A while back, I wrote a post about my great-great-grandmother, Eva Rogers.
I have some updated research about Eva.
For many years, I assumed Rogers was Eva’s maiden name. I found it odd that between the time she married my great-great-grandfather, Kelly Dennard and the birth of my great-grandmother Lillie Mae, she disappeared.
I mentioned before that Eva was listed as the mother of Edgar Williams on his death certificate, with maiden name of Rogers. Edgar’s father was listed as Barn Williams.
Creating a timeline helped me put things in better perspective.
What I did know was that:
- 04 January 1891: Eva Rogers married Kelly Dennard in Terrell County, Georgia
- March 1894: Lilly Mae Dennard born
- 13 September 1941: Lillie Mae Dennard Jackson died
- Eva Rogers reported as mother on death certificate by Robert Jackson
- 17 October 1942: Edgar Williams died
- Eva Rogers reported as mother on death certificate by Lillie Williams
This information yielded some clues, stay with me.
Eva must have given birth to Edgar around 1875. He died at 67 which would make his birth year about 1875. I began a search for Barn or Barney Williams in Terrell and surrounding counties in the 1880 US Census.
I always start with the US Census on Ancestry, it’s the easiest search to do. I found a 21 year old Barney Williams in 1880 in Terrell County, but he was married to Georgia Williams and there were no children in the household. If he was 21 in 1880, and Edgar was born around 1875, he and Eva would have been teenagers. That doesn’t mean teens didn’t marry, so I looked for marriage records. I looked for Barn or Barney Williams. I also looked for Eva Rogers. I did not see a marriage record for them.
But I did find a marriage record for Grundy Rogers and Eve Peters.
Eva married Grundy Rogers on 8 July 1877 in Terrell County, Georgia.
So, Eva/Eve was a Rogers, but by marriage! She was born with the Peters surname. I turned my focus to Grundy Rogers and searched for him and Eve in the 1880 US Census. I could not find them in Terrell County, but they were in neighboring Randolph County.
The Census taker transposed last name and first name and spelled Eve “Eaf”.
Also in the household was Lucious, age 2 and Luna age 40. Where was Edgar? And who were Luna and Lucious?
I was more interested in finding out about Eve Peters, so, I searched the 1870 US Census for Eve Peters. I found a 13 year old Eve Peters, born 1857 in Georgia, living at home with Maria Peters, age 60 and Charlotte Peters, age 10. Also in the household was Dicey Adams, age 70 or 90, born in Africa.
Although I was able to unravel the mystery of Eva/Eve, I had more questions.
Where was Edgar from birth until he shows up marrying Lillie Bryant? What happened to the marriage between her and Kelly? Was she alive in 1900?