names mentioned long ago by those who knew them. They have long been gathered to their fathers and soon even their names will be strange to the people who live along Fifth Creek, where they lived and died and lie in graves not far away. But where exactly are these graves? It is not possible to answer with entire assurance, but at least we know that many of them were buried in the plot known as Lewis Graveyard. Let us take a glance over the neighborhood say that day that Thomas Robey lay dead in his home on the north fork of Fifth Creek late in 1773. Where should a man, stranger in a strange land, be interred? So far as it appears, he was the first of the Marylanders to die in the neighborhood. The only burring ground was at least six or seven miles away, by rough road at what had come to be known as the Fourth Creek Cemetery. There had been interments there, as early as 1764 when William Archibald died. It is said that Rev. John Thompson had held religious services there, or near by, and that the beginnings of a congregation were in existence…however, the fourth creek burying ground had been used, apparently, only by Pennsylvanians who held to Presbyterian tenets.
Maryland people were of a different strain and custom. It is very likely that the Robey family was not invited to mingle its dust with the dust of the Covenanters. It must be, then, that after Maryland custom, they rest on lands that were once their own…The Lewis Graveyard. So reverent was the care the early settlers showed to their burying ground that they erected around it a substantial wall. Long ago, someone planted a myrtle on a grave and today, the entire graveyard is full of it.”
“Lewis Graveyard, with Mention of Some Early Settlers along Fifth Creek, Iredell County, NC,” by Lazenby, Mary Elinor; published by Mary Elinor Lazenby, 1944
The Lovelace family consisting of Charles, Isaac, Williams, Elias, Luke, Archibald, and Melicent Lovelace and Mary Ann Shaw, step children of Thomas Roby and children of his wife Eleanor Roby, were residing on Fifth Creek before The Revolutionary War and as far back as 1773 the old people were about ready to close up their earthly career…In the early days of the county’s existence the name Lovelace was rather numerous in the part of the county, but at this time the name is extinct in the county though many of their decnts are here.
Information collected by Dr. P.F. Laugenour, The Genealogical Society, Iredell Co. NC. 1909
Source for much of the early Lovelace information can be found here and in The Lovelace Family in America.
The children of John Baptist and Eleanor Lovelace were:
| Last | First | Born | Location Born | Died | Location Died | Spouse |
| Lovelace | Luke | 1757 | Rock Creek, Prince George’s Co., MD | Around 1800 | Unknown Buried: Unknown |
Mary Ann Ridgeway |
| 24 Oct 1786 — Luke’s inheritance was confiscated by the State of Maryland because Luke would not sign the Loyalty Oath. “Intendants Day Book, No. 1”, pp 45-46 which refers to ‘confiscated property of Luke Lovelace’ that is being transferred to Thomas Cramplin, land which had been previously ‘devised unto’ Luke by his father John Baptist Lovelace. The record referred to a tract called “The Pr”, which is in an area now in Montgomery County. Luke and Mary Ann’ s children were Luke Harris and Unice. |
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| Lovelace | Isaac | 1742 | Rock Creek, Prince George’s Co., MD | 1785 | Unknown | Catherine Beall b. 1731 m. 1768 d. 8 Oct 1796 |
| Lovelace | William | 29 July 1747 | Rock Creek, Prince George’s Co., MD | 13 Aug 1815 | Columbia, GA | Margaret “Margery” Beall b. 28 Sept 1739 m. 1781 d. 3 Sept 1803 |
| Two Lovelace brothers, Isaac and William, married sisters, Catherine and Margaret Beall, respectively, daughters of James and Margaret Edmonston Beall. William Loveless was a private in the 2nd Guard in Prince George’s County, Maryland. (Revolutionary Patriots of PG Co., MD 1775-1783). |
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| Lovelace | Charles | 1742 | Rock Creek, Prince George’s Co., MD | 8 Oct 1796 | Iredell, NC | Sarah Robey b. 1731 m. 1766 d. 8 Oct 1796 |
| Lovelace | Mary Ann | 1751 | Rock Creek, Prince George’s Co., MD | 1820 | Laurens, SC | Robert Shaw m. 8 Oct 1776 |
| Lovelace | Elias | 27 Jan 1755 | Frederick, MD | 23 Dec 1834 | Lovelaceville, KY | Nancy Anne Robey m. 8 Oct 1776 |
| Lovelaceville was founded by Elias Lovelace and his son Andrew. Elias Lovelace was an indian spy and fought in Revolutionary War under Captain Jacob Nicholas. He and his son Andrew Lovelace moved to Ballard Co., KY in about 1824 and founded Lovelaceville. Elias married one of his two step-sisters while his brother Charles married the other one. Their mother, Eleanor, married Nancy Ann and Sarah’s father, Thomas Robey after John Baptist had died. The population of Lovelaceville in 2010 was 972. | ||||||
| Lovelace | Vachel | 12 June 1759 | Rock Creek, Prince George’s Co., MD | 8 Oct 1796 | Lovelaceville, KY Burried in Lovelaceville Cemetery |
Margaret “Peggy” Adams b. 14 Mar 1757 m. 28 July 1778 d. |
| Vachel enlisted in the Revolutionary War on April 1, 1777 and also spent time as an Indian spy. | ||||||
| Lovelace | Archibald | 26 July 1761 | Rock Creek, Prince George’s Co., MD | 29 Aug 1845 | Wilkes Co., NC | Jean Erwin m. 1786 |
| Lovelace | Millesent | 1763 | Rock Creek, Prince George’s Co., MD | Alexander Frances m. 22 Dec 1783 |
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Charles Lovelace
My 5th Great-grandfather, 1730-1796
It appears Charles Lovelace married his step-sister, Sarah Robey (1731 in Charles County, Maryland to 1796 in Iredell County, North Carolina) around 1766. According to “Revolutionary Patriots of Frederick County, Maryland, 1775-1783” by Henry C. Peden, Charles enrolled to serve in the militia of Maryland on July 10, 1776. On Aug. 24. 1778, he bought land in Rowan County, North Carolina.
The Family Sarah Robey Lovelace
Sarah Robey Lovelace was the daughter of Thomas Robey (1712 in Charles County, Maryland to March 16, 1776 in Rowan County, North Carolina) and Sarah Smallwood Robey (1708 in Charles County, Maryland to May 22, 1767 in Charles County, Maryland). Her paternal grandfather was John Robey (1686 in Charles County, Maryland to 1740 in Charles County Maryland). Her paternal great-grandfather was John Robey (1648 in England to April 23, 1726 in Charles County, Maryland).
The Smallwood Family of Charles County, Maryland
Sarah Robey Lovelaces’ mother, Sarah Smallwood Robey, was a daughter of Thomas Smallwood (1675 in Charles County, Maryland to April 9, 1735 in Charles County, Maryland) and a granddaughter of James Smallwood (1638 in Cheshire, England to Jan. 12, 1714/15 in Charles County, Maryland). James is my 8th great-grandfather.
James arrived in Maryland 1664 and soon owned a number of large plantations: “Pork Hall,” “Batchelor’s Hope,” “Welcome,” “Eltham” and others totaling over 3,000 acres. In 1676 he was appointed to “convey all public intelligence in Charles County from thence to his Lordship (the Governor) and his Council” and about 1683 he was made County Commissioner.
Through his son Bayne Smallwood (1711 to 1768), James was the grandfather of Revolutionary War Major General and fourth Governor of Maryland, William Smallwood, left (1732 to Feb. 14, 1792). His plantation during the later years of his life, Smallwood Retreat House, was built around 1760. Smallwood had no children and died in debt. Through the decades, the house had fallen into ruin. Thankfully, it was reconstructed and opened to the public in 1958 and can still be toured today. For more about my own exploration of Smallwood Retreat House, visit this blog entry.
Charles Lovelace wrote his will in Iredell County, North Carolina on Oct. 8, 1796. He is thought to have died in October or November of 1796.
The Will of Charles Lovelace
Note that some errors have been discovered in the will of Charles Lovelace as its been passed down through the generations.
In the Name of God. Amen. This the 8th day of October One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety Six. I Charles Lovelace of Iredell County and State of North Carolina; being sick and weak in Body but of sound Mind and perfect Memory Thanks be to God all his Mercies; and calling to mind the Mortality of my Body and knowing that it is appointed for all men to die; do make this my last Will and Testament; that is to say principally and first of all, I reserve my Soul to God that first gave it; and my Body to be decently buried in the ordinary manner by my Executors; and touching such worldly Estate where it hath pleased God to give me in this life, I give and demise and dispose of in the following manner, Vis,
Item I give and bequeath unto my Son Thomas Lovelace my Mill and Two Hundred Acres of Land to be laid off on the west side of the tract of land I now live on by a North and South Course to him and his Heirs forever, which Two Hundred Acres is to extend across my new Entry.
Item I give and bequeath unto my son Rasemus Lovelace all the rermaining part of my new Entry that is joining of said Tract to him his heirs and assignees forever. One new saddle, one cow and six head of hogs that is running at home.
Item I give unto my Daughter Cassandra, Negro Rach., one feather bed. Item, I give unto my Daughter Linny Summers Negro Bet.
I give unto my Daughter Sally Johnson Negro Hannow and forth pounds North Carolina Currency.
Item I give unto my Daughter Nelly Gaither, Negro child Jane and Thirty Pounds North Carolina Currency.
I give unto David Thompson Forty Pounds North Carolina currency to be paid him by my Executors when he arrives at the age of Twenty one years. All the rest and residue of my Estate both real and personal I leave to be equally divided between all my children that is to say Thomas, Rasamus, Cassandra, Eleanor, Salley, Linney and Ann.
Last of all I order and ordain my trusty Friends Burgess Gaither and my Son in law Jeremiah Gaither, to be my lawful Executors; and do hereby disallow, revoke and make void all other wills here to for made; allowing this to be my last Will and Testament: as witness where of I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal the Day and Year above. Charles LovelaceStatesville, Iredell County Book 1, page 5
The children of Charles and Sarah Robey Lovelace included:
| Last | First | Born | Location Born | Died | Location Died | Spouse |
| Lovelace | Nelly | Frederick, MD | Iredell, NC | |||
| Lovelace | Eleanor | 1767 | Frederick, MD | 10 July 1800 | Iredell, NC | Jeremiah Gaither |
| Lovelace | Cassandre | 1769 | Frederick, MD | Dec 1811 | Iredell, NC | |
| Lovelace | Thomas | 1772 | Frederick, MD | 20 Jul 1829 | Iredell, NC | Amelia Dyson b. 1761 d.1828 |
| Lovelace | William Erasmus | 1772 | Frederick, MD | 1815 | Columbia, GA | Sarah Ann Holeman b. 1816 |
| Lovelace | Sarah Sally | 21 Nov 1777 | Frederick, MD | 24 Mar 1852 | Iredell, NC | Asa Johnson b. 11 Sept 1775 m. Oct 1796 d. 18 Feb 1846 |
| Lovelace | Verlinda Ann | 24 Oct 1778 | Frederick, MD | 14 Dec 1820 | Iredell, NC | Benjamin Summers b. 10 Mar 1772 m. 1794 d. 2 May 1828 |
Thomas Lovelace
My 4th Great-grandfather, 1772-1829
Thomas Lovelace was born to Charles and Sarah Robey Lovelace in Frederick, Maryland in 1772.
He married Amelia “Millie” Dyson (Jan. 29, 1761 in Charles County, Maryland to Jan. 16, 1828 in Iredell, North Carolina).
Thomas Lovelace fought in 5th Company, detached from Iredell Regiment, under Captain John Moody, in the War of 1812. Source
He was a planter and owned a substantial amount of land and slaves.
It’s probably this Thomas Lovelace who appears in the Iredell County census on Aug. 7, 1920 with 15 free whites and 5 slaves.
Upon his death in 1829 in Iredell County, he left sons Levi, Eramus and Dyson “the plantation on which they then lived.” Thomas’ will instructed the executors to sell one of his slaves to purchase a farm for his son Elam. Thomas A. and Levi received the plantations on which they lived and “suits of strong cloth to make them equal to what the others got.” Apparently, their plantations were not are large as the others. Other children mentioned were Archibald, Anna Prather, Sarah Davis, Casandre, Verlinda “Linnie” Summers and Anna. Information compiled by Dr. P.F. Laugenour and in the possession of The Genealogical Society, Iredell Co. NC, 1909
Both Thomas and Amelia are buried at the Lewis Cemetery at Fifth Creek. in Iredell.
Genealogy from the Bible of Thomas and Amelia Dyson Lovelace
By Faye Allen Lovelace, Bonham, Texas, June 7, 1969
Listed below are the names of the children of Thomas Lovelace and his wife Amelia (Millie) Dyson Lovelace. This paper was in the lock box of my great-grandmother Sarah Holman Lovelace, she being the widow of the William Lovelace, who was born May 29th on a Sunday. The lock box was given to me by Miss Willie Inglish in about 1958. It had been in her home since the death of Sarah H. Lovelace in 1904. Miss Inglish, a grand-daughter of Sarah H. Lovelace, told me that the contents of the box were as Sarah H. Lovelace had placed them in the box. Sarah H. and William Lovelace came to Texas in 1855. They were married in Iredell Co. NC on 28 Jan 1836. They and several of their children are buried in Inglish Cemetery, Bonham, Texas. I judge this list to have been written about 1836.
- Charles Lovelace son of Thos Lovelace and Milly his wife was born on December the 17th 1796 on Saturday.
- Elam Lovelace second son was born August the 22nd 1798 on Wednesday
- Anna Lovelace first daughter was born March 10th 1800 on Monday
- Erasmus Lovelace third son was born January 10 1802 on Sunday
- Levy Lovelace fourth son was born January 10th 1804 on Tuesday
- Dyson Lovelace fifth son was born March 2nd 1806 on Sunday
- Archelaus Lovelace sixth son was born March 28th 1808 on Monday
- Sarah Lovelace second daughter was born March 18th 1810 on Sunday
- Thomas Lovelace seventh son was born October 1st 1812 on Thursday
- William Lovelace eighth son was born May the 29th 1814 on Sunday
Elizabeth Elviria listed on Thomas’ will was born in 1815/16 and married Martin Baggerly. Her mother died 16 January 1829 and her father died 20 July 1829. They are buried in the Lewis Cemetery at Cool Springs NC near Statesville.
Comments from Katherine Melton: Amelia and Thomas have stones but they are much harder to read than when I first saw them. If she was listed with the others it was probably on another page and I didn’t receive it.
The children of Thomas and Amelia Dyson Lovelace were:
| Last | First | Born | Location Born | Died | Location Died | Spouse |
| Lovelace | Charles M. | 17 Dec 1796 | Iredell Co., NC | 14 May 1877 | Fannin, TX | Louisa Sims b.1823 m.1854 d. 1901 |
| Lovelace | Elam | 22 Aug 1798 | Iredell Co., NC | Nov 1837 | Iredell, NC | Elizabeth Lewis |
| Lovelace | Elam | 22 Aug 1798 | Iredell Co., NC | Nov 1837 | Iredell, NC | Elizabeth Lewis |
| Lovelace | Anna | 22 June 1798 | Iredell Co., NC | 29 Nov 1867 | Davie, NC | Hiram Henry Prather b. 1796 m. 1818 d. 1861 |
| Lovelace | Erasmus “Ras” | 10 Jan 1802 | Iredell Co., NC | Mar 1828 | Marshall KY | Elizabeth Ann Pember Mary Patience Lydia |
| The children of Erasmus and Lynda were possibly Elinder, Amos, William Erasmus, Sallie, Harriet, Eliza, Bettie. Records compiled by Dr Laugenour many years ago reference an old cemetery in Turnersburg Township, Iredell Co., NC which was grown up in pines and cedar trees. One tombstone stated, “In memory of Erasmus Lovelace who departed this life on March…” The rest can’t be read. There was also a headstone that read, “In memory of Lydia Lovelace who departed this life in 18…”
Ras Lovelace was buried in the Charles Lovelace Family Cemetery. |
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| Lovelace | Levi | 10 Jan 1804 | Iredell Co., NC | 10 Oct 1871 | Albuquerque, NM | Sarah Lazenby b. 1824 m. 1818 d. 1850 |
| Levi is thought to have lived in Wilkes County until before the Civil War at which time he moved to Franklin County, Missouri. Levi’s son was John Lazenby Lovelace and his grandson was Dr. William Lovelace. His greatgrandson was Dr. William Randy Lovelace II who developed an oxygen-mask for use in high-altitude aircraft and helped establish the Lovelace Medical Foundation, currently known as the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, in Albuquerque, NM. More | ||||||
| Lovelace | Dyson | 2 Mar 1805 | Iredell Co., NC | 1850 | Pettis, MO | Louisa Fife |
| Lovelace | Archibald | 28 Mar 1806 | Iredell Co., NC | 11 Feb 1895 | Pettis, MO | Nancy A. Holemon b. 1809 m. 1827 d. 1867Hannah F. Morris b. 1815 m. 1868 d. 1880Letitia Belle Wright Ferguson b. 1838-1890 |
 “Archibald Lovelace was born 28 Mar 1806 in Iredell County, North Carolina. He died in 1898 in Pettis County, Missouri. He married Nancy A. Holman in North Carolina on 5 Feb 1827. She was born in North Carolina on 16 Jan 1809 and was killed in a runaway accident 27 Sep 1867 returning home from Smithton, Missouri. They had gone to purchase their daughter Nancy’s wedding clothes. Both are buried in Providence Cemetery near the Lovelace homestead and Schoolhouse near Sedalia, Missouri. Archibald married second Miss Hannah Wheeler and third widow Letitia “Wright” Ferguson. Nancy Holman was the mother of all his children. They moved to Pettis County in 1832, returned home to Iredell County and, after selling their land on Hunting Creek, settled permanently in Pettis County in 1838. Their homestead was four miles north and little west of Providence Baptist Church. Archie and Nancy were charter members of the old Providence Baptist Church. This church was torn down in 1889 and a new one built in its place.” Archibald Lovelace was buried in the Providence Baptist Church Cemetery in Pettis County, Missouri. More
Note: It was actually his grandfather Charles who fought in the Revolutionary War. His father, Thomas, fought in the War of 1812. James and Nancy’s children were David Holeman (1829-1910), Thomas William (1831-1912), Elam B. (1833-1883), Millie Elizabeth (1835-1905), James Martin (1837-1914), Lucy Ann (1846-1913), Nancy R. (1850-1870) and William Cook (1853-1933).  “James Martin Lovelace was a Civil War veteran, having served in Company D of the 9th Regiment Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia. The 9th was called into active service on July 9, 1863 and served in operations against Shelby on Sept. 22 to Oct 26, 1863, fought at Booneville, Missouri on Oct. 11-12, 1863, at Merril’s Crossing, Dug Ford, and near Julesborough Oct.12 1862 and at Marshall, Missouri on Oct.13, 1863. James was mustered out on Nov. 28, 1863. He and Nancy Ann Erwin were married 18 Jan 1857 in Pettis Co., Missouri. They were the parents of 7 known children. James and his family lived in an old log house that was located on his father’s farm until Nancy’s death in 1881. He then broke up housekeeping and the children that weren’t old enough to care for themselves were farmed out. Lucy Ann Lovelace Hudson, sister to James, raised two of his daughters, Addie and Sallie. James became a ‘Knight of the Road’ and ever so often he would come visiting from across the pasture and stay a few days and then move on. He carried a pocket watch with a large watch chain and fastened to this chain was a watch fob carved from a peach pit into the likeness of a monkey. He was very fascinating to the children and in the spring when the sap was up he would make whistles from hickory saplings. James Lovelace died about 10 miles west of Sedalia, Missouri on Main street Road, about a quarter mile east of his son Will’s house from a heart attack. James Martin Lovelace was a grand old man and loved by many.” From Merleen Ellis, his third great-grandaughter James was buried in the Providence Baptist Church Cemetery in Pettis County, Missouri. More |
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| Lovelace | Sarah | 18 Mar 1810 | Iredell Co., NC | Davis | ||
| Lovelace | Thomas A. | 1 Oct 1812 | Iredell Co., NC | 22 Oct 1876 | Haywood Co., TN | Quincy Adams Shirley b. 13 Oct 1828 d. 8 Feb 1898 |
| Lovelace | William Lovelace | 29 May 1814 | Iredell Co., NC | 8 May 1861 | Fannin, TX | Rachael Elizabeth b. 1836 d. 1900 |
| Lovelace | Elvira Elizabeth | 1815 | Iredell Co., NC | William Dotson (Dodson) | ||
Thomas A. Lovelace
My 3rd Great-grandfather, 1812-1876
Thomas A. Lovelace was born in Iredell County, North Carolina on October 1, 1812 to Thomas and Amelia Dyson Lovelace.
He spent some time with family in Kentucky in the years before he migrated to Haywood County, Tennessee where he settled permanently.
By 1855, he was farming in Haywood County, Tennessee and had married Quincy Angeline Shirley. She was the daughter of Uriah and Unity Shirley. A widow with nine children ages 15 and younger, Unity was one of the early Haywood County settlers. You can read more about her in this blog entry.
In the 1860 Federal Census Slave Schedule, Thomas Lovelace owned two slaves: a 14-year-old female and a 13-year-old male. In the census of 1860, Thomas was 47, his wife Angeline was 33 and they had two sons at home, Lynn who was 5 and Charles who was 3. Charles would grow up to be the grandfather of my grandfather Guy Lovelace.
Also living with the Thomas Lovelace family in 1860 was William C. Byrd who was 53. Thomas was a farmer and listed the value of his real estate as $3,400 and the value of his personal estate as $3,820.
Quincy and Thomas lost three children in quick succession in the late 1860s. John Alford died at less than a year old in 1866, William Wilbert died in 1867 at around two months old and then an infant child died in 1868.
Living with the threat of an early death of a spouse, parent or child was part of the lives of our ancestors. Little was known about diseases like yellow fever, influenza, cholera and tuberculosis, and with only basic health care available — if any at all — premature deaths were frequent. More from the Tennessee State Library and Archives
In the census of 1870, Thomas listed the value of his real estate and personal estate at $2,000 each. The Civil War had ended so any of Thomas’ slaves would have been freed and since he had a small number of children, he would have become dependent on sharecroppers to work a large farm.
Lynn was then 15, Charles 13 and they had added a brother, Thomas A. who was 8 in 1870, so you can assume they spent their childhood working hard on the farm, just to survive.
Thomas A. Lovelace died at age 64 on October 22, 1876.
In the census of 1880, the “head of household” was Quincy who was 50. Her oldest son Lynn was 25 and still single, as was Thomas who was 18 at the time of that census. Charles, who was 23 in 1870, appears to have moved next door with his wife Nancy Jane Yelverton who was 19 and they had a daughter Addie who was 1 and a daughter, Dora, who was unnamed.
Quincy died on October 13, 1897 and was buried next to her husband and other family members in the Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Haywood County, Tennessee.
Mrs. Quincy A. Lovelace Obituary
The sad messenger, death, with its silent tread, has again invaded our community and taken from our midst a beloved sister, mother in Israel, in the person of Mrs. Quincy A. Lovelace, nee Shirley, who departed this life, February 8, 1898. Her funeral was preached by her pastor, Rev. C. J. Mauldin, to a large company of relatives and friends, on the morning of the 9th, and her remains were interred in the Old Zion Cemetery to await the resurrection morn.
Sister Lovelace was born and reared in Haywood County, Tennessee, which has been her home through life. In young womanhood, she was happily married to Thomas A. Lovelace, who with several children preceded her to the Glory Land. She believed in and enjoyed the old time religion. Though rather a timid woman, she rarely ever failed to stand up and declare herself a witness for Jesus, when an opportunity was offered.
On the 13th of October, 1897, she passed her sixty-ninth birthday. She leaves three sons with their family, two brothers and hosts of friends to mourn her loss, but we sorrow not as those who have no hope. Her tears of joy and frequent shouts of victory, together with her true Christian character lure us onward towards the home of the true and faithful.Chestnut Grove, Feb. 10, 1898.
The children of Thomas A. and Quincy Adams Lovelace were:
| Last | First | Born | Location Born | Died | Location Died | Spouse |
| Lovelace | Lynn B. | 1855 | Haywood Co., TN | Anna L. b. 1866 |
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| According to “A History of Zion Baptist Church,” L. B. Lovelace was very active there with his first appearance in the minutes in July 1902 on the committee to paint the church. In July 1904 he was on the committee for planning an all day missions meeting. In 1905 he is on the pastors search committee and July 20 1907 he is selected as a delegate to the Baptist Association meeting. His church work continues with service on multiple committees, writing of obituaries for fellow members and volunteer work. His last appearance in the minutes is in November 1911, collecting money for the Orphan’s Home. Lynn and Anna had three sons; Russell B., Walter Lee, and Vernan C. |
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| Lovelace | Charles Buchanan | 1857 | Haywood Co., TN | 1938 | Haywood Co., TN | Nancy Jane Yelverton b. 1861 m. 14 Nov. 1877 d. 1936 |
| Lovelace | Thomas Lovelace | 1862 | Haywood Co., TN | |||
| Lovelace | John Alford | 4 May 1865 | Haywood Co., TN | 24 Mar 1866 | Haywood Co., TN | |
| Lovelace | William Wilbert | 28 July 1867 | Haywood Co., TN | 3 Oct 1867 | Haywood Co., TN | |
| Lovelace | Infant | 16 Jul 1868 | Haywood Co., TN | |||
Charles Buchanan Lovelace
My 2nd Great-grandfather
Charles “Charlie” Buchanan Lovelace was born Feb. 20, 1858 in Haywood County, Tennessee to Thomas A. Lovelace and Quincey A. Shirley Lovelace.
Charlie married Nancy Jane Yelverton on Nov. 14, 1877. Nancy was the daughter of Samuel and Ann Forrest Yelverton.
Nancy Yelverton descends from John Yelverton, Sr. who was born in England around 1685. By 1703, he had traveled to North Carolina where he married Elizabeth Blount. Elizabeth was the granddaughter of Captain James Blount (1620-1686), a member of the North Carolina House of Burgesses. The book, “Meade’s Families of Virginia” refers to the Yelvertons as one of the oldest and “best” families in pre-Revolutionary Virginia. You can find more about them on the Yelverton family page.
In the 1880 census 23-year-old Charlie, 19-year-old Nancy Jane and their two young daughters were living next door to Charlie’s widowed mother, Quincy.
In 1890, according to church records, Charlie was “disciplined” by Zion Baptist Church for allowing dancing in his house.
By the time of the 1900 census, 43-year-old Charlie and 39-year-old Nancy Jane had been married 24 years. They owned their farm, did not have a mortgage and had a very full house. Living with them at that time were their children Dora L. (age 20), William W. (age 16), James L. (age 14), Eva P. (age 11), Ida M. (age 9), Arther F. (age 6), Alice F. (age 4), Lizzie B. (age 2) and Zelmer (age 2 ½ months).
Ten years later, in the 1910 census, they had added two more children: Carrie (age 8) and Berthie (age 6) had been added to the growing family. Ida (age 19) was the oldest still living at home.
The whole family was able to read and write. By 1930, Charlie and Nancy had no children at home but lived next door to their son Jim, his wife Ruby and their children Ruby, Homer, Guy, Otha, Marie, and Hobert, and a 17 year-old cousin named Robert Lovelace. Jim and Ruby’s children Ovid, Jack and Blanch had already moved away from home.
Charlie and Nancy lived in the home that Guy Lovelace would eventually buy and live in throughout his life. Guy’s sister, Marie, remembers Charlie had an orchard with apples and peaches and other fruit. He didn’t allow the grandchildren to eat whatever they wanted so she and the others would lie in the ditch and hide and then run take some of the fruit off the trees to eat it. She also remembers Nancy Jane making great preserves, but Marie was rarely able to enjoy any of it because it was not something the grandchildren were given frequently.
Cotton was an important crop on their farm. Charlie was also known to gather the cotton on the side of the road that had fallen off cotton wagons and sell it at the gin, along with what he and his family had picked in their own field. With 15 children, Charlie and Nancy Jane certainly had to be industrious. When their youngest daughter, Berthie Clara, was born, their oldest daughter, Addie, was 26.
Charlie and Nancy named one of their sons William Wilbert which was the name Charlie’s parents, Thomas and Amelia Dyson Lovelace, had named one of their children who had died at three months old in 1867. Will had a son he named Clyde who would grow up to be called “Rabbit” and would be close friends and neighbors with the Willie Brantley family.
Rabbit and his wife Lutie Mae had a lot of children and lived on the Jim Cobb homestead.
According to a letter from Helen Cobb to Leah Ruddock, two of Charlie and Nancy Jane’s daughters, Aubry and Hattie, died in their teens from yellow fever. Charlie himself is mentioned in a short notice in the Brownsville States Graphic in the October 2, 1903 issue as also having been ill: “Mr. Charlie Lovelace, whose serious illness was reported last week is improving.” He did improve and lived another 33 years — until 1938 — outliving Nancy Jane by 2 years.
They were both buried in the Zion Baptist Church Cemetery.
These girls were all cousins and granddaughters of Charlie and Nancy Jane Yelverton Lovelace. Blanche, the little girl in the middle on the left, is the sister of my grandfather, Guy Lovelace. It’s likely they were at Charlie and Nancy Jane’s farm when this photo was taken.
The children of Charles and Nancy Jane Lovelace were:
| Last | First | Born | Location Born | Died | Location Died | Spouse |
| Lovelace | Carrie Viola | 1 May 1902 | Haywood Co., TN | 117 Feb 1994 | Zachary, East Baton Rouge, LA | William Johnston Jacocks b. 2 Feb 1898d. 30 Apr 1993 |
 Carrie Viola Lovelace married into the Jacocks family, who are also in my family tree. Her husband, William Johnston Jacocks, was a son of James Alonzo Jacocks Jr. and Mary Jennie Castellaw Jacocks. Mary Jennie was my 2nd great-aunt in my Castellaw family line, while James was my 1st cousin, one times removed on the Jacocks side. Check out my blog post on finding the Jacocks Cemetery. Carrie and Johnston lived in Zachary, Louisiana down the road from another of my ancestors, Wayland Brantley. Her nephew (my grandfather) Guy Lovelace would occasionally take his family from Haywood County to Louisiana to visit them. My mother remembers playing in a large creek near their house. Johnston ran a large dairy and they attended the Baptist Church there. 
 Johnston and Carrie are buried at Redwood Baptist Church Cemetery, a fenced, well-maintained cemetery on Highway 412 behind the church in East Feliciana Parish Louisiana. The children of Johnston and Carrie were: Edna Ruth Jacocks (1919-2007), Dorothy Elizabeth Jacocks Butler (1921-2000), Flora Leigh Jacocks Tiner (1925-2012), William “Billy” Ray Jacocks (1930-1990) and Mary Jane. |
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| Lovelace | Volin Zelma | 16 Mar 1900 | Haywood Co., TN | 22 Aug 1954 | Haywood Co., TN | John “Johnnie” Lee Williamson b. Feb 1908 m. 12 Nov 1927 d. 8 Oct 1987 |
| Volin married John “Johnnie” Lee Williamson who was eight years her senior. Johnny was a great-grandson of Beverly Williamson who was my 3rd great-grandfather.
The children of Volin and Johnnie were: Sybil, Bobby, Betty and one infant who died. |
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| Lovelace | Addie Angeline | 1878 | Haywood Co., TN | 1913 | Haywood Co., TN | Oscar White b. 11 Apr 1875 m. 19 Nov. 1898 12 Dec 1948Also married Addie’s sister Alice |
 Addie was married to Oscar White. According to “Nicholas Cobb Descendants, Neighbors and Relatives” by Joe Cobb, around 1876 when Oscar was one, his father, James L. White (abt. 1854-abt 1880), stood up one day, went to get some wood for the stove and never returned. At the time, his wife, Harriet Ann Justina “Tiny” Cobb (1845-1918) was 31 and his daughter, Minnie Lee, was 3. It appears James died around four years later. Both Oscar’s parents were children of early Haywood County settlers. James was a son of Jacob O. White (1815-1867) and Martha A. E. Nowell White (1824-1887) while Tiny was a daughter of my 3rd great-grandparents John Hardy Cobb (1798-1880) and Harriet Warren Castellaw Cobb (1804-1869). James was both gone and forgotten. When Oscar died on Dec. 12, 1948, his mother’s name (Tiny Cobb) was included on the death certificate, but in the space for father was written “unknown.” Addie died in 1913 at age 35 and was buried in the Zion Baptist Church Cemetery. According to family stories, on her deathbed Addie asked her sister Alice to marry her husband and take care of her children who, in 1913 when she died, were: were Odie Thomas “O. T.” (age 13), Chester Aubry (age 10), Myrtle Lee (age 7) and Oscar “Dock” McDonald (age 4).  Her sister Alice married Oscar White and together they had a son, Carl Odell, who was born in 1918. Oscar White, and his son, Odie Thomas “O.T.” built and ran a grocery store on Poplar Corner Road in Haywood County that my grandparents took me to when I was young.
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| Lovelace | Dora L. | 16 May 1880 | Haywood Co., TN | Apr 1975 | Haywood Co., TN | Bob Neely |
| In 1910, Dora was 29, Robert was 36 and Leslie T. was 3. | ||||||
| Lovelace | William Wilbert “Will” | 23 Dec 1883 | Haywood Co., TN | 20 Sep 1943 Age 59 Buried at Zion Cemetery |
Haywood Co., TN | Lilly L. Overton b. 1883 m. 23 Dec 1903 d. 1979 Age: 96 |
The children of Will and Lillie were Peabody, Rabbit, Ebbe Lea, Charles Edward “Buddy,” and Robert.
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| Lovelace | James Luther “Jim” | 25 Sept 1885 | Haywood Co., TN | 31 March 1968 | Haywood Co., TN | Ruby Fowler b.12 Aug 1887 m. 28 Mar 1905 d. 29 Jan 1952 |
| Lovelace | Lizzie | Around 1898 | Haywood Co., TN | 1974 | Haywood Co., TN | Oscar Rector m. 12 Feb 1917Divorced by 1920James Wood Shelton b. 11 Mar 1883 m. 7 Jan 1923 d. 4 Aug 1953 |
| By the census of 1920, Lizze had divorced Oscar and she and her 2-year-old son, Floyd (1918-), were living with her parents. Child with Oscar: Floyd Rector, Children with Wood: Elizabeth, Verla May
Wood Shelton is buried at Providence Methodist Church Cemetery in Madison County, Tennessee. |
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| Lovelace | Eva Pearl | 25 Apr 1889 | Haywood Co., TN | 15 Feb 1951 | Haywood County, TN | Edward Mansfield Patterson b. 1880 d. 1944 |
Children: Irene (?-2008), Nancy Helen (1910-2008), Homer Edward (1912-2006), Viola (1910-2008) and Richard Hess (died of bronchitis at 15 months). Eva died of cancer of the spine in Feb. 1951. She and Ed are buried in the Zion Baptist Church Cemetery.
 Obituary of daughter of Ed and Pearl Lovelace Patterson |
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| Lovelace | Ida Mae | 17 Mar 1891 | Haywood Co., TN | 4 July 1969 | Alamo, TN | Joseph Austin Kail b. Jan. 16, 1886 m. June 13, 1915 d. July 26, 1986 |
| Although they had no children of their own, when they married, Joseph had a son, William Amos Kail (1909-2003), with his first wife Eva P. Taylor (1888-1914). Ida and Joseph are buried in the Robertson Cemetery in Johnson’s Grove in Crockett County, Tennessee along with many other members of the Kail family. | ||||||
| Lovelace | Arthur Franklin | 13 June 1893 | Haywood Co., TN | 28 July 1964 | Clara McCrary Shefield b. 6 Dec 1892 m. d. 18 Dec 1855 |
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| When Arthur married Clara Sheffield, she had 3 sons: E.B., George and John. Together, they had a daughter, Florence Mae. Arthur and Clara are buried in the Fannin Methodist Church Cemetery in Fannin, Mississippi. | ||||||
| Lovelace | Alice | 1896 | Haywood Co., TN | Haywood Co., TN | Oscar White Also married sister Addie |
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| Lovelace | Bethie Clara | 2 Dec 1904 | Haywood Co., TN | 17 Dec 1993 | Haywood Co., TN | Dorsey Castellaw b. Mar 1907 m. 9 Aug 1925 d. Aug 1975 |
| Child of Bethie Clara and Dorsey Castellaw was Doris May. | ||||||
| Dorsey was a son of Joseph Dawson Castellaw and Emily Thomas Castellaw and a grandson of John Edward Castellaw. John Edward was the second husband of my second great-grandmother Nancy Miranda Johnson Castellaw. Dorsey and Berthie are buried in the Belleview Cemetery in Bells, Tennessee. | ||||||
Note: There was possibly an Aubry who died in her teens from yellow fever and a Hattie who died from the same disease as a child.
Jim Lovelace
My Great-grandfather, 1885-1968
James Luther “Jim” Lovelace was born September 27, 1885 to Charles Buchannan Lovelace (1858-1938) and Nancy Jane Yelverton Lovelace (1861-1936). He was the 4th of 14 children and grew up in an area on Poplar Corner Road in Haywood County surrounded by members of the extended Lovelace family. Jim married Ruby Fowler (1887-1952) on May 28, 1905 at Allens Church. You can read more about her family here.
Ruby and Jim lived next Jim’s parents, Charles and Nancy Jane Yelverton Lovelace and their large family. In the 1910 census, Ruby’s parents and family, the Fowlers were also living next door but on the other side. By the 1920 census, Ruby’s mother, Sarah, had died, but her 68-year-old father, Louis, was living in the house with his daughter’s family along with two other Fowlers: Jissie who was 13 and Leslie who was 11.
Eventually, Louis Fowler went to live with his daughter Mollie.
Jim and Ruby’s youngest daughter, Marie Lovelace Carlton, said she remembers Ruby as being very mild-mannered and never losing her temper or getting mad, although she was known for being very fearful of storms. Family members remember Jim as being stern and serious but caring a great deal for his children and grandchildren. Aunt Marie shares that if she woke up on a Sunday morning and did not want to go to church, her father would agree to let her stay home on the condition that she also stay home and miss going to the Old Mill Pond Bridge that afternoon. On Sunday afternoons, young people from Holly Grove and the surrounding areas would gather on the bridge to socialize. Needless to say, Marie would attend church.
Ruby Fowler Lovelace
Jim and Ruby joined Zion Baptist Church on August 18, 1918 at a “protracted” meeting (revival service) preached “by Dr. Woolridge with music led by Brother Thomas.” During this period, five of their children had been born, and in August of 1925 during that year’s revival meeting, Blanch, Ovid, and Earl also joined Zion “by baptism.”
The Lovelace family did not have a car until around the early 1940s, so their main form of transportation was horse and buggy or, for longer trips, the train. The road to their house was not paved and, during rainy periods, it was impossible to get a car or truck to their house anyway. Jim’s primary source of income was farming and, in the later years of his life, carpentry.
The extended family was a big part of their lives, especially with Jim’s parents Charlie and Nancy Jane living on the farm next door. In later years, her grandson Bill Lovelace remembered Ruby was very sensitive and cried often. Later in life, she was treated in Memphis for depression, which was unusual in that time and place.
Uncle Bill also remembers seeing Jim accidentally cut the tip of his finger off and being horrified as it was quickly eaten by chickens.
Their grandchildren called them Granddaddy Jim and Granmama Ruby.
In 1952, when Ruby was 65, Jim called Marie to let her know that Ruby was having problems with her heart, so he had called the doctor. When Marie arrived at the house, Ruby was cooking pork tenderloin, fried potatoes and chocolate pies.
Kate Smith came on the radio at 3:00 and Ruby told Marie and her sister Blanch she was going to go lay down. About an hour later, Marie went to let her know she was leaving and Ruby had passed away in her sleep. At this time, my grandfather Guy Lovelace and his family lived in the house next door. Their granddaughter (my mother) Shirley remembers playing next to the road with her brother Bobby when someone at Ruby’s house shouted to them to get Guy.
My Uncle Bill remembers the next day the family held the (open casket) visitation in their home, but he was considered to young to attend. He waited in the truck in front of the house for his father to return. When he got back in the truck and closed the door, Guy laid his head on the steering wheel and cried. It was the only time Uncle Bill ever saw my grandfather cry so it made a big impression.
After Ruby’s death, Jim lived at home alone for a while, then stayed with his children, eventually settling down to live with his son and daughter-in-law, Hobert and Carolyn Lovelace until his death 16 years later in 1968 from cancer.
Jim and Ruby are buried at Zion Baptist Church Cemetery.
The children of Jim and Ruby Fowler Lovelace were:
| Last | First | Born | Location Born | Died | Location Died | Spouse |
| Lovelace | Ovid Monroe | 14 May 1906 | Haywood Co., TN | 21 Nov., 1983 | Haywood Co., TN burried at Zion Cemetery |
Claudie Olis Castellaw b. 17 Dec 1909 m. 11 Nov 1925 d. 11 Mar 1998 |
| Olis played the piano at Holly Grove Baptist Church. Ovid is remembered as loaning money to help friends and family. He ran the county farm and for several years and the Lovelace Family Reunion was held there. His family nickname was Big Bud. Child of Ovid and Olis Lovelace was Maxine T. Lovelace Stewart | ||||||
| Lovelace | Earl Jack | 7 Oct 1907 | Haywood Co., TN | 7 Jun 1889 | Haywood Co., TN | Thelma Ditto m. 25 Aug 1927 |
| Jack’s family nickname was “Little Bud.” He and Thelma had a daughter named Linda. | ||||||
| Lovelace | Blanch | 1 Feb 1910 | Haywood Co., TN | 8 Dec 1994 | Haywood Co., TN burried: Zion Cemetery |
Herman Watkins m. 20 June 1928 m. 20 Jun 1928Smith Dedmond (divorced in 1950)Aubrey Prater |
| Lovelace | James Homer | 15 Feb 1914 | Haywood Co., TN | 2 Dec 1976 | Haywood Co., TN | Juliette Edwards b, 6 Mar 1917 m. 4 Mar 1933 |
| Homer was a policeman in Brownsville, TN and his family nickname was “Snookum.” | ||||||
| Lovelace | Guy | 31 Aug 1916 | Haywood Co., TN | 22 Oct 1997 | Haywood Co., TN burried at Zion Cemetery |
L. Virginia Brantley b. 10 Oct 1917 m. 1935 d. 8 Dec 2007 |
| Lovelace | Otha C. | 20 Jun 1919 | Haywood Co., TN | 16 Sept 1961 | Haywood Co., TN burried at Zion Cemetery |
Geneva Maxwell
Helen |
| Otha C. Lovelace, of Route 4 Brownsville, TN was inducted into the United States Army on March 29, 1944 and entered active service on April 5, 1944 at Camp Shelby Mississippi. He served as Technician 5th Grade in the 3181 Signal Service Battalion. His military occupational specialty was Lineman. He was awarded the Bronze Service Star May 21, 1945 for his services in the Ryukyus Campaign in Okinawa. He earned the Good Conduct Medal on May 23, 1945. He was also awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Metal, the Overseas Bar and the WWII Victory Ribbon. He was honorably discharged November 26, 1945 in Okinawa. A Tribute to The Veterans of Zion Baptist Church, Submitted by his brother Hobert Lovelace. Otha’s sister Marie remembers traveling to the mountains to pick up Geneva who was from a family of “hill people” who lived at the base of a mountain. Otha’s second wife, Helen, is remembered as being a lot of fun and very loud. She was from “up north” and it was considered a bit controversial that she was Catholic.
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| Lovelace | Hobert | 8 Jun 1926 | Haywood Co., TN | 22 Mar 2003 | Haywood Co., TN burried at Zion Cemetery |
Carolyn Warf b. 14 Dec 1929 m. 23 Feb 1945 |
| Hobert and Carolyn operated Lovelace and Sons Grocery in the Brownsville Square. For many years, the Lovelace Family Reunion was held at his home on Jacocks Road. in Haywood County. Hobert and Carolyn had two sons: Phil and Lewis.
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| Lovelace | Marie H. | 22 Nov 1921 | Haywood Co., TN | John Tyrus Carlton b. 14 Jun 1920 m. 27 May 1947 d. 21 Feb 1997 |
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Marie worked many professional jobs around Haywood County and she and Johnny owned and operated a grocery store. The children of Marie and Johnny are John and Betsy. |
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Guy Lovelace
My Grandfather, 1916-1997
Guy Lovelace was born Aug. 31, 1916 to James Luther Lovelace (1885-1968) and Ruby Fowler Lovelace (1887-1952). He was the fifth of eight children and grew up in a family farming in the same community originally settled by his great-grandfather Thomas A. Lovelace (1812-1876) in the 1830s. Guy eloped with Virginia Brantley Lovelace (1917-2007) on December 18, 1935 when Virginia was a senior in high school. Virginia was the daughter of William Day Brantley (1897-1969) and Allie Ern Marbury Brantley (1898-1995). They knew each from both school and Zion Baptist Church, and the Lovelace, Brantley and Marbury families had lived only a few miles from each other in Haywood County, Tennessee since the community was originally settled. Guy and Virginia did not inform anyone of their plans to marry other than Guy’s brother Ovid and Ovid’s wife, Olis, who picked Virginia up at school that day. Although they were both from large families, they worked hard to put food on the table so a large extravagant wedding would not have been possible nor was it the norm in that time and place. Virginia did not return to high school to graduate after her marriage. As was necessary in Haywood County and other rural areas during that time, Guy ended his formal education after the eighth grade to work on the family farm.
Like most others in the community, the family farmed cotton, grew much of the food they ate, attended church and stayed very close with their extended families. During the economic depression of the 1930s, both Guy and Virginia said they were working too hard to notice how poor they were, but they always had food to eat and clothes to wear. In the early 1950s, when her children, Bobby, Shirley and Bill were young, Virginia went to beauty school in Jackson, Tennessee. Guy took her to the bus stop each morning and Jesse Earl Williams, the brother of Bob Williams, her future son-in-law (my father), would bring her home. After graduating, she worked for Olive’s Beauty Shop in Brownsville until around 1960 when she became pregnant with her sixth child, my aunt Dawn.
At some point, after the birth of her last child, Virginia choose to get her GED so she could work in the Haywood County School system as a teacher’s aide. For a brief period Guy took the train to Memphis to work in a potato chip factory, but other than that, worked close to home his entire life.
In later years, he worked as a carpenter and painter along with his brother-in-law, J. T. Jacocks. I’ve often been told their work was known for its outstanding quality. My grandfather was very “particular” and expected things to be done the right way and that included keeping tools clean and in good repair. Once when I told someone in Haywood County who my grandfather was, he replied, “I knew him. He always kept a nice place.”
Like his mother before him, Guy was very afraid of storms and even installed a “storm cellar” next to their home. All his children have stories of time spent in the storm cellar. In 1988, Guy and his brother-in-law and partner, J.T. Jacocks were working on J.T.’s house when a storm came up. Guy left and went home to his storm cellar. Tragically, a tornado hit the Jacocks’s house and my grandmother’s sister Cordelia was badly injured and her husband, J.T., was killed. After the funeral my grandfather said to me, “I buried my best friend today.”
Virginia worked in the Haywood County school system until her retirement. Throughout their lives, they both loved to travel and took their children on road trips to destinations including Gatlinburg, different cities in Louisiana, the Gulf Coast and other places within a day’s drive.
They frequently visited my family when we lived in Ft. Worth, Texas. My grandfather was a big fan of the show “Dallas,” so I remember how much he enjoyed seeing Southfork Ranch during one of their visits when I was in high school.
They had six children: an infant who died in 1936, Bobby (born 1937), Shirley (born 1939), Bill (born 1945), Darlene (born 1958) and Dawn (born 1960).
In later years, Guy always had a new car because, each year when the cotton crop was harvested, he would trade in the current car for a new one. His cars were always well taken care of and he washed his cars most Saturday nights before church on Sunday.
We grandchildren called them Grandmama and Papaw.
Guy died of a heart attack at age 81 on Oct. 22, 1997 while he and his brother Hobert were loading cows into a trailer at his barn.
Virginia continued to live in their family home for another 10 years until her death on Dec. 8, 2007 at age 90 from complications from a stroke.
Guy and Virgnia Lovelace are buried at Zion Baptist Church along with members of both sides of their family.
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