Bennet George

Ancestors

Son of John Bennet George and Augusta (Finch) George

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Biography

Bennet Edwin George was born 30 Mar 1948 in Portsmouth, Virginia, USA, to John Bennet George and Augusta Lois Finch George. He was given his first and middle names from his father's (Bennet) and paternal grandfather's (Edwin) midddle names.

That fall the family moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, where his father attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute as a benefit for having served in the Army during World War II. In 1952 John graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering and obtained a job with General Electric in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In 1954 the family moved to Rome, Georgia, where John was transferred by GE.

While in Rome, Bennet received his basic education in public schools but went to high school at Darlington, a prep school. During his youth he was a Boy Scout and loved the outdoors, often hiking, camping and riding a bicycle around the county.

He attended the University of Georgia 1966-70, where he earned a degree in journalism. While at UGA he was a photographer for the student newspaper. He also met and married Joan Ellis, an art student. Bennet and Joan had one child, Margaret.

On graduation Bennet worked as a photographer for a series of small town newspapers around Georgia. Bennet and Joan divorced in 1974 and Bennet met and married Sandra "Sandi" Perkins, a teacher of special needs children, in 1977. They had no issue.

In 1979 Bennet and Sandi moved to Starkville, Mississippi, where Bennet took a job as a photojournalist with Mississippi State University. Bennet worked for MSU until he retired in 2010, rising to the position of assistant director of the public relations department. In the early 1980s he developed an interest in computing technology. He purchased one of the first personal computers, a Commodore 64, and began preaching the benefits of the technology at work. As a result he became the computer resource person for his department and became a pioneer in Internet communication, creating the world wide web site for MSU and managing it until retirement.

In 1988 he helped create a fire department for his rural community, serving as a firefighter and -- from Sept. 1996 to June 2013 -- as fire chief. He also served for many years on the board of directors of his community water association and other non-profits.

Shortly before retirement Bennet developed an interest in wooden boats and built a kayak and a canoe. During retirement he and Sandi purchased a 26-foot sailboat and enjoyed many days on the water.

Bennet also devoted a vast amount of time to genealogy.

DNA

Paternal relationship is confirmed with an AncestryDNA test match between Bennet George and his first cousin. Their MRCAs are their grandparents, Charles Edwin George and Grace Sharp Bowman. Predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: 1st Cousins based on sharing 676 cM across 39 segments; Confidence: Extremely High.​

Maternal relationship is confirmed with an AncestryDNA test match between Bennet George and his mother. Predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: Parent/Child; Confidence: Extremely High. Amount of Shared DNA: 3,472 centimorgans shared across 53 DNA segments.

Sources

• First-hand information entered by Bennet George.

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