Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Way back Wednesday: Great Great Grandparents
Since last week I wrote on my great Grandmother, this week I thought I'd write on her parents. Erasmus Augustus Ennis and Emma Middleton Haygood. He was born in Baldwin County, Georgia on June 16, 1850, son of Pleasant Pleatus Acurion Oran Ennis, wow what a name, and Evaline F. Minor. The Ennises of Baldwin County are of Scotch-Irish descent. The first to comeover were from Scotland and settled in North Carolina. E. Nathaniel Ennis came from North Carolina and settled in Hancock County, Georgia, about 1775. He hadone son by his first marriage, Charles Ennis, who was Erasmus's grandfather. He was born in 1800. He married young and settled in East Baldwin, about seven miles from Milledgeville, in about 1818. He became a good farmer, operated a saw mill, grist mill, and gin, and served Baldwin County for twenty years as sheriff. Ennis. Sheriff Charles Ennis died in 1873 when Erasmus was 23. When Erasmus was 24 and Emma was almost 10, they met at Emma's sister's wedding. Her sister Elizabeth (Betty) Haygood was getting married to Captain P. Theodocius Ennis, who was Erasmus's brother. She was almost 10 years old and she cried to a young Erasmus that she was sposed to marry him Theodocius. Erasmus laughed at her and told her she was too young to get married but to wait till she was older and he would marry her. And sure enough about 8 years later he did. Erasmus Augustus married Emma Middleton Haygood on Nov. 9, 1882. She was 18 and he was 32. Emma Middleton Haygood was born Oct. 8, 1864 in Washington County, Georgia. She was the daughter of William Middleton Haygood and Edna Agnes Prosser. They say she was a strong willed woman and good to her word. An interesting story that was told about her when she was a baby was. Her father died the year she was born in the Civil War. The family was raided by soldiers during Sherman's march. This was the time southerner's were hiding all their valuable's. Emma's mother had sewed a special baby pillow and hid all the valueable's in little baby Emma's pillow. Luckily when the soldiers searched, when they went to check her babybed, mother Edna picked baby up with pillow and they never found the family valuables. Seems there were many stories of gold and valuables lost during Sherman's march. Erasmus Ennis's family actually hid their valuables in a cave, and as the story goes. Erasmus would wake his children up at times and ask them to go gold hunting with them in the caves. Which was never found. Erasmus Ennis bought the Ennis homestead from his mother-in law's and Haygood family. This is a copy of a newspaper article in the Atlanta Constitution on Dec 11, 1910 which I find interesting: Sixteen living children, ranging from two years to twenty-seven yearsold. Nine grandchildren and this in twenty-eight years of marriedlife.That is the unique distinction enjoyed by Mr. and Mrs. Erasmus A.Ennis , of Deepstep, Ga., in Washington County, just across the lineof Baldwin.The picture of this interesting family which appears on this page ofthe Constitution was taken at a family reunion held at the home ofMr. Ennis, last summer. It shows the father, the mother and thesixteen children, ten boys and six girls, bur none of thegrandchildren.While Mr. Ennis' home is in Washington County, he is virtually acitizen of Baldwin, as his business dealings are all inMilledgeville. he is a native of this county, having been born atthe old Ennis homestead, In East Baldwin, sixty years ago.The Ennis name has been prominent in Baldwin for over one hundredyears, and there is today a large family connection in this countyand in W ashnigton County. Mr. Ennis' father was P. M. Ennis. Inhis day a substantial farmer and respected citizen of Baldwin. He isa brother of the late Captain C. W. Ennis, of this city, for yearssheriff of the county. Captain J. Howard Ennis, the popularcommander of the Baldwin Blues, and manager of the Farmers'UnionWarehouse, in this city, is his nephew.Mrs. Ennis also belonged to family well known in this part ofGeorgia. Before her marriage she was Miss Emma Middleton Haygood.She is fourty-six years of age and is living today on the oldhomestead, which has been in the family for several generations. Itis only eight miles from the birthplace of her husband.Like his father before him, Mr. Ennis is a farmer, and a good one.In the homely but expressive phrase of the countryside, he "lives athome and boards in the same place." His conrcrib and smokehouse areon his own premises--not in Chicago. While a man of in telligence,energy and thrift, he is a plain Georgia farmer--modest, reserved andunassuming. He belongs to that class of yeomanry that has givenstability and substantiality to Georgia citizenship.All Children LivingOf the sixteen children born to these sturdy Georgia parents all areliving. Four, three girls and one boy, have flitted out from thehome nest and made homes for themselves, where they are rearingfamilies of their own. Two others of the boys, though unmarried,have left the parental roof to make their way in the world. Thisleaves ten children, quite a respectable family circle, still underthe roof-tree. The home-life of this middle Georgia family isexceptionally contented and happy. The children are all strong,active, intelligent and devoted to their parents. When not inschool, they employ themselves industriously on the farm and in thevaried domestic duties of a thrifty country home.Mr. and Mrs. Ennis are proud of their large and fine flock. They arelaying out their strength to rear each one in such way as to become auseful member of society: and in this noble endeavor they aresucceeding. Their home is a busy hive of industry and the scene ofstrong, conugal and fillial affection. Georgia needs more just such families. The states future is assuredso long as healthy scions in generous proportions are thus growing.into vigorous manhood and womanhood under her parents roof-tree. Erasmus died Jan 11, 1926, and his wife died on died on April 4, 1945. They had 68 grandchildren. I always thought he looked like Santa Clause. The picture on the far right was just me imagining what she would have looked like with her hair down, all the pictures she always had her hair up in a bun, but I've always heard stories about her beautiful black hair. My cousin Judy has sent me many of these wonderful accounts of my family. Thanks Judy
