The earliest Waits ancestor to be identified by local descendants is Mark Waits, a native of South Carolina. Mark was born in 1790 in that state and lived to be 68 years of age at his death in 1858 in Pinckneyville, Gwinnett County, Ga. He was buried in the Waits Family Cemetery in Norcross, Ga. Family genealogists found a will for Mark in Bartow County in 1976.

Circa 1816 in Jasper County, Ga., Mark was married to Hannah Waits, daughter of John and Sarah Waits. She was born in 1795 and died in 1857, one year before Mark’s death. Any relationship between their Waits families has not been determined.

In 1818, Mark purchased land in Putnam County, Ga., from Hannah’s brother, James Waits. By 1830, the family was enumerated as residing in Gwinnett County where Mark was a member of the Bethlehem Baptist Church. About this time he sold the land he had purchased from James Waits to Benjamin Waits.

Mark was still in Gwinnett County in 1840, and in 1843, he purchased an additional 250 acres of land in said county. He was still there in 1850, and during the mid-1850s, he applied for and received bounty land based on his military service. At the time he was a resident of New Bridge, Lumpkin County. He died in 1858 in Cass, Bartow County.

Mark and Hannah reared the following children: Eliza Ann, b. 1817, d. 1853, m. Dennis Singleton (1818-1883); John Christopher, b. 1819, d. 1891, m. 1850 Mary Amanda Brown (1827-1909); Adaline, b. 1822, d. 1850, m. Samuel Scott; Sarah ann, b. 1824, d. before 1860, m. Robert Scott; Martha Ann, b. 1827, d. ca 1857, m. William C. Smith; James, b. 1831, d. 1860; Julia Ann, b. 1853, d. 1854, m. 1853 William B.S. Davis (1830-1897); and Newton, b. 1839, d. 1865.

The oldest daughter, Eliza Waits, and her husband, Dennis Singleton, reared the following children: Julius C., b. 1840; Philo V., b. 1841, d. 1914; John M, b. ca 1840, d. Chicago, IL (POW, CSA) and buried there; Alfred P., b. 1847, d. 1921, m. Mary O. Singleton (1850-1910); Adaline, b. ca 1849; and Julia Ann, b. 1851, d. 1873.

The oldest son, John Cristopher Waits, was married to Mary Amanda Brown, daughter of Vincent and Leannah C. (Henderson) Brown. They reared the following children: Cicero Newton, b. 1852, d. 1934, m. (1) 1874 Mary Alice Morgan (1855-1895) (2) 1897 Mary Haynes Greene (3) Caledonia ?; Charles Gustavus, b. 1853, d. 1942, m. (1) 1881 Sara Eleanor Brown (2) 1895 Willa Mae Boland (1874-1961); John Marcus, b. 1856, d. 1879; Lula Esther, b. 1859, d. 1879; Corrie Elizabeth, b. 1861, d. 1942, m. Emera Carter Kingsbery (1856-1934); Hershel Virgil, b. 1864, d. 1958, m. 1893 Mary Fanny Dent; George Orkney, b. 1867, d. 1927, m. (1) 1890 Harriet Permelia McIntosh (1865-1920) (2) 1924 Virginia Manley (1903-1968); and Joseph Johnson, b. 1870, d. 1938, m. (1) 1899 Wil Ella McIntosh (1874-1901) (2) Bertha Corine Myer.

The next daughter, Adaline Waits, and her husband, Samuel Scott, reared two sons: Samuel M., b. ca 1846; and Mark Waits, b. ca 1847.

Daughter Sarah Ann Waits, and her husband, Robert Scott, reared the following four children: Eliza Ann, b. 1845, d. 1877, m. 1873 R.A. Ferguson; Robert, b. ca 1846; Martha, b. ca 1848, m. 1872 Erwin N. Brazeale; and Adaline, b. 1850, d. 1902, m. 1876 Charles M. Dewberry.

Daughter Martha Ann Waits, was married to William C. Smith, and they reared the following four children: James R., b. ca 1849, d. before 1858; Parisada, b. 1851; Mark A., b. 1854, d. after 1900, m. 1876 Jane Alice; and Lorah C., b. 1855.

Daughter Julia Ann Waits and her husband, William B.S. Davis, had one daughter, Sarah Hannah, b. 1854, d. 1900, m. (1) Joseph Franklin Brooke (2) ?.

The youngest child and son, Newton Waits, and his wife, Salina, had the following children: Rowland W., b. 1857, d. 1923; Alice, b. 1859, d. 1946; and Walter, b. 1867, d. 1919, adopted by Salina.

The next generation is represented by the following great grandchildren of Mark and Hannah Waits.

Alfred P. Singleton and his wife, Mary O. Singleton, had the following children: Lafayette, d. 1923; Marietta, m. Will Lamb; Dessie, m. Thompson Grizzle; Sam, b. 1881, d. 1946, m. Darling Singleton; Mattie Utah, b. 1888, d. 1963, m. Robert Tidwell; and Moses, b. 1894, d. 1943, m. Anna Mae Pierce.

Cicero Newton Waits and his first wife, Mary Alice, had the following 10 children: William Lee, b. 1875, d. 1925, m. Lilly Mae Dill; Lula Estelle, b. 1876, d. 1958, m. Thaddeus Augustus Hagen; John Marcus, b. 1880, d. 1958, m. Annie Estil Simpson; Joseph Gustavus, b. 1882, d. 1940, m. Anna ?; Mamie Eudora, b. 1879, d. 1886; Mary Leanna, b. 1884, d. 1904; Woodson Morgan, b. ca 1886, m. Hennie Vernon Stewart; Charles Edward, b. 1889, d. 1933, m. Selene Carlson; Julius Albert, b. 1891, d. 1965, m. Leona Leggett; and Marvin Lovejoy, b. 1893, d. 1960, m. Julia Frances Middleton (1896-1980).

Cicero Newton Waits and his second wife, Mary Haynes Green, reared three children: Sara Alice, b. 1900, d. 1994, m. William Jonathan Sample; Harriet Pamelia, b. 1903, m. (1) William Emery Holland (2) Harry Daughterty (3) ? DeCarlo; and Margaret, b. 1906, m. J.S. McCleney.

Joseph Johnson Waits moved to Hattiesburg, Miss., in 1900 and began working for the Fain Grocery Company as a traveling salesman. Circa 1902, he and Rube Watts bought out the J.J. Newman Lumber Company and Commissary in Sumrall. About a year later, he, Rube Watts and Herschel Virgil Waits went into partnership and formed the Sumrall Mercantile Company, Inc. Some time later, he operated the Sumrall Hardware Company and became part-owner of the Sumrall Motor Company, which dealt with Ford automobiles. He also had considerable land holdings and bought and sold cotton, but most of this was lost during the depression of the 1930s.

Joseph Johnson Waits and his first wife, Wil Ella McIntosh, had one son, Grady Lewis, who was born and died in 1901. Joseph and his second wife, Bertha Corine Myer, daughter of Joseph A. and Mattie (Childre) Myer, had the following children: Cicero Newton II, b. 1904, m. Ethel Mae Terrell (1903-1976); John Clifford, b. 1908, d. 1977, m. Verna Lee Lott; Frank Anderson, b. 1911, m. Elizabeth Louise Rhodes; Shelby Alexander, b. 1913, d. 1915; Mildred Linnie, b. 1918, m. Winnick Luther Ashley.

Eliza Ann Scott and her husband, R.A. Ferguson, had three children: Darius Robert, b. 1874, d. 1960; George D., b. 1875, d. 1946; and Della A., b.&d. 1877.

Martha Scott and her husband, Erwin N. Brazeale, had one son, Robert H., b. ca 1874.

Mark A. Smith and his wife, Jane Alice Evans, had six children: Horace C., b. 1877; Wilbur V., b. 1881; George E., b. 1890; Annie M., b. 1892; Maude C., b. 1896; and Albert L, b. ca 1897.

An additional generation and history on this family will be presented in next week’s column. The source for this writing is a book, Mark Waits (1790-1858) and His Descendants — A pleasant visit to our family tree, authored by descendants in this family, George Sidney Waits Jr. and Joanne Kingsbery Craig.

Anyone who has questions related to this column or who has information on a family they would like to see featured is requested to contact the writer, Curtis Thomasson, at 20357 Blake Pruitt Road, Andalusia, AL 36420; call 334-222-6467; or e-mail cthomasson@centurytel.net.

HISTORICAL

MEETING:

The Covington Rifles Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans with assistance of the Thomas Randolph Thomasson Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy will have their annual program to honor Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson on Tues., Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Dixon Conference Center on the campus of Lurleen B. Wallace Community College. Both generals were born during January, and this year’s presentation, to be presented by Francis McGowin, will feature Gen. Jackson. Anyone interested in Confederate heritage is invited to attend..