I was sent an announcement of a death of Mrs. Mary Rhoden Thomas because her mother was a Coursey. So I went to the Augusta Chronicle obits, which stay online free for 30 days and found her. I started looking for info. on her husbands, and found her listed buried in Philippi with her second husband as follows: Friar, Dennis Willie Jul 16 1905 - Jan 1 1971 Friar, Mary RHODEN Jan 28 1921 - Jan 1 1971* *The following indicates that she did NOT die in 1971 and in fact remarried after the death of Dennis Willie Friar The following obit was copied on line from the Augusta Chronicle Web cite: www.augustachronicle.com. WARD, S.C. - Services for Mrs. Mary Rhoden Thomas, age 83, will be held Friday, November 26, 2004 at 2 p.m. at Richland Springs Baptist Church with burial to follow in Philippi Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Bland Funeral Home, Johnston, Thursday evening from 6-8 p.m. Memorials may be made to the Richland Springs Baptist Church Parsonage Fund, 1895 Duncan Road, Ward, S.C. 29166. Mrs. Thomas, a native of Edgefield County, died Wednesday, November 24, 2004. She was a daughter of the late Wylie D. and Effie Coursey Rhoden, She was a retired merchant and was a member of Richland Springs Baptist Church. Survivors include a son, Donnie R. Trotter and wife, Janice, Ward; daughters, Joye T. Glaze (Carl Cook) North Augusta, Ruth Ann Martin and husband, Bo, Ward; three grandchildren, Keevin A. Glaze and Jason F. and Todd P. Martin; two step-grandchildren; one great-grandchild and five step great-grandchildren, also a loving caregiver, Edelphia Rushton. She was preceded in death by husbands, W.A. Trotter, D. W. Friar and B. M. Thomas, Jr. [Published in The Augusta Chronicle on 11/25/2004.] Her first husband W. A. Trotter: This obit was copied from a clipping in the Scrapbook of Ruth Ella Hazel Trotter and gives more info. on the family, proving the connection of the family as mentioned in Mary Rhoden Thomas' obit above: W. A. Trotter - Johnston, SC, May 9 (1949) - W. A. Trotter, 42, of Ward died late Sunday Afternoon at the Veterans hospital in Columbia after an illness of several weeks. Son of the late John and Sue Snelgrove Trotter, Mr. Trotter is survived by his widow, Mary Rhoden Trotter, formerly of Johnston; one daughter Joye and one son Donnie, all of Ward; five sisters, Mrs. J. E. Becknell of Pelion, Mrs. J. D. Rushton of Johnston, Mrs. M B. Storey of Ward, Mrs. Otto Styron of Saluda, and Mrs. L. R. Monarch of Baton Rouge, LA, and six brothers, J. H. and Ira Trotter of Columbia, E. B. Trotter of Ward, George Trotter of Saluda, Hammond Trotter of Trenton and Carl Trotter of Ridge Spring. Funeral services will be conducted at 4 pm Tuesday from the Red Bank Baptist church, Saluda... Interment will follow in Red Bank Cem. 1949 - Death Cert. # 6431, Richland Co, SC Willie A. Trotter White, male, married to Mary Trotter age 27, farmer, WWII b. June 26, 1906, Saluda Co, SC father: John Trotter, SC, deceased mother: Susie Snelgrove, b. GA, deceased d. May 8, 1949, VA Hospital, Columbia, Richland Co, SC cause: acute blastic leukemia informant: Clinical records, VA Hospital, Columbia, SC UT: Edwards Funeral Home, Johnston The DC did not have his location of burial but his obit did, and my further research of transcribed cem. records shows him buried at Red Bank Baptist Church Cem., Saluda, Saluda Co, SC. This* seems to be him in the Red Bank Cem with predeceased siblings. Trotter, Paul Aug 26 1907 Aug 26 1907 Trotter, Irene Oct 16 1903 [Feb 13 1904] *Trotter, Willie Alvin [(Dub)] Jun 24 1906 May 8 1949 I have done NO research on the Friar connection except what I found in the cem records sent to me by HC Ouzts. Nor do I have any info. on B. M. Thomas and did not find one in the Thomas file that sent to me 8/17/2002. I did found one that HC Ouzts identifies in the cem. records as the husband of Mary Rhoden: Thomas, Belton Marsh [Jr.] Jul 2 1930 - Nov 3 1994 Mt. Calvary Lutheran, Aiken Co., SC Regarding the Effie Coursey and Wiley D. Rhoden listed as her parents, the only Effie I have is: Ethel (Effie) Coursey (b. 11/21/1897[1901] SC, d. 9/13/1987)[1900][1910](m. Herbert Eustace Thurmond (b. 2/8/1898 SC, d. 10/16/1982)[s/o Hattie Lou Dorn & Preston E. (Press) Thurmond]) Red Oak Gr Edgefield HC, In the Thurmond file you mentioned that he and Effie had no children. However, I now have his obit which lists his children, one of whom lives about 8 miles from me and graduated from North Augusta High School with my mother. Obituary of Herbert E. Thurmond, Augusta Chronicle, Oct 17, 1983. Augusta, GA. Herbert E. Thurmond, 84, North Augusta, died Saturday in an Aiken Co. hospital. The funeral will be at 3 p, today at Big Stephens Creek Baptist Church with the Rev. Lansing Tinsley officiating. Burial will be in the Red Oakgrove Baptist Church Cem., Edgefield Co, SC Mr. Thurmond was a native of SC and had lived in Edgefield Co. most of his life. He was a retired carpenter and a member of Big Stephens Creek Baptist Church. Survivors include his wife, Effie C. Thurmond; a son Rodney Thurmond, Lawrenceville, GA.; and two daughters Florence Templeton, Clinton, SC and Sandra Ransom, Lugoff, SC. Friends may call at the church one hour before the funeral. Posey's Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Since the daughter Mozell would have been about my mother's age, she would have been born about 1924. So if others are younger, it is logistically possible that Effie Coursey Thurmond married 1st Wiley D. Rhoden???? Then I found this in the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church Cem. records, Aiken Co, SC [below Johnston and Ward, address I think is Edgefield?] Rhoden, Wiley D. Jun 23 1895 Jun 20 1977 Rhoden, Gertrude E. BOLAND Nov 10 1897 Sep 22 1965 If this is the right Wiley D., he and Effie must have divorced and both remarried???? But all of this speculation is really stretching the circumstancial evidence, without a shred of proof. I am very interested in connecting this Wiley D. Rhoden and Effie Coursey, parents of Mrs. Mary Rhoden Trotter Friar Thomas to their family line. I am finding Rhoden's that I can prove were of the Rotton/Rauton/Roton families that were, in the late 1700s and early 1800s all spelled Rotton. Happy Thanksgiving Billie Jones Camden, SC [email protected]