Bonus: George Harrison Shanklin and Susan Ida Maxey (children of couple 9 and 10)

[Mom's paternal grandfather's parents]
[Everett Ezra Shanklin > George Harrison Shanklin]

George Harrison Shanklin
BIRTH: 22 November 1870, Weakley, Tennessee, United States
DEATH: 12 MAY 1941, Dresden, Weakley, Tennessee, United States

Susan Ida Maxey
BIRTH: 6 November 1872, Palmersville, Weakley, Tennessee, United States
DEATH: 05 MAR 1917

George Harrison Shanklin

George Harrison Shanklin was the son of James Allen Shanklin (1813-1880) and Sarah Mae Young (1832-1900).
1. Harris Almary (1866-1866) died as 2 week old infant
2. Marcellus Alfonso (1868-1951) m1. 1891 Mary Ella Catherine Wheeler (1867-1931), m2 1933 Eliza Jane Parrish (1870-1948)
3. George Harrison (1870-1941) m1 1893 Susan Ida Maxey (1872-1917) m2 1918 Mary Delia Shelton (1868-1944) m3. 1921 Ira Bettie Palmer (1883-1967)
4. Mattie Iola (1872-1876) died age 4
5. Bobby Lee (1874-1876) died age 2

Susan Ida Maxey

 Susan Ida Maxey  was born to James A Maxey (1846-1885) and Mary M Byars (1846-1892).

Siblings of Ida
1. Lillie A Maxey (1869-1928) m. 1884 Louis Monroe Price (1868-1936)
2. Mary Jane "Ollie" (1871-1943) m. 1928 Louis Monroe Price (1868-1936)
3. Susan Ida (1872-1917) m 1893 George Harrison Shanklin (187-1941)
4. Mintie Lee (1876-1961) m 1893 Samuel Robert Wheeler (1873-1948)
5. James Albert (1882-1958) m 1903 Cora I Brundige (1884-1968)
  

Life Together
Children
1. Zelodius Roscoe (1894-1963) m 1915 Charity Jones (1894-1984)
2. Everett Ezra (1896-1974) m 1923 Sarah Obeira Breeden (1898-1971)

George Harrison Shanklin (22 Nov 1870- 12 May 1941) m. Susan Ida Maxey (then later Mary Delia Shelton Gosset, then Bettie Palmer Gatewood).

George Harrison Shanklin and Susan Ida Maxey, with Roscoe (b. 1894) and Everett Ezra (b. 1896).

George Harrison Shanklin

 From his obituary:

George Harrison Shanklin, son of Allen Shanklin and Sarah Mae Young, died at his home near Latham, Monday night following a long illness. He was born near Latham on Nov. 22, 1870. He was 70 years old at time of death.

He was first married to Susan Ida Maxey and to this union was born two sons. Susan Ida died several years ago and he later married Betty Palmer Gatewood. He was a member of the Palmersville Baptist Church.

Mr. Shanklin was one of the most successful farmers and swine breeders in the county. He was a pioneer in Duroc hog breeding. Purebred boars and guilts from his farm have found their way in many states. Mr. Shanklin was a splendid citizen, true to every relation in life. As a result of his upright deportment, he was held in the highest esteem by a wide circle of acquaintances His word was his bond. Whatever George Shanklin promised to do, it was done if at all humanly possible. He was charitable, his purse strings were freely loosed toward the aid of suffering humanity. He was a man of deep convictions and possessed the courage to speak them. In his passing, the family, the church, his community, and the entire county is bereft a splendid citizen. Peace to his ashes!

George and Susan Ida Maxey with three of their granddaughters.

From Susan Ida Maxey Shanklin's obituary:

In Memorandum~  Again the death angel has visited our community and claimed for its victim Mrs. Susan Ida Maxey Shanklin.  She was born on Nov. 6, 1872, and died on Mar. 5, 1917; age forty four years, three months, and twenty nine days. She was the daughter of James A. Maxey and Mary M. Byars. She was married to George Harrison Shanklin on June 10, 1893. To this union was born two sons; Zelodius Roscoe Shanklin, and Everett Ezra Shanklin. 

She leaves a broken hearted husband, two sons, a daughter-in-law; Charity Jones Shanklin, a grandson; Varon Jones Shanklin, and three sisters; Lila Maxey Price, Ollie Maxey, Mentie Maxey Wheeler, and one brother; James Albert Maxey, and a host of relatives and friends to mourn her departure.

She professed faith in Christ in early life, but never united with any church until 1903, when she decided to unite with the Primitive Baptist Church at Palmersville. We believe from her daily life that she has lived a devoted christian life. She was constantly advising her boys to live right. This seemed to be one of her greatest desires. 

She was sick only a short time, but her suffering was great. She did her utmost to bear her pains, which were many. All was done that loving hands could do, but God needed her and took her to bless his kingdom. 

We can only say to those left to mourn: Weep not for her as for those who have no hope. They should be comforted by believing that her spirit is basking in the sunshine of God. - A Friend

In addition to these published pieces, Mom had done quite a bit of legwork in the 1970s to go visit some of the relatives in and around Weakley County.  The main purpose was to record family stories.  To reacquaint with the key players, George and Marcellus were the two sons surviving Allen and Sarah Shanklin.  Roscoe and Everett are sons of George.  The following snippets and quips were the result of an interview with Aunt Charity (the wife of Roscoe).

Susan Ida Maxey Shanklin made soap and wove carpets. She used a corn shuck mop.   She moved her straightback chairs with the hem of her dress, and got sand from the pile and would rub the floor clean and pretty.  She kept a wash-pan in the outhouse to put on top of the holes to keep the chickens off.  It aggravated her so much, so she always said "be careful and put the pan back on!"

Corn Husk mop made by attaching shucks to a plank with holes in it.

Roscoe and Everett Shanklin were the two children of George H and Susan Ida Maxey.  Roscoe was like his mother, Roscoe had one foot like his mom and one like his dad...one toe straight and one toe crooked. He was a more quiet person.  Everett was more lighthearted and had a good sense of humor.  Everett looked like Albert Maxey (his mother's youngest brother).

George was a Primitive Baptist in Palmersville later in life (they would take people who had been married before).  Susan did join in Palmersville but also joined at New Hope ( Southern Baptist)  to be baptized before Charity married Roscoe  Sept. 22, 1915.

One of the stories Charity later told of George:

He was a good, clean, moral man who paid his debts and supported his church.  He didn't drink or swear.  George had an old mule, "Pete", and one day he was putting the harness on and swung it up over Pete's head, Pete stepped out of the way and the harness and George were all tangled up and rolling down the hill with George yelling for VJ. (Varon, Roscoe and Charity's son). 

Susan would regularly sit at the end of the hearth and churn butter and read her Bible or some other story to her boys.  At one point, Susan came down with the measels (contracted from Everett).  She had bad pain in her back, then it settled in her legs.  It took them I while to figure out what was wrong!

One of the family stories about Susan Ida is that after Everett turned 21, his mom said "I am ready to die." She wanted to live to see her kids take care of themselves.  Growing up, Roscoe was always a bigger boy, but Everett was described as "sickly".  By 1917, her boys were men, Roscoe a newlywed and Everett about to go to the war.  She died later that year.


George and Marcellus were always competing but according to Charity, George was a better money manager.  " Tight as the bark on a Hickory tree," she had said.  As he was a good conversationalist, he was also "one of the best peddlers" in the county.  He would loan his money but had to have good security.  Aside from the kind-hearted charity that was noted in his obituary, there are a few family stories that humorously describe some of the experiences showing his financial prudence, as well.

Aunt Fay (daughter of Everett, son of George) has said that on her birthday he would walk over to her grandfather's house and he would give her a penny.  After her 6th birthday he didn't do that anymore. 

[My Granddaddy] Joe Shanklin (son of Everett, son of George) was 2 when he was found to have diabetes.  Shortly thereafter, he broke his leg.  In order to pay the hospital bills, Everett borrowed $100 from his dad.  The day Everett sold his tobacco,  George was over that afternoon to collect his money.  George's brother Marcellus wasn't as tight; he was known to be a lender, and would continue to help people out as long as he was paid back. If someone neglected to pay him back, he wouldn't lend to them anymore.

George's careful watch of his money must have been noteworthy, because there's another version of the story where the value of the hospital bill was $30 and the crop was sweet potatoes.  "As soon as you sell those sweet potatoes, I want my money back!"

From the sounds of it, George was pretty involved with the community, and was willing to give people a chance.  You had better impress when you get your chance!

There wasn't a day that came that George didn't go to Latham, meaning to the community's town center.  There was a store, feed mill,  etc.  He would drive to Latham in his two seater Model T Ford and the kids would always try to catch a ride with him as they walked home from Bible Union School, the old weather boarded schoolhouse.  One day George picked up MaryLou, Neil, and Brice.  George had his groceries in the backseat- and by the time they got home Neil and Brice at a whole head of cabbage and a loaf of bread.  George didn't pick them up for a long time after that. 

He had worked on his father's farm (and built the addition onto the house), and at one point passed on the work to his boys.  Though he abstained from most of the farming activities, he continued to sell cattle.  He rented the farm to his sons Everett and Roscoe.

Ultimately Everett would buy the farm next door. George and Everett seemed to have alot in common.  They both were always telling about something.  Everett laughed like George, as well.

Roscoe and Charity Shanklin and Family.

Everett Ezra and Sarah Obeira Breeden Shanklin.  Married 5 May 1923

He truly had that characteristic of determination.  It was said of George "If Pappy ever gets anything in his head, you can't get it out!"  That didn't always result in peace and harmony: apparently during the last years of his life, George withdrew a bit from his family and wasn't on speaking terms with his brother, Marcellus or daughter-in-law Obeira.  (They did make up in the end, though).

 His brother Marcellus was the first in Latham to have electricity.  Turns out that even by the time my mom (Linda Shanklin Jackson) would go visit her Ma and Pa in the 1950s and 60s, Everett and Obeira Shanklin, they still didn't have flush toilets.  She has some stories to tell about visiting that old two-holer up near Latham!