Margaret Ann Houk (update 1.26.20)

The one branch of my family tree that I am completely stuck on is the Austin line. Stories passed down through the years indicate that there is an indirect link to Steven Fuller Austin (an indirect link because he had no children), known as "The Father of Texas." I was also told by my grandfather that there is a connection to the Alamo. It's great to have stories, but without proof I'm skeptical.

The problem: my link to Texas is my great great-great grandfather, Robert E Austin and I know nothing about him. I have no idea who his parents were or when/where he was born or died. I am traveling around in circles in my research desperately trying to stumble on a link or connection. This post is documentation of what I do know and hopefully one day I will be able to update it with heroic tales from the Alamo :)

Margaret "Maggie" Ann Houk, daughter of James Jackson Houk and Sarah Elizabeth Taylor, was born 1868 in Limrock, Jackson, Alabama. She married John Lewis Jones on 9 Aug 1883 in Jackson County, Alabama and with him had two children, Ethel (b: abt 1886) and Alexander (b: 1887).

On 20 Jan 1892 Maggie married Robert E Austin in Jackson County, Alabama. With him she had two children, Erna Virginia (b: 1893, my great grandmother) and Nellie (b: abt 1897).

Although I have been unable to confirm the date, my research shows Maggie died on 20 Jun 1901. The story that I heard recently was that Erna was adopted by her Aunt Betty. I determined that Elizabeth Erna Houk Sturdivant, Maggie's younger sister was Aunt Betty and on the 1910 US Census records, Alex and Nellie both lived with the Sturdivant family. This gives me confidence that the 20 Jun 1901 death date for Maggie is reasonable and leads me to believe that all of Maggie's children may have been adopted by Aunt Betty.

These newspaper articles also make sense of the 20 Jun 1901 death date for Maggie.  On 21 Mar 1901 it was mentioned that she was very feeble and on 18 Apr 1901 she and her family return with her sister Bertha to Woodville.  There were a few other mentions of siblings visiting Mrs. Austin during this time period.

But what about John L Jones and Robert E Austin? Why didn't they have the kids after Maggie's death? I guess a possibility is that neither remarried and therefore would have been difficult to raise the children on their own. Another thought is that they both could have died at a young age. I cannot prove this for either of them.

The 1900 US Census is a mystery for everyone in this story. Either they were MIA or the census taker butchered their name beyond recognition.

The Children:

Sarah Ethel Jones was born around 1886 in Tennessee. She married William Henry Stapler on 9 Dec 1900 at the age of 14.  This was only six months prior to her mother's death and perhaps her mother's illness had something to do with the young marriage?  On her marriage record she was listed as Ethel Austin. (is it possible that Robert E Austin adopted Ethel at some point?  Younger brother, Alex continued to use the name Jones throughout his life.)  William and Ethel had four children, only three of them living by 1910: Robert Roy, Artie and William Edward. In 1935 Ethel lived with her son Edward, a truck driver, in Hendry County and Glades County, Florida. In 1945 she lived with her son R Roy his family on 2654 Gilmore in Duval County, Florida.

Ethel Jones (left) and Erna Austin (right)

Alex Jones was born 28 Apr 1887 in Trenton, Jackson County, Alabama. In 1910 he lived with his Aunt Betty in Mooresville, Limestone County, Alabama and worked as a railroad laborer with his Uncle John Anderson Houk. In 1917 on his World War I Registration card he was listed as living in Walker County, Alabama, worked a coal miner and had black hair and brown eyes. Around 1917 he married Gertrude Shannon of South Carolina and between 1918 - 1928 had five children: Bernice, Virginia, Malcolm, Elwin and Doris.

In 1920 he lived in Coal Valley, Walker County, Alabama and worked as a coal miner with this Uncle John Anderson Houk. In 1930 he lived in Yellow Shanks, Walker County, Alabama and was a weighman at a coal mine.

Alex was wheelchair bound later in his life and died 17 Jan 1961 in Dora, Walker County, Alabama.

Erna Virginia Austin was born 19 Jan 1893 in Huntsville, Alabama. I am not certain when she moved to Mississippi, but Erna served as a nurse maid to a dying Alice Virginia "Virgie" Coker, the first wife of William "Willie" Leighton Hall. On 18 Oct 1910 Virgie died, leaving Willie with a two year old son, James Thomas, to care for. Erna and Willie were married in Mississippi on 19 Jun 1913 and together had five additional children: Erna Miriam, William Andrews, Charles Alexander, Alan Lincoln and Robert Edward. Willie died in 1931, leaving Erna to raise their children in Orlando, Florida. Her step son, James Thomas filled in as a father figure that the younger boys looked up to. Later she remarried O C Thomas in Mississippi. She buried two husbands and two sons before she died on 28 Dec 1977 in Orlando, Orange County, Florida. She is buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Gotha, Orange County, Florida.

Nellie Austin was born around 1897. In 1910 she lived with her Aunt Betty in Mooresville, Limestone County, Alabama. I know nothing else about her.

Opening the Memory Bank

I recall a day in the beginning of 2007 when I just sat and watched my grandpa, Bill Hall while he napped in his recliner at the Lazy J cabin in Monticello, Florida. The deep purple bags under his eyes were the ones that were reflected to me that very morning in my own mirror. “Thanks a lot, Grandpa” silently swept through my mind as my face brightened into a smile. While examining the deep creases and sags on his face it occurred to me that, rather than a punishment of aging, those wrinkles and age spots on his skin were blessings of a long lived life. He was nearly 90 years old and I suddenly felt like I barely knew him. How many brothers and sisters did he have? What were his parents like? How did he meet Grandma? Why did he get into the nursery business?

That day was when my journey to learn about my family history began. I was frightened by the realization that my time was running short and I desperately wanted to learn how Grandpa earned his wrinkles of life. Nearly nine decades of stories and memories were stored in his mind that needed to be documented. Over the next four years, Grandpa and I worked together to unpack and dust off those treasures in an effort to organize and share them with future generations.

Our family history discussions usually took place in the cabin where Grandpa kicked back in his recliner. His lap was always covered in a garnet, plaid blanket and his gray, velcro sneakers peaked out of the end. At all times the table to his right held a large cup of sweet tea and some sort of treat, usually an apple pie from McDonald’s. My job was to ask the probing questions that required him to dig deep into his memory bank and share stories that were different from the ones we had all heard growing up.

Almost immediately I recognized a slight variation in some of his stories and learned quickly that relying solely on memories that had been packed away for 90 plus years was not going to be sufficient. Confirming the facts became a crucial part of our journey. Cemeteries were a great place to verify locations, dates and relationships, so short road trips across the southeastern states became an added dimension to our research project.

The day that I feared finally arrived on Friday, April 8, 2011 when Grandpa went to his heavenly home. Walking away from him at the hospital was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I will always wish I had more time to spend with him, but am so grateful for our many talks and road trips over the past four years.

The Stars Look Down

On July 4, 1944 the 354th Fighter Group made history by taking the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force up for a look at the Saint Lo' area. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was interested in seeing what the Saint Lo' area looked like from the air, and to help plan battle strategy for the upcoming battle. William Andrews Hall's Mobile Unit from the 461st Air Service Squadron adapted a P-51B Mustang for this historic flight and he personally painted "The Stars Look Down" on the side of the plane.

http://www.354thpmfg.com/461st_airservicesquadron.html

Meridian, MS

Any chance I get, I sit down with Grandpa and jot down notes about his family memories. The most recent visits involved discussions about his Hall relatives in Meridian, MS. He recalled his Uncle Joe, specificially and repeatedly mentioned that we needed to visit Meridian. His wish is our command, so I began my research. I spent months gathering all the details I could find about the three Hall brothers who lived in Meridian, Joel Emanuel, William Leighton (my Great-Grandpa) and James Edward Beaumont Hall, so we could make the most of our trip.

When we arrived, we visited the Lauderdale County Archives to gather all the documentation about our relatives we could find. Next, thanks to a tip from a fellow researcher, we visited the ___ Funeral Home. They had books from ___ to present that were available to the public ... I walked right in and was able to print the pages relating to my family (Joel & Octavia).

We then headed to the Coker's Chapel Cemetery where Grandpa's Uncle Joe and Aunt Octavia were buried along with his half brother who died in infancy, William Leighton Hall, Jr.

Hall Family Reunion 2009

On September 26, 2o09 (yes, the date is correct ... I'm really behind on my posts), Mom, Grandpa and I met Aunt Mim at the Pine United Chapel Methodist Church to attend the 2009 Hall family reunion. Grandpa is the oldest living Hall in the family and everyone flocked around him for conversation, hugs and pictures. He, of course, handled it like the superstar that he is.

After the reunion Mom, Grandpa and I began our hunt for cemeteries. We were armed with a list and maps to five different cemeteries and only anticipated that we would hit a couple. Well, we got rolling and hit all five!!

Citra Cemetery

Dora Ann Hall Carlton was eldest child and only daughter of James Edward Beaumont Hall and Elizabeth Jane Martin. Dora married George L Carlton in 1888, and according to a letter published in The Halls of Marion County by her brother Henry, "it was a great disappointment and grief to each of them that they had no children."

Simmons Baptist Church Cemetery

May L Hall Hobkirk was the eighth born child of Joel Thomas Hall and Andaline Susan Thomas Allen. She married James Davis Hobkirk in 1879 and had seven children.

Antioch Cemetery

Permilla H L Allen was the fourth child of John Earl Allen and Lucy Thomas Bobbett Anderson. She married Alpher D Marcus Watson in 1845 in Pike county, Alabama.

MacFall / Matthews Cemetery

Joel Thomas Hall was the fifth born child of Joel Thomas Hall and Andaline Susan Thomas Allen. He married Elizabeth Brit in 1890 and had eight children.

Millwood Cemetery

Henry Thomas Hall was the third child of James Edward Beaumont Hall and Elizabeth Jane Martin. He married Septa Pauline Denman in 1894 and had five children.

Newton-Hall Wedding

The year was 1937 and at age 19, Bill met 18 year-old Frances at her boarding house in Atlanta, Georgia. Bill remembers, "she lived at Ponce de Leon ... 9 4 7." At the time, Frances worked as a stenographer at Westinghouse Manufacturing Company and Bill worked as a salesman at Sears Roebuck. They first met after Bill had finished playing a tennis match with his friend. Dripping with sweat he asked Frances on a date for that night and she hesitated to commit. When he presented himself after a quick trip to his apartment, just two blocks away, to shower and shave, she quickly told him "I'll get my coat!" She called it "love at second sight." That night Bill took Frances to the Motorcycle races in Columbus, Georgia. On their second date Bill asked Frances to marry him while they were sitting on a stone fence near the boarding house. She said, "YES!" The two courted for a couple of years before actually marrying. The official announcement was made in the Society section of The Fitzgerald Herald on April 11, 1939.

A luncheon shower was given in honor of Frances on the Thursday before her wedding.

A rehearsal party was held for the couple on Saturday, April 29, 1939.

Prior to the 2:30pm wedding on Sunday, the out of town guests and family enjoyed a luncheon at the Seagraves home (Margaret Julia Burney Newton's best friend).

The wedding ceremony was held at the Methodist Church in Fitzgerald, Georgia. Frances wore a beige dress while Bill strutted (no doubt) in a dark green suit to compliment, per her request. Bill recalls he had difficulty locating a dark green suit, but found on in Purcell's in Orlando.

The newlyweds left straight from the church to move to Orlando, stopping Palatka to pick up Bill's good buddy, Swilley. An overnight stay at the Satsuma Hotel was the extent of their honeymoon as Bill was required to work the following day at Butler's Shoe Store on 3 North Orange Avenue. (It amazes me that my grandfather can remember every address known to man, but what seem like some of the most obvious memories get all jumbled up).

Frances Newton, The Early Years

My grandmother, Frances Newton Hall, has been on my mind a lot lately. I wish she was here to help me with my research ... I would have really enjoyed working on this project with her. With that said, I thought I would do a post about her. There will definitely be future posts with her as the subject, so I'll focus this one on her early childhood.

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Named after her mother's oldest sister, Frances Newton was born on 20 Nov 1919 at the family home in Minneola, Lowndes, GA to Charles Edwin and Margaret Julia Burney Newton. She was an only child, so naturally she was the subject of numerous photo shoots.

I am so fortunate that she left me A Gift of Memories from Grandma, where she answered questions about growing up. The booklet is completed in her handwriting and gives so many details about her life.

As a child she was awarded 10 cents per tooth from the tooth fairy and earned 50 cents per week for her allowence, starting at age 10. She liked to spend her money on toys and movies. She "could go to the movies two times for a quarter and have 5 cents left over for popcorn."

She described the house she grew up in as grey with two stories, a pretty lawn, shrubs, five pecan trees and a barn out back. There was a paved sidewalk in the front where she skated with her friends and a porch that wrapped around three sides of the house where she and her mother "took trips all over the world in our porch swing." They had electric lights and a wood stove to cook on. Fireplaces and wood heaters were used to heat up the house in the winter time and to keep it cool in the summer time, they simply opened the windows.

As with any child, the holidays were extra special to her. She recalled that on Thanksgiving, her Uncle Will (William Wirt Burney) always sent their family a live turkey and they enjoyed a big dinner, including her moms specialty items, mashed potatoes and dressing. During Christmas, Santa filled her stocking with apples, oranges, raisens, a candy cane and one or two small gifts. The family celebrated the Fourth of July with a picnic at the Blue and Gray Park in Fitzgerald and she always had a new dress to wear for the event.

Frances attended Third Ward Grade School, Fitzgerald High School and Southern Business University in Atlanta. She enjoyed History, Geography and English and hated Math and Science. She played Basketball and Tennis, was on the Debate Team and was in the Dramatic Club and the Glee Club.