We lived with my grandparents for several years and I've written about my grandmother Ethel McDaniel Reese and how much I loved to watch her make biscuits. She also made wonderful angel biscuits. On Sunday morning she would make angel biscuits and place them in the warming oven to bake after church.
This is her recipe:
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I started searching for my Eley (Ely) and Dumas ancestors in the late 70’s, before the age of the internet or computers. My great aunt Esther Klutts sent me a dilapidated family bible that belonged to Moses Dumas .(It’s a miracle this bible has survived, it went through the 1928 Lake Okeechobee Hurricane in Moorehaven, Florida). She told me that the bible belonged to my 3rd great grandfather Moses Dumas. Thus began my 40 year search for family roots. Because of my interest in our family history, I received a treasured gift from my great uncle James Blakeley. He gave me a yellowed pillowcase that had been hidden between mattresses since 1924. (The pillowcase was found in the bedroom of his grandmother Martha Frances Dumas Ely in Woodbury, GA. When she passed away, Uncle Jim closed the door to her bedroom. Until the age of 90, Uncle Jim lived in Woodbury and ran a small general store. (Uncle Jim lived with my parents the last ten years of his life.) As I looked through the pillowcase, I found more than 130 letters my great great grandparents Marcus and Martha Dumas Ely had written to his beloved wife during the Civil War. Along with the letters from Marcus and Mattie, there were letters from their family members and the bible Marcus carried during the war. I would love to say I started transcribing the letters immediately, but I can’t. My husband constantly encouraged me to begin the project, but it wasn’t until 2010 that I finally started to read and transcribe the letters. At first, I only wanted to transcribe the letters and publish them. As I read the letters, I began to have questions about the men in the unit he wrote about, the places his unit found themselves in. I am a very curious person and I found myself pouring through reels of newspaper microfilm, looking at census records, writing countless letters, collecting wills and other documents, emailing countless people through my research efforts on ancestry.com, looking at records of the unit at fold3.com, typing in the name of every man in the unit at findagrave.com, searching through endless books and manuscripts at the Georgia Archives and the Bradley Memorial Library. I have visited the Beaulieu area in Savannah, GA, Hardeeville, S.C., Purrysburg, S.C. and all the battle sites in the Atlanta area, north Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and many of the men’s graves. I haven’t found all the answers to questions that I have about this family, their neighbors and the sad time they endured, but it has given me a greater insight into who I am and a deep appreciation for my ancestors and their struggles.
I am very lucky when it comes to tracing my Eley/Ely family because Lyndon B. Johnson is an Ely descendant, so there had been exhaustive research. The first Eley on my family line was Robert Eley, who came from England on the "Primrose." It sailed from Gravesend, England bound for Virginia on July 27, 1635. He settled in Isle of Wight and in 1629 patented 600 acres of land.
His son, Robert Eley, II married Jane (Braswell/Bracewell) Stokes, the widow Robrt Stokes. Jane was the daughter of Reverend Robert Bracewell. Reverend Bracewell born in London in 1611. He attended Oxford University and graduated in 1631. He arrived in Virginia before 1650. There is a record of him witnessing an agreement between Ambrose Bennet and Thomas Webb in 1651. He became the rector of St. Luke's in July of 1653. While serving as rector, he was chosen as Burgess from Isle of Wight. He was later asked to resign because of concerns for separation of church and state. Jane was born ca. 1648. Jane married Robert Stokes in 1667. Robert participated in Bacon's Rebellion and was hung by the royal governor in 1677 for his involvement. After Robert died, she married John Roberts. In her will, dated August 14, 1711, she left her son Robert Eley, III, (1679-1739) 100 acres being part of a patent of 1450 acres granted to Jane and John Roberts in 1680. Robert Eley, III married Jospehine Catherwood. Their son Eli Edward Ely (1710-1740) married Ann Lawrence (1714-1786) in 1738 in Isle of Wight, VA.
Thay had one son, Samuel Ely (1736-1771). Samuel married Mary Jordan Hilsman (1742-1784) in 1759. The couple moved from Virginia and settled in Franklin, North Carolina. They had five children: William, Jesse, Anne, Mary and Sarah. Samuel died in 1771 in Bute County, NC where his will was probated in April 1771.
Jesse Eley (1762-1820) was born in Granville, NC. He married Nancy Haynes Shackleford, the widow of James Shackleford and daughter of Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia, Captain Parmenas Haynes, on December 28, 1797 in Oglethorpe County, GA. Jesse and Nancy settled in Greene County, GA where they purchased land onalonh the Little River. They attended Bethesda Baptist Church which had been established in1785 as Whatley's Mill Baptist Church. The church was renamed in 1818.
On April 3, 1888 a small article appeared in the Columbus
Enquirer Sun reporting that Abram Blakeley, foreman of
the shops at Eagle and Phenix Mills, had been standing near a
small boiler used in the machine shop. The boiler exploded
and scalded his hands and face. This article caught my eye
because Abram Blakeley was my great grandfather and
employed by Eagle and Phenix Manufacturing Company.
Abram Blakeley was born in Chester, Pennsylvania on
January 22, 1844. His parents were Reuben and Suzanne
Selzer Blakeley. Reuben Blakeley was born in Yorkshire,
England in 1802 and arrived in New York City on the ship
John Wells in 1826. Reuben was a machinist and went to work
in a cotton mill in Chester, PA shortly after his arrival. His
younger brother Abraham went to work in a cotton factory in
Lancashire, England but decided to follow his brother to
America. Abraham arrived in Philadelphia in 1828 and
immediately went to work as a weaver for the firm Bullock
and Davis of Germantown, PA. By 1853, he was able to buy a
cotton mill in Chester, PA that already employed his brother
Reuben as a superintendent. Eventually several Blakeley
family members would work in the Blakeley and Sons
Manufacturing Company including Abram. In 1873 Abraham
Blakeley constructed a new mill. It was a three story building
outfitted with new and improved machinery. Eventually the
mill consisted of three main buildings with 276 looms, 35 sets
of cards and 8,500 spindles. Power was supplied by a Corliss
steam engine with three sets of boilers.*
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Thirty three bales of cotton were used to manufacture 80, 000 yards of material per week. The mill employed 200 people. After the Civil War Abram moved from Chester to Browneville, AL.
He married Elizabeth Birdsong Ely, a teacher in her
parent’s (Marcus Bethune and Martha Frances Dumas Ely) school, on October 13, 1878.
(Elizabeth’s father Marcus had served in
the Civil War with the Russell Guards (CSA) while Abram and his brother William
served in the Union Blues (37th Pennsylvania Regiment) from Chester,
PA. To my knowledge the Blakeley's are the only family line I have from north of
the Mason-Dixon Line).
Abram would have found his new place of employment to be
in sharp contrast to his uncle’s mill. The Eagle and Phenix
Mill, originally called the Eagle Manufacturing Company, was
constructed in 1851 by William H. Young. The mill produced
cloth for the war effort (1861-1865). The mill was reduced to
ashes by Federal troops in 1865. Young constructed a new mill
in 1866 and renamed it the Eagle and Phenix Manufacturing
Company (the name signifying its’ rebirth). In 1872 a second
mill was built and by 1877 it was deemed the largest mill in the
south. The mill had 44,000 spindles and 1,800 looms in operation
with 1,800 employees. Abram worked his way up in
the mill, first as a machinist, then foreman and finally
superintendent until his retirement.
Abram and Elizabeth, along with their children, moved to Woodbury, GA after he retired.
Abram died in Woodbury on January 4, 1912 and is buried in the Woodbury City Cemetery.
Abram and Elizabeth had seven children: Marcus, Bessie, Ruby, Mattielu, Willie, Esther and James. (Bessie and Willie died in infancy).
The Columbus Enquirer Sun, Columbus, GA , 03April1888, p.4
History of Delaware County, PA, Henry Graham, 1884,
pp. 399-400
Columbus on the Chattahoochee, Etta Blanchard
Worsley, 1952, 377-378
The Delaware County News, Chester, PA, 06Jan1912,
p.4
Wikipedia.com Corliss Steam Engine
Personal family photos
*The Corliss engine was a steam engine, fitted with rotary valves and variable valve timing patented in 1849, invented by and named after the American engineer George Henry Corliss of Providence, Rhode Island.
Horse Racing in Columbus was a favorite pastime for
residents as early as 1834. There were several race tracks in the area, one
just south of the city and one in the rural Upatoi area. In 1879 M. M. Bowden (my great great grandfather) attended a horse
race. He reported to the police that he
was leaning on the fence watching the race when a man bumped into him. A short
time later he reached into his pant’s pocket and found a roll of money gone. He
told the authorities that he wasn’t betting on the races, but had $100 in one
pocket and $50 in the other. Of course the $100 was stolen! The police
immediately went in search of the thief, but he was long gone!
(Author’s note: I might not be suspicious of M.M. Bowden if
I didn’t know so much about the Bowden family. I’m wondering why M.M. would
attend a horse race with $150* in his
pocket, if he wasn’t going to bet? )
*$150.00 in 1879 would be worth about $3,600.00 today.
Columbus enquirer-sun. (Columbus, Ga.)
1886-1893, November 27, 1889, p.1
Causey, Virginia, Red Clay White Water and Blues, University of Georgia Press, 2019.
On the morning of November 3, 1916, splashed across the front page of the Columbus Enquirer was the headline: “Muscogee County Stirred by Double Tragedy Last Night - W.O. Bowden and His Girl Wife Dead.”
William Oscar Bowden, son of Morris Malachi
Bowden and Frances Sommers Simmons was born on December 28, 1867 in Meriwether
County. The Bowden family moved into the Midland area of Muscogee County in
1883. M. M. Bowden, a prosperous farmer also ran a lumber mill, cotton gin and
stores in the area. He was active in politics, serving as the Steam Mill
district chairman of the Muscogee Democratic Party. He also served as a member
of the county school board. William was the oldest of eight children. He
married Mary Ann Waller, the daughter of Robert Eli and Hannah Ingram Waller on
October 5, 1887. The couple had a son, Oscar William, born on August 14, 1888.
Tragedy struck the Bowden family early on the morning of August 14, 1889.
Oscar, only 11 months old, died of cholera at the home of his grandparents. He
was buried in the Whitley Cemetery on Warm Springs Road. Maggie Inez, was born on October 14, 1889,Mary was born in
August ,1892 , Willie Ruth in 1894 and Hannah in 1896.
In April 1898, Morris and William were involved in a dispute over cattle with Bill Heard, a neighboring farmer. The Columbus Daily Enquirer reported that police in Columbus were warned of trouble between the Heard’s and Bowden’s. It seems that Bill Heard had accused the Bowden’s of stealing cattle. Later the same afternoon Heard was seen in Columbus riding a horse and carrying a double barreled shotgun on his shoulder. Someone told the sheriff that Heard was in search of the Bowden’s (Morris Malachi and William O. Bowden). The chief of police met Mr. Heard in front of the Central Hotel. He confiscated his shotgun and escorted him to his office. Though Mr. Heard protested that he wasn’t looking for anyone, he gave the sheriff his gun and told him he was returning home. A short time after that, the sheriff was informed that W. O. Bowden was in town also armed with a shotgun. When confronted, Bowden said he wasn’t looking for anybody. The next week William Bowden wrote an open letter to W. H. Heard and it was published in the Columbus Daily Enquirer. In the letter Bowden states that he was not looking for Mr. Heard to kill him, he was merely trying to protect his father. He stated that he was carrying a shotgun, but only for protection. The incident must have been resolved as there were no more articles in the paper.
On August 28, 1900 William Bowden made the news again
with the reporting of his death. The headlines stated “Mr. Will Bowden Drowns
at Tybee.” His brother, Newell, received a telegram stating Bowden had drowned
near Savannah the night before. The paper stated that Bowden was a prominent
planter and one of the best -known men in Muscogee County. He had recently been
a candidate for the state legislature, but had dropped out due to his wife’s
illness. Newell left immediately for Savannah to participate in the recovery of
the body. In a report in the Savannah paper, Bowden’s brother-in-law, Robert E.
Waller, had accompanied him to Savannah. Robert Waller told police that he and
Will arrived in Savannah on Sunday morning taking the Central’s excursion train
from Columbus. They checked into their motel and spent the day taking in the
sights around Savannah. Waller stated that Bowden was not accustomed to “surf
bathing,” but wanted to try it. Waller tried to persuade him from doing so and
thought he succeeded but Bowden once again stated his desire to try. About 7:30
Bowden went down to the bath house to rent a suit but was told the bath house
was closing and he would only have a half an hour before having to return the
suit, so he decided not to take it. According to Waller, Bowden went down to
the beach, stripped off his clothes except his underwear and headed into the
water alone. He disappeared into the surf and though Waller called out he never
returned. Waller left the beach, went back to the Hotel Tybee and reported his
disappearance. A search party searched all night with no luck. After several
days of searching, Bowden’s body had not been found. Bowden was heavily insured
(about $25,000) and the insurance companies stated that if his body were not
found, there would be a delay in the payments. It was found that he had taken
out a policy just days before the trip, which raised suspicion. On October
25th, an article appeared in the Columbus Daily Enquirer discussing Bowden’s
insurance policies. He was actually insured for $30,500 with five different
insurance companies. Since claims had been made, representatives from the
various companies visited Columbus and Savannah looking into the matter. (The
policies would be worth over a million dollars in 2021).
On October 30, 1900, Morris Malachi Bowden died at his
home in Flat Rock at the age of 54. He had experienced liver problems for more
than two months before his death. In a matter of months the Bowden family had
lost a father and son leaving the family in deep grief.
Will Bowden made the headlines again in November. The
headline in the Columbus Daily Enquirer on November 23, 1900 read, “Mr. Bowden
Alive, He Returns Home.” Apparently he arrived from Atlanta on the evening
train and was seen by several people as he disembarked. It was remarked that he
had grown a beard but seemed well. He stated that he left Columbus due to some
family unpleasantness and went to Savannah. From Savannah, he traveled to
Richmond, VA. He was quite despondent and became ill while in Richmond. His
illness lasted several weeks and when he recovered, he traveled back to
Georgia. He said reports of his drowning only reached him when he arrived in
Atlanta the day before. He was also told about the death of his father. When
told about the insurance policies, Bowden stated that if any had been paid out
the money would be returned. He then left on the train to Flat Rock.
After speaking with the insurance companies, it became known that Bowden’s home in Flat Rock had been under surveillance for a while. The insurance companies had been skeptical of an actual drowning after they uncovered some conflicts in Robert Waller’s story. Detectives found that Waller and Bowden had made a stop in Macon to pay on one of Bowden’s policies and he took out another while there. They were also able to confirm that Bowden had purchased a suit of clothes in Macon. The night of his drowning, he asked a bellboy to bring him some hot water. The detectives surmised that he shaved off his mustache and put on the new suit of clothes and left the hotel with Waller. Waller then went down to the beach and sat there with Bowden’s old clothes. After a long while, Waller came back to the hotel and asked if anyone had seen Will Bowden. The clerk told him he didn’t have time to go look for Mr. Bowden. Waller then stated that he thought Mr. Bowden had drowned. The clerk and several employees went out to the beach but couldn’t find any trace of Bowden. Mr. Waller stated that Will Bowden was a poor man and only had $6.00 which Waller was holding. Instead of “drowning,” detectives reported that Bowden went to a back railroad car and paid a cash fare instead of using the ticket he had bought in Columbus. He arrived in Richmond and had been there ever since. A representative of the Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association stated that they had known of Mr. Bowden’s whereabouts for several months and would have acted if the company had been sued over not wanting to pay out the $10,000 policy. They supposed that the smaller policies was the reason they had not been as vigilant in their search for Bowden. The company also stated that they did not intend to make any charges against Waller and Bowden for the attempted fraud. An interesting side note to this story; the Savannah police had decided to charge Robert Waller with murder and take the charge to the Chatham grand jury. The papers reported this might be the reason Bowden came home. On November 27th, Robert Waller made a statement to the Columbus Daily Enquirer stating he accompanied Mr. Bowden to Savannah and they did stop in Macon. He did not know that Bowden purchased a suit of clothes and paid on an insurance policy. He recounted the bathing incident, but stated that he had no part in the drowning incident, he only reported that he thought Bowden had drowned.
In November 1901, approximately 3,100 acres were sold to settle the estate of Morris M. Bowden. Will Bowden, Archie T. Reese and Britt David bought the land for 10.00 an acre. (Today $31,500.00 would be worth approximately $982, 600.00)
In July of 1903, the Columbus Ledger stated that Hannah
Bowden, the eight-year-old daughter of William and Mary Ann Bowden, was thrown
from a horse while riding with her sister. She fell on her face, cutting herlip
and knocking out her front teeth. Something appeared to have frightened the
horse and it lurched forward throwing Hannah to the ground. She struck her
face, knocking out her front teeth and cutting her lip. She was attended by Dr.
John Young, a Columbus dentist. Dr. Young reported to the Ledger that she had
lost her permanent teeth and was in shock, but he felt she would recover.
On December 20, 1903 The Columbus Ledger stated that
Miss Inez Bowden, the daughter of William and Mary Ann Bowden, had died at her
home. She had been ill with typhoid pneumonia for four weeks. She was buried in
the Ingram family cemetery.
In 1904, the Bowden’s made the news again. Will Bowden
invited a number of Columbus residents for a tour of his cotton field and
dinner. Bowden was so proud of his cotton that he brought a stalk into the
newspaper office to be admired. He reported to his guests that he expected to harvest 150 bales of cotton from 150 acres!
(In 1900, cotton was selling for $50.00 a bale, netting about $7,500, in
today’s economy that same 50 bales would be worth about $234,000.00).
The early 20th century found America in a financial crisis.
By 1907 the country was heading into a deep depression and banks were failing
at an alarming rate In October of 1907 the Stock Market crashed losing 50% of
its value. People panicked and there was a run on the banks. In order to
stabilize the economy J.P. Morgan met with major banking institutions to form a
plan for the stronger banks to help smaller institutions survive and calm the
American people. Some banks, known as clearing houses, printed certificates stating
that customers had a certain amount of money in that bank, helping banks to
stay in business and reassure customers.
In February 1908 William Bowden, John J. Weaver (Talbot
County farmer) and Charles E. Davis (attorney in Rome, GA) were charged with
certificate forgery by the officers of the Columbus Clearing House Association.
The grand jury indicted all three men. John J. Weaver was jailed until trial,
Bowden and Davis remained out on bond. The case was finally resolved in
November 1908. Bowden was acquitted of the charges.
On October 5, 1915 Will Bowden was placed under a $4,000 bond by the Muscogee County court. He was charged with attacking his daughter with an axe and threatened to poison his wife and family. It was stated that Bowden, while under the influence of alcohol had run his daughter away from home with an axe forcing her to run into the woods and remain there all night. It was also stated that his wife had been locked in a room for some time to protect her from Bowden’s threats to poison her. Hannah Bowden, appearing before Judge McCrory stated that Bowden had gone to the school where she taught, broke up her classroom and caused her to lose her position. On October 7, 1915 Bowden was released on the agreement that he refrain from going near his wife or daughter in the future. He remained under a $500 peace bond.
On
May 29, 1916 Bowden was placed under a $500 bond charged with violation of the
state prohibition laws. Bowden was arrested based on statements made by Charles
P. Miller. Mr. Miller, after his arrest, told officers that the confiscated
still belonged to Bowden. On June 9th Judge John H. Lewis dismissed the case
against Bowden stating insufficient evidence.
In August 1916, Mary Ann Bowden secured a divorce from
Will Bowden. Just a few days later on August 7th, Bowden, now a portly forty
nine, married sixteen year old Willene Hill, the daughter of Mattie Hill Cox
and step- daughter of J.L. Cox. The couple moved into the home of Phillip
DeBrabant, renting rooms from him. On October 30th Willene arrived at a
neighborhood party without Bowden. After she returned home, Bowden was drinking
and the couple got into an argument. On Thursday morning, she packed her trunk
and asked DeBrabant to take her to her mother and stepfather’s home. Later that day, Will Bowden passed
through the DeBrabant home carrying a gun and several cartridges. He told
DeBrabant that all he had was his along with his gun as soon as he was finished
with it. He said he might not be home until the next day. Around five o’clock,
Willene, her stepfather and brother were sitting in the living room. Mrs. Cox
had gone outside to complete evening chores. Bowden slipped in through the back
door, walked into the living room, looked at Willene and said “Well, well,
little girl.” Willene started to rise from her chair as Bowden raised his gun
and shot her. The force hurled her backwards leaving her with a large gaping
wound in her side. Immediately after Bowden shot, Cox pulled out a pistol and
fired at Bowden four times. When the trigger stuck, Cox pulled out his knife and
started toward Bowden. Charley Hill, Willene’s brother, had a shotgun and fired
once. Bowden fired at Charley but missed him. The struggle continued out onto
the front porch and Charley struck Bowden in the head with the butt of his
shotgun shattering it into several pieces. Bowden then fell into vines off the
front porch. He tried to speak, but never uttered another word. Shortly after the incident Dr. Edward Young
of Midland was called and he found Mrs. Bowden dead and Bowden close to death. About five minutes after Bowden died, police
and the undertaker arrived at the Cox home. They placed Mrs. Bowden on a bed
and went in search of W.O. Bowden, well known to the officers. They found him
in a mass of ornamental vines in front of the house. Bowden’s body was taken to Columbus by the
undertaker’s office. Upon examination it was found that the body had a number
of wounds. There was a deep knife cut across the forehead, three stabs under
the right arm, three pistol wounds (one to the right shoulder, one to the right
side and one in the stomach) and a severe wound across the right side of the
face caused by blows from a shotgun. The wound in the stomach appeared to be
the cause of death. Mrs. Bowden’s body was delivered to Herring and Knight’s
funeral home to be prepared for burial. W.O. Bowden’s body was delivered to
Kelly and Van Houten’s Funeral home. Willene Bowden was buried at the Concord
Baptist in Shotwell, Alabama. William Bowden was buried in the Pierce Chapel
Methodist Church Cemetery in Harris County, GA. On November 4th the Columbus
Daily Enquirer carried the story that no inquest would be made into the deaths
of the Bowden couple
and no charges would be made against J. L.
Cox and Charley Hill.
References
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), October 8, 1887, p.8
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA),, April 28, 1898, p.5
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), May 3, 1898, p.8
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), August 28, 1900, p.3
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA),August 29, 1900, p.5
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), September 1, 1900, p.8
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), September 5, 1900, p. 5
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), October 20, 1900, p. 2
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), October 30, 1900, p.4
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), November 23, 1900, p.1
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), November 24, 1900, p.3
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), November 27, 1900, p.3
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), November 6, 1901, p. 3
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), July 16, 1903
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), December 20, 1903, p.21
Columbus
Ledger (Columbus, GA), August 21, 1904, p.9
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), February 13, 1908, p.8
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), November 24, 1908, p.3
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), March 31, 1908, p.5
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), January 17, 1911, p.3
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), April 2, 1911, p.4
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), April 13, 1911, p.3
Columbus
Ledger (Columbus, GA), October 5, 1915, p.9
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), October 6, 1915, p.5
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), October 7, 1915, p.6
Columbus
Ledger (Columbus, GA), May 29, 1916, p.7
Columbus
Ledger (Columbus, GA), June 9, 1916, p.5
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), November 3, 1916, p. 1
Columbus
Ledger (Columbus, GA), November 3, 1916
Columbus
Daily Enquirer (Columbus, GA), November4, 1916, p. 1
Grimsley, Reagan L.
"Muscogee County." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 31 October 2018. Web. 15
June 2021.
www.depressionscrip.com/panic/panic.html
The Enslaved People of Kimbrough, Rees and Ely Families When I began researching my family histo...
