Friday's Faces from the Past - My Paternal Great-Grandfather, James (Jim) Rutledge Henderson, Jr. (1897-1959)

James "Jim" Rutledge Henderson, Jr. - 1897-1959

Last month, I inherited the photo above of my paternal great-grandfather, James "Jim" Rutledge Henderson, Jr., from my father.  Previously, I wrote about his first wife and my great-grandmother, Soulé "Sue" Olive Lee Henderson, in a another post. Also, I blogged about his grandfather, James Simmons Henderson, and his great-grandfather, Rev. Newton Pinckney Walker, Esq. (founder of the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind), in previous post.

James Henderson was born on 19 April 1896 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to James Rutledge Henderson, Sr. (1864-1928) and Margaret Ida Spain Briggs Henderson (1863-1938).  His family also consisted of three older siblings - Louis Walker, Russell Spain, and Margaret Octavia - as well as two younger siblings - Thomas Briggs and Ida Louise. Sometime between 1900 and 1910, the Henderson family relocated from Spartanburg, South Carolina, to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he spent at least half of his childhood.

On 03 August 1920, Soulé and he married, and they went on to have two children - Elizabeth Lee Henderson Wood (1921-2005), my paternal grandmother, and James "Jimmy" Rutledge Henderson III (1925-1994). Additionally, Jim began his professional career circa 1924 as a Draftsman at Charlotte's Parks-Cramer Company. During his approximate 35 years with that company, he progressed up the ranks to become Chief Draftsman, Assistant Chief Engineer, Engineer, Assistant Vice President, and Sales Manager.

My great-grandmother passed away 01 November 1940 in Norfolk, Virginia.  On 22 March 1945, Jim married Emily Louise Heinlein Smalley (1903-1985), originally of Massachusetts, in Charlotte. Though I did not get to meet my great-grandfather or great-grandmother, I knew my step-great-grandmother, "Mom-Mom," very well and adored her.

On 07 August 1959, James Rutledge Henderson, Jr. died of metastatic carcinoma due to adenocarcinoma sigmoid colon at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte. His family laid him to rest on 10 August 1959 in Charlotte's Elmwood Cemetery.

(This post is part of +Genea Bloggers's Friday's Faces from the Past.)


©Amy Wood Kelly, 2015 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts.  However, please do not reprint this post in full or in part or use excerpts from this post without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post.  Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put into creating this post.

Sympathy Saturday - Margaret Ida Spain Briggs Henderson (1863-1938)

The two articles below are about the death of and funeral rites for my paternal great-great grandmother, Margaret Ida Spain Briggs Henderson.

Ida, the youngest of eight children, was born to Dr. William Thomas Whitaker Briggs and Margaret Susan Spain Briggs at Cypress Plantation in Clarendon County, South Carolina, on 14 March 1863.  In 1886, she married Dr. James Rutledge Henderson in South Carolina, and they had six children together (three boys and three girls).  In addition to being a devoted daughter, sister, wife, and mother, Mrs. Henderson was a successful, published journalist and writer, as well as an active member in the Daughters of the American Revolution.  Ida passed away on 21 March 1938 in Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina, at the age of 75.

Charlotte (NC) Observer article from the Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Research Database
about the death of and funeral for Margaret Ida Spain Briggs Henderson.

22 March 1938 article from the Greensboro (NC) Record about
the death of and funeral for Margaret Ida Spain Briggs Henderson.
(From GenealogyBank.com)

This post is based on +Genea Bloggers Sympathy Saturday prompt.

©Amy Wood Kelly, 2015 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts.  However, please do not reprint this post in full or in part or use excerpts from this post without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post.  Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put into creating this post.

Amanuensis Monday - Transcription of a 16 July 1985 Letter from My Maternal Great-Grandmother, Faye Elizabeth Litaker ("Nanny")

I am transcribing this based on +Genea Bloggers Amanuensis Monday prompt.  This letter was written from Nanny (1901-1995), living in Concord, Cabarrus, North Carolina, to my family when we lived in Greenville, Greenville, South Carolina.  The envelope was addressed to me, and the stamp cancellation on the envelope says "CHARLOTTE NC" and is dated 18 Jul 1985.  (A letter stamp was 22 cents!)  I'm including a few photos at the end so readers can put faces with the names.

Copy of Letter

Transcription

Tuesday morning

Dear Amy, Jennie, and Mike,

It was so good to talk to you all of you.  We are all doing very well.  Jane said it was work, work, work.  She canned 58 qts of beans of beans over the week end.  Jean call and said her mother and her had 2 bushel.  Your daddy and her went down there and got them.  Mrs. Smith and Jean, Heather had string a bushel which was so nice.  And Mrs. Smith said she had up to 90 qts. So Jane worked all Sunday afternoon after we helped to get them ready.  But they are nice for we didn't have any.  She has about 75 jars or over.  Bo-Bo* has not found out any thing yet about his self.  Will next week.  The Dr don't care, they just after money.  It will be the first of the week when Dr Kelling gets back from his vacation.  So I guess he will wait, that all you can do for they don't care.

Anna and Gary and little Matthew* are doing okay.  The lady that keep him say he is good but he kindly has a cold.  That is in and out the air-condition get out and hot go in air.  We are having some hot weather and I know you are to.  I will be glad when it get cooler.  Want [sic] you.

Well this is a little note.  No one else have time to write.  Say they don't have time.

Well this is it.

Hope all of you can come up soon any time.

Love to all of you
Nanny.

*My uncle, Andrew Joseph Pampas III ("Bobo") tragically passed away at the age of 41, just eight days after Nanny wrote this letter.  My first cousin, Matthew Lynn Kiser, also died tragically in a 2006 car accident at the age of 20.

Family Members at Grandmama and Granddaddy's 50th Anniversary Celebration in 1992.
Left to Right:  Lori in front of me, my mom with Matthew in front of her,
Nanny (seated),  Grandmama (Jane), Jean (Bobo's widow), Heather (Bobo's daughter),
Granddaddy (Andrew), Anna (my aunt), and Gary (Anna's husband).

Bobo holding me at Grandmama's house, circa 1969.

©Amy Wood Kelly, 2015 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts.  However, please do not reprint this post in full or in part or use excerpts from this post without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post.  Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put into creating this post.