David and Marsha Grady Family
Our RAWLS FamilyMarsha's paternal grandmother was Lois Maude RAWLS. Our earliest known RAWLS ancestor is Arthur RAWLS, who was born about 1792, possibly in Laurens County, Georgia. He married Permelia "Milly" WALKER, daughter of Revolutionary War veteran, Elisha WALKER and Mary BOWER, about 1810.
It appears that Arthur RAWLS was in Georgia very early, as he appears in the book "They Were There, Volume 7", on page 2143. He appears in a listing of the Gwinnett County Land Lottery for districts 5 through 7. Arthur Rawls, county of residence Laurens, received Lot #241.
His family is listed in Laurens County, Georgia in the 1840 Federal Census. Arthur RAWLS died about 1847. His will was signed on 27 December 1846 and was recorded September 1847 in the Laurens County Courthouse in Dublin, Georgia. A transcription of his will is included below in "Related Links".
By 1850, Milly WALKER RAWLS is living with her daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth RAWLS and Zachariah SMITH, in Johnson County, Georgia, and is listed as age 73, born in Georgia, with $2000 of real property and $3000 of personal property. Marsha has been unable to find a will or probate proceedings relating to Milly RAWLS's estate.
Arthur and Milly RAWLS had about eight children (there are conflicting lists of children reported by various researchers):
- Daniel RAWLS. Married Margaret MASON.
- Reddick RAWLS.
- Elizabeth RAWLS (1815-after 1857). Married Zachariah SMITH.
- Elisha RAWLS (1820-?). Married Susan M. LINDER.
- Anna RAWLS (1821-?). Married John Bolen PERRY.
- Lucinda RAWLS (1824-?). Married Nathaniel STOKES.
- Mary RAWLS (1825-?). Married John D. PAGE.
- David RAWLS (1830-?). Married Sarah (maiden name unknown).There is some discrepancy in the information about Elizabeth RAWLS's marriage and children. Arthur RAWLS' will references "the illegitimate children of Elizabeth SMITH", which implies that some or all of her children were born prior to her marriage to Zachariah SMITH. In most records, the children of Elizabeth RAWLS SMITH use the surname SMITH, so it seems likely that they were adopted by Zachariah SMITH sometime after his marriage to Elizabeth. Their marriage is reported to have taken place 1834 in Laurens County, Georgia - however, all of the children that Marsha has discovered for them have dates of birth after 1834. So there is a possibility that there were additional unnamed children.
David RAWLS was born about 1830 in Georgia, probably in Laurens County. By 1850, he is married, and is listed with his wife, Sarah, and infant son, William, in the census for Laurens County. He and Sarah had the following known children: William Arthur RAWLS (1850-1896); Annie RAWLS; Bettie RAWLS; Robert RAWLS; Daniel RAWLS; Jordan RAWLS; and Sallie RAWLS. Marsha has very little information about this family, other than William Arthur RAWLS.
William Arthur RAWLS was born 7 May 1850, probably in Laurens County, Georgia. He married Mary Frances HODGES 24 October 1872 in Washington County, Georgia.
Shortly after their marriage, William Arthur and Mary Frances RAWLS moved with her mother and some of her siblings to Covington County, Alabama, where they settled near Andalusia.
There are some discrepancies on the children of William Arthur and Mary Frances RAWLS, but Marsha believes that they had five:
- Minnie Lee RAWLS (1873-1957). Married Richard Henry BONIFAY.
- Arthur Franklin RAWLS (1880-1932)
- Wiley Hodges RAWLS (1884-1984). Married Mary Frances DAVIS.
- David Richard RAWLS (1885-1976)
- Mary Volusia RAWLS (1888-?).A copy of information from Wiley F. HODGES and Margaret Jane SMITH HODGES' family bible (courtesy of Donahue HALL) includes two children not listed in other sources: Wilda Torrance RAWLS (1875-?) and Margaret RAWLS (1882-?). It is possible that these daughters died young and therefore do not appear in later listings of the children of Willam and Mary Frances.
William Arthur RAWLS died 10 October 1896 in Covington County, Alabama. Mary Frances HODGES RAWLS died 16 May 1926.
Wiley Hodges RAWLS was Marsha's great-grandfather, and as he lived a very long life (dying one month shy of his 100th birthday), she has many memories of him. He was born 15 February 1884, at home in Covington County, Alabama. He married Mary Frances DAVIS. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Wiley Franklin HODGES, who was killed during the Civil War.
They had nine children:
- Lois Maude RAWLS (1918-1995). She married William Thomas KING.
- Byron Flurnoy RAWLS (Living)
- C. W. RAWLS (Living)
- Hazel RAWLS (?-2000). She married Herbert CARDWELL.
- Mary Elizabeth RAWLS (Living)
- Aubrey RAWLS (Living)
- Edith RAWLS (Living)
- Inez RAWLS (Living)
- Imogene RAWLS (Living).Wiley's application for social security number indicates that he was employed by the W.P.A. around 1939. Mary Frances DAVIS RAWLS died 9 March 1964 in Covington County. She is buried at Pleasant Home Baptist Church Cemetery. After Mary's death, Wiley married "Miss Carrie" (maiden name unknown.) Miss Carrie was alive until the 1980's. After her death, Wiley's health continued to decline. For most of Marsha's later childhood, he used a wheelchair and he gradually lost his eyesight.
Marsha remembers Grandpa RAWLS coming to family gatherings. He was so old, the children were a little afraid of him. But he LOVED oysters - fried and raw. Marsha remembers watching his daughters (her great-aunts) feeding Wiley raw oysters at Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings at the home of W.T. KING and Lois RAWLS KING.
Wiley Hodges RAWLS died 19 January 1984 in Monroe Manor Nursing Home in Monroeville, Alabama. He is buried with his wife, Mary, at Pleasant Home Baptist Church Cemetery in Covington County.
Reports:
Photographs:
Rawls Family PhotosRelated Articles and Transcriptions:
William Arthur Rawls, Land Grant, Covington County, Alabama, 1894
Wiley Hodges Rawls, Social Security Application
Will of Arthur Rawls, 1847, Laurens County, GeorgiaRelated Families:
Marsha's HODGES Page
Marsha's DAVIS Page (Coming soon)
Marsha's WALKER Page (coming soon)
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