A Tale of Two Families
The McDonald Family & the McDuffie Family were eventually joined in marriage in America.
Thanks to William N. McDuffie for sending this in

Malcom & Nancy McDonald were married on the 11th of March 1830.
D.J. McDonald and Isabella Johnson were married on the 19th of May 1869, by the Rev. H.G. Hill.
W.R. McDuffie and M.J. McDonald were married on the 30th of November 1871, by the Rev. J.P. McPherson.

Kenneth Alexander, son of Malcom & Nancy McDonald, was born on the 7th of July 1832, & baptized on the 2nd of September 1832.
Donald John, son of Nancy & Malcom McDonald, was born on the 18th of March, and baptized on the 12th of April 1834.
Archibald Neill McDonald, son of Malcom and Nancy McDonald, was born on the 12th of January 1836, and baptized on the 21st of February 1836.
Mary Ann, daughter of Malcom and Nancy McDonald, was born on the 30th of March 1838, and baptized on the 3rd of June 1838, by Daniel McNeill Turner.
Christian Caroline, daughter of Nancy and Malcom McDonald, was born on the 19th of February, and was baptized on the 24th of May 1840.
Catharine, daughter of Nancy and Malcom McDonald, was born on the 18th of December 1841, and was baptized on the 27th of March 1842.
Malcom James, son of Malcom and Nancy McDonald, was born on the 28th of April 1844, and was baptized on the 7th of July following by the Rev. Simeon Colten.
Christopher was born March 17th 1846, and was baptized on the 6th of September following.
John Knox was born January 30th 1848, and was baptized on the 18th of June following.
Margaret Jane was born February 1st 1851, and was baptized on the 15th of June following, by the Rev. Daniel Johnson.
Alexander, son of Malcom and Nancy McDonald, was born February 19th 1855.

Donald McDonald died on the 25th of January 1840, aged 79 years.
Alexander McDonald died on the 27th of June 1855.
Ann McDonald died on the 20th of July 1855, aged 87 years 6 months.
Archibald N. McDonald died Nov.___1861 at Nashville, Tennessee, aged 25 years.
Malcom J. McDonald was killed on Morris Island, near Charleston, S.C., on the night of the 18th of July 1863, aged 19 years, 2 mo. 18 days.
Christopher K. McDonald died on Hart's Island, New York, May 13th 1865.
Kenneth A. McDonald died at Fortress Monroe June 1865.
Christian Caroline McDonald died on the 4th of April 1866, aged 26 years.
Catharine McDonald died on the 1st of July 1869, aged 68 years.
Malcom McDonald died on the 8th of May 1870 in the 74th year of his age.

Margaret Jane, wife of William Robert McDuffie, died Nov. 21, 1880, aged 29 years, 9 months, 21 days.
William Robert McDuffie and Catharine McDonald were married December 14, 1881, by the Rev. David Fairly.
Nancy, wife of Malcom McDonald, died July____1888, aged 84.
Mary Ann McDonald, daughter of Nancy and Malcom, died August___1888.
Catharine, wife of William Robert McDuffie, died June 24, 1905, at Florala, Alabama.
John Knox McDonald died June 2, 1906, at Florala, Alabama.
William Robert McDuffie died at Fort Meade, Florida, October 25, 1925. Buried at Florala, Alabama.
William Robert McDuffie, Jr., died January 9, 1949. Buried at Port Arthur, Texas.

Based on information given to Margaret Jane McDuffie (later Mrs. Frederick J. Hughes) by her aunt and stepmother, Mrs. Catharine McDonald McDuffie (Mrs. William Robert McDuffie). This is being written in March 1949.____

In the year 1802 Donald and Ann McDonald left the Isle of Skye, Scotland, and came to America, settling in Cumberland County, North Carolina, with their four children, namely: Christian, Annie, Katie, and Malcom, the last named being the youngest, aged 6 years, having been born in the Isle of Skye in 1796. He became my grandfather.

Malcom married Nancy McDonald (no relation) in 1830. There were twelve children; the first, a girl, died in birth, and was unnamed, no mention being made of her in the family record. Four of their sons lost their lives in the War Between the States, one of them, Christopher, dying in a military prison on Hart's Island, N.Y. Another, Donald John, died a few years later from the effects of the hardships endured in the Army, probably in 1876.

Malcom McDonald's sister, known in the family as Aunt Katie, did not marry, and spoke very little English, only Gaelic. She died in 1869, aged 68 years.

I never knew my grandfather, Malcom McDonald, as he died a year before my mother was married, but I feel sure that he was a man well worth knowing - a good husband, a good father, a good neighbor, and a good citizen. For forty years he was an elder in the McPherson Presbyterian church, a few miles west of Fayetteville. His parents were probably charter members of this old church, which I think is still active, at least it was in 1898, the last time I visited that part of the state. In his home was the Gaelic Bible and hymn book, brought from Scotland, now lost to the family, although they were there as late as 1888 when my grandmother died. An insight into his character is given by the following: When the news of Abraham Lincoln's death reached him, he said, "The South has lost its best friend." I think it remarkable that he could think so straight so near to that terrible war that had taken four of his sons, brought innumerable privations and losses, and caused him to suffer the indignities of Sherman's ruthless raiders, bent on destroying what they could not use. He possessed only eight slaves, to whom he was doubtless very kind, for, although threatened with death, refused to reveal the hiding place of family treasures. The youngest son, John Knox, only fourteen at that time, had taken the horses and mules to a swamp, where he safely kept them until the danger was past.

My grandmother I did know, as she lived eleven years after I was born. I really knew her only nine years, as at that age we went to Georgia to live, and I never saw her again. It was always a great pleasure to visit Grandma McDonald's. I remember being taken on her lap when I was small, and her singing to me an old Scotch song, (probably a lullaby), the only words of which I recall were something that sounded like "Shool ma rool". At first, she could walk as far as the big hickory tree down the lane, but later she sat in the chimney corner, alternately seeding cotton and reading her Bible. She was gentle and sweet-tempered, never raising her voice. I have never been able to reconcile these gentle Scotch people with the belligerent Scotch that I have read about. Not being satisfied with having twelve children of her own, she took a three-day old baby to raise when the child's mother, a near neighbor, died at the birth of the baby. I was told that she had carried him home on a pillow. I remember that she wore a "tippet", and slept on a corded bed; she would have no other kind...... When we went there to visit, or stay a while, everything seemed different from any other place. I remember the old clock that stood on the mantel, with detachable brass trimmings that had to be polished at intervals. The long pendulums fascinated me, and I thought it had the loudest tick in the world. I remember the old cedar trees, and the crepe myrtle's; the well that was sixty feet deep, and furnished wonderfully cold water; the scuppernong vine that was sixty years old, and had a trunk almost like a tree, and bore the sweetest grapes I have ever tasted. Also the purple Damson plums, the persimmons, the watermelons, the black walnuts, and the best sweet potatoes in the world - sugar ran out of them when Susie, the old cook, baked them in a "spider" on the hearth, which she preferred to the modern cook stove that adorned the kitchen. Have I failed to mention the peaches? Why, I remember going to bed with several by my side, and sometimes waking with a kernel in my mouth.....Another object of interest on the place was the old loom house, where cloth for the family garmets, and those of the slaves, was made. It seems that I remember that some equipment was still in it.

The McDonald farm was eight miles from Fayetteville, and in those horse and buggy days it was quite an event when we went to town. I had the definite impression that this was the only place in the whole world that it was proper to call "town"; it was years before I became reconciled to having any other place called "town". I still have a little red celluloid bracelet that came from Fayetteville; it must have been a gift. Once on a such a trip, I had a dime all my own to spend, and made an impression on the family by investing it in a picture and story book instead of candy.

Besides Grandma, there were only three of the family that I really knew - Aunt Kate, Aunt Mary Ann, and Uncle John. Of course, I knew my mother, but do not remember her, as I was only three when she left us for the heavenly home. She died (of typhoid fever) in November 1880, at the age of twenty-nine, leaving four little children. My father has told us that when he asked her what she should tell the children, she replied, "Tell them that I love them dearly". I have been told that she was not only beautiful of face, but possessed a disposition so sweet that she was beloved of all who knew her, especially by her husband, who although he lived many years afterwards,(and married twice), marked every anniversary of her passing by keeping an all-night vigil... I think of her as having eternal youth.

Aunt Mary Ann was the "old maid" of the family, and did a fine job of staying home, and taking care of her mother; and when we visited the home, she was our real hostess, welcoming us as if she loved us, although we must have been a lot of trouble. I remember once when I had a toothache, she took me on her lap, pressed a warm pad of cotton (which she had carded) to the side of my face, and rocked me to sleep. I can remember following her into the dairy, and watching her juggle the blue and yellow bowls of milk. She was the seamstress of the family, having one of the early sewing machines - a Wilson, I think. (My oldest sister, her namesake, followed in her footsteps, at the age of fifteen making Aunt Mary Ann's shroud, when we traveled from Georgia to North Carolina to see her in her last illness.) She had just nursed her mother through her last illness a month earlier. I was about to forget to tell of the incident that is an example of her kindness and patience. She was quilting, and when I expressed a desire to "help", she gave me needle and thread, and turned me loose. I quilted with great industry and pleasure, although it was such an effort that I had to get underneath the quilting frame to push the needle up. Imagine the result! Some time later I learned that she had removed my stitches, replacing them with her own neat ones.

Aunt Kate was the third daughter. Baptized Catharine, she added Ophelia to her name because there was another Catharine McDonald in the neighborhood, with whom the postal authorities confused her. It seems to me that "Ophelia" was rather an unhappy choice of Shakespeare's characters. She had many from which to choose, as a copy of Shakespeare's plays was one of the three books that composed the family library, the Bible and Pilgrim's Progress being the others, with the addition of a dictionary. I remember her telling us that when she read it, she had no idea that Pilgrim's Progress was an allegory. She taught school, and at one-time both my father and my mother were her pupils; she was nine years their senior. She became my stepmother when I was four and a half years old. She was so good to us that we loved her just as if she were our own mother, but still called her Aunt Kate. She had two children of her own, but she never made any difference in her treatment of us, and we loved Lillian Pearl and Malcolm James the same that we did each other. She was a handsome woman, tall, with brown eyes and black hair. She died when my first baby was two months old. I had brought him to see her only two days before she passed away.

John Knox, the last surviving member of the family, never married, and lived with us the latter part of his life. He and my father were boyhood friends, so this was a happy arrangement. He had a sense of humor, and a twinkle in his eye, and was popular with us children. He leased the old farm in North Carolina (finally selling it), and went to live with us while we were in Eustis, Florida, where we lived only ten months on account of the terrible freeze of 1895. He died in Florala, Alabama, one year later than his sister. One of the memories of my childhood was that as we were visiting at Grandma McDonald's in cotton picking time, Uncle John paid us with bright new pennies for "picking cotton" at the same time he was paying off the "hands". I wonder if all together we picked a pound?

Nancy McDonald's mother was a widow before her marriage to Donald McDonald (my greatgrandfather). (Note that both of my greatgrandfathers were named Donald McDonald, although not related. Just when the maternal one came from Scotland, I do not know, but I have understood that Nancy was born in this country.) Nancy's mother's maiden name was Christian McKay, and she married a McKinnon (given name unknown). To this union two children were born, Flora and Mary. Flora married a McKinnon, and had four children: Caroline, Flora Ann, Dr. John, and Dr. Kenneth. Mary married Rev. Jesse Corbitt (Methodist minister), and had one son Jesse (lawyer).

Donald McDonald and Christian McKinnon were married (date not known), and had five children: Archie, Alexander, John, Effie, and Nancy (my grandmother). Alexander married Anna Kemp (no children reported). John married Caroline Holladay: one son, John. Effie married Peter Connoley, and had eight children: John, Malcolm, Daniel, Simeon, Mary Ann, Christian, Elizabeth, and Caroline.

Nancy (my grandmother) married Malcolm McDonald March 11, 1830. Twelve children were born to this marriage, all of whom lived to maturity with the exception of two, the oldest and the youngest. The firstborn, a girl, died at birth; the last, a boy, lived only four months. I knew four of them: Margaret Jane (my mother), Aunt Kate, Aunt Mary Ann, and Uncle John. I may have also known Uncle Donald, but cannot remember him; he may have died before I was born. By his name, I have a notation reading "Dec. 27, 1876", and this may be the date of his death, but written so many years ago that I cannot be sure. I remember Aunt Isabella, his widow, and their three children: May, Donald, and Kate. May spent one winter with us in Georgia, probably about 1888, going to school with us to our governess, Miss Dora Peade, of Savannah, my father paying all expenses of the trip. She was several years older than I.

Of Malcolm McDonald's sisters (all born in Scotland), two were married. Christian married Archie McDonald, and had four children; Annie (married John Carroll), Margaret (married Archie Graham), Mary (married _____McMillan), and John (married Caroline Smith). The other sister, Annie, married Augus McLean, and had five children: Duncan (married Katie McDonald), Malcolm (married Mary McKinnon), Donald (married ______), Annie (married Neil Ray), and Christian.

My mother was buried in the Gee Cemetery, near Fayetteville, North Carolina, and near the site of Fort Bragg, so prominent in training soldiers in World War II. The mother of my grandfather (paternal), James Robert McDuffie, was Rebecca Gee before her marriage to Archibald McDuffie. My grandfather and a cousin (James Cook) built around this cemetery a brick wall, with an iron gate, which still stands. Several years ago I had a small part in placing some sort of a name plate on the gate. I last saw this cemetery in 1898, but my father's sister, Mrs. H.G. Williams, of Ludowici, Georgia (Elizabeth Ann McDuffie), saw it in 1933. Near this old cemetery stands the old McPherson church (referred to before), where my father, William Robert McDuffie, "raised the tunes", using the tuning fork, in his youth, probably after my birth, and up to the time the family moved from Cumberland County to Moore County. The name of the little town was Keyser, and the church we attended was Bethesda, a country church near by. Grandpa McDuffie was a deacon in this church.

James Robert McDuffie and Mary Johnson were married Nov. 13, 1850.

William Robert McDuffie and Margaret Jane McDonald were married Nov. 30, 1871.

William Robert McDuffie and Catherine McDonald were married Dec. 14, 1881.

James Henry McDuffie and Sarah Helen Page were married Dec. 5, 1882.

Elizabeth Ann McDuffie and Harry Guston Williams were married March 18, 1886.

William Robert McDuffie and Lizzie Kay Mabbett were married Dec. 8, 1909.

Katherine Elizabeth McDuffie and Dr. Andrew Lee Wynn were married in Liberty County, Georgia, Nov. 2, 1892.

Mary Ann McDuffie and Samuel Hudson Williams were married at Florala, Alabama, Dec. 10, 1902.

Margaret Jane McDuffie and Frederick Jacob Hughes were married at Florala, Alabama, June 22, 1904.

William Robert McDuffie Jr. and Nannie Fleming Harrison were married at Florala, Alabama, March 1, 1908.

Lillian Pearl McDuffie and John James McLean were married at Florala, Alabama, Nov. 9, 1904.

Malcolm James McDuffie and Rowena Johnson were married in Meridian, Mississippi, August, 1917.

Margaret Jean Hughes and Adam Monroe Byrd were married at Meridian, Mississippi, Oct. 21, 1930, in the First Presbyterian Church.

John Alexander Hughes and Dorothy Ethel Simpson were married Dec. 22, 1946, in the Methodist Church at Harperville, Mississippi, Rev. Ernest Dean Simpson, father of the bride, officiating.

Philip David Hughes and Pauline Prince were married Saturday, Feb. 22, 1947, at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. D.C. Prince, at Stonewall, Mississippi, Rev. E.C. Hendricks officiating.

Katherine Lee Wynn and David Carlisle McLeod were married at Florala, Alabama, Oct. 5, 1916.

Andrew Malcolm Wynn and Julia Swann Riddle were married Dec. 25, 1926.

James Kenneth McLean and Nilah Pavre Mackie were married at Biloxi, Mississippi, at the house of her parents, June 6, 1931.

Donald John McLean and Vesta Winters were married Nov. 2, 1938, at Meridian, Mississippi.

David William McLean and Eleanor Virginia Myers were married Saturday, Oct. 26, 1946, in the Episcopal Church at Meridian, Mississippi.

Samuel Hudson Williams Jr. and Sara Rumbley were married in the Presbyterian Church at Monroeville, Alabama, Nov. 17, 1942.

James Robert McDuffie and Charlotte Ruth Straub were married at Houston, Texas, August 7, 1938. She was born at Fort Smith, Arkansas, Sept. 2, 1919.

Frederick Alexander McDuffie and Lula Mae Moore were married at Kountz, Texas, July 31, 1941. She was born in Abbeyville, Louisiana, Nov. 2, 1920.

Dorothy Elizabeth Wynn and Charles Oscar Looke Jr. were married at Birmingham, Alabama, Oct. 15, 1941.

Graham McLeod and Dorothy Louise Brown were married January 9, 1948.

Rebekah McDuffie and William D. Clarke Jr. were married July 7, 1942 at Sarasota, Florida.

Mary Johnson was born December 14, 1822.
James Robert McDuffie was born June 16, 1823.
William Robert McDuffie was born September 24, 1851.
George John McDuffie was born December 30, 1853.
Mary Catharine McDuffie was born May 6, 1855.
Frank Addison McDuffie was born September 22, 1856.
James Henry McDuffie was born December 12, 1859.
Archibald Daniel McDuffie was born April 28, 1862.
Elizabeth Ann McDuffie was born February 25, 1864.

Mary Johnson McDuffie died October 4, 1898, Liberty County, Georgia.
James Robert McDuffie died October 24, 1902, Liberty County, Georgia.
George Johnson McDuffie died May 19, 1854.
Mary Catharine McDuffie died August 24, 1855, aged 3 months, 17 days.
Archibald Daniel McDuffie died August 10, 1862, aged 3 months, 13 days.
Frank Addison McDuffie died December 5, 1862, aged 6 years, 2 months, 13 days.
William Robert McDuffie died October 26, 1925, at Fort Meade, Florida.
James Henry McDuffie died November 16, 1935, at Columbus, Georgia.

Mary Ann McDuffie, daughter of William Robert and Margaret Jane McDuffie was born February 7, 1873. Baptized May 3, 1873, by the Rev. J.P. McPherson.
Catharine Elizabeth McDuffie was born November 12, 1874. Baptized December 24, 1874, by the Rev.
J.P. McPherson.
Margaret Jane McDuffie was born May 10, 1877. Baptized by the Rev. J.P. McPherson.
William Robert McDuffie Jr. was born November 5, 1879. Baptized December 28, 1879, by the Rev. George M. Gibbs.
Margaret Jane McDonald (mother of above children) was born February 1, 1851.
Lillian Pearl McDuffie was born January 23, 1884.
Malcolm James McDuffie was born February 13, 1886.
Catharine McDonald (mother of above children) was born December 18, 1841.
Edna Lois McDuffie was born November 15, 1910.
Rebekah Louisa McDuffie was born November 2, 1914.
Lizzie May Mabbett (mother of the above children) was born May 18, 1874.

Margaret Jane, wife of William Robert McDuffie, died November 21, 1880, aged 29 years, 9 months, 21 days. Buried in the Gee Cemetery near Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Catharine, wife of William Robert McDuffie, died June 24, 1905.
Elizabeth Mayson, wife of William Robert McDuffie, died November 9, 1937, at Tampa, Florida. Buried
at Florala, Alabama.
Katherine Elizabeth, wife of Dr. A.L. Wynn, died December 28, 1925. Buried at Florala, Alabama.
Edna Lois McDuffie died July 31, 1912. Buried at Florala, Alabama.
William Robert McDuffie Jr. died January 9, 1949. Buried at Greenlawn Cemetery , Port Arthur, Texas.
Samuel Hudson Williams Sr. died at Florala, Alabama, April 30, 1932.
John James McLean died in Biloxi, Mississippi, October 24, 1929. Buried at Meridian, Mississippi.

Samuel Hudson Williams Jr. was born at Meridian, Mississippi, April 3, 1917.
Samuel Hudson Williams III was born near Monroeville, Alabama, March 30, 1944, while his father was
in England, during World War II.
John Rumbley Williams was born near Monroeville, Alabama, October 18, 1946.
Katherine Lee Wynn was born December 12, 1893 in Liberty County, Georgia.
Andrew Malcolm Wynn was born June 18, 1896 in Liberty County, Georgia.
Dorothy Elizabeth Wynn was born December 4, 1908 in Florala, Alabama.
David Carlisle McLeod Jr. was born July 8, 1919.
William Wynn McLeod was born October 24, 1921.
Graham McLean McLeod was born August 9, 1923.
Katherine Elizabeth Wynn was born December 5, 1927.
Andrew Malcolm Wynn Jr. was born September 10, 1929.
Sidney Riddle Wynn was born February 16, 1933.
Frederick William Hughes was born near Livingston, Alabama, April 29, 1905.
Margaret Jean Hughes was born near Livingston, Alabama, January 31, 1907.
John Alexander Hughes was born at Meridian, Mississippi, May 14, 1911.
Philip David Hughes was born at Electric Mills, Mississippi, December 21, 1915.
Margaret Jean Byrd was born at Meridian, Mississippi, July 20, 1933.
John Alexander Hughes Jr. was born at Natchez, Mississippi, August 5, 1948.
James Robert McDuffie Jr. was born at Port Arthur Texas, October 17, 1942.
Philip Lawrence McDuffie was born at Houston, Texas, November 29, 1943.
Michael Arlen McDuffie was born July 19, 1945, at Port Arthur, Texas, while his father was on Guam, in the Pacific.
Dianne McDuffie was born July 20, 1947, at Port Arthur, Texas.
James Robert McDuffie Sr. was born September 24, 1912.
Frederick Alexander McDuffie was born October 30, 1916, at Talledega Springs, Alabama.
William Nathan McDuffie was born November 25, 1942, at Port Arthur, Texas.
David McDuffie was born May 24, 1949, at Port Arthur, Texas.
Richard McDuffie was born October 19, 1951, at Port Arthur, Texas.
Robert Myers McLean was born May 22, 1949, at Laurel, Mississippi.
James Kenneth McLean was born at Florala, Alabama, December 29, 1905.
Donald John McLean was born at Florala, Alabama, April 2, 1909.
David William McLean was born at Meridian, Mississippi, January 7, 1917.
Douglas Elliot McLean was born at Meridian, Mississippi, March 2, 1920.
Nilah Catharine McLean was born at Meridian, Mississippi, February 26, 1934.
Ann Winters McLean was born at Meridian, Mississippi, April 18, 1945.

Annie Laurie McDuffie was born November 27, 1883.
Love Alexander McDuffie was born June 3, 1885.
James Henry McDuffie Jr. was born January 27, 1888.
Lewis Robert McDuffie was born September 9, 1891.
David Page McDuffie was born August 16, 189_.
William Archibald McDuffie was born _________ 1897.
Annie Laurie McDuffie and Henry Stokes Munroe, M.D. were married December 27, 1906.
Margaret Worth Munroe was born_______.
Henry Stokes Munroe Jr. was born________.
Sarah Page Munroe was born_________.
Colin Alexander Munroe was born_________.
Annie Laurie Munroe was born__________.
Love Alexander McDuffie and Wheeler Tolbert were married December 27, 1910.
Wheeler Howard Tolbert Jr. was born November 17, 1911.
James McDuffie Tolbert was born March 23, 1914.
Jack Page Tolbert was born May 24, 1916.
William Archibald Tolbert was born July 18, 1919.
Stokes Munroe Tolbert was born September 4, 1923.
Edward Allen Tolbert was born February 18, 1927.
James Henry McDuffie Jr. and Lucille Carolyn Peabody were married at Columbus, Georgia, December 25, 1917.
James Henry McDuffie III was born April 30, 1920.
Lucille Peacock McDuffie was born September 18, 1922.
Sarah Lowe McDuffie was born February 26, 1925.
Mary Johnson McDuffie was born August 25, 1926.
Lewis Robert McDuffie and Katherine Douglas Neill were married November 22, 1921.
Katherine Neill McDuffie was born September 2, 1924.
David Page McDuffie and Elizabeth Yancey were married ____ 1920.
David Page McDuffie Jr. was born October 28, 1921.
Wheeler Howard Tolbert Jr. and Doris Irene Matthews were married Saturday, August 31, 1946, at Weslaco, Texas.

Sarah Helen Page McDuffie died October 26, 1926, at Columbus, Georgia.
William Archibald McDuffie died October 3, 1918, at Annapolis, Maryland, while attending the U.S. Naval Academy.
David Page McDuffie Sr. died June 13, 1930, at Pulaski, Tennessee.
Edward Allen Tolbert died June 18, 1927, aged 4 months.
James Henry McDuffie Sr., M.D. , died November 16, 1935.

Harry Guston Williams Sr. was born in Warren County, North Carolina, July 2, 1864. Died November 2, 1937, at Ludowici, Georgia.
Harry Guston Williams Jr. was born in Liberty County, Georgia, February 21, 1887. Died April 2, 1907.
James Lyle Williams was born June 14, 1890.
Lillian Lacy Williams was born September 27, 1893.
Mary Fairfax Williams was born August 29, 1895.
Susan Elizabeth Williams was born October 5, 1897.
Helen Reid Williams was born September 14, 1899.
Ruth Williams was born October 22, 1902. Died October 29, 1902.
James Lyle Williams and Mary McDuffie were married in Macon, Georgia.
James Lyle Williams Jr. was born May 9, 1918.
Mary Fairfax Williams and C.F. Hendry were married in Macon, Georgia, August ____, 1918.
Mary Williams Hendry was born September 18, 1928.
Susan Elizabeth Williams and Walter W. Meeks were married at Ludowici, Georgia, December 27, 1919.
Walter Watson Meeks Jr. was born December 25, 1930.
Lillian Lacy Williams and Pettway Burwell were married at Ludowici, Georgia, November 15, 1923.
Helen Reid Williams and Thomas Auld Coxon were married at Ludowici, Georgia, May 14, 1927.
Mary Fairfax Williams Hendry and Starr Owen were married ---.

The disappointment of the brave Scotchmen who fought in the battle of Culloden was so great that many of them decided to emigrate to America. Among them was one John McDuffie, who in 1749 settled in Cumberland County, North Carolina, near Cross Creek (now Fayetteville). He was the father of several sons, one of whom was Archibald, who fought in the American Army during the Revolution, and became one of the wealthiest planters in the country. Archibald also was the father of several sons, the youngest of whom was named for him, and lived from 1796 to 1873. This Archibald McDuffie married Rebecca Gee.

Rebecca Gee was a descendant of the Gee family emigrating from the village of Gee in Cheshire, a county of Central-Western England to America early in our country's history. Sir William Gee was a member of the Second Virginia Company in 1620. In 1679 two brothers, sons of Thomas Gee of Boston, went to Virginia; one of these, Charles Gee, was the ancestor of the succeeding generations of the Gee family in Virginia. He had four sons, James, Charles, Henry, and Robert. His grandson, James Gee (father of Charles Gee, mother Mary Chappell), of Prince George County, Virginia, removed to Fayetteville, North Carolina about 1766, and in 1770 married Mary Walker, who was at Wilmington, and left an orphan at the age of four (1755-1842). Their children were: Charles, Mary, John Walker, Ann, Henry, Isabella, Rebecca, William, James Robert, and David.

Beginning at this point, (for the sake of clarity), this record will be written in the first person by a great-granddaughter of Archibald McDuffie and Rebecca Gee, Margaret Jane McDuffie Hughes (Mrs. Frederick J. Hughes) in the month of May 1949. She wishes to acknowledge assistance given through the years by her uncle, Dr. J.H. McDuffie, her aunt, Mrs. H.G. Williams, and her sister, Mrs. S.H. Williams.

Archibald McDuffie (1796-1873) and Rebecca Gee were married, and had the following children: Martha (1818-1898), David Gee (1821-1890), James Robert (1824-1902), Mary (1825-1897), and William Charles (1829-1899). James Robert was my grandfather.

Martha was never married. I remember her as a spare old lady, who made delicious rolls, and had a sweet disposition, so sweet that she was never known to speak ill of anyone. Once when others were condemning a certain man, she merely said, "well, he seems to have good health". We knew her as "Auntie". On her tombstone, my grandfather had placed this inscription: "Blessed are the pure in heart".

Mary married Robert Register (1824-1880), and had four children: Martha, whom we knew as Cousin Mattie; Bettie, graduate of Peace Institute, Raleigh, N.C., and to whom I went to school when so small that she held me on her lap half the time. These sisters never married, and after leaving Keyser lived in Sanford, N.C., to a ripe old age. My nephew, Samuel Williams, saw them in Sanford when he was in training at Fort Bragg in 1943. Robert did not marry, and died many years before his sisters. Frank, who became a physician, and a member of the N.C. State Board Of Health, probably still living. Mary, the mother of these children, we knew as "Aunt Mary", who was plump and jolly, kept the Post Office at Keyser for many years, perhaps as long as she lived. She was bright, and quick at repartee. A story goes that when she was a child, she reproved after a church service for looking around during prayer by Miss Katie McPherson, she asked, "Miss Katie, what were you doing when you saw me'? This is an age when children were supposed to be seen and not heard! My grandfather was devoted to his sisters, and after moving to Georgia, often went back to visit them.

David Gee, second child and first son of Archibald and Rebecca McDuffie, married Mary McQueen in 1853 (1830-1902), whom we knew as "Aunt Mary Dave". They had one son, John McDuffie. David Gee McDuffie was a notable figure. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, he was an efficient engineer, and is said to have been a mathematical prodigy, and thought he made the discovery of the natural cause of the variations of the magnetic needle of the compass. This theory, as he had it written down, was published twenty years after his death in a booklet which also contained a personal tribute and sketch of his life by Major Q.A. Guthrie, a prominent lawyer of Durham, N.C.

James Robert, third child and second son, married Mary Johnson November 13, 1850, as recorded in their family Bible. They had seven children: William Robert, George Johnson, Mary Catharine, Frank Addison, James Henry, Archibald Daniel, and Elizabeth Ann. Three of these died in infancy, a fourth lived only to the age of six. Those surviving were William Robert (my father), James Henry (Dr. J.H. McDuffie), and Elizabeth Ann (Mrs H.G. Williams). My grandfather was a deacon in the Presbyterian church, and might have been an elder but for his efficiency as a deacon. Also he was a successful business man, engaging in merchandising, lumber and naval stores in partnership with my father, the firm name being J.R. McDuffie & Son. In 1888 the naval store business was moved to Liberty County, Georgia, shipping the products to Savannah. He died October 24, 1902. I have only pleasant memories of my grandfather, but he was a rather dignified person with whom one did not usually take liberties; however, I remember when we were quite young seeing my two older sisters braiding his chin whiskers, tying them with red ribbons, and he appeared to be enjoying it.

My grandmother was the daughter of Daniel and Ann McDougald Johnson, one of five children. Her mother died when she was two years old, and she had a stepmother who was unkind to her. Her father was married three times, as her mother was his second wife. The first was a Miss McNeill, who was the mother of Rev. Angus Johnson, who became a prominent Presbyterian minister, serving churches in Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, and Texas. He died literally in the service at Avalon, Texas, lacking only a few months of being one hundred years old. Her own brother, Peter, also studied for the ministry, but had to give it up on account of failing eyesight. He married a Miss Morrison of Charlotte, N.C. (probably a close relative of Stonewall Jackson's wife), and their son became a Presbyterian minister, Rev. Josephus Johnson, D.D., for thirty years pastor of the First church of Victoria, Texas. A first cousin, Rev. Daniel Johnson (doubtless named for his father) was first honor man of his class when he graduated from Princeton in 1838. He taught at Princeton for two or three years, and married a Miss Gulich of New Jersey. Returning to North Carolina, he both preached and taught. At the time of his death in 1868, he was president of Floral College, which had been founded by a relative, Rev. William Johnson. He left an eight year old daughter, who was given to his old friend, Rev. J. Leighton Wilson. Daniel Johnson, my grandmother's father, married a third time, to Miss McBryde. There was only one child of this marriage, Duncan James, who was the father of James McNeill Johnson, whom I remember seeing when I was a child. He was a personality, with a bright mind and an unlimited ambition. He studied pharmacy by mail, and had a drug store at Aberdeen, N.C. He also studied law, and he and his son were law partners. He was an author and poet, and visited Scotland more than once, looking up relatives. He died December 25, 1930, at the age of 71. His sister Alice was also notable as a pharmacist and physician, also self-educated. She was employed in the drug store of my brother-in-law, Dr. A.L. Wynn, about 1894, and she was practicing medicine. The last we knew of her, she was employed as a psychiatrist by a Philadelphia court. My aunt, Mrs. H.G. Williams, visited the grave of her grandfather in 1933. He was buried in the cemetery of Phillipi church, Robeson County, N.C., in 1851, at the age of 73.

Mary Johnson McDuffie, wife of James Robert McDuffie, was born December 14, 1822, and died October 4, 1898, Tuesday, at noon, preceding her husband in death by almost exactly four years. They are both buried in the cemetery of the Presbyterian church at Walthourville, Georgia. My grandmother was a forceful character, always ready for an emergency with a steady nerve. When my sister, Katie, at a tender age, got her finger caught in the sausage grinder, almost completely severing the first joint, she calmly sewed it back together with a needle and white silk thread. It was a good job! Her son, James, after he became a physician and surgeon, said that his mother could have been one of the finest surgeons in the country. My two older sisters and I spent a school term with her and my grandfather when we were living at Sand Hills (later Pinehurst), and I remember sleeping in a trundle bed. When her husband decided to go to the "backwoods of Georgia" to engage in the naval stores business, it must have been hard for her to give up her home, her friends, and her church. But the Christian Observer followed her, and she died repeating the Twenty-Third Psalm..... Among the many Presbyterian ministers in the Johnson family, I want to mention Rev. Chalmers Johnson, son of Rev. Angus Johnson, my grandmother's brother. Unlike his father, his lifetime was short, dying at the age of 29, at Concord, N.C.

My grandmother said that she probably loved my father (whom she called Willie) best of all her children because he was her baby so many times, several of those following him having died in infancy. On the fly leaf of the family Bible she wrote, "William Robert McDuffie could spell Holy Bible when he was 3 years and 9 months old". My father married at the age of twenty, and soon after went into business with his father. Both of them loved to hunt, game such as deer, foxes and wild turkeys being abundant. (I have heard that father would take the son up in the saddle with him when he was only three years old). Venison and wild turkey were often on the table...... When J.R. McDuffie & Son decided to remove their naval stores operation to Georgia, they sold the Sand Hills property, surrounded by 10,000 acres of "round pine" to Mr. Frank Page, uncle to Aunt Sallie (Uncle Jimmie's wife). Mr. Page was the father of Walter Hines Page, afterwards ambassador to Great Britain. Near the spot where our turpentine still was located, the famous winter resort Pinehurst sprang up. When we lived there, it was quite primitive. We may have had a well later, but at first I can remember that water had to brought from a spring at the bottom of the hill; perhaps this was the drinking water only. Mag, the colored girl who came to us there, and who cooked for us for many years thereafter, could carry three buckets of water at one time - two in her hands, one on her head. Another recollection is that of taking a walk, and seeing a deserted two-story house, whereupon one of my companions remarked that "rawhead and bloody bones" lived there - and shivers ran up and down my spine! We had guineas there, and it was fun to hunt for their eggs in brush piles on the hillside..... After that we lived in a house "on the hill" at Keyser. Of that time, I particularly remember the young colored girl named Mary Jane, who was nursemaid to my younger brother and sister. She could tell marvelous "tales", one of which I can recall to this day, "Uncle Jack and the Cows". She was a bright child, and we were not surprised to hear later that she had gone to a college for negroes in Concord, N.C........ Christmas was the most exciting time of the year, and Santa Claus the most interesting figure, mysterious but real. He brought sweets and fruits that may have been scarce the rest of the year, but were abundant in the Santa Claus stocking, and once I remember that the stocking was deemed too small, a pillow case being substituted. Those wax dolls were the last word in dolls! I guess there were not many fireworks in those days; anyway my father would pack shells with powder only, and fire both barrels of his shotgun before day Christmas morning. It was a most impressive sight! An unusual and memorable occasion was a trip by train to Raleigh for the express purpose of seeing Barnum's circus.

James Henry McDuffie (Uncle Jimmie) was tall, slender and handsome, always a favorite with us children. He used to call me "Granny Bunch" - no doubt my curly head often looked the part, but I enjoyed the teasing. I remember his wedding (Dec. 8, 1882), at least the reception and dinner at the home of his parents in Keyser, when he married Sarah Helen Page. After his marriage he decided to study medicine, and my father helped put him through medical school. At first he "read medicine" with Dr. James A. Sexton in Raleigh. From there he went to medical department of the University of Maryland at Baltimore, graduating in March 1887, president of his class. For a short while he practiced in his home town, Keyser (now Adder), going from there to Anniston, Alabama. In July, 1892 he went to Columbus, Georgia, where he lived until his death, November 16, 1935, having given more than forty years of devoted service to the people of Columbus. He was widely known not only for his skill but for his warm friendliness and kindness to people of all walks of life, and was called "the beloved physician". He was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church, and was president of the Rotary Club. He occupied a particular place of strength and influence in civic affairs generally. He was a fine marksman, bringing down not only live birds, but many clay pigeons in trap shooting circles. Among his varied accomplishments was that of fine penmanship, which seems to have been a family trait, as my father and aunt also excelled in chirography. My father could write more words, each one perfectly legible, on a post card than anyone I have ever known. My aunt at the age of eight-five (February 25, 1949) still "writes a beautiful hand".

Elizabeth Ann McDuffie was a graduate of Peace Institute, Raleigh, N.C., and married Harry Guston Williams (born July 2, 1864, in Warren County, N.C.) at Keyser, March 18, 1886. They went immediately to Liberty County, Georgia (now Long County), where Uncle Harry took part in the naval stores operation, making up for his ignorance of the business by his youthful enthusiasm. We children thought him a lot of fun. I remember that he once took "us three sisters" to Savannah, and out to Tybee Island, where we first saw the Atlantic ocean, and for the first time enjoyed the delights of surf bathing...... Six children were born to this union, two boys, four girls. Hallie, or Harry, Jr. died at the age of twenty, a fine young man, with good mine. I taught in the home when he was a little fellow, and at the age of eleven he recited the Shorter catechism to me. The youngest, Ruth, died at the age of one week. The others are living, all good citizens. Two I wish to mention especially. Mary (then Mrs. Hendry) was a reporter for the Savannah News, and one time president of the Pilot Club. Now Mrs. Star Wen, she lives in Allentown, Long County, Georgia. Her daughter, Mary Williams, is an honor student at the Woman's State College at Valdosta, she is said to be a beautiful girl...... Helen, four years younger than Mary, has made a name for herself in Georgia politics. In 1933, at the age of 34, she was elected representative from Long County, and was know as "the Lady from Long". Her ability was soon recognized, and she was soon placed on many important committees, as chairman of some. Later she was elected to the upper house, and last of all was named one of three members of the Pardon Board. Her name, by the way, is Helen Williams Coxon...... I began to write about my aunt (Aunt Lizzie), and digressed into a discussion of her husband and children. She deserves more than that brief mention. Through the years, she has been beloved and admired by the whole family. In the death of her firstborn, she suffered great sorrow, which for a time threatened to make her lose interest in life, but she snapped out of this depression, and became an inspiration to her daughters, who have followed her example of true womanhood, with culture and refinement. At this writing, her mind is "as bright as a dollar", and her penmanship as beautiful as in her youth.

We moved to the "backwoods" of Liberty County, Georgia, about fourteen miles west of what was then Johnston Station (now Ludowici) in October, 1886, my father having preceded us by several months. He had gone by rail, but set wagons, etc., through the country. With the wagons, went several favorite hound dogs, and thereby hangs a tale which I have never known to be surpassed in animal history. One Sunday morning when we returned from Sunday School (accompanied by our grandfather), we were surprised to find Lad, one of the dogs that had gone to Georgia, lying at the door, his feet swollen, and in a state of utter exhaustion. Upon writing to my father, we learned that he had not seen the dog since the Sunday before he appeared back at Keyser, and supposed that an alligator had bitten him, the turpentine place being near the Altamaha River. In one week that homesick dog traveled a distance of at least 500 miles. One of the negroes who had planned to follow my father was heard to remark that if a dog couldn't stand that country, he did not think he could.

In the backwoods of Georgia, our postoffice was "Beard's Creek", but there were no churches or schools for us. On Sundays we studied the catechism, and read Bible stories and the Christian Observer, the latter being a particular delight. Of course, at that time the stories and the little letters "to Dear Mr. Converse" were of most interest to us. I wrote one of those letters when I was nine. I am sure Aunt Kate had a lot to do with it, for the only sentence I remember is, "I have a little baby brother, who is pretty as a flower". The Youth's Companion was a great source of entertainment, and it's weekly appearance was hailed with delight; also the Chatterbox, which (as well as I recall) was an annual publication. I still remember one of the stories in this book; it was called "Sal, the Slopper", a tale of the London slums, and Sal was the counterpart of Dickens' Feagan in Oliver Twist. She did terrible things to little girls. Our library consisted principally of the complete works of Charles Dickens and Sir Walter Scott. I read practically every one of them. At the age of ten I was reading "Old Curiosity Shop", and was greatly impressed with the old grandfather's explanation of his gambling, "Tis all for thee, Nell, all for thee". Also that doctor order a chicken wing for little Nell.

There was as much, or perhaps more game in Georgia as there had been in North Carolina, so again we often had on our bill of fare venison, wild turkey, squirrels, etc. My brother Will (we called him "Bud" then) killed a deer when he was only eleven. There were also a lot of fish from the Altamaha river. I recall particularly the large catfish..... For schooling, we had a governess, the first being a lovely young woman, Miss Carolyn Bishop, who was with us only a few months, and that while we were living at the turpentine place (called, I think, the Sandford place). I cannot now recall the name of the town from which she came, but I remember visiting her once several years later, after she had married a Mr. Bush. Although we were located some distance from the river, the water would reach us in the "spring freshet time", and we could ride down the road in a boat.

After several months, perhaps less than a year, we moved to the "Harrington place", a farm about a mile nearer the Johnston Station, where we lived until some time in 1893. Particular remembrances are the very large watermelons grown there, the two large capejessamine bushes by the front gate, and the fire that destroyed the dining room and kitchen, connected with the residence by a wooden walkway above the ground two or three feet, and where the pump that supplied us with water was located. This happened at night, long after all were sleeping except my father, who had stayed up to write a business letter, and saw the blaze in time to save the house. The letter was in reference to the sale of a large tract of virgin timber, which later brought us $50,000.00, a large amount of money in those days. Here we had as governess an excellent lady from Savannah, Miss Dora Peade, who was with us for several years during the school months.

About the time that Miss Dora came my sister Mary Ann decided that she wanted to be called "Mamie", because she said we ran her two names together, making then sound like "Moran". (accent on "ran"). The day Miss Dora arrived, I was not quite ready to see company, and while dressing needed some assistance. I did not want to embarrass my sister by calling her Mary Ann, but it was hard to say "Mamie", which I finally managed to do. Some time later, and I think under the influence of my Scotch reading, I thought that "Jean" was a much prettier name than "Janie", and succeeded in having a number of friends and relatives call me that. I am "Aunt Jean" to practically all of my nephews and nieces.

Miss Dora taught us music (piano) and everything. In the fall of 1889 my two older sisters went away to school. The Charlotte Female Institute at Charlotte, N.C., (now Queens College), was the school selected and they went there two years. In September, 1891, they changed to Agnes Scott Institute at Decatur, Georgia (now Agnes Scott College), and I went with them. At that time Agnes Scott had what was known as the Preparatory Department, and that was were I was entered. We were known as "the three McDuffie sisters". After the first year, I went alone, and was there two and a half years altogether. The dormitory, classrooms, etc., were all housed in what is still known as "the main building". We were personally acquainted with Col. George W. Scott, who endowed the school, naming it for his mother. He gave me his photograph, which he autographed in the following manner: "To my young friend, Miss Margaret J. McDuffie, George W. Scott". I still have it..... In November, 1892 I went home to attend the wedding of my sister, Katie to Dr. Andrew Lee Wynn, who had come from North Carolina to practice medicine at Johnston Station. He was an old friend of Uncle Harry's, who was responsible for his coming to Georgia, and we were glad to have him, as a good doctor was needed there. However, we did not suspect that he would become a member of our family. He was born in Warren County, N.C., October 1862, and was graduated from the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill, and from the medical department of the University of Maryland at Baltimore. He now lives with his daughter, Mrs. D.C. McLeod, in Birmingham, Alabama. For many years he ministered to our family, always faithful, kind, and efficient.... I remember the lovely chrysanthemums that had been grown by Uncle Harry, and carefully kept from the frost until the wedding date, November 2, 1892.

Having made what in those days was considered a lot of money by a sale of virgin timber, my father satisfied a lifetime ambition to live in Florida. He bought two orange groves, one with a two-story house on West Crooked lake, about a mile from the town of Eustis, in Lake County. My two younger brothers and one sister and I attended the Eustis Seminary, taught by Prof. Marsh and his wife, both very fine people. We walked over a mile every morning, about half the distance in sand around the east end of the lake. Mrs. Marsh taught the lower grades, Prof. Marsh taught the high school subjects.

I liked him very much, and regret that I had only one year under his instruction. A letter form him afterwards said that he would reserve a chair for me in the senior class of 1896. He was not only a teacher, but was fully capable of occupying the pulpit of the Presbyterian church, which he did on occasion. His son, Fred Marsh, became a minister. A classmate of mine there was Clarence Ferran, who in later life became was pastor of the Park Lake Presbyterian church of Orlando until his death in 1943. I never knew him after the school days in Eustis. His daughter, Betty, married John Chester Frist, of Meridian, Mississippi, a Presbyterian minister whom she knew as a high school student in Meridian. Another classmate at the Eustis Seminary was Gould Norton, who lived directly across the lake from us, and was a special friend of mine.

We went to Florida in October, 1894. Shortly afterwards Uncle John McDonald joined our household, and he and my father had fun hunting foxes, which were numerous in the country round about, playing havoc with the chicken population. One morning when it was barely daylight, we heard a horseman ride up, and the voice of our neighbor across the lake (Mr. Patterson), crying, "Yippee! want to catch a fox?". That brought out our hunters and our fourteen hounds (I believe one was a bird dog). Needless to say, that fox did not eat any more chickens. In less than a year 75 fox skins adorned the barn door!...... I sometimes tell people that I lived in Florida ten months, and never saw an orange blossom, which was literally true - and a sad story it is! Just before Christmas in 1894, there came a freeze that destroyed all of the oranges and grapefruit. The grove on which we lived had just come into bearing; the other was twenty years old, and we had not sold the fruit on either. Naturally, everyone thought that this was a calamity, and had no idea that a worse misfortune could befall us. Warm weather followed, and sap rose in the trees. All seemed well. On February 7th, there came another freeze, infinitely worse than the first, for the trees were killed to the ground, and had to be sawed off, and rebudded. In August, 1895, we returned to Georgia, leaving a caretaker to look after the groves. Paying the caretaker and the taxes appeared to be a losing proposition, and a few years later the groves were sold for a song as well as I can remember about $500.00. The original price was $14,000.00.

Again we lived at Johnston Station, but moved about a year later to Quitman, in the southwestern part of the state, on a farm just outside the city limits. Personally, I was not in Quitman any length of time, as at first I was teaching in my aunt's family, later attending Stanley's Business College in Thomasville. Will attended this school at the same time. I took a position in an office at Pelham, Georgia (near Thomasville), stenographer for a Mr. Hand, a very nice man. In the meantime, the family had moved to Florala, Alabama, and my father again engaged in the naval stores business, the firm name being Florala Naval Stores Company. I spent several months in that office under the supervision of Mr. W.C. McLauchlin, who had taught my father when a boy in North Carolina. He and his good wife were especially nice to me. I lived with them for a while, as the family at that time lived at Laurel Hill, a small town south of Florala. Then the winter of 1901-1902 I taught in a Presbyterian school at Blackshear, Georgia. In June 1902, I went back to Florala to accept a position in the office of a new lumber company, the Jackson Lumber Company, and there on September 8th I met my fate, Frederick J. Hughes, who had come from Arkansas to be Superintendent. After the mill town of Lockhart, about a mile distant, was built, the office was moved there, and I was secretary to the manager, W.S. Harlan, until the spring of 1904, when I resigned to prepare for my wedding. On April 1st of that year, Fred had become manager of the Sumter Lumber Company, near Livingston, Alabama. In June, he returned to marry me, on the 22nd of the month. Ours was the first wedding in the Presbyterian church, at that time located on Lake Jackson. The wedding ceremony was at high noon, the reception and luncheon at the home of Dr. and Mrs. A.L. Wynn. A Central of Georgia train bore us away. We lived at Sumter until April 1911, when we went to live in Meridian, Mississippi, for a few months while the new plant at Electric Mills was being built. We lived at Electric Mills until September 14, 1921, when we moved to Meridian, 1319 23rd Avenue. On July 1st, 1928, we went to the Lamar Hotel in Meridian, where we stayed until June 15, 1937, on which date we moved to "the farm", five miles north of Meridian on Highway 80. On January 6, 1942, we gave up the farm, and began sojourning in Florida, except when we spent January and February 1943 in Mexico, most of the time in Monterey. In the spring of 1943 we bought the town of Electric Mills in partnership with Mr. E.A. Temple, and spent four summers there in the Alexander house. Having disposed of all of our holdings there, we have since been living in Florida both summer and winter.________________________________

Having inadvertently omitted special reference to a member of my grandfather's family, I wish to correct that omission now. I refer to his brother, William Charles (1829-1899), who also was a beloved physician. I believe he officiated at the birth of every one of us. My oldest sister tells me that she read for him the night I was born (she was 4 years and 3 months old), and she remembers that Grandma came into the room to ask Uncle Will if she should put flannel on the baby. She does not remember his reply, but I trust it was "no". I cannot bear it even now, and do not like to think what it might have done to my baby skin - and in the month of May, too ! Dr. W.C. McDuffie was one of the most distinguished physicians in the state, the recipient of many honors, one being the presidency of the North Carolina Medical Association. He told a story well, and was much in demand as an after dinner speaker. I remember his bald head, with its fringe of white hair, and something that intrigued me - his watch charm, a cube of some kind of stone that resembled crystal. He married Kate Todd, and they had five children. I remember the two daughters, Alice and Bert. Alice was an unusually beautiful girl, a belle of Fayetteville society. She married Nash Bunting. I spent a day in their home the summer of 1912, when the children and I were vacationing at Wrightsville Beach.

I realize that I could be a member of the D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution), as Archibald McDuffie, son of John McDuffie, who emigrated from Scotland, was my great-great-grandfather, and fought in the Revolutionary War.

Also James Gee, my great-great-grandfather, fought in the Revolution. He was one of General Marion's men in South Carolina, and organized a company of which was he was elected captain. He was a signer of the Liberty Point Declaration of Independence, June 20, 1775, before they had received news of the famous Mechlenburg Declaration. On the spot in Fayetteville where his historic meeting was held, there has been erected a bronze tablet to commemorate the heroic action of the thirty-nine signers. (A friend of mine just returned from Fayetteville, bringing me a list of these 39 names, James Gee among them). His wife, Mary Walker Gee (my great-great-grandmother) was noted for her courage, tact, and resourcefulness. One story told of her is that of saving the lives of several patriots by "wining and dining" Tory officers, enabling the patriots to escape. No doubt she served her country as truly as did her soldier husband. Both are buried in the old Gee cemetery near Fayetteville, the same in which my mother lies..... When I was a child, I remember being told that my great grandmother was one-thirty-second Irish, the inference being that the rest of me was Scotch. The Encyclopedia Brittanica tells of a Rev. George Walker, who was born of English parents in the County of Tyrone, Ireland. His son married an Irish girl, and these two were the ancestors of Mary Walker Gee. This sounds like I might be a little English too.

Henry Gee, my great-uncle, moved to South Carolina, then to Florida. Before leaving South Carolina, he married a Miss Forrester, who died, leaving one child, a son. He then married his wife's sister, and to this union were born a large number of children, seven being boys, all active in the Confederate Army, one of them (Bolivar H.) being a Lieutenant Colonel. It was probably his son by his first wife, Dr. John Henry Gee, who had the most colorful career of the Florida Gee family. He was appointed surgeon of the Florida troops in the Seminole War. Later he went to live in Alabama, and when the Mexican War broke out, he was appointed surgeon of the First Alabama Regiment. He returned to Florida, and lived at Quincy. He was military aide to Gov. Perry, and distinguished himself in battles of the Civil War. In September, 1864. he was appointed to the command of the Salisbury (N.C.) military prison, where more than 10,000 Union prisoners were placed in his custody. After the close of the war, he was arrested and confined in the old Capitol prison at Washington for many months. Finally in a trial before a commission of Union army officers, he was acquitted on every charge. Dr. Gee was also a literary man, author of several plays, songs, and poems, especially the poem. "The Captive", written while in prison, and dedicated to his sister.

Undoubtedly, the most famous member of the McDuffie family was the Hon. George McDuffie, Governor and U.S. Senator from South Carolina. a statesman and orator. The family connection is not very clear, but I recall a story told me by Uncle Will (Dr. W.C. McDuffie) in 1888. I think Uncle Will was capable of embellishing a story, but it was doubtless basically true. Quote: "George McDuffie was the son of my grandfather's half brother. He was a poor boy, living on a farm in Georgia, when John C. Calhoun driving through the country on a hot summer's day, stopped there to ask for a drink of water. Seeing a boy holding a calf, while someone else milked the cow, he asked, 'Bud, will you get me a drink of water?' The response was, 'I will, if you'll hold my calf'". This amused Calhoun, and gave him the idea that there was a smart boy. To make a long story short, he took George home with him, educated him, and gave him a start in life." This is what I remember of what Uncle Will told me sixty-one years ago, and it coincides closely with what historians have written, one of whom states that George McDuffie was a second cousin of David Gee McDuffie (brother of Dr. W.C. McDuffie); that he was born in 1790 in Columbia County, Georgia. (McDuffie County, Georgia was named for him). John C. Calhoun took him to South Carolina, and sent him to college, where he graduated first in his class. He studied law, and became a well-known as an orator, and a member of the legislature. In 1834 he was elected Governor, later U.S. Senator. In 1829 he married Rebecca Singleton, who died a year later, leaving a daughter, Mary, who married General Wade Hampton. At the time of General Hampton's death (1902), I recall reading an account of it, which stated that his son, McDuffie Hampton, was with him. When a member of the Round Table Club (literary) in Meridian, I remember reading one of George McDuffie's orations in a book of "Southern Orators". Also I have recently heard a radio program called "Mr. President", a play in which "Senator McDuffie" took part.

In 1931 W.J. Fletcher, a genealogist, wrote: In Atlanta resides a McDuffie family from Cumberland County, N.C., and Alabama is now represented in Congress by a member of this family, John McDuffie. He was afterwards appointed a Federal Judge, and lives in Mobile. I met him once at the Lamar Hotel in Meridian, Mississippi. He said he did not doubt that we were related, and called me "cousin".

A noted member of the Johnson family was Andrew Johnson, seventeenth President of the United States (1865-1869), born 1808, died 1875. While we have no direct confirmation of the relationship, it is understood that he was a cousin (perhaps second cousin) of my grandmother (Mary McDuffie, nee Johnson). Mrs. Paul V. Moore, of Moore, S.C., a granddaughter of Rev. Angus Johnson (my grandmother's brother) says that an oil portrait of Andrew Johnson that hangs in the long parlor of the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, closely resembles her grandfather, dressed in the black broadcloth that professional men of that time wore, and which she always saw her grandfather wear. She says the features are much alike - the same broad forehead, and rather long nose. This hotel towers over all other buildings in Knoxville. Also there is an Andrew Jackson Highway there. In 1949 a monument was unveiled on the capitol grounds in Raleigh, N.C., dedicated to the memory of Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson the three presidents from N.C.

The following should have been included in the history of the McDonald family, except that the connection is not clear. The information is taken from a yellow clipping found in the McDonald family Bible. My sister tells me that she remembers accompanying Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle John to hear him preach in Fayetteville, when she was a little girl. She thinks he was a first cousin to our mother. Unfortunately the date and name of the paper were not included in the clipping.

Exerpts from clipping: The entire city was shocked yesterday by the sudden death of the Rev. Dr. Angus McDonald, pastor of the 1st Presbyterian Church.... His son, Mr. Archibald McDonald of New York City came Friday, and just before his death Dr. McDonald was getting ready to take a drive with his son.... Dr. McDonald will be buried at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow from the 1st Presbyterian church. He will be buried in Hollywood cemetery.... Dr. McDonald was born in Fayetteville, N.C., 64 years ago. He attended Bingham School and Davidson College, and received his theological education at Union Seminary. His first ministerial work was done in Louisville. He was pastor of the Elizabethtown church foe seven years. His next charge was at Henderson, Ky., leaving there after seven years to accept a call to Moore Memorial Church, Nashville, Tennessee, which pulpit he filled for twelve years. In September 1903, he was called to the pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church of this city (name of city not given). In 1879, while at Elizabethtown, he was married to Miss Jimmie Bunnell; she and their only son, Archibald, survive him... When a beardless youth he entered the Confederate army, and served until the close of the war. His extempore oration on General Lee, delivered January 19, 1908, before the Daughters of the Confederacy, is remembered as one of the finest and most eloquent tributes to the peerless leader of the Confederate army that was ever heard in Jackson - perhaps Jackson, Tennessee. There is still no clue to the date, except that it ends in the figure nine.

My friend, Mrs. Laura Stephens Johnson (Mrs. D.L.), returned a few days ago (August, 1949) from a visit to her old home in Fayetteville, N.C. While there (at my request) she went to the old Gee Cemetery to see my mother's grave, and her report is gratifying. While the tombstone is somewhat discolored, the inscription is still quite legible. She also inspected the bronze tablet which commemorates the signing of the Liberty Point Declaration Of Independence, and copied the names of the 39 signers, that of James Gee among them.

Wheeler Howard Tolbert Jr., born November 17, 1911. Educated at Columbus High and Georgia Tech. In P.O. at Columbus when he entered the services. Won commission in Transportation at New Orleans. Later promoted to Captain. Served in Atlantic and Pacific areas. Married Doris Irene Matthews, of Moultrie, Georgia, whom he met in Honolulu, while she was in the Red Cross. Married in Weslaco, Texas, where he is employed in the Post Office.

James McDuffie Tolbert, born March 23, 1914. Graduated Columbus High. Received B.A. and M.A. degrees at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Phi Beta Kappa at Emory. Taught at Emory and Battle Ground Academy, Franklin, Tennessee, and the University of Texas (7 and ½ years), also at Tulane, New Orleans, as supply for three months. Teaching interrupted by war service. Served in the Intelligence Corps in Pacific area. In the service 3 years, 3 months. Married Jane Pink in the Episcopal church in Harlingen, Texas, a graduate of the University of Texas__________. There are two children: Linda Page Tolbert______ and Mary Pink Tolbert _____. Live in Austin, Texas, where he is completing his thesis for a Doctorate.

Jack (John) Page Tolbert, born May 24, 1916. Served as Assistant Regional Director of NYA, headquarters in Atlanta. (Received B.A. degree at Emory University. Phi Beta Kappa). Entered the service, and won commission in the Engineers at Port Belvoir, Va. Served in Pacific area. Edited "Map Talk", Army Publication, in Manila. Married in Manila to Elinor Pareloff, of New York City, whom he had known during her Red Cross service in Australia. Married in Santo Tomas Chapel. Elinor is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, and a student at the Sorbonno in Paris. They live in New York, have one daughter, Jennifer, born February 13, 1947. Jack was with the Mutual Broadcasting Company, writing news scripts for a year, and is now writing on a series of Industrial Saga under the Rockefeller Foundation.

Archibald McDuffie Tolbert (known as Arch), born July 18, 1919. Educated at Emory University, John Hopkins, and Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, Texas. Won commission in the Marines at Quantico, Virginia. Served in the Pacific area. After the war, entered the Seminary; now president of the student body, will graduate in June, 1950. Served one summer as Assistant Pastor of the church in Midland, Texas, and in the capacity in McAllen, Texas, the next summer. Now the regular pastor of the church in Seguin, Texas, preaching every Sunday while continuing his studies in Austin. Will be married August 26th to Billie Lawrence, of Waco, Texas.

Stokes Munroe Tolbert, born September 4, 1923. Educated at Emory and John Hopkins before the war; at Yale and Harvard since the war. Enlisted in the Navy, became an Ensign; served in the Atlantic area. During the war he married Jean Wolsted, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, in the Little Church Around The Corner in NYC _____. Studied at Yale two years, making Phi Betta Kappa there. Now specializing at Harvard while completing his course in Economics. Next year will be an instructor at Harvard. Now at summer school there. Jean was the daughter of missionaries to India, where she spent fifteen years of her life. Graduate of a college in Iowa, and specialized in Psychology.

James Henry McDuffie Jr. and Lucile Caroline Peacock were married December 25, 1917.
Ja mes Henry McDuffie III was born April 30, 1920.
James Henry McDuffie III and Mary Elizabeth Stouffer were married July 3, 1943.
James Henry McDuffie IV was born April 19, 1948.
Lucile Peacock McDuffie was born September 18, 1922.
Lucile Peacock McDuffie and William Coleman Sylvan were married November 28, 1942.
Caroline Courtnay Sylvan was born December 23, 1946.
Christina Coleman Sylvan was born March 5, 1948.
Sarah Lowe McDuffie was born February 26, 1924.
Sarah Lowe McDuffie and Benjamin Hurt Hardaway III were married November 9, 1945.
Sarah Page Hardaway was born March 18, 1947.
Mary Lucile Hardaway was born October 24, 1948.
Mary Johnson McDuffie was born August 25, 1926.
Mary Johnson McDuffie and Lee Rudolph Redmond Jr. were married August 27, 1948.

Samuel Hudson Williams served in the U.S. Army about four years, twenty months of the time overseas in the Glider Artillery of the 101st Airborne Division. At first stationed in England, he took part in the Invasions of Normandy and Holland; was beseiged at Bastogne, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, etc. He was awarded the Bronze Star, five battle stars, and the Presidential Unit Citation. Rank, Captain.

Frederick William Hughes was inducted into the service May, 1942 at Camp Shelby, stationed at Brookley Field (Mobile), became a member of the 27th Air Depot Group, which was ordered overseas in August 1942 and sailed from San Francisco September 1, 1942. Arrived Brisbane, Australia, September 24th; arrived Port Moresby, New Guinea, December 13th. After nearly two years moved to Finschafen, on the east coast, where he was a member of the office force of the Supply Department. He left New Guinea by airplane July 4, 1945, spent that night in Bisk, flew to the Philippines, thence by boat back to New Guinea to pick up a number of "psycho cases", who had to be guarded all the way to San Francisco. Discharged at Separation Center, Hattiesburg, August 7, 1945. In the service three years, three months. He was awarded the good conduct ribbon, Asiatic Theater ribbon, two battle stars, and the Presidential Unit Citation. Rank, Sergeant.

John Alexander Hughes was inducted into the service at Camp Shelby August 23, 1942, with basic training at Key Field, Meridian, Mississippi. Transferred to Counter Intelligence Corps March 1943. Trained at Camp Holabird (Baltimore), Camp Richey, and Atlanta, also Hill Field, Ogden, Utah, where he studied airplane crashes, and learned riveting. Stationed at Raleigh, N.C., and Dayton, Ohio. Ordered overseas, he sailed the latter part of March, 1944. Stationed in England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany, also visited (after VE Day) Italy and Holland. Awarded the Certificate of Merit for service in the Battle of the Bulge, Five battle stars on his E.T.O ribbon. Returned to Newark, N.J., November 9, 1945. Rank, Staff Sergeant.

Philip David Hughes was inducted into the U.S. Navy in January, 1942. Stationed first at New Orleans, then at Corpus Christi, Texas. Served in legal department, specializing in administrative work with the Shore Patrol. For more than a year he was in charge of the Kingsville District, with headquarters at Kingsville. Ordered overseas May, 1945. For six months Security Officer at a naval base on Okinawa. After VJ Day he was shot at by a Japanese sniper, also experienced two terrific typhoons. Returned February, 1946. Rank, Lieutenant, senior grade.

Adam Monroe Byrd was a reserve officer in private life. In May, 1941 while assistant secretary of state of the State of Mississippi, he was called into active service, and commissioned Captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. Stationed in Atlanta, Georgia, and Orlando, Florida until March, 1944, when he received overseas orders, January, 1946. Rank, Colonel. Colonel Byrd won the Bronze Star, two battle stars, and a Certificate of Merit.

James Robert McDuffie served with the U.S. Marines in the South Pacific. Rank, Corporal.

Frederick Alexander McDuffie was an engineer-gunner on a B-17. Stationed in England, he participated in many raids over Germany. Rank, S-Sergeant.

Donald John McLean was inducted into the U.S. Army in Texas, where he was interning in a Houston hospital. Trained in Texas camps and in a Boston (Mass.) hospital. Commissioned 1st Lieutenant in the Rainbow Division, 42nd Infantry. Battle service through Germany in Field Hospitals at the front. After VE Day stationed in Vienna. Length of service 3 and ½ years. A few days vacation in Switzerland was enjoyed after VE Day. Awarded citation and decoration for bravery beyond the call of duty. Rank, Captain.

Douglas Elliot McLean was inducted into the U.S. Army at Camp Shelby. Trained at Denver, Colorado, and at the Scott Field (Missouri) Radio School. His first service was in Manila, with six months in Tokyo after VJ Day. Length of service 2 years. Rank, Sergeant in American Airways Communication System.

David Carlisle McLeod Jr. was Technical Sergeant in the 979th Ordinance Company. Three years in Italy.

William Wynn McLeod was in the 243rd Signal Operations Company. Two years in Italy. Rank, Staff Sergeant.

Graham McLean McLeod was in the U.S. Navy Air Force, pilot, flying over the Pacific (mostly after VJ Day) in weather observation. Rank, Ensign.

William Dickey Clarke Jr. married Rebekah McDuffie July 7, 1942, leader of his squadron, pilot of bomber, killed in European theater August 14, 1943. Rank, 1st Lt.