Black Sheep Sunday - Part 13 (1961-1964) of From small town Georgia boy to notorious Texas (and beyond!) con man

 

This post is the 13th and finale in a series of posts about the life of my cousin and con man Elridge Solomon Price, Sr.  You can find the other installments here:  

Part 1 (Preview up to 1913)  

Part 2 (1913-1930) 

Part 3 (1931-1934) 

Part 4 (1935-1939)  

Part 5 (1940) 

Part 6 (1941-1943) 

Part 7 (1944-1946)  

Part 8 (1947) 

Part 9 (1948-1950)

Part 10 (1951-1955)

Part 11 (1956-1957)

Part 12 (1958-1960)

This is the final post about Elridge Solomon Price Sr (1893-1964), infamous con man from Texas who just happens to be my cousin. It has been a rollercoaster ride, that's for sure.  The greatest thing I got out of this series is making contact with Elridge and Edith's granddaughter, Andrea. While I had the information about Elridge and his exploits for years, I had never written about him.  Andrea was the catalyst for getting me off my duff and starting writing and sharing.  It has been my honor to share the information I gathered with his descendents, who had little to no inkling of any of this.  

When we left Elridge in 1960, he had been captured by the FBI and was being held in an El Paso, Texas jail, awaiting transfer to a federal prison to serve seven years on a fraud conviction he received in 1957. 

There was not a whisper about Elridge in the newspapers between 1961 and 1964.  Nothing about his transfer to federal prison, his bankruptcy, IRS liens, what happened in the bad checks case against Edith...nothing.  

Elridge died of a heart attack on June 17, 1964 at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Seagoville in Seagoville, Dallas County, Texas, USA. 

"Because he died while incarcerated, a traditional family obituary detailing surviving members or funeral arrangements is not widely published in standard public records. However, his passing was heavily noted in local Texas news due to his reputation as the "kingpin among all Southwestern confidence men". - Google Gemini

However, I was unable to locate an obituary for Elridge at all, even in the local Texas newspapers. 

He was buried in Crown Hill Memorial Park, Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA.  

FCI Seagoville 

Photos courtesy of Andrea's son who moved to the

Dallas area recently.  He was kind enough to

go take these pictures of the FCI and Elridge's 

grave for us - August 2026

Edith Shanklyn Wynn died in January 1970 in Oklahoma. I'm told she worked as a housekeeper after Elridge's death.

Their oldest child, Alsace, passed away in 2009, also in Oklahoma. She never spoke of the things that her father did and would probably be scandalized by this series of blog posts.

Elridge Solomon Price, Jr. passed away in 2004.  He changed his name, presumably to distance himself from his father's legacy. He served in the U.S. Marines during World War II.  He never spoke of his father either. His son, Elridge Solomon Price III, also changed his name.

Alvin Armington"Al" Price passed away in 2014. He served in the U.S. Army during  World War II and Korea. As far as I know, he was never in the oil business.

Sterling Woodrow Price passed away in 2006 in Tyler, Texas. He served in the U.S. Navy and according to his obituary, he retired as an Oilfield Businessman.

Elridge and Edith's youngest child (the subject of the ugly child custody case), Jeamisean Edith Price, a/k/a "Jeamsie" or "Jeep" never married.  She was a reverend in New Mexico.  She was never willing to speak about her childhood or her father either. She passed away in 2023. 

A legacy of family secrets, lies, and possibly threats to "keep your mouth shut" passed down.  Hopefully, the information shared here has helped the grandchildren understand their grandparents and their own childhoods more.  Secrets are like cancer.  They are insidious; they spread; and ultimately they help no one. They just put off the inevitable.  

Thank you for coming along on this journey with us.  All families are full of good, bad, and everything in between.  It's real life.  I am glad to be able to share my family's stories with others.

Thank you to those who have stayed until the end.  I just wanted to share one more little tidbit that doesn't really mean anything, but is interesting.  Turns out that ole Elridge was buried in the same cemetery as the infamous Bonnie Parker!

Also, Andrea received some information, unverified as yet, that she is related to Clyde Barrow on Edith's side of the family!

Oh the irony!  

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Transcribe and/or Translate a Record on MyHeritage Scribe AI Tool

 From Randy (my cousin) over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  MyHeritage introduced the Scribe AI Tool to analyze, transcribe, translate, and provide historical context to a record or photographic image.  Have you used it?

2) Pick one record image or photograph from your collection and ask Scribe AI to do its task list for you.  How did it do?

NOTE:  If you cannot access Scribe AI for whatever reason, please access another AI tool (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Transkribus) that can transcribe, translate or analyze a record of photographic image.

3) Please share your selected record or photo image, plus what Scribe AI told you about the image as a comment on this post, on social media or in your own blog post! Please leave a comment with a link on this post so others can check it out.

Here's mine:  

I chose a land survey from 1781 for my 6th great-grandfather, Hosea Tapley (1691-1778). This survey goes with a land warrant that I am planning to post in Amanuensis Monday's blog post. 

I uploaded this image to Scribe AI, and this is what it told me:

1)  Historical context

This document is a colonial-era land survey plat and description from North Carolina, created on April 9, 1761. It visually and textually outlines a 695-acre tract of land surveyed for Hosea Tapley in Orange County. Land surveys like this were a crucial step in the land grant process, occurring after a warrant was issued and before the final patent or grant was finalized. The document includes a hand-drawn map of the property boundaries (metes and bounds) using chains and links as measurements, referencing natural landmarks like oaks, hickories, and poplars. It also lists the "Sworn Chain Carriers," who physically measured the land; it was common practice for family members (like Hosea Tapley Junr.) or neighbors to serve in this role.

2)  Details mentioned

Principal Individual:

• Hosea Tapley: Landowner and subject of the document. He is having 695 acres of land surveyed on the Muddy branch of the Flat River in Orange County, North Carolina. The document notes the survey runs along "his former line," indicating he already owned adjacent property.

Associated Individuals:

• Hosea Tapley Junr.: Sworn Chain Carrier. Likely the son of the principal individual, assisting in the physical measurement of the land.
• John Camp: Sworn Chain Carrier. Likely a neighbor or relative assisting with the survey.
• W. Churton: Surveyor who drafted the plan and recorded the measurements.

Key Events:

• Land Survey: Dated April 9, 1761, in Orange County, North Carolina.

3) Key findings

• The document is a land survey for 695 acres in Orange County, North Carolina, conducted on April 9, 1761, for Hosea Tapley.
• The land is located on the Muddy branch of the Flat River and adjoins land already owned by Tapley.
• Hosea Tapley Junr. and John Camp served as sworn chain carriers, suggesting a close relationship (likely son and neighbor/relative) to the landowner.
• The survey was completed by W. Churton, a known surveyor of the period

4) Suggested next steps

• You should search for the corresponding land warrant and final land patent/grant for Hosea Tapley in the North Carolina State Archives or online land grant databases to complete the picture of this transaction.
• Look for Hosea Tapley and Hosea Tapley Junr. in early Orange County, North Carolina tax lists, court minutes, and deed books to establish their timeline and community network.
• Investigate John Camp in local records, as chain carriers were often close neighbors or relatives by marriage.
• You can use MyHeritage to search for family trees and historical records linking Hosea Tapley Sr. and Jr. to trace their descendants and origins before 1761.
• Since the document mentions Tapley's "former line," you should look for earlier land acquisitions by Hosea Tapley in Orange County or surrounding areas prior to 1761.

5) Full text transcription

By a Scale of 40 Cha in an inch 

No Carolina Orange County 

[Map annotations: Hosea Tapley 695 Acres, Muddy br, Flat river] 

This plan represents a tract of land survey'd 
for Hosea Tapley; on Muddy branch of 
flat river. Beginning at a red oak, of 
the sd Tapley's, & runs thence with his 
line, North 20 Chain, to his Corner white oak. then his line East 21 
Chain, to his Corner hiccory. then his line North 52 Chain. to a red 
oak. on his line. then West 47 Chain 50 Lin. to a post oak, then North 
90 Cha to a Saplin Corner: then West 54 Chain 50 Lin. to a post oak 
then South 52 Chain. to a stake, on his former line, then East 4 Cha 
to his former Corner poplar. then South along his former line 
110 Chain to a white oak. then East 57 Chain, to the first 
station, Containing 695 Acres; survey'd the 9th Day of April 1761 

Sworn Cha Carriers 

John Camp 

Hosea Tapley Junr. }                                                                                             W: Churton

I loved this!  It was so much faster than uploading  the file to Gemini and then having to get my magnifying glass and try to transcribe the words that Gemini did not understand! I only had to correct the line cut-offs and one word in the entire transcription.  

Sympathy Saturday

     Sympathy Saturday will be where I share the obituaries and my condolences for members of my family tree who passed recently.  When you get to be a certain age, you begin to read the obituaries every day.  As the days go by, you read about more and more of your friends and family members who have died.  You compare their age to your own and get a jolt. "That could have been me." 

    For genealogists, checking obituaries and visiting cemeteries is as normal as breathing. I learn so much from an obituary, i.e., maiden names, parents' names; children's' and grandchildren's' names, funeral and burial locations, sometimes even a cause of death.  I want to learn these things not for any purpose but to put it on the family tree for future generations to see and learn about the family that went before them. I admit, most of these relatives I have never met, but I think it is important to share that they were here on this Earth, and they were important.

    So I am signed up with at least three funerals homes from Swainsboro, Vidalia, and Wrightsville to get daily notices of obituaries sent to my email.  Every day, I peruse them and with the help of the family tree, figure out who is related to me and add any new information to the tree. Some weeks there are several, and some weeks there are none. We have one this week

    Please join me in offering condolences to her family and holding them in the light.

Nancy Lee Wehring Tapley
28 Mar 1950 - 13 Oct 2026
Cleveland, Bradley County, Tennessee, USA

Nancy Lee Tapley, age 76, of Cleveland, TN, passed away peacefully on October 13, 2026 surrounded by loved ones.

Nancy was born on March 28, 1950 in Kelso, Washington to John and Dorothy (Johnson) Wehring. Nancy was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and pastor’s wife who will be remembered for her faith and lifelong devotion to Christ.

She was raised by her loving grandparents, Edward and Ella Grace Johnson, on a farm where she grew up riding horses and taking care of the animals she loved. She attended Kelso Church of God where she loved to sing and play the piano.

After graduating from Kelso High School, she attended Northwest Bible College from 1968-1969 where she met and married Thomas Tapley on May 23, 1969. She served as a pastor’s wife for 50+ years with God’s calling. She was known for her warmth and kindness, putting others first, and a wonderful sense of humor as she loved to see others smile.

Nancy is survived by her daughter, Sandy; and two grandsons, Zack and Devin. She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas, of 56 years; her son, Thomas III; her father, John Wehring; her mother, Dorothy Higbee; and stepfather, Charles Higbee.

A Remembrance of Life Celebration will be held at 1 o’clock Saturday, October 17th at Jim Rush Funeral and Cremation Services North Ocoee Street Chapel {Cleveland, Tennessee} with Bishop Jerry Elder officiating. The family will receive friends Saturday from 11am until 1pm at the funeral home. Mrs. Tapley will be laid to rest beside her husband Thomas at Old Mission Funeral Home and Cemetery, 3424 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67208.

Friday's Face(s) From the Past

 

Carol Addis Richardson
1949-2013

Seneca High School, 1967
Seneca, Oconee County, South Carolina, USA

Thriller Thursday -- Julius Lott Fortner

 

My cousin, Gratice Eve Price (1935-2021), married Julius Lott Fortner (1913-1977) in 1951 in Kite, Johnson County, Georgia, USA.

Newspapers.com, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia,
Sunday, June 10, 1951, page 11

Gratice and Julius had two children (boys): Lynward, born January 18, 1952 and Guy, born August 7, 1953.  Sometime between the birth of the children and 1965, the family settled in Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia, USA. While I do not know the exact reason for the relocation, I do know that Julius retired from Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, so it may have been the job opportunity that led them there.  

(For those not familiar, Central State Hospital is a historic psychiatric institution founded in 1837 and opened in 1842, which grew during the 1960s to become largest mental hospital in the world.  During its height in the 1960s, the campus covered nearly 2,000 acres with over 200 buildings and housed more than 12,000 to 13,000 patients. - Information courtesy of Google Gemini)

Sometime prior to January of 1977, Gratice and Julius divorced.  They both remained in the Milledgeville area.

On December 3, 1977, 64-year-old Julius drove to his brother-in-law's home, also in Milledgeville.  (This was Hubert Price, age 36, Gratice's brother.) Julius shot Hubert with a shotgun as he came out of the home to greet him. Julius's son, Lynward, age 25, who was inside his uncle's mobile home, came out and shot his father in the chest with a pistol.  Julius died instantly.  Hubert survived.  

Less than a year earlier, Julius had exchanged gunfire with deputies and state troopers after Gratice had taken out a warrant for his arrest because he had shot at her mobile home.

While the outside world does not know what Julius was going through, it unfortunately led to a sad, violent ending of his life.  

Newspapers.com, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia,
Tuesday, December 06, 1977, Page 4

Julius was buried on December 6 at Minton Chapel Advent Church Cemetery near Kite.

Newspapers.com, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia,
Tuesday, December 06, 1977, Page 6

A week later, the killing was ruled self-defense, and Lynward would not face charges.  

Newspapers.com, The Macon Telegraph, Macon, Georgia,
Tuesday, December 13, 1977, Page 13

So while we don't know the whys, at least in this case, we know the outcome of the case.

Wedding Wednesday

 

Newspapers.com, The Tampa Tribune (formerly Tampa Morning Tribune), Tampa, Florida,
Sunday, July 13, 1952, Pages 37 & 43

Sidney Denny Herndon Jr.
1927-2014

and

Laura Mildred Parker

1930-2008

married
July 12, 1952
Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, USA

Timeline Tuesday

 Mary Myrtle Schwalls Martin

13 Oct 1915 - 23 Apr 2003

Date/Age	Event	Description
1915	Birth	13 Oct 1915 Emanuel County, Georgia, USA
1916 10 months	Birth of Sister Emma Lee Schwalls	20 Aug 1916 Emanuel County, Georgia, USA
1919 Age 3	Birth of Brother Sam Delton Schwalls	03 Sep 1919 Georgia, USA
1920 Age 4	Residence	Emanuel County, Georgia, USA Militia District 1452
1929 Age 13	The Great Depression	The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn that started with the stock market crash of 1929. It lasted until the entry of the USA in World War II in 1941. Unemployment rose to 25% here and as high as 33% in other countries. It was the largest economic downturn in history.
1930 Age 14	Residence	Emanuel County, Georgia, USA Militia District 1452
1935 Age 19	Residence	Emanuel County, Georgia, USA
1939 Age 23	World War II	World War II began on September 1, 1939 with the German invasion of Poland.  The war involved most of the world’s powers and was divided into two sides: the Allies versus the Axis. World War II changed the boundaries of war with significant actions against civilians including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. 100 million military personnel were involved in the conflict. World War II was the deadliest war in history with over 70 million casualties. The war ended in 1945 with the victory of the Allies.
Abt 1940 Age 24	Marriage Robert Charles Martin
1940 Age 24	Residence	Nevils, Bulloch, Georgia, USA
1941  Age 26	Attack on Pearl Harbor	The attack on Pearl Harbor was an attack by the Japanese Navy on the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The attack by the Empire of Japan was intended to stop the USA from intervening in the war they were planning in South East Asia. Four US Navy battleships were sunk during the attack. Three cruisers, three destroyers, one minelayer, and one anti-aircraft training ship were also sunk or damaged during the attack. 188 US aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 personnel were killed; and 1,282 personnel were wounded during the attack. The USA declared war on the Empire of Japan after this attack, after which Germany and Italy declared war on the USA. This propelled the United States into the European theater during WWII.
1945 Age 29	Birth and Death of Daughter	Mary Ann Martin 31 May 1945 Coryell County, Texas, USA
1945 Age 29	Hiroshima and Nagasaki Nuclear Bombings	One two nuclear bombs have ever been used offensively during war. The first was detonated on the city of Hiroshima, Japan near the end of World War II on August 6, 1945. The second was detonated on the city of Nagasaki, Japan three days later on August 9, 1945. The bombings resulted in the immediate deaths of approximately 110,000 people, mostly civilians, and the eventual deaths of many more due to injury, acute radiation sickness, and ionizing radiation.
1947 Age 31	Birth of Son Gary Martin	Georgia, USA
1947 Age 31	The Cold War	The Cold War was an extensive period of political and military tension between the Soviet Union and the powers of the Western World, primarily the United States. The tensions began after WWII when the USA and the Soviet Union disagreed about the configuration of the post war world. While the “war” consisted of proxy wars, espionage, propaganda, a nuclear arms race, the race to space, and military coalitions, the primary participants never officially engaged in conflict. The Cold War ended in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
1950 Age 34	Residence	Nevils, Bulloch County, Georgia, USA
1950 Age 34	Birth of Daughter Mary Gale Martin	Georgia, USA
1950 Age 34	Korean War	The Korean War was a conflict between the Republic of Korea supported by the USA and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea supported by the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union. The war began with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea. The war ended when an armistice was signed designating the 38th parallel as the demilitarized zone.
1955 Age 39	Death of Mother Vinnie Lee Wheeler Schwalls	19 Aug 1955 Emanuel County, Georgia, US
1955 Age 39	Civil Rights Movement	Bet. 1955-1968 in USA The Civil Rights Movement was a movement, primarily in the Southern United States, aimed at restoring suffrage and outlawing racial discrimination against African- Americans. During this time period non- violent protests and civil disobedience staged by activists created crisis situations for the government. Some notable protests include the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, the Greensboro Sit-in, and the Selma to Montgomery Marches. Notable legislation was passed during this time including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Voting Rights Act of 1965, The Immigration and Nationality Service Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
1959 Age 43	Vietnam War	Bet. Sep 1959 - Apr 1975 The Vietnam War was fought between the communist forces of North Vietnam supported by China and the Soviet Union and the non-communist forces of South Vietnam supported by the USA and other allies. The war resulted in large casualties including 4 million Vietnamese from both sides, 1.5-2 million Laotians and Cambodians, and 58,159 US soldiers.
1963 Age 48	John F. Kennedy Assassination	22 Nov 1963 in Dallas, Texas. President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot while riding with his wife, Jaqueline, in a Presidential motorcade near Dealey Plaza in Dallas. After a government investigation, Lee Harvey Oswald was charged with the assassination but was killed before he could stand trial. President Kennedy was succeeded in the Presidency by his Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson.
1969 Age 53	Apollo 11 Moon Landing	Apollo 11 was the first lunar mission of NASA’s Apollo program and the first space mission to land a man on the moon. The “Eagle” lunar module reached the moon on July 20, 1969 after which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Jr became the first two men to walk on the moon.  It is estimated that 600 million people across the world watched the broadcast of the moon landing. After conducting a number of operations on the moon, the astronauts returned safely to earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969.
1984 Age 68	Death of Father Samuel Thomas “Sam” Schwalls	28 Aug 1984 Emanuel County, Georgia, USA
1984 Age 68	Residence	Pembroke, Bryan County, Georgia, USA
1990 Age 74	Persian Gulf War	An armed conflict between Iraq and a coalition of 32 nations after Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990. The invasion was condemned by the United Nations who launched an offensive led by the United States to push back the Iraqi forces. The coalition of forces invaded Kuwait on February 24, 1991 and a ceasefire was called less than 100 hours after the ground offensive was launched.
1998 Age 82	Death of Sister Emma Lee Schwalls	17 Aug 1998 Swainsboro, Emanuel County, Georgia, USA
1999 Age 83	Death of Husband Robert Charles Martin	03 Apr 1999 Chatham County, Georgia, US
2001 Age 85	September 11 Terrorist Attacks	The September 11 terrorist attacks were four coordinated suicide attacks on the United States. 19 terrorists from al-Qaeda intentionally crashed two airlines into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third airliner was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, outside of Washington, DC. A fourth plane crashed into a field just outside of rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania after the passengers and crew fought to retake control of the plane. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks along with the 19 hijackers.
2001 Age 85	War on Terror	07 Oct 2001 in Afghanistan An operation led by the United States and their allies to eradicate Islamic terrorists and militants and the regimes and organizations that supported them. This offensive began shortly after the USA was attacked on September 11th.
2003 Age 87	Operation Iraqi Freedom	On March 20, 2003, the USA and allied forces invaded Iraq in Operations Iraqi Freedom. The operation was intended to rid Iraq of possible nuclear weapons, which were not found. The invasion led to the capture of President Saddam Hussein who was eventually tried and executed. Although the end of hostilities was declared on May 1, 2003, much violence continued and the operation went on with the goal of creating and sustaining a democracy that can fight terrorism on its own.
2003 Age 87	Death	23 Apr 2003 Bulloch County, Georgia, USA