EDWARD T. GAITHER, grocer and provision dealer, located on North Main Street, Carthage Mo., was born in 1831. His father’s name was Silas, and his mother’s maiden name Elizabeth Campbell. Edward T. Gaither was reared principally in Franklin county, Missouri, his father’s family moving there in 1838. He was brought up on a farm, and has lived on one more or less ever since, although teaching school some fourteen years. He served four years in the Confederate army in the trans-Mississippi department, under General Marmaduke. In 1879 he came to Carthage, Missouri, where he has since been in the mercantile business. In March, 1882, he and his partner, Mr. Quinn, opened the grocery, provision, and feed store where they are now in business. They have a large and complete stock in their line, and are surpassing their most sanguine expectations. Mr. Gaither owns a finely improved farm, and it is regarded as one of the best in this region of the country. He was married April 8, 1866, to Sarah J. Rickner, of Jasper county, Missouri, whose father was one of the first settlers of the county, who died in 1861. They have six children living and one deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Gaither are members of the Christian Church. Mr. Gaither is to be commended for his business success, and commands the respect of the community generally

By Nancy Jones

It has long been accepted, by Gaither and Beard families alike, that John Gaither married Ruth Beard. While there is circumstantial evidence supporting this claim, the absence of a record of their marriage has frustrated genealogists and invited doubt.  Now, however, a newly discovered court case, from 1716-1717, establishes that Ruth Gaither is a Beard.  This discovery, plus new, extensive research that we've undertaken into the Beard family, gives us the original source documentation needed to prove Ruth is a Beard and to refute claims to the contrary. Continue reading →

For those of you interested in researching Gaithers in Georgia, The Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive is a great site with a lot to offer. The newspapers are digitized and fully searchable.

The Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia (DLG), a part of Georgia’s Virtual Library GALILEO and is based at the University of Georgia Libraries. The archive is free and open for public use and includes over one million Georgia newspaper pages between 1786 and 1986.

The following are a few examples of what you can find.

From the Southern Recorder. (Milledgeville, Ga.) 1820-1872, February 17, 1846

WILL BE SOLD, on the first Tuesday in March next, in the town of Eatonton, 400 acres ofl and, more or less—being the place whereon the late Mrs. Elizabeth  Gaither resided,on a credit of one,two, three and four years. Notes, with undoubted security, will be required.Sold in pursuance of the last will and testament of
Brice Gaither, deceased, for the benefit of their heirs.
GREENBURY GAITHER, HENRY GAITHER  Executors

WILL BE SOLD, on the 26th of February next at the late residence of Mrs. Elizabeth Gaither,near Eatonton. about a hundred barrels of corn, together with Fodder, Oats, Bacon, Lard, Horses,Mules, Cattle, Hogs, Sheep, a close Carriage, Barouche,
Wagon, household and kitchen furniture, and a variety of other articles belonging to
the estate of Brice Gaither, deceased. Terms on the day of sale. Sale to continue from day to day until all is sold.
GREENBURY GAITHER, HENRY GAITHER, Executors
Jan. 20, 1845

From the The Dublin post. (Dublin, Ga.) 1878-1894, April 09, 1879

The length of a pig's tail led to a murder in Madison county, N. C.,
last. Thursday. Two farmers, named Norton and Gaither, disputed concerning
the length of the tail of a pig which they were examining.
Norton gave Gaither the lie, whereupon Gaither told Norton to get
ready for a deadly fight, Both men drew their revolvers almost simultaneously.
Gaither was fatally wounded and Norton lost a thumb. The
point as to which of the two men was right in regard to the length of
the pig's tail remains undecided.

The Georgia Journal. (Milledgeville, Ga.) 1809-1847, July 14, 1835,

DIED—In Newton county, on the night of the 25th . Greenbury, youngest child of Dr. Henry and Mrs. Sarah Gaither, aged 13 months and 9 days: Parental affection could not but weep, when the 'tendered of human ties was rending. But the struggle is over—the
infant is gone,and the voice of its Redeemer, crying, "Suffer little children to come unto me forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of Heaven," inspires confidence,
and peace, and heavenly resiguation.

Go to the following website to begin your search. https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu

Happy Hunting

The old baseball phrase is especially true if your name is Henry Chew Gaither! There are more mix-ups about the Gaither men in the family who carry this name than most other names.

We’ve recently read about the first Henry Chew Gaither (1751-1811) in articles by Nancy Jones. This Henry Chew Gaither was the son of Henry Gaither (1724-1783) & Martha Ridgely Gaither. Right away there are historical mix-ups between father Henry and son Henry Chew Gaither. Henry Chew Gaither (HCG) was the first to carry the maiden name of Henry, Sr.’s grandmother Sarah Chew, spouse of Benjamin Gaither. The Chews were an influential family in Maryland history. Continue reading →

Imagine my recent excitement when, while ‘playing’ on Google maps, a Coldwell Banker pop-up screen revealed a home sale listing for “Gaither’s Chance,” Clarksville, Maryland! Kismet! Needless to say, by the next morning my ever-helpful, very supportive hubby Mike was driving us there.

This Gaither homestead was unknown to me. It is not the “Gaither’s Chance” of Prince George’s, now Montgomery County, Maryland, which was home of early Gaithers in the Benjamin line. Rather, the original 1747 patentee was billed as Samuel Gaither of Anne Arundel County, now Howard County, Maryland. WOW!!! Could it be that a Gaither home from 1747, unknown to me and in my home state was still standing? It was. It is. But, unfortunately, maybe not for long - - but, more on that later. Continue reading →

The Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, Maryland has a treasure trove of historical documents on the Gaither family. Fortunately for genealogists, Maryland claims to have digitized more documents than any other state, and many gems on the Gaither family can be found on line.

Maryland’s State Archives’ Internet address is www.msa.maryland.gov, and the homepage provides an overview of its contents. Two particular sites that are especially helpful for conducting research are: 1) Archives of Maryland Online www.aomol.msa.maryland.gov, which contains a variety of records, including probate, judicial, and military records; and, 2) www.mdlandrec.net, which contains digitized land deeds back to the 1600s.

You won’t be disappointed in what you’ll find on these sites.  To whet your appetite check out Volume 10, pages 194-195 (beginning at the bottom of p. 194). It is the record, often referenced, in which: “Letters of administration were issued to widow Mary on John Geather’s estate, 24 November 1652.” As a researcher, it’s exciting to have the source of that oft-quoted synopsis, and to read the entire court entry, which is as follows:

Continue reading →