Skip to main content

Mamie Williams Kelley: One of the Most Popular Matrons of Lawrenceville

By
Mamie Williams
Wife of Otis S. Kelley
July 7, 1888
Aug 28, 1921

Fairview Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia

Photo © 2010/1 S. Lincecum
Mamie Craig Williams was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia to J. Craig Williams and Rebecca Byrd.1,2 She likely married Otis S. Kell[e]y some time after the 23 January enumeration of the 1920 US Federal Census which listed Otis as single with his parents Giles and Ada on Crogan Street in Lawrenceville.3 At best, the marriage lasted less than two years. The couple being parted by the death of Mamie.

Resting near Mamie is her child Otis, Jr., born prematurely on 4 August 1921. Baby Otis lived but two hours, unnamed at the time of death.4,5 The death certificate was signed by G. S. Kelley, M.D. I believe this to be the father of Otis, Sr., listed as Giles S. Kelly in the 1920 US Federal Census with an occupation of medical doctor.6 It is unclear whether the child was a boy or a girl. The certificate was filled out listing the unnamed child as a female, but Dr. Kelley referred to the baby as "him." Regardless, Grandpa Kelley likely presided over the birth and death of his grandchild. And I'm sure he was present at the funeral and burial the following day.7

Two weeks later, to the day, Mamie would join her newborn child in Fairview Cemetery.8 Her obituary from The Constitution (Atlanta, GA):

MORTUARY
Mrs. Otis Kelley.
Lawrenceville, Ga., August 29 -- (Special.) -- Mrs. Otis Kelley, age 30, died at a local hospital in Atlanta early Sunday morning of appendicitis. The remains were brought to Lawrenceville and the funeral and interment held at Fair View church Monday. Mrs. Kelley was formerly Miss Mamie Williams, of Oakland. She is survived by her husband and father, J. Craig Williams, and two sisters, Ruth and Susie Williams, all of Oakland.

She was a member of the Presbyterian church and one of the most popular matrons of Lawrenceville.

Notes

1. "Georgia Deaths, 1914-1927," The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, FamilySearch.org - Free Family History and Genealogy Records. (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 9 June 2011), death certificate image, Mamie Craig Kelley, 28 August 1921, no. 20349, Georgia State Board of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics.
2. "Mortuary: Mrs. Otis Kelley," The Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia), 30 August 1921, p. 12; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 June 2011), Historical Newspaper Collection.
3. 1920 U.S. census, Gwinnett County, Georgia, population schedule, p. 17A, Giles G. and Ada and Otis S. Kelly; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 June 2011); citing National Archives Bureau of the Census Record Group 29.
4. FindAGrave.com, Fairview Presbyterian Church Cemetery, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 9 June 2011), photograph, gravestone for Otis Kelley, Jr. (1921-1921), Lawrenceville, Georgia.
5. "Georgia Deaths, 1914-1927," The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, FamilySearch.org - Free Family History and Genealogy Records. (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 9 June 2011), death certificate image, Unnamed Kelley, 4 August 1921, no. 17638, Georgia State Board of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics.
6. 1920 U.S. census, Gwinnett Co., Georgia, pop. sch., p. 17A, Giles G. and Ada and Otis S. Kelley.
7. "Georgia Deaths, 1914-1927," FamilySearch.org - Free Family History and Genealogy Records, death certificate image, Unnamed Kelley, 1921, no. 17638.
8. "Mortuary: Mrs. Otis Kelley," The Constitution, 30 August 1921.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rocks, Rocks, and More Rocks

By
Why do people put rocks on grave stones? Some time ago, I learned that the rocks signified a visitor. That is true enough, but I decided to learn a little more about the custom and share my findings with you. Putting rocks on tombstones is most often described as a Jewish custom. There are many "Ask a Rabbi" columns out there, but I did not find one that knew for sure where the custom originated. They all agreed, however, that a rock symbolized a visitor and when put on a tombstone said, "I remember you." I also read that some people pick up a rock wherever they are when they think of a person that has passed. Then, the next time they visit the grave, they place the rock to say, "I wish you were here." Rabbi Shraga Simmons offers a deeper meaning: "We are taught that it is an act of ultimate kindness and respect to bury someone and place a marker at the site. After a person is buried, of course, we can no longer participate in burying them. H
13 comments
Read more

Southern Cross of Honor

By
I'm late to this discussion, but it's one I'd like to join. :-) Terry Thornton at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Hill Country started with Grave Marker Symbols: The Southern Cross of Honor and UCV (link no longer available). Judith Shubert at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Covered Bridges continued with Hood County Texas: C.S.A. Veterans & Southern Cross of Honor Symbol . [UPDATE, 1 June 2009: Judith has moved this post to the blog, Cemeteries with Texas Ties . The link has been corrected to reflect this move. You may also link to her article via her nice comment on this post.] Wikipedia states: The Southern Cross of Honor was a military decoration meant to honor the officers, noncommissioned officers, and privates for their valor in the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. It was formally approved by the Congress of the Confederate States on October 13, 1862, and was originally intended to be on par with the Union Arm
25 comments
Read more

Thursday Link Love: EyeWitness To History

By
Yesterday, a link was added to the Genealogy Research Resources Group at Diigo. The link was to the website titled EyeWitness to History.com: History through the eyes of those who lived it . It's a great site, and I encourage all to visit it. Here are several items I found while snooping around. - Inside a Nazi Death Camp, 1944 : "Hitler established the first concentration camp soon after he came to power in 1933. The system grew to include about 100 camps divided into two types: concentration camps for slave labor in nearby factories and death camps for the systematic extermination of "undesirables" including Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally retarded and others." - Crash of the Hindenburg, 1937 : "Radio reporter Herbert Morrison, sent to cover the airship's arrival, watched in horror. His eye witness description of the disaster was the first coast-to-coast radio broadcast and has become a classic piece of audio history." [You ca
1 comment
Read more




SouthernGraves.blogspot.com

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."

Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!' Thus says the Lord God to these bones: 'Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live...'" (Ezekiel 37:1-5, NKJV)