Elton Davis Carr was the second child and oldest daughter of Silas Baker Carr and Winnie Davis Haley. She was born 27 Nov 1912 in Clarkton, Halifax County, VA. I was fortunate enough to have known my Aunt Elton. She always wore a smile just like in the above picture.Aunt Elton was a scrapbooker long before it became the popular hobby it is today. It is through her scrapbook I have come to see glimpses into her life as a young woman.
Aunt Elton used what appears to have been an old Halifax County public works book from about 1925 for her scrapbook. In it she pasted photos and newspaper clippings of family and friends including movie stars of that day. I found many obituaries of her many cousins among the pages. A family historian's dream! In the front cover of the book she wrote as this interesting title:The crape book of deaths and funny thing by Mrs S. B Carr and daughter Elton
Halifax Virginia
Phoebe Anne Community House
July 1, 1927.
I really like the following page documenting her meeting of her first husband Beverly Dixon.
Unfortunately, Beverly was killed in an automobile accident shortly after he and Elton were married. Aunt Elton did go on to live a very full life, eventually marrying William J Finley. Elton passed away 2 Feb 2000 in Kernersville, Duplin, NC.
It's fun that you have memories of your aunt. I hope you'll show more of the inside pages of this scrapbook. It looks really interesting. I think it's unusual to see Elton as the female's name and Beverly as the man's name. Usually they go the other way around. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNancy from My Ancestors and Me at http://nancysfamilyhistoryblog.blogspot.com
I have been tracing a friends line of Carrs that lead to Halifax Co., VA. They moved north to NY in the 1930s, where they are listed in the 1940 census. Joseph Carr was b. 1927 in Halifax Co., son of Austin Lantroy Carr, grandson of Austin L. and Kate Carr, great greanson of Martha Carr and ???. Martha seems to be the daughter of Thomas Abbott Carr, who was son of Thomas B. Carr, who was son of William and Tabitha Carr, who owned a plantation and divided it up to his grandchildren when he wrote his will, before passing on about 1835. William may have been the son of Thomas Carr c. 1710 - 1755.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1780s the three Carr families had several blacks or slaves when listed in the local censuses. By the 1850s-60s it seems they became part of the family as the plantation was divided up and farmed by the owners. By 1870 and 1880, Martha Carr and her children are listed as black in the census, which has been the race noted in modern censuses as well. I found it interesting that the 1850 and 1860 census did not give a race designation, the space is blank. Maybe they didnt know what to call it then?? This does not shock anyone today and this family has both white and black relatives, but i find the historical progression of race thing very interesting. Some of the living family members have a sign in their hair, with a white streak of hair toward the middle of their hair at the top of their heads.
My friend is a daughter of Joseph Carr, and I have been tracing them as a surprize gift, so when I get these documents all together, I will make a book for her to enjoy... she likes history and family... I am hoping I can find one of the Carrs was a Rev War veteran, to put a little more fun into the mix... that would make the 4th of July seem even more special for us all... John, Thomas and William Carr were all having families in the 1780s in Halifax County, VA, so maybe they were all in the Rev War, we shall see...
Loren Fay
Albany, NY
Faylovince@gmail.com