Rest in Peace

 

Click here for a blog post I did on cousin Gene Espy ten years ago.  When I have an opportunity, I will compile much more info on him, right here.

Greetings

Hello Allen!  My name is Hal Espy.  I’m your 4^th cousin.  I know this of course by being in possession of the Espy-Espey Genealogy Book 😊.  I was a little confused about whether you go by Major (e.g. as indicated by your email address) or by Allen (since you have that capitalized on your blog).  I recently “met” my 2^nd cousin Jane Espy Gamble from Headland (still haven’t met in person) and she referred to you as Allen so I’m going with that.

 

Context:  Our common ancestor is of course Robert Marion Espy.  From there I go down through Robert Marion Jr., Joseph Cleodus (my common ancestor with Jane), Thomas Harold Espy Sr., Thomas Harold Espy Jr., then me.  I am Thomas Harold Espy III.  I’m a 1963 birthday so ~8 years ahead of you, and I have two sons, one of whom is…you guessed it….Thomas Harold Espy IV (age 33).  I grew up in Montgomery, have lived in Huntsville for 39 years now, have spent my career here in tech.

 

Why am I contacting you?  Over the last 1-2 years I have been visiting my mom in Montgomery monthly, getting a head start on cleaning out closets full of family history and more as she is in a slow decline.  This has led to a resurgence in my interest in family history, something that both of my parents engaged in up until my dad’s death in the mid 1990’s.  Until a couple of months ago, this renewed attention was mostly on my mom’s side in Augusta, GA.  But the last batch of 100+ photos was from my dad’s side.  More up his mom’s Stephens line than his dad’s Espy line, but still some good stuff for the Espys.

 

One batch of recently-exhumed photos was from a field trip he and I took in 1994 (a guess).  He had drummed up a couple of cousins down near the Barbour County / Henry County line, who we went to meet.  They had agreed to take us on a wild walk in the woods to an “Espy Cemetery” on some forest land well off a small county road.  I was in my early 30’s at the time, enjoying the company, along for the ride, didn’t pay enough attention, and now here, 30 years later, staring at these photos of the headstones of our 3G-grandparents Robert Marion Espy and Elizabeth Goodman Watt, and wondering whether I can find this place again!  In my cluelessness, I don’t even know who those cousins were or where they lived or how to find them again (if they are still alive).

 

I accepted the challenge and through a few tentative leads decided I *might* have drawn a bead on the spot, which seems to be a well-kept secret.  (E.g. a lady named Brenda Lokey has posted photos of the place to Find-a-Grave in the last few years but DIDN’T give it a GPS location…head in hands).  Repeating the excursion of a generation earlier 😊, I took my own son on a 2-day family history tour of L.A. over the recent Independence Day weekend.  We hit something like 6 cemeteries and a passel of old family homes, churches, schools, workplaces, etc. along the way, but the centerpiece was the afternoon set aside to find this cemetery.  We failed, despite tromping around on dirt logging and hunting roads for a couple of hours and swatting off bugs and briars, lol.  (Sidebar:  I did accidentally stumble on a different 3G-granddad’s gravestone at the nearby Mt. Pleasant Cemetery…helping offset my irritation at our Espy Cemetery fail!)

 

So I’ve gone back to the drawing board, seeking more and more widely for any clues.  I’m digging into original land patents, township & range system, historic property ownership maps, modern maps, historic cemetery records, lots of hints but nothing solid…and then I stumbled on your 2012 blog post.  It didn’t get me any closer to locating it, but it was fascinating and it made me realize that you, as an Espy family networker and influencer 😊, might be aware of any development in this area in the last 12 years.  Maybe you know somebody who knows somebody, who has a clue how to find this spot?

 

So that’s my immediate point of interest, but I expect I’ll have a blast wandering through your Espy posts at some juncture and asking questions on many other topics.

 

If you don’t have a clue, no worries, please don’t burn a moment on it.  But regardless, glad to “meet” you and if you lack a POC in my branch of the Espy diaspora, and need anything at all, just yell.

 

A couple of 1990’s excursion photos attached…just on the long shot that you know who these cousins are!  I’m the young guy in the gray coat, my dad is the one sitting.

 

Hal 

1911 Buick • Model 21

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J.J. Espy, Sr. standing next to his 1911 Buick • Model 21

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The 1911 Model 21 was one of the most successful vehicles made by Buick before WWI since the automaker sold around 3,000 units of it, helping the brand consolidate its position on the market. - Click here for more

Minnie Pearl

Sarah Frances Espy with Minnie Pearl in Atlanta in 1974

Mittie (Espy) Lewis

The Abbeville Herald

June 21, 1979

The Abbeville Herald

October 18, 1979

Mittie Mae (Espy) Lewis

Carl Espy III

 

December 30, 1930 - June 7, 2018

obit

Espy's

The Abbeville Herald

December 28, 1939

Beverly (Espy) Dayries

Thanks to cousin Caroline for sharing this.

Mark Carroll Espy, Jr. & Beverly (Espy) Dayries on November 15, 2025

Thank you cousin Amy for that photo!

New Bank

The Montgomery Times

October 28, 1911

First Trust and Savings Bank of Headland

J. J. Espy

Headland, Alabama

Natalie Espy Woods

Rest in Peace

Seaborn Joseph Espy

The Dothan Eagle

May 20, 1932

Dothan, Alabama 

City Cemetery

Find a Grave

Henry County Singers

The Wiregrass Farmer

September 22, 1927

The Wiregrass Farmer

May 17, 1928

Headland, Alabama

Henry County

Frances Kathryn Espy

The Dothan Eagle

September 5, 1937

The Dothan Eagle

September 26, 1937

Henry County Agricultural History

The Wiregrass Farmer

August 26, 1954

Henry County

Alabama

Joseph Samuel Espy

Henry News Items

Henry County

Alabama

J. B. Espy

Thomas Espy

Thomas Espy

(1800-1833)

I'm not sure he's a relative, but I want to look into it because there's an Asheville connection.  The Espys that made their way south came from Pennsylvania.  Thomas was born in Pennsylvania.

Vann Family Reunion

Aust-Armstrong Fish Pond

Balkum, Alabama

Goodman Basil Espy, Sr.

The Weekly Advertiser

1890

The Times and News

1895

The Montgomery Advertiser

1937

The Dothan Eagle

1937

Shipment Coming

The Wiregrass Farmer

August 5, 1920

1920s Owensboro Wagon Co. Catalog

Owensboro Wagon Company History

another wagon photo from 1910

J. J. Espy, Sr.

Recollection

from cousin Beverly (Espy) Dayries in 2013:

Sadly, I recall very little I might have heard about my grandfather (John Jolly Espy, Sr.).  As you know, he died only days after I was born. The most I can recall is what I remember from my mother.  Mother greatly admired Daddy's father.

 

What I recall:

 

-  He always read the newspaper and kept a dictionary on the table by his side as he read.  I think we had his dictionary.  If so, it is here at our house - somewhere.

 

- He loved to sing.  Mother frequently accompanied him on the piano.  I'm guessing that Aunt Frances was not living in Headland at the time.  I would have to look up dates, etc.  According to Mother, one of his favorites was "Flee As a Bird."  When the family was clearing the Espy house on Church Street, I came home with several of his Baptist Hymnals.  I know at least one of them had shaped notes.  They are probably stored in our attic now.

 

- I think I recall Mother saying that one time he made some pickles.

 

- Espy, Sr. was a diabetic.  When she was living in Headland, she gave him his shots.

 

- Oh yes, there was the story about his meeting up with the Alabama governor.  Watty told me this one, and I think it has already been passed on to you.   Espy, Sr. was with the Alabama governor, I suppose in the vicinity of Headland.  Espy invited him to his house to eat.  I guess whatever servants they had were not at the house at the time - at least not the cook.  The story was that Granny boiled some eggs and set them on the table, saying, "At our house, we peel our own." 

I did save condolence notes sent to Granny Espy after my grandfather's death.

They were among items your dad and likely Marilyn threw down from the attic of the Espy house when we were clearing things out.  Somehow I wound up with those. I have no idea where they are now, but I do know I kept them.