George Washington Peebles (1875 - 1951)

Born 17 Mar 1875 in Moulton, Lawrence County, Alabama, USA

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 29 Nov 1951 at age 76 in Courtland, Lawrence County, Alabama, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mandy Peebles [send private message]

Biography

George Washington Peebles is the son of George Henry Peebles and Catherine Rebecca Jane Terry Peebles. Kate was George Henry Peebles' first wife. George Washington was called "Maj" by family and friends. Catherine Rebecca Jane was called "Kate or Katie" by family and friends.

George Washington Peebles married Willie Viola Casey 21 Feb 1895 in Lawrence County, Alabama. The marriage record lists their names as G. H. Peebles and Willie Kazle on the original; that is in error, it should read Willie Casey. Willie Viola Casey was born and lived in Center Star, Lauderdale County, Alabama until after she was married, then she, her mother Mary Anna Manus Casey, and her sister Evaline Casey all moved to Lawrence County, Alabama. Her mother and sister lived in the household until their death.^[1]

On the 12 September 1918 World War I Draft Registration Card record for George Washington he was listed as medium height and build with blue eyes and brown hair. His age is given as 43, nearest relative is his wife Willie Peebles, and it gives his birth date as 17 March 1875.^[2] One of his granddaughters recalled him as a big man with a white handle bar mustache and a very deep voice. That same tenor of voice was passed down a couple of generations to some of the males of the family.

There were not many photos of Maj, but here is the one that best describes what he looked like. The graphic is my property and posted on my blog. [1] On the wordpress site there is a story about the courtship of George Washington Peebles and Willie Viola Peebles. It is written by Carolyn Murray Greer and it reads:

He swam the river…

to court the one he would marry in 1897. George Washington Peebles was born, raised, and lived in Lawrence County. He lived in Hillsboro and in the Courtland area. Of course, this was before the Tennessee River had been dammed and some parts of the river were fairly shallow for at least certain times of the year. But, this knowledge kind of makes a soft spot in my heart for him. She must have been quite special in his eyes.

The object of his affection was Willie Viola Casey, daughter of Willis Robert Lucas Casey and Mary Anna Manus Casey. They lived in Center Star located across the Tennessee River in Lauderdale County, Alabama. Willis Lucas Casey’s parents were Sarah Francis Lucas Casey and Jacob Duckett Casey. Sarah Francis Lucas’ father was a physician in Florence, Willis Lucas.

Jacob Duckett Casey’s parents were Elizabeth Duckett Casey and Gen. Levi Casey. Elizabeth Duckett Casey, Jacob Duckett Casey and Sarah Francis Lucas Casey, among other relatives, are buried at the Casey Cemetery located now on private property, but which at the time was the property of Elizabeth Duckett Casey, widow of Gen. Levi Casey. In a Times Daily newspaper article showed the cemetery after it had been vandalized and stones broken. Elizabeth Duckett Casey lived at what used to be called Rawhide; her property was in close proximity to James Jackson’s Forks of Cypress which burned. Did you ever wonder where Cowpens Creek and such names originated? The progenitor of the Casey family goes back to Abner Casey.

At that time, George Henry Peebles’ land holdings were pretty large. The Peebles had thoroughbred race horses that were sought from afar for their pedigree. If I recall correctly the name of their horse farm was Hidden Fields because of the undulating territory of the area before modernization brought about so much leveling of the ground. After Willie Viola’s mother came to live in hers and her husband’s household they acquired the land that had belonged to her family as well. So, their land holdings spread from where the International Champion Paper Mill buildings sit today across the river into Lauderdale County in the area of Center Star.

But an unimaginable event happened that sent the farm up in flames. Well, maybe not the land, but the stables…and with all the horses trapped inside. The events that led up to the unimaginable were heartbreaking. According to what I was told, one of the Peebles girls was raped. The Peebles men, determined as they were, forced the rapist to marry the girl. The couple went on to have two children, I have often wondered what hell the girl’s life must have been like with the unfolding of events as they were.

In retaliation, the man who violated the Peebles girl, set fire to the home and stables. No report was given that any humans perished in the fire, but the account was that the horses were burned alive in the stables. This is a true and accurate account; the perpetrator spent time in Kilby prison for his dastardly deeds.

Betty Drue Jane Tolbert Peebles, would tell of seeing the horses. She would tell how fine and beautiful those horses were and that people from all over the country would want to buy or breed them. If only. If only I had the where-with-all to record Mama’s accounts of the family over the years. If only.

Death of son Harry Peebles:

Name: Harry Peebles

Event Date: 10 Dec 1968

Event Place: Moulton, Lawrence, Alabama

Gender: Male

Age (Original): 62y

Birth Year (Estimated): 1906

Spouse's Name: Mrs. Ericl Peebles

Father's Name: George Washington Peebles

Mother's Name: Willie Cassie

GS Film number: 1912784

Reference ID: 30965^[3]

Death of daughter Georgie Marie Peebles:

Name: Georgie Marie Tolbert

Event Type: Death

Event Date: 19 Oct 1982

Event Place: Bowling Green, Bowling Green City, Wood, Ohio, United States

Address: South Main St.

Residence Place: West Millgrove, Wood, Ohio

Gender: Female

Age: 80y

Marital Status: Widowed

Race: White

Race (Original): White

Occupation: Housewife

Birth Date: 26 Jan 1902

Birthplace: Alabama

Burial Date: 23 Oct 1982

Burial Place: West Millgrove, Ohio

Cemetery: Riverview Cemetery

Father's Name: George W. Peebles

Mother's Name: Willie Casey

Reference ID: cn 493

GS Film Number: 2032338

Digital Folder Number: 004254445

Image Number: 573^[4]

George Washington Peebles closed his eyes for the last time 29 Nov 1951. He died at his home in Courtland, Lawrence County, Alabama. He is buried alongside Willie Viola Casey Peebles at Cottingham Cemetery, Hillsboro, Lawrence County, Alabama.^[5]

Death record:

Name: George Washington Peebles

Event Date: 29 Nov 1951

Event Place: Courtland, Lawrence, Alabama

Gender: Male

Age (Original): 75y

Birth Year (Estimated): 1876

Father's Name: G H Peebles

Mother's Name: Katy Terry

GS Film number: 1908865

Reference ID: cn25569^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Alabama select Marriages, 1816-1942, Film Number: 1031094V. L-M
2. ↑ U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 for George Washington Peebles
3. ↑ Citing this Record: "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JFGY-FN3 : 15 February 2018), George Washington Peebles in entry for Harry Peebles, 10 Dec 1968; citing reference 30965, Department of Health, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1,912,784
4. ↑ Citing this Record: "Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6CJ-4L7 : 13 December 2014), George W. Peebles in entry for Georgie Marie Tolbert, 19 Oct 1982; citing Death, Bowling Green, Bowling Green City, Wood, Ohio, United States, source ID cn 493, County courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 2,032,338
5. ↑ web:Lawrence County, Alabama, Burial Index, 1835-2014
6. ↑ Citing this Record: "Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6W3-W4Z : 15 February 2018), George Washington Peebles, 29 Nov 1951; citing reference cn25569, Department of Health, Montgomery; FHL microfilm 1,908,865