Stella's Roots, Part 6

   Jim has been in contact with his new found cousin concerning his mother's biological family. Between the cousin's surgery and a car accident, their conversations have spread over several months.The cousin has not provided any new information directly related to his mother, Stella, but has shed new light on the family dynamics.
   Keep in mind, we are going on the assumption Stella's mother was Fannie Goins.  Prior to Stella's birth in 1920, Fannie already had four children: William C., Paul, Annie and B.W.  According to the 1920 census, Fannie was a widow. Her husband, Marlin Goins, died prior to 1920. So, the question remains, 'Who was Stella's father?' Unfortunately, that question will forever be unanswered.
   The cousin speculates Fannie probably died shortly after Stella was born.  Her father, B.W., was sent to live with Clay and Carrie Goins around the age of seven which coincides with Stella's birth.  The other children were sent to other places to live as well. Jim's mother eventually landed at the Vocational School for Girls in Tullahoma as a young child. 
   On a side note Carrie was Marlin Goins' sister who married their cousin, Clay Goins. Clay and Carrie had six children and all but one lived. The surviving child was mentally disabled. On the 1930 census B.W. and Carl(this may be William C. or Paul was misspelled on the 1920 census) were listed as nephews living with Clay and Carrie.
    The brother referred to as Dude( not sure whether he is the William C.or Paul) reportedly drank and was in and out of jail often. Jim remembered as a young boy, his parents visiting "Dude" at the jail in Chattanooga.  He and his wife had six children.  After their divorce, the children were put in an orphan home.
   Supposedly, Aunt Carrie documented the family births and deaths in her bible. If this bible still exists, it might answer a few of our questions!

The Gullicks

   To keep all the names in the family tree straight can be overwhelming. For an outsider to follow this blog and make the family connections, is virtually impossible.  To simplify the matter or to make the water muddier,  today's post is about my grandmother's father's mother's side of the family. Got it? How about my grandmother's grandmother, Minerva Gullick Evins.
   In previous blogs, I have mentioned Minerva.  She was the daughter of  Jonathan A. and Frances Gullick. Jonathan's father, William Gullick, was one of the first settlers on the Buffalo River in Wayne County. In my notes she had two brothers, Jonathan W. and James A.Gullick.  Jonathan was born on June 15, 1840 and died on November 15 of that same year.  James was born in 1842, and no death date was listed.  I assumed he died young as well because he did not appear on the 1850 census. Minerva and a sister, Matilda, were the only children listed  with their parents on that census. I have found notations that Matilda died in 1860. Of the Gullick children, Minerva lived the longest, but she died at the age of thirty from complications related to childbirth in 1877. Sadly, the parents outlived all their children.

   Two years ago we traveled to Wayne County in search of the Dabbs Cemetery, the burial place of the Gullicks. When compared to the other headstones in the cemetery, the Gullick headstone was quite unique and impressive. One large headstone faces four stone slabs.  The headstone reads "Evins  Gullick." Each slab represents one of the following family members: Jonathan Gullick, Fannie Gullick, Minerva Gullick Evins, and Thomas Evins.                                                                     

 

   I'm uncertain of the location of the cemetery with the location of their family home, but I plan to do a little investigative work. One would assume they did not live far from the cemetery. Maybe when the weather cools, we will set the GPS for the back roads of Wayne County.