Mary E. (Molly) Fortson Tyner (1869 - btw 1892 to 1897
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Subject: Burial Place for Mary E."Molly" Fortson Tyner (b. abt 1869 - d. btwn 1892 - 1897 Madison Co GA
I am seeking information to help me confirm the burial place of my paternal
great grandmother, Mary E. "Molly" Fortson Tyner, daughter of Francis Asbury
"Bud" Fortson and Lucy J. Johnson; first wife of William L. Tyner, b. 1864 Elbert County,
GA, d. 1941 Greenwood, Greenwood County, SC. He is buried in Edgewood
Cemetery there.
My first clue as to Molly's burial place comes from the book, "A Family
History: Lt Thomas Fortson (1742 - 1824) and Some Of His Descendants", by
James Wright Boyd. On page 143 of this book:
"Molly Fortson, daughter of Francis Asbury "Bud" Fortson and Lucy Powell,
married William Tyner. Both are buried at Mason's Mill Methodist Church,
Highway 29, South of Royston, GA."
Molly died somtime between the birth of my grandmother,her daughter, Fannie
Merenthia Tyner Gilmer, and his second re-marriage in 1897.
I was never able to find anything on a Mason's Mill Methodist Church, south
of Royston, GA on Hwy 29. So I have concluded it must be the present Jones
Chapel Methodist Church, which is located on Hwy 29, south of Royston, and
just less than a mile from the site of the historical Mason's Mill. I couldn't find much on Mason's Mill; it is apparently totally gone now.
So I visited the cemetery at Jones Chapel Methodist Church, (the church was
organized in 1866, with the present name), which has burials back to the
Civil War era, on Monday, August 31st. I did find Fortson and Tyner burials,
but no Molly Fortson Tyner. Of course, her grave could be unmarked. I just
sent the present pastor an e-mail and asked if she could check and see if
there might possibly be a burial list. Kinda doubt it, but worth asking. I
was actually surprised to find a record of the church's minutes from
1866-1882 on the Madison County, GenWeb page! Also, there was membership
information for that time period. No William L. Tyner or Molly Fortson; but
it appears the membership may not have listed children.
So, am I on the right track as to the church mentioned in John Wright Boyd's
book as the burial place for my Molly? I realize the John Wright Boyd got
much of his information from oral interviews with old timers, and there are
many errors in the book.
Any insights or ideas would be appreciated.
Jim Gilmer