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Alice
(Minerd) Rockwell |
Alice (Minerd) Rockwell was born
on May 20, 1849, at Hopwood, Fayette County, PA, the eldest daughter of
Andrew and Sarah (Devan) Minerd. Her
father, husband and brothers served in the Civil War.
Sandy Hill Cemetery
Alice grew up in and around Hopwood, Broadford and Dunbar, Fayette County. As a young teenager, she saw her father leave home to join the Union Army during the Civil War. Later, for many years as an adult, she lived as a single woman with her aged parents, and did not marry until she was 55. When she did finally wed, it was to a Civil War veteran.
Not much else is known of her doings.
Her spouse was Civil War veteran John Freeman Rockwell (1841-1928). He was born in German Township, Fayette County, on April 24, 1841, the son of Jesse and Emeline (Baird) Rockwell. At the time of their marriage, John was a 53-year-old widower drawing a pension from his war wounds. He stood 5 feet 9 inches, with black hair and blue eyes, and was a carpenter and farmer.
During the war, John served in the 40th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Company F, also known as the 11th Pennsylvania Reserves, Company F. While with the 40th Infantry, he became sick and was sent home on furlough in January 1862. Later, upon returning to his regiment, he took part in the battle of Gaines Mills, on June 27, 1862. He surrendered there after a "great disaster" in which he was wounded and taken prisoner.
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Union POW prison tents at Belle Isle on the marshy falls of James River, the Confederacy's largest military prison, surrounded by a stockade. Sketch by Capt. Harry E. Wrigley, Topographical Engineers, published in Harper's Weekly. |
"The officers and men were worn out and exhausted by the picketing and marching and fighting of the previous forty-eight hours," he wrote. The prisoners marched to Richmond and were placed in tobacco warehouses, and later were moved to "the bare and cheerless" prison camp on Belle Isle in the James River.
John was held by the Confederates until August 6, when he was paroled at Aikens Landing. He returned to his regiment, which later fought in a number of important battles in 1862 -- Second Bull Run (Aug 28-30), South Mountain (Sept. 14), Antietam (Sept. 17) and Bristoe Station (Oct. 14).
~ The Fight at Antietam ~
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| Above: cornfield near the North Woods at Antietam where John and the 40th Pennsylvania Infantry emerged into heavy fire early in the morning. Below, Confederate dead at the Dunker Church. Alexander Gardner photo, Library of Congress |
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At Antietam, on Sept. 17, 1862, he took part in the bloodiest day of fighting in the entire war, in which some 22,726 men fell dead and wounded and missing. His 40th Pennsylvania regiment was part of the 1st Corps commanded by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker. The men carried old Model 1842 rifled muskets, which fired buckshot and balls rather than bullets. It's thought that they preferred the muskets because they used a greater charge of black powder which carried more force.
The 1st Corps made the first assault of the day, at 6 a.m. starting in the North Woods, marching through a cornfield on the Miller farm in the direction of the Dunker Church. They emerged from the cornstalks under a horrific volley of fire from Confederates commanded by Brig. Gen. John Bell Hood which was part of Gen. Stonewall Jackson's corps along the left flank of the line. The cornfield changed hands often throughout the day with some 25,000 men taking part from both sides.
D. Scott Hartwig's book about the battle, I Dread the Thought of That Place, says that in their advance through the Miller corn, John's regiment "confronted the farmer’s garden fence, and it proved to be as impervious to the Pennsylvanians’ effort to trample or tear it down as it had to the 6th Wisconsin. The regiment had to ‘double-back’ to get around it. Confederate shells tracked the Pennsylvanians’ movements, but the speed of their advance seems to have spared them any significant damage."
Johns Hopkins University Press
Between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m., the 11th was still in the Miller cornfield facing Georgia and North Carolina regiments. Writes Hartwig, “By this point the Cornfield was a horrid place, littered with hundreds of casualties... particularly thick with the dead and wounded in the 1st Texas. Though battered and knocked about in places, much of the corn was still standing," thus concealing their advance but also obscuring the enemy forces amassed in their front.
Eventually the 11th Pennsylvania pushed ahead out of the corn into heavy fire. "It was here we suffered our heaviest loss," noted Lt. James P. George. We "fell back slowly bringing off our wounded," as well as prisoners who had been taken from the brigades of Law and Wofford who were found "lying down among the corn rows.”
Hooker's Union troops fell bac after inflicting 50 percent casualties on Hood's. In the evening, after the close of fighting, Robert E. Lee asked Hood where his division was and received the reply, "They are lying on the field where you sent them. My division has been almost wiped out." Hooker later said that "every stalk of corn in the northern and greater part of the field was cut as closely as could have been done with a knife, and the slain lay in rows precisely as they stood in their ranks a few moments before. It was never my fortune to witness a more bloody, dismal battlefield."
~ Continuing Civil War Service in 1863 and 1864 ~
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Battle action at The Wilderness -- the assault on Spotsylvania Court House |
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| Soldiers wounded at The Wilderness Library of Congress |
He is known to have been sick in various hospitals until 1864, and in May of that year, according to his pension record, was thought to have "deserted previous to Battle of Wilderness," but charges later were dropped. He was wounded on May 6, 1864, likely at The Wilderness, suffering a contusion in his left forearm by a spent bullet.
John was discharged on June 13, 1864, and went back home to Fayette County.
~ Return Home and a 1st Marriage ~
Shortly after his return, John married his first wife, Mary A. Watson (1833-1902), on Aug. 11, 1864, at South Union Township, Fayette County. They lived at Balsinger, and had four children -- Eveline B. Rockwell, Ida May Clark, Elizabeth M. "Lizzie" Franks and Lewis W. Rockwell. After nearly four decades of marriage, Mary died on Oct. 18, 1902, of causes unknown, and was buried at Sandy Hill Cemetery near Uniontown.
John was praised as "one of the most widely known men in the county" and was a member of the Will F. Stewart Post, G.A.R., a Union veterans organization.
In the postwar years, the muscles in John's wounded arm became "soft, flabby and atrophied…" He suffered from a variety of injuries, adding to his wartime ailments. In 1887, while raking hay, the team of horses ran off. While John tried to hold the horses, the rake caught him and threw him down and dragged him 100 yards, breaking both his collarbones and injuring his side. The injuries were so bad that he needed to be helped to the house. Then, in the June harvest of 1893, while unloading a load of hay with a hayfork, the rope kinked and dropped a full load of hay directly on him, trapping him underneath and damaging his spine.
On April 14, 1904, after two years as a widower, John married our Alice Minerd, by the hand of her brother, famed Methodist minister Rev. David Ewing Minerd. At the time, he was employed as a carpenter, and lived in South Union Township.
John received a visit at the start of the new yer 1911 and "was very much surprised by a large sled load of his children and grandchildren visiting him twelve in number including Searight Franks and family and Lewis Rockwell and family," reported the Uniontown Morning Herald. "Mr. Rockwell had a joyful time and served them all at his large table well laden with everything good to eat. All returned home, felling it was good to visit grandpa."
They resided in Menallen Township, Coolspring (1911), Hopwood (1915) and Balsinger (1919) near Uniontown, with him drawing a military pension of $40 per month.
Alice circa 1907 joined the Fayette Temple of the Ladies of the Golden Eagle in Dunbar which held their meetings in the Rutter Building. She was elected as the organization's Guardian of Inner Portal the following year. Then in 1911 she is known to have served as president of the Ladies Aid Society of her brother David's congregation, the Methodist Protestant Church. Said the Morning Herald, "The society is already doing a good work for the benefit of the church here... A prosperous Sunday school that every Sunday is increasing in numbers, is held in connection with the church."
The Rockwells attended a John Rockwell family reunion at Jefferson Crossing in August 1910, held in a nearby woods. "Plenty of swings and hammocks had been placed and other entertainments were added," said the Uniontown Morning Herald. "Mr. Rockwell, who is very aged, made a short talk. During the afternoon, there were talks and songs by Mrs. Alice M. Rockwell, Helen Perry and Pearl Begg."
Alice and John hosted a July 1915 visit from their widowed niece Caroline Belle (Beggs) Perry, after which, said the Morning Herald, she "returned to Pittsburgh" where she was "employed in the Episcopalian Church Home ... in the children's department."
They hosted a family dinner party in August 1919 at their home in Balsinger for her nephews Ewing D. Minerd and William Alfred Minerd who had returned home safely from World War I. Said the Courier, "The tables were arranged under a large cherry tree which has been climbed by succeeding generations."
The couple had an obvious affection for Civil War veterans and in August 1915 hosted a dinner in their honor. The other old soldiers included Richard Varndell, George Cramer, Jacob Walters and William Minor (believed to have been the unrelated William Andrew Miner of Hopwood, son of Washington and Margaret [Nicely] Miner). Then again in January 1916, the pair held a dinner in their home for seven members of the Stewart Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans organization. Said the Morning Herald, "The dinner was one of the old fashioned kind, consisting of everything eatable, and was fully enjoyed by the old soldiers... Covers were laid for C.L. Andrews and George Kramer, of Uniontown; Richard Varndell, John Hayden, William Miner, Sutton De Van, and Hamilton Ingles, all of Hopwood."
John was among 350 Civil War soldiers who attended the 16th annual reunion of the Fayette County Veterans' Association in Uniontown on Oct. 5, 1916. Several were Alice's cousins, among them Reuben Leonard of Ohiopyle, Isaac F. Minerd of Dunbar, Ephraim Miner of Markleton, Robert Rankin of Elliottsville and George Washington Turner of Ohiopyle. In a front page story, the Herald said that the:
...veterans enjoyed the occasion immensely as it afforded them the opportunity of renewing acquaintanceships and of reviving memories of the stirring days when the unity of the nation was at stake... Enrollment of veterans began at 8 o'clock at the Municipal building and continued until 10 o'clock when the program proper opened with the blowing of the assembly call by J.W. Frankenberry, who was the bugler of Company C, Tenth Regiment, in the Philippines and the official bugler of the Veterans' association. this was followed by the singing of 'America' by the comrades and prayer by Chaplain F.M. Cunningham, of Ohiopyle. Minutes of the preceding meeting were read by Secretary C.L. Smith. The mayor made the address of welcome, saying the city was turned over to the veterans for the day... Adjournment was taken at 12 o'clock, the veterans forming for a parade over the main streets to the Third Presbyterian church where dinner was served... The rations served the "vets" were much better than they had while fighting to crush the Confederacy, consisting of baked beans, assorted sandwiches, pickles, cheese, peaches, apples, bananas and coffee. About 400 partook of the good things to eat, ten long tables being used. The church dining room was decorated in a manner appropriate to the occasion with flags and bunting, beautiful dahlias gracing each table... The afternoon session was held at the church following which Will F. Stewart Post, G.A.R., held a meeting in its rooms in the Municipal building to receive and muster in new members. An exhibit of Civil war relics in the show window of the A.I. Ellis & Son music store in Morgantown street, proved a feature of great interest to veterans. Among the relics were a solid shot used at Fredericksburg in 1862, a miniature model of the type of field gun now used by the United States army made by boys under 16 in the Soldiers' Orphans Industrial home at Scotland, Pa... The conclusion of the day's program was marked by a camp fire in the evening... in the rooms of the Captain D.M. Bierer Rifle club and under the auspices of that organization.
After 24 years of marriage, John died of prostate cancer on May 22, 1928. He was buried with his first wife in Sandy Hill Cemetery. An obituary in the Morning Herald said he "was a Civil War veteran and one of the most widely known men in the county being a member of a pioneer Fayette county family. He was a member of Will F. Stewart Post G.A.R. and was active in work of that organization." Funeral rites were conducted in the home of his daughter Lizzie Franks at Balsinger, presided by Rev. T.W. Colhouer of the Second Methodist Protestant Church of Uniontown.
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John and his 1st wife Mary rest together at Sandy Hill Cemetery |
Alice lived for just four months afterward, suffering from entero-sclerosis. She moved from her home at Smithfield to Hopwood, residing there with her nephew and niece, George and Sadie Beggs. The Beggses paid for her medication and physician visits.
Sadly, Alice died in the Beggs household on Sept. 30, 1928. The Morning Herald said in an obituary that "Mrs Rockwell was born in Hopwood and lived there virtually all her life." Her final rites were held in the Minerd Funeral Home and the Hopwood Methodist Church, by the hands of Rev. P.J. Null and Rev. T.W. Colhouer.
At her death, her property included four chairs, two tables and one iron bedstead, "and a few odd dishes."
Her remains were lowered into the sacred earth of Hopwood
Cemetery, in the company of her siblings, parents and grandparents, among many
other uncles, aunts and cousins who sleep there for the ages. True to form, she rests anonymously, without a headstone to mark her
final burial place.
~ Stepdaughter Eveline B. Rockwell ~
Stepdaughter Eveline B. Rockwell ( ? - ? )
She lived on the New Salem Road in 1928.
~ Stepdaughter Ida May (Rockwell) Clark ~
Stepdaughter Ida May Rockwell (1868-1952) was born on Feb. 23, 1868 in Fayette County.
When she was 21 years of age, on Dec. 19, 1889, Ida May wed Moses Hopwood Clark (March 20, 1864-1919), son of John and Hannah (Farr) Clark.
Together, they bore a known family of two -- Lloyd L. "Moses" Clark and Della Hennessey.
Their dwelling-place was in Menallen Township in 1890, followed by a move into Uniontown in about 1893, with Moses founding his own business as a merchant dealing in feed, grain and hay. The company was located on West South Street, said to have been one of the first 50 Purina Chow distribution points in the nation. Evidence suggests that in 1911, he rank for the elected office of Fayette County Commissioner on the Republican ticket. He lost that election but ran again in 1915, saying to voters in a Uniontown Morning Herald article that "I have been a resident of Fayette county all my life and always have taken part in Republican politics. During the past twenty-two years I have been engaged in the mercantile business in Uniontown. My experience as a business man and my wide acquaintanceship with the people of Fayette county, particularly fit me for the duties of this important office." He came in fourth that year, tallying 1,717 votes.
As of 1919, the family address was 35 Oakland Avenue, Uniontown.
Moses suffered from diabetes for the final three years of his life. Then when contracting "streptococcic meningitis," his health plummeted and he died three days later, on Oct. 26, 1919. Burial was in Sylvan Heights Cemetery.
Grief washed over the family when Ida May died at the age of 84 on the next-to-last day of 1952. Interment of the remains was in Sylvan Heights Cemetery.
Son Lloyd L. "Moses" Clark (1890-1974) was born on Dec. 13, 1890 in Menallen Township. His first three years of grade school were in South Union Township, and then after a move into the city finished his grade-and-high-school education in Uniontown. He was a 1915 graduate of Washington and Jefferson College. Initially he was employed with his father in the feed, grain and hay business. Then at the age of 25, in January 1916, he was appointed as deputy recorder of deeds for Fayette County in Uniontown. Then by 1918 he had been promoted to recorder. On April 24, 1918, he entered into marriage with Ethna Davison (1895-1972), daughter of Elmer E. Davison of Connellsville Avenue, Uniontown. Their nuptials took place in the Third Presbyterian Church, presided by Rev. A.E. Hall. Ethna was an alumna of Uniontown High School and at the time of marriage known as a popular, amateur actress and singer. Two sons were born to the pair -- Melford Davison Clark and Henry D. Clark. As of 1934, Lloyd was a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania State Assembly. In assessing his candidacy, the Uniontown Morning Herald said he would "take to the legislature intimate understanding of his district and its problems. He is young, vigorous and competent to represent the district in the State Assembly." The family address in the mid-1960s was 41 Oakland Avenue, Uniontown. At that time, Lloyd was alderman for the First Ward and employed as city assessor. In her own right, Ethna was known for bridge-playing. Sadly, Ethna succumbed to the spectre of death in 1972. Lloyd survived her by two years. He died at the age of 83 on Nov. 26, 1974. His remains sleep for all time in Sylvan Heights Cemetery.
- Grandson Henry Davison "Tippy" Clark (1918-2001) was born in 1918 in Uniontown. He attended Uniontown Senior High School. He was an alumnus of the U.S. Naval Academy and went on to achieve the rank of lieutenant commander with the Navy. In 1964, he was employed with North American Aviation Company in Columbus, OH. As of 1974 he was married and teaching in Columbus. He died in Columbus at age 82 on Oct. 17, 2001.
- Grandson Melford Davison Clark (1923-2000) was born in 1923. He was a 1941 graduate of Uniontown High School. He then served for two years in the U.S. Navy. Melford was a lifelong bachelor. He received a degree from Washington and Jefferson College, taking advanced classes to graduate in under four years. He first worked in sales for Johns-Manville Company in Cleveland and Westinghouse Electric Company in Toledo. From there he pursued a career in the field of insurance in Toledo, working for about a decade for Prudential Insurance before a 1962 transfer to the firm's offices in Cleveland. Circa 1964, he invented a card game known as "Blackout." He devoted his career to inventions of games and sold some of his ideas to Milton Bradley, Kits Inc. and Cadaco. Melford passed away in Wheeling, Cook County, IL on April 12, 2000.
Daughter Idella Mae "Della" Clark (1896-1967) was born on Sept. 28, 1896 in South Union Township, Fayette County. She was a 1914 graduate of Uniontown Senior High School. Della married Robert Lester Hennessey (April 18, 1898-1968). The pair did not reproduce. Robert was a native of Fayette County and was a graduate of a local business college. He immediately joined the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and spent his entire working career with the company. He started with the B&O as a yard clerk in the freight department in August 1916 and then in April 1920 was promoted to chief clerk for the traveling coal freight agent in Uniontown. Within a year, he again was elevated to traveling coal freight agent, which he held for 21 years until September 1937, when he was promoted to coal traffic representative. In that role, he spent 14 years until another promotion in February 1952 as coal freight agent managing the heaviest tonnage on the line in southwestern Pennsylvania and sections of Maryland. Said the Uniontown Morning Herald, "Most of his time has been spent in traveling, serving coal and coke producers in the area. Mr. Hennessey recalls serving during two World Wars with particularly strenuous conditions in operations during the crises. The peak years in coal, he says, were 1921-23, following World War I." Starting with Daniel Willard, he knew all of the B&O presidents over all the years, and used their home to entertain VIP officials. He often went to many business meetings in the company's Baltimore headquarters. In his free time he held memberships in the Masons, Uniontown Lodge of Perfection and Scottish Rite of Pittsburgh, the Syria Shrine and the Asbury Methodist Church. In her own right, Della was active with the Alfred E. Jones Sunday School Class and belonged to the Great Meadows Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Robert retired in the winter of 1962 and told a news reporter that he and Della planned to travel and that he would spend more time fishing and golfing. Sadly, at the age of 69, Robert passed away on Feb. 18, 1968. Burial was in Sylvan Heights Cemetery. Della lived for another nine years as a resident of Evergreen Terrace and Mt. Vernon Towers. Her final dwelling-place was in the Laurel Rest Home. She died at age 80 on May 28, 1977. Funeral arrangements were managed by the Edward E. Minerd Funeral Home, with an obituary printed in the Morning Herald.
~ Stepdaughter Elizabeth M. "Lizzie" (Rockwell) Franks ~
Stepdaughter Elizabeth M. "Lizzie" Rockwell (1870-1946) was born on Jan. 21, 1870 in Fayette County.
She married William "Searight" Franks (May 23, 1863-1944).
As of 1928, they were in Balsinger, Fayette County.
Their known offspring were Maude A. McDonough, Minor Franks, Russell J. Franks, John F. Franks and Ida M. Hughes.
Searight passed away at the age of 81 on Nov. 5, 1944. Burial was in Sylvan Heights Cemetery. An obituary said that death was caused by "a brief illness." Rev. Lorne H. Belden, of the Third Presbyterian Church, officiated the funeral.
Lizzie survived her spouse by a year-and-a-half. Death spirited her away on April 10, 1946.
Daughter Maude Alice Franks (1892-1971) was born in 1892. In 1914, she first was joined in wedlock with Gascal G. "Pete" Gould (June 18, 1896-1967), a native of Buckhannon, WV and the son of George W. and Elizabeth (Johnson) Gould. They apparently did not reproduce. The pair lived in the Continental No. 2 coal mine patch town, where he labored as a coal miner. Gascal served in the U.S. Army during World War I. Their marriage dissolved in 1920, with her suing for divorce on grounds of "personal indignities and adultery." She was united in matrimony with William T. McDonough (May 13, 1888-1966), son of Martin and Maude Frances McDonough. Three children of this family were James McDonough, William McDonough Jr and Catherine Dronfield. They lived in Merrittstown near Uniontown for decades and held a membership in the Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church of Republic. Grief cascaded over the family when William, burdened for years with heart disease and hardening of the arteries, died in the Fayette County Home on Dec. 28, 1966. Rev. Fr. Nicholas J. Thomas and Rev. Fr. Gresko officiated the funeral service. Maude outlived her husband by eight years, remaining in Merrittstown. She died at age 78 on June 10, 1971. Rev. Fr. Fabian C. Oris sung the requiem high mass in the family church, with burial following in the Holy Rosary Church cemetery.
- Grandson James McDonough relocated to Philadelphia.
- Grandson William McDonough Jr. also migrated to Philadelphia.
- Granddaughter Catherine L. McDonough ( ? -2010) was born on (?). She tied the knot with Harold Dronfield ( ? - ? ). Their four daughters were Eileen Dronfield, Linda Hash, Patricia Crain and Sandra Bess. The family residence in 1971 was in Havertown, PA. Her final home was in Clementon, NJ. She died at the age of 83 on July 15, 2010. The Courier Post printed an obituary. Daughter Eileen passed away at the age of 73 on Oct. 5, 2021.
Son Minor S. Franks (1894-1963) was born on the Fourth of July 1894 in Uniontown. He was a boy of eight when his mother died and then age 10 when Alice Minerd became his stepmother. At one point in his career he was employed as a teacher in Uniontown and received his degre from the University of Pittsburgh. Minor served in the U.S. Army during World War I, with a posting to Camp Gordon, GA, attaining the rank of lieutenant. He entered into marriage with Miriam C. Fudge (April 18, 1896-1980). The brood of offspring they bore together were Beverly F. Dordick and Betty Louise Ingram. He eventually relocated to Decatur near Atlanta, GA, where for 35 years he worked as an agent of the Underwriters Salvage Company. Minor retired from the firm at the end of 1962. He held memberships in the First Baptist Church of Decatur and its Progressive Bible Class, the International Fire Insurance Association and the Ansley Park Golf Club. Their address was 411 South McDonough Street, Decatur. Miriam was a member of the Baron DeKalb Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and is known to have been a delegate to the 60th Continental Congress of the organization, held in Washington, DC. She also belonged to the Antique Lovers Club. He died at the age of 68 on May 10, 1963. Jointly officiating his funeral were Rev. Dr. Dick H. Hall Jr. and Rev. Charles Osborne, held in the family church. Burial was in Decatur Cemetery with an obituary appearing in the Atlanta Journal. Miriam survived for another 16 years, with her final address 441 Clairmont Avenue in Decatur. She surrendered to the angel of death on Aug. 21, 1980.
- Granddaughter Beverly F. Franks ( ? -2003) was born on (?) in Decatur, GA. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia and a master's degree in library science from Emory University. In about 1948, she relocated to the District of Columbia, where she was employed by the National Realty Board. She exchanged marital vows with I.L. Dordick ( ? - ? ). The pair did not reproduce. They made a move to Chicago where she worked in the headquarters library of the National Association of Realtors. A 1974 story in the Deer Park Progress said the library was "widely acclaimed as the world's most extensive source of material on the real estate industry." At that time, the library included more than 12,000 book titles, more than 200 periodicals and an additional 70,000 items spanning finance, insurance, law, public lands and urban renewal. They held a membership in the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, where she volunteered in organizing its library. The pair migrated back to Decatur in December 2002. Sadly, stricken with cancer, Beverly died at the age of 80 on March 9, 2003. Rev. Bob Williamson led the graveside services at Decatur Cemetery. An obituary appeared in the Atlanta Constitution.
- Granddaughter Betty Louise Franks ( ? - ? ). On Oct. 1, 1949, she tied the marital cord with John Frank "Don" Ingram Jr. (Feb. 9, 1927-1994), originally from Cocoa, FL and the son of John F. and Flora Ingram Sr. The nuptials were conducted at the First Baptist Church of Decatur, GA, presided over by Rev. Dick H. Hall Jr. In announcing the marriage, the Atlanta Constitution said she "was a stunning figure in here ivory satin wedding gown embroidered with seed pearls and fashioned with a long train. Her illusion veil fell from a coronet of orange blossoms, and she carried a bouquet of orchids, valley lilies and tuberoses." Their reception was held at the Anna Young Alumnae House of Agnes Scott College. The Ingrams put down roots in Decatur. They became the parents of two -- Suzanne Ingram and Donna Stacy. Don was an alumnus of Decatur Boys High School and the Atlanta division of the University of Georgia. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and went on to study at Louisiana State University's School of Banking and the Stanford University Business School. For 42 years, he was employed by Citizens & Southern National Bank, later becoming part of NationsBank. He retired with the title of senior vice president. Active in the community, he spent a dozen years on the school board of the City of Decatur and on the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority. He also was president of the Druid Hills Lions Club and held memberships in the Atlanta Athletic Club and Commerce Club of Atlanta. They belonged to Decatur's First Baptist Church where he gave of his time as an elder. Sadly, at the age of 67, Don passed away on Oct. 12, 1994. His funeral was held in the family church, led by Rev. Dr. Peter Rhea Jones. Interment was in Decatur Cemetery, with an obituary printed in the Atlanta Constitution.
Son James "Russell" Franks ( -1957) was born on (?). He wed Margaret Brennan ( ? - ? ). Their pair of sons were John "Jack Franks and James Franks. The family put down roots in Revere, Fayette County, in house 24. Russell was a longtime coal miner and a member of the United Mine Workers of America Local 688 of Fredericktown. Russell died at the age of 61, in Uniontown Hospital, on Oct. 2, 1957. His requiem high mass was conducted in St. John's Roman Catholic Church, by the hand of Rev. Fr. Thomas J. Dunn. Burial was in Oak Grove Cemetery, with an obituary published in the Uniontown Morning Herald.
- Grandson John "Jack Franks dwelled in Woodside in 1957.
- Grandson James Franks moved to Fairless Hills, PA.
Son John F. Franks resided in Balsinger in the mid-1940s. By 1963 he had relocated to Baltimore.
Daughter Ida M. Franks was joined in wedlock with Harry A. Hughes ( ? - ? ). Two daughters of this coupling were Phyllis A. Hughes and Marlene Kay Hughes. They made a home at the Thompson Crossroads in South Uniontown. In April 1963, the pair marked their 35th wedding anniversary.
- Granddaughter Phyllis A. Hughes worked as society editor of the Klondike Bulletin in 1963.
- Granddaughter Marlene Kay Hughes was employed with Community Chest of Greater Uniontown in the early 1960s.
~ Stepson Lewis W. Rockwell ~
Stepson Lewis W. Rockwell ( ? - ? )
He made a home at Jeffries Crossing in 1928.
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