The May Family Drury May was one of the earliest settlers in Fayette County

The May Family

Drury May was one of the earliest settlers in Fayette County, arriving before 1824, when he was first listed in the Fayette County Tax Digest. He had removed from Pulaski County, where he was listed in the 1820 census. He had resided in Pulaski County from at least 1813, at which time he enlisted for War of 1812 service. Drury May was born in North Carolina, and likely came to Georgia with his parents as an infant, perhaps around 1787. He was the youngest of seven children thought to have been born to James May (c.1735-1789) and Lydia Bishop of Wilkes County.

In 1809, Drury May (1783-1840) married Anna Moses (1785-1839), widow of John Moses of Randolph (Jasper) County. In 1812, he was named guardian for David, Nancy and Hiram Moses, the three children from his wife's prior marriage. At the time of the 1824 Tax Digest, Drury May held over 405 acres in Fayette County, as well as over 1,400 acres in Henry, Pulaski and Twiggs Counties. His Fayette County land holdings continued to grow, and, by the time of the 1834 Tax Digest, he held 1,619 acres in Fayette County, primarily in District 6, as well as 810 acres in Pulaski County.

During this time in history, the South, particularly Georgia, was made up of many slave holding plantations. Drury May's was no exception. He would have been considered a prosperous planter, with a large part of his wealth made up of the forty slaves he eventually owned. By the time of his death, his plantation in Fayette County comprised over 2,000 acres, on the west side of Whitewater Creek, along present-day Redwine Road, about one-half mile south of today's Peachtree City on Highway 74. His early 1830s spacious antebellum home has been restored, and has been featured in various publications, known in later years as the Swain Peeples home.

As noted, Drury and Anna May raised the three young children from her first marriage to John Moses. They were:

1. David Moses (c.1806-1836) married Martha McCrary (born c.1810), and had Amanda (1828-1912) and Leander Goodman Moses (born 1830). David Moses and his family removed to the San Augustine area in Texas about 1833. In 1836, he joined the group fighting for Texas independence from Mexico. He was one of the 412 Americans captured and executed by General Santa Anna's army during the Goliad Massacre in 1836.

2. Nancy Moses (born c.1807).

3. Hiram Moses (1809-1852) married (1) Martha McLean (1800-1848), daughter of Oliver McLean and Rachel Miller, and had Andrew (born c.1830), Anna (born c.1834), John Lafayette (1836-1887), Rachel Camilla (1837-1885), William Neal (1838-1863), and Mary E. Moses (born 1840). He married (2) Delilah Brassell (1816-1905), daughter of William J. Brassell(e) and Martha Haddox, and had Philip Brassell (1850-1917) and Hiram Drew Moses (1851-1937). His second wife was a widow with three children when they married, having previously been married to Wade Hampton Cavendar.

Together, Drury and Anna May had seven children:

1. William May (1811-1860) married Elizabeth Jennings (1814-1866), daughter of William Jennings and Rhoda Hill, and had Joseph Jennings (1833-1901), Zipparah (1835-1854), Aurelia (born 1837), Seaton G. (1839-1847), Rhoda Ann (1844-1920), and William D. May (c.1850, died before 1860). Sometime after the 1850 Fayette County census, likely about 1853, William May and his family migrated to Conecuh County, Alabama, where he died. His son, Colonel Joseph Jennings May, rejoined his family in Fayette County after the War Between the States, and is believed to be the highest ranking Confederate officer buried in Fayette County. He had commanded the 16th Alabama Regiment.

2. Lydia Seretha May (1812-1885) married Lovezinski Glass (1809-1881), son of Zachariah Glass and Sarah Wagnon White, and had Dorliska (1830-1836), Drewry (1832-1852), Calista (1834-1885), Cyrephia May (1836-1885), Erastus (1838-1875), James Madison (1842-1913), Sarah Anna (1845-1929), Robert E. (1847-1902), Hubert (born 1848), Catherine (1848-1898), and Tabitha Glass (1851-1886). Lovezinski Glass and his family removed to Coweta County, sometime after the 1840 Fayette County census, where he was a plantation owner and large slave holder.

3. James E. May (c.1814-1898) married Mary Ann Bridges (c.1816-1889), daughter of Wiley Jones Bridges and Jane Strickland, and had Julia Ann (1834-1889), Lydia (c.1838, died before 1870), Thomas Gay (1840-1913), Drury G. (1842, died after 1890) , Nathaniel Rome (born c.1843), James (c.1847, died before 1870), Jarred W. (c.1848-1874), Mary Ella (c.1852-1886), and Wylie Jones May (1853-1931). James E. May and his family left Fayette County in 1853, removing to Washington County, Texas, later removing to Burleson County, which became Lee County.

4. Jeptha V. May (1814-1899) married Kitturah Ann Chandler (1818-1855), daughter of Asa Chandler and Mary Bailey, and had America (1836-1932), France (born 1838), Richard Montgomery (born c.1839), Walter T. Colquitt (1845-1923), R.C. Taylor (1847-1925), Texas (born 1849), and Lydia Ann Serena May (1854-1938). Jeptha V. May and his family also removed to Washington County, Texas. He married (2) Margaret Stanley.

5. Serena A. May (1816-1886) married Solomon T. Bridges (c.1806-1882), son of Wiley Jones Bridges and Jane Strickland, and had Sarah Ann Bridges (1834-1852). Solomon T. Bridges and his brothers were among Georgia Cavalry members who served during the Indian Wars in 1836. They lived in Coweta County, where he was a large slave holder.

6. Drury B. May (c.1817, died after 1872) married Sarah Jennings (c.1825, died after 1880), daughter of Thomas Jennings and Margaret Clark, and had Margaret (1848, died after 1886), Kate Glass (c.1849, died after 1886), and Jeptha V. May (c.1850, died after 1886). Drury B. May and his family joined his brother William, removing to Alabama in the early 1850s. Drury B. May located in Butler County, eventually holding 2,327 acres, all of which was lost during the "Reconstruction" period after the War Between the States.

7. John May (1818-1824).

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by Linda Blum-Barton