​​​​​​​​Garriott Family Genealogy

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06-James Montague Blankenship
Birth: 18 Jul 1872 (1 May 1872 on birth certificate), Rocky Mount, Franklin Co, VA:

Pg 257/6
Death: 6 Aug 1957, Indianapolis, Marion Co, IN- age 85
Burial: 9 Aug 1957, Oak Hill Cemetery, Battle Creek, MI
Home: Jasper Co, IN, and later Indianapolis, Marion Co, IN
Occupation: Farmer: Census Soundex No B 452; SSN: 384-16-9298/IN
Father: Thomas Montague Blankenship


Blankenship History by Randi Maston Richardson

DG photos:
---top: from left: James M Blankenship, Minnie Huber, Esther Stark, Perry Elmer Garriott, Iva Blankenship, Charles Maston, & Ruth Blankenship]

---middle: Younger James Blankenship, Minnie Huber, Clarence, Orval, and Claude Blankenship]
---bottom: James Blankenship and Minnie Huber (left) courtesy of Jane

Blankenship Rouse]

---far bottom: Many Blankenship boys with their wives, Roy and Theresa left of center, Perry and Iva right of center, Raymond and wife right of Perry]

Refer to Map of Blankenship Homestead near Redwood, Franklin Co, VA
Blankenship History by Randi Maston Richardson


Marriage: 9 Feb 1896, Wheatfield, Jasper Co, IN: Bk 3/269
1st Spouse: Minnie Alice HUBER
Birth: 23 Aug 1877, Robinson, Crawford Co, IL
Death: 20 May 1948, Indianapolis, Marion Co, IN- age 70
Burial: about 23 May 1948, Battle Creek, Calhoun Co, MI
Occupation: Housewife
Father: Salvanus Everett Huber (1853-1928)
Mother: Louisa Neier (1858-1907)

    CHILDREN: James and Minnie had twelve children, three sets of twins:
07----CLARENCE WILLIAM "BILL" BLANKENSHIP [b. 1898, a twin, listed below]; 
07----CLAUDE JAMES BLANKENSHIP [b. 1898, a twin, listed below];
07----ORVAL GREELY BLANKENSHIP [b. 1900, listed below];
07----IVA "DOLL" FERN BLANKENSHIP [b. 1903, a twin, listed below];
07----IVAN GORDON BLANKENSHIP [b. 3 May 1903, Monon, White Co, IN, a twin; d. 8 Oct 1982, Battle Creek, Calhoun Co, MI- age 79, bur. 12 Oct 1982, Memorial Park Cemetery], a Sales Executive, SSN: 367-30-1917/MI, m.
Jenny Lucille ELDRIDGE [b. 19 Mar 1906, IN; d. 11 Mar 2001, Battle Creek, Calhoun Co, MI- age 94, bur. Memorial Park Cemetery], SSN: 336-05-7219/IL, adopted two children;
     08----ALAN LEE BLANKENSHIP [b. 10 Jul 1939, Albian, Calhoun Co, MI], a Business Writing Consultant, m.
Cynthia McEwen ACKERLY [b. 15 May 1940, Hackensack, NJ], worked as Women's Clothing Retailer/Manufacturer, moved to Boulder, CO, had two children; and
     08----CAROL ANN BLANKENSHIP [b. 20 May 1941, Albian, Calhoun Co, MI], a Kellogg Factory Worker, m.
Dennis "Denny" Lewis DENNISON [b. Jan 1944, Battle Creek, Calhoun Co, MI], lived in Battle Creek, MI, had a daughter;
07----EVA BLANKENSHIP [b. 6 Aug 1906, Monon, White Co, IN: Bk 6/24, a twin; d. 15 Sep 1906, Monon, White Co, IN, BK: Bk H25R/8,- age 6 weeks];
07----EVERETT KENTON BLANKENSHIP [b. 6 Aug 1906, Monon, White Co, IN: Bk 6/24, a twin; d. 21 Jan 1979, Paw Paw, Van Buren Co, MI- age 73, bur. Paw Paw, Van Buren Co, MI], a Hospital Chief Custodian, SSN: 368-03-9238, m.
Joyce E STINGLEY, had daughter:
     08----SHARON KAY BLANKENSHIP [b. Mar 1949; d. 3 Jan 2013- age 63], lived in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Co, MI; (see obituary below)
     Everett 2nd m. Jessie ___;
07----HAROLD "TED" THEODORE BLANKENSHIP [b. 10 Sep 1907, Monon, White Co, IN; d. 3 Dec 1984, Silverton, Marion Co, OR- age 77, bur. Asheville, Buncombe Co, NC], a Cook, SSN: 366-10-4733/MI, had two sons:
     08----RICHARD BLANKENSHIP [b. 1 Jan 1940], lived in St Petersburg, FL, had two children;
     08----TED BLANKENSHIP [b. 1 Aug 1942; d. about 1978- age 36];
07----RAYMOND OSCAR BLANKENSHIP [b. 1910, a twin, listed below];
07----ROY LOUIS BLANKENSHIP [b. 1910, a twin, listed below];
07----JESSE LLOYD BLANKENSHIP [b. 1914, listed below];  and
07----RUTH EVELYN BLANKENSHIP [b. 1917, listed below].














 



    CENSUS:
     1880 Franklin Co, VA census: has (all b. VA) Thomas Blankenship 40, Farmer; Nancy Jane Blankenship 31, Keeping House; Wesley Lee Blankenship 14, Farm Hand; H Wade Blankenship 12, Farm Hand; Della F Blankenship 9; James M Blankenship 7; Luther A Blankenship 6; and Kenton Taylor Blankenship 1.
     1900 Gillam Twp, Jasper Co, IN census: has James M Blankenship 27, b. VA (parents b. Ireland), Farmer; Minnie A Blankenship 20, b. IL; Clarence W Blankenship 3, b. IN; and James C Blankenship 1, b. IN.
     1910 Milroy Twp, Jasper Co, IN census: has James Blankenship 37, b. VA, Farmer-General Farm; Minnie Blankenship 32, b. IL; Clarence Blankenship 13, b. IN, Farm Laborer; Claude Blankenship 11, b. IN, Farm Laborer; Orville Blankenship 9, b. IN; Ivan Blankenship 7, IN; Iva Blankenship 7, IN; Everett Blankenship 3, IN; and Harold Blankenship 2, IN.
     1920 Milroy Twp, Jasper Co, In census: has James Blankenship 47, b. VA, Farmer-General Farm; Minnie Blankenship 42, b. IL; Orval Blankenship 19, b. IN, Farm Laborer; Everret Blankenship 13, b. IN, Farm Laborer; Harold Blankenship 12, b. IN; Ray Blankenship 9, b. IN; Roy Blankenship 9, b. IN; Jesse Blankenship 6, b. IN; and Ruth Blankenship 2, b. IN.
     1930 Marion Twp, Jasper Co, IN census: has James Blankenship 57, b. VA, Farmer-General Farm; Minnie Blankenship 53, b. IL; Harold Blankenship 22, b. IN; Jesse Blankenship 16, b. IN; and Ruth Blankenship 13, b. IN.
     1940 Calhoun Co, MI census: has Lawton E Brown 21, b. IN, Attendant-Filling Station; Ruth E Brown 23, b. IN, Canner-Food Dept; Joseph Blankenship 67, b. VA, (Father-in-Law?); Minnie Blankenship 62, b. IL, (Mother-in-Law?) All four lived in rural Jasper Co, IN in 1935.

     BIOGRAPHY: James Montague Blankenship met Minnie Huber as a young man in Wheatfield, IN, where she lived. He returned to Virginia when his brother Lee was ill, but went back to Indiana because of Minnie. He took a horse and buggy the 30-40 miles to Roanoke, then a train to Wheatfield, Indiana. He was engaged in farming in the Monon and Rensselaer area for over 40 years. His birth certificate has date of birth as 1 May 1872. Death certificate has a social security number of 384-16-9398, which [according to Randy Kay Maston] doesn't show up in Social Security records.
     Minnie had a delightful giggle and false teeth. She didn't want anyone to know about the teeth, yet would laugh with her mouth wide open. We would tell her we could see her teeth and she would get angry. Grandpa James told us to call her "Granny." When we did she got very upset. Of course he giggled, "He-He-He."
     Someone once asked Minnie to write a story about her romance. She took paper and pencil to the toilet and wrote the story. Always a good storyteller, she would make us sit quietly with eyes on her as she told the story.

[Granddaughter, Pat Johnson]

     WAGON TRAIN TO KANSAS: When Grandma (Minnie) was a child, her folks Everette and Louisa Huber decided to pull up stakes from Wheatfield, IN, and move to Kansas in a wagon train. It was early fall when they left but as traveling was slow with horses they ran into cold weather. At the time they had 5 little girls and along the way in Illinois Louisa gave birth to their only son, Willie, who died soon after and was buried along the trail. Sickness broke out among them, they had very little food, no milk and were really having a hard time. One of their mares gave birth to a colt and this helped solve their "no milk" problem-- they shared the colt's milk. Things finally got so bad for them by the time they were in Missouri, somehow Everette scraped enough money together for train fare and put Louisa and the girls on the train and sent them back to Wheatfield. He brought the horses and wagon back and, having nothing, they had to start all over again. They lived in Wheatfield for the rest of their lives.
Sometime after that Louisa became quite ill with typhoid fever. She was out of her head for several days with high fevers. Also they said the typhoid caused the intestines to become perforated or rotten which they thought was her problem. She was never well after that. The Samuel Neier family was Pennsylvania Dutch. I think the Levi Huber family traveled from Pennsylvania across Kansas with oxen and returned to Wheatfield, IN.

[Pat Johnson, daughter of Orval Blankenship]

     LOVE LETTER: In a letter James wrote before their marriage, he told Minnie how much he missed her since he left Wheatfield. The letter was short and sweet and penned from the hand of a real southern gentleman. He told her he loved her, that he was coming to ask her father for her hand in marriage, and hoped her father would say, "Yes."

     2ND MARRIAGE: James Montague married second, after the death of Minnie in 1948, Zella POTTS Geesa [b. 21 Mar 1887; d. 17 Oct 1969- age 82, bur. Murphy Cemetery] of Morocco, Newton County, IN, in 1954, SSN: 303-38-5841/IN. James and Zella lived on her farm until his death in 1957.

    1948 OBITUARY: According to her death certificate, Minnie (Huber) Blankenship died on 29 May 1948, of pulmonary edema and brochial asthma. She had been ill about three months at the time of her death and was living in Indianapolis, IN, with her daughter Ruth, where she had resided for 14 months. Her date of birth was reported as 23 Aug 1877, in Robinson, IL. The informant was James Blankenship, her husband, of the same address. Burial was in Oak Hill Cemetery, Battle Creek, MI, where James and Ellen G White, leaders in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, were also buried.

[Randi Maston Richardson, from Blankenship News & Notes]

     1957 OBITUARY: James Blankenship, who for forty years was engaged in farming between Rensselaer and Monon, and whose recent residence was near Morocco, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs Charles Maston, in Indianapolis at 10 o'clock Tuesday night. His death came suddenly and unexpectedly. He had not been ill. He was 85 years old. Mr Blankenship had been at the home of his daughter for two months.
     Born in Rocky Mount, Virginia, in 1872. Mr Blankenship came to Indiana during his early life and since had lived in this Indiana area. He was married to Minnie Huber of Wheatfield, who passed away in 1948. His second marriage 3-1/2 years ago was to Zella Geesa of Morocco.
     Surviving with the widow are eleven children, 54 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren, and two sisters, Mrs Carl Schenk of Elkhard and Bessie, who lived in Alabama. He was preceded in death by a daughter who died at an early age.
     Funeral services will be held at Battle Creek, Michigan, at one o'clock Friday. Interment will be in that city where his first wife is buried. Battle Creek is the home of five of his sons.

[Rensselaer Republican, 8 Aug 1957]

     2013 OBITUARY: Sharon Kay Blankenship peacefully departed this life Thursday, January 3, 2013 at Kairos Dwelling. Sharon was born March 16, 1949 in Kalamazoo to the union of Everette and Jessie Blankenship. Sharon was a graduate of Davenport University and was employed at Guardian, Inc. for 15 years as a social worker. Sharon had a love for gardening and was known for being a master gardener. Sharon is survived by her step-father, David McClendon of GA; the love of her life, Robert Gates; her dog Charlie; sisters Pauline (George) Channells of Martin, MI, Shirley Johnson of Paw Paw, MI; a brother, Harm (Marilyn) Troff of New Mexico; along with many nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends. Sharon is preceded in death by both parents and a sister; Minnie Gordon. In accordance with Sharon's wishes, cremation has taken place and a private memorial service will be held at a later date. Those planning an expression of sympathy, please consider the Kalamazoo County Humane Society and/or Kairos Dwelling.

[Kalamazoo Gazette, 6 Jan 2013]