John William McCauley & Verda Waller Hankins

Verda was my paternal grandmother, but I never met her.¹KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services, birth certificate (short form), certificate no. 34938 (1926), David Hankins McCauley; Office of Vital Statistics, Frankfort. My father did not talk much about his mother and when he did, it always seemed that it was painful for him. She died two months before Daddy turned sixteen years old while he was alone with her at the hospital. His father and several siblings had left to get something to eat, not realizing she was that close to death.²“Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1965,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1222 : accessed 4 Sep 2013), death certificate no. 12255 (1942), Verda McCauley; from microfilm 7016130–7041803, KY Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort; Verda died 16 May 1942. KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services, birth certificate no. 34938 (1926), David Hankins McCauley; born 12 Jul 1926. David Hankins McCauley, son of Verda Hankins McCauley, father of author. 

Verda Waller Hankins was born on 1 December 1884 in Dalton, Hopkins County, Kentucky, to Thomas Leander Hankins and Samantha Angeline Petty.³“Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1965,” 12255 (1942), Verda McCauley. Her middle name, Waller, was the maiden name of her third great-grandmother Dorothy Waller Goodloe and had been used as a middle name for several of Dorothy’s descendants.⁴Paul Miller Goodloe II, Goodloe Genealogy (Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1982), Part C, Chapter II, “Thomas Allen Goodloe of Fayette County, KY,” C-7 identifies Dorothy Waller as wife of Thomas Allen Goodloe, C-17 identifies their son Henry Lewis Goodloe, C-19 identifies Henry’s son John Emerson Goodloe as the father of Mary Waller Goodloe and Isabella Jane Goodloe, who was the mother of Leander “Lee” Hankins; other descendants of Dorothy with Waller middle name—C-18 Lucy Waller Goodloe, C-22 John Waller Goodloe, C-23 James Waller C. Goodloe.

Verda rarely used her middle name, although the middle initial W appears in 1880 and 1920 U.S. census entries for her. She adopted Jane instead, apparently in honor of her paternal grandmother, Isabella Jane Goodloe, whose sister Mary had Waller as her middle name.⁵1900 U.S. census, Hopkins Co., KY, population schedule, Dalton, enumeration district (ED) 70, sheet 4A, p. 215 (stamped), dwelling 63, family 61, Lee Hankins; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602 : accessed 8 Jan 2010); from NARA microfilm T623, roll 528; Verdie W. Hankins. 1920 U.S. census, Muhlenberg Co., KY, population schedule, Dist. #3 Courthouse, enumeration district (ED) 93, sheet 1A, dwelling 8, family 8, John W. McCauley; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061 : accessed 25 Aug 2008); from NARA microfilm T625, roll 593; Verdia W. McCauley. Some of Verda’s children did not know she had named herself Jane. J is even on her headstone as her middle initial.⁶Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), McCauley, John W. and Verda J. marker, photographed by Linda McCauley, 14 Sep 2011. However, Waller apparently appears on one child’s birth certificate. The Kentucky birth index entry for her son John lists his mother’s name, which should be her maiden name, as Verdie Waller.⁷“Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911–1999,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry/search/collections/8788 : accessed 2 Mar 2021), birth certificate no. 09071 (1921), John W. McCauley; from Kentucky Birth, Marriage, and Death Databases: Births 1911-1999, Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort. Note: Copy of birth certificate to be obtained.  

Verda often went along with her father when he was fulfilling his duties as a General Baptist minister, riding cross-country on horseback. She loved meeting people and always made those around her feel welcome with a kind word and a smile.⁸Vashti McCauley Wells, “A Tribute to Verda Hankins McCauley,” 1946, scrapbook of the Women’s Society of Christian Service at Pleasant Hill Methodist Church, Greenville, Kentucky; transcribed by Faye Hopkins McCauley, 1980s (date unknown).

Verda was ill with Typhoid during the summer and fall of 1903.⁹“Short Locals,” Bee (Earlington, KY), 26 Nov 1903, p. 2, col. 1; Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 22 Feb 2008). She was so ill that she could not feed herself, so neighbors and relatives volunteered to help her mother care for her. Around that time, her brother Dick made friends with a fellow coal miner named John William McCauley and invited him to Sunday dinner at their parents’ home. Soon Will started coming by to feed Verda her dinner.¹⁰Kathryn McCauley Tomes (Illinois), phone interview by Pam Tomes Rumer, 2009; notes privately held by Linda McCauley Mt. Vernon, Kentucky, 2009.

Verda married Will on 27 September 1904, at her parents’ home in Earlington.¹¹Hopkins Co., KY, Marriages, 11-1903–12-1904: 356, McCauley-Hankins, 1904; Hopkins Co. Clerk, Madisonville. The local newspaper referred to the groom as an industrious miner and the bride as an estimable young lady.¹²“Married,” Bee (Earlington, KY), 29 Sep 1904, p. 7, col. 4; digital image, Chronicling America (https://www.chroniclingamerica.loc.gov : accessed 5 Oct 2012). Will was born on 1 March 1875 in either Randolph or Chamber County, Alabama, the son of Joseph Smith Lanier and Nancy Jane Bennett. His life before he met Verda is a long story that will take a book to tell.

Will and Verda began their life together at Daniel Boone in Hopkins County, probably in coal company housing.¹³“Married,” Bee (Earlington, KY), 29 Sep 1904; Will lived in Daniel Boone when he married Verda on 27 Sep 1904. Ronald Ferman Dukes, son of Gladys McCauley Dukes; advised his mother was born in Daniel Boone in Hopkins Co. in 1905. Their first three children were born in Hopkins County—Golden Gladys in 1905, Icy Vernon in 1906, and Lillie Vashti in 1909.¹⁴Laura Ruth Dukes Thacker, daughter of Golden Gladys McCauley Dukes; provided her mother’s full name and DOB. Ronald Ferman Dukes, son of Gladys McCauley Dukes; provided his mother’s birthplace as Daniel Boone in Hopkins Co. Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Muhlenberg Co., Kentucky; From South Main Street in Greenville, take 181 south about 2.5 miles), Gordon & Vernon Lucas marker, photographed by Linda McCauley, 14 Sep 2011; DOB. Jeanette Gilliam McCauley, “Descendants of John Petty,” p. 3; copy shared with Linda McCauley, Mt. Vernon, KY, 25 Apr 2003; Icy given as Vernon’s first name. “Area Deaths,” Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, KY), 10 Feb 1989, p. 18, col. 2; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://newspapers.com : accessed 18 Jun 2019); Vernon’s obituary notes she was born in Hopkins County. “U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901 : accessed 1 Mar 2021), Vashti Wells , SSN 407807277; from Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936–2007, Social Security Administration; birthplace Hopkins County, KY. “U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901 : accessed 1 Mar 2021), Clifford Wells , SSN 407380214; from Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936–2007, Social Security Administration; mother Lillie V. McCauley. Eight more children were born in Muhlenberg County between 1913 and 1932—Joseph Lee, Elizabeth Angeline, Lois Marie, John William Jr., Kathryn Louise, David Hankins, Jimmie Nell and Ralph Raymond.¹⁵“Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911–1999,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry/search/collections/8788 : accessed 2 Mar 2021), birth certificate no. 4421 (1913), Joseph L. McCauley; from Kentucky Birth, Marriage, and Death Databases: Births 1911-1999, Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort; DOB and birthplace. “Joseph McCauley,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 27 Feb 1985, p. A8, col 2; Greenville Leader-News microfilm, Muhlenberg County Public Library, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Greenville; full name. “Elizabeth Carver,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 26 Nov 2003, p. A6, col 4; Greenville Leader-News microfilm, Muhlenberg County Public Library, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Greenville; DOB and birthplace. Jeanette Gilliam McCauley, “Descendants of John Petty,” p. 3; Angeline given as Elizabeth’s middle name. “Lois Marie McCauley Dockins,” Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, KY), 3 Mar 2006, p. 10, col. 2; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 6 Jun 2019); DOB, birthplace, and full name. “U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238 : accessed 3 Dec 2016), John William McCauley, Jr., serial no. 137; from Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group 147, NARA, St Louis, Missouri; DOB, birthplace, and full name. “Kathryn Louise (McCauley) Tomes,” Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, KY), 5 May 2011, p. B2, col. 3; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 6 Jun 2019); DOB, birth place and full name. KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services, birth certificate no. 34938 (1926), David Hankins McCauley; DOB, birthplace, and full name. Gary’s Funeral Home, Inc. (https://garysfuneralhome.net : accessed 19 Dec 2018), “Jimmie Nell Knight, 89, of Greenville,” obituary; DOB, birthplace, and full name. “Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1965,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1222 : accessed 31 Oct 2003), death certificate no. 17341 (1933), Ralph Raymond McCauley; from microfilm 7016130–7041803, KY Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort; DOB, birthplace, and full name.

On 27 July 1908, Will bought a lot on the corner of College Street and Madisonville Road (now Depot Street) in Greenville in neighboring Muhlenberg County for $100. Exactly when they moved to Greenville is unknown, but they may have already lived there when they bought that lot as the deed notes the Post Office for all parties was Greenville.¹⁶Muhlenberg Co., KY, Deed Book 75: 29, C. B. Wickliffe, Jr. and Robert and Minnie Wickliffe to J. W. McCauley, 27 Jul 1908; Muhlenberg Co. Clerk, Greenville. Regardless, they did not move to the College Street property until they had a house built.

Will continued working in the coal mines while they lived in Greenville.¹⁷ 1910 U.S. census, Muhlenberg Co., KY, population schedule, Greenville, enumeration district (ED) 89, sheet 4A, dwelling 71, family 73, J. W. McCauley; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7884 : accessed 1 May 2009); from NARA microfilm T624, roll 496. Will and Verda sold the College Street property for $1,350.00 on 6 October 1919.¹⁸Muhlenberg Co., KY, Deed Book 107: 306, J. W. and Verdie McCauley to Melvin Murphey, 6 Oct 1919; Muhlenberg Co. Clerk, Greenville. On 22 November 1919, they bought a 112 acre farm about three miles from town for $2,000.¹⁹Muhlenberg Co., KY, Deed Book 103: 205–297, C. G. and Maggie Newman to J. W. McCauley, 22 Nov 1919; Muhlenberg Co. Clerk, Greenville. Will was still working in the mines in 1920 but eventually turned to farming full time.²⁰1920 U.S. census, Muhlenberg Co., KY, pop. sch., Greenville, ED 93, sheet 1A, dwell. 8, fam. 8, John W. McCauley; occupation coal miner. 1930 U.S. census, Muhlenberg Co., KY, population schedule, Mag. Dist. #3, enumeration district (ED) 89-18, stamped 276, sheet 6A, dwelling 120, family 120, J. W. McCauley; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224 : accessed 5 Dec 2008); from NARA microfilm T626, roll 771; occupation farming.

The original house on the farm, located on what is now Oppossum Lane, burned to the ground in 1924. They lost almost everything. With seven children ranging from nineteen years to a few months old at home, the family had to temporarily split up to stay with neighbors. They moved into an empty store building that had been used to store tobacco and corn until they could build another house. It was a big open building that had a worn out wood floor.²¹Kathryn McCauley Tomes (Illinois), phone interview by Pam Tomes Rumer, 2009.

They built the new house in a different location on the farm, facing what is now Kennedy-Brasher Road. That house was smaller and not as nice as the original, which had nice cabinets and furniture.²²Kathryn McCauley Tomes (Illinois), phone interview by Pam Tomes Rumer, 2009. It had four rooms downstairs with two attic rooms upstairs. The living room ran the width of the house facing the road. Besides a front door, it had two exterior doors on the right side of the house. One went into the living room, the other to the bedroom behind it. Beyond that bedroom was a second bedroom, and off that bedroom was the kitchen. They also had a back porch off the kitchen (behind the first bedroom with the outside door).²³Uta Faye Hopkins McCauley, wife of David Hankins McCauley, mother of author.

The family attended Pleasant Hill Methodist Church, where Will led the singing for many years and Verda was active in the Women’s Society of Christian Service. As the older children married and had families, they often came to Sunday dinner. It was not unusual for Will to invite several others from church to join them, even as Verda’s health declined.²⁴David Hankins McCauley, son of Verda Hankins McCauley, father of author. Kathryn McCauley Tomes (Illinois), phone interview by Pam Tomes Rumer, 2009.

Verda and Will’s youngest child, Ralph, died of colitis on 29 June 1933, a few weeks before his first birthday.²⁵“Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1965,” 17341 (1933), Ralph Raymond McCauley. He was buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery behind the church.²⁶Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), Ralph Raymond McCauley marker, photographed by Linda McCauley, 14 Sep 2011.

Verda suffered from heart problems from a relatively young age, likely caused by the lingering effects of Typhoid compounded by the stress of having eleven children over twenty-seven years.²⁷Elizabeth McCauley Carver, Lois McCauley Dockins, Kathryn McCauley Tomes, and Jimmie McCauley Knight; daughters of Verda Hankins McCauley, aunts of the author She had been ill for several years when she died at the Greenville Hospital from chronic myocarditis on 16 May 1942 at fifty-seven years old.²⁸“Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1965,” 12255 (1942), Verda McCauley.

They held her funeral at the church. According to Verda’s obituary, “Crowding the church and ground to pay a last tribute to Mrs. McCauley was one of the largest gatherings ever to attend a service of any kind at Pleasant Hill Church.”²⁹“Mrs. J. W. McCauley,” Greenville (KY) Leader, 21 May 1942, p. 1, col. 1; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville. Verda was buried in the church cemetery beside Ralph.³⁰Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), McCauley, John W. and Verda J. marker, photographed by Linda McCauley, 14 Sep 2011.

Will married Pearl Gertrude Fitzhugh Joins on 10 April 1943 in Muhlenberg County.³¹Muhlenberg Co., KY, Marriages, 91: 380, McCauley-Joins, 1943; microfilm 7030301, item 2, KY Dept. for Libraries and Archives. He died on 29 July 1959 and was buried beside Verda.³²“Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1965,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1222 : accessed 2 Oct 2006), death certificate no. 14089 (1959), John William McCauley; from microfilm 7016130–7041803, KY Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort. Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), McCauley, John W. and Verda J. marker. Eight of Verda and Will’s eleven children were buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.³³Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), Lucas, Gordon and Vernon marker, Wells, Rhea and Vashti marker, Carver, Elizabeth W. and Kenneth Mel marker, Dockins, George E. and Lois M. marker, McCauley, John W., Jr. and Marie Harper marker, Tomes, Adrain S. and Kathryn L. marker, Knight, David J. and Jimmie M. marker, and Ralph Raymond McCauley marker, photographed by Linda McCauley, 14 Sep 2011.

Golden Gladys McCauley

Gladys was born on 28 June 1905 in Daniel Boone.³⁴“U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935–2014,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3693 : accessed 10 Mar 2018), entry for Gladys Dukes, 1978, SS no. 405-52-1171; from Social Security Death Index Master File, Social Security Administration; DOB. She married William Ferman Dukes on 27 September 1922 in Muhlenberg County.³⁵Muhlenberg Co., KY, Marriages, 53: 31, Dukes-McCauley, 1922; Muhlenberg Co. Clerk, Greenville. Ferman’s parents were James William Dukes and Elvira Jane Dockins.³⁶Muhlenberg Co., KY, Marriages, 53: 31, Dukes-McCauley, 1922; Muhlenberg Co. Clerk, Greenville. He was born in Greenville on 25 January 1901.³⁷“U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238 : accessed 4 Nov 2020), William Ferman Dukes, serial no. 1544; from Records of the Selective Service System, 1926–1975, Record Group 147, NARA, St Louis, Missouri.

Gladys and Ferman lived in Greenville until 1940 then moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where they lived for the rest of their lives.³⁸Verda McCauley (Greenville, KY) to her daughter-in-law, Jeanette Gilliam McCauley (Benham, KY), Letter, 6 Dec 1940; privately held by Jeanette Gilliam McCauley (deceased), copy provided to Linda McCauley, 4 Mar 2005; Verda said Gladys and the children left Greenville that day on the train to live in Louisville. They had twelve children.³⁹Personal knowledge of author; for ten children who survived infancy. “Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1965,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1222 : accessed 2 Oct 2006), death certificate no. 19212 (1924), still born, parents Ferman Dukes and Gladdis McCauley and death certificate no. 22484 (1942), infant of Wm. F. Dukes; from microfilm 7016130–7041803, KY Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort. In October 1942, they lived at 244 E. St. Catherine Street.⁴⁰Caron’s Louisville (Kentucky) City Directory, 1942 (Cincinnati, OH: Caron Diectory Company), p. 568, entry for Wm F and Gladys Dukes; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469 : accessed 2 Nov 2020) > KY > Louisville > 1942 > Louisville, Kentucky, City Directory,1942 > image 278. By 1946 they moved to 1463 S. 1^st Street, where they lived for many years.⁴¹Caron’s Louisville (Jefferson County, KY) City Directory, 1946-47 (Cincinnati, OH: Caron Diectory Company), p. 284, entry for Wm S (sic) and Gladys Dukes; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469 : accessed 2 Nov 2020) > KY > Louisville > 1946 > Louisville, Kentucky, City Directory,1946 > image 143. Ferman worked as a machine repairman for American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation.⁴²“Ex-County Resident, William Dukes, Dies From Auto Accident Injuries,” Greenville (KY) Leader, 4 Dec 1958; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville.

Ferman died on 29 November 1958 in Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, from injuries sustained in a car accident.⁴³“Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852–1965,” death certificate no. 25773 (1958), William Ferman Dukes. He was buried in Woodland Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in Greenville.⁴⁴Woodland Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), Dukes, W. Ferman and Gladys M. marker, photographed by Linda McCauley, 14 Sep 2011.

Gladys moved to Baptist Towers Retirement Community at 1014 S. Second Street a few years before she died. She died on 25 April 1978 in Louisville and was buried next to Ferman in Greenville. ⁴⁵“Mrs. Gladys M. Dukes,” Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), 26 Apr 1978, p. 22, col. 1; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : 31 Mar 2020).

Icy Vernon McCauley

Vernon was born on 4 September 1906 in Hopkins County.⁴⁶“Mrs. Vernon Lucas,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 15 Feb 1989, p. B15, col. 1; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville. She married Jason Gordon Lucas on 28 May 1925 in Muhlenberg County, and they spent their lives there.⁴⁷Muhlenberg Co., KY, Marriages, 59: 36, Lucas-McCauley, 1925; Muhlenberg Co. Clerk, Greenville. Gordon, born on 2 May 1902 in Smith County, Tennessee, was the son of Jason G. Lucas and Callie Mary Denny.⁴⁸“Gordon Lucas,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 26 May 1982, p. A4, col. 2; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville; DOB and birthplace. 1910 U.S. census, Muhlenberg Co., KY, population schedule, Magisterial District #3 Courthouse, enumeration district (ED) 81, sheet 1B, dwelling 12, family 13, Richard H. Lyon; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7884 : accessed 2 Nov 2020); from NARA microfilm T624, roll 497; Gordon living with his mother, Callie M. Lyon, and step-father. “Lyon, Mrs. Callie Lucas,” Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY, 20 Dec 1944, pg. 21, col. 3; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 2 Nov 2020); Gordon listed as her son in obituary. FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/005731728 : accessed 2 Nov 2020), digital film 005731728, images 552-553, Smith Co., TN, Marriages, Boxes 11–15 (loose papers), Jason G. Lucas and Callie, 1 Jan 1888; Callie married Jason Lucas. Vernon and Gordon had three children.⁴⁹Personal knowledge of author.

They owned a farm outside Greenville on what is now Gordon Lucas Road.⁵⁰Personal knowledge of author. After Gordon retired from farming, they moved to 204 Carolyn Street in town.⁵¹“Gordon Lucas,” Greenville Leader-News, 26 May 1982.

Gordon died on 22 May 1982 in Greenville.⁵² “Gordon Lucas,” Greenville Leader-News, 26 May 1982. Vernon died there on 8 February 1989.⁵³“Mrs. Vernon Lucas,” Greenville Leader-News, 15 Feb 1989. They are both buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Greenville.⁵⁴Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), Lucas, Gordon and Vernon marker.

Lillie Vashti McCauley

Vashti was born on 28 May 1909 in Hopkins County.⁵⁵“Vashti McCauley Wells,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 11 Apr 2001, p. B14, col. 2; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville. She married Shelby Rhea Wells, son of Robert L. Wells and Mallie Finley, in October 1928 in Rockport, Spencer County, Indiana.⁵⁶“Married at Rockport,” Owensboro (KY) Inquirer, 10 Oct 1928, p. 5, col. 3; Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : 10 Mar 2021); Shelby R. Wells and Miss Vashti McCauley, Rockport, ID, date not noted. 1900 U.S. census, Muhlenberg Co., KY, population schedule, Rosewood, enumeration district (ED) 645 sheet 7A, dwelling 110, family 115, Robt. L. Wells; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602 : accessed 10 Nov 2020); from NARA microfilm T623, roll 545; 4-yr-old Shelby R living with parents Robert and Mallie. FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/004706073 : accessed 10 Feb 2021), digital film004706073, image 319, Muhlenberg Co., KY, Marriages, 19: 520, Wells-Finley, 31 Jan 1894; Mallie’s maiden name. Rhea was born on 14 March 1896 in Muhlenberg County.⁵⁷“Shelby Rhea Wells,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 2 Sep 1992, p. B14, col. 1; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville.

Vashti and Rhea lived in Muhlenberg County all their lives and had two children.⁵⁸Personal knowledge of author. Rhea farmed and when he retired, they sold their farm and moved into town to 415 N. Cherry Street.⁵⁹1930 U.S. census, Muhlenberg Co., KY, population schedule, District #4, enumeration district (ED) 23, sheet 9B, dwelling 183, family 185, Ray Wells; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224 : accessed 20 Jan 2010); from NARA microfilm T626, roll 772; occupation farmer. 1940 U.S. census, Muhlenberg Co., KY, population schedule, Mag. Dist. #2, enumeration district (ED) 89-17, sheet 35B, household 641, Ray Wells; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2442 : accessed 13 Feb 2021); from NARA microfilm 627, roll 1344; occupation farmer. Personal knowledge of author; address in Greenville.

Rhea died on 30 August 1992 in Greenville.⁶⁰“Shelby Rhea Wells,” Greenville Leader-News, 2 Sep 1992. Vashti died there on 3 April 2001.⁶¹“Vashti McCauley Wells,” Greenville Leader-News, 11 Apr 2001. They are both buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Greenville.⁶²Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), Wells, Rhea and Vashti marker.

Joseph Lee McCauley

Joe was born on 26 January 1913 in Greenville.⁶³“U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238 : accessed 3 Dec 2016), Joseph Lee McCauley, serial no. 593; from Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group 147, NARA, St Louis, Missouri. In 1937, he graduated from Union College in Barbourville, Knox County, Kentucky, where he met Jeanette Rankin Gilliam.⁶⁴“Joseph McCauley,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 27 Feb 1985, p. A8, col. 2; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville; graduated in 1937 from Union College. Clark Legacy Center (https://clarklegacycenter.com/ : 9 Sep 2014), “Jeanette Gilliam McCauley,” obituary; notes Jeanette met Joe in 1936 at Union College. Joe married Jeanette on 19 June 1937 in Gray, Knox County, Kentucky.⁶⁵Jeanette Gilliam McCauley, wife of Joseph Lee McCauley, aunt of author. Jeanette was born 15 September 1918 in Cumberland, Harlan County, Kentucky, to Bruner Gilliam and Leona Johnson.⁶⁶Clark Legacy Center, “Jeanette Gilliam McCauley.” Joe and Jeanette had five children.⁶⁷Personal knowledge of author.

Before his graduation and marriage to Jeanette, Joe taught in 1934 at Pond Creek School in Muhlenberg County. Among his students were four of his siblings and several nieces and nephews.⁶⁸Pond Creek, Mr. J. L. McCauley photograph, 1934, privately held by Faye Hopkins McCauley, Mt. Vernon, KY; photo of Joseph Lee McCauley, teacher at Pond Creek School, and 33 students, including four of his siblings and five nieces and nephews.

Joe served in both the U.S. Army and Navy.⁶⁹Jeanette Gilliam McCauley, wife of Joseph Lee McCauley, aunt of author. He enlisted in the army on 30 June 1943.⁷⁰“U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938–1946,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8939 : accessed 22 Mar 2018), Joseph L. McCauley, enlisted 30 Jun 1943, Cincinnati, OH; from NARA, Record Group 64, College Park, MD. He joined the navy after that.⁷¹Jeanette Gilliam McCauley, wife of Joseph Lee McCauley, aunt of author.

Joe and Jeanette lived in Lexington (Fayette County), Cumberland and Benham (Harlan County), Middlesboro (Bell County), Pikeville (Pike County) and Auxier (Floyd County) all in Kentucky. Joe taught school in Fayette and Harlan counties.⁷²“U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938–1946,” Joseph L. McCauley, enlisted 30 Jun 1943, Cincinnati, OH; residence Fayette Co., KY. 1940 U.S. census, Harlan Co., KY, population schedule, Benham, enumeration district (ED) 48-77, sheet 17A, household 253, Joe L. McCauley; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2442 : accessed 13 Feb 2021); from NARA microfilm 627, roll 1314. David Hankins McCauley, son of Verda Hankins McCauley, father of author; David lived with Joe and Jeanette in Cumberland after WWII. Personal knowledge of author; they lived in Middlesboro, Pikeville, and Auxier. They ran an office supply business in Middlesboro, and Joe served a term as mayor from 1961 to 1965.⁷³“Joseph McCauley,” Greenville Leader-News, 27 Feb 1985; Middlesboro mayor 1961 to 1965. Personal knowledge of author; office supply store. When he became the executive director for the Big Sandy Area Development District in 1966, they moved to Pikeville and later Auxier.⁷⁴“Joseph McCauley,” Greenville Leader-News, 27 Feb 1985; executive director Big Sandy Area Development District. Clark Legacy Center, “Jeanette Gilliam McCauley;” moved to Pikeville 1966. Personal knowledge of author; lived in Auxier.

Joe died on 21 February 1985 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, and was buried in John Gilliam Cemetery in Cumberland.⁷⁵“Kentucky, U.S., Death Index, 1911–2000,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3077 : accessed 10 Jan 2010), death certificate no. 6545 (1985), Joseph L. McCauley; from KY Dept. for Public Health, Frankfort. Clark Legacy Center, “Jeanette Gilliam McCauley;” name and location of cemetery. Jeanette died on 2 September 2014 in Lexington and was buried beside Joe.⁷⁶Clark Legacy Center, “Jeanette Gilliam McCauley.”

Elizabeth Angeline McCauley

Liz was born on 23 November 1915 in Greenville.⁷⁷“Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911–1999,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry/search/collections/8788 : accessed 2 Mar 2021), birth certificate no. 630 (1916), Elizabeth McCauley; from Kentucky Birth, Marriage, and Death Databases: Births 1911-1999, Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort. She married Kenneth Mel Carver on 2 July 1933, and they had three daughters.⁷⁸McCauley Family Bible, The Holy Bible (n.p: n.d.), privately held by Jimmie Nell McCauley Knight (now deceased), copy provided to Linda McCauley, Mt. Vernon, KY, 10 Mar 2009; date Liz and Mel married. “U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238 : accessed 4 Nov 2020), Kenneth Mel Carver, serial no. 136; from Records of the Selective Service System, 1926–1975, Record Group 147, NARA, St Louis, Missouri; full name. Personal knowledge of author; three daughters. Mel, the son of Elmer O. Carver and Winnie Vick, was born on 19 January 1907 in Muhlenberg County.⁷⁹“Elmer O. Carver,” Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, KY), 10 May 1965, p. 8, col 2; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 Mar 2021); Mel’s father. FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/004706076 : accessed 19 Mar 2021), digital film004706076, image 608, Muhlenberg Co., KY, Marriages, 25: 295, Carver-Vick, 6 Feb 1904. FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/004706076 : accessed 19 Mar 2021), digital film004706076, image 608, Muhlenberg Co., KY, Marriages, 25: 295, Carver-Vick, 6 Feb 1904; Mel’s mother’s maiden name. “U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947,” Kenneth Mel Carver, serial no. 136; Mel’s DOB and birthplace. Liz and Mel lived their entire lives in Greenville, making their home for many years at 406 Hayes Street.⁸⁰“Kenneth Mel Carver,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 30 Oct 1991, p. A6, col 1; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville.

Liz worked for Hahn-Oates & Co, and for William & Wells Drug Store.⁸¹“Elizabeth Carver,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 26 Nov 2003, p. A6, col 4; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville. Mel worked in the taxi and bus line service driving for Greyhound and later Greenville Transportation Company.⁸²“Kenneth Mel Carver,” Greenville Leader-News, 30 Oct 1991.

Mel died on 27 October 1991 in Greenville and was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.⁸³“Kenneth Mel Carver,” Greenville Leader-News, 30 Oct 1991; DOD and place. Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), Carver, Elizabeth W. and Kenneth Mel marker; burial place. Liz died on 20 November 2003 in Greenville and was buried beside Mel.⁸⁴“Elizabeth Carver,” Greenville Leader-News, 26 Nov 2003. Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), Carver, Elizabeth W. and Kenneth Mel marker; burial place.

Lois Marie McCauley

Lois was born on 27 July 1918 in Greenville.⁸⁵“Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911–1999,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry/search/collections/8788 : accessed 2 Mar 2021), birth certificate no. 44025 (1918), Lois M. McCauley; from Kentucky Birth, Marriage, and Death Databases: Births 1911-1999, Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort. She married George Estill Dockins, son of Estelle Dockins and Sarah Florence Jernigan, on 11 August 1935 in Muhlenberg County.⁸⁶Muhlenberg Co., KY, Marriages, 80: 78, Dockins-McCauley, 1935; Muhlenberg Co. Clerk, Greenville; marriage information. “U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238 : accessed 4 Nov 2020), George Estill Dockins, serial no. 760 from Records of the Selective Service System, 1926–1975, Record Group 147, NARA, St Louis, Missouri; full name. “Estil Dockins,” Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, KY), 29 Dec 1962, p. 6, col. 5; digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 Mar 2021); parents’ names; father’s first name misspelled based on other records. Find A Grave (https://www.findagrave.com : viewed 19 Mar 2021), memorial 175759224, for Estill Dockins, (Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Greenville, KY), digital image, 11 Feb 2017, by D. L. Lee; father’s first name spelled Estelle on headstone. George was born on 14 June 1912 in East St. Louis, Saint Clair County, Illinois.⁸⁷“George E. Dockins,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 4 Dec 1996, p. B8, col. 2; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville.

Lois and George lived in Greenville and had four children.⁸⁸Personal knowledge of author. Their last home was at 1311 Kentucky 181 South.⁸⁹George E. Dockins,” Greenville Leader-News, 4 Dec 1996. “Lois Marie McCauley Dockins,” Messenger-Inquirer, 3 Mar 2006. George worked for P. & M. Coal Company for twenty-three years.⁹⁰“George E. Dockins,” Greenville Leader-News, 4 Dec 1996.

George died on 27 November 1996 in Greenville.⁹¹“George E. Dockins,” Greenville Leader-News, 4 Dec 1996. Lois died there on 1 March 2006.⁹²“Lois Marie McCauley Dockins,” Messenger-Inquirer, 3 Mar 2006. They were buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.⁹³Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), Dockins, George E. and Lois M. marker, photographed by Linda McCauley, 14 Sep 2011.

John William McCauley, Jr.

John was born on 8 February 1921 in Greenville.⁹⁴“Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911–1999,” birth certificate no. 09071 (1921), John W. McCauley. In June 1942, he joined the U.S. Navy and was assigned as a naval gun crewman on merchant ships. By 1944, he had crossed the Atlantic eighteen times and made one full trip around the world. He was discharged from the Navy in February 1947.⁹⁵“Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911–1999,” birth certificate no. 09071 (1921), John W. McCauley.

John enrolled at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky, in September 1947 and graduated with a B.S. degree in education in August 1950. After he graduated, he joined the merchant marines and spent almost two more years at sea before returning to Greenville in April 1952.⁹⁶Don Locke, “John McCauley: His first sea voyage took him around the world,” Greenville Leader-News, 26 Feb 1986.

He married Elsie Marie Harper, daughter of Robie Harper and Velma Orene Bivins, in 1960.⁹⁷Don Locke, “John McCauley: His first sea voyage took him around the world,” Greenville Leader-News, 26 Feb 1986; married Marie in 1960. Gary’s Funeral Home, Inc. (https://garysfuneralhome.net : accessed 1 Apr 2013), “Marie Harper McCauley;” parents’ names. Marie was born on 27 August 1930 in the Muhlenberg County community of Beech Creek.⁹⁸Gary’s Funeral Home, Inc., “Marie Harper McCauley.” John and Marie had four sons.⁹⁹Personal knowledge of author.

John worked as a coal miner and farmer.¹⁰⁰“John W. McCauley,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 22 Jan 1992, p. 13, col. 1; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville. He also ran the Greenville Pool Room and Restaurant for seventeen years.¹⁰¹Don Locke, “John McCauley: His first sea voyage took him around the world,” Greenville Leader-News, 26 Feb 1986.

John died on 15 January 1992 in Madisonville, Hopkins County, Kentucky.¹⁰²“John W. McCauley,” Greenville Leader-News, 22 Jan 1992. Marie died on 31 March 2013 in Greenville.¹⁰³Gary’s Funeral Home, Inc., “Marie Harper McCauley.” They were both buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.¹⁰⁴Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), McCauley, John W., Jr. and Marie Harper marker.

Kathryn Louise McCauley

Katie was born on 7 February 1924 in Greenville.¹⁰⁵“Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911–1999,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry/search/collections/8788 : accessed 2 Mar 2021), birth certificate no. 09895 (1924), Katherine L. McCanley [sic]; from Kentucky Birth, Marriage, and Death Databases: Births 1911-1999, Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort. She married Adrian Stinson Tomes on 16 November 1942 in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, where Adrian was stationed in the U.S. Army.¹⁰⁶Jeanette Gilliam McCauley, “Descendants of John Petty;” p. 6; marriage date and location. “U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238 : accessed 4 Nov 2020), Adrian Stinson Tomes, serial no. 1430; from Records of the Selective Service System, 1926–1975, Record Group 147, NARA, St Louis, Missouri; full name. Adrian was born on 24 November 1918 in McLean County, Kentucky, to William Coda Tomes and Mary Elizabeth Stinson.¹⁰⁷“U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947,” Adrian Stinson Tomes, serial no. 1430; DOB and birthplace. Pam Tomes Rumer, daughter of Adrian Tomes and Kathryn McCauley; provided names of Adrian’s parents.

Katie and Adrian had three children. They lived in Calumet City, Illinois, for many years.¹⁰⁸Personal knowledge of author. Adrian worked for Inland Steel in Gary, Indiana.¹⁰⁹“Adrian S. Tomes,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 11 Mar 1987, p. B13, col 1; microfilm, Genealogy and Local History Annex, Muhlenberg Co. Public Libraries, Greenville. Katie worked for Animated Manufacturing in Dolton, Illinois, from which she retired in 1988.¹¹⁰“Kathryn Louise (McCauley) Tomes,” Messenger-Inquirer, 5 May 2011. They both returned to Greenville after retirement. Katie lived next door to her sister, Jimmie, on Mellwood Drive.¹¹¹Personal knowledge of author.

Adrian died on 3 March 1987 in Greenville and was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.¹¹²“Adrian S. Tomes,” Greenville Leader-News, 11 Mar 1987. Katie died on 3 May 2011 in Princeton, Bureau County, Illinois, where she had been in assisted living for several years.¹¹³“Kathryn Louise (McCauley) Tomes,” Messenger-Inquirer, 5 May 2011. She was buried next to Adrian in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.¹¹⁴Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), Tomes, Adrain S. and Kathryn L. marker, photographed by Linda McCauley, 14 Sep 2011.

David Hankins McCauley

David was born on 12 July 1926 in Greenville.¹¹⁵KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services, birth certificate no. 34938 (1926), David Hankins McCauley. He left home at age sixteen and went to live with his sister Gladys in Louisville when Will remarried less than a year after Verda’s death. David worked at American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation until he joined the U.S. Navy on 20 January 1944.¹¹⁶David Hankins McCauley, son of Verda Hankins McCauley, father of author; left home to live with sister Gladys when his father remarried. Notice of Separation from the U.S. Naval Service, David Hankins McCauley, serial no. 6353027, original in possession of Linda McCauley, Mt. Vernon, KY; employer American Radiator, enlisted 20 Jan 1944. He was discharged on 22 April 1946.¹¹⁷Notice of Separation from the U.S. Naval Service, David Hankins McCauley, serial no. 6353027.

After his discharge, David moved to Cumberland, Kentucky, to live with his brother, Joe, and his family. Joe wanted him to finish high school, even though he had earned a GED while in the navy. After graduating from Cumberland High School, David attended Union College for a year before going to work for Joe and Jeanette in Middlesboro selling office equipment.¹¹⁸David Hankins McCauley, son of Verda Hankins McCauley, father of author.

At Union, David met Uta Faye Hopkins, daughter of Elmer Dennis Hopkins and Emma Ewers Taylor of Loyall, Harlan County, Kentucky.¹¹⁹Uta Faye Hopkins McCauley, wife of David Hankins McCauley, mother of author. David married Faye in Loyall on 18 February 1950.¹²⁰Certificate of Person Performing Marriage Ceremony (to be delivered to partied married), David Hankins McCauley and Uta Faye Hopkins, 11 Feb 1950; privately held by Uta Faye Hopkins McCauley. They had four children.¹²¹Personal knowledge of author.

For almost a year, David and Faye lived in hotels in Cookeville, Johnson City, and Crossville, Tennessee, while he sold stoves for Qualified Range Company. They moved to Middlesboro about January 1951, and he went back to work for Joe and Jeanette selling office equipment. Several months later, David started working for The National Life and Accident Company, and he and Faye moved to Louisville.¹²²Uta Faye Hopkins McCauley, wife of David Hankins McCauley, mother of author.

They moved to Mt. Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky, in 1952 where they lived for the rest of their lives. David initially ran a service station for Faye’s father and later opened a used car lot next to the service station. In 1953, he started McCauley Egg Company, which he ran until retiring in 1994. His son still runs the business today.¹²³Personal knowledge of author.

David died on 16 June 2000 in Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky.¹²⁴KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services, death certificate no. 018880 (2000), David Hankins McCauley; Office of Vital Statistics, Frankfort. He was buried next to Faye’s parents in Elmwood Cemetery in Mt. Vernon. Faye is still living.¹²⁵Personal knowledge of author.

Jimmie Nell McCauley

Jimmie was born on 6 August 1929 in Greenville.¹²⁶“Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911–1999,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry/search/collections/8788 : accessed 2 Mar 2021), birth certificate no. 36761 (1929), Jimmie N. McCauley; from Kentucky Birth, Marriage, and Death Databases: Births 1911-1999, Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort. She married David Johnson Knight there on 31 December 1948.¹²⁷“McCauley-Knight,” Greenville (KY) Leader-News, 6 Jan 1949; clipping saved by Jeanette Gilliam McCauley, copy provided to Linda McCauley, Mt. Vernon, KY, 2003. David was born on 29 July 1922 in Daviess County, Kentucky, to Griffin E. Knight and Lena Johnson.¹²⁸“U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901 : accessed 10 Nov 2020), David Johnson Knight , SSN 571-22-7013; from Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936–2007, Social Security Administration.

After starting their life together in Greenville, Jimmie and Dave moved to Louisville. She worked for Stewart’s, a regional department store chain.¹²⁹Personal knowledge of author. Dave served as a Naval Air Force pilot during World War II and worked as a civilian pilot for James Cash Machine Company for thirty-two years.¹³⁰“David J. Knight,” Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, KY), 29 Apr 1996; online archive (http://www.newslibrary.com/sites/omib/ : accessed 29 Sep 2011).

Jimmie and Dave had two children. After they both retired, Jimmie and Dave returned to Greenville and lived at 214 Mellwood Drive.¹³¹Personal knowledge of author.

Dave died on 27 April 1996 in Greenville.¹³²“David J. Knight,” Messenger-Inquirer, 29 Apr 1996. Jimmie died there on 15 December 2018.¹³³Gary’s Funeral Home, Inc. “Jimmie Nell Knight, 89, of Greenville,” They were both buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.¹³⁴Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Greenville, Muhlenberg Co., KY), Knight, David J. and Jimmie M. marker; photo taken years before Jimmie died. Personal knowledge of author; attended Jimmie’s burial.  

Ralph Raymond McCauley

Ralph was born on 7 August 1932 in Greenville and lived less than one year. He died on 29 June 1933. The official cause of his death was colitis, but the family story is that Will let him eat strawberries off the vine, and they made him sick.¹³⁵Elizabeth McCauley Carver, Lois McCauley Dockins, Kathryn McCauley Tomes, and Jimmie McCauley Knight; daughters of Verda Hankins McCauley, aunts of the author. Ralph was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.

Cite this page: Linda F. McCauley, "John William McCauley & Verda Waller Hankins," Documenting the Details, 25 Mar 2021 (documentingthedetails.com/jwmccauley-vwhankins/ : viewed [enter current date]).

Written by: Linda F. McCauley
Copyright © 2021 Linda F. McCauley. All rights reserved.

My Connection: John William McCauley & Verda Waller Hankins (grandparents) > David Hankins McCauley (father)