White Family Stories shared by Brother Davis

White Family Stories
As told by Edwin M. “Brother” Davis
Letter to L.F. “Bud” Hammond dated August 10, 2009

Thrashley E. White was born October 25, 1805, in Westfield Community of Chesterfield County, South Carolina. (He) died April 8, 1880, age 75, in Westfield Community of Chesterfield County, South Carolina.

Eliza Ann Jones, daughter of Reverend Wiley Jones and Sara (last name may be Bell?), was born December 12, 1827, Buffalo Community, Kershaw County, South Carolina. Her mother, Sara, was Indian either full or 1/b blood. This is very obvious by all the dark complexion cousins we have, also she told her grandchildren that her mother was Indian. They did not think or care to ask if Sara was full blood or ½ blood.

Buffalo is a cross roads, store, fire department, school, and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church about 3 miles south of Kershaw, South Carolina. Reverend Wiley Jones was pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in the Buffalo Community and is buried in the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church cemetery. Sharon Freeman Corey has been to his burial site.

Rev. Wiley Jones came to the Westfield Community, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, around 1850-1851 to hold a revival bringing with him his daughter Eliza Ann Jones who was around 22 – 24 years old. While here she met Thrashley White, many, many years her senior, fell in love, married him and to the best of knowledge never went back to Kershaw Buffalo Community. She and Thrashley had 7 or 8 children. The youngest Ellison Thrashley White, my grandpa that we all called “Dee”.

When Thrashley died in 1880, Eliza Ann Jones White came to live with several of her children as she and Thrashley owned no land. Thrashley lost his land, 202 acres more or less because of debt and taxes. His property was sold at the court house in 1844.

Sometime around 1906 Eliza Ann Jones White came to live with her youngest son Ellison Thrashley White, his wife Alice Mae Eddins White and their two daughters, Myrtle and Ethel. Myrtle White Davis is my mother and Ethel White King my aunt.

Oral Family History from Brother Davis

Things Eliza Ann Jones White told her Granddaughter Myrtle White Davis
Who In Turn Told Her Son Edwin M. “Brother” Davis.
Reference: Letter from Brother Davis to L.F. “Bud” Hammond dated August 10, 2009 and reprinted below as received.

Here are things my (Edwin M. "Brother" Davis) mother told me that, Eliza Ann Jones White, her Grandmother told her:

1. Thrashley White could cure the toothache. People came from all abound seeking relief. He never told anyone his secret.
2. Grandmother, Eliza Ann Jones White, was called “Mu” by her children and most grandchildren.
3. Grandmother, Eliza Ann Jones White, would tell my mother Myrtle and Aunt Ethel, “children let us go to bed early tonight cause we are going to get up early tomorrow morning and walk to Kershaw to see our kin fold”. This scared my mother and Aunt Ethel to death. Just the idea of walking 35-40 miles with “Mu”.
4. During reconstruction after the Civil War* the Yankees were destroying any and everything. The Yankees came through the yard of Eliza Ann Jones White, and her young children and their garden. One of the children hallowed, “Mu, dem, damn, Yankees are pulling up all our onions!” Scared all to death as every one was more afraid of the Yankees than a snake. You remember the story of the pet rooster that Eliza Ann Jones White and children hid in the loft of the home when the Yankees came by then pulverized that the rooster would crow while the Yankees were in and around the house. (See the blog note from Emma Rae Hammond Eskridge for more information.)
5. Eliza Ann Jones White walked from the Westfield Community to where the Yankees were camped at Sneedsboro on the Pee Dee River, to pick up kernels of corn that the Yankees horses dropped while eating. She then walked 3 – 4 miles back home to cook the corn making corn meal and etc.
6. The Whites were great fish eaters and dearly loved to fish.
7. No doubt about the Indian blood. My mother had the olive complexion and several of my 1st cousins are real brown. Carl White, Jr., son of Carl White, Sr., son of Heyward White, son of Eliza Ann Jones White and Thrashley White, our cousin who lived in Fayetteville, North Carolina, made all White Reunions except the very first one before his death. He had a sister, Vivian, who was Miss North Carolina in the Miss America Pageant. Carl said she was very dark skin and when she walked across the stage in Atlantic City for the Miss America Finals he jumped up and called her by her pet name. Seems the whole family used her nickname.
8. My mother said she never remembers any one coming to visit Eliza Ann Jones White, “Mu” while she lived with them from the Thrashley White side of the family. Strange because Eliza Ann Jones White with all those children and no brother or sisters from the Thrashley side came to visit.
9. There is a Polly Sowell near Buffalo who is kin to us. Polly Sowell is a retired school teacher and my mother and I went to visit her and her mother several years ago. They came to the White Reunion about 30 years ago seeking information on Wiley Jones and Sara. They have no more knowledge on Wiley and Sara than we do. Polly Sowell is alive as of August 4, 2009, but not in too good of health. Wiley Jones and Sara would be her great grandparents and Eliza Ann Jones White, her great aunt.
10. On the farm of Ethel Lee Short, daughter of Ira B. Lee, son of Sara Jane White Lee, daughter of Eliza Ann Jones White and Thrashley White, there is a spring known even today as the Lemons Spring. Ethel told me several times where it is located but I never went to the location. The land today is owned by Ethel Lee Short’s daughter Jackie Short White who lives in Rockingham, North Carolina. Ethel and I think it is behind the house of Jane and Jim Lemons who Thrashley White was living with in 1850. Several people had mentioned in to me and probably Danny Lee could show us where it is. I am sure I know about where Eliza Ann Jones White and children lived.

Edwin M. “Brother” Davis

* I, Bud Hammond believe this event took place when General Sherman’s US Army moved through Chesterfield County in February 1865. Reconstruction was started after the Civil War ended.

A Good Friend Is Gone

The first post on this blog was about a story told to me by Edgar Rivers. Edgar died on September 8. He had been cared for by Hospice of about the past 10 days, and the family had been just waiting.

Edgar was born on September 15, 1912, and would have been 97 on his birthday. He was a great friend of the White family and a personal friend of many of us. He was a WWII veteran, a retired postal worker, an avid outdoorsman.

He had an encyclopedic knowledge of Chesterfield and the people in it. He will be sorely missed in our community.

You can go to the Miller Rivers Caulder Funeral Home website for a complete obituary and other information.

Eliza Ann Jones White & the Union Medical Doctor

Louroue Sutton Lee told the following story to Bud Hammond during a phone call on Friday, July 31, 2009.

General Sherman and his army came through Chesterfield County in March 1865 destroying everything as they passed. A Union officer while passing the Thrashley White farm noticed that Eliza Ann was pregnant and her delivery date was obviously close. The officer asked Thrashley if he would like a Union Army Medical doctor to call on Eliza, and offered the doctor’s services should Eliza go into labor. Thrashley took the offer to Eliza. Her response passed down through the years was, “I’d rather die than have a damn Yankee doctor work on me.”

Our records show that William Franklin White was born on April 27, 1865 and I might add without help from a Yankee doctor.
[The Lineage: Louroue Sutton Lee’s husband was Richard Rudolph Lee, the son of Perdie Ellison Lee, the son of John William Lee, the son of John Thomas Lee who married Sara Jane White.]
Submitted by: Leon F. (Bud) Hammond Jr.

Sherman and the Bantam Rooster

My Aunt Emma Rae Hammond Eskridge relayed the following story at the White Family Reunion July 26, 2009 at Pine Grove Church. Aunt Emma Rae heard this story directly from her Great Aunt Sara Jane White Lee, the daughter of Thrashley White and Eliza Ann Jones. Sara Jane White Lee’s birthday was June 7, 1854 and Aunt Emma Rae’s mother Lissie Arie White Hammond’s birthday was June 7, 1894. Sara Jane and Lissie Arie shared the same birth day, June 7th. Aunt Emma Rae remembered Momma Hammond (Lissie Arie White Hammond) having Aunt Sara and Uncle Thomas Lee over for dinner on June 7th for many years to celebrate their joint birthday. Aunt Sara Jane told many stories but the one Aunt Emma Rae remembered was one about the bantam rooster and Sherman’s troops. Prior to the Civil War, Chesterfield held one of the first secession rallies in the South, encouraging the state to secede from the Union. Sherman remembered this in March 1865 as he marched through the uplands of South Carolina and viewed the event as an act of treason justifying retribution. Sherman’s troops burned barns, destroyed crops and gardens, killed livestock, plundered, and ate anything they wanted included chickens. Sara Jane was 10 years old when Sherman came through and she had a prized pet bantam rooster. She was afraid the Union troops would catch and kill her pet rooster. Her dad, Thrashley White removed a board from the ceiling of their house and put the rooster into the attic to hide him from the troops. The troops entered the farm and they destroyed the early spring garden, destroyed all they could, but did not find the bantam rooster. Sara Jane was afraid the rooster would crow and give away his hiding place but he remained quiet. The rooster survived the close call and was retrieved from the attic healthy and whole. Aunt Emma Rae remembers seeing Uncle Thomas and Aunt Sara Lee drive up in their bright yellow car. Aunt Emma Rae said she remembered this story because she also had a pet bantam rooster at the time.
[The Lineage: Thrashley White & Eliza Ann Jones White – James Heywood, Sara Jane, John Ervin, Henry Wiley, Lucy hardy, William Franklin, Ellison Thrashley. Henry Wiley & Emma Hudson Eddins had 8 children one of whom was Lissie Arie White. Lissie married Absalom (Bub) Hammond and they had 5 children. One was Emma Rae Hammond who married Ernest Randolph Eskridge; Lissie and Bub had 3 sons. One was my dad Leon Fay Hammond]
Submitted by: Leon F. (Bud) Hammond Jr.
August 2, 2009