My Family Tree is Full of Nuts

Hannah Carroll Vanzant Epps     Samuel Huey Epps, Sr

This is my paternal grandmother and grandfather.

Samuel Huey Epps, age 79 of 205 Anniston Avenue, Piedmont, Alabama died  Monday 2:30 pm at Piedmont Hospital, May 1, 1967

Funeral services were held Wednesday at 3 pm at Northside Baptist Church, with Reverand Ross Minton and Charles Rutherford officiating. Burial was in Highland Cemetery with Mickelson Mortuary in charge.

He is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Margaret Epps Scogin of Piedmont; two sons, Billy Epps of Piedmont and Samuel Huey Epps, Jr of Winter Park Florida. One sister, Mrs. W.A. Shearl of Titusville, Florida.  12 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.

Active pallbearers were masons. Masonic graveside rites were conducted by Lozahatchee Masonic Lodge No. 97 of which he was a member.

A native of Tennessee, Mr. Epps was a resident of Piedmont the past 51 years. He was a member of Northside Baptist Church. He was a retired machinist.

Top left was Hannah Carroll Vanzant Epps and Samuel Huey Epps on their wedding Day.  Bottom right was Samuel Huey Epps and Hannah Carroll. Vanzant Epps.

Mrs. Hannah Carroll Vanzant Epps Died May 10, 1960

Mrs. Hannah Carroll Epps, 63 of 205 Anniston Avenue, died at her home Tuesday afternoon following a long illness.

Funeral services will be held Thursday at 2 pm from the First Methodist Church with the Dr. J. A. Gann and the Reverand J. Holland Thomas officiating.

Buril will be in Highland Cemetery with Gray Brown Service of Piedmont in charge.

Survivors include the husband Sam Epps of Piedmont, one daughter Mrs. Zack Scogin, Jr of Piedmont; two sons, Billy Epps of Piedmont and Sammy Epps of Fort Benning, Ga; 11 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. One brother Frank Farley Vanzant of Austell, Georgia.

Active pallbearers will be Donald Wilson, Ralph Casey, Horace McDowell, Roy Formby, R.P. New and Carmie Davis.

She was formerly of Jacksonville, Alabama and was a resident of Piedmont for the past 44 years and was a member of the First Methodist Church.

She was born in Chester , Pennsylvania. Daughter of William Kay Vanzant and Mary Jane Cowan Vanzant.

Samuel Huey Epps was born 26 January 1888 in Petersburg, Tennessee.

Samuel was the son of Hiriam Thomas Epps and Martha Ann(Annie) Chesser. They are bottom left in the photo above.

Hannah Carroll Vanzant was born  21 August 1896 in Chester, Pennsylvania.  

Top right of this photo is my father William Thomas Epps.   He was born 29 December 1929 in Piedmont, Alabama and died we November 1976 in Piedmont, Alabama.

This is a picture we got from Elleda Rule and Steve Epps was gracious enough to let me copy it off his Facebook account. This is Epps Hollow where our ancestors lived  in Lincoln County Tennessee.

I bet there were some good times there!

I just wanted to post something while it was on my mind.  I started researching my family lines 23 years ago and I still have a great love for it.

When I was working on the research I for whatever reason copied everything I could find with the name I was working on whether I thought it was going to pertain to me or not was not important at the time. I just copied it and filed it away for later use. 

I have found over the years the more I research the more it DOES PERTAIN to me and I can use the information and a lot of times when I could not use it  I would be able to give it to someone that could use it.  I never for the life of me could go back and find it again so I am glad I have it. Plus I always tried to write where and when I got the article, just a regular reference to it so I could go back years later if I needed to.

I kept a log of correspondence. Names, addresses, phone numbers, letters and such. I know a lot of people that I contacted are no longer with us but maybe some of their children are carrying on the tradition.

Today I cleaned out my genealogy closet here at home. I am amazed at the tons of boxes full of information and pictures. I am greatful for every piece of paper and photo I have.

It is all fitting in to the puzzle called my family!

“Some family trees have beautiful leaves,
but some just have a bunch of nuts.
Remember it is the nuts that make the tree worth shaking.”

~ Unknown ~

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These pages are dedicated to all those who have gone before us and paved the way for us to be where we are today. Our ancestors truly are a part of us and who we are.

Searching for my roots has brought much enjoyment into my life. I’ve especially enjoyed meeting relatives that I didn’t even know we had.

Genealogy is something that I’ve always taken seriously because if it wasn’t for our ancestors we would not be here today. I want to educate myself and my family to the best of my ability about our history and PROUD heritage. I want to present our ancestors as “real” people by placing some of the “Flesh” back on their “Bones.” I want my children to know that those two people whose names and dates appeared on a piece of paper were “Real” people.

I’ve been trying to learn more about the history of different periods of time to better understand their personal histories. I want to know more about the things that hurt them and the things that gave them pleasure.

Although wars, fashions and customs change, some things are eternal…love, pride in children, devotion to country, sadness at the death of loved ones and joy at the success of a crop or a new job. I have discovered that deeds can sometimes tell us of their financial histories. Church records can tell us for whom they mourned or celebrated. Court records can tell us how well they got along with their neighbors or civil authorities.

My heart cries for them when I think about some of the enormous pain they must have felt and had to endure during their lifetimes. I think how terrible it must have felt to leave their parents behind who knew they’d never see their children again or have a share in their grandchildren’s lives and fate.

I can only imagine the pain they must have felt when they left their settled homelands and moved to a new land where many dangers faced them and their children. “Back home” was seething with wars and rumors of wars. We can only imagine the fear and worry they felt for their families and friends back home.

They must have also had many fears for their children in the new land as well. There were so many deaths of newborns and young children. Too many mothers died during childbirth. There was so much sickness and disease because of the lack of proper medical care.

We have no idea of the unremitting labor it took for the first settlers to just survive. What did they do to survive? Unless they were wealthy and could have certain goods shipped over here, they had to do without or make it themselves. What did they do for fun? Go to church, sing, dance (if religion permitted it), tell stories, visit, and make descendants.

I truly love all my ancestors, even those whose names I don’t know. I want to allow them to rise from their anonymous mists to become “flesh” once again, to give them the due honor they deserve.

I truly hope that you too, get the “Genealogy Bug”…it is very satisfying to learn about your ancestors, since without them, you would not be where you are today!!!

To end with a bit of Genealogy Humor….
“There once was a man who paid a genealogist $500.00 to look up his family history … then paid another $1,000.00 to keep quiet about it!”

Good Luck in your family research adventures and remember, “Life is lived forwards, but understood backwards.”

Until next time,

Kevin Agan

I know there are errors in the spelling but I am putting it just like it is written.

The Bible of Samuel Gray in possession of Mr. William Medearis Smith, Fayetteville, TN

Publisher:Mathew Carey, Philadelphia, October 27th 1802.

Family Record of Samuel Gray

William M. Smith was bornd in the year of our lord July the 10, 1813.

John H. Smith was bornd December the 12, 1814

Sary Smith was bornd January the 30,1817.

Austin G. Smith was Bornd December the 25 – 1818.

Samuels Grays Book  Bornd Aprile 22 1752

Family Record

Marriages:

Austin Gary was bornd in the year of our lord February the 10 1788.

Poley Gray his wife was Bornd April the 22 1702 and was marred November the  30  1815.

Darkis B. Gray was bornd the 26 of December 1816.

Hargery Gray was marred October the 8 1817.

Saray Gray was marred the 8 of January 1818. 

Marriages:

Martain Gray was bornd January the 6  1795.

Polly his wife was bornd January the 15  1815.

Martain Gray was marred the 27  of August 1816.

Elizebeth Gray was bornd June the 7  1817.

James C. Gray was bornd in the year of our lord the December 26, 1818.

Saley G. Gray was bornd March the 16, 1821.

Mary Gray was born September 19, 1774.

Margery Gray was born December 12, 1776.

Elisabeth Gray was born December 24, 1779.

Frances Gray was born September 5, 1782

Austin Gray was born February 10, 1789.

Salley Gray was born march 13, 1791.

Martin Gray was born January 6, 1795.

Dopson Deacon was bornd May the 10, 1808.

Dorkis B. Gray was bornd December 26, 1816.

Elisa B. Gray was bornd Aprile 2, 1819

Fanny B. Gray was born in the year of our Lord October the 18, 1820.

Thomas C. Gray was bornd August the 24, 1822.

Mary An Gray was born May the May 22, 1824.

Enos H. Gray was bornd May the 24, 1826.

N.A Klin Gray March 20, 1828.

Rachel Gray was bornd Febary the 20, 1831.

Saley Gray was bornd June 16, 1833.

Eesebeth Gray was bornd May 25, 1835.

Rachel Cheshur was Born September 3 the 1801.

A Love Rey milknees Gray was born May the 21, 1812.

Nancy Cheser was bornd febuary the 15, 1813.

Margery melinda Cheser was bornd April the 18, 1817.

Mathew Cheser Privit was bornd August 14, 1834.

DEATHS

The age of James Meek Sons James  C. Meek was borned in the year of our lord November the 10, 1818.

R. or Machel 24

James Blackwell was bornd the 6 off November 186_.

May Frost 1774

Mary Chesser Eldest Daughter of Samuel and Rachel Gray departed this life Mach 18, 1847 in her seventy third year.

Marge Meeks deceased on the 21 of December 1847 and was buried on the 1 of January 1848.

Samuel Gray died on the 23rd of March 1837 aged 85 if he had lived to the 24th of April 1837.

Funeral Notices:

The Friends and Acquaintance of Mr. F.R.Moorhead are requested to attend the funeral of his wife tomorrow morning at 9:30 o’clock. Services at the resdence by Elder T.Little, Burial at Rose Hill Cemetery. May 8, 1883.

The funeral of James Charles, infant son of General Rober and Mrs. S.A. Farquharson will take place on Saturday, November 6, 1869 at 9 o’oclock A.M. Funeral service at the residence, by Rev. James Watson.

The Friends and Acquaintances of James R. Shelton are invited to attend the Funeral of his wife, Mrs. Mary V. Shelton from his residence this evening at 2 o’clock. Service by Elder Randolph or Rev Mr. Gray. Burial at Rose Hill Cemetery, Sunday 24, 1871.

George Rice VanZant

This was taken from the Philadelphia Inquirer, November 19, 1912

Chester Veteran, Mourned As Dead, Returns Home.

Chester, PA  Nov 18, 1912

When George Rice VanZant, of Upland, walked into the headquarters of Wilde Post, Grand Army of the Republic, in this city this morning he found a large memorial card announcing that “Comrade George R. VanZant had answered the last roll call.”

The post flag on top of the building had been placed at half staff, in respect to the memory of “the late George R. VanZant, Comrade of Wilde Post.”

Arthur Martin, member of the Board of Poor Directors of Delaware County, who is a member of Wilde Post had ordered the charter draper ‘in memory of the deceased Comrade VanZant.”

Martin met VanZant on the street this morning and nearly collapsed when he came face to face with the man whose body he understood was being brought on from Michigan, where VanZant’s death was reported to have occurred.

Well….first of all, let me introduce myself….my name is Kevin Agan and I currently live in Cave Spring, GA. I have dedicated alot of my free time over the last 5-7 years researching my AGAN ancestry…I have created a group on facebook to help me out as well… just click on “Agan’s all around this great country of ours!!!” to check it out!!!

Also on facebook is where I met Chris for the first time…through our conversations, we quickly realized that we are cousins. It just so happens that we share the same great great grandparents   Jim Roe Taylor and Susan Garmon.  Jim Roe Taylor was born in 15 Jul 1852 and died 13 Jul 1928…he married Susan Garmon who was born 5 Mar 1854 and died 25 Aug 1938.  Together they had several children…one of which was a daughter named Annie Taylor, from whom I am descended and they also had a son named John Taylor from whom Chris is descended…Our common g g grandparents are buried together in Pleasant Ridge Baptist in White Plains, AL.  My Anderson grandparents are also buried in that cemetery…

Well there you have it, our family connection in a large nutshell…