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.

Rita Tapley Marshall
April 20, 1942 - May 14, 2026
Waycross, Ware, Georgia, USA

Rita Tapley "Nanu" Marshall, 84, died peacefully in her sleep early Thursday morning (May 14, 2026) following a brief illness at Waycross Health and Rehabilitation.

She was born in Villa Rica GA, had lived most of her life in Marietta GA before making her home in Waycross for the past 8 years.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Harley Eugene Marshall, a son Kevin Howard Marshall and her parents Carl Norman Tapley and Roberta Lee Tapley.

She was a member of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church and the Adult Ladies 2. Sunday School Class.

Survivors include her son: David Marshall (wife Briana), a granddaughter, Isabela Marshall, and a grandson, Elijah Marshall all of Waycross; a sister: Cathy Miller (husband Art) of Magnolia Springs AL, and two nephews, Drew Miller of Magnolia Springs, AL and Ben Miller of Tallapoosa GA.

In lieu of flowers it is requested that donations be made to Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, 7136 Central Ave, Waycross, GA 31503 or online at www.pvbcwaycross.org.

A committal service will be held at 3:00 PM Saturday (May 16, 2026) in the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Villa Rica, GA.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2:00 PM Tuesday (May 26, 2026) at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the church Fellowship Hall.

Sympathy can be expressed by signing the online registry at www.musicfuneralhome.com.

Music Funeral Home of Waycross is in charge of arrangements.

Marcella Diane Nail Sapp
July 08, 1967 - June 01, 2026

Marcella Diane Sapp, 58, entered into eternal rest on June 1, 2026, at Community Hospice.

Born on July 8, 1967, Marcella was the daughter of Velma Beasley Curl of Reidsville and Ben L. Nail of Collins. She was a 1985 graduate of Pinewood Christian Academy and knew from an early age that she was called to become a teacher. She attended Georgia Southern University, where she earned both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Early Childhood Education.

Marcella devoted her life to teaching and nurturing young minds. During her career, she taught in the Tattnall, Montgomery, and Wheeler County school systems. Although she never had children of her own, she lovingly considered her students to be her children. She poured her heart into the classroom and touched the lives of countless students and their families through her compassion, patience, and dedication.

A faithful member of First Baptist Church of Lyons, Marcella’s life was grounded in her Christian faith. Shortly after beginning her teaching career, she married the love of her life, William “Lee” Sapp of Lyons. Together they shared more than thirty-one years of marriage built on faith, love, laughter, and unwavering devotion.

In November 2004, Marcella was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, a diagnosis that ultimately prevented her from returning to the classroom she loved so dearly. Through every challenge that followed, Lee remained faithfully by her side, honoring the vows he made before God. Despite the limitations imposed by her illness, Marcella and Lee continued to enjoy road trips and make cherished memories together for many years.

In January 2023, Marcella’s health declined further, leaving her bedridden. Yet even then, her mind remained as sharp as ever. She enjoyed talking on the phone with family and friends, sharing good food, and watching her favorite television programs. Though her earthly body endured many hardships, Marcella rarely complained. Those closest to her knew that if she voiced her struggles, it was in prayer. In her Bible, she had marked Psalm 143, a quiet testimony to the faith that sustained her through difficult days. Though she seldom shared her burdens with others, she faithfully carried them to the Lord in prayer.

Marcella will be remembered for her loving heart, her dedication to education, her quiet strength, and her steadfast faith in God. Her grace in the face of adversity was an inspiration to all who knew her.

She was preceded in death by her stepmother, Kay Lively Nail; her brother-in-law, Dewey O. Batton; and her grandparents, Otis and Jessie Beasley and Frank and Eunice Nail.

Left to cherish her memory are her devoted husband of more than thirty-one years, William “Lee” Sapp; her beloved fur babies; her mother and stepfather, Velma and Gary Curl of Reidsville; her father, Ben L. Nail of Collins; her sister, Melissa Batton of Lyons; her brother, Brent Nail (MaryLynn) of Bishop; her niece, Laura Johnson of Lebanon, Tennessee; her nephew, Ben Johnson of Atlanta; her nephew, Garrett Nail, and her niece, Gracen Nail, both of Bishop; her great-nephews, Camdon Cody and Carson Cody of Lebanon, Tennessee; and numerous extended family members, former students, and dear friends.

A graveside funeral service celebrating Marcella’s life will be held on Saturday morning, June 6th, 2026, at 10:00 at Cedar Creek Primitive Baptist Church, 1199 Cedar Creek Church Road, Collins, Georgia. Pastor Brian Durden will officiate.

Pallbearers are Brent Nail, Garrett Nail, James Rogers, Joe Skeens, Ben Johnson, and Tommy Kennedy.

Flowers will be accepted, or memorial contributions may be made to Community Hospice Foundation, PO Box 2277, Vidalia, GA 30475, in Marcella’s memory.

Though she is no longer with us, Marcella’s legacy lives on in the lives she touched, the students she inspired, and the family and friends who were blessed to know and love her.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” — Matthew 25:23

Written by her sister, Melissa.

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 is someone who actually passed away a few weeks ago.

Official Obituary of

Danny Beasley

October 28, 1946 - May 29, 2026

Danny Beasley, 79 of Panama City passed away on May 29, 2026. He was born on October 28, 1946, in Emanuel County, Georgia.

He proudly served his country in the United States Air Force as an aircraft mechanic. Following his military service, he dedicated 35 years to Lockheed Martin, where he retired as a respected launch supervisor.

A passionate musician, he was a founding member of Danny and The Breakaway Band and shared his love of music with countless audiences over a span of more than 60 years, continuing to play as recently as last year.

He was also a proud member of both AM Vets and VFW, reflecting his lifelong commitment to service and community.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Mary Beasley; parents, Hilmer and Mary Beasley.

Those left to cherish his memory are his son, Bryan C. Beasley; grandson, Brendan C. Beasley; nephews, Richie Breedlove and Nathan Foskey. He is also remembered by his sister, Donna and husband Hugh Foskey, along with 100’s of friends.

A Final Farewell will be held Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 2:00 until 3:00 pm. Mr. Beasley will be laid to rest in the Parker Cemetery on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 2:00 pm.

Heritage Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Danny Beasley.

    - https://www.heritagefhllc.com/obituaries/Danny-Beasley?obId=48559337

    When this obituary showed up in my inbox, I had no idea that I was related to him.  However, I always read obituaries carefully because a clue could be in any name mentioned, i.e., parents, grand-parents, siblings, in-laws, etc.  That is what happened here.  Nothing was clicking until I saw his brother-in-law's name. It sounded familiar.  Sure enough, he was in my family tree - related to me through the Drakes. This lead me to do some more digging and checking with my knowledgeable cousin, Loraine, and I discovered that I am also related to him and his sister through my Page line!  Believe me, it is a small world in Emanuel and Johnson counties!  

Please join me in offering condolences to Danny's family and holding them in the light.

Wedding Wednesday - Houck & Blackwell

 

I tried to use Transkribus for this transcription, but it did a terrible job.  I then switched to Claude, and it transcribed the Certificate of Marriage almost perfectly:

"CERTIFICATE

THIS IS TO CERTIFY That I, Roy L. Crewes did this day perform the marriage ceremony for the within named persons at {Savannah A.C. Church in Lee County of} South Carolina, this twenty-sixth day of June, A.D. 1937

Roy S. Owens, Pastor 

Savannah A.C. Church

Signatures of Contracting Parties: 

Frances Blackwell 

Calvin K. Hook

When used return to Judge of Probate, Bishopville, S. C., promptly."

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Calvin Kenneth Houck
b. 16 Apr 1916 in Lee County, South Carolina, USA
d. 18 Oct 1883 in Hartsville, Darlington, South Carolina, USA

and

Frances Marion Blackwell
b. 20 Jun 1920 in McBee, Chesterfield, South Carolina, USA
d. 12 Jul 1990

Calvin and Frances were married 46 years and had one son.

Calvin is my 3rd cousin, 2x removed. Our common ancestors are John Beasley and Mary Anna Pipkin. 

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - How Many Surnames in Your Family Tree Database?

 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)  Go into your Genealogy Management Program (GMP; either software on your computer or an online family tree), and figure out how to count how many surnames you have in your family tree or database.

(2)  Tell us which GMP you are using and how you did this task.

(3)  Tell us how many surnames are in your database and, if possible, which Surname has the most entries.  If this excites you, tell us which surnames are in the top 5! or 10!! Or 20!!!

(4)  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:

I use Family Tree Maker 19 (FTM19) as my GMP.  In FTM19, go to "Publish,", then "Person Reports," and then choose "Surname Report."  I then tweaked the Settings to "All Individuals," "Sort by Surname Count," and "Show Divider Between Surnames."

I have 75 pages of surnames, listed from the most number of instances down to the least number of instances (1).  I did a count of how many surnames on a page (44), multiplied that by 74 pages, and then added the 20 entries on the last page (page 75) and got a total of 3,276 surnames in my family tree.

This is the first page of my report:

Surname Report 05-14-2022

The top 20 are, with birth date ranges:

TAPLEY - 927 from 1691-2010

MNU (Maiden Name Unknown) - 672 from 1531-1984

OZMUN - 300 from 1764-1973

CLAXTON - 299 from 1764-1997

DRAKE - 291 from 1647-2001

PRICE - 272 from 1680-1967

BUSH - 264 from 1589-1971

POWELL - 257 from 1750-1980

SMITH - 249 from 1648-1984

RANNEY - 232 from 1661-1973

HUBBARD - 212 from 1601-1925

WILLIAMS - 145 from 1777-1992

DAVIS - 126 from 1760-1965

GOODWIN - 125 from 1776-1961

DURDEN - 123 from 1775-1960

JOHNSON - 123 from 1681-1974

WILSON - 116 from 1847-1981

BARWICK - 113 from 1731-1957

WHEELER - 108 from 1807-2017

BEASLEY - 97 from 1788-1983

I found surprises in my list.  First of all I would have thought that my number of Tapleys would have been higher.  I also did not realize how high the numbers are for Smith, Johnson, Davis, and Williams.  I had to laugh that Powell was in the top 10 - all of the them married into my family.  I have none in my direct line.  However, my family intertwines with the Powells over and over again to the  point that a fellow Powell researcher I know and I call each other cousins anyway.  I was surprised (and disappointed) that the number of Odoms, Goths, or Schwalls were not higher.  But then I have had a harder time researching those surnames, so it shouldn't be a surprise.  

I am looking forward to see how this changes over the next few years since I am about to dive into the Ranney family records again.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - My "7 Generations in 1" Chart

  From Randy over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

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

(1)  Please see the Genea-Musings post for this challenge to get the template, etc. used.  I'm going to just cut to my result tonight.  

My challenge tonight was to fill out my 7-in-1 Ancestor chart and show it off.  The chart covers ancestors #1 through #127 in an ahnentafel list.  I used the spreadsheet, added the ancestor numbers while adding the names (starting with 1 = me, 2 = my father, 3 = my mother, etc.).  I added the names and birth and death years (if known) for the first 7 generations.  I colored the boxes for the two ancestors who were born in other countries.  As you can see, my families are deeply rooted in the United States.  I saved my chart in Excel, copied it to Paint 3D and then saved it as a JPG image file.  This task has taken more than an hour!  So if you choose to do it, plan ahead!

(2)  Show me your 7-in-1 chart in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a post on Facebook.  

Here's mine:

My columns are wider than the ones you'll view from Genea-Musings because, like Randy, I added their birth and death years.  This helps me a lot since several of my ancestors share the same name.  

There is other color coding I would like to do, such as by states, military service, blanks that need to be filled in, etc.  I'm open to other ideas for coloring coding!

Thank you to Ann Raymont (DNAsleuth) for the original idea of doing this; Linda and Dave Shufflebean (Empty Branches on the Family Tree) (Also, thank you Linda for always commenting on my Saturday Night Genealogy Fun posts.  I love the feedback!) for creating and sharing the spreadsheet version of the chart, and of course Randy Seaver for sharing this idea.  I think I am going to suggest to my mother, BFF, cousins, etc. to refer back to this chart when I am going on and on about an ancestor - it may help to keep them all straight!  

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Top 20 Surnames in Your Family Tree

From Randy over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

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

(1)  Go into your Genealogy Management Program (either software such as Family Tree Maker (in my case!) on your computer or an online family tree) and figure out how to count how many surnames you have in your family tree database.

(2)  Tell us which GMP you're using and how you did this task.

(3)  Tell us what the top 200 surnames are in your database, and, if possible, how many entries for each.  How many different surnames are in your family tree?

(4)  Write about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, in a status or comment on a Facebook post.

NOTE:  If you can't figure how to do this in your GMP (Genealogy Management Program), use the Help button in your program and search for "count surnames" or "surname report" then follow the directions.

Here's mine:

I used Family Tree Maker 2019 because that the software I use for my GMP.  In FTM 2019, go to Publish, then Person Reports, then Surname Report.  You can tweak your report and choose to include either Immediate Family, Extended Family, All Individuals, or choose only those individuals you wish.  Of course, for this exercise, I chose All Individuals.

Then you can choose to sort by surname court (I did.), limit counts to included individuals (I'm not sure how this works.), show divider between surnames (makes it easier to read) and include preparer information.

Then click Generate Report.  I got this:

It looks a lot like Randy's report from RootsMagic 7.  It was easy to do and I have 51 pages of surnames.  It doesn't give me a total number of surnames, but if I do the math like Randy did:  24 names per pages 1-50, plus 20 on page 51 = 1,220 surnames in a database of 14,693 people.  

My top 20 surnames, with earliest and most recent dates they occur:

TAPLEY, count 803, from 1691-2010

MNU (Maiden Name Unknown), count 428, from 1592-1970

Drake, count 269, from 1647-1967

Powell, count 268, from 1715-1980

Bush, count 251, from 1655-1966

Ranney, count 214, from 1661-1951

Claxton, count 197, from 1764-1997

Price, count 197, from 1680-1959

Smith, count 197, from 1738-1984

Hubbard, count 181, from 1601-1913

Goodwin, count 125, from 1776-1947

Durden, count 110, from 1775-1960

Flanders, count 109, from 1756-1970

Kight, count 98, from 1775-1983

Wheeler, count 98, from 1807-2017

Russell, count 94, from 1798-1951

Williams, count 91, from 1777-1979

Odom, count 87, from 1798-1966

Davis, count 86 from 1760-1961

Kea, count 86 from 1810-1957

And one bonus one if you don't want to count the MNU:

Beasley, count 85, from 1791-1972

What surprises me is how few of the top surnames (in numbers) are actually direct line ancestors!  

Wedding Wednesday: George Washington Tapley & Julia Beasley

"STATE OF GEORGIA, EMANUEL COUNTY

MARRIAGE LICENSE

By Hon. J. P. Pughaly

Ordinary for the County of Emanuel and State aforesaid.

To any Minister of the Gospel, Judge, or Justice of the Peace for said State:

You are hereby authorized to join in the HOLY STATE OF MATRIMONY, 

Mr. G. W. Tapley of Emanuel County

- and -

Miss Julia Beasley of Emanuel County

according to the CONSTITUTION AND LAWS OF THE STATE for which this shall be your LICENSE.

Given under my Hand and Seal of Office the 17th

  Day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight

  hundred and Eighty

J P Pughaly

Ordinary Emanuel County

This Certifies That G. W. Tapley

and Miss Julia Beasley were duly JOINED IN MARRIAGE 

on the 20th day of Sept. A.D. 

By me, Edward R[??] M O [?]

Recorded 7 day of July 1882 By D S Moore, Ordinary"

This particular George Washington Tapley was my 2nd cousin, 3x removed.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - It's Find-a-Grave Time

From Randy Seaver over at Genea-Musings:

Hey genea-searchers, it's SATURDAY NIGHT ... time for more GENEALOGY FUN!!!

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

1)  Go to the Find-a-Grave website (www.findagrave.com) and search for ancestors that you don't know the burial location of.   How far back in time did you have to go to find this person?  Hint #1 - use your ancestor list to help you.  Hint #2 - don't forget to use the last surname for females!

2)  If you think that Find-a-Grave will not have your persons of interest, then check another burial index that might help you.

3)  Tell us about your search - who did you look for, and who was the first ancestor that you found that you did not have a burial location for previously?  Write your own blog post, or make a comment on this post.

I love Find a Grave and use it all the time... so #1, it was a no-brainer for me to join in on this Saturday night fun, but #2, using it so often made it kind of difficult to figure out who I didn't know their burial location!

Here's what I came up with: 

1. Carol (Andrews) Way, died 1983 in Florida.  No listing.
2. Mary E. (Atwood) Hubbard, unknown date or place of death. No listing.
3. Curtis Manning Barwick, died 1902 in Georgia.  Success!  He has a listing complete with a picture of his tombstone.  He is buried in the Barwick Cemetery, Norristown, Emanuel County, Georgia.
4. Elijah Samuel Beasley, unknown date or place of death.  No listing.
5. Harriet (Beaty) Pullen, died 1943, place unknown.  No listing.
6. Earnest Boulineau, died 1987, place unknown.  Success!  He has a listing complete with a picture of his headstone.  He is buried in the Oaky Grove Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Johnson County, Georgia.
7. Clifford K. Brantley, died 1964, place unknown.  No listing.
8. James Thurman Drake, unknown date or place of death.  No listing.
9. William Dewey Harrison, died 1980, place unknown.  No listing.
10. Eleanor V. (Schwalls) Wilson, unknown date or place of death.  No listing.

That's all I looked up tonight, but I agree with Randy.  There are many more potentials in my database that I can search for on Find A Grave!