The Hamilton Primitive Baptist Church

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Don Taylor

Howell/Hobbs/Long

As so often occurs, I get behind. Last summer I received an email from Carrie MC about the Hamilton Primitive Baptist Church. She had fresh information about the church’s status and some photos of the building that I haven’t had a chance to review, catalog, and incorporate into my genealogical files until now.  I had mentioned the church in my biographical sketch of Annie Deborah Long Hobbs, which she read. Then she contacted me as a person interested in Hamilton history and the Long family. My wife’s great-grandmother Annie Long was probably a church member when the church was built about 1888 and Annie remained friends with the people there even after she and her husband, James Ashley Hobbs, moved 13 miles away to Williamston.

Annie’s brother, Dr. Benjamin Long, built a house in Hamilton about 1885 and the church was built next to it, on Dr. Long’s property, about 1888, on Long Street. After the minister of the church died in 1913, Dr. Edgar Long (Dr. Benjamin Long’s son) sold the church to the Hamilton Colored Disciples. In 1939, the building was moved a few blocks away to South Street.[i]

Hamilton (NC) Primitive Baptist Church – Photo by Carrie MC

In 2004, Isabel Bernfeld of Hamilton purchased the church with the hope to restore the building.[ii] She apparently did some work. After her death, the building was purchased in 2016 by Carrie MC. Carrie hopes to return the church to its original location and hopes to restore the building. She and I have been in contact and she has let me know about some of the work that has been done including major tree trimming to reduce the risk of tree damage. She also sent a few photos of the church.[iii] The original louvered tower has been replaced with a tower with two louvered panels on each side instead of the original three louvers panels on each side.

It is so nice to see historic buildings restored. These old buildings are often places that had significant importance to our ancestors. They are just so precious to our history.

Finally, I’d like to mention, there is an interesting blog, “Generations Ago Blog” written by Dan Leigh, who is a 3rd cousin to Mary-Alice (Grandson of Edgar Miller Long). His article, “A Doctor in the Family”, is a beautiful description of his family line and what he learned at the Martin County Historical Society and about country doctors during the early 20th century.

Endnotes:

[i] Boykin, Jacqueline R. 2006. Martin County’s historic churches: National Register and National Historic District churches. Williamston, N.C.: Martin County Historical Society. 
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Email correspondence between Carrie MC and Don Taylor 30 July 2018. [Don’s files – Hamilton Primitive Baptist Church.

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Donna Darling Collection – Part 39

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Don Taylor

Treasure Chest Thursday
Vaudeville
by Don Taylor

Garrick Theatre

For this week’s Treasure Chest Thursday, I’m looking at a page from the Donna Darling Scrapbook. This page had two clippings, first was an ad for the Garrick Theater playing “Big Hollywood Revue of California Motion Picture BATHING BEAUTIES” featuring Donna Darling. The second is a short Theatrical Review showing Donna and “her bevy of California Bathing girls” opening at the Garrick Theater. Neither clipping indicates where or when the show played.

When

Donna ended her “Donna Darling and Earle” show in August 1924. In September 1924 she began her Motion Picture Bathing Beauties show. That show ran until about August 1925, which indicates that these clippings were from sometime between September 1924 thru August 1924. Both clippings mention that also playing was the silent film, “Sinner in Silk.” According to IMDB, “Sinner in Silk” was released on 1 September 1924.[i]  Silent films of that period seem to have only run a few months, so I believe that the clippings are from sometime between September to November 1924.

Where

From September 1924 and December 1924, Donna is known to have played in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin.[ii] Cinema Treasures indicates 36 theaters that were named the Garrick Theater.[iii] Of those, only ten were in the four states Donna played in during that time.

  • Chicago, IL – The Garrick Theatre of Chicago operated from 1903 thru 1960. Yes.
  • Grand Rapids, MI – The Garrick Theatre of Grand Rapids was demolished before 1919. No.
  • Burlington, IA — The Rialto Theater was named the Garrick Theater until 1921. No.
  • Des Moines, IA – The President Theater was built as the Majestic Theatre and was renamed the Orpheum theater by January 1908. It was renamed the Garrick Theater and then the President Theater before it closed in 1929. It had previous names of Gayety Theatre and Garrick Theatre. Unclear.
  • Milwaukee, WI (1) – The Bijou Theater operated from 1889 to 1931. It apparently was also known as the Garrick sometime during that time. It had previous names of Gayety Theatre and Garrick Theatre. Unclear.
  • Milwaukee, WI (2) – The Star Theater was open from 1899 to 1909. It too had previous names of Gayety Theatre and Garrick Theatre. No.
  • Hurley, WI – The Rivoli Theater of Hurley opened in 1913 as the Temple Theatre. It became the Garrick Theatre in 1916 and became the Rivoli Theatre 1918. The theatre closed in 1927. No.
  • Madison, WI – The Madison Theatre – The Orpheum Theatre was renamed the Garrick Theatre in 1927. It was remodeled and renamed the Madison Theatre in 1936. No.
  • Fond du Lac, WI – The Fox Theater opened as the Henry Boyle Theatre in 1906. It closed and reopened in 1920 as the New Garrick Theatre. It was renamed the Fox Theatre in 1945. Yes.

That suggests there were four theaters that were in the states Donna played in during the time of the clippings of her playing at the Garrick Theatre; Chicago, IL, Des Moines, IA, Milwaukee, WI, and Fond du Lac, WI.

A review of newspapers at Newspapers.com indicated that the Garrick theater in Des Moines was a Burlesque house and all of their ads used a different font than Donna’s clipping used, so it is unlikely to be the Des Moines theater.

The Garrick Theater in Chicago during 1924 also used a different font and called itself the “Shubert Garrick,” so it is unlikely it was that theater either.

Newspapers.Com revealed that The Garrick Theatre in Milwaukee used “Garrick Theatre” in its advertising and also used a serif font. However, in reviewing Genealogy Bank for advertising, I found an ad for the Garrick that used the same font as Donna’s clipping. 

I was unsuccessful in finding any advertising for the Garrick Theatre in Fond du Lac at Newspapers.com or Genealogy Bank. There were several articles regarding the theatre in various other newspapers, but none of them were Fond du Lac papers and none had advertised the Garrick Theatre. As such, a created a search notification for any newly added Wisconsin papers from 1924 that refer to Garrick and “Fond du Lac.”

I did not find any results searching Elephind (Chronicling America).

However, in my searching Google for the Garrick Theater and Donna Darling, I encountered three new venues where Donna played. Orpheum Theater in Clinton, IA, the Capitol Theater in Kitchener, Ontario, and the Temple Theater in Brantford, Ontario on January 16-19, January 24-26, and January 27-29, 1927 respectively. I’ve added those to her list of venues for future research.

Conclusion

Donna played at a Garrick Theater, probably in the fall (September-November) of 1924, possibly in Illinois, Iowa, or Wisconsin. More research is necessary to pin down where and when. 

1924-09-01 to 1924-12-31 – Illinois, Iowa, or Wisconsin – Garrick Theater.

Newly Added:
January 16-19, 1927 – Clinton, IA – Orpheum Theater – Archives.Com
January 24-26, 1927 – Kitchener, Ont. Capitol Theater –  Archives.Com
January 27-29, 1927 – Brantford, Ont. Temple Theater – Archives.Com

Source

Donna Darling Collection – Scan 1514.

Endnotes

[i] Internet – Internet Movie Database (IMDb) – Entry for “Sinners in Silk” starring Conrad Nagel, Hedda Hopper, Eleanor Boardman, and Adolphe Menjou. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015336/
[ii] Internet: Don Taylor Genealogy – The Life of Madonna Montran… /
[iii] Internet: CinemaTreasures.Org Search for Garrick

Posted in Donna Montran, Treasure Chest Thursday, Vaudeville | Leave a comment

Jane (Lawson) Marshall (1820-____)

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Don Taylor

Roberts/Marshall/Lawson

My 3rd great grandmother, Jane Lawson, is one of my most frustrating research subjects – almost a brick wall. She just vanishes in my research.  She was born about 1820 in Tennessee. She probably married a man surnamed Marshall about 1842, because she had her only known child, Patience Anna Marshall, on 30 Dec 1843.

Her husband either died or vanished before 1849. The 1850 Census shows the 30-year-old Jane living with her younger brother Thomas, in Jefferson County, Illinois along with Thomas’ new wife and Jane’s daughter Patience. And there are no Marshalls in the mortality schedule identified in the 1850 Census for Jefferson or surrounding counties.

One researcher suggests that Jane may have married Farris Presley in Marion County, Illinois, in 1864, but I have been unable to confirm that.

In my research, I was able to place her as likely in the household of Jacob Lawson during the 1840 Census. (The census only provides names of heads of households.)

So, I’ve discovered woefully little about Jane and her life. I’ve followed her brother Thomas having 10 children and living Jefferson County all of his life. I’ve discovered her mother’s name was Patience, presumably who she named her daughter for.

Jane Lawson

  • Circa 1820 – Born
  • Circa 1842 – Married? (Unk Marshall)
  • 30 Dec 1843 – Gave birth to Patience.
  • 1 June 1850 – Lived with brother, Thomas

Jane’s Parents – Jacob and Patience Lawson

In the 1850 Census, her parents and (apparent) siblings are listed only as being in Jefferson County, Illinois, but the 1860 Census add a key fact, the family lived in Township 2S of Range 4E. Whenever I see a person living in the Midwest, I always check the Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. There, I searched for the surname Lawson in Jefferson County Illinois.  There were six, and one of them was Jacob Lawson, in Township 2S, of Range 4E. He received bounty land.

Pursuant to an act of Congress on 28 September 1850, Jacob Lawson, private in Captain Waterhouse’s Company, Tennessee Volunteers – Florida ???? received 80 acres on 2 January 1854. It was the North Half of the South-East Quarter of section thirty-four. A quick review found the land about two miles south of Bluford and about two miles north of Interstate 64. (About 10 miles east of Mount Vernon and 90 miles east of Saint Louis.)

Painting of the Battle of New Orleans by Edward Percy Moran.
Battle of New Orleans by Edward Percy Moran

This new knowledge gives me a new direction and new hope for further research. What might I find about Jane when I research her other siblings? What Newspapers did Mount Vernon publish during her and her parent’s lives?  I also know that her father served honorably in the War of 1812. Jacob is the first of my ancestors for whom I learned served during the war of 1812. The Tennessee Volunteers are one of the key units during the War of 1812. I wonder what my 4th Great-Grandfather did in the war. It should be interesting to research that.

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Donna Darling Collection – Part 38

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Don Taylor

Treasure Chest Thursday
Family Photos (1370)

By Don Taylor

Three photos of Donna

For this week’s Treasure Chest Thursday, I’m looking at a page from the Donna Darling Scrapbook. The page had five items pasted onto it.

Preparing to Dive

Donna Montran Preparing to Dive.

When she was young, Donna was an incredible beauty. She won the beauty contest at Madison Square Garden several years before Miss America began there.[i] She was also one of the Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties. I believe this first photo probably comes from either of those periods. Certainly, the photo shows how beautiful she was. The original of this photo was a cut-out of a photo. It was torn at the top. I clipped the photo, touched it up, and pasted it onto a new background.[ii]

Donna with a Parasol

Donna with a Parasol

Donna loved to dress and look pretty. In this photo, Donna is wearing what appears to be one of her many bathing suits and she carrying a parasol. It is probably from 1920 or 1921 when she was staring in “California Bathing Girls.” It is possibly from 1924-25 when she headlined the “Motion Picture Bathing Beauties” show. This photo appears to be a promotional photo and the mark at the bottom left indicates “This Week” which was a magazine at the time. I would love to review an archive of “This Week” magazines from 1920-1925, to see if there might be a better quality photo of Donna there.

Donna

Another photo of Donna on the scrapbook page showed Donna apparently with someone. However, the photo of Donna with the parasol was pasted over half of the photo. In this photo she appears to be a bit older and the photo is clearly not a promotional in nature.

Other Images

Finally, there is a photo of a marquee with Andrew Mack at the top and Donna Montran and her Bathing Girls are listed below.  I’m still not sure where that comes from.  Hopefully, I’ll figure it out as I continue my research on the Donna Darling Collection. I have not seen Andrew Mack in any of the playbills for Donna during her Bathing Girls days.[iii]

Future Actions

  • Find a source for “This Week” magazine for between 1920 and 1925 and review them for possible photos of Donna.
  • Determine the date and place of the Andrew Mack, Donna Montran marquee photo.

Sources

Donna Darling Collection – Scan 1370.

Endnotes

[i] My feeling is that Donna was “Miss America” 3 years before the first “Miss America” pageant.

[ii] To save space, the Donna Montran “Preparing to Dive” image presented here is a 150 dpi image. I have a 600 dpi image available.

[iii] I have a copy of the original scrapbook page showing the Marquee at 600 dpi, but I hope to include the image when I determine the place and date of the engagement.

Posted in California Bathing Girls (1925), Donna Montran | Tagged | 1 Comment

Rachel Fugate – (1803-1870)

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Don Taylor

52 Ancestors – Week  2018-48 [i]
Brown – Manning – Fugate line
by Don Taylor

Finding that we have Fugate ancestors in Kentucky give rise to the question if our Fugates are related to the famous blue-blooded Fugate family of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky. I took some time looking at the family tree of the “Blue Bloods,” people with a recessive genetic trait called methemoglobinemia.” I did not find any common ancestors with our Fugates; possibly there is a relationship but, if so, it is distant.

Brown Research 2018 – Ancestor #105

List of Grandparents

  1. Grandfather: Clifford Brown| aka Richard Earl Durand | aka Richard Earl Brown
  2. Great-grandmother: Mary Elizabeth Manning(1878-1983)
  3.  2nd Great-grandfather: John William Manning, (1846-1888)
  4. 3rd Great-grandfather:  Enoch Mannin (1823-1907)
  5. 4th Great-grandmother: 05.  Rachel Fugate (1803-1870)

Rachel Fugate – (1803-1870)

Birth

Rachel Fugate was born on 4 June 1803 in Kentucky, 9 days after Ralph Waldo Emerson. Kentucky had been admitted to the Union just nine years earlier.  Her parents were Reuben and Mary Fugate.  Reuben Fugate was born in Wythe County Virginia, the birth location for Rachel’s mother, Mary, is unknown.

Childhood

Nothing is known specifically of Rachel’s childhood, but historically, Kentucky was undergoing great expansion. She undoubtedly felt the New Madrid earthquakes in 1811 & 1812 and probably knew people who fought in the War of 1812, although her siblings were too young to have served in that war.

Marriage

She and Meredith Mannin were married in Bath County, Kentucky on 14 Feb 1825 (possibly 17 Feb) in a ceremony performed by Johnathan Smith. She was 21 years old and Meredith was 22.

Rachel and Meredith had 12 known children.

ChildBirth YearSpouseDeath
Enoch1823*Minerva Ann Tolliver1907
Isaac B1825Elizabeth Fortune1905
Thomas Hillry1827Rachel R Richardson1924
Tubil1829Elizabeth Jane Brown1862**
Reuben Calloway1831Sarah A Shuts1859
Katharine Susan1833Harvey Tapp1864**
John1835Martha McGlothin1870
Mahala1837William MyersBef. 1917
Elizabeth Marthy1838(None)1841
Sarah Jane1838 or 39James Richardson1913
Zachariah1841Unknown if he married.1864**
Tarlton1844Mary Jane (Unknown)1916

* Enoch was born two years before Meredith and Rachel were married.
** Three of the children died during the time of the Civil War.[ii]

Rachel lived until May 1870, so it appears five of her children proceeded her in death.

Adult

About 1828 the Manning family moved west to Missouri. Tubil, Reuben, and Katherine were born there.

1830 Census

The 1830 Census indicates the family lived in St Ferdinand, St Louis, Missouri. The household consists of:

      3 Males under 5, One presumed to be Isaac, Age 5
                           One presumed to be Thomas Hillry, Age 3
                           One presumed to be Tubill, Age 1
            1 male 5 to 10       Presumed to be Enoch, Age 7
            1 male 20 to 30.    Meredith Mannin, Age 28.
            1 Female 20 to 30 Presumed to Be Rachel Fugate, Age 26.

About 1834 the family moved again, this time to Indiana. That is where John, Mahala, Sarah Jane, and Elizabeth were born.

1840 Census

1840 Census indicates the family is in Boone County, Indiana. The household consisted of:

2 Males 5 to under 10  – Presumed to be John (age 5) and Reuben Calloway, (Age 9)
            1 Male 10 to under 15 – Presumed to be Thomas Hillry OR Tubill (Age 13 or 10)[iii]
            2 Males 15 to under 20 – Presumed to be Enoch (Age 17) and Isaac B. (Age 15)
            1 Male 30 to under 40 – Presumed to be Meredith Mannin (Age 38)
            3 Females under 5 – Presumed to be Mahala (Age 2), Elizabeth  (Age 1), and Sarah Jane (a newborn)
            1 Female 5 to under 10 – Presumed to be Katharine Susan (Age 7)
            1 Female 30 to under 40 – Presumed to be Rachel Fugate Mannin (Age 36)

Sometime in 1840 or 1841, the family moved from Indiana to Kentucky, where Zachariah and Tarlton were born.

1850 Census

The 1850 Census indicates the family is in Carter County, Kentucky

Meradith Mannen – 48 – Farmer 250   VA
Rachel         “       47                                      KY
Tubal          “        20      Laborer                Mo
Reuben       “       17        Laborer                “
Cathrine S   “     15                                       “
John           “        13                                     Ind
Mahala        “      12                                     “
Sarah          “        10                                     “
Zachariah    “       8                                    Ky
Tarlton        “        6                                     “

The four oldest children, all boys, appear to have moved out of the house before 1850.

1860 Census

The 1860 Census indicates the family is in Bath County, Kentucky. Only four of their children are still at home with them:
Meredith Manning – 58 Farmer – Born Virginia
Rachel   “             57      Kentucky
Zachah   “            18      Farm Hand – KY
Mahala                21      KY (Apparent Error)
Sarah                   19      KY (Apparent Error)
Tarlton                16      KY

Death & Burial

Rachel died on 7 May 1870.

I have been unsuccessful finding burial information concerning Rachel. 

Further Actions / Follow-up

  • Zachariah died of smallpox during the civil war, and his father received his pension. Research the deaths of the other two children who died during the Civil War and determine if any of them served.
  • Determine if Rachel can be “found” in her parents’ records before her marriage to Meredith.

Sources

  • Mannin Family Bible, Copy, Mannin Family Bible – Family Records – Births. Bible Records found in Civil War record file of Zachariah Mannin, son of Meridith and Rachel Fugate Mannin. Zachariah died of smallpox Jan. 7, 1864 at Knoxville, Tennessee. Meridith Mannin applied for Zachariah’s pension and received it. I have found this resource in many locations including https://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.mannin/159.1.1/mb.ashx.
  • 1830 Census (A) (NARA), Com, 1830 Census – Meredith Manning – St Ferdinand. St Louis County, Missouri.
  • 1840 Census (A) (NARA), Com, 1840 – Merradeth [Merediith] Mannon [Mannin] – Boone, Indiana; Roll: 74; Page: 138. Ancestry.com
  • 1850 Census, Com, 1850 – Meradith [Meridith] Mannen [Mannin] -b. 1802. 1850; Census Place: District 1, Carter, Kentucky; Roll: M432_195; Page: 248B; Image: 497.
  • 1860 Census, Family Search, 1860 – Meredith Manning – Bath, Maine – Page 131.
  • Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954, Family Search; Meredith Mannon and Rachel Fugate, 14 Feb 1825 – Bond. Bath, Kentucky, United States, Madison County Courthouse, Richmond; FHL microfilm 273,003. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5ZH-L12.
  • Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954, Family Search; Meredith Mannon and Rachel Fugate, 14 Feb 1825 – Confirmation. Bath, Kentucky, United States, Madison County Courthouse, Richmond; FHL microfilm 273,007. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5ZZ-J2T.
  • Minnesota Deaths and Burials, 1835-1990, Family Search, Enock Mannin. “Minnesota Deaths and Burials, 1835­1990,” database,
FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1 BLS : 10 March 2018), Enock Mannin, 07 Apr 1907; citing May, Cass, Minnesota, reference ; FHL microfilm 2,117,564. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDM5-BLS.

Endnotes:

[i] In 2014, Amy Johnson Crow suggested a theme for bloggers to use of “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.” I have continued this theme into 2018.

[ii] Enoch served in the Civil War and all of his brothers were of the age to have served.

[iii] NOTE: The family should include both Thomas and Tubill, however, it appears that only one of the two boys was enumerated. 

Family Search entry for Rachel Fugate 
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