John Salter (1871-?): A Biographical Sketch

Early Life in Southwest Georgia (1870s–1880s)

John Salter was born in Georgia circa 1871.  He was raised by his parents, Pinkney and Martha Salter. On 1 June 1880, nine-year-old John was enumerated in his father’s household in Miller County, Georgia, alongside his brothers Zack, Charles, James, and Pinkney. According to the census record, John worked on the family farm, did not attend school, and could not read or write at that time.1

Marriage and Early Career (1890s–1900)

On 9 May 1893, a marriage license was issued for “Jno.” Salter and Roxey Bryant in Miller County, Georgia, and the couple was joined in matrimony on 13 May 1893, by R. J. Jackson.2  In the years following their marriage, John and Roxey began building their family with the births of their daughter Ethel in September 1894, daughter Rose in March 1897, and son Franklin in December 1898.3 

In 1897 the Georgia Pine Railroad was completed through Damascus and a big sawmill operation located in the settlement known as Kestler or “New Damascus.”4  On 1 June 1900, John and his family owned their home in Damascus District 854 of Early County, Georgia. John had found a wage paying job outside of the farming economy. The 1900 census recorded that he worked as a “Butting Saw”, a term used in timber harvesting. The record noted that Roxey had given birth to four children, three of whom were living, and that neither John nor Roxey could read or write.5

Farm Labor and Family Life in Blakely (1900s–1910s)

By 15 April 1910, John and Roxey Salter were living in Militia District 866 (Blakely) in Early County, Georgia.  John had transitioned back into tenant farming; he rented a farm and worked as a general farmer. Roxey had given birth to eleven children, six of whom were living at the time.  Four of their children were enumerated: Ethel (age 16), Rose (age 13), Frank (age 10; actual age 12), and Arnold (age 8).  The children were listed as farm laborers on the home farm. All of the family members, except Arnold, are semi-literate. Only Rose and Arnold had attended school since 1 September 1909.6

Departure and Later Years (1912–1939)

On 18 April 1912, an article titled “Wholesale Stealing” in the Early County News of Blakely named John Salter among several local men involved in an investigation regarding stolen horse and mule feed from M. T. Chipstead’s dray line. The report noted that John Salter and another named individual had “left the city”.7

Before abandoning his family, John put his eldest son Frank in charge.  John informed his son he was leaving and Frank was now the “man” of the family.  Frank never saw his father again.8  

Decades later, on 29 September 1939, John Salter completed an Application for Social Security Account Number (Form SS-5) and gave his address as 211 Carter Hill Road in Montgomery, Alabama. On the application, he listed his age as 60, provided a birth date of 27 May 1879, and identified his birthplace as Damascus, Early County, Georgia. He named his parents as Pinkie Salter and Marthy, listed his wife’s name prior to marriage as Mary Fisher, and recorded his employment status as unemployed. Being unable to write, John signed the application with his mark (“X”).9

The story of John Salter is incomplete, but the book is not closed. Family lore is that John moved to Alabama and started another family. Someday the final missing pieces of John’s story will be discovered.

John Salter is my paternal great-grandfather.

Disclosure: Gemini Notebook assisted in the writing of this blog post based on my research notes.  The final content was reviewed, revised, and refined by me.

Sources

  1. 1880 U.S. census, Miller County, Georgia, population schedule, Militia District 903 [Colquitt], enumeration district (ED) 44, page 31B, dwelling 272, family 279, Pinkney Salter household; imaged, “United States, Census, 1880,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYB6-1QT : accessed 24 November 2018). ↩︎
  2.  Miller County, Georgia, “Marriage Record, 1890-1906, Ordinary”, page 32, Jno [John] Salter and Roxey Bryant, recorded license and return, 13 May 1893; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-LBZJ-NDL : accessed 3 Apr 2013). ↩︎
  3. 1900 U.S. census, Early, Georgia, population schedule, Damascus District 854, enumeration district (ED) 50, sheet 4A, page 194 (stamped), dwelling 56, family 56, John Salter household;  imaged, “United States, Census, 1900,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DZZ3-VQ4: accessed 9 September 2012). ↩︎
  4.  “Town Owes Its First Name To A Bird Dog,” Early County News (Blakely, Georgia), 20 May 1993, page 4, column 5; imaged, Georgia Historic Newspapers (https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034007/1993-05-20/ed-1/seq-4/ : accessed 10 September 2026). ↩︎
  5. 1900 U.S. census, Early, Georgia, pop. sch., Damascus District 854, ED 50, sheet 4A, p. 194 (stamped), dwell. 56, fam. 56, John Salter household. ↩︎
  6. 1910 U.S. census, Early County, Georgia, Militia District 866, Blakely, enumeration district (ED) 81, sheet 13B, dwelling 252, family 252, John Salter household; imaged, “United States, Census, 1910,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/collection/1727033 : accessed 27 February 2016). ↩︎
  7. “Wholesale Stealing,” Early County News (Blakely, Georgia), 18 April 1912, page 1, column 5; imaged, Georgia Historic Newspapers (https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034007/1912-04-18/ed-1/seq-1/ : accessed 5 January 2024). ↩︎
  8. Frank Salter, personal communication, December 1981. ↩︎
  9. John Salter, SS no. 419-18-2095, 29 September 1939, “Application for Account Number” (Form SS-5), Social Security Administration, Baltimore, Maryland.  ↩︎

SNGF – Serendipity

Usually on a Saturday in September people are focused on their favorite college football team.  Fans of Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings take a time out to engage in some Saturday Night Genealogy Fun. Tonight Randy has given us the following task, courtesy of Marion B. Wood:

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

  1. Serendipity! What happened when you went looking for an ancestor or a genealogical record and were pleasantly surprised to find someone else or something else you didn’t expect while you were doing that search?
  2. Please share an instance when you had a serendipitous experience.
  3. Share your serenditous experience in a your own blog post,…”

Last year I was researching two young girls who were enumerated in the 1920 U.S. Census with the family of my husband’s maternal grandmother, Ola May Scovil. The details of that FAN Club research is detailed in “Georgia and ‘Ivie’ Walker – F.A.N. to Family.”   

Richard Walker was the father of Georgia Walker. A petition for probate of his will cited among the next of kin “Georgia Williams, daughter… resides at 624 Dillard Avenue, Enion Ridge, Birmingham, Alabama.”  A copy of the Notice to Georgia Williams, 526 Dillard Ave., Birmingham, Ala. has the pencilled in notation “14 Ct No.”  According to Bham Wiki, Dillard Avenue is now known as 14th Court North.  

My husband grew up on 14th Court North.  As it turns out, his caregiver before he started school—his “Big Mama”— was Georgia Williams.  He had no idea that “Big Mama” was his first cousin, twice removed (1C2R). Serendipity? Yes!

A Small Detail I Love – 52 Ancestors

Amos Fuller, my 2nd great-grandfather, was born about 1847 in Alabama and died on 4 September 1909 in Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama. Amos first appeared in the 1870 U.S. Census. I was able to trace his residency in Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama through the Mobile City directories from 1877 to 1902.

Amos’ entry in the 1894 Mobile City directory contained a small detail that I love.  His occupation was listed as “Fuller Amos, c, fireman stbt D. L. Tally res 104 Gracie.”1

Amos Fuller in the 1894 Mobile City Directory, p. 122.

The small detail that Amos worked on the steamboat D. L. Tally, led to sources which enriched the facts of his occupation. Additional information and visual documents of the D. L. Tally added value to the story of Amos Fuller.  This was highlighted in my blog post, “Amos Fuller – Earning a Living.”

Source

  1. George Matzenger’s Mobile Directory For 1894, Volume XXIX (Mobile: George Matzenger, 1894), 122, entry for “Fuller Amos”; imaged in “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/13063838 : accessed 6 February 2024), image 72 of 273. ↩︎

SNGF – How I Use AI Tools

It’s time for this week’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.  Tonight Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings has given us the following topic:

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1)  How do you use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to help you understand the lives, history, and geography associated with your family and your ancestors, that aid your genealogy and family history research?  

2)  Please share the ways (at least one way!) that you use AI tools in your genealogy and family history research. 

3)  Share the ways you use AI in your genealogy and family history work in own blog post…”

One of the main ways that I use AI is to edit and revise rough drafts of blog posts. Since I am in the Google ecosystem (Android phone, chromebook) I use the Google AI review in addition to Google to find sources.  My go-to AI is Gemini Notebook, which is used to draft biographical sketches based on my research notes.  

My favorite AI is “Sam, the Digital Archivist,” a custom AI chatbot at ChatGPT. Sam is great at advising how to write engaging stories and using provided sources to write biographies.

The most useful research AI tool is the FamilySearch full-text search. It is a real game-changer in finding sources.

 Ancestry has some AI features like “LifeStory,” “AI Stories,” and some blurbs that add context to sources. They are a good jumping off point to do social history research.

A Life Turning Point

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings has chosen the following topic for our Saturday Night Genealogy Fun:

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

  1. Every historical person has major events, milestones and “turning points” in their life, from birth through death and even beyond. These events, milestones and turning points can be the basis for family stories of the historical person.
  2. Please share one of those events in your own life, or the life of one of your ancestors.
  3. Share your information about your major event, milestone or turning point in your own blog post,…”

A major event in my life occurred on 30 August 1986, my wedding day. Some atypical highlights of the day were:

  • One of the groomsmen was a no-show.
  • My (future) sister-in-law had to do an emergency alteration to take in a bridesmaid dress.
  • When the pianist started playing “Bridal Chorus” my father froze in place.  When we didn’t start down the aisle, the pianist started the intro again. My father remained rooted to the spot. The minister, groom and best man were staring and starting to look perturbed.  The third time the pianist started the intro I started dragging my father down the aisle of the church. He was heavy, my bouquet was heavy, but I was bound and determined to get down that aisle! Fortunately my father quickly got over his “stage-fright” and walked me down the aisle.
  • Our wedding cake looked traditional on the outside, but inside it was a spice cake.  When the cake was cut its appearance disturbed the lady who was supposed to help serve the cake so much that she quickly exited the reception.  My cousin Aline and some other guests stepped up and took over cutting and serving the cake.
  • The bouquet was caught by my Gen X cousin. She used her volleyball skills to beat out all the Jones Gen gals.

Throughout all of the mini-disasters that occurred on that day, we kept our eyes on the prize. Looking back, I cannot think of any other major event in my life that tops my wedding day.

A Spot on the Map

Land has been tied throughout history to a place to dwell securely. For my 2nd great-grandparents, Mingo and Jane (Salter) Bryant, a single spot on the map represented their progression from being considered chattel property and owning property.

Mingo Bryant was born into enslavement in Georgia around 1823; his exact birthplace remains unknown.1 In January 1848, Mingo was included as chattel property in the estate of Echols Hightower, late of Dooly County, Georgia. Mingo was passed on to Henry A. Hightower, son of the deceased, in the estate distribution.2 Six years later, in 1854, the life of Mingo took a sudden turn when Henry A. Hightower migrated from Dooly County to Early County, Georgia.

Early County, Georgia

Figure 1. Georgia map highlighting Early County in red.  Early County map highlighting Damascus in red.

Henry A. Hightower purchased rich cotton land along a tributary creek in District 6, Early County, Georgia. The 1860 U.S. census documented 39 enslaved individuals on Henry A. Hightower’s plantation.3 In December 1860, Henry A. Hightower died intestate. An agreement was made in 1861 for Henry’s brother-in-law and neighbor, James Salter, to work the plantation for the remainder of the year.4 The land lots of the estate were sold to James Freeman, the new husband of Henry’s widow.5 

In February 1862, the enslaved people in the estate of Henry A. Hightower were distributed by the drawing of lots by the heirs-at-law. Mingo was among the enslaved people allotted to Elizabeth A. Hightower, a minor daughter of the deceased enslaver.6 Soon after, James Freeman, step-father and guardian of the two minor Hightower daughters, deeded the land lots of the estate to the girls. The minors’ estate also included thirteen enslaved people, including Mingo.7 This legal transaction kept Mingo bound to a specific spot on the map.

From Bondage to Land Ownership

The end of the Civil War brought emancipation and freedom to replace a surname given by a former enslaver. Mingo and his family selected the surname of Bryant. Instead of leaving the region, Mingo Bryant and his family chose to build their life as free people in the same area where they had been enslaved.

Mingo Bryant’s name appeared on the 1869 voters list for Georgia Militia District 854 in Damascus, Early County.8 In the 1870 U.S. Census, Mingo and his family were recorded living in District 6.9 Throughout the 1870s, Mingo Bryant appeared in the local tax digests, paying poll tax and tax on his meager personal estate.10

Then, in 1879, Mingo achieved what would have seemed impossible a decade earlier. He began paying taxes on 250 acres of real estate in District 6, specifically land lot 223.11 By 1880, the U.S. Census agricultural schedule listed “Mingus” Bryant as the owner of 75 tilled acres and 150 woodland acres, with a farm valued at $450.12 The location of the land bordered the plantations where Mingo had been held in bondage.

In Figure 2, Henry A. Hightower owned land lots 64, 97, 103, 104, 106, 137, and 139 (highlighted in yellow). James Salter owned nearby land lots 144, 145, 146, 175, 176, 177, 185, and 186 (highlighted in light blue). The land lot worked by Mingo Bryant is outlined in blue.

Figure 2. Land Lot Map of Early County Georgia:  Each square is a land lot containing 250 acres.
Georgia Landlots and Militia Districts – Landlots.

Mingo Bryant died between 1884 and 1885. His widow, Jane Bryant, paid taxes on 180 acres of land lot 223 in 1885. The following year, she began paying taxes on 100 acres of the adjacent land lot 218.13 In Figure 2 this land lot is outlined in red. The reason for the change in land lots is unknown.

In March 1889, Jane purchased 50 acres off the north side of land lot 218 for $100 from T. E. Hightower and J. H. Hightower. The grantors were likely Thomas Echols Hightower and John H. Hightower, nephew and son respectively of Mingo’s former enslaver, Henry A. Hightower. It is interesting to note that the deed was not recorded until December 1892.14

The land deeded to Jane Bryant remained in the family until January 1945, when it was the subject of an administrator’s sale. The legal newspaper notice stated in part, “…described lands of the estate of Jane Bryant, deceased: Twenty acres of land off of the east end of fifty acres extending across the north side of lot No. 218 in the 6th district of Early County…”15

The story of Mingo and Jane Bryant is a testament to their quiet determination to own a spot on the map.

Note: This blog post was created in part with the help of Gemini Notebook 2.0. The AI reviewed my rough draft to improve flow and clarity. The final post was reviewed, edited, and refined by me. All research and final content are my own.

Sources

  1. 1870 U.S. census, Early, Georgia, population schedule, Blakely, p. 30, dwelling 260, family 260, Mingo Bryant; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCS1-8CC :  accessed 5 September 2015) Georgia > Early > District 6 > image 31 of 54. ↩︎
  2. Dooly County, Georgia, “Returns and Vouchers, Book No. 1 (1847-1854): 12-13, Mingo in the distribution of the estate of Echols Hightower, 1848; imaged, “Georgia, Probate Records, 1742-1990,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93T-XZJC?view=fullText : accessed 13 March 2025) > image group no. 5768004 > image 26 of 653; Georgia. Department of Archives and History. ↩︎
  3. 1860 U. S. census, Early County, Georgia, slave schedule, 6th District, pages 10-11 (penned), line 16 (Henry Allen Hightower, owner); line 15 (Andrew M. Hightower, owner); line 34 (James Salter, owner); imaged, “1860 U.S. Federal Census,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7668/images/gam653_145-0168: accessed 24 June 2013). ↩︎
  4. Early County, Georgia, Court of Ordinary, Annual Returns, Book B (1857-1864): 280, James Salter, estate of Henry A. Hightower, 1861; imaged, “Georgia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8635/images/005756861_00157 : accessed 9 November 2022); citing Early County Courthouse, Blakely. ↩︎
  5. Early County, Georgia, Superior Court, Deeds, Book R (1890-1892): 556, indenture, James Freeman in the estate of Henry A. Hightower, 1862; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3Q5-997R-F : accessed 16 April 2024); citing Early County Courthouse, Blakely. ↩︎
  6.  Early County, Georgia, Court of Ordinary, Annual Returns, Book B (1857-1864): 345, Elizabeth A. Hightower in estate of Henry A. Hightower; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93L-RJ6B?view=fullText : accessed 11 March 2025); citing Early County Courthouse, Blakely. ↩︎
  7.  Early County, Georgia, Superior Court, Deeds, Book B2 (1874-1880): 76, Sarah N. T. and Elizabeth Allen Hightower, minors in estate of Henry A. Hightower, 1862; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3Q5-9G7Z : accessed 16 April 2024); citing Early County Courthouse, Blakely. ↩︎
  8. Early, Georgia, Returns of Qualified Voters Under the Reconstruction Act, 1867, page 1, Mingo Bryant;  imaged, “Georgia, U.S., Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1869,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1857/images/32305_1220705227_0294-00005 : accessed 5 September 2015); citing Georgia State Archives, Morrow. ↩︎
  9. 1870 U.S. census, Early County, Georgia, pop. sch., 6th District, Blakely, p. 30 (stamped), 31 (written), dwell. 260, fam. 260, Mingo Bryant household. ↩︎
  10. Early County, Georgia, Property Tax Digests, 1872-1875, unpaginated entries arranged chronologically, all years read for entries on Freedman Tax List relating to Bryant; imaged, “Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1729 : accessed 19 September 2021) > Browse > Early > image 252 of 922; citing The Georgia Archives, VOL3-5523. ↩︎
  11. Early, Georgia, Tax Rolls 1878-1882, unpaginated entries arranged chronologically, all years read for entries relating to Mingo Bryant; imaged, “Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1729/images/40881_1020705384_0347-00269 : accessed 19 September 2021); image 270 of 814. ↩︎
  12. 1880 U.S. census, Early County, Georgia, agriculture schedule, page 6, line 2, “Mingers” [Mingo] Bryant; imaged “U.S. Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1276/images/32668_236692-00167 : accessed 14 August 2026). ↩︎
  13. Early County, Georgia, Tax Rolls 1883-1887, unpaginated entries arranged chronologically, all years read for entries relating to Bryant surname; consulted as “Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892”; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 19 September 2021) Early > 1883-1887 > images 427, 577 and 733 of 751; citing Georgia Tax Digests, Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia. ↩︎
  14. Early County, Georgia, Deed Record S: 52-53, T.E. Hightower and J. A. Hightower to Jane Bryant, 18 March 1889; consulted as “Deeds, 1821-1900; numerical index to deeds, 1822-1920,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QR-V9SZ-1 : accessed 26 July 2023). ↩︎
  15. “Administrator’s Sale,” Early County News (Blakely, Georgia), 8 November 1945, page 7, column 3; this notice ran every week through 3 January 1946; digital images, Digital Library of Georgia (https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034007/1945-12-13/ed-1/seq-7 : accessed 22 July 2023). ↩︎

Longlasting – 52 Ancestors

Long-lasting is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “existing or continuing for a long time”. This adjective describes the union of Thomas Jefferson Guice and Minnie Elizabeth Waters that lasted more than 72 years. Long-lasting also describes their careers that spanned 40 plus years each.

The Beginning

The journey of Thomas and Minnie began in 1912 at Tuskegee Institute (now University) in Macon County, Alabama.  Minnie Elizabeth Waters left her home in Earlington, Kentucky in 1911 to attend Tuskegee.1  In 1912 Thomas Jefferson Guice from Mount Andrew, Barbour County, Alabama entered Tuskegee.  Minnie and Thomas  are listed as students between 1912 and 1915.2, 3 The young lady from Kentucky and the young man from Alabama became friends, and their friendship evolved into a lifelong partnership.

Minnie E. Waters completed the course at Tuskegee in June 1915 and returned home for the summer.4  Thomas also completed the three year Blacksmith program at Tuskegee in 1915. The highlight of his training was shoeing the horse of Tuskegee’s president, Booker T. Washington.5

Commitment

Thomas and Minnie were married in Montgomery, Alabama on 2 September 1915.6  The newspaper in Minnie’s hometown published the following announcement:

“Miss Minnie Waters, of this city and Thomas Guice of Mt. Andrew, Ala. were quietly married in Montgomery Ala. the 2nd of this month.”7 

Their first child, Tommie Gwendolyn, was born the following year in Mount Andrew.8

By 1917, Thomas, Minnie, and their infant daughter had moved to Birmingham, Alabama.  Thomas quickly established himself as a blacksmith. Over the next decade, Thomas and Minnie expanded their family to include six children: Tommie, Reginald, LaVerne, Neva, Jarvis, and Gaynell.

Careers

Thomas Jefferson Guice worked as a blacksmith for over 40 years .  The 1917 Birmingham city directory listed him as a partner in Guice & Jones blacksmith shop.9  Thomas was employed by Crause-Crawford Mfg. Co. as a blacksmith when he registered for the World War I Draft in June 1917.  He claimed an exemption from the draft based on “doing government work”.10  In 1924 Thomas J. Guice was employed as a blacksmith with the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company (also known as SLSF or Frisco Lines) in Birmingham.11  He retired after 37 years as a blacksmith with the Frisco Railroad.12

Minnie Waters Guice was an elementary teacher and reading specialist. A highlight of her career came in 1966 when she was selected as her school’s Teacher of the Year.13 Minnie retired after 41 years with the Birmingham Public school system.14

The Final Chapter

On 16 May 1988, Minnie Elizabeth Waters Guice departed this life at the age of 92. She left to mourn her husband of 72 years 8 months, and their five children.15

Six weeks later, on  27 June 1988, Thomas Jefferson Guice, age 95, followed his wife into death.16

Thomas Jefferson Guice (1893-1988) was my husband’s granduncle.

Sources

  1. Rev. J. R. Evans, Editon, “Colored Column,” The Bee (Earlington, Kentucky), 7 June 1912, page 2, column 6, for “Miss Minnie Waters”; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/529777078/ : accessed 19 August 2026. ↩︎
  2. Tuskegee Institute, “Catalogue of Students,” Thirty-Second Annual Catalogue; The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute 1912-1913 (Tuskegee: Institute Press, 1913), 110 and 113, entries for Minnie Elizabeth Water and Thomas Jefferson Guice; also subsequent years, with varying titles, specifically (1913-1914) 116; imaged, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/annualcatalogue1911tusk/ : accessed 21 August 2026). ↩︎
  3. Tuskegee Institute, “Catalog of Students,”  Thirty-Fourth Annual Catalog; The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, 1914-1915 (Tuskegee: Institute Press, 1915), 118 for Minnie Deborah Elizabeth Waters, Earlington, Kentucky and 119 for Thomas Guice, Mt. Andrew, Alabama; imaged, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/annualcatalogue1914tusk/page/n144/mode/1up : accessed 21 August 2026). ↩︎
  4. Neva Waters, “Colored Column,” The Bee (Earlington, Kentucky), 15 June 1915, page 2, column 5, for “Miss Minnie Waters”; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/145528135/ : accessed 22 August 2026). ↩︎
  5. Thomas Jefferson Guice, funeral program, Byers Family Collection; privately owned. Distributed at the funeral of Thomas Jefferson Guice, 2 July 1988, Birmingham, Alabama. Inherited from Valencia Guice Byers. ↩︎
  6. “Alabama County Marriages, 1711-1992,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKMB-RHNZ: accessed 19 August 2026), entry for Minnie Waters and Thomas Guice, 2 September 1915; citing County Probate Courts, Alabama. ↩︎
  7. Neva Waters, “Colored Column,” The Bee (Earlington, Kentucky), 14 September 1915, page 4, column 2, for “Miss Minnie Waters” and “Thomas Guice”; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/529684757/: accessed 19 August 2026). ↩︎
  8. “Alabama, County Birth Registers, 1881-1930,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WGMP-1Z3Z : 12 December 2019), Tommie Gwendolyn Guice, 23 January 1916; citing Birth, Mount Andrew, Barbour, Alabama, United States, multiple county Probate Judges. ↩︎
  9. R. L. Polk & Co.’s Birmingham City Directory 1917, XXXII:, 737, entries for “Guice Thos L (Guice & Jones)” and “Blacksmiths Guice & Jones””; imaged in “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 September 2023) > Alabama > Birmingham > 1917 > Birmingham, Alabama, City Directory, 1917 > images 368 and 745 of 814. ↩︎
  10. “United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YRR-QK : 25 December 2021), Thomas Jefferson Guice No. 202, Draft Board 6, Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA; citing United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.   ↩︎
  11. Polk’s Birmingham City Directory, 1924, XXXVIII (Birmingham: R. L. Polk & Co., 1924), 763, entry for “Guice Thos J”; imaged in “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 May 2020) > Alabama >Birmingham > 1924 > Birmingham, Alabama, City Directory, 1924 > image 381 of 825. ↩︎
  12. Thomas Jefferson Guice, funeral program. ↩︎
  13. “Teacher of the Year [Mrs. Minnie Waters Guice],” The Birmingham News, 3 April 1966, page A-43, column 1; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/1149330771/ : accessed 21 August 2026). ↩︎
  14. “Mrs. Minnie Elizabeth Waters Guice,” obituary, The Birmingham [Alabama] News, 19 May 1988, page 4C, column 3; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/1152332822/ : accessed 19 August 2026). ↩︎
  15. Ibid. ↩︎
  16. Thomas Jefferson Guice, funeral program. ↩︎

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