Luther H. George

On the 1860 census Z.H. George and Luther appear together. Z.H. aged 33, is a oysterman. He does not own any property, and his personal property is valued at $125. He was unable to read or write. Luther, age 9, is attending school. In Marvin L. George's scrapbook he suggested that in Luther's later childhood years he may have been raised by his mother's brother, Michael Wilder, III and his wife Emma. He also thought there could have been a Wilder connection to the village of Foxwells. With more documents uncovered I think the Wilders were always at Carter's Creek.

During the Civil war Luther's father was able to claim a medical waiver for epilepsy. He was declared unfit for military service though in a claim he filed after the war Zamoth said he had to flee to Maryland to avoid being made to serve. During that time it is not likely that Luther went with him.

In the 1870 census L. H. George, age 18, lived with his uncle, Michael H. Wilder and his wife, Emma. Luther's grandmother, Nancy Wilder is also listed as a member of the household and it is possible they were still living on the same property she was listed on in 1850. Luther's profession was given as an oysterman. The entry for Zamoth shows him living nearby with Alonzo and Eliza James. Even if they were not living together Zamoth was supporting Luther in some ways. A receipt to Zamoth George shows that he paid for Luther's July 1870 tuition payment. The amount was $1.50 and it was signed by R.R. Dunaway. Marvin L. George wrote that his impression when he was younger was that Luther was raised by Michael and Emma but he later changed his thinking that Luther only moved in when he began attending the school at Carter's Creek because Michael was only a few years older than Luther and did not marry until 1866. On the 1870 census Michael and Emma had a daughter named Harriet A listed, named for Luther's mother.

Luther appears in the 1880 census and the 1880 Agricultural Schedule working as a farmer. He has 80 tilled acres with 75 wooded acres as part of the farm. Cash value of the farm is $2,000, cash value of Luther's farming tools is $15. A note says that he was not in cultivation in 1879. It does not appear that he was the owner of the land. He is listed in the next numbered dwelling after Michael and Emma Wilder and living by himself. It might have been possible that he had built a small home and taken over farming Michael's property.

In April of 1885 Luther purchased from James H. Wiley .94 of an acre of land near the public road leading to Carter's Creek Wharf (today called Irvington) for $97.

He married Alice Columbia Jett on May 18, 1885 in King George county. They were married by J.O. Kirk. On the marriage register they were both recorded as residing in Lancaster County. His occupation was given as "Clerk." I have seen no other reference to his job. They had two sons, Lloyd Harrison in 1886 and Gordon Douglas in 1888.

Luther may have taken up working on the water again instead of farming when he moved to Irvington. He received an Oyster Tonging License on September 1st 1890. He contracted malarial fever and died later that same month at age 37. Luther is buried at Irvington Baptist Church, and is said to be the first person buried there.

The month before his death Luther and his father-in-law, John L. Jett were sued by Littleton Cockrell for $73.50. The nature of the case is not clear but after Luther's death Cockrell again brought suit against Lloyd and George, still children, in 1894 for payment. The paperwork for the case went back and forth for a over a year with Alice eventually being subpoena to court. It appears that the case was ultimately stricken from the docket at the cost of the plaintiff in March of 1895.