Walking through Oak Hill Cemetery last week with Mom and the girls, we passed the burial plot for J.W.A. and Zippora Rowland. As you can see, only one of them was buried there.

You'll note that there is no death date for Zippora, though the engraver presumed it would happen sometime in the 20th century. That marker visible on the bottom right isn't for her, it's J.W.A.'s. Why is his body on Zippora's side of the bed? That's just the tip of the iceberg of what I don't know about Zippora. Who was she, and why isn't she buried along with her name? Of course this made me curious, so I did a little Googling.

It seems J.W.A. Rowland lived most of his life not in Newnan but in Bowdon in neighboring Carroll County. I don't know what he did for a living, but the Carroll Free Press of the late 19th century reports that he was the initial vice president of the Carroll County Chorus Choir Association. (That meeting appears to have been in the Shiloh UMC building which still stands halfway between Carrollton and Bowdon.) Still in Bowdon in 1892, he was witness on a U.S. Patent application for Ocran D. Bunt's plow fender (patent #467853). "James W.A. Rowland" appears as a 72 year old man living in Newnan, GA by the time of the 1920 census. Nearer his death, he was a co-plaintiff in a 1921 lawsuit against the Central of Georgia Railway Company in which he won $250. (They were riding in a buggy "when the mule drawing it ran away and threw them out," causing injuries. It's not clear what role the railroad played, but the court said they were guilty.)

None of those references mention Zippora.

Zippora Rowland does show up in the 1930 census as a 62-year-old woman living in Newnan, GA. "Zippora" was never a popular name, but I don't find any reference to her in the local papers of the era.

So whatever happened to Zippora? Did she remarry? Did she die somewhere else, and no one knew to bring her back to Newnan where her marker was waiting for her? I like to think she's still alive somewhere, enjoying the good life on her sesquicentennial birthday. Here's to you, Zippora!

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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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In addition to the pre-Census letter and the Census questionnaire, I have now received the post-Census postcard. In the midst of this deluge of Census-related mail, I begin to suspect that this Census thing is just a method to bail out the sinking Post Office.

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I just received a letter in the mail from the U.S. Department of Commerce notifying me that I would be receiving a 2010 Census form in the mail. Now, I'm not one to second guess the U.S. government, but why am I receiving a letter telling me that I will be receiving a letter? Why don't they just send me the damn Census form once and be done with it? Isn't the 2010 Census-sponsored NASCAR enough of a reminder? The answer: the first letter is like a subpoena, requiring me to respond to the second.

The US Commerce Department admits that mailing these advance letters is an "important reminder" to people that they need to participate. Fun fact: According to United States Code Title 13, Chapter 7, Subchapter II, Section 221, anyone who refuses to respond to a census request could be fined up to $100. The same section of the US Code also states that anyone who "willfully gives an answer that is false" could be fined up to $500. And there's more! Section 222 stipulates that if anyone makes "any suggestion, advice, information or assistance of any kind, with the intent or purpose of causing an inaccurate enumeration of population to be made, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both." But that's not all! Section 224 warns than anyone intentionally lying about his business or other organization "shall be fined not more than $10,000." Ouch.

So remember kids, don't ignore or lie to Big Brother, especially if he already knows where you live. And don't even think of trying to escape: his car is faster than yours.

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