Garner Family History, part 4

Azariah Lewis Garner 8(Milton7, John C.6, John5, James4, Parish 3; Thomas2, John1)

Azariah Lewis Garner8 was born April 28, 1859 in Neosho, Missouri. When he was still young, he was brought back to Fulton County, Arkansas, near where his parents had grown up and married, and where all his brothers and sisters, both older and younger, were born. In 1887, Azariah Lewis Garner married Martha Goff, daughter of Henry and Sarah "Mary Jane" (Hendon) Wheatley Goff. (On Martha's death certificate, her mother's maiden is incorrectly written "Hayden", but according to Modie Garner Woods, her name was "Hendon". ) Martha (Goff) Garner was born some time between 1865-1873; the dates for her birth vary, according to what official document is consulted. According to her death certificate, she was born in Joplin, Missouri in 1873. However, Martha told the census-taker in 1900 that whe was born in 1865. A. Lewis Garner, Martha and their children lived in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas from the time of their marriage until April, 1908. Lewis owned a farm, with no mortgage attached. He could read and write, according to the 1900 census information. In April, 1908, the family moved from Arkansas to Henryetta, Oklahoma. At 17th and Regan Streets in Henryetta, some time in 1928, Azariah Lewis Garner died. Martha (Goff) Garner survived until August 1946. She died and was buried in Pacific Grove Cememtery, Pacific Grove, California. She had accompanied her children in their Okie migration to California during the Depression years, following her husband's death.
Azariah Lewis and Martha (Goff) Garner had children:

1. Meta (Media) Prisilla Garner9, b. June 22, 1890,Mammoth Spring, Arkansas; m. William Flem Jones(b. July 3,1885, Izard County, Arkansas; d. November 6, 1967, HenryettaOklahoma). Meta (Garner) Jones died June 3, 1941. They m. Feb. 14, _________ Children:

2. Clarence Herbert Garner 9, b. April 6, 1891, Mammoth Spring, Arkansas; m. Martha Portain on March 18, 1920, Schulter, Oklahoma; died December 19, 1954, Watsonville, California. Clarence and Martha (Portain) Garner had children:

3. Nora Garner9, whose only child died unmarried.
4. Roxie Lettie Garner9, m. (1) Claud Freedle (d. 1918) in 1912; m. (2) Carrol Reynolds in 1920 (Reynolds died in 1936) m. (3) Albert Smith in 1948. Children:


5. Thomas Watson Garner 9 (Azariah Lewis8, John Milton7, John C.6, John5, James4, Parish3, Thomas2, John1), b. April 7, 1896, Mammoth Spring, Arkansas; m. Beulah Dean Pinkston September 6, 1919. This family history follows this line.
6. Bertie Garner 9
7. Mackie Della Garner , b. May 17, 1899, Mammoth Spring, Arkansas; m. December 25, 1915 Dave Crockett James, b. March 28, 1891. Henryetta, Oklahoma) Mackie died
December 1, 1978 at Davis Community Hospital, Davis, California. Children:

8. James Azariah Garner9, b. 1902, Mammoth Spring, Arkansas; m. Tsianina Pinkston on September 24, 1924; died 194-, Brentwood, California. Children:

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Thomas Watson Garner 9 (Azariah Lewis8, John Milton7, John C.6, John5, James4, Parish3, Thomas2, John1)

Watson Garner9 was born April 7, 1896, in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. He attended school through the third grade, learning to read and do arithmetic. His Family lived in the woodsy countryside of the Mammoth Spring area. When Watson had just turned twelve, he moved with his mother, father, brothers and sisters to Henryetta, Oklahoma. As a young man, Watson found work in the coal mines and earned good enough wages to buy a fine buggy and team of horses. Watson served in the Army in WWI and has been a member of the American Legion for many years. Thomas Watson Garner married Beulah Dean Pinkston on September 6, 1919. Watson and Beulah lived in Henryetta and Watson continued to work in the mines, when he was not working on the pipelines of the South and Southwest. In 1936, Watson and Beulah moved to California, and from this time, they considered the Central Valley towrns of California their home and only went back to Henryetta for visits to family or when agricultural jobs such as picking and pruning in the orchards of California were not available. Around 1945, Watson and Beulah settled permanently in Brentwood, California in the San Joaquin River delta area. Watson worked as construction laborer and orchard hand while Beulah packed fruit in the local industries. They both retired around 1965, and now live on Garner Lane off Lone Oak Road in Brentwood, California. They have both been active in community affairs for thirty years. Beulah is a member of the Brentwood Baptist Church, and has held many offices in the Church and the community. Watson and Beulah were well- known in the 1960's for their prize garden produce and handicrafts taking ribbons at the Contra Costa County Fair. This couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in September, 1979. For the occasion, Beulah provided a biography of the marriage. (See appendix.) Thomas Watson Garner died December 28, 1980; he is buried in Brentwood, California.
Beulah Dean Pinkston Garner died in 1986. She is buried beside her husband in the Union Cemetery in Brentwood, California. Thomas Watson Garner9 and Beulah Dean (Pinkston) Garner had children:

1. Charles Barkley Garner 10 , b. October 12, 1924, Henryetta, Oklahoma; m. Pauline (Baker) Dacus . Children:


2. Rolland Glenn Garner10, b. August 24, 1933, Henryetta, Oklahoma; m. Anna Luesa Mullins (b. November 13, 1935, Vian, Oklahoma) December 21, 1953, Washoe, Nevada.
This family history follows this line. _________________________________________________________________________

Rolland Glenn Garner 10(Thomas Watson 9, Azariah Lewis 8, John Milton7, John C.6, John5, James4, Parrish3, Thomas2 John 1 )

Rolland Garner10 was born August 24, 1933 in Henryetta, Oklahoma. Rolland "Ronnie" Garner came with his parents to the Central Valley of California in 1936. Rolland married Anna Luesa Mullins, December 21, 1953. He graduated from University of California at Berkeley in 1963. In 1969, he joined the U. S. Foreign Service and was posted in Ankara, Turkey; Kabul, Afghanistan; Karachi, Pakistan; Amman, Jordan; Yaounde, Cameroon; he also worked for many years as a travelling auditor throughout the Middle East. Rolland Glenn Garner10 and Anna L. (Mullins) Garner had two sons:

1. Bradley Charles Garner11 b. October 2, 1954, Pleasanton, Calif.
2. Erin Douglas Garner 11 b. December 21, 1958, Pittsburg, California;
m. (1)Cynthia Ann Mickanen in San Jose, California, April 24, 1982; m. (2) Susan Wilheit, Monterrey, CA, ca. 1998. Erin and Cynthia Mickanen had a son:

2.A. Ryan Richard Garner12, b. January 2, 1984, San Jose, CA.

Erin and Susan Wilheit had a son:

2.B. Lucas Azariah Garner12, b. June 21, 2000, San Jose, CA.

See Garner Family History, Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

CONCLUSION:

Garner "land lying situate along the waters of..." The early patents and grants of land owned by your ancestors always described the tract or parcel of land by its orientation to the nearest water course. Thus John Garner of Northumberland County settled first near the mouth of the Coan River as it empties into the Potomac. His later plantations in Westmoreland County, near Kinsale, Virginia backed onto the waters of West Yecomeco River. A descendant built "China Hall" on these lands in the 1700's.
Thomas Garner, in his moves west, settled near the Rappahannock River on a plantation situated between Licking Run and Tinpot Run. In his turn, Parrish Garner inherited this land, but sold it and moved to the Haw River area of North Carolina. Parrish's son, James Garner, is located "near to...waters of Saluda River" in Pendleton County, South Carolina by 1799.
From 1800-1820, there is a rush westward by the Garner descendants of John Garner of Northern Neck, Virginia. The Clinch, Holston, and Elk Rivers of Tennessee; the Mammoth Springs and Spring River of Arkansas make their lands fertile.
A hundred years later, some of the Garners made their home between the Canadian River and the Arkansas River in Oklahoma. But they were no longer farmers. Azariah and Martha (Goff) Garner sold the waters of a spring in Henryetta, Oklahoma, and their sons had become coal-miners.
Finally, the delta of the San Joaquin River in California provided a stopping place for the Garners before your father took you, Brad and Erin, eastward again--to Asia Minor.

See Garner Family History, Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

Return to Surname Index

SOURCES FOR GARNER FAMILY HISTORY
1.For an account of the descendants of all these Garner families, see Ruth Ritchie, The Garner-Keene Families of Northern Neck, Virginia, who is the source of this information on the Garners unless other sources are mentioned.
2.Bean, R. Bennett. The Peopling of Virginia. Boston, 1938, p. 74.
3 Withers, George Edward III, personal communication from Richmond, Va.
4._______________ History of Pittsylvania County, p. 285.
5.Application for pension by Sturdy Garner. National Archives.
6.Morgan, James Logan. Personal communication based on his
compilation of marriage records of Lawrence County, Arkansas.
7.Goodspeed Publishing Company. Biograpnical History of Northeast Arkansas. 1889, pp. 742-43.
8.ibid.
9.Morgan, James Logan. Personal communication based on his
compilation of abstracts from newspapers of Northeast Arkansas
in the 1820's.
10.Copy of marriage certificate on file in Garner family archives
in my personal possession.

See Garner Family History, Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3