A Time Line for Reida Mae Poole (1905-1979)

 

Our connection:

Liz (that's me!)

↓↓↓

Gilbert Earl Tapley, 1928-2008 (my father)

↓↓↓

Lusion Keman Tapley, 1870-1935 (my grandfather)

↓↓ 

James Tillman 'Fella' Tapley, 1904-1974 (my uncle)

↓

Reida Mae Poole, 1905-1979 (his wife and my aunt)

Time Line for the life of Reida Mae Poole:  

1905 Age 0	Birth	October 5 Kite, Johnson County, Georgia
1906 Age 0	Historical Event	The Atlanta Race Riot.  The Atlanta Race Riot of 1906 occurred on the evening of September 22-24. A newspaper reported the rapes of four white women by African American men. Fueled by preexisting racial tensions, these reports enraged white men who then arranged gangs to attack African American men. Over the next several days, several thousand white men joined in and in the end, 26 people were killed and many were injured.
1918 Age 12	Death of Parent	Reida Mae’s father, William S. Poole (1873-1918), passes away on July 25.
1923 Age 18	Marriage	Married Wondell Renfroe on December 13 in Johnson County, Georgia.
1930 Age 24	Residence	Kite, Johnson County, Georgia.  Listed on 1930 Census as “Widowed.”
1932 Age 26	Historical Event	Lake Placid, New York hosts the Winter Olympic Games.
1932 Age 26	Marriage	May 19 Married James Tillman Tapley (1904-1974) in Georgia.
1935 Age 29	Historical Event	The FBI is Established.  The Bureau of Investigation’s name was changed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help citizens know that the government is helping  protect from threats both domestically and abroad.
1935 Age 29	Historical Event	The Social Security Act created a basic right to a pension in old age and insurance against unemployment.
1935 Age 29	Residence	District 55, Johnson County, Georgia
1940 Age 34	Residence	District 55, Johnson County, Georgia
1942 Age 36	Death of Parent	Reida Mae’s mother, Dona Chivers Poole (1872-1942), passes away on February 1 in Johnson County, Georgia
1942 Age 36	Historical Event	Germans Sink Ships Near St. Simons Island.  Lights from homes along the coast of St. Simons Island (Georgia) provided a clear view of the SS Oklahoma for German U-boat Captain Reinhard Hardegen on April 8, 1942.  A German torpedo was fired at the SS Oklahoma shortly after midnight.  An hour later, a second torpedo was fired at the oil tanker Esso Baton Rouge. Both ships sunk and the attacks left 22 seamen dead. After the incident, residents of the Golden Isles panicked over concern of a German invasion of the coast and were stringently observant of a nighttime blackout.
1946 Age 40	Residence	Macon, Bibb County, Georgia
1974 Age 68	Death of Spouse	James Tillman Tapley passed away on July 25 in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia
1979 Age 73	Historical Event	The Department of Education.  Department of Education was organized to guide the schools throughout the United States in what to teach and how to teach it. The Department also collects data on the schools to see where government focus needs to go.
1979 Age 73	Death	Reida Mae passed away on February 28 in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia.  She is buried at the Gumlog Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Johnson County, alongside her husband.

 Uncle James and Aunt Reida Mae never had children.  Their children were all the nieces, nephews, or any other kids that came into their lives.  They took care of everyone.  I can still remember going to their home in Macon and eating a really good meal!  I also remember the day I got off the school bus after school, and Mom told me Aunt Reida Mae had passed.  Even though I had experienced the death of loved ones before, at age 11, I was more aware of what that meant, and I burst into tears at the news.  

Both Reida Mae and Fella were the definition of good, down-home, country folks.  That's a great compliment in my book.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - The Star of my own Who Do You Think You Are? Show

 From Randy (a cousin discovery!!) over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

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

(1)  Pretend that you are one of the subjects/guests on the Who Do You Think You Are? TV show on the NBC network.

(2)  Which of your ancestors (maximum of two) would be featured on your hour-long episode? What stores would be told, and what places would you visit?

(3)  Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, in a post on Facebook, or on Twitter.  

Here's mine:

(1)  Pretend that you are one of the subjects/guests on the Who Do You Think You Are? TV show on the NBC network.

"Liz Tapley is a blogger and genealogist who has been researching her family history since she was a child! Despite having over 19,000 relatives in her Family Tree Maker database, she is still chasing that one elusive ancestor..."

(2)  Which of your ancestors (maximum of two) would be featured on your hour-long episode? What stores would be told, and what places would you visit?

    (a)  Genealogists from the United States and Germany would explore the mystery that is the early life of Liz's 2nd great-grandfather, George W. Schwalls Sr (1838-1908).  

        * Seemingly just appearing in the United States in the 1850s... how did he get to this country?  Who did he travel with?  How did he end up in rural south Georgia?

        * Is the George Michael Schwall living in the next county over his cousin?

        * What village/town/city was he from in Germany?  Who were his parents? Grandparents?

        * After only being in the U.S. for no more than five years, he fought in the Civil War on the Confederate side.  What was his motivation?  What was that time like for him?  

During the course of the show, I would visit Johnson County, Georgia to see where George lived and raised his children... then I would go to Germany and visit the any and all locations the professional genealogists have found that bring me closer to knowing George and his family's history.  As an aside, I would definitely want to be driven everywhere I visit, especially in Germany where I am not familiar with the ways of the road.  

Now I believe the search for George's family would take the entire hour of the show.  But if not...

    (b)  Information about the adoption of my great-grandmother, Bessie Carter Ranney (1883-1960).

        *  Perhaps through DNA, professional genealogists can find out the identity of her birth parents.

        * Did her adoptive parents, Charles Kelso Carter (1843-1916) and Sarah Schoonover Carter (1840-1918) know their daughter's' birth parents?

I would visit Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Bessie was born and Eagle Grove, Iowa where she grew up.  Since my mother and I have discovered through DNA testing that we have Scandinavian roots, which could only have come from Bessie, perhaps the show will take me to Norway or Denmark!

Morgan Goodgame Swain was Innkeeper, Blacksmith, Sheriff & Jailor

On May 2, 1814, my 3rd great-grandmother, Sarah "Sally" Tapley (1775-bet. 1850-60) gave birth to twins out of wedlock.  It has always been family folklore that the twins' father was a man named Canneth Swain (1770-1831), who just happened to be a neighbor of Sally's in Emanuel County, Georgia. Canneth was a married man, but all stories passed down indicate that the twins always knew he was their father.  Also, I have found several descendants of the twins who were named Canneth.  

About 10-12 years ago, my cousin, Keith Tapley, provided the DNA that finally proved the link between the Tapleys and the Swains.  So the family folklore was actually truth!

(Just think... if things had been different, I would have been a Swain and not a Tapley!  Mindboggling!)

Canneth married Rebecca Johnson in 1801 in Montgomery County, Georgia and together they had somewhere between 10-13 children.  They were married until Canneth's death in 1831.  In December of 1825, Canneth bought land in Thomas County, Georgia and moved his family there the following year.  Thomas County is located about 170 miles southwest of Emanuel County... 3 hours and 15 minutes by car; many more hours by horse and wagon.  The twins would have been about 12 years old.  I do not know if they ever saw their father again after that.  

No one knows the reason for the move.  All we have is conjecture.  Were the boys getting old enough to announce to anyone who listened that Canneth was their father?  Or perhaps they were wanting to spend time with their father?  I would think their existence would have been an embarrassment to Rebecca Swain.  Could she have pressured Canneth to move away?  Or was it something as simple as finding better or more land?  Canneth also owned nearly 2,000 acres of land in Early and Lee Counties, along with herds of hogs and cattle.  So perhaps the reason was simply to be closer to his farmland and stock.  We will probably never know.  

Anyway, the DNA proof led me to research Canneth and Rebecca's children and their descendants since they are my relatives also.  This is when I found Morgan Goodgame Swain.

Morgan, known as Morz, was the 3rd child of Canneth and Rebecca.  (This makes him my 3rd great uncle.)  He was born in Montgomery County in 1805. Morz was about 21 years old when his family moved south, and he went with them.  Within two years, he had married Elizabeth Wooten and settled near her father in Thomas County.  However, when the town of Troupville was established in 1838 as the county seat of Lowndes County, the Swains moved there to be one of the town's first residents.  In Troupville, Morz set up a blacksmith shop and also took work as a Deputy Sheriff, both trades that suited him as one of the biggest, strongest men in Wiregrass Georgia.  

Here is how his grandson, Montgomery Morgan Folsom (1857-1899) who was a Wiregrass poet and historian, described him:

    "Among those who settled in Troupville and left behind many momentous memories, was Morgan Goodgame Swain, a burly blacksmith from Emanuel, who was ever ready for a fight, frolic or a footrace. He stood six feet three and weighed over two hundred without pound of surplus flesh. As handsome as a Greek god he was gifted with herculean strength and a heart that was generous and true."

    "Many a time and oft has he stepped out in the road and throwing off his hunting-shirt, flop his arms and crow like a game-cock."

For five years, the Swains prospered in Troupville.  While Elizabeth raised their children, Morz became owner and operator of Swain's Hotel (a tavern).  But tragically, Elizabeth Wooten Swain died in 1843 at the age of 32, leaving Morgan with two children to raise.  

About six months after Elizabeth's death, in 1844, Morz remarried a Rebecca "Becky" Griffin.  They had 5 children together.  

    "He [Morz] erected his forge [blacksmith shop] on the bank of the Ockolockocee [River], and his wife took possession of the tavern.  Becky, she was lord above, and Morz was lord below."

Morz operated one of the three hotels in Troupville.  When he remarried, he apparently felt it necessary to advertise his intention to continue as innkeeper.  "Swain's Hotel," the tavern operated by Morz Swain, was properly called The Jackson Hotel, and for several months in 1844, he ran this ad in the papers of the state capitol.

However, the very next year, in late 1845, Morgan Swain sought to dispose of his hotel and Troupville city lots.

During this time period, Morgan Swain had continued to hold public office, serving as Justice of the Peace of the 658th District of Lowndes County from 1844 to 1849, and also as the county jailor.  Morz was also involved in the activities of the Democratic party in Lowndes County.

Morgan Goodgame Swain lived a short but prominent and colorful life in old Troupville, Georgia.  He died there on August 9, 1851 at the young age of 46.  

Obituary of Morgan G. Swain appeared Aug 19, 1851 in the Milledgeville Federal Union newspaper.

A slightly longer obituary appeared a few days later on Aug 22, 1851 in The Albany Patriot.

Becky Swain, Monz's widow, applied in July 1852 for guardianship of the "minors and orphans" of the deceased.  The Ordinary of the Lowndes Court advertised the application in The Milledgeville Southern Recorder.

Meanwhile, Becky's father, who served as administrator of Morgan Swain's estate, made notice of the disposal of Morgan's property and the conclusion of his affairs.

Map of Troupville with the location of Morgan Swain's hotel marked:

Valdosta became the county seat of Lowndes County and there is nothing left of Troupville except some white rocks where Morgan Swain's blacksmith forge used to be.  

Oh and no, I do not know where his middle name "Goodgame" came from.  I wish I did!

Sources:  Ray City History Blog, April 7, 2012, Ray City History Blog, February 9, 2014, Ray City History Blog, July 20, 2019, WWLAS.net, March 16, 2018

Time Capsule Tuesday, 1928

 

My father's only surviving first cousin, Jaqueline "Jackie" Tapley Snell, turned 94 years old yesterday.  She was born February 14, 1928.  Let's see what was happening in America at that time.

1928 was a leap year.  February 14, 1928 was a Tuesday.  It was Valentine's Day.  

In the United States, the most popular baby name for girls is Mary.  This name was given to 66,869 baby girls.  For the boys, it is Robert. This name was recorded 60,696 times in the year 1928. 

The generation born between 1928 and 1945 is called the Silent Generation.  This generation was comparatively small because the Great Depression and World War II caused people to have fewer children. The generation was so named because it was mostly silent; it did not issue manifestoes, make speeches or carry posters.  They tended to be thrifty and even miserly.  They were about "working within the system." They kept their heads down and worked hard. They preferred to play it safe. 

The President of the United States was Calvin Coolidge.  The Vice President was Charles Gates Dawes. 

The decade of the 1920s, also known as the Jazz Age and "The Roaring Twenties," featured economic prosperity and carefree living for many.  The decade began with a roar and ended with a crash.  It was a decade of change, when many Americans owned cars, radios, and telephones for the first time. The cars brought the need for good roads.  The radio brought the world closer to home. The telephone connected families and friends. Prosperity was on the rise in cities and towns.  Women shortened, or "bobbed," their hair, flappers danced and wore short fancy dresses, and men shaved off their beards. 

The 1920s also represented an era of change and growth. America had become a world power and was no longer considered just another former British colony. American culture, such as books, movies, and Broadway theater, was now being exported to the rest of the world.  World War I had left Europe on the decline and America on the rise. This decade helped to establish America's position in respect to the rest of the world through its industry, inventions, and creativity.

1928 Prices

Bread:  $0.09/loaf

Milk: $0.57/gal

Eggs: $0.47/dozen

Car: $475

House: $7,333

Stamp: $0.02/each

Average Income: $1,515/year

Songs from 1928:

Golden Gate by Al Jolson

How About Me? by Irving Berlin

One Kiss by Oscar Hammerstein

Top Movies of 1928

Stand and Deliver        

Four Sons

Bare Knees

People Born on February 14:

1882 - John Barrymore, American actor and singer

1894 - Jack Benny, American actor, singer, and producer

1921 - Hugh Downs, American journalist, game show host, and producer 

Historical Events on February 14, 1928

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company clashed with city and state authorities in New York over the proposed raising of the subway fair from 5 cents to 7 cents.  

The silent drama film, Four Sons, (mentioned above) premiered at the Gaiety Theatre in New York City.

The II Olympic Winter Games were in full swing in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

And... the hot new toy in 1928 was Chinese Checkers.

Sources:  dmarie Time Capsule  TAKEMEBACK.TO, 1920s: A Decade of Change, onthisday.com, and Wikipedia, February 1928.  Video courtesty of YouTube.com.  

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Pick a Day in the Life of an Ancestor**

 From Randy (a cousin discovery!!) over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

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

(1)  Michael John Neill wrote "Pick a Day" on Thursday, February 3, in his Genealogy Tip of the Day blog.  

(2)  Read Michael's post, and then write your own post.  Tell us your day, your person, and then answer the ten questions.

(3)  Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, in a post on Facebook, or on Twitter.  

Here's mine:

The person I chose for this exercise is my paternal grandfather, Lusion Keman 'L.K.' Tapley (1870-1935).  The date chosen was April 14, 1930.

* Where was my ancestor living?

    Papa was living in Kite (District 55), Johnson County, Georgia.  His farm was located between Highway 57 (going toward Wrightsville) and Fortner Pond Road, which runs into Highway 221 North (heading toward Bartow).  

* Who was in his household?

    In his household were his wife of 16 years, Nealie Drake Tapley (1895-1970), age 35; their sons, William Lamar (1915-1985), age 14; John Russell "Russ" (1917-1967), age 12; Dorsey Franklin "Dorse" (1919-2007), age 10; Jack Dempsey "Demp" (1921-1994), age 8; Gilbert (1928-2008), age 1; and their daughter, Irene (1925-2004), age 4.  

* What was the ancestor's occupation?

    Papa was always a farmer.  The 1930 census states that he was "working on his own account."  So I take that to mean he was farming his own land.  Lusion's parents gave each of their children some land, but I do not know the acreage of Papa's portion. This date is two years before Papa and Grandma lost their land to foreclosure.

*  What was the ancestor's age?

    On this date, he was actually 60 years old, though the census states he was 57.  

*  What was going on nationally on this date (at this point in time)?

    More than 4 million people are unemployed as a result of the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

    Arizona scientists discover a ninth planet - Pluto. 

    For the first time, the 30th U.S. Census asks whether the respondents owned a radio, reflecting an increased interest in communication technology and consumer goods.

    The Nazi party becomes the second largest political party in Germany.

    Construction on the Hoover Dam started later in the year 1930.  The Hoover Dam was part of a larger public works relief program to create jobs for those struggling during the first years of the Great Depression.

    CBS broadcasts the New York Philharmonic live over the radio for the first time.

*  What was going on locally/regionally?

    The closest newspaper I could find was "The Atlanta Constitution."  Some of the Georgia news article titles on April 14, 1930 include:

    "State Education Convention Will Open in Macon Today"

    "Convicted Forger Escapes at Macon"

    "Wesleyan is Host to University Women" (American Association of University Women)

    "Thermometer Reaches 84.3 Degrees in Macon"

    "South Carolinian Shot to Death" (in Augusta)

    "Driver Dies as Auto Plunges Off Bridge" (Augusta)

    "Byrd Murder Case Will Reopen Today - Dan Tyre to Face Trial for Ax Slaying at Blackshear"

    "Aged Georgian Robbed, Beaten" (Savannah)

  

*  Were my ancestor's parents alive?

    No, his father had passed in 1912, and his mother died in 1924.

*  Were my ancestor's siblings alive?    

    Other than two sisters who died as children, all nine of Papa's other siblings were alive on this date.  These included Franklin Morgan "Frank" (1867-1938), James "Jim" (1868-1941), Elizabeth Virginia "Lizzie" (1873-1959), Tabitha "Bosh" (1875-1956), George Washington Sentell "Tell" (1876-1944), Bennett Olin "Ol" (1878-1955), Solomon (1881-1971), Vianna Bell (1886-1965), and Bascom Biship (1889-1967).  

*  Where would he have gone to church the previous Sunday?

    I'm not sure that Papa attended church.  But I can guarantee that Grandma Nealie was at Powell's Chapel every Sunday!

*  Who were my ancestor's neighbors?

    His immediate neighbors were Frank Rodgers and family on one side and C.L. Stephens and his son, Elmo, on the other side.  A couple of houses up the street was his son, Champ Lusion (1909-1974) and his wife, Pauline Horton Tapley (1912-2003).  Pauline's family lived next to them.  Next to Champ were the Pooles... their daughter, Reida Mae (1905-1979), ended up marrying Lusion's oldest son, James Tillman "Fella" (1904-1974).  

** Please note that this is the Saturday Night Fun prompt from last Saturday, February 5. I missed it last week, and since I am not any kind of sports fan, I chose to go ahead and do last week's prompt.  

Family Surname: Schwall or Schwalls

The surname Schwall is German in origin.  Germans began to use surnames in the 1400s.  Occupational names were the most common, but nicknames and location names were also used.

Every village had similar trades (or occupations) from which people took their surnames, so people from different German villages who had the same trade and therefore the same surname are not necessarily related.

Today, German surnames have undergone many spelling changes, especially as Germans have immigrated to the United States.  In my own family's instance, my ancestor added an "S" to Schwall in order to differentiate himself from his cousin living in the next county over. 

The word "schwall" means "flood" in German.  Does this give me a hint as to where the name came from?  Maybe.  In the course of my research, I came across the origin of the name.  It was based on location, perhaps a swamp or swamp-like land.  Unfortunately, I did not copy the information I found, nor did I record the source, and now have no way of knowing exactly what it said.  A lesson learned. 

In my online research, I find this origin and meaning multiple times:

"South German:  habitational name from places so named in Nassau and the Rhineland."

So what the heck does THAT mean?  Well, it does provide clues...

Habitation is a place of residence or a colony or settlement.  So the adjective habitational would describe the surname as a name from a place of residence or colony or settlement.  

Nassau is a town located in the German State of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz in German). It is about 60 miles southwest of Bonn.

Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. 

The Rhineland lies in West Germany along both banks of the middle Rhine River.  It borders on the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. 

So this gives me a possible area that my Schwalls ancestor was from.  However, that is a lot of ground to cover which would be oh so much easier if I had any idea what village or town or city where George Schwalls was born.  I do believe it might be in the correct vicinity considering this:  The state of Rhineland-Palantinate was established in 1946.  It was formed from the northern part of the French Occupation Zone, which included parts of Bavaria... (italics added).  This is significant because on one single document I have managed to locate during my research, George indicated he was from Bavaria.  So even though this German state was formed almost 100 years after he left the country, it still gives me a clue as to the general location he may hail from.  

Another clue is that Rhineland-Palantinate has supplied immigrants to many parts of the world.  The Pennsylvania Dutch spoken by the Amish in the United States is derived from the German dialect spoken in the Rhineland-Palatinate, which many Palatine refugees brought to the colony in the early decades of the 18th century.  Family lore insists that our Schwalls were "Dutch." 

I have information about only 4 generations of my maternal Schwalls line:

- George W. Schwalls Sr.

My 2nd great-grandfather.  He was born 01 Jan 1837 somewhere in Germany and died 21 Jan 1908 in Johnson County, Georgia.  He married (1) in 1866 in Edgefield County, South Carolina, Lincelia E. Claxton, born 10 Apr 1839 in Edgefield County.  She died 18 Jan 1882.  They had seven children: 

 Susan M. Schwalls
Linnie Schwalls
Charlie Milton Schwalls
William Louis Schwalls
Mattie Schwalls
M. M. Schwalls
George W. Schwalls Jr

George married (2) 16 Jul 1883 in Johnson County, Georgia, Mary J. Williams, born 15 Mar 1851 Georgia.  She died 14 Mar 1922.  They had six children:

Hattie Barbara Schwalls
Dillie Schwalls
Samuel Thomas Schwalls
Rosa Schwalls
Rufus E. Lester Schwalls 
Lizzie Lee Schwalls  

- Mattie Schwalls

 
My great-grandmother.  She was born 25 May 1877, presumably in Johnson County, Georgia.  She married 18 Nov 1903 in Johnson County, Lusion Keman Tapley, born 31 Mar 1870 in Johnson County and died 3 Jul 1935 in Wadley, Jefferson County, Georgia.  They had the following children: 

James Tillman Tapley  
Charles Morgan Tapley
Champ Lusion Tapley
Woodrow Tapley (died shortly after birth)

Mattie passed away 26 Apr 1912 after giving birth to Woodrow.

- Charles Morgan Tapley

 

 My grandfather was born 27 Jun 1907 in Johnson County, Georgia and died 12 Nov 1973 in Swainsboro, Emanuel County, Georgia.  He married (1) 27 Jun 1928 in California, Gladys Ruth Van Cleave, born 31 Jul 1909 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and died 01 Dec 1987 in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California.  They had two children.  Charles married (2) 03 Dec 1939 in Redlands, San Bernardino County, California, Ethel Irene Ranney, born 06 Jul 1913 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan and died 12 Nov 1973 in Dublin, Laurens County, Georgia.  They had the following child:

- Linda Irene Tapley

My mother was born in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California.  She and my father had the following children:

  Michael Edward Tapley
 
- And ME. 

Sources:

Ancestor Search, Free Dictionary of Surname Origins & Last Name Meanings, German Surname Origins & Genealogy Resources, http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/origin/germansurnames.html

British Surnames and Surname Profiles, Schwall, Classification and Origin of Schwall,  http://www.britishsurnames.co.uk/surnames/SCHWALL/origin

Family Education, NameLab, Schwall, http://genealogy.familyeducation.com/surname-origin/schwall

Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/habitational

Rhineland-Palatinate. (2013, May 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 9, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rhineland-Palatinate&oldid=554882307

Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rhineland.jpg