COLBERTIANS

By R. L. James

SECTION III OBITUARIES AND CEMETERY RECORDS

To the Readers of the Alabama Historical Quarterly: (The Alabama Historical Quarterly, Vol. 07, No. 03, Fall Issue 1945)

I am releasing another section. No. 3, of my article “Colbertians.” I hope it will be possible for me to add one more section but I am sure there will still be many interesting people whom I cannot include. In addition to those to .whom I expressed thanks in the preface (See No. 2 Vol. 7) I wish to acknowledge my appreciation to Mr. James Carloss of Elkmont; Mrs. J. F. Craig, Jasper; Mrs. William Malone and Mrs. W. D. Brotherton, Cherokee; Mrs. Emma Scruggs and Miss Mattie Guy, Tuscumbia; and there are probably others who deserve to be mentioned in this connection whom I cannot at this moment recall. Mr. Woodruff Delony gave me quite a bit of information. I was at his house on August 6, 1946, which incidentally, was his eighty-sixth birthday, and had a long conversation with him. Since then this venerable citizen of Leighton, has passed away. He was a son of Dr. Edward B, Delony. I hope to write more about the Delony family in some future issue of the Quarterly. Sept 4, 1946 R. L. JAMES

S. O. EGGLESTON

BIOGRAPHY and GENEALOGY

(ca. 1793 – d. August 7, 1874)

Virginia, Colbert County, Alabama

S. O. Eggleston,”An old and respected citizen died at the residence of his son, W. F. Eggleston, at Bibb’s lane, Limestone Co., on last Friday, August 7th inst., was buried at his old homestead near Leighton, Lawrence Co. on last Saturday. He was born in Va. and resided at Tuscumbia for several years. He was nearly 80 years old. For many years was a member of the Christian church, and it can be truly said he was a charitable and honest man. We have known him thirty years, and often enjoyed the hospitalities of himself and excellent wife, for there was no place in this country where the elegant and kind hospitalities of a pleasant home were more liberally dispensed. We cherish his memory.”

Mr. Eggleston’s obituary is from the editorial page of The North Alabamian for Aug. 13, 1874. L. B. Thornton was the editor at the time. Mr. Eggleston would probably be now classed as a member of the Church of Christ. The term “Christian Church” now applies to that denomination that claims to accept the theological views of Alexander Campbell but who use instrumental music in their worship and have the missionary society. Of course, I can not say with certainty what Mr. Eggleston’s belief was on these points of doctrine.

His wife died in 1871 and the son, W. F. Eggleston, in the latter years of his life was an outstanding teacher of North Birmingham, Alabama. After he retired from teaching he ran a cigar stand in the Courthouse at Birmingham. W. F. Eggleston first married a Miss Bibb, a granddaughter of Gov. Thomas Bibb. His second wife was a Miss Godley of Tuscumbia. W. F. Eggleston died in December 1913.

In the North Alabamian for Dec. 2, 1881, is an obituary, by “A Friend,” of John L. Eggleston who died at the residence of Wm. F. Eggleston in Limestone county. According to this obituary John L. Eggleston was born in Hanover County, Va. March 8, 1806 and died Nov. 18,1881. He lived many years in Tuscumbia and vicinity and “was known throughout the valley.” The writer of his obituary had known him 40 years. He was also a member of “The Christian Church” and was a very pious gentleman. I suppose that was a brother of S. 0. Eggleston.

The wife of the distinguished John L. Townes was Polly Eggleston, a native of Virginia, and was probably nearly related to Samuel O. and John L. Eggleston.

WHERE DO I START? Hints and Tips for Beginning Genealogists with On-line resources

READER REVIEW Donna shares how she “got bitten” by the genealogy bug. She imparts her amazement at how much can be learned about the history of this country as well as one’s own family by researching one’s family tree. And what’s more amazing is that she was able to go back with her family to the 1600s in England, over 400 years. The author has a website where she is asked many “how to” questions by the participants. She advises one to use a computer for their research and seems to describe the use of genealogy software as an easy task and quite intuitive. She identifies many excellent genealogy websites for the new user, some of which I hadn’t known about despite my history of 20 years of searching for my family tree, much of it on the internet. The author provides sample interview questions for eliciting past stories from family elders. She gives quite a few tips on how to organize your materials to make the best use of your time. She includes everything a “newby” to the genealogy research field will need to get started and more. And for those with more experience, she includes tips on how to break down the “brick walls” that researchers inevitably encounter and she advises readers to challenge the assumptions in family lore and stories when the brick wall is hit. She also identifies many of the pitfalls inherent in requested records. And if you’ve ever gone to a courthouse to search without preparing yourself for the kinds of questions you’ll need to ask, you will appreciate the author’s advice about getting ready first. You’ll save yourself time in the long run.

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About Donna R Causey

Donna R. Causey, resident of Alabama, was a teacher in the public school system for twenty years. When she retired, Donna found time to focus on her lifetime passion for historical writing. She developed the websites www.alabamapioneers and www.daysgoneby.me All her books can be purchased at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. She has authored numerous genealogy books. RIBBON OF LOVE: A Novel Of Colonial America (TAPESTRY OF LOVE) is her first novel in the Tapestry of Love about her family where she uses actual characters, facts, dates and places to create a story about life as it might have happened in colonial Virginia. Faith and Courage: Tapestry of Love (Volume 2) is the second book and the third FreeHearts: A Novel of Colonial America (Book 3 in the Tapestry of Love Series) Discordance: The Cottinghams (Volume 1) is the continuation of the story. . For a complete list of books, visit Donna R Causey