Albert Ichabod Driver, Uncle Albert, died in 1951, 11 years before I was born. While I never knew him, I’ve heard about him all my life.
Albert was the oldest son of John and Weltha Driver, born in 1871, he was only two years old when his family left the Nacogdoches, Texas area and headed West. In 1874, the little family settled in Parker County near the town of Weatherford, where Albert’s younger brother, Henry, was born, near Long Creek. In 1875, the family moved again, this time to the little town of Graham, where they would spend the rest of their lives.
Etta Cunningham
As a young man, Albert was engaged to a girl named Etta Cunningham. Albert suffered from asthma and fearing he’d be a burden to her, he eventually broke their engagement. His brother, Henry, went with her for a while but he met Louise Smith while visiting their Mother’s family in the Coleman area and married her.
In the early 1930s, oil was discovered on the family’s land, a few miles South of Graham. Albert’s mother, Weltha, was a frugal woman, the family had lived through lean times and she believed in patching the patches on her clothes to make them last longer. I’ve often wondered if this was because of an incident where a cow ate her new dress on their journey West….. Albert and his sister-in-law, Louise, would do the laundry and would “hang Weltha’s worn out dress up in the ringer” then they would pull back and forth until the dress was beyond repair. This was force Weltha to start wearing a new dress instead of “saving it.”
Albert never married and spent a good deal of his life farming with and looking after his parents. He cared for them until their deaths. Anytime I’ve heard relatives speak of Uncle Albert, the fondness is apparent in their voice. His appearance was kindly and warm. Many times I have thought about how his life might have been different if he would have had access to the modern miracle of rescue inhalers.
“Where there’s a will, there are 500 relatives…..”
The Will of Giles Driver, Jr. offers a window into the dynamic of his family. Giles is very detailed in how he disposes of his estate, in some cases right down to the penny. He was specific regarding the circumstances surrounding who received what and the conditions that had to be met to receive the inheritance. Two notes here – this is not an exact transcription as far as spelling and there are a few words that I couldn’t make out, thus the blanks. Where you see bold text, I have added information for clarification.
Will of Giles Driver, Jr
Pike County, Georgia – Record of Wills, Volume C-D, 1844-1912, Page 492
19 July 1869
In the name of God Amen. I Giles Driver of said State and County being of advanced age and knowing that I myself must shortly depart from this life, deem it right and proper, both as respects myself and family, that I should make a disposition of the property with which a kind Providence has blessed me. I therefore make this my last Will and Testament hereby revoking and annulling all others made by me heretofore.
Item 1st – I desire that my body be buried in a decent and Christian like manner, suitable to my circumstance and condition, but nothing unnecessary about it. My soul I hope and trust shall return to rest with God who gave it, as I hope for eternal Salvation through the blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Item 2nd – I desire and direct that all my just debts be paid by my Executors hereinafter named.
Item 3rd – I have given to my daughter Sarah R who intermarried with Charles B Hubble one thousand and thirty five dollars in cash, she leaving no child at her death my wish is for said Hubble to have no more interest in my estate whatever.
Item 4th – My wish and desire is for my youngest son Charles G to have one hundred dollars extra and more than the balance of my children this difference is made because he has not received his due proportion of education.
Item 5th – I give and bequeath to my wife, Mary, all the property that she was possessed of at the time of our marriage, to do with as she may think proper at her death. I also desire that three hundred dollars be laid out in hand of which she is to have full control during her natural life or widowhood but at her death or marriage for the lands to return to my estate and to be equally divided among my children or their children as the case may then be.
At this point in the will is a note “See Marriage Contract”. The placement is such that I don’t know if he is referring to his third wife, Mary M Carson, or to his son, Julius W, who is the subject of Item 6.
Item 6th – I throw (?) this restriction and qualification around the property or effects that may fall to my son Julius W, that is, it is not to be subject to any of his debts or contracts now made or hereafter made, but he is to use it for his support and benefit and that of his family and at his death to be equally divided among his children but his present wife and the Serepta Ann Rebecca Reeves wife neither of them is to have any interest in my estate or its increase whatever at the death of my son Julius W Driver I make this difference because he is divorced from the Reeves wife and I understand that the father of his present wife Sarah E Hogan intends to make a similar will.
Item 7th – My will and desire is for my Grandson Giles L Driver and my grand daughter Sarah F Driver (children of Julius W Driver and his 1st wife, Frances Jane Ussery) each to have one hundred dollars to be retained in the hands of my executors until these children become of age or marry. These amounts to be retained out of the portion falling to their Father.
Item 8th – If any of my children die before or after me and have a child or children such child or children to draw their parents interest in my estate under this will.
Item 9th – I hereby put this condition and qualification upon the property or its effects that may be received by each of my children (to wit) if any of them die and leave no living or posthumous child then the property or its effects falling to such child to return to my estate and to be equally divided among all my children or their children as the case may there be in the manner herein specified for division observing the restrictions and qualifications in this will
Item 10th – My wish and desire is that each of my children that have not had a bed bedstead and furniture to have one after paying off all my just debts for each child to draw an equal share of my estate both real and personal, not counting (?) any old debts against any of them, observing the restrictions, qualifications and differences in this will
Item 11th – I have given my two sons Julius W and Robert P each a mule and each mule valued at one hundred and forty one dollars, sixty six cents, each of them have an extra cow which must be valued. I also paid Doyal & Nunnally fifty eight dollars for Julius ___ for cotton, twenty one dollars _____ due for that Thirty seven dollars these amounts I want counted against them without interest
Item 12th – I constitute and appoint my two sons Alonzo C Driver and James L Driver my lawful
Executors to this my last Will and Testament this 19 July 1869
Giles added a codicil that included the following –
First – Whereas I have understood that my son Julius W Driver intends to claim some property that he was in possession of at the time when he broke up house keeping and separated from his second wife Serepta Ann Rebecca Reeves and whereas I feel satisfied that I have fully compensated him for said property. Now if he claims said property and continues to contend for it then I want the five hundred dollars that I handed him when he started out to California counted against him without interest but if he relinquishes his claim to said property I want the will to be carried out without this codicil so far as he is concerned
Second – In lieu of the one hundred dollars mentioned in the fourth Item of my will to my youngest Charles G my wish is to alter it to Two hundred and twenty five dollars
Third – I also want my son James L to have two hundred and twenty five dollars These last two Items they are to have before there is any division made
Fourth – I want my wife Mary M Carson to have the bedstead and mattress that we lie on in lieu of her bedstead that she sold when she came here
Fifth – There is due from A C Driver Two hundred and twenty five dollars for his mare without interest
Sixth – My wish and desire is for the portion falling to my daughter Synthia E Pryor for her and her husband to have the use and benefits of the proceeds of the property but her present or future husband not to be allowed to trade off any of the property neither to be subject to any of his debts or contracts now or hereafter made the said property is to be exclusively for my daughter Synthia E and her children
Seventh – This I think will make my children as near equal as I can fix it
A few years ago I came across an item I didn’t even realize I had. Forty-plus years of research will do that to you. I found my Momma’s Baby Book. Mary Ruth Grantham was born 11 Apr 1927, she would have been 91 this year.
I was so excited to find this little treasure. I never in a million years would have thought it existed. Inside the worn cover I found such treasures.
Her first word was Daddy when she was six months old. Her daddy died a few months before her fourth birthday. My favorite entry for her First Words were “Blates like a sheep at 10 months”. Her daddy raised award winning sheep and all her life she missed him. Momma had an older sister, Norma and one of my favorite pictures is of them together. Momma was such a little butterball. She always had the sweetest smile.
Norma Louise & Mary Ruth Grantham
My grandma was an interesting woman. She was widowed at the age of 28 with two little girls. She raised them through the Great Depression with the help of her family. I’ve often wondered how those events shaped her as a mother. I never would have dreamed she would have kept a record of my Momma’s milestones as a baby but I was even more surprised to find a tracing of Momma’s hand.
“A name, of course is like a piece of clothing, isn’t it? It gives you an impression right away.” James Salter
Weltha Josephine Owen Driver
I never knew my great-great-grandmother, Weltha Josephine Owen Driver. She was born 30 Sep 1851 in Alabama and passed away 17 Sep 1932 in Graham, Texas, 30 years before I was born. Wealthy, as she was known to her family, was the oldest daughter of Albert Owen and Martha Collinsworth.
She appears in the census as “Wittly”, “Wilsy”, “Weltha” and “Wealthy”. She was married to John Allen Driver on March 22, 1869 in the tiny community of Etoile in Nacogdoches County, Texas at the home of her parents.
I always thought she had the most interesting name, I mean who names their daughter Wealthy and why? There are 229 names that mean Wealthy however, I could never find the meaning of the name Wealthy. Eventually I did find out that her great-grandmother was named Wealthy so finally I knew “why”.
In 1875, Weltha, John and their sons, Albert and Henry migrated from Long Creek, near Weatherford, Texas to Young County. While laying in supplies for the trip, John saw some dress material in a store in Weatherford and bought a length for Weltha.
She was so proud of the new dress she made from that material, and even more pleased because John had taken the time to pick it out for her. Shortly after they began the trip to their new home, little Henry became ill and John and Weltha would take turn about carrying him as they walked along side the wagon. One night after making camp it began to rain. Weltha wanted to keep the cool air off Henry so she drew the wagon sheet up tight and hung her new dress up to block any air from coming in. In the morning, Weltha was heartbroken to find that during the night the cow had chewed her new dress.
I have often wondered if being named Wealthy or the incident with the cow influenced her personality. She was very “frugal”. Even though they were “well off” for the time, she would wear a dress until it was so worn out her daughter-in-law would intentionally get it hung in the washer ringer and would then tear the dress apart so Wealthy would have to start wearing a new dress.
A few years ago I came across an item I didn’t even realize I had. Forty-plus years of research will do that to you. I found my Momma’s Baby Book. Mary Ruth Grantham was born 11 Apr 1927, she would have been 91 this year.
