More in the life and times of Mrs. W.C. McBride. Published today in The Newnan Times-Herald:

This item was published in The Herald and Advertiser, predecessor of The Newnan Times-Herald, on Aug. 14, 1914:

"Among the numerous floral offerings displayed at Mrs. Woodrow Wilson's funeral at Rome on Tuesday last, and one of the few carried into the church with the casket, was a beautiful wreath formed of magnolia leaves contributed by Sarah Dickinson Chapter, D.A.R. of this city. The wreath was designed and put together by Mrs. W. C. McBride, who [sic] artistic taste was never more prettily displayed, and we understand it was much admired."

This belated celebration of the centennial of Mrs. Wilson's death didn't come out of the blue. It was published to illustrate Newnan's ties to the former first lady, a Georgia native whose paintings are currently on display in Rome.

The city of Rome must have been very important to Ellen Axson Wilson and her husband, the future 28th President. As the supporting article emphasizes, "They met in Rome, where they met and where she gave birth to two of her daughters." That two of the daughters were born in Rome is mentioned again later in the article. It also goes on to add that she attended Rome Female College, and Mr. Wilson became "immediately attracted" to her after seeing her in church. They sound like a happy couple. I wonder where they met?

(I should also be absolutely clear on this point: Ellen Axson was the first Mrs. Wilson. Ellen was the third first lady to die while her husband was in office, and perhaps not so coincidentally, Woodrow was the third President to be married while in office. The Mrs. Wilson history recognizes as managing the nation's affairs while President Wilson convalesced from a 1919 stroke was his second wife, Edith Bolling, who so far as I know had no ties to Rome. The article gives no mention of the second, probably more famous Mrs. Wilson.)

The first Mrs. Wilson's paintings are now on display at the Oak Hill & The Martha Berry Museum in Rome, GA. That museum is no relation to the Oak Hill Cemetery where the aforementioned Mrs. McBride rests.

So that's your Jennie Hardaway McBride update for 2014. For a woman who died 90 years ago, she still gets around!

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After my curiosity-driven research into the tombstone of Jeannie Hardaway McBride and my follow-up on the destruction of her home, I've had a request for more information about the descendants of Jeannie Hardaway McBride. I should point out that she's my 3rd cousin three-times removed, so I'm no expert. However, I'm glad to share what I know (because I'm a know-it-all busybody).

Research indicates that Jeannie McBride had as many as 8 children ^[1][2][3], six of whom appear to have survived infancy. What little I know about that family is detailed as as follows. Keep in mind that all of the detective work that follows was done at my computer. A little real digging through actual books -- does anyone do that anymore? -- would no doubt clear up any inconsistencies or misinformation.

Robert McBride was born January 16, 1895, and died May 9, 1896. He is buried in Newnan's Oak Hill Cemetery.^[4]

Isora Burch McBride was born December 25, 1896, and died September 6, 1898. Isora was named for her grandmother, and is buried in Newnan's Oak Hill Cemetery.^[5]

William H. McBride was born March 21, 1899. The Social Security Death Index shows two William McBrides born on March 21, 1899; one died in May 1962 in Virginia, the other died in December 1986 in Houston, Texas^[14]. Since there is a William C. McBride, Jr. buried in Marietta National Cemetery in Marietta, GA, with a death date of May 23, 1962^[15], I'm guessing it's that one.

George McBride was born June 22, 1901, and died August 27, 1932. He is also buried in Newnan's Oak Hill Cemetery.^[16]

Alice M. McBride born October 22, 1903, and died on November 9, 1977. In between she married James Thompson Goodrum who appears as a 29-year-old male in the 1920 U.S. Census.^[6] The couple had at least 2 children, both boys. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Coweta County as Alice McBride Goodrum.^[7]

Henry Strickland McBride was born January 8, 1906, and died May 6, 1976. Henry married Mary Cowham on March 2, 1941¹³. After years of adventures in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Henry retired to Newnan and is buried in Newnan's Oak Hill Cemetery.^[8]

Virginia McBride, birth date unknown, was in the Shorter College graduating class of 1929.^[9] I have no idea what happened to Virginia after that.

Ruth McBride was born in December 1910. Like her older sister, Ruth attended Shorter College and appears as a Sophomore in the 1928 Argo yearbook^[10] and the 1930 Argo yearbook!^[11] Mysteriously, she does not appear in the 1931 yearbook at all.^[12] While I had initially been led to believe that her name was "Ruth Reid McBride," and that she had been born on December 10^[2], I can find no records for that name. Because Ruth Reid Hardaway was the name of Jeannie's sister, this could have been an honest mistake by an earnest genealogist. A little digging reveals one Ruth Hardaway McBride born on December 7, 1910, married William Haskell DuBose, Jr. on May 4, 1935, and died on September 8, 1999.^[17] Mr. DuBose is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park like Ruth's sister, so it seems likely that his wife is our girl Ruth.

And that's all I know about that.

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At the suggestions of my "friend" James, I ran my last blog post through a series of automatic translators (English > French > Spanish > English) just to see what would happen. This is the result:

Remember when I posted this little piece of history in the life of Mrs. WC McBride returns April 18? Well, it seems that there may be sentenced to home.

The Newnan Times-Herald reported today that the house at 14 Robinson Street was destroyed in a fire at home after a storm on Tuesday night. The house at 14 Robinson was listed as the home address of Ms. McBride on his death certificate, 1924.

These stories have led to the revelation that the majority of grandparents who live close to call McBride House, though the house was built in the late 1840 by John Evans Robinson (hence the name of the street) before moving to Cardwell William McBride. It turns out that my mother called the Hatchett House, as was held by the Hatchett family for most of the last century. Anything that is called, it seems that most of Newnan was aware of the 2-story colonial-style white house.

(To illustrate the kind of town Newnan, Georgia, is John Robinson Cates, son of John Robinson Evans, was the Newnan Rexall Pharmacy pharmacist with the October 7, 1953, issue of It's your life. John Robinson Cates married too. Eva Arnold, the sister of my maternal grandmother Everybody relates to the world. this is like shooting in Newnan)

Is it a coincidence that two weeks after published in Virginia "Jennie" McBride Hardaway, his house burned down? Obviously the answer is no. Take care, readers Wriphe.com: the blog! My blog is so powerful, can not be responsible for causing havoc!

Google Translate. Because if you can't make fun of a house fire, what can you make fun of?

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Remember when I posted that bit of history of the life of Mrs. W.C. McBride back on April 18? Well, it seems that I may have doomed her house.

The Newnan Times-Herald reported today that the home at 14 Robinson Street was destroyed in a house fire following a thunderstorm on Tuesday night. The house at 14 Robinson Street was the house listed as Mrs. McBride's home address on her 1924 death certificate.

This news led to the revelation that many of the old-timers living nearby call it the McBride House, although the house was built in the 1840s by John Evans Robinson (hence the road name) before passing to William Cardwell McBride. It turns out that my mother calls it the Hatchett House, as it has been owned by the Hatchett family for the better part of the last century. Whatever they called it, it seems that most of Newnan was aware of the 2-story, white plantation-style home.

(To illustrate what kind of town Newnan, Georgia, is, John Robinson Cates, son of John Evans Robinson, was the Newnan Rexall Drugstore pharmacist featured on the October 7, 1953, broadcast of This is Your Life. John Robinson Cates was also married to Eva Arnold, the sister of my maternal great-grandmother. Everyone is related to everyone else: that's how we roll in Newnan.)

Could it be a coincidence that two weeks after I posted about Virginia "Jennie" Hardaway McBride, her home is burned to the ground? Clearly the answer is no. Beware, readers of Wriphe.com: The Blog! My blog posts are so powerful, I cannot be responsible for the havoc they wreak!

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Most tombstones show the date of death. Many tombstones record the date of birth. But there aren't too many tombstones showing a third date.

This tombstone for Jennie Hardaway McBride, found in Newnan's historic Oak Hill cemetery, demanded a little research. And not because there are no oaks or hills anywhere in sight.

It turns out that "Jennie" isn't even Mrs. McBride's real name. Before she was Mrs. "Jennie" McBride, wife of Newnan merchant and Scotch-Irish society member William Cardwell McBride, she was Virgina Rebecca Hardaway, daughter of Isora Burch. In 1903, Isora Burch organized the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, named in honor of her great-grandmother, Sarah Dickinson Simms. Jennie would eventually succeed her mother as regent for the DAR Sarah Dickinson chapter. But that doesn't solve the question of why she has three dates on her tombstone.

The death certificate for "Mrs. W. C. McBride" of 14 Robinson Street in Newnan, Ga, lists the cause of death at age 50 as "acute uremia." The internet tells me that uremia is typically caused by kidney failure. In this case it wasn't a surprise to anyone when she died; the certificate notes that she was diagnosed with "uremia" six months before it killed her. However, that still doesn't account for the third date on the tombstone.

The father of Mrs. McBride was Robert Henry Hardaway, descendant of a boy "kidnapped" onto a ship bound for America in 1685. It turns out that daddy also has 3 unusual dates on his grave: "December Twelfth, 1837, - 1869, February 11, 1905." Robert Hardaway was born in 1837 and died in 1905. So what did he do between those two dates? He stayed busy. For one thing, Hardaway was a Confederate States Army soldier in Company B of the 1st Georgia Calvary. For a time afterwards, he was a member of the Georgia State General Assembly. And he was also a partner in the merchant firm Hardaway & Hunter in Newnan where he met Isora Burch and was married on December 12, 1869! Ah, ha!

The historical record states that Jennie R. Hardaway was married on April 18, 1894. Mystery solved. At least two generations of the Hardaway family of Newnan liked to put their wedding dates on their tombstones. Who knows why, exactly, but if I had to guess, I'd suppose they died a little those days. They don't call spouses "balls and chains" for nothing. Marriage: it's a life sentence.

[For the record, Jennie Hardaway McBride shares a common ancestor with my mother. Sarah Dickinson Simms, Mrs. McBride's 2nd great-grandmother, was my mother's 4th great-grandmother, making her my 5th great-grandmother. What can I say? Newnan's kind of a small town.]

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