The Edwards Family History

• Edwards Family Coat of Arms

The Edwards Patrick County, Va

Sarah and William Edwards had two children.

1. Abraham
2. George

Abraham Edwards (1819 - 1862) served in the Confederate army. He died in Chattanooga, TN with the measles in April of 1862. He was 43 years old. He was born in Patrick County, Va. His wife was Ruth Newman Edward. Children are unknown at this writing.

George J. Edwards (1826 -1862) married Sarah Arrington. He died of Typhoid fever on June 29, 1862. He was 36. George and Sarah had one child, James Franklin Edwards (1862-1948). James family broke up after the death of his father, George. He and his mother moved in with her father, Samuel Arrington.

James Edwards married Martha Ann Hill September 2, 1877. They both were from Patrick County, VA. In 1884, they moved to Surry County, NC near Mt. Airy, NC.

Martha was the daughter of Manning Davis and Louise Hill. Her father was a farmer and the Elder of the Primitive Baptist religion.

James would prepare a home-fattened possum for Thanksgiving every year. James Edwards was a Farmer, warehouseman, and painter. He also operated a restaurant in downtown Mt. Airy.

James and Martha Edwards had nine children.

1. Rosa Belle (1878-1969)
2. Irwin Richard (1880-1975)
3. Benton Everett (1881-1958)
4. Hattie Ann (1883-1971)
5. James Edward (1885-1971)
6. Joseph Key (1887-1970)
7. John (1890-1918)
8. Claude Hill (1894-1918)
9. Alice Vivian (1809-1971)

Claude Hill was killed in Flanders France during World War I and is buried near Flanders.

James Edwards married Anna Laurie Watkins.

They made their home in Mt. Airy, NC. The house was on Taylor Street. The Edwards' home was very similar to a farm. They had guineas, chickens, a cow, horses, and other animals. They grew their own vegetables.

Annie was very conscious of germs. She boiled her clothes. She grew up in a time, not so long ago, when the streets were not paved. Stepping stones were laid across the dirt roads to make crossing easier. Horse-drawn carriages were the mode of transportation. James Edwards worked for Southern Railroad. He lost a leg in a railroad accident. Despite his disability, James continued to work everyday. He was among the few who managed to keep his job during the Great Depression. Anne was a charter member of the Mt. Airy Friends Church. She joined this Quaker church when she was 13 years old. She lived to be 102 years old. At this age, she still had her mind in tact and read the bible without glasses.

James and Anna Edwards had eight children.

• Mary Frances
• Annie Louise
• Ruby Lee
• James Edward Jr.
• Claude Watkins
• Mildred Lyons
• Martha Jane
• Robert Hill

References

• Anonymous writings by family members
• ftp://rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/va/patick/census/cendanlx
• Mt. Airy Newspaper clippings

keyword: Watkins, watkin, genealogy search sites, geneology, family crests, surnames, ancestry, find, locate family information, ancesters