Sunday Obituary Matilda Stackhouse Demyers Brown 1868-1974

Matilda Stackhouse Brown, the older of two children born to the late John and Mary Stackhouse, was born in Crystal Springs, Mississippi, on March 31, 1868. She joined the church at an early age while in Mississippi

Matilda met and married Print Brown. The family moved to Chicago in 1900. Upon their arrival in Chicago the family joined the Olivet Baptist Church under Reverend L T Williams and continued under the present pastor Reverend Joseph H Jackson. To this union were born seven children, Hugh Brown, Maybelle Shannon, Lucinda Spanks, Dora Demyers, Josephine Best, Eula Mae Demyers and Elson Demyers deceased.

She was a member of the Willing Worker's Circle at Olivet Church until poor health prevented her active participation in her latter years.

We loved our beloved Matilda, but God loved her best...Sleep in, dear Matilda, and take your rest. Matilda departed this life Sunday morning, June 2, 1974 at her home at 7:30 a.m.

She leaves to mourn her passing: One son Hugh Brown; five daughters, Maybelle Shannon, Lucinda Spanks, Dora Demyers, Josephine Best and Eula Mae Demyers; one daughter-in-law, Bertha Brown; one son-in-law, Benny Best; ten grandchildren, forty seven great grandchildren, twenty great great grandchildren, three great great great grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends.

How does she connect to my family?
My 2nd great grandmother Alice Demyers Overton Usher had a brother
John T Demyers who had a son
Isaiah Demyers who married Matilda Stackhouse.

Photograph courtesy of Matilda's direct descendant Katherine Addison Evans.
Matilda is the one in the long coat with her daughter Dora Reeves and the little girl is unknown.

Matilda Stackhouse married Charles Mathes(Matthews) 03 Jan 1893 in Copiah County.
Matilda Stackhouse married Isaiah Demyers 24 Dec 1902 in Copiah County, MS.

The Christmas Song - Blog Caroling 2013 Marvin Gaye 1963

Recorded live at the Apollo Theater in 1963.
The music and lyrics were composed by Mel Torme and Robert Wells in 1946.

My contribution to FootnoteMaven Blog Caroling

Santa and E.J.

E J is the son of my friend Candace

Wordless Wednesday Christmas 1920s II

Christmas Season 1920s
Unidentified man who worked for the Wise family of Hazlehurst, Copiah County, MS.
The boys are Andre and John Durr Wise, Jr

Photographs courtesy of Georgia Wise

Tombstone Tuesday Nandina Bush in the Cemetery

Greenwood Cemetery
Jackson, MS

Christmas 1938 Leslie Guiser Family

Leslie Guiser Family, 1938
The Guiser family Christmas celebration of 1938 was identified in The Daily Leader. Standing around a food-laden table are (l-r): ___ Haywood, Clara L. Guiser, Genoa Sartin Sr., Nannie Jackson, Elizabeth Guiser, Ulysses Guiser and Wille Mae McDaniel Guiser. Seated is Leslie Guiser Sr.

I found this picture on the Flicker page for the Lincoln County Public Library and recognized a couple of the names. I was not familiar with Leslie Guiser, the man seated but decided to do a census search.

Leslie was born Feb 1886-1888 in Mississippi, likely Franklin County near Meadville. He is the son of Virginia/Jennie Guiser and his father is unknown. I first find Leslie, 14 years old, in the 1900 Franklin County census living with his aunt Nancy/Nannie Guiser Jackson. Living next door was his grandmother Louisa Guiser, his mother Virginia and her four children.

By 1910, Leslie was a married man with two children. He married Elizabeth Wilkinson 08 Jan 1907 in Franklin County. Elizabeth was from Kentucky. The couple's children were: Leslie, Jr., Ulysses, Nan, Clara, Elias, Sterling, and Arnell.

Leslie and his family had settled in Brookhaven, MS, when the 1930 census rolled around. Leslie worked as a laborer for the Mississippi Power and Light Company. Leslie died in 1965.

Obituary of Ulysses Guiser, Son of Leslie and Elizabeth Guiser
Obituary of Willie Mae Guiser, Wife of Ulysses
Death Certificate of Louisa McCoy Guiser, Leslie's Grandmother
Obituary of Nancy "Nan" M Guiser Riggs, daughter of Leslie and Elizabeth Gusier

Photograph Courtesy of
Lincoln-Lawrence-Franklin Regional Library
100 S. Jackson St
Brookhaven, MS 39601
601-833-3369

Afro Saturday Melvin Gregory McDaniel

Son of Willie Mell and Hattie McDaniel

Photograph courtesy of Tony Neal, Sr

Tombstone Tuesday Albert Gallatin Brown

He was the son of Joseph and Elzabeth Rice Brown
Husband of Elizabeth Frances Thornton Taliaferro &
Roberta Eugenia Young
Governor of Mississippi 1844-1848
Governor Brown's headstone is in the middle.

He was born May 31 1813 in the Chester District of South Carolina.
Died June 12 1880 at his home near Terry, Mississippi.
Buried in the Greenwood Cemetery
Jackson, Mississippi

In 1823, when Albert was only 10 years-old his family moved to the new State of Mississippi. The Brown family settled in Copiah County, Mississippi. Raising cotton in the new frontier state of Mississippi proved to be lucrative for the Brown family. The Brown family owned members of my paternal family.

Picture of Albert G Brown from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Santa is in Town Brookhaven 1950s

The children to the right appear to be mesmerized by the appearance of Santa in his automobile. I wonder where Santa's sleigh and reindeer were. Santa is near the train depot in Brookhaven, Mississippi.

Photograph Courtesy of
Lincoln-Lawrence-Franklin Regional Library
100 S. Jackson St
Brookhaven, MS 39601
601-833-3369

Lyntine Irene Culver Lenoir

1919-2004 Lyntine was a graduate of Alexander High School, Alcorn State University and Tuskegee Institute. She taught special education in Chicago and in Mississippi: Columbia, Hattiesburg, Clarksdale, Brookhaven, and Port Gibson.

She was born in Lincoln County, Mississippi, to Grover Cleveland Culver and Kathleen Thompson. In 1942, she married maternal cousin Lamar Lenoir. The couple enjoyed over 50 years of marriage.

Lyntine's Obituary

Photograph Courtesy of
Lincoln-Lawrence-Franklin Regional Library
100 S. Jackson St
Brookhaven, MS 39601
601-833-3369

Cousin Tim Winston

Timothy Ora Winston 1908 - 1993
Son of Edward Robert Winston and Ora Ardenia Terry
The lady is Tim's niece.

Cousin Tim owned a funeral home in Hazlehurst, MS, the ancestral home of my Durr branch of the tree. I went to many funerals with my aunts and uncle when I was a child up to the mid-teen years. We would often see Tim, busy with the bereaved family and the activities that went with running the funeral business. One of the aunts or uncle would say, there's Tim. It was a while before I realized to whom they were speaking. Tim didn't look like us. Who was this white looking cousin and how was he related? They could only tell me Tim was related to us through my paternal grandmother, Tim was Grandma Gertrude's people.

Several months back I was contacted about my Demyers branch, which lead to me joining a Demyers family group on Facebook. I learned a lot through this group and it turns out that is how I am connected to Timothy Ora Winston. Tim and my common direct ancestor is Peggy who was born about 1815 in Virginia. Peggy had her first child with the slave master, Tim's line. Peggy had other children with Thomas Napoleon Demyers, my line. Peggy is my third great grandmother, she is Tim's great grandmother.

Photograph courtesy of Beverly Smith.

Amanuensis Monday In Memory of Peggy Sims - Obituary 1885

Peggy was born between 1830-1835, in Virginia, according to the census records. She was the wife of Lawrence Sim/e/s, mother of Melissa. She was the slave of Sarah Frances Adams Taliaferro who was the wife of Peachy R Taliaferro. The family resided in Copiah County, MS. It is believed Peggy was buried in the Spring Hill Plantation Cemetery. Peggy's husband Lawrence was buried in Spring Hill Cemetery. His headstone reads: In Memory of Lawrence Simes - There is Rest - Born in Rockingham Co., Va. - April 15, 1818 - Died in Copiah Co., Miss - April 11, 1880

Peggy's Obituary Who entered into rest with bright hopes and unwavering faith, June 6th 1885. She was born in Orange County, Va., was raised by Mrs. S. F. Toliaferro, in whose home she imbibed those early pious impressions which ruled her useful life, and to this kind friend she proved through her entire life a faithful servant, a tried friend, ever true. Possessed of a warm heart, an ardent nature, she lovingly served her white friends who warmly reciprocated her attachment. In olden time the bonds that bound her to her owners, were kind and loving as a child to a parent. their children who she tended in infancy, now heads of families, in reverting to their childhood, remember the face of their kind nurse "Peddy" among their earliest and happiest impressions. Ever ready to rejoice with them in their prosperity, to sympathize in adversity, to mourn with them in their sorrow, and to mingle her tears with theirs around the "bier" of their loved dead. To her colored friends she was a bright example as a christian, counsellor and neighbor, respected and loved by white and black. Always ready to help in any way their conditions demanded, willingly giving of her abundance laid up by an industrious life and judicious management. Sadly will they miss her. In an eminent degree, she possessed the faculty of bestowing ready and obliging attention, which made her welcome in every household she visited, and rendered it a delight to be waited on by her.

Especially around the sick bed, her gentle services were peculiarly grateful, there she was in her element, unwearying, unremitting in efforts to releave pain irrespective of color, for friend or foe, faithful to the promise, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto me." Relying, with the unquestionable faith of a child, on the blessed promises of a covenant keeping God, in the simplicity of her guileless heart, the dying bed became "Victors Couch," and as the Pale Boatman with noiseless oar approached, with joyous shouts of victory, and eager longing for the glory of Heaven, to be with Jesus, her spirit passed away from earth.

Farewell faithful kind friend! We will all miss thy tender care while we journey here, but thy triumph has been sooner won. May we meet around our great Master's throne.

A Friend

Source: Hazlehurst Signal
Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss
Vol 4, No. 24, July 23 1885, Page 2
Microfilm Number: 29666
Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Headstone of Lawrence Simes, Peggy's Husband

Peggy and her husband Lawrence shared the same slave owning family with members of my family.