Sentimental Sunday

Retha Cleby “Rethe” Edwards

One of the things that I remember about Rethe was that she was kind. She came with her mother and others of her family for a visit with the Lee families in West Carroll Parish. The Edwards matriarch Dollie and of her children came to Louisiana for their annual visit. Rethe, like her sister Maggie, was tall, stocky built, and always seemed to be happy. My memories of Rethe are that she had dark curly hair, big brown eyes, and a smile on her face. She just looked happy. I was only about nine or ten years old at that time and was happy to see the Alabama folks when we went to visit Aunt Leakie.

The Edwards family came to visit the Lee families and when they came it was a time for a reunion. They stayed with Aunt Leakie, widow of Granny’s brother Bob Lee. Aunt Leakie lived in a large old frame house on Lee farm. Her son Bill lived with her and Arnold another son lived nearby.

Grand Aunt Dollie Lee Edwards was the mother of ten children. She was the oldest sister of my Granny Alice Lee Eley. Retha Cleby "Rethe" Edwards, her third child, was born 30 April 1904 in Eros, Jackson Parish, Louisiana. Rethe's husband was George Morris Gallups. Tillman was the oldest son, and Maggie Mae was the second child and oldest daughter. You can read about Tillman here, and Maggie Mae here.

Retha Cleby Edwards and George Morris Gallups were married 22 December 1922 in Creswell, Shelby County, Alabama. There were two known children of Retha and George Morris Gallups, and they are on the 1940 census. Hubert Morris was born 15 October 1925 in Alabama and Houston was born about 1923. There possibly were other children, but since I don’t have access to the 1950 census they will remain unnamed.

Retha died 18 February 1998 in Harpersville, Shelby County, Alabama. George Morris Gallups died 07 April 1981 in Harpersville, Shelby County, Alabama. Their son Hubert Morris Gallups died 13 October 1973 in Shelby County, Alabama.

 Photo from my private collection.
Maggie, Aunt Dollie, Rethe, and Odessa 

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Sources 

Ancestry.com. 1910- 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

Year: 1910; Census Place: Police Jury Ward 1, Jackson, Louisiana; Roll: T624_516; Page: 24A; Enumeration District: 0053; FHL microfilm: 1374529

Year: 1920; Census Place: Harpersville, Shelby, Alabama; Roll: T625_40; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 121; Image: 1004

Year: 1930; Census Place: Harpersville, Shelby, Alabama; Roll: 48; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0018; Image: 907.0; FHL microfilm: 2339783

Year: 1940; Census Place: Harpersville, Shelby, Alabama; Roll: T627_79; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 59-17A

Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011.Number: 419-86-8232; Issue State: Alabama; Issue Date: 1973

Ancestry.com. Alabama, County Marriages, 1805-1967 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Marriage Records. Alabama Marriages. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, UT.Film Number 001571848.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Find A Grave. Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi.