Walter Thomas Barnette was born on September 10, 1900, in Center, GA, to Dora Louvenia McElhannon. His father, Thomas Barnette, died before Walter was born, and his mother remarried Robert Farmer when Walter was 4 years old. He grew up in Center and became a carpenter by trade. According to his WWI draft registration card, he had blue eyes and black hair.
Cornelia Florine Ingram was born on February 21, 1901, in Culloden, GA, to Walter Benjamin Ingram and Sarah Frances Zellner. She grew up in Center, GA.
Walter and Florine married in January of 1918. She was 16 and he was 17. They had nine children: Dora Frances (1918), Walter Jackson (1920), Emma Josephine (1924), William Robert (1930), Ned Elder (1934), Thomas Talmadge (1935), Helen Jean (1937), Sarah Nell (1939), and James Roger (1942). All survived to adulthood except Tommy, who died when he was just 2 weeks old. The family lived in Newtown (Jackson), GA, in 1920, and Walter worked as a farmer. They lived in Middleton (Elbert), GA, in 1930, and Walter managed a dairy farm where Florine worked as an assistant.Walter left his family in 1947, when young Jimmy was only 5 years old. His older sons went looking for him but were unable to find their father.
The family did not discover his whereabouts until 25 years later, when Florine was notified by the United States Social Security Office of her husband's passing (a social security death record was filed). Apparently, he had moved to a different county in GA (Newton) and started a new family with a new "wife," who knew nothing about his other family. Frances and Josephine were the only ones who attended his funeral.Florine, a homemaker, perservered when she became the single parent of the 5 children still living under her roof at the time.
Florine passed away on June 7, 1984, in Winder, GA.
