George Washington Lafayette “Fate” Lee
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| George Washington Lafayette Lee |
I would love to have a family Bible, family stories, a letter, or probate records for the Lee family members. However, instead I have to rely on census records, marriage records, and death records or indexes to gather information on them. The Lee family members were farmers as far as I have researched back to 1778 South Carolina. They left very few records. I would love to have a will from one of my Lee ancestors, but I haven't found one yet. Possibly there are records in the courthouses in St. Clair, Tallapoosa, or Shelby Counties, in Alabama; however, in all likelihood there are none there. There are folks who live in those areas who are researching the Lee family members that I am researching and they have trees on Ancestry. But their records aren't any different than what I have. You are probably thinking well, they are just copying trees, and that may be the case; however, I believe some of the folks have done the actual research. For now, I will share the tidbit of information that I have for my grandfather William A. Lee's brother, George Washington Lafayette "Fate" Lee.
George Washington Lafayette “Fate” Lee was the youngest son of Benjamin Lee and wife Drucilla Carmack. He was born June 1855 in Georgia. On the 1900 St. Clair County, Alabama census it showed that he had been married twenty-two years to Anna.
George Washington Lafayette was on the 1860 census with Drucilla Lee, his mother, and she was forty years old at that census taking, Sophrona was age twelve, William A. was age ten, and Francis was age two. Benjamin Lee, Fate’s father was deceased by 1860. Cause of Benjamin’s death has yet to be determined. He had purchased land in 1859, so I am assuming his death was unexpected. Fate was listed as Washington on the 1860 census and he was seven years old. Anna, his first wife was born May 1856. Anna was the mother of ten children. All ten of the children were living and are named on the 1900 census. The 1900 census for District 100, Oldtown, St. Clair County, Alabama shows George W. Lee was forty-four years old. His father was born in South Carolina and his mother was born in Georgia. On the 1880 St. Clair, Alabama census George Washington Lafayette Lee was married to first wife Anna. They had been married one year; and within the census year. He was twenty-five and she was twenty years old on that census.
The 1910 Shelby County, Precinct 10, District 115, Alabama Fate was widowed. He was fifty-three years old. By 1920 he was married again, and his new wife's name was Carrie a twenty-one-year-old. Why would a lady her age marry a man Fate's age? He had children older than his wife Carrie. Perhaps he wanted a young wife to care for all the children? He wanted more children? He wanted someone to take care of him? Those are all possibilities. He was a farmer and he needed someone healthy, young and strong. On the 1930 District 23, Moody, St. Clair County, Alabama census he is shown as Fayette Lee with his second wife Carrie. It shows that his age at his first marriage was twenty-one years old; and that would have been married to Anna Cooley. His wife Carrie was eighteen when he married her. He was sixty-four years old on the 1930 census, and Carrie was thirty-four years old on the 1930 census. They had three children living in the home. Little did either of them Fate or Carrie know that within two years he will be dead. She will have those children to raise on her own; however, she is young and she will most likely marry again.
More research needed on the George Washington Lafayette “Fate” Lee family. There are questions that I would like to answer about Fate Lee.
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