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Note: E-mail recieved June 9, 2001 from Linda Conerly Bobst: While at the Lawrence County Circuit Clerk's office I located and found Stephen and Fannie's marriage certificate. I stumbled upon a marriage certificate for a Gilbert Conerly (while I was looking for my Great-grandparent's) but I need you to verify Gilbert's wife's name. Also please let me know what date you have for their marriage. This Gilbert married an Allie, but I do not think the last name is correct. Linda Bobst eventually obtained and sent me the license for Gilbert McNutt Conerly and Miss Allie Garrison, issued december 23, 1905 and marriage performed on December 24, 1905, Lawrence County, Mississippi. My Aunt Loraine Conerly, wife of Jesse, on November 26, 2001, confirmed that Allie Polk had been married to a Garrison man prior to her marriage to Gilbert McNutt Conerly and had at least one child, Braddie, by that marriage. Loraine stated that Lela Conerly Wilkerson had given her a picture of Lela and Braddie and their stepmother, name unknown, whom Gilbert apparently married after Allie died in 1921. Loraine believes that Allie was part or all native American. Indeed the marriage license seems to confirm Loraine's belief, in that Gilbert's name is followed by a parenthetical "(W)" and Allie's name is not. Most if not all of the Conerly children believe their mother's name was "Allie Mae". The following interview was conducted on December 20, 2001 by Grant A. Simpson: In a visit this morning arount 10:30 am at a nursing home in Watauga, with my grandmother, Lela Christene Conerly Wilkerson, I asked her about her mother, and the conversation, as best as I can recall, went as follows... questions are me, answers are hers... Do you remember your mother ? "Yes I do" What was her name ? "Allie, Allie Mae" Was it Alabama ? "Yes I believe it was" What was her first name ? "I don't remember son, it was a long time ago and I was just a little girl" Was it Dora ? "I don't remember" Did you name my mother after her ? "I was going to, I was going to name your mother after my mother's whole name... I was in the hospital for a week before she was born but then I found out from Papa (Gilbert Conerly) that my mother's name was a state and I wasn't going to name my daughter after a state... I had to think of a name in a hurry so I gave her my middle name... Christene... (Grant's mother's name was "Doris Christene Wilkerson")..." Was your mother's last name Polk ? "Yes, Polk... I lived with Grandpa Polk for over a year after mama died... he had other kids... I remember Grandma Edna, just the image of her standing there... I've been out to Society Hill, he's out there... Grandma Edna is out there too but she re-married after he died... " What was Grandpa Polk's name ? "His name was John..." Who were you named after ? "I had an old Aunt Lil... my mother's sister... but her real name was Lela... " Who was Braddie ? "She was my sister... my mother had two other children before Papa... Ernest and Braddie... Ernest died when he was eight years old... Braddie died when Doris (My Mother) graduated from high school (that would have been about 1949) ... Daddy (My Grandfather, Clyde Wilkerson) had just gone out on the big truck and they called me but I couldn't find anyone to keep my kids... they buried her out in Louisiana somewhere... " What was Braddie and Ernest's name ? Was it Garrison ? "Garrison, yes..." What was Mr. Garrison's name ? "I don't remember his name but I thought he was out there at Society Hill too... My mother is in Winnsboro... Papa is over in Tensas not far from Winnsboro... Papa had Parkinson's just like Tina's mother ...Loraine had Jesse put out there by where they live... I don't know where Tamer is but Arthur probably went to her funeral..."
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