My South, Moore, Thomas and Johnson roots are in East Tennessee and SW Virginia, centered around Bristol, TN/VA. My mother is Mable Thomas and both of us were born in Dante, VA. My dad Robert E. South Jr. was born in Bristol, TN. The following is data I have on my gr grandfather James Edward South. His second wife Sara Louvena Moore was my gr grandmother and Robert Edward South was my grandfather. My gr grandfather JAMES EDWARD SOUTH was born December 1862 in TN, and died April 06, 1904 in Bristol, TN. He married (1) MARY C. CRUMLEY October 16, 1881 in Sullivan County, TN. He married (2) SARAH LOUVENA MOORE January 08, 1897 in Sullivan County, TN, daughter of FLOYD MOORE and VIRGINIA JONES. Notes for JAMES EDWARD SOUTH: Died in 1904. Run over by a train near Ash Street. I believe he was a carpenter. In "BRISTOL TENNESSEE/VIRGINIA A HISTORY - 1852-1900" by V.N. (Bud) Phillips, on page 145 is listed James E. South as a carpenter that during the 4th quarter of the 19th century helped build Bristol. 6/13/97 At the Sullivan County Clerks Office in Blountville, I found both marriage records. James E. South and Mary C. Crumley was recorded Oct. 16, 1881 and license was issued for James E. South and Sarah L. Moore on Jan. 8, 1897. I also visited his grave site at the Paperville United Methodist Church Cemetary on Church Circle off the Paperville Road and Old Jonesborough Road. It had a flat stone with the following inscription: "JAMES E. SOUTH BORN DEC 23, 1855 DIED APR. 6, 1904 A precious one has gone. A voice we loved is stilled. A place is vacant in our home. Which never can be filled.". The date 1855 is wrong, he was born in 1862. 6/14/97 I was at the Sullivan County Library in Blountville and found from the 1880 Census that James was a Farmhand living with L. G. Dryden and Eliza I. Dryden. He was age 18 in that census. Its possible he may have been orphaned and/or was living with neighbors or relatives. In the 1900 Census James was listed as a Carpenter. He and his wife Venie had been married 3 years. Children listed: Sarah 17, Kenni 12, Robert 2, Ollie born Feb 1900. Notes for MARY C. CRUMLEY: Sullivan County 1880 Census Index lists an Elizabeth Crumbey age 43 and Mary age 12 (351). Could this be Mary Crumley because James South age 18 is listed in the Index at (356)? The number in parenthesis is the stamped page number on the original schedule. They would have lived near each other. Children of JAMES SOUTH and MARY CRUMLEY are: i. LAURA E.2 SOUTH, b. October 13, 1881, Sullivan County, TN. Notes for LAURA E. SOUTH: According to Louella Burnette 6/97, Laura may have gone to Kansas. ii. SARAH SOUTH, b. April 1883, Sullivan County, TN. iii. KINNEY SOUTH, b. October 1887, Sullivan County, TN; d. April 18, 1910, Sullivan County, TN. Notes for KINNEY SOUTH: 6/12/97 Dorothy Carrier (Dad's 1st cousin) said that Kinney had fits and died in an institution. 6/14/97 I was at the Sullivan County Library in Blountville and found from a 1905 news clipping that says "Kinney South is the name of an orphan boy at the poorhouse. He has fits, and is a pitiable object. His father who was killed on the railroad, was a member of the Junior Order. Some members of that order paid him a visit Sunday and manifested some interest in this poor, little unfortunate fellow. We hope they will not forget him." 8/4/97 I found at the Sullivan County Library in Blountville a record of his death. It said his age was 20 and that he died from "fits" at the poor house, 5th District. Children of JAMES SOUTH and SARAH MOORE are: 2. iv. ROBERT EDWARD SOUTH, b. December 24, 1897, Bristol, TN; d. January 1986, Kingsport, TN. 3. v. OLLIE MAE SOUTH, b. February 02, 1900; d. Unknown. 4. vi. HUBERT L. SOUTH, b. October 21, 1902, Bristol, TN; d. April 12, 1981, Bristol, VA. I do not know James' parents or for sure where he was born. If you have any data on my South line I would appreciate it. My paternal grandmother is Ollie Virginia Moore daughter of Nathan T. Moore and unknown. Ollie was b. 3 June 1903 in (I think) Tennessee and d. 11 July 1961 in Bristol, TN. My paternal gr grandmother is Sarah Louvena Moore daughter of Floyd Moore and Virginia Jones. Venie was b. May 1877 and d. 1960 in Bristol, TN. Virginia Jones (Jennie Moore, a.k.a. Jane Phelps wife of Sam Phelps) was said to be from Saltville, VA and Floyd Moore was from Abingdon, VA. My maternal grandfather RICE THOMAS was born 4 Nov. 1883. His marriage certificate says he was born in LAURAL County, KY. He married my grandmother DELLA MAE JOHNSON (daughter of MASON LAFAYETTE JOHNSON, commonly called Lafayette) on 29 June, 1905, in Laurel County. His father was LAFAYETTE THOMAS and his mother was ELIZABETH ISAAC. There are records that state Lafayette was born in OWSLEY, KY. Marge Turner did a lookup for me and found Lafayette Thomas in the 1860 and 1870 Owsley Census. 1860 age 9 son of James and Sabina Thomas. 1870 age 19 son of James and Jelina Thomas. There are records that state Elizabeth was born in JACKSON, KY. Lafayette died at the age of 38 and Elizabeth died at the age of 62. Rice had 5 brothers and 1 sister. LINA THOMAS was born in 1876 and married WARREN HOUSTON in 1898. The brothers were BLUFORD, ANDERSON, LEE, SAM, and BILL. This is all I have on Rice's parents. Word is that several of the brothers went back to Owsley County. Lina Houston stayed in East Bernstadt and was a widow by the 1910 census of Laural County. Word is Warren went to the store one day and was never seen again. Rice and Della along with Lafayette Johnson and other Johnsons moved to Virginia to work the Coal Mines. The Laural County 1900 census shows an Elizabeth Thomas with two sons Anderson and Isaac B. This may be my gr grandmother and Isaac B. may be Bluford. The approximate ages I have on them fit the census data. The children of Rice and Della Thomas are: (all are born in SW VA) 1. Edith Thomas b. 17 May 1906 d. August 1983 m. Issac Fuller 2. Inez Cuba Thomas b. 28 October d. 7 November 1997 m. James Crockett Thomas 3. Thelma Thomas b. 10 May 1910 d. 8 June 1980 m. Pearl Dickenson 4. Daisy Thomas b. 1911 d. 1911 5. Beulah Thomas b. 6 September 1913 still living m. Delmer Dewolf King 6. Eunice Ellen Thomas b. 21 August 1918 still living m. Edgar Alley 7. Mable Virginia Thomas b. 2 June 1920 d. 31 March 1974 m. Henry Barbour Jr. and R.E. South Jr. 8. Frederick Adam Thomas b. 5 June 1923 d. 3 January 1989 m. Hellen Geraldine Rhea The Johnsons soon after Rice and Della married migrated to Virginia, my grandfather with them. A lot of them lived in Dante. I believe that Lafayette and his wife Ellen Haney lived in Clintwood. I lived at my grandfathers until after the war when my dad came home and we moved to Bristol, TN. My gr grandfather MASON LAFAYETTE JOHNSON was born 1859 in Carter Co., KY. Children of Lafayette Johnson are: i. TILLIE JOHNSON, m. WILLIAM JOHNSON. ii. NETTIE JOHNSON, m. PALMER. iii. ELIZABETH JOHNSON, m. JONES. iv. AMOS JOHNSON. v. JOHN JOHNSON, b. 1878, Ky. vi. JANE JOHNSON, b. 1886, Ky; m. WHITELEY. vii. DELLA MAE JOHNSON, b. February 28, 1888, Carter Co., KY; d. February 28, 1957. viii. Mary Katherine Johnson b. ? Fredrick Thomas South Goose Creek, SC