Tombstone Tuesday: James Tillman Tapley

James Tillman "Fella" Tapley

b 16 Aug 1904

Johnson County, Georgia

d 25 Jul 1974

Macon, Bibb County, Georgia

laid to rest at

Gumlog Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery

Johnson County, Georgia

husband of

Reida Mae Poole Tapley

son of

Lusion Keman Tapley

and

Mattie Schwalls Tapley

James was my uncle; my father's brother.  

 (I don't know how he got the nickname "Fella" and everyone else I know called him that, but I always called him Uncle James for some reason.)

Sunday's Obituary: Annie Frost Tapley

The Augusta Chronicle, August 1963

Annie Eve Frost Tapley was the wife of my 1st cousin, 1x removed.

Mary Elizabeth Tapley	Me
Gilbert Earl Tapley	My father
Lusion Keman Tapley	My grandfather
James Madison Tapley & Elizabeth Rebecca Page Tapley	My great-grandparents
Franklin Morgan Tapley	My grand uncle & Lusion’s brother
Leroy R Tapley	My 1st cousin, 1x removed & Frank’s son
Annie Eve Frost Tapley	Leroy’s wife

  

Those Places Thursday: Johnson County, Georgia

 What can I say about Johnson County?  It is the cradle of my family.  It was home to my father and 3-4 generations before him.  It is my heritage.  It is where I come from.  It is where all the funny, sad, and poignant family stories start.  As a matter of fact, there really aren't many conversations about the Tapley family that do not include some mention of Johnson County, Georgia.

Johnson County was created by the Georgia legislature December 11, 1858 from parts of Emanuel, Laurens and Washington counties. It was the 129th county formed in Georgia.  Johnson County was named for Georgia governor, senator, and unsuccessful U.S. vice-presidential candidate Herschel Vespasian Johnson.  The county seat is Wrightsville.  The county also has the towns of Kite and Adrian (which is actually partly in Johnson and partly in Emanuel County). 

 

County Courthouse, 1923

County Courthouse, 2010

My second great-grand uncle, James M. Tapley, was one of the founders of Johnson County, helped pick the location of the county seat, and was a representative in the Georgia Legislature when the county was first formed, 1859-1860.  Most of the family were farmers, but many of them took time out to serve the county.  My second great-grandfather, George Washington Tapley, was a Magistrate and Justice of the Peace.  Another second great-grandfather, George Schwalls, served as the county's coroner.  My grand uncle, Jim Tapley, was a deputy sheriff with the county.  Several members of the family served on juries.  My great-grand uncle, Francis Tapley, my great-grandfather Jim Tapley, and my great-grandfather, George Schwalls all represented the county as CSA soldiers in the Johnson County Battleground Guards, 48th Regiment. 

Most of my ancestors are buried in Johnson County.  My great-grandparents and many other family members are buried at Oaky Grove.  Other great-grandparents are buried at Minton's Chapel.  My Drake ancestors are buried at Popular Springs.  One set of grandparents and uncles are buried at Powell's Chapel.  My other grandparents and my father are buried at Gumlog.  Other various family members are buried at several different cemeteries throughout the county.  

I still have family members living in Johnson County.  My cousin, Bennett Wesley Tapley, Jr., who is my go-to person for Tapley family history, still lives there, and I try to visit him whenever I'm there. 

It is a relatively small county with a population of less than 10,000 people.  There is not much industry there - most folks are farmers - so the population has gone down due to the lack of jobs, I imagine. 

 

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	2,919		—
1870	2,964		1.5%
1880	4,800		61.9%
1890	6,129		27.7%
1900	11,409		86.1%
1910	12,897		13.0%
1920	13,546		5.0%
1930	12,681		−6.4%
1940	12,953		2.1%
1950	9,893		−23.6%
1960	8,048		−18.6%
1970	7,727		−4.0%
1980	8,660		12.1%
1990	8,329		−3.8%
2000	8,560		2.8%
2010	9,980		16.6%

However, if someone was looking for country, quiet, peaceful living, Johnson County, Georgia would be a good place to go!  Maybe that's why the population increased between 2000 and 2010!

I will continue to go back there... to visit my family and learn about my roots. 

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your Longest Gravestone Line

From Randy over at Genea-Musings:

Dear genealogists everywhere, it's Saturday Night!  Time for some Genealogy FUN.

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

 1)  Determine what is your longest unbroken line of ancestral gravestones - how many generations can you go back in time?  Do you have photographs of them?

2)  Tell us and/or show us in a blog post of your own, or in a comment to this blog, or in a Facebook status or a Google+ stream post.

Here's mine:  

(1)  I really cannot go back very far in gravestones... but here's what I've got.

My father, Gilbert Earl Tapley (1928-2008) in Gumlog Church Cemetery (outside of Kite, Johnson County, Georgia):

 My grandfather, Lusion Keman Tapley (1870-1935) in Powell's Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery (Johnson County, Georgia):

 

My great-grandfather, James Madison "Jim" Tapley (1847-1912) in Oaky Grove Church Cemetery (Johnson County, Georgia):

 

 After this, they are unmarked graves in unknown locations.  

 Of my Drake ancestors, I have the following:

My father as shown above... then his mother:

My grandmother, Nealie Vermell Drake Tapley (1895-1970) in Powell's Chapel Church Cemetery:

 
 My great-grandfather, Rev. William John Drake (1857-1927) in Poplar Springs Church Cemetery (outside of Adrian, Johnson County, Georgia):

Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of my 2nd great-grandfather, James William Drake, but I do have...

My 2nd great-grandmother, Mary Ann Brantley Drake (1837-1891) in Poplar Springs Church Cemetery: 

My 3rd great-grandfather, Francis Bryant Drake (1806-1875) in Poplar Springs Church Cemetery:

(2)  Done!
 

Church Record Sunday: Johnson County, Georgia Churches

In the book, "A History of Johnson County Churches" compiled for The Johnson County Historical Society by Magnolia Press and copyright 1986, my ancestors are mentioned several times as founders, preachers, deacons, and members of many churches in that area.  I thought I would share these references here.  (I am sure I missed a few - there are a LOT of names in this book!)

Corinth Methodist Church 
  Organized in 1877.  Charter members included... Mr. and Mrs. John Drake, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Harrell, Mr. and Mrs. James Harrell, John Harrell, and Simpson Harrell.
  John S. Drake hewed the framing for the first church building.  The lumber for the siding and floor came from Dr. Odum's sawmill, located near the site of the church.
  The largest baptism in the church consisted of twenty-six people.  Among those baptized were:  Ed Drake and Verta Drake.

Gumlog (Mount Pleasant Primitive Baptist Church) 

  Constituted in July 1880.  
  Clerks of Church have included:  Z.W. Claxton.

Kite United Methodist Church
  Organized in 1914.
  There were 25 charter members on record.  These include:  Mrs. Henry G. Wheeler, B. B. Tapley, Gordon Wheeler, Mrs. Gordon Wheeler, and Mrs. Maud (B. B.) Tapley.
  Pianists of the church have included:  Mrs. Emma Townsend.
  Sunday School Teachers of the church have included:  Mrs. Charlie Sconyers.
  Sunday School Superintendents have included:  Gordon Wheeler.
  Stewards and trustees of the church have included:  J. Townsend, Sr., Gordon Wheeler, and Woodrow Wheeler.
  Treasurers of the church have included:  Woodrow Wheeler.

Minton's Chapel Advent Christian Church 
  Organized on the fifth day of September, 1885.  By 1895, there were 238 church members with Charles M. Schwalls of Kite as Secretary.
  The land on which the church was built was donated by George Jeff Minton after whom the church was  named and who built most of the original church.  He served as Church Secretary-Treasurer from 1903 until his death in 1905.
  Outstanding in the field of service for many years were...John T. Minton, John Perdue and John S. Wheeler.  J. J. Perdue was church clerk form 1905-1909.  John S. Wheeler was clerk from 1909-1913, and was secretary of the conference 1909-1917.  John T. Minton became a deacon in 1903.
  Church membership through the years has amounted to approximately 500 members.  Sam T. Schwalls had one of the longest membership records.

Poplar Springs United Methodist Church 
  Because families living on the west side of the Ohoopee River in Johnson County found it difficult to cross the river in row boats and a further hardship to walk two miles after crossing the river to attend church at Key's Church, these families resolved to organize a Church in this community.  Among the pioneer families were such names as ... Drake.
  The Reverend Jim Drake, a local preacher, held the first services on the spot under a brush arbor in 1866.

Powell's Chapel 
  In 1875, under a big oak tree on Powell land, a few of the people around in the community decided to begin having services under this tree, among those were...Jim Tapley.
  (While not in this book, I happen to know that my grandmother, Nealie Drake Tapley, played the piano at Powell's Chapel for many years, even traveling more than 10 miles from Wadley by horse and buggy for a time.)


Sardis Church
  Established May 7th, 1853 by Elder Archiball Odom and Elder Spencer Meeks.
  Many of my family surnames are listed among the early members of the church:  Beasley, Tapley, Wheeler, Kight, Claxton, Odom, Schwalls, Townsend, and Price.

Scott Methodist Church
  Founded in 1910.
  Among the families who have been faithful members of the church:  Schwalls.

Smith Chapel Church
  The charter members included:  J. S. P. Lampp.
  Member list include the names Tapley, Lampp, and Bush.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- A Veteran's Service and Gravesite

 From Randy over at Genea-Musings:


Dear genealogists everywhere, it's Saturday Night!  Time for some Genealogy FUN.

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

1)  To celebrate Veterans Day, pick one of your ancestors or relatives with a military record and a gravestone.

2)  Tell us about your ancestor's military service.

3)  Tell us about your ancestor's gravestone - where is it, what is the inscription, when were you last there?  Show us a picture of it if you have one available. 

4)  Write your own blog post about this ancestor and his gravestone, or share it in a Comment to this blog post, in a status line on Facebook, or in a Google Plus Stream post. 

Here's mine:

(1)   I chose my maternal grandfather, Charles Morgan Tapley (1907-1973), who served in the United States Navy twice.

He first served in the Navy from December 3, 1923 to November 3, 1925.  If you do the math, he was only 16 years old when he joined.  The family lore is that he ran away from his home in Georgia, went to California, and lied about his age to join the Navy.  (Obviously, it was much easier to lie about your age back then.)  The story continues that eventually, he wrote his father and begged him to get him (Charles) out of the military.  I theorize that the the way his father did that was to let the U.S. Navy know that Charles was underage.

According to his military records, some of this story is true.  However, he actually joined in Raleigh, North Carolina and trained at Hampton Roads, Virginia.   From March 10, 1924 until his discharge in November 1925, he served upon the USS Arizona, which is probably how he ended up in California.  His record clearly states next to his discharge date:  "Underage - Honorable Discharge."  His rating was S2c at time of discharge.

The second time my grandfather served in the U.S. Navy was during World War II.  By 1944, he was divorced with a 12 year old daughter and re-married with a 7 year old step-son, an 18 month old daughter, and a wife that was starting to exhibit health problems.  He was trying to support a family by working any job he could find (including as an insurance salesman at this time).  Pearl Harbor was attacked in December 1943 and three months later, he got a government "greetings letter" (draft notice).  He had to report somewhere in Los Angeles for induction.  When he arrived, he knew he would rather go back into the Navy, with which he was familiar, rather than join the Army.  So he got into the Navy line, and when the recruiter found out he had served before, they signed him right up.  He spent the first several months of his service at training school in Toledo, Ohio.  At the end of that training, his rating was changed to S1c.  In September 1944, he was transferred to the S.S. Bataan and worked on the ship as a storekeeper.  The only thing he really said about his service is that the planes taking off overhead on the deck were terribly loud.  He was discharged in April 1945 because his wife's health had deteriorated to the point that he was needed at home.

Pop Pop is buried at Gumlog Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery outside Kite in Johnson County, Georgia.  Here are photographs of his grave.

Charles M Tapley

Georgia

S1 US Navy

World War II

June 27 1907       Nov 12 1973

He is buried next to Grandma, Ethel Irene Ranney Tapley.  Nearby are his mother, Mattie Schwalls Tapley, two of his brothers, James and Gilbert Tapley, and sisters-in-law Reida Mae Poole Tapley and Alice Ranney Thornburg. 

The last time I visited Pop Pop's grave was this past March.  When I still lived in Georgia, I would meet my mother in the area to assist her in placing flowers on the family graves.

Tombstone Tuesday: Leroy Tapley and Annie Eve Frost

 

Leroy R Tapley

b. Aug 16 1901

d. Oct 10 1974

son of Franklin Morgan Tapley and Laney Minton Tapley

and his first wife,

Annie Eve Frost Tapley 

b. Sep 02 1910

d. Aug 03 1963

laid to rest at Gumlog Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery

Johnson County, Georgia

Based on my research, the sunrise or sunset symbol on their headstone represents the Resurrection or Life Ending, respectively.  The pine cones symbolize immortality.

Sunday's Obituary: Leroy Tapley

Leroy Tapley

born August 16, 1901

died October 10, 1974

son of Franklin Morgan Tapley and Laney Minton Tapley

my 1st cousin, 1x removed

Sympathy Saturday: Charles Morgan Tapley and Ethel Ranney Tapley

Mom and Pop Pop, abt 1972-73

Grandma with Alice, my parents, and me

My maternal grandparents both died on November 12, 1973.  A car accident you wonder?  Dare you think it, a double murder??  No, my grandparents both died on November 12, 1973 about six hours and 35 miles apart. 

My parents and I lived in Jacksonville, Florida at the time.  I was six years old and in the first grade.  I remember very vividly seeing my mother getting ready that morning and explaining to me that Pop Pop had passed away, and we had to go to Swainsboro. 

My grandfather had been in the hospital for several days with pneumonia.  He had a heart attack and died about 4 am. 

My grandmother had multiple sclerosis (or something in that family) and was in a wheelchair.  Her sister, Alice Ranney Thornburg, lived with Pop Pop and Grandma assisting with her sister's care.  When Pop Pop went into the hospital, Alice was unable to care for Grandma by herself so the decision was made to temporarily place her in a nursing home in Dublin... just until Pop Pop came home.  However, that never happened.

We arrived in Swainsboro, and my mother's brother, Bob Plumlee and his wife Louise, arrived from Marietta, Georgia.  We picked up Alice and all drove to Dublin to give Grandma the bad news and bring her home.  Of course, as soon as she saw all of us walk in, telling her the news was a moot point; she knew.  We wheeled Grandma outside to the car to head back to Swainsboro.

From this point forward, I remember it all like it was yesterday.  I was standing next to my mom with Aunt Louise on the other side.  My father picked my grandmother up out of her wheelchair and bent over to place her in the car.  Suddenly, my father urgently called to my uncle, "Bobby!  Help me!"  And my mother knew.  Her knees buckled, and if my aunt Louise had not caught her, she would have collapsed on the pavement.  My grandmother died of a heart attack right there in my father's arms. 

The doctors or scientists can say what they will, but I firmly believe that she just did not want to go on without Pop Pop.  She probably thought she would spend the rest of her life in the nursing home if he was gone.  I am sure my grandparents had their problems - every couple does - but he was very devoted to her and took his responsibility of caring for her very seriously.  He would have kept her at home and taken care of her to the very end, I am sure.  But unfortunately, that was not meant to be.  And my grandmother did not want to face a life without her husband.

The rest is a blur for me.  There was a double funeral.  A lot of people came to their house in Swainsboro to pay their respects.  I remember seeing family I had never met or had not seen in a long, long time.  My Uncle Hugh (Dorsey) Tapley took me to the flower shop and bought me a small plastic flower bouquet in a wicker basket.  I guess he wanted to cheer up a little girl who had just lost the last of her grandparents.  I have that arrangement still. 

In the "new" items I got from Mom recently was Pop Pop's funeral book, along with their obituary and this article.  They are not marked, but I am fairly certain the article is from the Swainsboro Forest-Blade.  The obituary appears to be from the Augusta Chronicle.

I cannot being to imagine how my mother felt that day.  I know she misses her parents very much.  I was close to them as they were really the only grandparents I had known.  Pop Pop doted on me; I always say that if he had not taken pictures of me when I was little, there wouldn't be any!

 Forever memorialized, side by side, in death as in life.

Tombstone Tuesday: Mattie Schwalls Tapley

Mattie Schwalls Tapley
buried at Gumlog Church Cemetery, outside Kite, Johnson County, Georgia

Second wife of Lusion Keman Tapley

Mother of James Tillman (Fella) Tapley, Charles Morgan Tapley, and Champ Lusion Tapley.  Died in childbirth while having her fourth son, Woodrow, who also passed away shortly after his birth.

My great-grandmother.

Her grave stone was damaged in a storm a few years ago, and even though my father never knew Mattie, he did a good thing and had the grave stone repaired.

(Photo was taken December 15, 2009, thus the jaunty wreath Mom and I added to it.)