STORIES SHARED

Augustus Wise, from my husband's line, was the son of Herrin Wise and Harriet Louisa MIMS. Herrin was the son of James McKinney Wise, who was the son of Joseph Wise. To get back to Augustus; he was the second child of Herrin and Louisa; born on the 18th of May 1866 in the Ino Community of Coffee County.

Augustus married first Martha Ann WEEKS, daughter of James T. and Sarah Emmaline McCLAIN Weeks. They were married on the 19th of December 1884 by W. R. Phillips, Justice Of the Peace. They had two children: James Herrin Wise; ( father of Mary Agnes WISE), and Marion Celetine WISE (or so it is spelled in her book). Shortly after the birth of their second child, Martha died and is buried in the Weeks Assembly Of God Cemetery. Mary Agnes writes in her book that at the time it was a Methodist Church.

After the death of Martha, Augustus married Nina Texana HOLLOWAY on the 19th of September. They were married by Jessie M Rowe. Anna gave birth to five boys and five girls.

James Herren/Herrin Wise, son of Augustus, married first Christian Evalena FRENCH, daughter of Angus Lafayette and Mary Frances VICKERS French. Mary Agnes writes that six children were born to Herrin and Evalena by 1918. Due to the fact that there was no High School for the children to attend where they lived, they moved to about one mile North of Samson into a beautiful, large colonial style home with porches around most of the house. After this move, there were six more children born to Herrin and Evalena.

Mary Agnes records that after a bad flu epidemic in 1918 Lena never regained her strength, and in June 1945 she took pneumonia, and died on June 28th. Her doctor told them Penicillin would have cured the pneumonia, but none was available to civilians because it was needed for the American boys fighting in the War.

After Evalena died, Herrin met and married Kate THORNTON. I remember when I was a young girl Katie and Herrin attending our church at New Mount Zion Primitive Baptist Church, just below Samson about nine miles.

Katie and Herrin would bring me home after church so I could go to work. For a few years in my teenage years and for the last year before Sam and I married, I worked at the Theater taking up tickets . In the beginning, I showed people where there were seats for them. It provided enough money to buy a few things to wear and pay for my books and lunches.

At the end of the article on Augustus and Anna, she tells us that Augustus lived with several of his children in the last few years of his life. He died at the home of Herrin Wise on the 4th of December 1957, and is buried in the Ino Baptist Church Cemetery next to his wife, Anna, and daughter, Mae Wise.

Children of Augustus and Nina Texanna are (as listed in the book) May E., Daniel Monroe, Ira Newton, Alma Leona, Lehman Okay, John Macy, Hubert Augustus, Lera Ibera, Lee and Willie Pearl.

That is my husband's lineage from Joseph Wise. Joseph's youngest son, Levi/Levy Wise is my lineage. Levi/Levy married Elizabeth PHILLIPS and named one of their sons John Levi/Levy Wise.

This John Levi married Valona Elizabeth "Valley Elizabeth" MIMS, the sister of Harriet Louisa MIMS Wise who is the wife of Herrin "H G" Wise. John Levi and Elizabeth were the parents of my grandmother, Maggie Victoria WISE Landingham. (NOTE: Valona Elizabeth is found on census records. She was called Valley Elizabeth though.

John Levi was born January 6th, 1851 in Washington County, Florida. Elizabeth was born October 20th, 1854 in what is now Coffee County, Alabama (at one time it was part of Dale County). Levi and Elizabeth were married on the *8th day of February, 1871 in the home of her parents, Abijah and Narcissa KIMMEY Mims by James D. McClane. (NOTE: *I copied this information from the family Bible which is in the home of my daddy's sister, Edna LANDINGHAM Booth, of St. Andrews, Florida.) Levi died January 17th, 1931. Both Levi and Elizabeth are buried at Friendship Baptist Church in the Holley Store Community, it is what was called the Holley Precinct on census records.

Children of Levi and Elizabeth are: John, Mary, William, Edward, Daniel, Narcissa, Maggie, Lema, Amma, Rosey, and Lumma.

John Costello Wise was born Feb. 7, 1872. He married Denas SEAY on September 3rd 1896. She was born December 10th, 1879. John died December 24th, 1961 and Denas died September 9th, 1952.

Mary Ida Wise was born February 18th, 1874 and died July 11th, 1887 at the tender age of thirteen. She at the side of her grandmother, Elizabeth PHILLIPS Wise at Weeks Assembly of God Cemetery (NOTE: Elizabeth PHILLIPS Wise was the wife of Levi Wise, Sr. He is not buried with his wife, Elizabeth PHILLIPS Wise; he may be buried in Washington County Florida just below Bruce which is close to where he and his wife lived for some time while raising their famliy.)

William Irving Wise was born April 25th, 1876. On *December 22nd, 1898, he married Sidney Narcissa DONALDSON. She was born January 17th, 1883, William died on September 14th, 1967 and Sidney died January 20th, 1966. (NOTE: *The family Bible has the date as Dec. 27th,1898.

Edward Alvin Wise was born December 9th, 1878, and married Stella WILKS on July 22nd, 1903. (NOTE: According to Mary Agnes Wise's book, "The Wise Kin, Now And Then", he died in the 1940s. I, personally, saw him at Uncle Dan Wise's home in the Forties. I was told he was quite ill at the time with heart trouble and was living there.)

Daniel *Jackson Wise was born June 27th, 1881, and died in 1974. He married Mattie FRAZIER, sister of Charlie Frazier who used to own and operate a store at Flat Creek near Reese Community in Geneva County. Aunt Mattie died before Uncle Dan did. (NOTE: *Source for second name as Jackson is Debbie WISE Driver. Mary Agnes Wise has his second name as James in her book, "The Wise Kin, Now and Then".)

Narcissa Elizabeth Wise was born October 14th, 1883. She married Miles Rhoades on February 7th, 1901. She died September 1st, 1907 and is buried at Friendship Baptist Church in Coffee County, close to the Holley Store Community.

Maggie Victoria Wise was born May 20th, 1886. She married George Clayton Landingham, Jr. on *February 25th, 1906. She died April 17, 1973. The 1900 Coffee County Census states George's birth year and month as November 1884. He died on October 27th 1929, according to the Levy and Elizabeth Wise Bible. Maggie and George are buried at Traveler's Rest Cemetery near Samson, Alabama in Geneva County. (NOTE: *This date was found in Levy and Valley Elizabeth MIMS Wise's Bible, which is in the home of their grandaughter, Valley Edna LANDINGHAM Booth in November 2002. Edna is the daughter of Maggie Victoria WISE Landingham and George Clayton Landingham. She is a twin to Levy Edsel Landingham. Edsel lived in Elba after he retired from the Army, and worked several years with Paul Windham "keeping his books". We lost him in 1987, and I miss him very much. He and Edna were only 10 years older than me.) (NOTE: I have included more at the end of this story about my great grandparents, George C. and Axie Landingham.)

*Leman G. Wise was born December 13th, 1889. He married Minnie GOODWIN on May 12th, 1910. Do not have a death date or place of burial. (NOTE: *Spelled this way in the family Bible.)

*Amma Iola Wise was born March 26th, 1892 and died November 1st, 1902 at the tender age of ten. She is buried near her parents, Levy and Elizabeth, at Friendship Baptist Church in Coffee County, near Holley Store Community. Her grave is on the edge of the cemetery on the right hand side as you're facing the cemetery from the front, about one third to one half way back. (NOTE: *Spelled this way on tombstone but spelled as Ammia in family Bible.)

*Rosey Bell Wise was born September 4th, 1894. Rosey married Henry T. Aplin of the Reese Community in Geneva County, Alabama. I'm not certain of death date, but it is around 1969. (NOTE: Spelled this way in the family Bible.)

Lumma Lee Wise was born June 7th, 1898. Lumma Lee married Alma I. HOLLEY on June 9th, 1917. I do not have death dates for either. Alma was born January 1st, 1896.

Most of Levi and Elizabeth's family lived in Geneva County while I was growing up, but were raised first at Bruce, Florida in Washington County, then moved back to Coffee County over at Holley Store Community after Levi died. Levi and Elizabeth were raised here in Coffee County. I don't know why they moved to Florida.

Uncle Irvin Wise and Aunt "Nursey" Narcissa DONALDSON Wise lived here in Coffee County but went to church with us in Geneva County in the Reese Community below Samson about nine miles.

That's where I grew up (Reese Community) and went to school at Hacoda through the seventh grade. Then we moved to Samson where my dad had opened a small grocery store next to John Holley's Barber Shop and People's Drug Store on Main Street. I attended the Samson Jr. High and High School through Christmas of the eleventh grade at which time Sam Farris and I married. He spent the next two years in the Army along with all the National Guard Units from this area. This was during the Korean Conflict. They never did call it war, but it was war just the same. Many boys were killed in it. Thankfully, Sam came back home alive to us after the war was about ended and he was released from the Army. We then started farming on halves for Rob English. This was January 1953 when we started farming. We farmed for Rob for four years. Then, in 1956, we bought a small farm in the Ino Community and have been here ever since. My husband and I along with two of our sons raise broilers. Between us we have twelve 500 foot broiler houses, therefore we stay quite busy.

Maggie Victoria WISE Landingham and George Clayton Landingham are my grandparents. He is the son of George C. Landingham and Exa "Axie" T. C. MATTHEWS, all from Coffee County.

In fact, both my great grandparents (George and Axie Landingham) and my great grandparents (Gilbert and Elizabeth LEWIS Matthews) each owned and lived on land which they sold to William Isaac "W I" English. That piece of land that my grandaddy, George, owned was still called The Landingham Field in 1953 when my husband and I started farming for the English Estate; which was looked after by Robert English (referred to above as we call him, Rob), one of the sons of W I English. I'm not sure what his middle name is. He was real good to us. His mother was Margaret, who we referred to as "Aunt Maggie". She was the sister of my husband's grandfather, William Earnest Farris.

My great grandfather, Gilbert Matthews, fought in and was killed in the Civil War. He was wounded in the leg during a battle at Nashville and died from complications three days later. He is buried in Nashville, Tennessee at the foot of a Confederate Monument in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, just off Mt. Lebannon Rd. We were able to go there in October of 2000. It is about 35 feet tall. We made pictures of it.

As you can imagine, I was in shock when I began to uncover all this in my research. Sam and I didn't know anything about our families being connected until after we were married; at which time my grandma, Maggie, and Sam's grandma, Lossie, told us that their mothers were sisters. At that time we didn't even try to unravel it. However, it has become real clear as I collect more and more of our ancestry. Many people have given me information on both sides of the family. It has been a long journey and it's not over yet. There are many loose ends, but I keep hoping....someday I'll find out who was the father of my great grandaddy, George C. Landingham, and learn what the "C" stands for in his name. I hope to find that it was Clayton, same as my grandaddy, but have been told that it was Clark by one of my second cousins. I'm not sure yet. Hopefully, someone who reads this story that I am sharing will know and inform me.

I would like to interject here a little about my paternal great grandparents, George C. Landingham and Axie MATTHEWS Landingham.

George was born in September of 1854. He is listed as 45 years of age on the 1900 Census of Coffee County, Alabama and having been married 20 years according to the Twelfth U. S. Census of 1900, Coffee County, Precinct 16 Kimmey's Mill. This is evidence that he was still alive at that time.

His wife is listed on one of the Coffee County Census records as Axel, Axie or Axey, (Exa T. C.) MATTHEWS. She was born in October 1854; she is listed as 45 years old on the 1900 Coffee County Census Records and having been married 20 years. (NOTE: One record gave 1852 as birth date for Axie.) She died in 1933 at 81 years of age in Covington County, Alabama, according to death records sent to me by Michele Perry (daughter of Genie Mathis (Matthews) Perry. Genie is the great great grandaughter of Gilbert Matthews of the lineage of Benjamin Jacob Mathis (Matthews) who is Grandma Axie's brother. Grandma Axie also had a sister, Lucretia Rebecca Ann MATTHEWS, who married James H. Marshall. She was known as Aunt "Creesie" These names are the ones listed on the Census records of Coffee County.) (NOTE: Since writing this, I have received Information from Roland Jones (son of Elizabeth LANDINGHAM Jones and Hosea Jones and grandson of Axie and George Clayton) that George C. is not buried with his wife, Axie, at Traveler's Rest Cemetery. He told me that Aunt Hillie, their oldest daughter, is buried by her mother, Axie MATTHEWS Landingham. If anyone knows anything else on this please let me hear from you.)

George C., Sr. and Axie sold land to a J. S. Windham on December 17th, 1898 (recorded in Deed Book V, page 583--received $100.00). They sold to J. S. Windham again on July 2nd, 1900 (recorded in Deed Book B X, page 567 on July 3rd, 1900--received $250.00). They sold again to W. I. English on April 4th, 1904 (recorded in Deed Book D 2--received $533.33). (NOTE: W. I. was the husband of Margaret FARRIS English, my husband Sam's grandfather's sister.) On December 20th, 1904, George and Axie sold land again to a J. T. Grimes (recorded in Deed Book F 2, page 173--received $530.00). They sold again to "W. N." (William "Nute" Farris on March 25th, 1905 (Book F 2, page 350--received $266.00). A peice of land that he either gave or swapped (he received no compensation, or at least nothing was listed) to R. O. Taylor was recorded on October 3rd, 1908, but the deed was signed on the ____ day of December 1880 and was not recorded until the 3rd day of October 1908 date...a period of 28 years. It is recorded in Deed Book L 2, page 309 in the Coffee County Court House in Elba, Alabama. This record where he gave land to R. O. Taylor was signed by George and his wife, Axie. Actually, Axie just made an x and it was stated that the x was her mark. All of the other land sales were also signed by George C. and Axie. These facts lead one to believe George died sometime between the time he sold land in 1905 and the time R. O. Taylor registered the deed for the peice of property that George deeded to him in 1880.

W. I. English had already bought the land that my great great grandparents on the "Mathis/Matthews side, Gilbert Matthews and Elizabeth LEWIS Matthews, owned and lived on before Gilbert joined the Army to fight in the Civil War. As stated above, Gilbert was wounded during battle and died three days later. The 1870 Census Records shows Elizabeth Mathies, 50; Rebecca, 24; Benjamin J., 21 (farmer); and Axie, 18; all in the same household (household 65/65) still in Coffee County. They probably were still on their homeplace where Gilbert left them when he went away to war.

Children of George C., Sr. and Axie MATTHEWS Landingham:

• 1-Hillie M. LANDINGHAM b: June 1882
  
• 2-Rushing Gilbert Landingham b: December 1885
  
• 3-George Clayton Landingham b: November 1886
  
• 4-Elizabeth M. LANDINGHAM August 22nd, 1890
  
  
  • Hillie LANDINGHAM (2) (George C. Landingham 1) never married. She lived with Elizabeth and her family part of the time. They lived across Poplar branch behind Uncle Henry Aplin and his wife, Aunt Rosa Belle WISE Aplin. Aunt Rosa was Grandma Maggie Landingham's sister. They all lived about nine miles South of Samson, Alabama in the Reese Community.
    
    
  • Rushing Gilbert Landingham (2) (George C. Landingham 1) married Ida WILSON. Their children were:
    
    • 1-Gafford Landingham (3) (Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1) b: 1911; m: Winnie SMITH They had children, but I don't know their names. Kate LANDINGHAM Crews grandson, Mark Grace, told me that he attended Gafford's funeral and that he was buried at Wing, Alabama below Florala, Alabama.
      
      
    • 2-Clyde Lee Landingham (3) was born April 6th, 1913 or 1915 and died March 2001. He married Taylor JONES. As a child, Taylor had polio which left her badly crippled. Clyde and Taylor did not have children.
      
      
    • 3-Kate Arrencie LANDINGHAM (3) was born 1919 and was still living as of October 18th, 2001. She married Marcus Dotson Crews. Kate was named after her grandmother, Arencie Jane Wilson. Their children are:
      
      
      • 1-Royce Dotson (4) Crews (Kate LANDINGHAM Crews 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1) b: Samson, Geneva County, Alabama; 1st m: Ethel APLIN b: Samson, Alabama 2nd m: Sarenna ____
        
      • 2-Rochelle CREWS (4) ( Kate LANDINGHAM Crews 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1) b: Samson, Geneva County, Alabama; m: Clifford Leniel Grace in May 1956 in Mississippi. Clifford was b: Jasper, Walker County, Alabama. Their children are:
        
        
        • Mark Grace (5) (Rochelle CREWS Grace 4, Kate LANDINGHAM Crews 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1 )
          
        • I know there is one more boy. I don't have his name.
        
        
      • 3-Lavelle (4) CREWS ( Kate LANDINGHAM Crews 3 Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2 George C. Landingham 1 ) m: Robert E. Mickelson b: Minnesota.
        
        • Do not have informmation on her children
        
        
      • 4-Anne Lois(4) CREWS (Kate LANDINGHAM Crews 3 Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2 George C. Landingham 1) m: Nick Sanders b: Samson, Geneva County, Alabama.
        
        • Do not have any information on Anne Lois either.
      
      
    • 4-George Clayton Landingham (3) b: 1916 m: Mayo GRIMES Their children are:
      
      
      • 1-Damon Lamon "Monty" Landingham (4)
        
      • 2-Bobby Joe Landingham (4)
        
      • 3-Roger Landingham (4)
        
        • 1-Damon Lamon "Monty" Landingham (4) (George Clayton Landingham 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1 ) m: Joyce LASSITER Their children are:
          
          
          • 1-Laura Nicole LANDINGHAM (5) (Damon Lamon Landingham 4, George Clayton Landingham 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1) m: Jacque Stacy Lee Their children are:
            
            
            • 1-Sadie Nicole LEE (6) (Laura Nicole LANDINGHAM Lee 5, Damon Lamon Landingham 4, George Clayton Landingham 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1)
          
          
        • 2-Bobby Joe Landingham (4) (George Clayton Landingham 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George Clayton Landingham 1) 1st m: Janice SIMPSON September 30, 1961. They were divorced on June 2, 1973. Their children are:
          
          
          • 1-Leif Jason Landingham (5) (twin) (Bobby Joe Landingham 4, George Clayton Landingham 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1)
            
          • 2-Robert Joseph Landingham (5) (twin) (Bobby Joe Landingham 4, George Clayton Landingham 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1)
            
          • 3-Leslie Regina Landingham (5) (Bobby Joe Landingham 4, George Clayton Landingham 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1)
            
          • 4-Damon Corey Landingham (5) (Bobby Joe Landingham 4, George Clayton Landingham 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1)
          
          
        • Bobby Joe Landingham 2nd m: Laura Jean DAURA Their child is:
          
          
          • 1-Maxwell Daura Landingham (5) (Bobby Joe Landingham 4, George Clayton Landingham 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1)
            
          
          
        • For some reason I don't have Roger Landingham's marriage information, or his children and who they married. I will look through my discs and see if I have it somewhere.
          
          
          • 5-John Landingham (3) (Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1) b: 1921 m: Lucy MOTT
            
            NOTE: Vassie Mae Geohagan Landingham said they moved up near Eufaula. And she thought one of them was named Gil(4). I figure this is short for Gilbert.
            
            NOTE: I received more information on John's and Lucy's children from Bobby Joe Landingham, son of George Clayton and Mayo Grimes Landingham. Bobby wrote that John and Lucy had two sons. They are named:
            
            • Gilbert Landingham (4) (John Landingham 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1)
            • Gary Landingham (4) (John Landingham 3, Rushing Gilbert Landingham 2, George C. Landingham 1)
    
    
    
    Nadine LANDINGHAM Farris
    
    
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    ŪPage Created by Phyllis Jeannae Kwanja Owens on April 26th, 2003
    Last Modified January 30th, 2004
    With a SPECIAL Thank You to Mary Agnes WISE and Nadine LANDINGHAM Farris