Fulton-Coweta-Dekalb County GaArchives Biographies.....Buffington, John James June 17, 1843 - January 28, 1921 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Larry C. Knowles http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00012.html#0002854 October 27, 2012, 9:22 am Source: Self published Author: Larry C. Knowles JOHN JAMES BUFFINGTON-(1843-1921)-and Allied Families According to his death certificate recorded online, in the Georgia Archive’s Virtual Vault-(#788), John James Buffington was born June 17, 1843 in Campbell Co. GA. He died in the community of Ingleside in DeKalb Co. GA on January 28, 1921. His father was listed as Henderson Buffington, and his mother was listed as Lucinda Thompson. This information was furnished by J. H. Buffington-(a son)-whose own death certificate-(#11529)-is also recorded. Joseph H. Buffington was shown as born December 29, 1867 in GA, and he died on April 29, 1924, in Fulton Co. GA at Grady hospital. The father and son were both listed as widowers. J. M. Burckel-(a brother-in-law, whose surname is found spelled in several ways)-was listed as the informant on Joseph’s death certificate. Joseph’s occupation was shown as a ‘printer’, and at his death, resided at 290 Washington St. in Atlanta. Both death certificates indicated their burial in the Decatur City cemetery in DeKalb Co. Additional research found that J. J. Buffington’s father, Henderson Buffington, married Lucinda Thompson in Henry Co. GA on February 3, 1833. Several published deeds indicated that Henderson was in Henry Co. during the 1836-1839 period. But, by the 1840 census, the couple had moved to Campbell Co. GA, where they were listed with one child, a son age five to 10. On the 1850 census, they were listed in Fayette Co. GA with sons Joseph-15 and John- 7. It was noted there that Henderson Buffington was born in SC. On the 1860 Fayette Co. census- J. J. Buffington-17, was listed with his parents. John enlisted into Confederate Service in Fayetteville GA in 1861, and his pension records-filed in Fulton Co., supplied many interesting facts. His pension file is also found in the Virtual Vault. In his September 1910 application, John stated that he had lived in Georgia for a total of 57 years; from 1843 to 1894, when he “went west-returned”- (words obscured)-returning in 1904. He said that he had joined the 10th GA Volunteer Infantry, but transferred to Co. E of the 27th Regiment in April 1863. In a letter in the file-dated March 14, 1912, A. J. McBride said that John Buffington served as a private in Captain Young L. Wooten’s Company J- (or ‘I’)-10th GA Infantry, from May 1861 to December 1862. He also said that John transferred to the 27th GA Regiment, and further stated that John, “…was faithful and fearless in the discharge of his duties while a member of the 10th, and I believe he was faithful to the end”. John noted that the 27th Regt. surrendered in Bentonville NC, but that he had been captured in March on retreat from Fort Fisher, near Wilmington, and was held prisoner there, and at Fort Monroe in VA. He was released there in May 1865. In reply to a question about his property, John stated: “have none..living with our children…lost all I had in mercantile business…10 years ago-1900”. He said that he worked, when he could find something he could do, and stated that his ‘wife(was)an invalid’. After the war, on November 30, 1865, John James Buffington had married Mary Elizabeth Williamson in Butts Co. GA. Mary was the youngest daughter of Nathan C. and Agness(Thompson)Williamson, who had married in Butts Co. GA on June 25, 1840. [Though not yet proven, it seems likely that Agness Williamson and John’s mother Lucinda(Thompson)Buffington were related]. John’s new wife Mary had an older sister, Lavonia C. Williamson, who had married James B. Knowles in Butts Co. in November 1859. It appears that the two girls had at least three siblings, evidently buried beneath small stone vaults, similar to that of their father, Nathan, who died in March 1854. The ‘walling” of these four graves was recorded in Nathan’s 1855 Butts Co. estate records, as entered by his widow Agness. The Williamson-Knowles family cemetery is on the land lot won by Nathan’s grandfather, John Williamson Sr. in the 1821 State Lottery. Having separated from his wife Margaret in Jackson Co. GA, the older man had come to Butts Co. about 1825 with several slaves. Nathan Williamson came to Butts Co. from Jackson Co. just before his grandfather’s death, in Oct. 1831. Nathan’s father, John Williamson Jr., who was listed with Nathan, as co- executor on the old man’s Butts Co. will, had remained in Jackson Co. His large contested estate there provided many facts about the Williamson family. Mary Elizabeth and Lavonia Catherine Williamson also had a half-brother, and half sister, from Nathan’s first marriage to Irena Summerlin, in Butts Co. October 21, 1832. Nathan had become crippled by falling in a well, and had returned to Jackson Co. with two small children, and two young slaves-likely Ben and Jack, whom he had inherited-(as well as 600 acres)-from his grandfather. There was no evidence that Irena had gone to Jackson Co. with the family. Upon returning, Nathan divorced her in Butts Co. in 1839-the final decree in March 1840. Advised by his lawyer, to facilitate the divorce; Nathan had deeded his Butts Co. land to his father, so that he might “put Irena off of his plantation”. Fortunately, his father had deeded the parcels back to Nathan, before his death in October 1849-but that transfer had then been questioned in the contested estate. Irena Williamson got $1000.00 in cash, and later moved to Carroll Co., where she may have married a cousin. Nathan and Agness raised her children, Thomas and Winney, in Butts Co. Thomas remained in Butts Co., and married Eliza Ingram there. His sister, Winney A. Williamson, first married Thomas H. Stallsworth in Butts Co., then later married Eldridge Barlow. The couple moved to Quitman Co. then to Stewart Co. All four of Nathan C. Williamson’s children received a small amount from his brother’s estate in Jackson Co. in 1881-(the Micajah Williamson estate). On July 16, 1869 in Butts Co. Agness Williamson deeded five acres of lot #250/8th District-(on the original lottery parcel)-near the Gin house, to John J. Buffington for $50.00. John J. and Mary E. Buffington, and two children were listed on the 1870 Butts Co. census, very near Mary’s mother Agness Williamson, who had widowed daughter Lavonia Knowles-and her two sons, in her household. On October 23, 1875, Agness Williamson deeded to John and Mary, in consideration of “.the natural good will, love, and affection which she has and bears to her said son-in-law J. J. Buffington and M. E. Buffington-(her) daughter..”, the eastern half of the above lot-(101-¼ acres)-and an additional five acres, adjacent to the previously deeded parcel, to include “the Gin house and screw”. Both deeds were recorded in Nov. 1882. Agness Williamson had died in 1880. John J. and Mary E. Buffington and four children: Minnie O.-12, Joseph H.-10, Mittie A.-10, and John W.-10 months, were listed on the 1880 census in Campbell Co. in household #239. Recorded June 16, 1880, the census also listed Lucinda Buffington-age 70, in household #240. In 1870 Lucinda was still living in Fayette Co., adjacent to an obscure female Buffington-age 28, and son-[perhaps the widow-and child, of her older son Joseph]-in household #1532. In Campbell Co. Minnie Buffington married Thomas J. Floyd, on January 27, 1885. On October 6, 1895 in Fulton Co., sister Mittie A. Buffington married Martin Burckel. [Campbell Co. was merged into Fulton Co. in 1932] As the 1890 census was destroyed, I began looking for Buffington family members on the 1900 census. I found Martin and Mittie Burckel, a childless couple in Atlanta, on the 1900 Fulton Co. census. Martin noted that his parents were born in Germany. I found no other family members. Searching Ancestry.com online census records revealed that Thomas J. Floyd and Minnie, and their children; Henry H.-13 and Mary E.-5 were in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana. Thomas was shown as a house painter. I found Joseph H. Buffington- 33 and wife Stella-23, and their daughter, Pauline T.-3, nearby. A Walter L. Whitt-21 was also listed. Joseph and Whitt were shown as sawmill workers. After scanning numerous pages, I didn’t locate John J. and Mary E. Buffington. Again using Ancestry.com, I found them just north of Lincoln Parish, LA, in Columbia Co. Arkansas, with twin sons Oscar B. and Edgar B. Buffington-16. John Buffington was listed as a “merchant-dry goods”. It was also noted that he owned his property, but had a mortgage. Back in Georgia on the 1910 Fulton Co. census, John and Mary Buffington were listed in Martin and Mittie Burckel’s home at 194 Gordon Street in the- “Atlanta township”. Son-in-law Martin Burckel was shown as a superintendent, and John Buffington was shown as a bookkeeper in a lumber company. Though Martin and Mittie were still childless, Mary Buffington noted that she had had ten children, but that only four were still living. The 1911 City of Atlanta directory listed the family at the same address, and noted that Martin and John worked at Woodward Lumber Co. Oscar B. Buffington was also included in the household, listed as a printer at Foote & Davis Co. Brother Joseph H. Buffington, and wife Stella E., were also found on the 1910 census, with their children, Pauline-14 and Agness 1-2/12. Joseph was also shown as a printer. On the 1920 census John J. Buffington was listed as widowed in the household of son Joe H. Buffington, at #221 Ponce de Leon Place in Decatur, Dekalb Co. GA. Joseph Buffington was also widowed. His children included: Agnes-11, son Leguin-6, and Robert-3-2/12. The household also included his sister-in-law, widow Pearl Payne-32 and her son John L. Payne 3-2/12. In the 1927 Atlanta city directory, Martin J. Burckel was listed was as a salesman in the Klein & Son company in Decatur-renting, with no address noted. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/fulton/bios/buffingt409bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 10.4 Kb