More Family From Michigan To Georgia

John F. More, son of Cynthia (Richmond) More and grandson of Thomas P. Richmond (#5266 in the J.B. Richmond book).

An 1884 Lapeer Co., MI, history noted the following: J.F. More was born in Almont Township, Lapeer County, Michigan, in 1852,being the son of ex-s heriff More. Early learned the trade of engineer,in which he engaged on the P.O. & P.A. Rail road and resides at North Branch at present. Married in 1877, to Marian A. Gibson, who was born in Metamora Township in 1856 and died March 9, 1883. One child, Kezzie, was born in 1877.

Family papers indicated that railroad employee John F. More, his second wife, Lorancy (Robbins) More, and daughter, Kezzie More, originally of Lapeer Co., Michigan, had moved from the "thumb" area of Michigan to Georgia. In 1910 the family was in Waycross, Georgia. In 1920 Kezzie More is living with another family. Where were her parents?

A few years ago, while perusing records in the Thomasville, Georgia, genealogical library, I found the following extracted from the Oakland Cemetery records of Waycross:

Armed with their dates of death, I visited the library in Waycross and extracted their obituaries.

Waycross Journal-Herald
Saturday, April 29, 1916

Following an illness of some time J. F. More, formerly of Detroit, Mich., died at his home 20 Elizabeth Street, last night. He was 64 years old and before moving here four years ago was an engineer on a Michigan railroad. He was a member of the B. of L. E. and a Mason. The Masons will have charge of the funeral which will be conducted at the home tomorrow afternoon at 3 o'clock. Interment will be at Oakland Cemetery. Besides his wife the deceased is survived by one daughter, Kezzie.

Waycross Journal-Herald
Thursday, October 23, 1919

Mrs. Lorancy More, aged 66, died Tuesday night at her home, No. 60 Reed Street, after an illness of one week. She is survived by one daughter, Miss Kezzie, who is also quite sick, and one brother,Colonel Jerome W. Robbins, of Chicago. Mrs. More and daughter have made their home in Waycross for eight years, her husband, Mr. J. F. More, died here three years ago. The funeral services were held yesterday at the residence, No. 60 Reed Street, at 4:30 o'clock, conducted by Dr. J.S. Sibley. Interment in Oakland cemetery W.L. Hinson & Co. were directors in charge.

So find the graves, or at least a burial record for John and Lorancy More should be a cinch, right? Wrong. As a light rain fell, Jim and I searched Oakland Cemetery in vain for "More" gravestones. Undaunted, we checked with the cemetery office -- they had no record for either More family member. What? How were their names found and categorized on the Oakland Cemetery page? Still don't know, but am grateful that somebody found them.

I've since done some research on Lorancy (Robbins) More's family. Since Kezzie was raised by Lorancy, a member of the Robbins family had several pictures of Kezzie and others in the More family in his possession and generously shared them with me. Those shared pictures were the only ones I had ever seen of Kezzie, Lorancy, John F. More and his brother, James Levi More. I believe that my research of Jerome Robbins, mentioned in Lorancy's obituary, ultimately led to getting the More family photos.

A GOOGLE map of Oakland Cemetery in Waycross, Ware Co., Georgia, is here.