The House was a Home!

It's not just the old house that inspires us to restore, but the history of the people that lived there. We continue to explore the families that made the Ledford-Colley House a home.

George Newton and Lenora Colley    

GN "Newt" Colley (1858-1917) married Lenora Edwards (1865-1942) in 1881.  According to the book, A History of White County, 1857-1980 ( pub. 2003), in the 1880s , Newt was a teacher in White County, but later became a farmer.  In 1895, he was the County Tax Collector, and also served a 4 year term as Clerk of  the County Court (sometime around or after 1910).  As a member of the Blue Creek Baptist Church, he was a deacon and clerk until his death in 1917. Both he and Lenora are buried at the Blue Creek Church Cemetery.

We discussed in an older post from Aug. 28, 2012, History Mystery and the house gets a new name!, Colley bought the Blue Creek property from JF Ledford in 1896. Newt and Lenora had 7 children at that time. The 1900 Blue Creek census shows all of their children living at home.  Flora, the youngest, not listed, was born in 1900.

1900 Census White Co. Ga Blue Creek District (names as they appeared in the census)

George N. Colley Head b. 1858 Farmer

Lenora Colley b. 1865

Clarence son b 1882

Lillie dau b. 1884

Zeleire dau b. 1884

Ernest M. son b. 1888

Homer v. son b. 1891

Eugene Parks son b. 1893

Lou Ada dau b. 1895

Bonnie dau b. 1899

Without construction documents or records, we can only surmise the state of the house during this time.  The materials in the front part of the house indicate earlier construction, and is most likely what Colley purchased in 1896.  At some point, the house was expanded with a 2 story addition in the back, creating an L shape. The materials used in this section indicate construction around 1900.  Most likely, this was built by the Colleys before Newt's death in 1917.

I'm grateful to the Colley family descendants for the pictures in this post, in particular, to Jerry Colley, the great-grandson of George Newton and Lenora.*

Below is a picture of George Newton and Lenora with 4 of their children, probably around 1910.
Pictured are Bonnie, Eugene, Louada and Flora in front.

Below, a picture of Lenora.



Below, the house in 1942 (possibly the funeral of Lenora).

I love the details seen here, AND we learned a few things!

Details:
The 1940s clothing and hairstyles. 
The dress hanging on the front porch.
The chickens scattered on the left side. 
The hunting dog next to the young girl.  
The man in overalls on the right.
The electric lines running to the front (electricity came to White County in 1937).

Learned:
The barn behind the house.
The trim detail in the front gable was a half-circle.
The trim was painted dark. 
The long front porch.
The back porch wrapped around the back of the house (our contractor was right!).  

Mostly, what I love, is seeing the house lived in.

Below, pictures of the house in 1978.
We see the barn, which today is a pile of wood and metal under vegetation.

Below, the back of the house.

Below, the front.  Those 2 chairs were still on the front porch when we purchased the house in 2011.  To us, that says something wonderful about White County, Georgia!

 

  *Photos courtesy of Jerry Colley.

History Mystery and the house gets a new name!

We are researching the history of this house.  The front part of the house is MUCH older than the back extension.  

We bought the house in 2011 from the estate of Mildred Colley Moore.  She owned the house, along with her brother, Eugene Parks Colley, Jr.  Eugene and his sister Mildred purchased the house in 1993 from the estate of their mother, Lula Belle Colley.

In the records at the White County courthouse, we found a 1947 Warranty Deed for Lot 108 in the 2nd district.  A transaction from the estate of Mrs. G. N. (Lenora) Colley to her son, Eugene Parks (Sr), who was married to Lula Belle.

In this deed, are 2 notable statements;  Lot no. 107 is mentioned, "Also part of lot of land No. 107 in the second district . . . ."  But more importantly, a previous owner's name is listed, "The above lands known as the J.F. Ledford old home place, and the place on which the grantor now lives.  This is now known as the G.N. Colley old home place." 

Detail: 1947 Deed Record, Book FF, page 247.


"Old home place" is a term used to denote a dwelling or home.  So we know there was a house involved in the property transactions.  Now we're looking for a property transaction between a Ledford and Colley.

We found it.  A 1913 record of an 1896 transaction. It records the 1896 property transaction between J.F. Ledford and G.N.Colley for Lots 108 and 80 in the 2nd District, with the note "the above lands known as the J.F. Ledford homeplace.'  This 1913 entry records the earlier transaction with witnesses, I.L Oakes and G.S Kytle N.P.  So, George Newton Colley bought the house from John F Ledford in 1896.

Detail: 1913 record of 1896 transaction, Book O, page 478-479

So who was J. F. Ledford?  Here's what we have from US census records from 1850 to 1900.

John Fletcher Ledford born 1828 Habersham Co. Georgia (son of Curtis Aaron Ledford, a farmer and carpenter, who came to the area around 1822)
Married Rosa Bramblett Ledford born 1829.

1850 Census Habersham Co., Georgia (White County was est. in 1857)
J. F. Ledford 22
Rosa 21 F
W. R. 11/12 M

1860 Census White Co., GA
John F. Ledford 32 M farmer
Rosa 32 F
Wesley 10 M
Nancy Ann 8 F
Louvenia 6 F
Enoch 3 M
Sarah 1 F

1870 Census White Co., Ga Subd 135
John Ledford 44 M farming
Rose 42 F keeping house
Wesly 20 M farm hand
Nancy 17 F
Lurena 15 F
Sarah 11 F
Jefferson 9 M
John 4 M
Ruth 1 F

1880 Census White Co. Ga Blue Creek
John F. LEDFORD Head    54 M Farmer

Rosey LEDFORD Wife      54 F Keeping House
Louvena LEDFORD Dau     22 F At Home
Sarah LEDFORD Dau       19 F At Home
Jefferson LEDFORD Son   17 M At Home
John LEDFORD Son        13 M At Home
Rutha LEDFORD Dau       11 F At Home

There is no 1890 census. (burned in a courthouse fire)

1900 Census White Co. Ga Blue Creek District (JF Ledford family no longer listed)

George N. Colley Head b. 1858 Farmer
Lenora Colley b. 1858
Clarence son b 1882
Lillie dau b. 1884
Zeleire dau b. 1884
Ernest M. son b. 1888
Homer v. son b. 1891
Eugene Parks son b. 1893
Lou Ada dau b. 1895
Bonnie dau b. 1899

In 1860, John Fletcher Ledford, 32,  is listed as a farmer with real estate valued at $850, personal value of $400. We will continue to research the history of both the Ledford and Colley families, original owners of this house.