Misc. Notes
Mary said she was born on 21 Mar 1874 in Savannah, Georgia, 7 years [sic] after the Civil War of 1861-1865. However, the birth certificate of her son Leonard, born 28 April 1905, says she was 30 years old on 28 April 1905 and had been born in Macon, Georgia.
®7 Her father and mother, T. Stanly Beckwith, M.D. lived at the corner of Bond and College Streets in Macon, Georgia from 1872 to 1875. The 23 June 1874 edition of the Macon, Georgia newspaper mentions that “Mrs. T. S. Beckwith won the prize for the best dozen hot rolls at the Bibb County Agricultural Fair.” The 17 August 1875 Macon, Georgia Weekly Telegraph refers to “Dr. Thomas Beckwith, the best optician of his day, and the father of T. Stanly Beckwith, of this city, and of Bishop J. W. Beckwith, of Savannah”. In the 28 December 1875 issue of the (Macon) Georgia Weekly Telegraph “Dr. T. Stanly Beckwith offers his professional services to the citizens of Macon. Between 1875 and 1880 T. Stanly Beckwith left Macon, Georgia as in the 1880 U. S. Census for Petersburg, Dinwiddie County, Virginia, T. Stanly Beckwith lives at 14 Long Market Street, is a widower and a physician, age 67, who was born in Virginia and whose parents were both born in Virginia.
®96 John Stanly Beckwith married C. E. Edwards in October 1871 in Augusta, Georgia. John and C. E. lived in Augusta until after their first child, Agnes R., died on 22 July 1873, and then moved back to Petersburg, Virginia between 1873 and 1875. On the census she lists herself as born in Georgia, her father in Virginia and her mother in Georgia.
®5 The family plantation in Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia, 20 miles from Atlanta, was one of the first bonfires made by General Sherman on his march to the sea in December 1864. Sherman destroyed Atlanta, but spared Savannah. With the destruction of Marietta, the family is thought to have moved to Savannah to live with "Uncle" John (possibly John Watrous Beckwith, Episcopal Bishop of Georgia who on the 18 July 1870 US Census of Macon, Georgia, was 40 years old and lived with his wife Ella, age 35, son Brockenbrough, age 11, daughter Daisy, age 8, daughter Bessie, age 7, and Etta Brockenbrough, age 13.
®97 He moved between 1870 and 1874 as he is not listed in the Macon city directory of 1872 and the 1874 Savannah city directory lists as residing at 132 Harris. She was nicknamed May Bel.
®90 She was the only child in a house containing five grown women; her mother (Sarah Laura Wright Beckwith), her grandmother (Mary Isabel Eve), two aunts and her great aunt Emma Henrietta Eve. The house was dominated and supported by her "Uncle" John, who as the only surviving male of the family, had the responsibility to care for all the female members. "Uncle" John owned a newspaper. (The Savannah City Directory of 1874
®98lists the only Beckwith to be Rev. John W. Beckwith, Episcopal Bishop of Georgia, residing at 132 Harris). Though the plantation home in Marietta was gone they still cultivated part of the land, and kept enough people to work it. Family history says her father was a surgeon killed in a train accident when she was an infant. From 1870 to 1882 her grandfather John S. Wright lived in Augusta, Georgia, so Mary might have been born in Augusta. At the time of the 1 Jun 1880 census
®89 Mary is 6 years old and lives with her mother Sarah, her aunt Louisa, her great aunt Emma Henrietta Eve, and her grandparents John Stephen Wright and Mary Isabel (Eve) at 1024 Reynolds Street, Augusta, Georgia. Grandfather John S. Wright died in Augusta in 1882. By 1893 Miss Mary I. Beckwith, (stenographer for McAlpin & LaRoche), and Mrs. Mary J. Wright, widow of J. S., arrive in Savannah, Georgia,
®98 and board with Mrs. Sarah L. Beckwith with E. B. Whitehurst at 94 York (since 1896 the 100 Block East). In 1894
®98 all 3 live at the residence of Mrs. S. L. Beckwith at 84 East State (corner of Abercorn, since 1896 the 200 Block East), Miss Mary I. is now a stenographer for the Bradstreet Company. In 1895
®98 Miss Mary I. Beckwith and Mrs. Sarah Beckwith still reside at 84 East State (now listed as the residence of Mrs. L. Habersham, W. H. Coburn). Mrs. Mary J. Wright is not listed in the 1895, 1896, or 1897 City Directories.
®98 In 1896
®98 Mary I Beckwith (now a stenographer for Garrard, Meldrim & Newman, lawyers at 15 West Bay) and Mrs. Sarah L. Beckwith board with Mrs. C. W. Curtis at 57 Whitaker. In 1897
®98 they both board with W. B. Harley at 213 West Liberty. In 1898
®98 Mary I. Beckwith (now a teacher of elocution at 140 Bull) and Mrs. Sarah L. Beckwith (now a stenographer for the Central of Georgia Railway Company) board with Mrs. M. R. Wright, widow of J. S. Wright, at 703 Barnard. In 1899
®98 Mary I. Beckwith, and M. R. Wright board with Mrs. Sarah Beckwith (now steno G. T. & J. F. Cann, lawyers at 20 Bryan), at 703 Barnard. In 1899 her mother went to Santiago, Cuba, and later Havana, to be secretary to General Leonard Wood, M.D., military governor commanding the American occupation forces after the Spanish American War. Mary had met Arnold E. Moody in Savannah while he was with the YMCA serving the troops. Her family was concerned because he was a Yankee (only 25 years after the Civil War when their plantations were destroyed by Yankees). Mary gave readings to the troops. Mary’s uncle had a newspaper in Savannah, so she followed Arnold to Havana as a "reporter”, and worked as a clerk in the Auditors Department.
®99 They were married 28 Jul 1900 in Havana, Cuba and their first son, Alexander, was born there. Their first residence after their marriage was 67 Prado, Havana, Cuba. They lived at the barracks nine miles from the city and her mother Sarah Laura also had quarters there which she visited from Havana on Sundays and holidays. The camp was right on the ocean with lovely views and plenty of social life among the officers and their families.
®99 After being widowed in 1928 she and her daughter Elizabeth and son Arnold spent the 1929-30 and 1930-31 years with her daughter Mary who was attending a two year girls school, Cottey College, a P. E. O. Sisterhood (philanthropic education organization) school, 1000 West Austin, Nevada, Missouri 64772. She was still in Nevada, Missouri on June 1, 1931. Mary Isabel was a representative of the P. E. O. During the depression Al was in law school & forgot to or couldn't pay storage fees for furnishings of their last parsonage. Consequently a beautiful set of Canton China, which may have come from your Eve ancestors, was lost. Al's good points included delicious underground cooking of pork & beans in the old garden, according to report. Mary Isabel and her adult children Mary, Arnold and Elizabeth then lived year around in the cottage at Camp, spending 3 winters ( ?1931-2, 1932-3, 1933-4) on an income of $50-60 a month from insurance. It was during the Depression. They had a garden and ate fish and ducks but could not buy new clothes. They had no car so they traveled around by boat. Her daughter Mary had finished the two years of Cottey College but could not teach the 1932-3 school year because there was no job in the local school in Park Rapids. Leonard stopped medical school twice to teach school to help them financially. After her husbands death she had no home, except Camp in Dorset, Minnesota, where she spent summers, but it was isolated and not suitable for winter, so each winter she would spend a few months with the Alexander Moody family, the Arnold Moody family and the Leonard Moody family. She helped support herself by knitting angora mittens for Dayton’s department store in Minneapolis, Minnesota and baby clothes for the Marshall Field department store in Chicago, Illinois. She died while visiting her son Leonard’s family in Bayfield, Wisconsin. She is buried in Lot 238, Greenwood Cemetery, Park Rapids, Minnesota. The GPS coordinates of her grave site are Map datum NAD 27 UTM Zone Conus 15 T 0345668 Easting 5197997 Northing.
Scattered on her grave are the ashes of her daughter & granddaughter:
Mary Moody Anderson 1911-1987, wife of Sophys Marcus Anderson 1907-2003.
& Mary Anderson Wilson 1946-1992, wife of Peter Wilson 1942-