John Franklin Hardison

born 3-1-1856 in TN, according to Hardison Family Bible as transcribed by Mary Lou (one transcription of deaths list says he died in 1938, another in 1936). 1860 census JF age 4. 1870 census John, age 14, listed as "at home" where the other boys are listed as farm labor. 1880 census, John age 24, "at school" when the other boys are farm labor.

Crockett County marriage records give the marriage date of J.F. Hardison and Willie A. Carter as 3-11-1886. There is a full family tree posted on the internet for Willie A. Carter's side of the family, showing her parents to be John F. Carter and Nannie Smith Carter. John F. Carter's will is available on the TenGenWeb site. Willie's siblings included Samuel, William and Irene Carter (Irene's married surname was Helen).

Wife Willie A, born May 1846, born TN of parents from TN, note: she lists herself as mother of 0, 0 surviving

Note that Willie is listed as mother of 0 with 0 surviving, and that Katie is called Avery in the 1920 census, and foster daughter in 1930.

7-13-1923 Crockett County Sentinel: Mrs. Tanner and daughter, Miss Irene, and Mrs. Dail Connell of Alamo spent Saturday afternoon with Mrs. J.F. Hardison.

Note that for Katie, "Avery" is written very clearly. The census taker is the person listed on the top of the same page, so someone who probably knew them. The next family down is Agee (Henry, Stella, and Gertrude, age 15). Based on family trees posted on the Tennessee GenWeb page, Henry is the father of Marvin Agee (Katie Avery's future husband) and Stella is his second wife. There is a lot of in-depth and wonderful information on the Agee family, including a family tree, photos and reminiscences, posted on the Crockett County page of the Tennessee GenWeb.

John F. Hardison, age 74, married at 30, farmer born in TN of parents born in NC.

Nannie S. Carter, mother-in-law, looks like it says age 52 but perhaps it is 82, because she is otherwise younger than her daughter (possible if she is the second wife), widowed, married at 16, born in TN of parents born in TN.

Marvin Agee, son-in-law, age 40, born in TN of parents born in TN, married at 20, farm labor.

4-4-1946 Crockett County Times: Mrs Willie Hardison Obituary. Mrs. J.F. Hardison, 79, of Maury City, died at her home Thursday night at 8:30 of heart disease. She had been ill several days. She was born in Crockett County and was a member of the Primitive Baptist Church. Services were held at Maury City Baptist Church by the Reverend Harvey Smith. Burial in Bellview Cemetery in Bells, TN... She leaves three nephews, Lloyd Helen of Dyersburg, Paul A. Helen of the United States Army, and Frank Carter of Miami FL. (Note: by family tree posted to the Tennessee GenWeb, Willie Carter Hardison's sister was Irene Carter Helen.)

Crockett County wills include one for Mrs. Willie A. Hardison, dated 10-11-1937 (her husband died in 1938--wonder if his ill health perhaps lead them both to make wills?) and probated 4-1-1946. The will specified that she was to be buried beside her husband, JF Hardison in the cemetery at Bells. It also specified a marker should be erected at the grave of Mrs. Katie Hardison Agee, buried in the cemetery at Bells. Executor: Homer Revelle. Witnesses: J.B. Avery and H.B. Nance

Belleview Cemetery has JF Hardison 1856-1938 on same stone with Willie Hardison 1866-1946. Belleview also has Katie Hardison Agee 1890-1936, daughter of John F & Willie A.

1910 census, Crockett County shows H. Madison Agee and Estella with son Marvin, age 18.

Found a WWI draft card for Henry Marvin Agee, of Route 5, Friendship, TN. Born Chestnut Bluff, TN. Occupation: farming. Short, with brown hair and brown eyes. Married with 2 children. (By the 1930 census, Katie Avery married Marvin Agee c. 1910, but by 1930 there are no children listed with them.) His birth date is given as 11-15-1893, which would put him off by two years from Katie's Marvin, however I also found the social security death index had a listing for a Marvin Agee of Brownsville TN, also born on 11-15, except he is listed as 11-15-1891, not 1893. It was not uncommon on draft registration cards for the birth year to be nudged a bit in one direction or another. The Marvin Agee of the SSDI died in Oct. 1977.

1920 census shows Henry and Estella Agee and daughter Gertrude living next door to John Franklin. Have not been able to locate Katie and Marvin yet.

The Agee family tree posted on the Tennessee GenWeb by Natalie Huntley lists the following descendent-line (go to the Crockett page on the Tennessee Gen Web to see the full and detailed tree): Henry Marvin Agee, born c. 1892, was the son of Henry Madison (Matt) Agee (1865-1961) and first wife Alice Jones (1867-1899, daughter of Joel Jones and Elizabeth Cherry). After her death he remarried to Estella A. Goodwin (1875-1952) and had daughter Ora Gertrude (this matches the family living next to John Franklin in the 1920 census). Henry Madison Agee (Marvin's father and Katie's father-in-law if my supposition is correct) was the son of Daniel Thompson Agee (1833-1895) and Luemma (Emma) S. Conley (1839-1905). Daniel Thompson Agee was in turn the son of John Daniel Agee and Sarah Burton. There are photos of many Agee family members on the Crockett page, Tennessee Gen Web.

I got several emails in late 2007 from Dorothy Storms, great-granddaughter of W.F. Shelton, who was listed among the witnesses at the 1892 marriage of GW Hardison (John Franklin's brother) to Ida Tennessee Avery. Dorothy said in part, "The Frank Shelton mentioned as witness was my great-grandfather, full name William Frank (possibly Franklin) Shelton. He was married (at least) 3 times that I've found, his third wife being my great-grandmother. W.F.'s first wife was Sallie Dollar. They were married 4-14-1884 in Dyer County, TN. According to her gravestone, she was born 12-2-1865 and died 2-11-1890. He remarried the following November to Elizabeth "Bettie" Evans (married 11-16-1890, Crockett County).

My grandmother made notes about the Shelton family around 1938 (presumably for the obituary of her father-in-law, W.F. Shelton) that included Katie L. listed as my grandfather's half sister, age 46--Bells TN--deceased; married an Agee, adopted by another family, "given away." She never knew anything else about Katie, and I only located her while searching census records and piecing information together. We know from the 1900 census that Katie was born Feb. 1890. The presumption that our family has since made is that her mother (Sallie) died either during or very shortly after Katie's birth. William Frank had 2 other very young children at the time, which would seem to explain his second marriage just a few months after burying his first wife. I've never been able to figure out why Katie was listed in the 1920 census as married with the AVERY name. Upon discovering that he was a witness at the AVERY wedding, I'm fascinated. Since he was still in (or close to) Dyer County in 1892 (to witness the wedding), his first child with Bettie (b. 1891) would have been born there. I know they were in Texas by 1893 for the birth of their second child."

Piecing it together, it appears Katie L was born to WF Shelton and Sallie Dollar Shelton in Feb 1890, the third child in six years of marriage. Her mother died in Feb. 1890, which suggests death in childbirth or due to complications of childbirth and the newborn was "given away," apparently to John Franklin Hardison and his wife, Willie Carter Hardison. Perhaps Willie had just lost a child of her own and could nurse the newborn?

Seven months later her birth father remarried, and had a new child in 1891. In April 1892 he witnessed the wedding of GW Hardison and Ida Avery. GW would've been Katie's foster-uncle. By 1893 he had moved with his family to Texas, leaving his toddler daughter with her foster family.

By 1920 Katie L. is listed in the census as married, and Katie L. Avery, though she is still in her parents' household, and no husband is present. At this point I am not clear on which Avery she married. By 1930 she has remarried to an Agee, and is dead by 1936, with her foster mother, Willie Carter Hardison, specifying in her own will that Katie "Hardison" Agee should get a tombstone.