LEE

This is the trunk of the LEE family.  My maternal grandfather was John Lee, born 13 Nov 1897, most likely in Columbus, Hickman County, Kentucky. His parents were Gilbert Lee and Sally Pollock.  He married Delia Sitzes 26 Dec 1919.  They had three children: Charles, Dorothy, and Harold.  They lived in Charleston Missouri, on Vine Street for many years, and later above their store on Commercial Street.  They were very active in the Baptist Church in Charleston.  He was living with his daughter Dorothy in West Paducah Kentucky when he died 20 October 1978.

Grandpa was full of stories.  When he was recovering from an amputation due to complications of diabetes, he told his grandchildren a story about the time his father Gilbert met up with Jessie James in Madison County Missouri.   Mom recalled that he used to tell about the time he rode a mule from Moscow to Paducah (Moscow KY to Paducah KY).  He was living with Aunt Fannie and they farmed him out to Uncle Herbert.  Grandpa owned an automobile dealership in Charleston in his younger years and later did carpentry work.  I recall he had an early Shopsmith combination table saw, drillpress, etc that was very attractive (and dangerous) to a 12 year old grandson.  My cousin and I got in deep trouble when he caught us playing with it one day!  This memory is one of the reasons I just had to get my own many years later.  John was the youngest son of the twelve children of Gilbert (Gib) and Sallie (Pollock) Lee.  Gilbert was born 27 Aug 1859 in Alabama, probably Dale County.  He died 12 Mar 1909 in Columbus, Hickman, Kentucky and is buried in section G of the old Columbus Cemetery.  His parents were William and Elizabeth Lee.  I believe her maiden name was Walden but have no solid proof.  These two folks remain as one of my many ‘brick walls’.  I believe her name was Walden for two reasons:  a previous family genealogist (James Andrew Clement Jr) showed her name as ‘Waldron?’ in his records.  His source was an old family bible.  There is a string of descendents from their son John David Lee named Walden Campbell Lee.  I’ve not found a Campbell link but the Walden/Waldron? connection is compelling.  There was a Walden family who lived near the Lee’s in 1800’s Dale County.

James Presley Pollock

James Presley Pollock, Maternal Grandfather of John M Lee

Gilbert’s wife Sallie Pollock was born 22 Nov 1854 in Columbus, Hickman County Kentucky.  She was the oldest of the four children of Judge James Presley Pollock and Margaret Francis Richardson.  His Pollock line seems to be pretty well established and I have not done much of my own research on that.  He is well documented in the court house records of Hickman County and was both a Justice of the Peace and part time mayor of Columbus Ky.  He evidently was an ice merchant in 1900 and knew how to make wagons in 1870.  He died 9 May 1919 in Hickman County Kentucky and is buried in section G of the Columbus Cemetery.

Judge Pollock’s wife Margaret Francis Richardson was born 22 Mar 1843 in Kentucky.  She was in the middle of the ten children of Asa and Emaline C (Wright) Richardson.  She died 8 Feb 1908 and is also buried in the Columbus Cemetery.  Neither the Wright or Richardsons are well documented.  The census records of 1860 show Asa’s occupation as deputy constable in Blandville, Ballard County, Ky.  A search through newspapers and other records of that era have failed to produce anything on the Richardson lawmen! The Wright connection is also interesting in that there are some indications that Wright was a well known West Ky Indian name.  Grandpa Lee always claimed that we were ‘part indian’ but I always discounted it as yet another story to amuse grandkids.  The story keeps popping up from other members of the family though so perhaps there is a grain of truth in it.  This family is the most likely source of the story that I have found to date.

2 thoughts on “LEE”

  1. Denise Galloway said:

    Loved hearing this story. My fiance’ (Louis Presley Lee) would be your cousin it sounds like as he is the Great grandson of Gilbert Lee; His Grandfather was Roy Presley Lee.

    Reply

  2. Carol Lee Vickery said:

    Hardy, I just LOVE your website. It is wonderful, fun, insightful, entertaining, educational.

    Reply

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