Military Monday

 

Lee Wade "Buddy" Willis
1941-2004

U.S. Army

Black Sheep Sunday - Part 4 (1935-1939) of From small town Georgia boy to notorious Texas (and beyond!) con man

 This post is the 4th in a series of posts about the life of Elridge Solomon Price, Sr.  You can find the other installments here:  Part 1,  Part 2, and Part 3.

Of course, Elridge started out 1935 with a bang.  We would expect nothing less.  His troubles with the federal government regarding income tax evasion continue.  I know one thing for sure, the feds do not play about taxes.  They will come after you, and they won't give up.  They may settle for less money, but they will get something out of you if you owe taxes.  So in this case, the government is continuing to come after Elridge for not paying his taxes and/or filing yearly income tax returns.

In August 1934, Elridge was released on a $2,000 bond set by a federal judge in Dallas in his case for failing to file an income tax return for 1932.  His attorney argued that the case should be dismissed since Elridge had no income in 1932 and thus shouldn't be required to file an income tax return for that year.  The judge disagreed, but did agree to lower Elridge's bond $5,000 to $2,000 since Elridge could not come up with the higher amount.  He was supposed to appear back in court on September 8 to address his attorney's petition to dismiss the case.  

Now Elridge had other stuff going on in September of 1934 also.  He was a fugitive at that point in the Dallas County jail for being a "fugitive" from California and his state charges there.  That judge released him on his own recognizance.  

There was no more word on either of these cases until February 1935:

Newspapers.com, Martinez News-Gazette, Martinez, California,
Tuesday, February 12, 1935, Page 8

A couple of weeks later, we find that Elridge has once again failed to appear to face charges:

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Tuesday, February 26, 1935, Page 8

Newspapers.com, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, Kansas,
Saturday, March 2, 1935, Page 5

Now the entire country is looking for Elridge.

Newspapers.com, The Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Florida,
Tuesday, March 12, 1935, Page 9.

Six months later, Elridge is found...

Newspapers.com, The Seattle Star, Seattle, Washington,
Tuesday, August 20, 1935, Page 4

So evidently, in 1934, Elridge was also charged with failing to file an income tax return in 1933.  He had a court date of October 1, 1934 on that, but I can find nothing in the newspapers about it. So this pursuit and charges have to do with  both 1932 and 1933 taxes.  I just wanted to clarify that.

Newspapers.com, The Seattle Star, Seattle, Washington,
Friday, September 20, 1935, Page 3

Newspapers.com, The Longview Daily News, Longview, Texas,
Tuesday, September 24, 1935, Page 6

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegraph, Fort Worth, Texas,
Saturday, September 28, 1935, Page 1

Elridge must have been one smooth talker.  He had the best luck I have ever seen.

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Saturday, December 28, 1935, Page 10

Now let's talk about Elridge's family for a moment.  Obviously, he and Edith are back together.  I have lost count of how many times she filed for divorce.  I have no doubt that Elridge was abusive in addition to being a manipulator with a smooth tongue.  She had children with him.  He had money.  It was  probably easier and possibly safer for her to stay than to leave.  So she went with him to Alaska when he fled.  Their last child, a daughter, was born there. She followed him back to Texas when he was extradited. She never seemed to be far away.  It had to have been a hard life - moving around constantly, trying to stay a step ahead of the law. Living in motel rooms at times. It must have been even harder on the children, though. Elridge's granddaughter tells me that her mother never spoke of any of this.  Were they trained to "not air the family's dirty laundry" or did they really not know what was going on?  

The daughter that was born in Valdez, Alaska was born on September 8, 1935.  That is in the middle between the date they located Elridge and when they extradited him back to the United States.  There is no mention of where he was in that month, so I assumed he was in jail.  That would mean he missed his daughter's birth, which I guess wasn't unusual during that time in history.  However, it makes me wonder when did he first meet her?  When did he first get to hold her?  Did Edith take her to the jail to meet her father?  

Moving on... Elridge's luck continues into 1936...

Newspapers.com, Martinez News-Gazette, Martinez, California,
Friday, January 10, 1936, Page 8

Things were quiet after he left jail the end of January.  It seems he continued on with business as usual.

Newspapers.com, The Marshall News Messenger, Marshall, Texas,
Friday, May 29, 1936, Page 2

All was quiet again for over a year.  However, it appears there was a lot of items like the above going on involving widows.  

Newspapers.com, The Dallas Journal, Dallas, Texas,
Friday, September 10, 1937, Page 13

Again there is a period of calm, and then Elridge hits the news again.

Newspapers.com, San Angelo Morning Times, San Angelo, Texas,
Wednesday, February 1, 1939, Page 5

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Friday, February 3, 1939, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Houston Post, Houston, Texas,
Sunday, February 5, 1939, Page 10

And that's all folks for this installment.  The rest of 1939 was quiet.  No resolution to the damage case.  Stay tuned for 1940 as it was a busy year for Elridge and his family.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - An Unusual Newspaper Article About Your Ancestors

 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)  Have you found an unusual, chilling, amazing, or fascinating newspaper article about your ancestors?

2)  If so, please share the article and what you learned about your ancestor(s) from the article. Provide a source citation too!

3) Please share your post or information as a comment or in your own blog post!

(Thank you to Lisa S. Gorrell for this SNGF idea.)

Here's mine:

To be honest, when I read the prompt for this week, I burst out laughing.  Not because it is not a good prompt, but because I post so many crazy news articles on this blog that I had no idea where to begin! If you read this blog, you know I tend to write about the scoundrels, black sheep, crimes, and losses in my family tree. So I have seen some crazy stuff in newspapers.  

So the news article I decided to use is none of those things.  It is unusual and fascinating (and crazy) to say the least.  Especially to those of us who knew this ancestor.  

My maternal grandfather, Charles Morgan Tapley (1907-1973) was married one time before he married my grandmother.  His first wife was Gladys Ruth Van Cleave (1909-1987).  They had two children together, a baby who did not survive, and my Aunt Evelyn (1932-2022). (Mom and I sure wish she was still here because she may very well have been to shed some light on this news article.)  Charles and Gladys married in 1928 in Los Angeles, California.  They divorced sometime between 1932-1939; I have been unable so far to find the exact date. Charles married my grandmother, Ethel, in December 1939, so I know he and Gladys were divorced before then.  

Anyway, here's the news article:

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Saturday, 28 Aug 1937, Page 5, Downloaded on July 21, 2020

Mom and I are just confused.  We have so many questions and no answers. I have never heard of a Love "Quadrangle."  Why did this story go national?  Were Charles and Gladys still together at this time?  The articles states, "...Austin had roomed in the house of Mrs. Gladys Tapley and that Austin's wife lived for a time under the same roof with Mrs. Tapley's husband."  What does that even mean?  Were they boarders?  Friends? Acquaintances?  We have no idea.  

What I am fairly certain of is that my grandfather, Charles, had to have been mortified.  He was a Christian man; a minister even.  For him to have this circulating all over the country; maybe even to a newspaper back home in Georgia and having to appear in court and testify in front of a courtroom of people would have been embarrassing for anyone.  But for a good Southern gentlemen in 1937? Humiliating.

So unusual is an understatement.

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. This week there are two who actually passed away a few months ago as I got behind on email for while. So I may be doubling up for a few weeks.

    Please join me in offering condolences to their families and holding them in the light.

Otis Lewis 'Buddy' Fortner
November 4, 1941 - June 5, 2026

Otis L. “Buddy” Fortner, 84, of Kite was called to Heaven by his Heavenly Father on Friday, June 5, 2026, surrounded by his family. He was loved by everyone and will be greatly missed.

If you came to Kite, GA, and asked for Otis Fortner few people would know who you were talking about but if you asked for Buddy Fortner, they could tell you where to find him. He was born on November 4, 1941, in a country home to the late Daniel Lewis Fortner and Reba Wheeler Fortner. In high school, he played basketball and was a catcher all 4 years for the Kite Tigers. He graduated from Kite High School in 1959. After high school he married the love of his life, Kathryn Kitchens Fortner, and they married on October 2, 1960. They spent 65 years loving each other in marriage.

He started his career at the age of 18 as a self-employed livestock dealer. He had friends and business contacts throughout the Southeast. As owner of Fortner Livestock, he employed 100s of employees. He operated big rigs hauling hogs and cows. He was also a partner in Smith Brothers Stockyard and Swainsboro Stockyard and later worked for Pulaski County Stockyard.

Buddy was a lifetime member of New Home Baptist Church. He loved God, his family, and his friends. He was the former Sunday School Superintendent and on The Social Committee. Buddy was a member of the Swainsboro Masonic #244 and a member of the Swainsboro Shrine Club for 25 years. As a Shriner clown he enjoyed visiting the Shriners hospitals. He enjoyed fishing and taught his children and grandchildren to fish. His trips to Gatlinburg with his church family were some of his favorite memories. He found pleasure in raising cows and taking care of his farm. He had a special gift for making people happy.

Buddy was preceded in death by his parents and granddaughters, Kathy Carpenter and Tiffany Broughan.

Survivors include his wife of 65 years Kathryn Kitchens Fortner; daughter, Twan Broughan (Buddy) of Kite; son, Lewie Fortner (Gail) of Wrightsville; grandson, Lewis Fortner III (Jessica) of East Dublin; brother, Bobby Gene Fortner (Mahala) of Kite; 5 great grandchildren; special family friend, Jimmie Rumore; other extended family and many dear friends.

Funeral Services will be Monday, June 8, 2026, at 2:00 pm at New Home Baptist Church with Reverend Lamar Kersey, Mr. Phillip Boatright, Reverend Phil Wilson, and Reverend Burton Dixon officiating. Mr. Buddy Fortner will lie in state 1 hour prior to funeral service.

Internment will follow funeral services in Gumlog Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery. 

The family will receive friends at Chapman Funeral Home from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Sunday June 7, 2026.

Pallbearers will be Todd Fortner, Danny Fortner, Walter Drew, Mark Crosby, Jody Scott, and Donnie Sweat.

Honorary Pallbearers will be Eddie Henry, Kenny Carroll, Anthony Frost, Big Red, and Men of New Home Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the New Home Baptist Church Youth Group, c/o Teri Crosby, 1862 Moore’s Chapel Road, Wrightsville, GA 31096.

The family would like to extend special thanks to Pruitt Hospice for their care of our loved one.  

Condolences may be expressed at www.chapmanfhofswainsboro.com

Chapman Funeral Home of Swainsboro is in charge of all arrangements for Mr. Otis L. “Buddy” Fortner, 84, of Kite.

Jakob Hogan Tapley

~ 2001 - June 19, 2026
Ellabell, Georgia

Jakob Hogan Tapley, 25, of Ellabell, Georgia, passed away suddenly on Friday, June 19, 2026, as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

Jakob is going to be missed by his parents, Terry and Sherry Tapley; brother, Carter Tapley (Makenna); maternal grandparents, David and Shirley Hogan “Nana and Pop Pop”; special family, Cristy Sehr (William), Macey Mroz, and Caroline Cannady; uncles, Greg Tapley and Kim Tapley; aunts, Crystal Deal “Beet”, Charlie Spence and Melanie Cook (Mel Mel); special friends, Lucas Dyal, Trey Meeks, Destiny Graham, Greg Romano, Tommy Mikell, Thomas Hicks (Dolly), Terryn New, and Patrick Baratta; cousins, Timothy “Tim Tim” Thompson (Amber), Logan, Laney, Kinsley Sehr, Andrea Flakes, Daci Flakes, Maranda Thompson and Dathan Flakes.

Jakob and Logan Deal, who also passed away in the accident, were cousins and best friends from birth, each other’s “ride or die”. Jakob was his grandparents first grandchild, and his grandmother Shirley enjoyed calling him her “SugaBuggaBuggaBear”. He enjoyed fishing with his dad and brother, gaming, collecting guns, swords and he enjoyed anything Marvel. He was always happy and never had a bad day. Jakob had the most contagious smile and loved big. Jakob was so loved by his family and was always picked on for being a mama’s boy, who he loved and adored the most. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Edsel and Ethelene Tapley, and was employed with the ILA 1475 at the Georgia Port Authority.

The visitation will be on Friday, June 26, 2026 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the funeral home.  The funeral to honor Jakob's life will follow at 2 p.m. in the chapel of the funeral home.

Thomas C. Strickland & Sons Funeral Homes – WEST CHATHAM CHAPEL – 901 West Highway 80 – Pooler, Georgia (912) 748-2444

Friday Funny

 

I'm going to be carrying a notebook so I can write down all the answers to the questions I have for each of them! 

My mother always told me that it won't matter in the afterlife, but I'm here to tell you it WILL matter to me.  HA!

Wednesday Woman

 

Let me try out a new blog post theme for Wednesdays.  In these posts, I will share information about a woman in my family tree whom I admire, know a story about, or know very little about in the hopes I will learn more from my readers.  

I am starting this series with my great-grandmother, Emma Vermell Harrell Drake (1867-1935).  She was my father's maternal grandmother, but he never knew her.  I do not know much about her, but hopefully someone out there can fill in some blanks.

Emma Vermell Harrell was born September 4, 1867 in Emanuel County, Georgia, the oldest child of William Robert Harrell (1838-1908) and Catherine M. Odom (1841-1875).  Emma's mother died when she was just 8 years old.  Her father remarried 2.5 years later and had two sons with his second wife, Winford "Mimie" Barwick (1853-1939).  

She married William John Drake (1857-1927) when she was only 15 years old on July 30, 1883.  John was 10 years older than her.  He was a widower with a 2.5 year old when he and Emma married.  I don't know for sure, but I am sure Emma raised that daughter after the marriage. They lived in the Adrian area. John was a Methodist preacher, so therefore, Emma was a preacher's wife.  

John and Emma had 9 children:

* Hattie Lay Drake (1884-1912).  

Hattie married George Wesley Wise (1883-1962) and they had one child,

        - Minne Sadie Wise (1911-1996).  

Hattie passed away from typhoid fever.  Interesting twist in that her widower, George Wesley Wise, married Hattie's half sister, her father's daughter from his first marriage, Samantha Augusta Drake (1881-1966).  He needed help raising Sadie and Samantha agreed.  

* Kenneth Catherine Drake (1886-1973)

Kenneth married Joshua Franklin Howell in 1907 and moved to South Carolina.  They had 10 children:

- Bessie Lou Howell (1909-1991)

- Luther William Howell (1912-1978)

- Louise Vermell Howell (1913-1986)

- Eula Mae Howell (1915-2001)

- Katie Marie Howell (1917-2004)

- William Thomas Howell Sr (1919-1994)

- Johnnie Doris Howell (1921-? )

- Viola Catherine Howell (1923-2019)

- Joshua Franklin Howell (Jr) (1925-?)

- Joseph Henry Howell Sr (1927-2003)

* William Lovick Drake (1892-1912) 

Lovick died from typhoid fever, same as his sister, Hattie.  It went through the entire family and everyone else recovered.

* Nealie Vermell Drake (1895-1970)

My grandmother.  She married Lusion Keman "Loosh" Tapley (1870-1935) in 1914.  She was his third wife and raised his three sons after the death of his second wife, Mattie Schwalls (1877-1912). Nealie and Loosh had six children of their own:

- William Lamar Tapley (1915-1985)

- John Russell "Russ" Tapley (1917-1967)

- Hugh Dorsey 'Dorse' Tapley (1919-2007)

- Jack Dempsey Tapley (1932-1994)

- Irene Tapley (1925-2004)

- Gilbert Earl Tapley (1928-2008) - My father.

* William Robert Drake (1897-1927)

Robert was married to Fannie Gallens. He was murdered when there was an altercation between him and a drifter he and his friends were harassing.  The drifter shot Robert. 

* James Weldon Drake (1900-1977)

James moved to Florida and married Corrie Evelyn Nicols (1906-2005).  They had 3 children:

- Sarah Joyce Drake (1927-?)

- James Robert Drake (1931-?)

- June Carol Drake (1936-2000)

* Keland Lawton Drake Sr (1903-1972)

Lawton also moved to Florida.  He married Maude Helen Crews (1908-1999) and they had 1 child:

- Keland Lawton Drake Jr (1932-2010)

* Nancy Mary Ann Drake (1906-1931)

Nancy married Alvin Donaldson and they had one child:

- Alvin Donaldson (Jr)

* Martha Lou Drake (1908-1986)

 Marthie was another one who relocated to Florida.  She married Leamon Ellison (1906-1987) and they had no children.  

That makes 23 grand-children for John and Emma Harrell Drake.  

On August 10, 1927 (just 2 months after their son, Robert, was murdered), John Drake, Emma's husband, got up in the middle of the night and went outside. When he returned, their son, James, accidentally shot his father, not realizing who it was until it was too late.  As he was dying John told that it was an accident, took the blame and therefore exonerated his son.

The story whispered in the family is that Emma was mentally "off." Crazy even.  I offer that she had good reason to be.  She lost her mother when she was very young. She lost 2 children to typhoid fever in 1912.  She herself had the fever and recovered. She lost a son to homicide in June 1927 and then her husband was shot and killed by their own son in August 1927.  

In addition, my grandmother evidently never saw or talked to her parents after she married my grandfather, Loosh Tapley.  I am guessing her parents were not thrilled with the 25 year age difference, that he had been married twice before, and he had 4 children from those marriages.  When I pointed out to my father that his grandmother, Emma, died three months after his father, he had no recollection of going to the funeral or his mother going.  He never met his grandmother.

Plus at least 3 of her other children moved away before Emma passed.  It would not be so easy to travel in the 1930's so I don't know how much she saw them.

So I would venture to say that Emma had to be a strong woman with a true faith that got her through all those hard things in her life.  She worked hard and was a faithful and loving wife and mother.  She deserves to be admired and honored.  

Tombstone Tuesday

 

Aubrey M Drake
1925-1981

buried at

Poplar Springs Methodist Church Cemetery
Adrian, Johnson County, Georgia,  USA