Even More Photos From Haywood County

Click to Enlarge Photo credit: l to r, front: Bob Castellaw, Zula Zera Watridge Castellaw, Mai Castellaw, Irene Castellaw, and Winnie White Castellaw (wife of son Issac) l to r, back: Elizabeth Castellaw, and Ruby Castellaw

The last few weeks I’ve received a lot of great photos of ancestors on both sides of my family from my friends and family members.

It’s great to get as many of these individuals identified as we can because, once we’re all gone, it will be even harder for the next generations to figure out who was who.

The photo above is of my great grandfather, Bob Castellaw with his family as they began building the house they would eventually live in for most of their lives. My grandmother, Elizabeth Castellaw Williams is on the back row with her hand on her head. This photo must have been taken around 1920.

Last winter, my dad, my nephew Caleb and I stood on the spot where that house had been. Of course, the house was long gone, as was the building that had been built on top of where the house had originally been.

Click to Enlarge Bob Williams, Scott Williams and Caleb Durham at the site of the former home of Bob Castellaw and family

Click to Enlarge Photo Credit: Roland Reid Updated photo from Providence Methodist Church in Madison Co., TN

This has been a fun photo to play around with. My cousin Roland sent it to me with his family members identified. Several people emailed me with the names of others in the photo and, most recently, another distant cousin, Sonia Outlaw-Clark, was able to get some more of the people identified by Nita Taylor Warren who is from that area of Madison County.

These are members of the 1942 Sunday School class of Providence Methodist Church which the Williamson side of my family was instrumental in building. A large number of my ancestors are buried in the church’s cemetery which I blogged about a while back.

Of course, I would really like to get all these people identified so if you recognize anyone, email me.

Click to Enlarge Photo credit: Betsy Sullivan Mary C. Wilkins Marbury with unidentified children

I blogged about Mary Wilkins a few months ago but didn’t know what she looked like. Another cousin, Betsy Sullivan sent me a picture of her. She was Ben Franklin Marbury’s second wife. They were married on 4 Mar 1884 and their witnesses were R. H. Marbury and W. G. Booth. I need to spend some time researching all this but, from a quick review of the records, it appears Ben and his first wife, Maggie Yelverton Marbury had Wylie, Hardy (my second great grandfather) Rush, Robert, John and Rosa and that Maggie died during childbirth or shortly after having Rosa.

Very quickly after that, Ben married Mary and then, according to family history, that same year he was killed by a train between Jones Station and Allen Station in Haywood County.

Mary must have raised his children because she was buried next to him when she died many years later on 9 Apr 1918 at the age of 70 and Ben’s son, John Marbury was listed as a witness on her death certificate.

I am not certain where Maggie was buried.

Mary and Ben have one of my favorite headstones in Zion Baptist Church cemetery:

Click to Enlarge Headstone of Benjamin Franklin and Mary Wilkins Marbury in the Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Haywood County

Click to Enlarge Photo credit: Shirley Lovelace Williams background, l to r: Maxine Lovelace Stewart, Unknown, Unknown, Carolyn Warf Lovelace, Unknown, Unknown and Unknown foreground: my great grandfather, James Luther Lovelace

The Lovelace Family Reunion happens every every year. Last September, I blogged about the history of the reunion as told by my great aunt Marie Lovelace Carlton.

It could be assumed the photo above was taken at the reunion or possibly at another family gathering.

I really love the way this photo captures them all in movement. You really get a glimpse into their lives at that moment.

Click to Enlarge Photo credit: Shirley Lovelace Williams l to r: Elizabeth Williams, Virginia Lovelace, Shirley Lovelace Williams, and Wilma Sullivan

There is a lot for me to like about this photo. First, it shows both my paternal and maternal grandmothers, Elizabeth Castellaw Williams and Virginia Brantley Lovelace and they are at a wedding shower given in honor of my parents. The lady to far right in the photo is Wilma Sullivan who was hosting the shower. She was my father’s Sunday school teacher and Royal Ambassador leader (Boy Scouts for little Southern Baptists) for many years at Holly Grove Baptist Church. My mom told me she lived to be over 101 years old so I googled her and found her obituary.

Another great thing about the photo from the shower is that Wilma and her husband, Raymond, were renting the house from my great grandfather, Jim Lovelace, so its fun for me to see inside their house.

After his wife Ruby died, Jim lived with the families of several of his children and rented out his home which was next door to my grandparents house.

The house also had an small apartment that was rented out to people through the years. My cousin Elsie and her husband Bud Haynes lived in the apartment for a while. Many years ago the house burned down and a new house was built on the property which is still there today.

Click to Enlarge Photo Credit: Joe Reid Edward Levi Castellaw and Jessie Mae Reid Castellaw in the 1940s

Click to Enlarge Photo Credit: Joe Reid James Francis Castellaw and Iva Belch Castellaw with children Ann Castellaw Reid, Betty Castellaw Ross, Jamie Castellaw and Don Castellaw in the 1930s