2005 Homeschool memories


Homeschooling in Waynesboro, Georgia



Oh to be 5 at the beach!


Our recent trip to Tybee Island, just past Savannah, GA.
Dylan met some students from Savannah College of Art and Design doing a sandcastle workshop… and taught them a thing or two!

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the “Original” LINE

While the study of Genealogy is always interesting for me,
I realize that all roots trace back to the seed of Abraham; and ultimately
to the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.I understand there are many groups that use genealogy information for some very odd purposes. I hope the information on these pages will be helpful; but moreso, hope that you seek the truth in all things!If you are more interested in the ultimate original line, please visit Billy Graham’s website, or contact me directly!DeColores, and Blessings, David W. Stembridge

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Stembridge Gun Rentals

a collection from their PAST…

Stembridge Gun rentals of Hollywood, California, was formed in about 1920 by James Stembridge and Cecil B. DeMille to supply guns to the movie industry.
The company is still in existence and is currently being run by Syd Stembridge whose father was the nephew of the founder. (Contact information BELOW)


Make A Wish A few months back a friend of mine, Scott Hodges, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Scott, a gun collector and enthusiast, had read with enthusiasm an article in GUNS Magazine, about Stembridge Gun Rental (Oct. ’98). He was hopeful that he could regain his health and make the trek to Southern California to tour the facility.I subsequently contacted Harry Lu at Stembridge. What happened next was truly amazing. Just two weeks before his death, Scott had the thrill of his life. With assistance from Hospice of the Valley, Harry Lu, along with his wife and three children, loaded an RV with his collection and drove to Phoenix..On a lovely Saturday afternoon, Scott and several of his fellow volunteers from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department,
were treated to a rare showing of weapons that have graced the silver screen. The day Scott spent with Harry Lu brought his family many happy memories they will always cherish.Chrystie HeimertPhoenix, Ariz.


A good resource for learning about how some of the Hollywood Blanks made by Stembridge Gun Rentals were used!

10007 .30-06 BY CHRIS PUNNETT – Superb reference for anyone interested in any type of cartridges. 384 pages, hardbound loaded with illustrations of cartridges, and boxes from makers all over the world. Great information including much historical data on the companies that made the cartridges. as well as details on the unbelievable number of variations that exist in this popular collecting specialty. Extensive coverage of U.S. military variations alone is worth the very modest price of this great book.
Title page autographed by the author.
FREE SHIPPING IN U.S.! $59.00
ORDER HERE!


If you would like information on a Stembridge Gun Rental Gun… or anything related to Stembridge Gun Rentals,Please write or call Sydney at the following:

also, here’s a neat article written by Bill Schumm about Stembridge Gun Rentals, and it’s history.


Posted in history, Stembridge Gun Rentals | 6 Comments

Bridport, Dorset, England


picture from FreeFoto.com


Bridport, an Anglo-Saxon town made famous by its rope making is the largest town in West Dorset. Such was the fame of Bridport rope that those who ended their days on the gallows were said to have been ‘stabbed by a Bridport dagger’. The town is still Britain’s main source for twine.

The town grew up round the rope industry, which developed during the Middle Ages following King John’s request that the townsfolk make ‘night and day as many ropes for ships both large and small and as many cables as you can.’ Hemp and flax were grown locally and its long, straight alleys were once `rope walks where twine and rope were laid in long rope walks extending from the backs of houses as part of a cottage industry.

Bridport and the nearby harbour at West Bay, also dating from the 14th century, reached their peak of prosperity in the 18th and 19th century, corresponding with Britain’s sea power in the age of sail. Many of the houses which can be seen in South Street today were built during this period.

For more than 700 years Bridport has been at the forefront of net-making technology and among a number of local firms, the Bridport-Gundry group is today a world leader in the production of specialist textiles and nets. Bridport made nets are used by fishing fleets all over the world. Bridport-Gundry also make a whole range of other nets, including the arrester nets used by the Space Shuttle, equipment used by leading international airlines and those used at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships

In the town centre a wide range of independent shops, including a number of Antique shops, are complemented by branches of national chains and supermarkets and there is a popular twice-weekly street market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Historically interesting buildings include the Medieval parish church and chantry, the Tudor museum, and the Georgian town hall. The main streets have recently been remodeled and plans are in hand for a major development at West Bay and a light railway is proposed to link the “Bridport Harbour” with the main town.

Situated on the banks of the river, on the southern edge of the town is Britain’s only thatched brewery, Palmers of Bridport. Over two hundred years old, the brewery is very much the traditional, family-run business. The Palmer family took over the brewery in about its fiftieth year, and have been building up the business ever since. But the emphasis has always been on tradition – not only in their attitude towards the brewing process, but also towards their employees and the local community.

First impressions of the brewery, apart from the thatched roof on some of the older buildings, are of its well organized and beautifully functional equipment – lots of lovely Victorian brewing equipment and even a proper copper (they’re usually stainless steel these days). The brewery has always made the most of the river on whose banks it lies. In the past, the beer was transported to its destination by boat, though nowadays the river there is no longer navigable. Power for the brewery has been drawn from the river by means of a water wheel. That is, until a few years ago when the wheel’s huge cast iron shaft broke under the force of the river’s flow. Plans are afoot however to restore it to its former glory.

Here are some LINKs for Bridport, Dorset England:

Dorset County Council-Website

Tourist information on Bridport

Photographs of Bridport

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Crewkerne, Somerset, England

I received the recent note from Chris Ward – a cousin in Australia, and did a little digging on Crewkerne, and found the following (below) from 1850. There are quite a few Stembridges mentioned.

G’day David,

I don’t recall getting the message from Peter Hammett!! I haven’t established the STEMBRIDGE roots back in Bridport although undoubtedly they originated in Crewkerne in Somerset. I did find some reference to some old research done in the United States in the 1950s which suggested there were only two brothers but it was too difficult for me to pursue the story from this side of the world. I have recently seen a note that Kindness BREEDLOVE was born ca 1767 and died ca 1808 and married William STEMBRIDGE Jr. on January 22, 1785.

Chris

HUNT & CO.S 1850 DIRECTORY & TOPOGRAPHY OF THE TOWN OF CREWKERNE. in all places, where there are objects worthy of detail or observation, there should be a short printed Directory, for the use of the stranger. Dr.Johnson.

Is a parish and market town in the hundred of its name, which is derived from a Saxon word, signifying the Cottage on the Cross, it is 10 miles S.W. by S. from Ilchester and 132 W.S.W. from London.; within these last few years it is considerably improved, a handsome building, Stuckeys bank, a National School, and other new houses have been added, and more are in progress. It is a compact, well-built place, reposing in a valley, sheltered on all sides by verdant and richly cultivated hills; from these eminences the varied prospects that meet the eye are delightful and beautiful in the extreme; on Rana Hill, westward of Crewkerne, there formerly stood an ancient chapel, which contained the bones of St. Ranus; and at Haselbury, a celebrated recluse, named Wulfric, led a life of penance and great abstinence, inhabiting a small cave, and clothing himself in a raiment of finely wrought iron; he was visited by many distinguished personages of that time, amongst whom were Henry I. and Stephen. The church, which is cruciform, is of great beauty, its fine gothic proportions, with its elaborately wrought window-frames, and a handsome tower rising from the centre are beautifully detailed, part of the building is surrounded by lofty trees which add considerably to its effect;the living is a perpetual curacy in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Winchester; there are also chapels for Baptists and Wesleyans. A grammar-school is established here which is very ably conducted; the manufactures are principally girth web, hemp and tow spinning, and rope and twine making,which are carried on to a considerably extent, and employ a great number of hands, a literary and scientific institution has lately been established here with apparent benefit and success; The market-days are Saturdays, and there are great Spring markets for sheep, lambs, &c. in April and May; a fair is held annually on the first of September. In the neighbourhood of the town is Hinton House, the seat of the Earl Poulett, and near the church were formerly the remains of an abbey, but they have been lately removed and a modern building is now erected on its site. At the census taken in 1841, the population of Crewkerne amounted to 4414.

Post-office, East street. Post Master, John Budge. Letters are delivered daily, from London, Bristol, Birmingham, and the north, at 8 a.m. From Bridport, Beaminster and the East at 9 a.m. From Bridport and Beaminster, at 5 30 p.m.

Despatches for Bridport and Beaminster at 7 a.m.; for Bridport, Beaminster, and the east at 4 30 p.m., and for London, Bristol, Birmingham, and the north at 5 20 p.m. Box closes for Bridport, Beaminster, and the east at 4 20 p.m., and for London, Bristol, Birmingham, and the North at 4 40 p.m., but letters may be posted by affixing an additional stamp until within 5 minutes of the despatches.

Money Orders are granted and paid daily ( Sundays excepted ) from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Nobility, Gentry, & Clergy.

Ayre Rev. Joseph Watson, Parsonage
Baker Mrs. Rose, Abbey street
Berry William, Abbey street
Blanchard Miss, Gouldsbrook terr
Bridge John, Henley house
Burnard Mrs. Sheep market street
Caddle Rev. Henry, Wayford
Conron Miss, Sheep market street
Copp Mrs. Frances Maria, Gouldsbrook terrace
Cross Rev. Joseph, Merriott
Donesthorpe Mrs. East street
Dummett Wm. East street
Dummett Wm. H. Sheep market st
Dusantoy Rev. Fredk. Haselbury
Hoskins Rev. Hen. North Perrott
Hoskins Thos. Haselbury Plucknet
Hoskins Wm. North Perrott house
Hugill Rev. John, Church lane
Lowman Mrs. Clapton court
Newbury Rev. Thos. Hinton St. George
Palmer Mrs. Elizb. & Miss Elizb. Oxen lane
Palmer Mrs. Gouldsbrook terr
Pearce Rev. J.Standen, Chapel House
Penny Rev. Chas. Abbey street
Perkins Misses, Misterton house
Poulett Rt. Hon. Earl of, Hinton house
Sparks Isaac J. Rose cottage
Symes Rear Adm. Joseph, Sheep market street
Templeman Rev. Alex. Lopen

Auctioneers and Appraisers.

Patch John, Abbey street
Perry Henry, West street

Bakers.

Fry Thomas, West street
Gibbs Joseph, Sheep market street
Hitchcock James, Hermitage st
Mills Mary (& confectioner), Market place
Morton John, South street
Smith Charles (& cornfactor), Goulds square
Wilce John, South street

Banks.

Stuckeys Banking Company, Sheep market street; manager, Loveridge Chas. Warre;
draw upon Robarts, Curtis, and Co., London
Savings Bank, Sheep market st; agent, Young John

Basket Makers.

Holt Henry, North street
Webb John, Hermitage street

Beer Retailers.

Collard James, West street
Connock John, East street
Hurtnole John, Hermitage street
Osborn Samuel, West street
Palmer Joseph, South street
Parker Henry, Goulds square
Pitcher Charles, North street
Raison James, West street
Scriven William, West street
Webber William, Vinney bridge
Young Robt. South street

Blacksmiths.

Blake Chas. Wm. East street
Boufield Thomas, East street
Clift John, Abbey street
Collard James, West street
Davis Edwd. Sheep market street
Davis Henry, West street
Fry Thomas, West street
Hayward Giles, East street
Newbery James, Hermitage street

Booksellers, Bookbinders, Stationers, & Printers.

Clark Thos, Fred. Sheep market street
Pulman George, Market place

Boot & Shoe Makers.

Bishop George, Church street
Bargery Benj. Tower hill
Bargery Thomas, South street
Bragg William, West street
Chard Charles, West street
Fone John, Hermitage street
Delamont Joseph, Hermitage st
Lacey William, South street
Newick George, Sheepmarket st
Pitman Joseph, Goulds square
Scriven William, West street
Slade William, Goulds square
Webber William, South street

Brewers & Maltsters.

Budge Edwd. & Standfield William Thos. & Co. Hermitage Brewery
Jolliffe Geo. Hilborne & Norman J. Evomy, Crewkerne brewery

Cabinet Makers.

Bishop Eli, Sheep market street
Bishop John, Goulds Barton
Male Charles, West street
Perry Henry, West street
Rapson James, South street
Stembridge Thomas, Church st

Carpenters.

Bishop John, Gouldsbrook terrace
Hayward Giles, East street
Patridge Moses, Hermitage street
Peach Henry, Hermitage street
Perry Henry, West street
Rapson James, South street
Slade Thomas, Market place

Chemists and Druggists.

Galpin Walter, Market place
Pearce Joseph, Sheep market st

Chimney Sweepers.

Hunt John, Hermitage street
Hunt William, Hermitage street
Pattimore Peter, West street

China, Glass, &c. Dealers.

Jefferies Christiana, Market place
Towt Sarah, Sheepmarket street

Coopers.

Bartlett William, Tower hill
Leach Robt. Tower hill
Palmer Joseph, Sheepmarket st

Curriers.

Adam John, Goulds square
Turner William, Cornhill

Fire & Life Assurance Agents.

Atlas ( F.&L.) Templeman and Son, Church street
Clerical, Medical, & General ( L.), Galpin Walter, Market place
Great Britain ( L.), Hodge Edwd. Sheep market street
London and Provincial Law ( L.), Sparks Wm. John, East street
Merchants & Tradesmans ( L.), Foss Lewis, Sheep market street
Norwich Union ( F. & L.), Perry Robert, Sheep market street
Phoenix ( F.), Patch John, Abbey street
Standard ( L.), Pulman George, Market place
Star ( F.and L.), Clarke Sealy, Crewkerne
Sun ( F. and L.), Young John, Sheepmarket street
West of England ( F. and L.), Bicknell Wm. Cox, Market pl

Flax and Tow Spinners.

Mathews Thomas, and Mathews Thomas, jun. Popels Well
Row John Wall, North street

Girth Web Maufacturers.

Bird Robert, South street
Holman Henry, Vinney bridge
Lye William, Haselbury
Mathews Thomas, and Mathews Thomas, jun. ( and hair seating and curled hair manufacturers), Market place & Popels well
Pitt Thomas, Haselbury

Grocers and Tea Dealers.

Budge John, East street
Ewens Wm. Sheepmarket street
Galpin Walter, Market place
Horsey John, Market place
Pearce Joseph, Sheepmarket street
Young John, Sheepmarket street

Grocery and Sundries Dealers in.

Eyres James, East street
Fry Thomas, West street
Hebditch William, Market place
Holman Henry, Vinney bridge
Holman John, North street
Marsh John, Market place
Miller Charles, North street
Lacey Wm. South street
Munford James, South street
Munford John, Market place
Munford Robert, Vinney bridge
Palmer Joseph, Sheepmarket st
Pearce Thomas, North street
Raison James, West street
Scriven William, West street
Smith Charles, Goulds square
Smith Christopher, West street
Stembridge Francis, North street
Wilce John, South street

Hair Cutters.

Howe Samuel, Church street
Norman Thos. Sheepmarket street
Symonds George, North street

Inns and Public Houses.

Antelope, North st. Gusney John
Cross Keys, West street, Davis Henry
Five Bells, Church la. Brooks John
George Hotel, (commercial and posting), Market place, Marsh William
Kings Arms, Market pl Taylor Thomas
Nags Head, Market place, Wilce William
Red Lion, Sheepmarket st. Sprake William
Swan, Church street, Corner Richard
White Hart, East street, Stembridge Charles
White Lion, Hermitage street, Delamont Joseph

Ironfounder.

Hayward Giles ( and agricultural implement manufactr), East st

Ironmongers.

Ewens Wm. Sheepmarket street
Towt Sarah, Sheepmarket street
Young John, Sheepmarket street

Linen and Woollen Drapers.

Bicknell Wm.Cox, Market place
Brown Edward, Market place
Foss Lewis, Sheepmarket street
Hodge Edwd. Sheepmarket street
Palmer Thomas, Abbey street
Pendered John, East street

Millers.

Brice Charles, Dinnington mills
Farnham Robt. Clapton mills
Fowler Thomas, Haymoor mills
French Josiah, Merriot Mills
Gibbs Joseph, New place mills
Ireland John, Bury mills
Manley John, Hewish mills
Patch William, Bob mills
Read Joseph, Lopen mills
Read Richard, Merriot mills
Slade John, North perrot mills
Stembridge Thos. Misterton
Tucker Robt.C. Clapton mills

Milliners and Dressmakers.

March Elizabeth, North street
Shephard Sarah, North street
Slade Elizabeth, & Hutchings Mary Ann, Goulds barton
Stoodley and Rapson, West street
Toleman Sarah, East street

Nursery and Seedsman.

Chard James, Haselbury
Webber William, Market place

Painters.

Howe Geo. (& gilder) Church st
Hutchings John, Church street

Plasterers and Tilers.

Hillard Charles ( plasterer only) , East street
Munford John, Market place
Taylor Thomas, Market place

Plumbers and Glaziers.

Munford Jas. (& painter) South st
Munford Thomas, East street
Priddle Samuel, South street
Toleman John (& painter) East st

Rope & Twine Manufacturers.

England George, Haselbury
Withey George, & Smith George, North Perrot

Saddle and Harness Makers.

Clarke Sealey, Crewkerne
Plowman Edwd. Sheepmarket pl
Plowman Robt. Market place
Podger Edwin, South street
Willis William, East street

Sail and Cloth Manufacturers.

Ford Isaac, West Chinnock
Genge & Lovibond, East Chinnock
Hayward Richd. & Sons, West Chinnock
Randall & Son, East Chinnock
Row John Wall, North street
Templeman Thomas, Lopen

Schools.

Bull Charles, West street
Dawes Sophia (boarding), South st
Dodge Christiana, Church street
Grammar, Abbey st. (& boarding), Head master, Penney, Rev. Chas. m.a.; Second master, Sandiland, Rev. Percival R.; Third master, Howe, Thos. A. French & German master, De Witt Monsieur
Infant, West street; mistress, Willis Jane G.
Jolliffe Maria & Christiana, Sheepmarket street
Martin Henry, Gouldsbrook terr
National, West street; master, Hiorns Thomas David; mistress, Bramwell Catherine

Solicitors.

Hussey John, Abbey house
Jolliffe Jas. Hare, Sheepmarket st
Lowman Robert, Abbey street
Sparks Wm. & John, East street
Templeman John, Merriott
Templeman John Marsh, & Templeman Jno. Marsh, jun. Church street
Tidcombe John James, East st

Stay Makers.

Bull Ann, West street
March Sarah, Church street
Slade Fanny, Abbey street

Stone Masons.

Bull Humphrey, West street
Lye Thomas, Ashlands
Lye William, Goulds square

Straw Hat Makers.

Gange Christiana, Hermitage st
Stembridge Phillis, Sheepmarket st
Turner Sophia, Cornhill street

Surgeons.

Bowdage Emanuel, Abbey street
Jolliffe Geo. Hillborne, Market pl
Jolliffe George Slade, Market pl
Morse Arthur Chas. Church street
Webber John, Market place
Wells George Fredk. East street
Wills Joseph, East street

Tailors.

Bicknell Wm. Cox, & Martin Charles (& general outfitters), Market place
Clift Benjamin, Goulds square
Eyres James, East street
Haggett John, West street
Holman Edward, Tower hill
Hutchings Edward, Church street
March Thos. Taylor, Church st
Moon Thomas, Market place
Pitman John, Church path
Swaffield Henry, South street

TurnersWood.

March John, North street
March Richard, East street

Watch & Clock Makers.

Clarke Thos. Fredk. Sheepmarket street
Pearce John, Market place

Wheelwrights.

Collard James, West street
Davis Henry, West street
Hayward Giles, East street
Pitman James, Tower hill
Slade Thomas, Market place

Wine and Spirit Merchants.

Galpin Walter, Market place
Kite James, Church street

Wire Sieve Makers.

Paull Henry, South street
Paull Thomas, South street

Miscellaneous.

Architect, Allen James Mountford, Crewkerne
Berlin Wool Repository, Turner Elizabeth, Sheepmarket street
Brick and Tile Maker, Plowman Edward, North street
Butcher, Symonds Hugh, West st
Coach Builder, Standfield George, West street
Land Surveyors, Guy and Stubbs Hinton St. George
Professor of Music, Summerhayes John, Popels Well
Provision Merchant, Ewens Wm. Daniel, Gouldsbrook terrace
Sacking and Sack Manufacturers, Rendall Henry, Haselbury
Veterinary Surgeon, Blake Chas. William, East street

Law and Public Officers.

Hussey John, clerk to the commissioners of the Crewkerne turnpike roads, Abbey house.
Male Charles, town crier, West street.
Perry William, surveyor of roads, West street.
Sparks William, clerk to the trustees of the Crewkerne grammar school, and the new alms houses, East street.
Templeman John Marsh, treasurer to the commissioners of the Crewkerne turnpike roads, Church street.
Webber John, registrar of births, deaths, marriages, Market place.

Public Buildings, Offices, &c.

Alms Houses,West street, for aged people of both sexes.
County Court, Town hall, Market place; judge, John Monson Carrow; clerk, Edward Lovell; assistant clerk, John Sparks; high bailiff, Edward Charles Coles; assistant bailiff, John Lowman.
Engine House, East street. Keys at the agents for the various fire offices.
Gas Works,Gas lane; manager, John Toleman, East street.
Inland Revenu Officer,Swan Inn, Church street; officer, Edwin Restarick
Scientific and Literary Institution,Town hall; treasurer, William Thomas Standfield; secretary, Joseph Pearce.
Stamp Office,Market place; sub distributor, Walter Galpin.
Town Hall,Market place; keeper, William Sparks.

coachesto

Bridport.Royal Mail, from the George hotel, daily, at 4 30 p.m.
Taunton. Royal Mail, from the George hotel, daily, at 9 30 a.m. and Prince Albert, daily from the same inn, at 12 30 p.m.
Weymouth. Prince Albert, from the George inn, daily, at 4 30 p.m.

waggonsto

Bridport and Bristol.Ford & Co., from the Swan inn, Tues. Thurs. and Sat. at 9 a.m.
Chard.Ford & Co., Mon. Thurs. & Sat. at 9 a.m.
London, Bristol,and all parts. Crocker, from the white Hart, and Ford & Co., from Swann inn, both daily.

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Stembridge Links

The following is a list of various Stembridge Links that I’ve found on the web. Found any not listed? (use contact me above)

United States STEMBRIDGES:

Overseas STEMBRIDGES:

LINKS to STEMBRIDGE related:

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Clara Idella Stembridge 1874-1904

Photo of stained glass window at First United Methodist Church of Milledgeville, Ga.
photo coutesty my Dad, Roger E. Stembridge!

Home Again

Date: Sep 23, 2003

from: Dr. Roger Stembridge

“… Moore’s Funeral Home finally got Grandmother Clara Idella
Stembridge moved from the farm location to Memory Hill in
Milledgeville. Also little G. M. was moved although they said they could find nothing in his grave. Only part of a skull and part of a leg bone was all they found of Grandmother. Both were placed into a child’s vault and buried at the foot of Grandfather. Asbury Stembridge has slabs prepared to place over two plots. Grandmother at the foot of Grandfather and G. M at the foot of Grandmother Sarah. After Asbury has the slabs in place, we will plan a dedication service.”

Memory Hill Cemetary in 1897

Memory Hill Cemetary in 2001

Photos from Memory Hill Cemetary, Milledegeville, Georgia


Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001

from: Dr. Roger Stembridge

“As everyone knows, our grandmother Clara was discovered to be buried in the J. E. Stembridge Cemetery off Ebony Lounge Road off Hwy 24 off Hwy 22 in Baldwin County. I have had two people to tell me they have been to the cemetery. One had promised to take me there but we could never seem to get together. The second one was there a few days ago and wrote very explicit directions how to fine the cemetery.

This morning, I decided to try to find it. Following Glen’s
directions I walked right to it. I was awesome to see her grave and the grave of Little G. M. Stembridge (about a year and a half old).

Both graves are in poor condition with Little G. M.’s headstone broken and laying down. The slabs (I think concrete) over the graves are intact but have sheaved off and look terrible. Both are covered with rotted leaves and growth. There is a flower pot on Clara’s grave that Glen says was put there sometime during the past 15 years (the best he can remember when he last saw the grave before this time).”


Ebony Lounge Road is now subdivided and there are doublewide homes up and down the road, but the cemetery is a good ways from the Ebony Lounge Road behind the south side of the road. It looks like some surveying has taken place in recent months and some clearing done not too far from the cemetery.

If any of you are down at any time, I will be glad to take you out to see the site. Other than that, I will at some time make some effort to clean up the site and the headstones so that the inscriptions can be read. I could read most of the letters but I think a good cleaning will improve readability. One of the attached pictures is a close-up of Clara’s headstone. The other is an overall picture of her grave.

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Stembridge Orgins?

For years, our family has sought to try and uncover the origins of the Stembridge Surname; but generally falls against a brick wall when crossing the ocean. While this is not uncommon; it is not an indication of defeat! With the tools available to us now, and the help of the internet, we hope to unravel the mystery for once, and for all!If you have little tidbits of information that might be helpful,Please send it to us!
I have started by listing the 2 places that currently carry the Stembridge name. These are just locations.


GLAMORGANSHIRE County, southwest England

1870

STEMBRIDGE is a very small parish about three miles from Cowbridge. Acreage, 37. There are no places of worship.
Population in 1871, 7.

FARMERS
In Stembridge Parish
John Philip, Stembridge

from Maura Bennett who currently lives in Cowbridge, just a few miles from the farm:
“At the farm in 1881 was a Philip John aged 64, farmer of 140 acres, his wife Catherine and farm servants with Welsh surnames.”

Stembridge in the Parish of Llysworney
Transcript of name listing for Cowbridge, and neighbouring parishes from Commercial and Trade Directories, for the years:-

1880
(Slaters Directory)

Population

The Population of Stembridge was as follows, and a more detailed breakdown is below.

1841 – 7
1851 – 8
1861 – 10
1871 – 7
1881 – 7
1891 – 6

 

Population Statistics for Stembridge

Area, Houses and Population

Census Year Area in Statute Acres Houses Population

 

 


SOMERSET County, southern WALES

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Articles that include Stembridges

The Western Speller by John A. Stembridge
Stembridge’s “The Western Speller” appeared in 1854. This book was compiled by John A. Stembridge, who was born in Muhlenberg in 1813 and died in Greenville in 1872. He was the only son of William Stembridge. His wife was a daughter of Larkin N. Akers. Their son, William junior, died in early manhood. Their two daughters removed to Evansville, Indiana, about 1875, and were connected with the public schools of that city for more than thirty years. John A. Stembridge, like his father, was a schoolteacher.
“The Western Speller” was written in Greenville in 1852 and published in 1854 by J. W. Boswell, of Hebardsville, Henderson County. The printing was done by Hull & Brothers and the binding by Hull Brothers & Caril, of Louisville. The “Preface” and “Recommendations” are here quoted in full:
Preface.
We live in an age of improvement, and as there have been improvements made on almost all theories, the author of this work thought that there could be an improvement made on the Spelling Books that are published by various authors. He had two reasons for writing this Book. The first reason, he saw some defects in all the various spellers. The most important reason was his ill health–not being able, for the last three years and a half, to labor. He came to the conclusion to write a Spelling Book on a new plan, which he has done, hoping that a generous public would examine it, and give his book the preference, as he knows of no other tribunal that would judge more correctly. With these remarks he submits it to the same.
Greenville, Ky., August, 1852.
The Author.
Recommendations.
We have examined the spelling book compiled by Mr. John A. Stembridge, and consider it a valuable book. It contains a great variety of the most useful words, disposed in such order as will much facilitate the learner’s progress in spelling and pronunciation. A large number of proper and Geographical names are appended. We think it an elementary book worthy of the attention of parents and Teachers.
Greenville, Ky., August, 1852.
Rev. John Donaldson, Principal Greenville Presbyterial Academy, Ky.
S. P. Love, Teacher Common Schools, Greenville, Ky.
B. E. Pittman, Common School Commissioner, Greenville, Ky.
Chas. F. Wing, Clerk Muhlenberg Circuit Court.
Wm. H. C. Wing, Clerk County Court.
A. C. DeWitt, See. Louisville Annual Con. M. E. C. South.
W. H. Yost.
Jonathan Short.
Joseph Ricketts.
Jesse H. Reno, P. J.
Edward Rumsey.


Thu, 8 Nov 2001
Hello there
I haven’t found a kinship between the Webbs and Stembridges, yet, other than as neighbors. It has been in just the last few days that I discovered my relation to the Webbs in Crawford County. In response to a query I posted on the Wood Co., TX list I was contacted by a descendant of the Nichols family from Crawford Co. She gave me a lead and after researching census records
I found my family–Burtis Webb–there. When I contacted her about my finding asking for more information she sent me a wonderful excerpt from the 1932 Dallas Morning News.
Diana Ware(The following article, written by W. S. Adair, was copied from the Dallas Morning News for Sunday, December 11, 1932. It appeared under the title “Early Days in Texas”)”We had the real thing of hard times in the South for several years after the war,” said J. W. Bryant, 1320 Grigsby Avenue. “The war left practically all the Southern states in the condition General Sherman boasted of having left the Shenandoah Valley — so forlorn of vegetation and animal life that a crow flying over it had to take its rations with it. The fence rails had all been burned at Federal campfires, the fields were grown up with sassafras bushes, farm animals and tools and implements had been destroyed, neither garden nor field seeds were to be had, and worst of all, there was nothing in the way of money but the worthless Confederate bills which flooded the land. That was the condition of things in our neighborhood in Georgia, and our locality was a fair sample of what the people was up against in every other part of the once almost fairyland of Dixie. Still the people somehow managed to live, but they gradually gave it up, and as each head of a family abandoned hope, he gathered up what few belongings he had, and set out for Texas, where he was assured there was at least plenty to eat. We stuck it out until 1872, in December of that year my father, W. H. Bryant, and some of our neighbors met, canvassed the situation and decided that they could not make matters worse by any sort of move. A few weeks later a party made up of our family and the families of Daniel Nichols, Ben Nichols, Sam Bundrick, Burtis Webb, Henry Stembridge and William Chapman, assembled at the railroad station, went through a tearful parting from relatives and life-long friends and boarded an emigrant car for New Orleans. Emigrant cars, built especially for hauling the poor people of the South to Texas, were equipped with all the inconveniences of the day, and always so crowded as to aggravate to the limit their numerous other horrifying drawbacks. Each family brought along in a basket, food for the journey, and they ate and slept on the hard plank seats of the cars, which, you may well believe, were not in the best sanitary condition after a few days out. At New Orleans we transferred to the steamer Economist, bound for Shreveport. The Red River had more sandbars than water in it and we were seventeen days rounding our way to our destination. At Shreveport our party separated, to go to friends or relatives, who had preceded them to Texas, and most of them I have never seen since. Our family, consisting of father and mother and six of us children, traveled by rail as far as Longview, then the end of the railroad. From there we went to the home of Joe Webb, an old schoolmate of father’s, in Wood County, near the present site of the town of Hawkins. In the oldest fields of East Texas the stumps had rotted and mingled with the soil, but there were still extensive tracts of woods in both Wood and Upshur Counties and plenty of game. Father, who was an old deer hunter, killed a deer every day while we remained with Mr. Webb. One day he killed two and brought them both to the house on his shoulders. We finally settled near old Starrville, sixteen miles northeast of Tyler. The International-Great Northern Railroad bad been completed to Tyler the year before and the Tyler Tap, a line from Tyler to Big Sandy, also was in operation. Tyler was a flourishing town of 5,000 or 6,000 population and even dreamed of becoming the jobbing center of all north and northeast Texas. Starrville, older than Tyler, had never had a population of more than a few hundred and was already going down in favor of Tyler. The site for Starrville had been donated by Joshua Starr, an early settler, who made the donation with the stipulation that if the place tolerated a saloon the land was to revert to him or his heirs. The result was that Starrville was the only town in the country where a man could not get a drink. When the Cotton Belt Railroad came along and built a station at Winona, four miles away, and got a post office, Starrville died a natural death. We were not long in discovering that we had not left all the hardships of life in Georgia. East Texas was reeking with malaria and it was quite the custom for everyone to throw a chill every other day. It is the peculiarity of their malady for the victim to think while he is wrestling with a chill that he cannot possibly survive it, and to feel the very next day that he never was in better case in his life. I never heard of anyone dying while doing a chill. On the contrary, that is the time when all of one’s energies are up, trying to throw off the poison, and life is at its height. But in time the people became largely immune against malaria, as they did against smallpox and yellow fever. The first year we were in Smith County father borrowed corn to go to mill with and paid it back in kind when his crop matured in the fall. Cotton was the chief crop in East Texas in those days, with a little corn, wheat and oats mostly for home use. The cattle, horses, and hogs looked out for themselves on the open range. The oak woods were full of wild hogs and almost every settler had a claim on them just as he had on the deer and bears and every man with the necessary energy had a full smokehouse. The canebrakes along the rivers and creeks afforded ample winter pasture for grazing animals. Before the public school system was established we had only private schools, and every teacher was his own textbook board and he taught all the grades himself and in one room. The advantage of this was that everyone in the room got to hear all the recitations and that bright pupils in the lower grades made the higher ones by anticipation. Going to school in those days was not what it seems to me to be now. It was a matter of amusement and entertainment and something of a fad and dress affair. The pupil was required to put in seven or eight hours at hard study. When he set out in the morning he dreaded what the day had in store for him as much as if he were going to pick cotton or chop wood, and that was why he looked so serious and why I still have in my mind’s eye such vivid portraits of my teachers at Starrville, Professor George Birdwell and Professor Gathwright. I moved to Hill County in 1892, lived there seven years and came to Dallas in 1899. I have been a member of the Dallas police force twenty-six years, with the rank of sergeant thirteen years.- – – – – – – – – – – End of quote – – – – – – – – – – -47

Lillie Ruby (descendant of Nichols family–yes, all those Nichols in Crawford are kin to me——at least all I know of.)
(Ben Nichols was the son of James Nichols. Daniel Nichols was the son of Vincent Nichols and a nephew of Ben Nichols)

Posted in Genealogy | 3 Comments

Stembridge Mill

a collection of photographs

the above photographs of Stembridge Mill were taken in July 2004 by Ms. Margaret Mounce, who is the Assistant to Property Manager at the Montacute House in South Somerset which is owned by the National Trust (which owns the Stembridge Mill as well!)

Photo from The Donald W. Muggeridge Collection of Mill Photographs Date of Photograph: 23/07/38

Stembridge Mill – the last remaining thatched windmill in England.

Dating from 1822 and in use until 1910, the mill is prominently situated overlooking the Somerset Levels.

Photo (left) Credit: National Trust Photographic Library/Andy Williams

Photo Right from here:

STEMBRIDGE TOWER MILL
High Ham(TA10 9DJ),Somerset
Tel:01458 250818

WINDMILL
This is Stembridge Mill at High Ham, Somerset, England. (Since I took this photograph, the sails have been painted black.)

Photo by Jeremy Palmer

Photo by Tony Howell

photo by Mark Berry

Postcard and drawing from Windmill World


This is just a collection of images found throughout the internet; I have tried to credit each image properly; please contact me if I need to update, or remove any photograph.

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Stembridge Wills

Abstract of Will of John Stembridge of Lunenburg Co., VA Recorded: 18 Oct 1830

In the name of God amen, I John Stembridge of the county of Lunenburg & state of Va…

1st Just debts be paid…

Item My son James Stembridge my tract of land lying in the county of Mecklenburg which my son John Stembridge died seized of.

Item My son Baker Stembridge and my daughter America Slaughter to them & their heirs one negro woman named Ron [or Ren] with all her increase to be equally divided between them also I give unto them one dollar each.

Item I give unto my daughter Sally Stembridge & to her heirs forever my tract of land lying in the county of Hancock state of Georgia which my son John Stembridge died seized of.

Item It is my will and desire that all the rest of my estate both real & personal (not heretofore bequeathed) at my death to be equally divided between my following mentioned children To wit: Betty Townsand?, James Stembridge, Lucy Smith, Polly Roberts and William Stembridge.

Lastly I nominate & appoint my son James Stembridge Exec. to this my last will and testament.

Witnesses: [sig] John [his mark] Stembridge
John S Jeffers [or John L Jeffers?]
Lattney M. Gregory
Drury A. Harris

At a Court held for Mecklenburg County on the 19th day of July 1830 The foregoing last will and testament of John Stembridge decd was this day produced into Court & proved by the oaths of the subscribing witnesses thereto & Ordered to be recorded and at another court held for said county on the 18th day of October 1830 James Stembridge the Executor therein named appeared in court and refused to take upon himself the burden of the execution thereof and on motion of John S. Jeffries who made oath thereto and together with Thomas B. Puryear and John G. Baptist his securities entered to and acknowledge their bond in the penalty of $6000. conditioned according to Law certificate is
granted him for obtaining letter of administration with the will on record in due form. E. L. Tabb

I believe the above John Stembridge who died before his father was the John Stembridge who married in 1802 to Sally Graves. He appears to have lived in the same neighborhood in which our Graves families lived in Mecklenburg as did his brother James Stembridge. I believe that Sally Graves was a daughter of Thomas and Sarah Graves and that she was deceased without issue by the time her father’s will was made.

Does anyone have information on this family ?
Posted by Susan Crawforn on Ancestry.net
Date: 22 Jun 2003

Posted in Genealogy | 28 Comments

Stembridge Letters

– notes I’ve received from Stembridges all around the world…

From: Margaret Mounce
from Southern Wales
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004
David hi,

I took the pics, a couple of months ago, it’s a really pretty place.
Stembridge is a village in Somerset aboout 25 miles inland from the sea (ocean) honestly don’t know the history of the village but it is on what we call the’levels’. Theseup to the middle of the lastcentury (20th) would flood regularly from the seain the winter and become islands. The area is very flat with knolls (hills) dotted around

A lot are named ….something…followed by bridge, often the name of a river but I don’t think there is a river called Stem.
I don’t think the village was named after a person either.
I’ll try to find out more about the village and let you know.
Only know the airport at Atl. having friends in Tn.never been to Augusta but David
(my husband) and I play golf so see it on TV.
Take care.
Kind regards,
Margaret

From: Harvey Stembridge
from the Isle of Man
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004

Hi David.

Yep, that family is mine.
The site was hosted on a freeserver which disappeared one day along with the web site!! The family consists of the following

Ben Oliver (son) born in the Isle of Man 11/01/1987 (works in a lumber yard, lives at home) Holly Selena (daughter) born in the Isle of Man 7/6/1985 (works in a bank, lives at home) Belinda Suzanne (wife) nee Craine born in Birmingham (No not Alabama!!!)26/07/1958 works in Ship management
Simon Harvey (Me)born in Birmingham (also not Alabama) 10/03/1958 works
as a bit of shark buys/sells.

My Mum is Syvia Margaret Noble and was born in the Island 5/6/1932 My Dad is no longer with us and was Stuart Harold Roger Stembridge born Edgbaston (birmingham)26/04/1906
His Father was Harold Harvey He was a Stockbroker
His Father was George Edward and he was editor of the Sheffield dailyTelegraph His father was (I have this all written down somewhere but I cant lay my hands on it)

Anyways

My family originates from Bridport Dorset, which seeing as You are in Georgia I`m guessing so does yours, and that we are long distant cousins. So far as I can tell there were the three brothers who went to Virginia and there was 1 who stayed put and moved from Bridport up country to Sheffield in Yorkshire and that was my Fathers Great Grandfather.

If I remember or find where I put the info I will let you have the
missing guy who is the brother who stayed in the UK.

Hope this helps you.

All the best from the cold,wet, Isle of Man

Regards.

Harvey Stembridge

From:

Thomas Stembridge
from Plymouth, England
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004

Hi David,

My name is Thomas Stembridge, from a Stembridge family living in plymouth, england and I thought i’d send you a mail.

Yourpage is fantastic andoffers some great infoof thehistory of the name. My dad, Peter Stembridge, is from salford manchester and his father was called Evan Stembridge. My mother was born in scotland and i have two brothers called Martyn and Mark.

Mark has recently become a father and added the latest addition, William Stembridge.

I hope this bit of info is helpful to you in any way and i hope to hear from you soon,

Thomas.

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Stembridge Land Deeds

As far as I know there are physical copies of the land deeds at the court house in Hancock Co., Ga.  GA GENWEb page  will have Hancock County information.

The following information is from “Land Deed Genealogy of Hancock County, Georgia”, abstracted & compiled by Helen & Tim Marsh.  Greenville, SC:  Southern Historical Press.  c1997.

Land Deed Genealogy…page 112.
“Page 449:  3rd December 1796,  Osborn Brewer of Hancock County to John Stembridge of same place for the sum of thirty pounds sterling for a tract of land in Hancock County containing one hundred acres lying on the waters of Log Dam Creek of the Oconee River adjoining Matthew Hawkins’ line and Roberson’s pine corner and by Hinson and Roberson’s.  Signed by Ozburn Brewer.  Wit:  R. Greene, Tully Choice and John Smith.  Rawleigh Green, witness” Hancock Co., Ga.  Deed Book B (1794-1798)

Page 259. “Page 207:  5th June 1801.  Andrew Borland of Hancock County to William Stembrige of same place for the sum of one hundred dollars for a tract of land in Hancock County on the waters of Buffalo Creek, containing eighty seven and a half acres, being a part of a tract of two hundred eighty seven and a half acres granted to said Andrew Borland on 16th November 1791. Wit:  Leo Abercrombie and Jno. Wm. Devereauz, J. P.  Reg:  15th 1801.” Hancock County Deed Book E (1798-1802)

Page 168. “Pages 321-322:  28th February 1798,  Jesse Warrren of Hancock County, Georgia to John Stenbridge of same place for sum of four hundred dollars for a tract of land in Hancock County, GA on Log Dam Creek and joining Harthorn’s line and Mattlock’s Land.  Containing 189 1/2 acres.  Wit:  Rawleigh Green, Martha Grteene and Jeremiah Warren.  REg:  25th April 1800”.  Hancock Co. Deed Book C (1798-1800)

from:Mary Ann Willoughby

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Stembridges in the Military

USAREUR Public Affairs
July 21, 2003

V Corps engineers patrol river
in Saddam’s hometown

Story and photos by Jayme Loppnow, 130th Engineer Brigade Public Affairs

Pfc. Laura Stembridge of V Corps 502nd Engineer Company, 565th Engineer Battalion, keeps a close eye on the banks of the Tigris River in Tikrit. The company has run round-the-clock river patrols since the battalion’s arrival in Saddam Husseins hometown in April.

TIKRIT, Iraq — While combat has wound down in Iraq, the threat to soldiers in this unstable nation is still very real. Which is why V Corpss 502nd Engineer Company, 565th Engineer Battalion, continues to patrol the Tigris River here in the hometown of Saddam Hussein.

The company, along with the 814th Eng. Co. from Fort Polk, La., patrols the river 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to keep the approximately 2,000 soldiers deployed to Camp Iron Horse safe from enemy attacks along the river.

Recent attacks on a 556-meter floating bridge near the 565th headquarters, which was built as a temporary replacement for a bomb-damaged fixed bridge, make patrolling the river a vital mission for the 502nd. To add to the irony of having U.S. soldiers on patrol here, the bridge was constructed by the battalion April 28 — Saddams birthday — and was named the Birthday Bridge.

The 502nd patrols the area 2 kilometers north of the bridge and the 814th patrols the waters to the south.

In the grand scheme of things I think its more of a presence for us, being on the river and showing that we have control of the area, said Lt. Col. Richard Hornack, the former commander of the 565th. Weve done over 1,000 patrols, but weve never detained anybody. Weve never confiscated any contraband or anything like that. But its because we are doing river patrols 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Soldiers of V Corps 502nd Engineer Company, 565th Engineer Battalion, patrol the Tigris River in Tikrit, Iraq 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

When they hear our motors, hopefully that will deter them from anything, said 2nd Lt. Sharon Edens.

The soldiers look for signs of enemy activity, such as loud music at odd hours, and flares, which can pinpoint the locations of troops, said Edens.

The routes and times of the patrols vary to eliminate any predictability.

We dont do the same thing twice, said Hornack. We dont want to become predictable, because as soon as you do, the enemy will track you down and plan an ambush.

Each boat carries an operator, a crew chief, and two soldiers for security, along with an AT-4 antitank weapon, an M-249 5.5-mm machine gun and three M-16 assault rifles.

Pvt.2 Joshua Gauthier, who is part of the patrol team, says the mission is necessary for the safety of the soldiers deployed to the camp.

Due to the recent mortar attacks, the patrols make all the difference, he said.

The 502nd will continue the river patrols for now, said Hornack.
Well do it as long as we here, he said.

Posted in Genealogy, history | 2 Comments

2003 Homeschool Memories


The kids preparing Easter Eggs! (April 03)

Papa Ransol Hebert gives a “geology” lesson with rocks from Stone Mountain! (Sep 16, 2002)

Ian helping Mom cook (Sep 2, 2002) – and our brand new dishwasher – yes, the mechanical one broke!

Ian builds a butterfly box at Home Depot.(Sep 9, 2002)

 
Chelsea and Dylan working on an Art Project (together!) This is a videotape study by Donna Hugh. (August 2002)

     

Chelsea working on homework (Feb 2002) Dylan’s report on Hawaii (Feb 2002)

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Marion Wesley Stembridge

Marion Stembridge was a respected as a grocery store owner, but he made his real money by being a banker and a loan shark. He had made almost a million dollars off of forcing poor people to pay outrageous sums of money in interest on loans. Stembridge had mental instability and hyper active behavior. His mother was forced to send him to Central State several times. According to local rumors that were going around, he only married his wife because she was a math teacher at Georgia College and could keep his accounts, but many doubted this because Stembridge could add numbers in his head in no time at all and rarely made mistakes. He supposedly abandoned her and moved into the Baldwin Hotel, but he gave the boarding house he owned to his wife. Whatever really happened, he rented the entire top floor of the Baldwin Hotel and had heavy duty locks replace the originals and kept the only set of keys to himself.

In 1949, a black man named John Cooper had had enough with Stembridge’s outrageous interests rates and dropped off a black, slick sedan at his store. He attached a message that read “You can have this pile of steel for my note.” Stembridge was 61 and was extremely angry with John Cooper’s act. He grabbed his .38 caliber revolver and headed toward Cooper’s home in Shantytown. He took along with him Sam Terry, one of his employees, so he could act as a witness on his behalf just in case anyone saw him. They found him, grabbed him by the T-shirt, and beat him with brass knuckles. Two women came out and tried unsuccessfully to get them off their friend, so Stembridge drew out his .38 caliber revolver and shot wildly wounding both women.

Fleeing for their lives the men made up a story that, in their minds, justified the crime. Terry pleaded that Cooper cursed at them and one of the women pulled out a pistol. Stembridge continued by saying it was plainly self defense. No weapon was found on either one of the ladies. Sam and Marion were accused of murder when one of the women, Emma Johnekin, died in the Richard Binion Clinic. Stembridge was sentenced to 1-3 years of prison. Stembridge appealed the case thinking that he shouldn’t have to spend anytime in jail, and he was freed on bond. Marion hired three attorneys for the case. One was Marion Ennis, a young lawyer, district attorney, and state senator. The other two were Frank Evans and Jimmy Watts. Ennis was uneasy about the case and dropped out. The appeal lasted two days and it was proven without a doubt that the bullet that had killed Emma Johnekin was from Stembridge’s gun. A 12 man jury labeled him guilty of manslaughter, but Stembridge didn’t give up. He appealed to the Georgia courts then to the Supreme Court of the United States. He was then freed because they said he was accused on a prejudiced testimony. Sam Terry had been to court and neither man served time for the crime. Many felt that Stembridge would never be punished because the crime he committed was against blacks.

While Marion Stembridge became richer, Marion Ennis became more and more uneasy about Stembridge not serving anytime in jail. Stembridge had very good political connections and Ennis couldn’t rouse a retrial, so he asked help from Stephen T. “Pete” Bivins. At about this time the Internal Revenue Service discovered that Stembridge had not paid his federal taxes in over 10 years. Two agents went over and Marion fixed them with his famous cold-blooded stare that was said to be able to put a hole right through you. He hesitated and then coolly offered them $10,000 to forget the case, but instead on April 28, 1953, he was convicted of bribery and was ordered to appear for sentencing in a week. The people started gossiping and said that Bivins had turned Stembridge in to the IRS. Bivins and Ennis continued to work on the old manslaughter case until they found evidence of perjury.

May 3, 1953, was the 150th anniversary of the founding of Milledgeville being state capital. This was the first big celebration in Milledgeville. Marion Stembridge, however, wasn’t celebrating. It was two days till he would be sentenced and he knew the judge would send him to prison. As he walked up the stairs from the store cellar, he whistled, nodded to his clerk, and pretended to go invite his mother to go the parade with him. He didn’t go to his mother’s home, but he went to the office of Marion Ennis. Ennis was shocked to see him and without the slightest hint, Marion pulled out his .38 caliber revolver and shot Ennis three times in the shoulder and chest. Ennis died leaving a widow and two young children.

Stembridge hurriedly walked down to Hancock Street and went to the second floor of the Stanford building to the office of the other attorney Pete Bivins. Stembridge again pulled out his gun and fired once hitting him in the chest. Bivins, who was 27, was able to pull out his pistol, but hadn’t the strength to fire it and died. Stembridge then put the pistol in his own mouth and fired, ending his own life along with the two others he had killed.

Peter Dexter wrote Paris Trout, a fictional account based on the Stembridge case, in 1988. It won the National Book Award and was made into a movie in 1991. Residents of the boarding house have reported hearing strange noises in Stembridge’s bedroom. Many believe he is still residing there in spirit.

Reference: Duffey, Barbara. True Ghost Stories of Georgia

Posted in Genealogy, history, Marion Wesley Stembridge | 18 Comments

Stembridge Road, Baldwin Co. Georgia

From:Roger W. Stembridge, Jr.. June 14, 1999

Stembridge road was also engineered by my father,
Roger W. Stembridge, Sr. Daddy was a West Point Graduate, fought in W.W.I and W.W.II. He engineered the road about the start of W.W.II so I am told. Daddy was the resident Engineer at old Milledgevile State Hospital until his death, September 28, 1960. His wife, Mildred Cox Stembridge lived until May 4, 1995. For the longest Stembridge Road was called the Lower Sandersville Road, and in the 1970’s it was changed to
Stembridge Road to honor my father.


From: David Stembridge
February 2, 1999When my Dad moved back to georgia, and bought a house down in Hancock Co., He began finding links to our past. One of the many net finds is Stembridge Rd, in Baldwin Co. This was once a driveway to the Stembridge Farm. The farm property is still owned by cousin Roger Stembridge, the house burned burn within the last 10 years or so. My dad’s paternal Grandmother (my Great-Grandmother), Clara I’Della Stembridge is buried on the farm. She has a stained glass window dedicated to her at the Milledgeville United Methodist Church. Stembridge Rd. is about 7 1/2 miles long, a number of people live on the Road.


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Old Devereaux, Ga

Monday 2/2/99
from: David Stembridge

In East Hancock Co., there is a town that has declined in population through the years. There once were several Hotels, 3 Doctors, a Cotton Mill, and many other businesses. Devereaux still has an active church community, and lively farming community. My Father, Roger Stembridge is an active member of Devereaux United Methodist Church. I attended there in late January with my son Dylan. Even with the declining population, this is still a community of God!



Devereaux, Ga (former town square)


Old Cotton Mill


Old Abandoned business in the town center area


Gas Pump overgrown with weeds

One of the many older unique-styled abandoned homes in Devereaux

Posted in Genealogy | 57 Comments

Stembridge Finds and Folklore

Updated on January 17, 2018.
from: David Stembridge

I added some additional information about Sylvan Hill that I found in John Rozier’s book. Please scroll down!

April 18, 1999
from: Dr. Roger E. Stembridge

Yesterday afternoon, we went over to Sylvan Hill with Mary Franklyn Garrard and Jewel Thompson, whom went with me earlier to show the location of Sylvan Hill, and Frederick Arnold, also in his late 80s.
Fred had told Jewel that the location of Sylvan Hill was not where she thought it was because the road had been changed years ago. He showed us where the old road ran and we walked back through the property that he says is the location of Sylvan Hill. We did not find much because the land has been cultivated and there are pines planted there now. We did find several stacks of rock rubble and a few other indications of foundation stones. He also said that there was a brick factory on the property and that he has a few of the bricks that were made there.
It looks that we are back to square one about Sylvan Hill though. There is one other person, over 90, that I will talk to. He is supposed to know a lot about that area too.
We also went to a cemetary that had Carolyn’s great grandfather and grandmother. She had never known where they were buried. It was in a remote area and had not been kept up. She had died in 1915 and his marker did not have a death date engraved.

January 11, 1999
from: Dr. Roger E. Stembridge

Sunday afternoon, I found the place where our ancestors settled in Hancock County, a place called Sylvan Hill. Old maps spell it as Sylvian Hill. It is located only a few miles from my house, however, driving to it is about 10 or more miles. It is located on a high ridge and there are remnants of rock foundations and chimneys there. Some years, maybe decades, ago the property was sold to a pulpwood company and their procedures in such purchases is to demolish all structures, for tax purposes. Several older people I have met remember the old house that was there. It is unlikely that it is a carryover from the late 1700s / early 1800s, however, it is possible. It was awesome to walk on the ground once walked upon by our ancestors

 

Maps from http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/hancockcopn.htm

January 28, 1999
from:David Stembridge

This past weekend, Dad took me up to Sylvan Hill.
I wandered back and found the remnants of the structures he mentioned. It really gave me a feeling of awe.

SYLVAN HILL
West of Devereux

From John Rozier’s book “The Houses of Hancock: 1785-1865

“Sylvan Hill described an area near Devereux that became a prosperous farming section in Hancock County. Around Log Dam and Sandy Run creeks settled Hancock’s earliest families: the Roes, Harpers, Clay tons, Warrens, and Simmonses, including John Roe and Thomas Clayton Jr. The pattern of the Clayton family migrations is familiar: down the east coast from Maryland to North Carolina to Georgia and then to the old South-West, Alabama and beyond. Thomas Clayton Jr. (1790-1834) accompanied his father to Hancock County in 1804. The elder Clayton was a carpenter and a shrewd assembler of land. Georgia, with its system of land grants, was a good place to be. The father moved on in a few years to fresher lands, but Thomas remained and amassed a sizable holding of his own. In 1825 he owned more than 700 acres on Sandy Run Creek and nearly 500 acres in Rabun County in the North Georgia mountains. He was a captain of the local militia, and his district became known as Captain Clayton’s. Clayton married Susan Heath Bonner in 1813, and they had six children including Sarah Rawls Clayton. Sarah Clayton married Colonel Thomas Mickleberry (sometimes spelled Micklebury) Turner in 1837 and was for much of her long life the mistress of the Sayre-Turner-Shivers House in Sparta. In the 1980s the ancestral Turners joined their kin in Alabama. Forrest Shivers, a great-grandson, inherited their portraits, and they now hang in his house in Opelika, which was moved to Okelika from its original site in Hancock County. The Turner portraits appear in Early Georgia Portraits. The Clayton house may have been called Sylvan Hill at one time. The name appears to have been applied both to the district and to Captain Clayton’s house. William G. Bonner’s 1847 Georgia map shows a plantation named Sylvan Hill in the approximate location of the Clayton house. Several Hancock plantations are shown on the map, each marked with a dot and an appropriate name. Captain Clayton died in 1834 and was buried on his farm. By 1839 his widow had sold the homestead and moved to Alabama. A descendant, Margaret Clayton Russell, published a book about the family in 1993′. A relative had tracked down the Clayton house in 1948 with the aid of Devereux’s historian, Lora West. At that time the house was described as “ready to fall down.” Outside walls and two chimneys were standing, but the roof was gone. The front steps to a small porch and the front door also were missing. A large wainscotted room on the left with “lovely woodwork” impressed the visiting relative. On the right were two smaller rooms. Chimneys indicated fireplaces in the larger rooms. At the back of the house the outline of another room appeared. At least three rooms were upstairs, and possibly another to the right of the porch. Despite many visits beginning in 198r, Margaret Clayton Russell, a meticulous scholar and archeologist, had some reservations about the site that was pointed out to her as the location of the Clayton house. She had expected it to be a little closer to the ford on Sandy Run Creek instead of on Log Dam Creek, but she later concluded that it was the proper site. She first saw the spot 33 years after a relative described the house as “ready to fall.” By that time only traces remained of an old house site, about 3 5 by 4 5 feet. The chimneys had fallen long ago. The bricks, “irregular and obviously hand made,” were similar to the bricks at the nearby grave site of Thomas Clayton. She found a few remnants of heart pine boards with rusted square nails still in them. “Big old cedars, rose bushes, osage oranges and brambles covered what had been the front yard.” Examining her sketch of the ruins, Russell became convinced that the Clayton house was similar to the John Roe House, which was originally right at the ford at Sandy Run. “I don’t think the Clayton House was half-timbered (though it could have been) but the floor plan had a ‘big room’ and a couple of small rooms just inside the entrance and it had fancy wainscotting in the big room. I just get the feeling the house was a ‘hall’ type house, not Greek Revival and not a rough frontier house.” Like many Hancock County families, several of the Clay tons moved on to Alabama, where they produced a governor, a congressman, a general, and a university president.” (Rozier, 1999)

SOURCES
“This material comes from Margaret Clayton Russell’s book James Clayton of North Carolina. Some pages give insight into education for privileged young women in the cotton South in the early 19th century. When’ Thomas Clayton’s daughter Sarah was ten she attended school for two years at the Farmers Academy near Devereux. After her father died she and her sister Elizabeth studied at Sereno Taylor’s Sparta Model School and boarded with the Gideon Holseys. In 1835 they transferred to South Carolina Female Collegiate Institute near Colunlbia, South Carolina. In letters to the author, 12 and 23 February 1995, Margaret Russell explained the conclusions she had reached about the house.” (Rozier, 1999)

SYLVAN HILL HOTEL
Mineral Spring
“After the Civil War a hotel was opened in the Sylvan Hill area to accommodate people who came to the mineral springs. The Sparta Times and Planter announced the opening date as 4 July 1870. Dr. T. J. Jones and Dr. H. L. Alfriend endorsed the medicinal values of “this fine water.” The opening was to feature a barbecue and West’s band to entertain the crowd (Times and Planter, as quoted by ERT [Eloise Rozier Turner] in her column in the Ishmaelite, 2 June 1955).” (Rozier, 1999)

Rozier, J. (1999). The houses of Hancock, 1785-1865. Georgia: J. Rozier.

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