Mary Ophelia was the first born of Thomas Marion and

Georgia DeLura. Born September 3, 1885—on a Thursday—it was a joy-

ous day in the Banks household for it was also the first wedding anniversary of

her parents who were married September 3, 1884. And little did she know

that 31 years later that date would become her own wedding date, for on September 3, 1916, she married Thomas E. Anderson. Reverend John Wise,

who also served as Banks County School Superintendent, performed the wed-

ding ceremony. And again, the coincidences would continue, for 23 years af-

ter her own marriage, Reverend Wise would officiate at the wedding of her

first born, Thomas E. Anderson, Jr., to Evelyn Hill.

Mary Ophelia‟s name was derived, in part, from her grandmother

Mary Yarborough, and in part from the uncommon name of Ophelia, the

young noblewoman in William Shakespear‟s tragedy “Hamlet.” . Obviously

Georgia DeLura had been influenced by the works of the masterful 17th cen-

tury writer.

The name Ophelia—a mouthful of syllables for young brothers and

sisters that would follow—was shortened to “Phee,” and to a cadre of nieces

and nephews in the decades after, she became Aunt Phee.

Educated in the Stephens County schools, she received a teaching

certificate from the finishing school

located in Hiawassee, Ga. Upon

graduation, she taught elementary

school in Banks County until she married, a period of about twelve years.

“What fascinated me most about Mother, was her ability to remember,” Tom E.

recalled. “She knew the books of the Bible in sequence, she recited the alphabet back-

wards, and she had memorized many passages from the works of Shakespeare. And be-

ing the first of ten children, she was a great cook, always knowing when to add a pinch of

spice to create that special flavor—banana pudding was among her favorites, calling on a

recipe passed from many generations. A teacher, her pronunciations were impeccable.

She was often teased over the way she pronounced sausage—sah‟sage instead

of the traditional Southern verbiage saw‟sage. Bed linens were boiled in a wrought iron

pot over an open fire, using homemade lye soap. Cousin Tom Banks always commented

on the fresh smelling linens when their family visited from Birmingham. And Susie,

Ophelia‟s youngest, remembered how her mother could recite from the Book of Prov-

erbs.

Quilting was a favorite pastime and Ophelia would invite neighbors in for a

“quilting” and they would all pitch in, using scraps of cloth salvaged from old clothing .

All of the children had a quilt especially made for them, and Susie had doll dresses made

from quilting scraps.”

Ophelia and Thomas E. Anderson resided in Banks County where he was a

farmer and merchant. They later moved to Gainesville, Ga., and remained there until his

death. Thomas Edward Anderson was born in Banks County, September 12, 1864, and

Remembering Mary Ophelia Banks Anderson

BANKS Summer—Fall

2011

Plan to attend the

76th Reunion of the

Thomas Marion Banks Family

Sat., Oct. 8 Cemetery Cleanup

Sun., Oct. 9 Family Reunion

(details enclosed)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Ophelia Banks Anderson continued

P.2

RAFE BANKS

Historical novel by Charles Banks

P.3

P.4

Family News & In Memoriam P.5

The 23rd biennial reunion of

descendants of

Ralph and Rachel Jones Banks

P.6

Contact me with your news!!

Donna Banks Dodd

3425 Spinnaker Way

Acworth, GA 30102

donnabdodd@yahoo.com

Summer-Fall 2011 Page 2

died April 27, 1942. Mary Ophelia died October 28, 1957. They are buried in the church cemetery, Damascus Baptist Church,

Banks County, Ga. [From information contributed by Tom E. Anderson, Jr. (1918 – 2003) prior to his death]

Bob King remembers Aunt Phee

During the war, in about 1943 or „44, when I was nine or ten years old, there was a shortage of teachers

in Florida, so my mother, Martha or “Bossie,” asked Aunt “Phee” to come live with us for a year and help

her. Mom was principal and teacher of 4th, 5th and 6th grades in a rural school, and Aunt „Phee‟ was

needed to teach 1st, 2nd ands 3d grades, all in one room. We lived in a small house in which the kitchen

window looked out at a big field. We had a young filly that my dad and I (?) were training, but she was

only about half “broke.” One Saturday, I decided to ride the filly in their field next to the house, and

she ran away with me and ran under our clothes line, which jerked me out of the saddle. Mom and Aunt

„Phee‟ saw it, ran outside and determined that I was not seriously injured. Then Mom caught the filly and

said, ”I„ll teach you, you #@#@#,” so she hiked up her dress and climbed into the saddle. Of course, the

filly was scared to death, so she ran away with Mom, too. Aunt „Phee‟ exclaimed, “I can not bear to see Bossie killed,” so she

ran into the house and peaked out the window. Mom was screaming, “Woah, Blackie, woah! Woah, Blackie, woah!” Finally,

she got the filly stopped, so she dismounted and said, “Well, I guess I taught YOU a thing or two.!”

PHOTO 1928 — (back row) Ophelia Banks Ander-

son, Thomas E. Anderson, Bertie Banks Dixon, and

Bud Banks

(front row) Harry Anderson, Bill K. Anderson, Tom E.

Anderson, and Mary ―Suzie‖ Anderson

PHOTO 1964—Willard Dixon, Mary ―Suzie‖ Ander-

son, Evelyn and Tom E. Anderson

PHOTO 1963—Jacquin and Harry Anderson with

daughter Shelly and cat.

(Back yard at Dixon’s house)

Summer-Fall 2011 Page 5

from Viola Byrum’s branch:

Gabriel Zane Schumm married Laura Beth Alexander on Sat., Aug. 13, 2011 at the First Baptist Church of

West Palm Beach, Florida. Gabe is the son of Connie Hatch Jahnke, of North Palm Beach, FL. Laura is the

daughter of Darin & Roxanne Alexander of Lake Worth, FL. Gabe's great-grandmother was Viola Banks Byrum, and his grandmother was Elizabeth "Betty" Byrum Hatch Allen.

Howard Norman, 79, died

April 7, 2011, in Atlanta, GA

with his family by his side,

succumbing to a 12-year battle

with cancer. Howard was

born January 26, 1932, in

Evansville, Indiana to Cordelia

and Homer Norman. Howard

was preceded in death by his

sister, Nancy, and his broth-

ers, Junior, Maurice, Cliff, and

Dee. Howard was a devoted

father and loving husband to

his spouse, life partner, and

soul-mate, Annette. Annette and Howard married the day

they graduated from Bob Jones University in Greenville,

South Carolina. They then began their life's mission together

which included raising their four children, Sherry, Tim,

Donna and Dana. While raising a family and pastoring Gate-

way Baptist Church

in Evansville, How-

ard graduated from

Southern Baptist

Theological Semi-

nary, Louisville,

Kentucky. Howard

later pastored Boul-

dercrest Baptist

Church in Atlanta,

after which he be-

came a successful

businessman. How-

ard taught at

DeKalb College and

Brenau College. He

also prepared stu-

dents for the Geor-

gia Real Estate Li-

cense exam. In addi-

tion to his immedi-

ate family, Howard is survived by his daughters-in-law, Halli-

day and Lincy. He is also survived by his seven grandchil-

dren: Tom, Ben, Annelise, Chris, Leila, Georgia and Will.

Arlice W. Callahan, 88, of

Woodmere Drive, passed

away on Sunday, February

27, 2011 at Cannon Memorial

Hospital in Pickens.

Born in Mt. Airy, NC, he was

the son of the late John Hugh

and Florence Cliffton Callahan.

He retired from McAfee Up-

holstery after 40 years of ser-

vice and was a member of Lee

Road Baptist Church where he was a member of the Roy

McGaffic Sunday School Class and Joy Club.

He is survived by his

daughters: Debra

(Kenneth) Belcher of

Greer and Donna Lindley

of Pickens; sister: Pansy

Renegar of Charlotte, NC;

4 grandchildren: April Hay-

wald, Erin Desai, Dustin

Atkins and Dorn Barker; 4

great-grandchildren: Kasey

Haywald, Kade Haywald,

Kiley Barker and Reid

Barker.

He was predeceased by his

first wife, Agnes Davis Cal-

lahan and his second wife,

Irene Davis Callahan; son-

in-law, Larry Lindley; 4

sisters: Hattie, Lillie, Annie

and Viola; 4 brothers:

George, Oscar, Will and

Charlie.

Arlice and Mother were married 17 years – a long time for someone

who remarried at 70 like she did. He was wonderful and I miss

him. Jenny Davis Gallaher

Annette (Banks) Norman & Howard Norman

at the 2010 Banks Reunion

Arlice and Irene Callahan 2005

Summer-Fall 2011 Page 6

ELBERT COUNTY — The 23rd biennial re-

union of descendants of Ralph and Rachel

Jones Banks took place June 10-11 in Elbert

County.

A buffet dinner took place at McIntosh

Coffee Shoppe in downtown Elberton on

June 10. President George Banks and his

wife, Norma, greeted family and guests.

The Rev. Rebecca Dixon, the family

chaplain, gave the invocation.

George Banks presided over the he

Saturday session at Coldwater United

Methodist Church. The Rev. Allen

Carmichael, the church‟s pastor, gave

the invocation. Clyde Adams gave

the welcome. John Sheftall gave the

response and recognized guests from

five states: Virginia, North Carolina, South

Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

The Rev. Dixon gave the memorial service for family

members who died since the last reunion: Howard

Norman, Kevin Gerald Banks, Dorothy Martin, Walter Lee Mason, Sallie Mae Harbin, Wilbur Jones, Marion McFarlin, Cora Gra-

ham, Jean Malcolm and Mary Durham Telford.

The president‟s duties for the “little reunion,” to be at the Banks United Methodist Church in Oxford, N.C., on May 19, 2012, will

be shared by a steering committee of family members: George Banks, John Sheftall, H. Banks Edwards, Ed Jackson, Joe Scherberger

and Thomas Dixon.

The group sang “Church in the Wildwood,” “Amazing Grace” and “America,” accompanied on the piano by the Rev. Dixon. Histo-

rian John Sheffield gave an update on the publication of the fourth edition of “Banks of Elbert” family history with a possible publi-

cation date of 2015. The history will be in two volumes.

Coldwater United Methodist Church ladies served lunch. After lunch, the group was invited to tour the ancestral home at Cold-

water Plantation, where Ralph and Rachel Jones Banks raised their family of 14 children. The Ralph Banks family gave the property

to build Coldwater United Methodist Church, and a monument stands in the church yard in memory of the family. Present owners

of the plantation are Mark and Suzanne Bryan, who served afternoon tea under the great oak trees in the back yard. Guests toured

the house, built in the late 1700s and under renovation, and visited graves of family members on the property.

Banks family enjoys reunion at Coldwater Methodist ChurchBanks family enjoys reunion at Coldwater Methodist Church

Email message from Thomas Dixon:

We had a great time at the Banks Family reunion and if you were not there we missed you. We plan to travel to Grandville County,

North Carolina next year and be a part of the 250th celebration of Banks Chapel United Methodist Church which is on land given by

our Thomas Banks of Coldwater. Look forward to seeing and hearing from you.

Your cousin, Thomas Dixon

Excerpts from the novel:

Rafe BanksRafe Banks Preface

At some point in each lifetime we pause to reflect upon the past, only to discover that death or failed memories have severed the umbilical cord to our roots. Those are the moments, those twenty-twenty hindsight moments we realize we have failed in our obliga-

tion to be good stewards of one of our greatest assets: The connection to our heritage.

In the following pages, the author has attempted to take the facts, as they are known from family Bibles and dusty basements

of county courthouses, and weave them into a tapestry that symbolizes a time in the lives of our early ancestors. Between the date of

birth and the date of death there lived a life; and that life was filled with trials and tribulations, happiness and sadness, successes and

failures, just as you might expect in an ordinary 21st century life. As you walk through the pages of the past, experience a slice of history

as it might have been.

Chapter ONE

Sunrise was nothing less than dazzling as pale yellow burned away the remnants of lingering night. As if on cue the distant

horizon suddenly transformed itself into the likeness of a giant sunflower awakening from its nocturnal sleep. . It was late November—

Tuesday, the 22nd—the sky was pale blue, and even though it was the cusp of winter the temperature was moderate. But in spite of its

stately beginning the day would end like no other, for a caravan stood ready to embark on a journey of some three hundred miles—a

journey that would lead across the French Broad River, across the great Savannah, to begin life anew in the fertile lands of Georgia.

Carefully packed in the wagons were enough provisions to sustain Thomas Banks, his son Rafe, and seven slaves through the

winter and into spring. There were barrels of wheat, peas, beans, oats and corn. There were casks of vinegar and salad oil, slabs of

bacon, salt, cheese, sugar, coffee, spices, dried fruit, and a cask of peach brandy. Clothing included Monmouth caps, to fend off the cold,

white shirt collars, waistcoats, suits, several pairs of Irish stockings, extra shoes, a pair of garters each for Thomas and Rafe, and the tra-

ditional three-corner hat. Other items included an assortment of bottles, spoons, iron ax, kettles, bells, blankets, combs, scissors, ham-

mers, horseshoes, locks, keys, hinges, knives, pewter bowls, swords, a pair of matched flintlock muskets and pistols, lamp oil and candles,

and a chamber pot. In the way of implements there were plows, plowshares, all forms of saws, a saw blade and a length of leather

strap, once attached to a water wheel would turn the blade of a ripsaw. And the journey could not proceed without cows for fresh milk,

butter and cheese. Mules were needed to pull the wagons and till the soil once they reached their destination, and hogs and chickens to

help ease the pangs of empty stomachs, and a dog named Spot.

Thomas Banks, born in 1709, had migrated from Caroline County, Virginia, to Granville County, North Carolina in 1762 where

he accumulated an estate of some 1,500 acres of prime land near the settlement of Oxford. Thomas had taken as his wife Sarah Chan-

dler in 1743 and by her fathered three children. Sarah died quite young, however, and he took as his second wife, Betty White. Thomas

and Betty had six children, the eldest, Rafe, being born in 1757. But twenty years later, Thomas would again face life without a wife at

Summer-Fall 2011 Page 3

The Banks family has a proud heritage that dates back to circa 1665 in King

and Queen County, Va.; enough so that I wanted to know more than just the dates of

birth and death of our ancestors. Selfishly, I wanted to know how their lives were lived

and sense some of the struggles they may have endured. I wanted to take the journey

from Granville County to Elbert County; to listen in on the conversation between Rafe

and Rafe, Jr. as Rafe withheld his consent for his son to marry Elizabeth Maxwell; or

how Russell, at the age of 44, spent his first day as a Private in the Army of the Con-

federacy. Rafe became my way to live the lives of these ancestors and sense their

emotions and challenges. So, within the bounds of known history I have attempted to

create a life that they might have lived

If you care to have a copy, send me your email address and I will return a copy

of the manuscript as an attachment in Microsoft Word.

Cousin Charles Banks—email address: cbanks@perigee.net

his side. Betty, wrought with fever, surrounded by her husband and children, surrendered her life into the hands of the Almighty.

A score of years passed and Rafe, now in his thirty-first year of age and having served as a Captain in the North Carolina Militia,

was filled with wanderlust. Tales of rich Georgia lands and access to the seaport in Savannah had made their way to Granville County by

travelers bound for Virginia and Maryland. Crops of cotton and tobacco, planted and harvested by slave labor, were hauled by wagon to Sa-

vannah and sold to eager merchants who, in turn, readied them for shipment to European ports.

Rafe had convinced his father to sell his 1,500 acres and join with him. Together they would begin life anew on Georgia’s virgin

lands; but Rafe also had an ulterior motive. Thomas, now in his 78th year, had outlived two wives, and was keen on taking yet another, a widow by name of Susannah Priddy Hurt, whom Rafe felt was too young for his aged father. Or, from a different point of view, Rafe felt his

father was well past the age of taking a young wife.

____________________

Although sparsely populated—56,100 after the 1780 census was completed—Georgia was the largest state east of the Mississippi

in terms of land area. It contained 56,930 square miles and over 100 miles of shoreline along the Atlantic Ocean. But other than the Savan-

nah seaport, much of the vast land area in the west was yet to be explored. Having served in the Revolutionary War, Rafe had received a

patent for 500 acres, which he was prepared to claim in Wilkes County. The provisions having been sorted and packed, equipment and supplies carefully inventoried, the wagon train was ready to embark.

A guide and two riders had been engaged: Amos McQuay, Jason Diggs and Abner Bledsoe. McQuay, an experienced wagon master had led

wagons from Maryland and Virginia across the great Savannah no less than six times. Diggs and Bledsoe were experienced out-riders and

had ridden with McQuay. Their job was to keep the wagons taut and the livestock reined in. Although the route McQuay had chosen would

take them well south of the Cherokee Indians in the southern Appalachian Mountains, they would pass just a few miles north of the Ca-

tawba’s whose encampment was spread along the river that bore the Indian’s name—the Catawba River. Entrusted with Rafe, his father,

Thomas, seven adult slaves and a child—Isaiah & Toluca and five-year old daughter, Hannah, Levi & Blossom, Lett Peter, and Johnston &

Fanny—McQuay’s dusty boot found its way into a stirrup and he mounted his horse. Handling a team of two mules, Rafe and Thomas

seated themselves in the lead wagon, with Spot positioned between them. Isaiah drove the second team, and perched on the back of his

wagon were Toluca and Hannah, who had honey-colored skin. A white man, the former owner of Toluca, had fathered her before Isaiah

claimed her as his wife. Levi and Blossom were assigned the third team. Lett Peter rode alone in the fourth wagon, and Johnston and Fanny,

whose long-bed wagon carried the heaviest load, required two teams of mules. Some of the livestock was tied to the wagons and some were

allowed to trail behind to be herded by the two out-riders.

―We’s ready, Masa Rafe,‖ said Isaiah, who, by virtue of his 6’3‖ height and 225 pounds, was the de facto slave foreman.

Rafe signaled McQuay with his three-cornered hat, snapped the reins, the leather harness stretched against the tongue, and the

spoke wheels began to turn. . The journey had begun, and by McQuay’s best judgment it would take the better part of a month, what with

the loaded wagons, the livestock and other animals that had to be tended to along the way.

Excerpt from Chapter Twenty-Six

Much has happened in the lives of Thomas Marion and Georgia DeLura in the decade since Rev. Thomas Wells officiated at their

wedding. With their tenth anniversary just days away, they have parented five healthy children, although having sadly buried one. Ophelia

had turned nine, Groves six, along with Viola, John Allen, and Russell Marion, who at the age of ten-months showed a propensity of walking

early. The farm on New Hope Road has provided most of the needs of Bud’s young family. Wheat and corn harvested from his fields are

ground at the gristmill on Leatherwood Creek. Milk, chickens, and eggs plentiful, and hogs and cattle slaughtered to provide the family with

meat. Coffee, salt, sugar and other essentials are purchased at the General Store in Toccoa. And with the textile mills that have sprung up

along the railroad, cotton has begun to fetch a favorable price, 15-cents a pound. Thanks to the warmth of an early spring, and early plant-

ing, Bud has already begun to pick the twenty acres he devoted to cotton. Expecting to produce about 10 bales, Bud estimated his earnings

from Crawford’s Gin at $750. The rest of the acreage, other than a garden that produced a cornucopia of vegetables, has been devoted to

wheat and corn. Wheat fetches $1.06 a bushel, corn 43-cents.

Anticipating their upcoming anniversary, Bud hitched the mules to the wagon and set out for Toccoa. Georgia DeLura, the

―Madam‖ as Bud referred to her, had prepared a list of necessities, and earlier, Bud had traced Groves’ foot on a piece of paper and planned

to buy him shoes.

Toccoa, about an hour’s ride away, had become an important coaling station for the railroad. Settled in the late eighteenth century

as ―Dry Pond,‖ Toccoa had grown into a convenient stop for the steam engines to replenish their water and coal as they made their run be-

tween Charlotte and Atlanta. It was mid-morning when Bud reached the General Store; having passed the Atlanta-bound locomotive as it

pulled away from the water tank.

:

Summer-Fall 2011 Page 4

For copies of his complete manuscript, please contact Charles Banks at cbanks@perigee.net