Cordelia Eldora Gleaves

from George Wilkerson

Subject: Cordelia Gleaves
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:17:42 +0000 

Delia's full name was Cordelia Eldora Gleaves as per husband's Samuel Sinor's World War I Draft Registration Card of September 12, 1918. Samuel Evans Sinor gave his date of birth on the registration as February 19, 1882. As per his 1921 death certificate, Samuel died on September 28, 1921 while living at 1274 4th Avenue South. This address was the home of Delia's brother, Alonzo Gleaves. Alonzo lived there numerous years while working for the railroad. It was right up the street a short piece from the old Purina Mills that was located on 4th Avenue South. Grandfather Jesse Howell pointed that house out to me numerous times while growing up. Samuel's death certificate stated he was buried at a family burial ground, have not located it yet.
 
Delia's second husband was Silas Bracken Merritt as per his World War I Draft Registration Card, dated June 5, 1917. He was born on March 13, 1896 in Smyrna, Tennessee. At the time he registered for the draft he was living in Smyrna with his mother and several sisters. Silas died at the age of 78, on March 14, 1974 in Lavergne, Tennessee as per his obituary printed in the Tennessean on March 16, 1974. He was buried on March 16, 1974 at Mullins Cemetery in Rutherford County.
 
Delia Merritt died at the age of 95, on November 14, 1982 as per her obituary printed in the Tennessean on November 16, 1982. She was buried the same day at Mullins Cemetery in Rutherford County.

Subject: Merritt
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:55:55 +0000
 
Everything I have on the Merritt family they spelled it Merritt, death notices, census records and World War I Draft Registration Cards. It could have been spelled with another E inserted, but I have not found it spelled that way.
 
Page 121 of Hilda' Book - footnote 279 - Dovie Lee not listed as a survivor
 
The first time I met with Mae Catherine Simpson in 1994, she gave me several pictures of the Gleaves family and told me different stories about the family. She could not remember the exact date of the accident, but remember her father telling the story. Shortly after 1920, Lonnie Ballentine and several of his daughters were trying to cross a stream on a horse drawn wagon. The wagon flipped over tossing everyone in the water. Dovie Lee was pinned under the wagon and drowned before Lonnie could get the wagon off her. Another daughter Grace was a witness to this accident.
 
In 1923, Lonnie Ballentine was repairing an electrical wire at the top of the steps leading to the basement of their home. Grace, his daughter was watching. Lonnie was shocked by the wire and fell down the steps, resulting in his death. Grace was a witness to her dad's death.
 
As a result of both tradgey's above, Gracie as she was called spent the rest of her life in the hospital and asylum. Mae Catherine said she made numerous visits to Grace while she was in the hospital with her Aunt Maggie, Lonnie Ballentine's wife.
 
George