Wordless Wednesday Hannah and Granddaughters

Hannah Jane Wilcher Kelly
1895-1965
Front Row: Jessie Mae and Jocy
Back Row: Annie Ruth and Mickey

Picture Courtesy of Deborah Wright

How does Hannah connect to my family?
Hannah married Lewis Durr Kelly.
Lewis brother, Pearly Kelly, married my second cousin 1x removed Arnetta Byrd.

Three Brothers Married Three Sisters

Archie Hilliard
Born about 1874

Three brothers married three sisters. The brothers were the sons of Alexander Hilliard and Leitha Culver. The sisters were the daughters of James Coleman and Mary Ann Markham. They were born and raised in Lincoln County, Mississippi.

The three couples produced 25 double first cousins.

Archie Hilliard, Sr., (1874-1960), married Lucy Coleman (1874-1942), 13 Dec 1895, in Lincoln County, MS. Their children were: Archie, Jr., Lamar, Edward, Grover, Bessie, Lessie, Deforest, Jessie Mae, and Beasley.

John Hilliard (1870 - ?), married Levanna Coleman (1876 - ?), 12 Dec 1895, in Lincoln County, MS. Their children were: Ontee, Anna/Amizone, James, Gertrude, Mary, and Artimessia.

Versie Hilliard (1879 - ?), married Mary Coleman (1884 - ?), 13 Dec 1900, in Lincoln County, MS. Their children were: Estelle, Lucille, Luther, Versie, Jr., Garvey, Alma, Clifton, Marion, Mildred, and Mary.

Photograph Courtesy of Cherri Herring

How do the couples connect to my family tree?
The sisters' mother, Mary Ann Markham Coleman, and my great grandfather Monroe Markham were siblings.

Wordless Wednesday Addie Markham Lenoir 1888-?

Daughter of Grant Markham and Mary Lyons
Wife of Oscar Lenoir
Mother of Archie Johnson and Lamar Lenoir

How is Addie connected to my family tree?
Addie's father, Grant Markham, and my great grandfather Monroe Markham were brothers.

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

Swift Justice Negroes Lynched in Mississippi 1874

Rape is a horrible crime. All perpetrators should be fully prosecuted under the law. Justice in this case was swift, without a trial, and no jury of peers, which is what I wish they had.

Negroes Lynched in Mississippi
Brookhaven, Miss, Aug 22 - The three negroes, Dick Cooper, Anthony Grant and Silas Johnson, who, at 3 o'clock on Sunday morning last, forcibly entered the residence of Mrs. Burnley and violated her person, were taken from the jail at 4 o'clock this evening and hung by the citizens, about 1,000 of who were present. Johnson was captured on Sunday. The other two were captured at Trenton, brought here this morning and lodged in jail. They confessed their guilt on the gallows.
Newspapers
Alton Telegraph, 27 August 1874, Page 2

Maria Burnley was the wife of Edwin Burnley, who owned Somerset Plantation. Edwin's daughters, Edwina Burnley and Bertha Burnley Ricketts, wrote the memoir describing their family and their childhood at Somerset plantation, near Hazlehurst, Copiah County, MS. Their father, Edwin Burnley (b. 1798), moved to Mississippi from Virginia in 1832 and married Maria Louisa Baxter (1820-1907) of Persippany, N.J., in 1852. The couple married in 1852, together they had five daughters: Jean, Hardenia, Fannie, Bertha, and Edwina.

Newspaper Article Detailing the Crime

How is Somerset connected to my family?
Virgina Williams/Taylor was a slave of Somerset. She married John T Demyers, my 2nd great grandmother Alice Demyers Overton Usher's brother. The Burnley family also owned an Overton family whose connection to my 2nd great grandfather, Dave Brown Overton, is unclear.