BLESSING, CHARLES M. born September 1896, son of Baile and Lizzie C. BLESSING. Siblings: Georgie Frances and William M. He was living in the 4th Civil District in the 1900 census of Wayne Co., TN. No information on service available.
Author Archives: Betty Peacock
Berry, Jesse
BERRY, JESSE, Pvt. C.O. 1st Div, BN, Camp Severe, GA. born Aug 1892, Wayne Co., TN, son of Joseph W. and Nellie Barkley DULIN BERRY. He enlisted on 10 June 1918 at Waynesboro, TN and was 25¾ yeas old, was a farmer, had blue eyes, dark brown hair, ruddy complexion and was 5’10½” tall. Was discharged 25 Jan 1919 at Fort Oglethorpe, GA. Soldier was single at time of service. Soldier had siblings: Robert L. BERRY, Charlie BERRY, John T. BERRY, Marshall BERRY, Irvin BERRY, and Gracie BERRY who married F. B. CHAMBERS.
Beckham, Richard
BECKHAM, RICHARD was a native of Wayne County, the son of W. I. and Mary SHULL BECKHAM. His home for most of his life was in the Houston community, later years were spent neary Waynesboro on Highway 64 West, a couple of miles from the county seat. He was the grandson of Thomas and Sarah McMULLEN BECKHAM, both natives of the county and of the Houston community. He and his wife, the former Dee Hazel MURPHY, were the parents of Frankie BECKHAM, now Mrs. Milburn SIMS, and Billie Jo, now Mrs. Charles GALLOWAY, both of Waynesboro.
Mr. BECKHAM had two sisters, Sue (Mrs. Hubert BURNS of Lutts, and Mae, Mrs. Maynard MELSON of Zip City, Alabama. He had six brothers: Alvin, Hooper, Hugh, Jack and Joe, all of Lutts, and Tom Frank of Savannah, TN. Two other brothers, Mack and Marvin, died early in life.
Mr. BECKHAM served as an enlisted man in the United States Army, being inducted into the service at age 22, as a member of the 316th Quartermaster Corps at Ft. Oglethorpe, GA, and honorably discharged at the cessation of hostilities. He served from 24 June 1918 to 21 June 1919. Entering the service, he traveled from Clifton by riverboat to Fort Oglethorpe, before leaving Clifton, he had spent the night in the home of Mrs. Marietta HARTWELL on the banks of the Tennessee River. The end of the war cancelled his orders for overseas duty in a few day. Besides his daughters, he is survived bu a granddaughter, Janice (SIMS) COLE, of Franklin, TN and two great-grandchildren: Matthew Ian COLE and Rachel Leigh COLE, also of Franklin.
Mr. BECKHAM was born at Houston, Tennessee December 28, 1895, and died at Thayer Veterans Hospital after a long illness, April 13, 1962.
Beckham, J. Lynn
BECKHAM, J. LYNN, PVT, ASN: 558139, SATC Ala. Poly Institute, Auburn, AL. Enlisted 23 Oct 1918, Florence, AL, discharged 9 Dec 1918, Auburn, AL. Born 9 May 1897, Indian Creek, Wayne Co., TN, died 15 Nov 1968, Waynesboro, TN. Son of John Finley BECKHAM (3 Nov 1864 – 24 Sep 1928) and Mary C. BECKHAM (30 Jan 1870 – 13 Jan 1927). Married Karen MELSON, 31 Oct 1920, Waynesboro, TN. Two children, James M. BECKHAM and Thomas E. BECKHAM. Occupation: hauled freight from Allens Creek to Waynesboro, later worked as mechanic for Hassell & Hughes Ford, Yeiser Bro. Chevrolet, Jack Yeiser Chevrolet, Savannah, TN and Waynesboro. In 1939 went into business for self. Secured International Harvester Co. Dealership to sell farm machinery; active in dealership until death in 1968.
Beckham, Ivy F.
BECKHAM, IVY F. was born 4 February 1895 in Hill County, Texas, he died 10 February 1949 at Pinhook, Wayne Co., Tennessee. He was the son of John Finley BECKHAM (3 Nov 1864 – 24 Sept 1928) and Mary C. BECKHAM (30 Jan 1870 – 13 Jan 1927). Ivy married Lorene HOUSE of Lutts, Tennessee in 1923.
Ivy BECKHAM was inducted on 27 June 1918 at Florence, Alabama and served as a corporal in the American Expeditionary Forces in France and Germany from 8 Sep 1918 until 31 Oct 1919. He was discharged on 14 Nov 1919 at Camp Gordon, Georgia. According to his discharge he was a mail carrier at the time of his induction. He was described as having blue eyes, dark hair, light complexion and was five feet, eleven inches tall.
According to a story told by Ivy BECKHAM, he was in charge of a group of Chinese soldiers and had to take them back to China aboard a cattle train. This resulted in him returning to Wayne County much later than others.
After being discharged in 1919, Ivey Finn came back to Wayne County and from 1921 to 1922 he served as a Star Route Mail Carrier, his route being from Lutts to Collinwood. In 1923, he became a truck driver and substitute mail carrier on Rural Route No. 2. In 1932, he and Lorene purchased her father, John HOUSE’s General Store which they operated until the time of his death in 1949. Ivy and Lorene had three daughters: Geraldine, Sue and Laura Jo.
Beatty, John M.
BEATTY, JOHN M., born January 1892, Rt. 2, Topsy, TN. He was the son of Moses J. BEATTY who isburied at Banks Cem. Lewis Co., TN and Annie B. According to available census records, he had siblings: Sarah R. and Florence A. He was inducted at Waynesboro, TN.
Additional information and photograph submitted by Barbara Higdon
Information that I have. John was the son of Tennessee V. Casinger and Moses Joshua Beatty, Sr. Florence A. is also child of Tennessee and Moses. This was Moses’ second marriage. TN Marriages 1851 – 1900
BEATY, M. J. Spouse: CASINGER, TENNESSEE Marriage Date: 10 Dec 1889 County: Wayne State: TN
This is where I believe Tennessee to be buried. There was also a Daniel with no dates and it made me wonder if she may have died in childbirth. Wood Cemetery Centertown, Warren County, Tennessee
Beaty, Tennessee, (no dates)
Beaty, Daniel, (no dates)
Moses married a third time to Annie Buckelew but there was no children born to that marriage.
BEATTY, M. J.
Spouse: BUCKELEW, E. A.
Marriage Date: 5 Jun 1900
County: Wayne State: TN
Moses first marriage was to Margaret Caldonia Himes (February 12, 1862 in Lewis County). Children born to that marriage were:
James Daniel Beatty
Moses Joshua Beatty, Jr.
Lasora Beatty
Sarah Francis Beatty
Mary L. Beatty
Monroe Beatty
Tennessee’s parents were Sarah Ann Whitehead and Ezekiel Kesner. The Casinger / Kesner gets confusing depends on which census you see. I think most in this area use the Kesner name.
Moses, Sr. parents were Francis Priest and James Beatty. James was from Ireland.
Tennessee
Williamson County
Beaty Preast, James Fanny
Spouse: Beaty, James
Preast, Fanny Marriage Date: 04 Nov 1813
Balentine, Thomas Green
BALENTINE, THOMAS GREEN, was born in Wayne County, Tennessee on 6 February 1897. He was killed by Thomas MARTIN on 5 July 1919 after his discharge from the army.
He was the son of Richard Huston BALENTINE Jr. and Betty Jenny DULIN BALENTINE.
Thomas Green BALENTINE is buried at Balentine Cemetery, near Cypress Inn, Wayne County, Tennessee
Ayers, Charles S.
AYERS, CHARLES S., PFC, 137 Infantry, 35th Division.
Charles S. AYERS was born at Martins Mills, Wayne County, Tennessee on 27 December 1894. He was inducted into the Army, 28 May 1918 and served from 18 July 1918 to 23 April 1919. He was discharged 12 May 1919.
He married Madgie HORTON on 8 April 1923. They had seven children: Ralph AYERS, Lesbue A. HOWELL, Lorene A. PIGG, Hazel A. CASTEEL, Ross AYERS, Faye A. MELSON and Susie A. LONG.
He died 12 August 1986 at the age of 92.
Andrews, John Henry
ANDREWS, JOHN HENRY, born 26 January 1891, died 2 January 1966, buried Bethlehem Cemetery, Wayne County, Tennessee. He was the son of Dave ANDREWS (1862-1952) and Sally MELSON ANDREWS. John Henry married Della ROBERTS on 11 Nov 1917, by J. M. WISDOM. She was born 27 July 1895. They had no children. They belonged to and were faithful members of the Bethlehem Baptist Church, California Branch, Wayne County, Tennessee. They lived close to the church. John Henry was a farmer. His siblings were Charles E. ANDREWS, Maggie ANDREWS KELLY, Mae ANDREWS GRAY and Bertha ANDREWS TODD.
Abrams, Otis McKinley
ABRAMS, OTIS McKINLEY (MACK), (1894-1980) was born in Gillises Mills, Hardin Co., Tennessee, the son of George Dougal Abrams and Hettie Falls Abrams. He attended school there and on finishing high school taught briefly. At the onset of World War I, on 12 Nov 1917, he enlisted in the army at Waynesboro , TN and was sent to Camp Gordon, GA for training. He was assigned to Company “A”, 1st Battalion, 307th Engineer Regiment of the 82nd Army Division. The Regiment was sent to France on 19 May 1918. As far as I know, Mack was not involved in combat, but was in the area where the Germans were shelling in the Toul Sector from 25 June to 10 Aug. 1918, Marbache Sector from 17 Aug. to 11 Sept. 1918 , St. Mihiel Operation Sept. 12-16 and the Meuse Argonne Offensive from 26 Sept. to 3 Oct. 1918. Company “A” spent most of the time repairing roads, building bridges, concrete pill boxes and shelters and digging foxholes and trenches. On 10 October 1918 the company took over a captured German railroad north of Varennes and operated it in supply service, delivering rations, forage and artillery ammunition to Apremont, Chehery and Cornay for a period of about 2 weeks. Mack came down with malaria while in France and spent time in a French hospital in the village of Bar-le-duc near the town of Nancy. The French doctors cured the malaria and he never had a recurrance. On 15 April 1919 the regiment left France and returned home. Mack was discharged on 21 May 1919 and returned to Waynesboro, TN where his parents lived.
In the fall of 1919 Mack went West – first to the wheat harvest in Kansas and then to Oklahoma. In Shawnee, Oklahoma he got a job with the Santa Fe Railroad as a locomotive fireman on the local switch engine. In 1927 he went back to Tennessee on vacation and while visiting relatives in Lawrenceburg met Lerlie Lee Powell, daughter of Jacob Marion Powell and Nancy Bassham. When Mack returned to Oklahoma, he and Lerlie corresponded by mail for a period of 2 months writing almost daily letters. In April 1927 he went back to Lawrenceburg and proposed marriage. She accepted and they were married 11 April 1927 and spent their honeymoon on the trip back to Oklahoma in Mack’s Model T Ford.
Their first child, Mary Carolyn, was born in 1928 followed by Herbert Victor in 1930. Mack and family moved to Cushing, Oklahoma sometime between 1930 and 1935 when Mack got bumped from his job in Shawnee. A second daughter, Anita Jean, arrived in 1935. Shortly thereafter the family moved back to Shawnee where they stayed until 1939. Mack had been promoted to Engineer and was low man in seniority in that position so he got bumped again. This time the family moved to Purcell, Oklahoma in 1939. Purcell was not as large as Shawnee and at first they hated it, but over the years they grew to love the little town and the many friends that they made there. In 1941 a second son, Donald Mack, arrived followed by Gary Wayne in 1943. Mack worked seven days a week to support the family and put all three sons through college.
Mack retired in 1965 after 44 years of service with the Santa Fe Railroad. He enjoyed his retirement years and stayed active well into his 80’s. He died on 5 August 1980 and was buried at the Purcell Hillside Cemetery with full military honors.
Submitted by Herb Abrams