Old Photos

Jim's brother, Steve, is scanning old family photos that their mother put in an album she made for him many years ago, probably in the late 1970's. He sent several to me via email, and I got so excited I could hardly stand it. Steve has more photos to scan. I can hardly wait to see all of them. I will share a few now.

The first photo is Jim's great grandfather and great grandmother's family. I knew it had to be them because I had seen a picture of him before. The photo was probably taken about 1906 or 1907. Margaret Gaines (younger girl) was born about 1905 and the youngest child, Richard Gaines, Jr., wasn't born yet. He was born about 1908. I wrote about Richard and Willie Vandivere Gaines in January, 2012, in "Happy Dance 1" and "Happy Dance 2." Guy Gaines (the young boy in the photo) was Jim's grandfather.

The Richard M. Gaines Family, L to R Mattie, Richard, Guy, Margaret, Willie

The second photo is of Guy Gaines and Daisy Victoria Parker Gaines. I think this was taken at their home in Wilmington, North Carolina. They are Jim's grandparents.

Daisy and Guy Gaines

 I don't know the year the third photo was taken, but it looks like it was taken at Christmas time. Jim and his brothers called Daisy Victoria Parker Gaines "Granny." The house in the previous post, "The Parker Home in Taylorsville, Georgia," was where Granny grew up. She was probably 8 or 9 years old when her family moved there.

Daisy Victoria Parker Gaines

Happy Dance 2

Jim's uncle, Jim Gaines, read the previous post, Happy Dance 1, and contacted me via facebook. He wrote:

Saw the post about the marriage. Richard Gaines Jim's great grandfather was known in the family as Daddy Gaines, she known as Mamma Lucy. He became a County Judge in Bartow County, Georgia. The lived in Cartersvile in a beautiful home near town. I visited them often as a young man, they were wonderful people.

I mentioned in Happy Dance 1 about finding the marriage license for Richard M. Gaines and Willie Vandivere Gaines. They had four children: Guy Vandivere (1899), Mattie (1902), Margaret (1905) and Richard M., Jr. (1908). Sadly, Willie Vandivere Gaines died in 1914, leaving one teenage son and three other children ages 12, 9, and 6.

Richard M. Gaines, Sr., did not remain a widower long. In 1915 on December 31 he married Miss Lucy Donahoo (full name Jemima Lucinda Donahoo). In the 1910 census, Lucy was employed as a milliner in a dry goods store. They had a daughter, Mary, born in 1919. Lucy Donahoo Gaines is the grandmother, Mamma Lucy, that Uncle Jimmy knew.

Marriage License for Richard M. Gaines and Lucy Donahoo, right page, middle

I was curious about Richard M. being a County Judge in Bartow County since he worked in the marble (stone) business, according to the 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses. In the 1930 census his occupation was listed as "Ordinary." I looked up the word "Ordinary" and found this definition:

Law

a. A judge or other official with immediate rather than delegated jurisdiction.

b. The judge of a probate court in some states of the United States.

 

 I also noticed on the marriage licenses in the picture above that a person signed each license as an Ordinary. I searched online for Richard M. Gaines, and I found an old book about Bartow County, Georgia. There I found a photo of some Bartow County Officers in 1933. Low and behold, there was my husband's great grandfather pictured with the Bartow County Tax Receiver, Sheriff, Tax Collector, Commissioner, Clerk of the Superior Court, Chairman of Board of Education, Coroner, and School Superintendent. He was the Ordinary.  He first became an Ordinary in 1928. I still would like to know what he did in this position.

Richard M. Gaines is on the front row, first one on the right

Richard M. Gaines' name is listed under the Ordinaries

Happy Dance 1

I've been doing the happy dance for over a week now. Last week I was looking on Ancestry dot com for information on the Gaines family. As I was looking around I found a transcribed obituary of  James Benjamin Gaines. At the bottom was the source of the transcription:   

"Information from http://www.gabartow.org website. The story is from The Courant American newspaper published in Cartersville, GA on 5 Jan 1899, page 8. It was transcribed for the gabartow website by Laurel Baty."

I immediately went to that website (http://www.gabartow.org) to check it out. Am I ever glad I did! I found a boatload of documents and newspaper transcriptions for the Gaines and Vandivere families. I'll share a few here and more in later posts.


I looked at marriage records and found the marriage license for Richard M. Gaines and Willie B. Vandivere. They applied for a marriage license on March 19, 1898 in Bartow County, Georgia and were married on March 20, 1898. They are the parents of Guy Vandivere Gaines, Jim's grandfather, which makes them Jim's great grandparents.

Marriage License for Richard M. Gaines and Willie B. Vandivere, 1898

This is what appeared in the newspaper, The Courant American, Cartersville, Georgia on March 24, 1898:

A Marriage Sunday

 
The Courant American Newspaper
Cartersville, Georgia
March 24, 1898 Page 1:
Transcribed and submitted by: Laurel Baty

A Marriage Sunday.

Go to Dr. Felton’s to Get Married and Surprise Their Friends. [This didn't make sense other than to indicate the couple eloped. KJH]

Mr. Richard Gaines and Miss Willie Vandivere were married last Sunday. The ceremony was performed by Dr. Felton at his home, the young people having driven out there for the purpose of being joined in matrimony.

The marriage was a great surprise to the friends of the couple when it was known in the city.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. Sanford L. Vandivere, the well known conductor on the W. & A., and is a very worthy young lady. Mr. Gaines is a member of the firm of D. R. Gaines & Bro., marble dealers and is energetic and steady and has many
friends.

The couple have received many congratulations from their friends.


From this marriage license and newspaper article I was able to:
1) confirm their marriage date and location.
2) know the name of the person who married them.
3) surmise they eloped.
4) find out Willie Vandivere's father's name.
5) find out the occupation of her father and the railroad company he worked for.
6) find out Richard Gaines' employment information
7) find out something of the couple's character, however limited.


This was all new information to me. Now can you see why I've been doing the happy dance.


BUT WAIT . . . the happy dance will continue! There's more to come in future posts.