SALLIE BELLE MARTIN SANDERS 1882-1962
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Sallie Belle Martin, born 31 Aug 1882, died 16 Aug 1962. Married Ulysses Manassah Sanders 2 Dec 1899 in Berrien Co., GA. Uley M. Sanders was born 23 May 1872 Masse, Ga., son of Samuel G. Sanders and Nancy Smith. U.M. Sanders died 30 May 1919. Sallie Belle mar. second to W. M. Willis. Both Uley and Sallie Belle are buried at Long Bridge Baptist Church Cemetery, Berrien Co., Ga.

Children of Uley and Sallie Belle Martin Sanders:

1. James Cauley Sanders, b. 23 Sept 1899, d. 7 Dec 1971. Mar. Daisy Carter. Bur. Friendship Bapt Church Cem., Cecil, GA.
2. Reba Belle Sanders, b. 14 Jan 1900, d. 1977. Mar. 1. James Aubrey Bennett, 14 May 1917, 2. Everett Craft. Lived Hahira, Cook Co., GA. Bur. Long Bridge Bapt. Cem. in Berrien Co., GA next to husband James A. Bennett.
3. Lorene Sanders, b. 25 June 1902, d. 1960. Mar. Lyman E. Wetherington, Apr 1916. L.E Wetherington d. 10 Aug 1938. Both Lorene and Lyman Wetherington are bur. Woodlawn Cem., Adel, GA. Children included: Eugene, Smith, Ava Lou and Margaret Wetherington.
4. William Columbus Sanders, b. 20 Nov 1904, d. Feb 1971. Mar. Mrs. Ida Bonner.
5. Mattie Lavina Sanders, b. 20 Nov 1907, d. 1979. Mar. 1. Eddie Hayes, 1 Jun 1918, 2. Hartridge T. Tillman. Children with Mr. Hayes included: Varnice (living w/ Aunt Lorene in 1940), Hoke (WWII vet.), Imogene, Weslie (Junior), and Aldine.
6. Lillian Mathell Sanders, b. 7 Dec 1908, d. 3 Sept 1986. Mar. Isaac Clifton Fort, 16 Jun 1923. Bur. Long Bridge Cemetery.
7. John Arthur Sanders, b. 26 Feb 1911, d. 28 Sept 1970. Mar. Eva Mae Coppage, 19 Aug 1936. Both bur. Friendship Bapt Church Cem., Cecil, GA.
8. Letha Myrtle Sanders, b. 5 May 1913, d. 23 Mar 1972. Mar. 1. Arthur Grady Mathis, 2 May 1940, 2. Mr. Barker, 3. Henry Bussell.
9. Jesse Brown Sanders, b. 5 Nov 1915, d. 28 Sept 1991. Mar. Amy Horn, 3 Jul 1939. Bur. Long Bridge Cem.
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The Valdosta Daily Times, Dec. 18, 2003

HAHIRA -- James E. Sanders, 83, of Hahira died Dec. 17, 2003, at South Georgia Medical Center after a sudden illness. He was born Nov. 25, 1920, in Norman Park, GA, to the late James Cauley and Daisy Belle Carter Sanders. He lived most of his life in Cook County. He was a retired farmer; Navy veteran of World War II and member of Fellowship Baptist Church. He is survived by his wife, Eva Nell Coppage Sanders of Hahira; three sons and daughters-in-law, Jeff and Kelly Sanders, Orlando, FL; Jimmy and Kim Sanders, Greensboro, GA; Jerry Sanders, Hahira; one daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Ben Wood of Jacksonville, FL; nine grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one sister, Betty D'Alessio of Aiken, S.C. He was preceded in death by four sisters, Elizabeth Mills, Mona Faye Geddes, Joan Raftis and Montyle Coppage; and two brothers, John Sanders and Bobby Sanders.

Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Fellowship Baptist Church with the Rev. Roscoe Bennett and Elder Thad Marshall officiating. Burial will follow in Fellowship Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. today at Boone-Lipsey Funeral Home, Hwy. 41 South. -- Boone-Lipsey Funeral Home, Adel.
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Details for the following biographical information provided courtesy of Mrs. Sandra Cox, Tampa, FL:

Uley M. Sanders was born May 23, 1872 in Masse, Ga., a small town located approximately five miles northeast of Adel, Ga. He was the son of Samuel G. Sanders, Sr. and Nancy Smith. He married Sallie Belle Martin, daughter of W.C. Martin and Isabelle Peters, in Berrien County, on Dec. 2, 1899. Uley was a farmer. Most of his children were born near Masse, Ga.

His brother, Samuel G. Sanders, Jr. or Uncle Berry to family members, said Uley was "sickly" and, because of it, their father, Sam, sent Uley to school longer than the others, and that Uley was smart as a result. He could figure anything out in his head, according to Uncle Berry.

Uncle Berry also said that Uley was tall, skinny, had very little beard and was 19 years old before he had to shave - all he had was "peach fuzz."

Uley was on a list of registered voters from the Adel District in 1894-5, along with his father, Samuel. When he became ill with influenza during the great flu epidemic, Uley was in the care of a doctor in Adel. He reportedly slept with the windows open against his doctor's advice and developed pneumonia. He died on May 30, 1919, age 47, leaving a young widow and nine children.

John A. Sanders was a boy of 8 when his father died. He recalled his father's discipline administered to he and his brother, Bill, one time when they were boys. It seems that they had tied corn shucks onto a cat's tail and set them afire. Of course, the cat fled in terror, and before they could catch it, sought refuge from the inferno under the corn crib. It burned to the ground, along with the full complement of corn fodder for the winter. John A. recalled that he thought his Papa was never going to "let us go."

Uley's daughter, Lavinia (named for her Great Aunt Lavinia Martin Overstreet), fell in love with Eddie Hayes and they decided to elope. She was 12 years old. Uley found her, and ran Eddie off. Undeterred in his purpose, Eddie convinced Lavinia to run off with him again, a short time later. This time Uley let them go, seeing that they were so determined.

Sallie Belle Martin was born Aug. 31, 1882 and was 10 years younger than her husband, Uley Sanders. After Uley's death, out of necessity, she married Mr. Bill Willis, and for a time lived in Savannah, Ga. near her older sister, Letha. The family eventually moved back to the Adel-Lenox, Ga. area where some of Sallie's daughters lived with their families.

After the death of her second husband, Sallie went to live with one or the other of her children. For a short time, she lived in Jacksonville with son, John A., and his family. Elzie, one of John A.'s sons, has fond memories of her as a jolly, kind and loving person. She was very fond of all of her grandchildren.

In her old age, she lived on and off with daughters Murl and Lillian in Lenox, Sparks and Adel, Ga. In her last few years, she suffered from dementia. She resided with Murl and Lillian in Sparks, Ga. when she died Aug. 16, 1962.

The funeral at Long Bridge Church commenced at high noon, on what was possibly the hottest day in many years. There was no air conditioning, no fans, nor water and no inside plumbing. The only music was an accapella choir comprised of friends and family, most of whom were over age 80, singing "Amazing Grace", "Bringing in the Sheaves", "Lily of the Valley" and similar old Baptist hymns.

There were two ministers. One would have been sufficient. Each waxed eloquent, the second attempting to outdo the first, taking over an hour each to preach, and consequently, extending the service to two and a half excruciating hours. To compound everyone's misery, the gnats were fearsome, and the funeral fans insufficient to ward them off. Windows on both side walls of the church building were propped open to draw air for ventilation, but no wind stirred to relieve the unmitigated suffering of the beleaguered mourners.

When the preaching was finally over and the congregants were able to walk outdoors to seek shade in the cemetery, some literally fell to their knees, if not from merciful appreciation at their relief then certainly as the result of heat prostration, weak in body but strong in spirit, and now all the more keenly aware of what Hell must be like.

Sallie was buried in peaceful repose adjacent her beloved Uley, who had predeceased her by almost fifty years. Their graves are adorned with a family headstone at Long Bridge Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery.
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The father of Uley M. Sanders was Samuel Greenberry Sanders, Sr. According to his Condederate pension application in 1914, he was born near Masse, Ga. in 1847. He stated on the application that he had lived in Berrien County almost all of his life, having arrived there with his father's family when he was only three years old. He was the son of Merritt Arthur Sanders and Sally Fountain, who were married Jan 1, 1842 in Wilkinson Co., Ga.

According to Uncle Berry, (Samuel Greenberry Sanders, Jr.), Sam Sanders father died of cancer in 1856 when young Sam was only 10 or 12 years old. In 1858, according to court records, the minor heirs of Merritt A. Sanders (shows as Saunders in some records) had guardians appointed for them and their property.

The widow, Sarah Fountain Sanders, remarried to Aaron Knight a few years later, who became the guardian of the children. Rev. Aaron A. Knight, with his new bride, Sallie, her children and his children from his deceased wife, lived in the 10th Land District near Milltown, or present day Lakeland, Ga.

Sam Sanders married twice. The first marriage was to Nancy Smith, the daughter of John Smith and Cassia Sirmans (1851-1891), at the home of her parents in Clinch County. Cassia Sirmins was half-blooded Seminole Indian. They had seven children, the second oldest of whom, was Uley Sanders, the subject of this sketch. Nancy died in childbirth Nov 5, 1891. She and the newborn are buried in the same casket at the Empire Church Cemetery, Berrien County. Sam remarried Feb. 1, 1900 to Nancy Rhodes, by whom he had three more children.

Sam Sanders served the Confederate States of America in Company E, 54th Georgia Infantry, Mercer's Brigade. This Regiment, initially, performed duty along the Georgia coast at Thunderbolt Battery, Rose Dew Island and various posts along the periphery of Savannah. The Regiment deployed to Battery Wagner where they served with distinction at the famous battle at that place, until relieved to aid in the faltering defense of Vicksburg, Mississippi. They, then, were assigned to the Army of Tennessee to defend Atlanta. After the fall of Atlanta, the remnants of the Regiment joined Gen. Hood's ill-advised foray to Franklin & Nashville, Tennessee. They surrendered in North Carolina with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army, having toured most of the American South on bare feet.

After the War, Sam came home to Berrien County where he lived out his life. He had several land transactions during the 1870s but records have not shown how he acquired the land he sold. It may have been land that his father, Merritt Arthur Sanders left to him or it may have come through his wife's family. At the time that Sam applied for the Confederate pension, he was operating a dray, hauling supplies by wagon. Sam Sanders continued farming on his small place near Milltown, operating his dray business, and conducting himself in an honorable Christian manner until his death Oct. 23, 1918. He is buried at Long Bridge Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery.
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The following family story about John Arthur Sanders, son of Uley M. & Sallie Martin Sanders, is based on information from Mrs. Sandra Cox, Tampa, FL:

John Arthur Sanders was born near Masse, Ga., according to Elzie Sanders, on Feb. 26, 1911, a son of Uley Manassa Sanders and Sallie Belle Martin. He referred to his father as "Papa" and he often told the story of setting the corncrib on fire and getting punished, in a memorable manner, so that he never wanted to do such a thing again.

He also said his father, Uley Sanders, allowed no talking at the dinner table. Children who misbehaved at the table got a thump on the head. It was a mighty hard thump. No one escaped attention. Uley was tall enough that he could reach every child sitting around the table.

Uley died when John A. was about 9 years old and his mother married, for the second time, to Bill Willis. After her remarriage, the family moved to Savannah, then back to the Lenox-Adel area. John A. used to say that when he went to school, he took a lard bucket containing cold grits, a couple of slices of white bacon and a biscuit for lunch. John A. attended school through the eighth grade, when he quit to go to work doing farm labor. He worked for a while, during the Great Depression, for his cousin, Vasco Fletcher, digging up stumps for 50 cents each.

When John A. met Eva Mae Coppage, he was a day laborer on his brother, Jim Sanders' farm. When they married, he was 26 years old and she was 18. According to Elzie Sanders, they were married on the side of the road in Berrien County, having met the Justice of the Peace on his way home from the court house. The J.P. was off duty but at their insistence, consecrated the nuptials. The couple could not wait one more day. The newlyweds were sharecroppers for Mr. Fletcher, and after the harvest, went to Miami, FL for work.

When World War II came around, they moved to Jacksonville, nearer to home, were John A. worked in the shipyards. John A. said he sold everything he owned in Miami, got $20 dollars for it, when he moved up to Jacksonville but it was the best move he ever made. The first place son Elzie recalls living was on Iona Street, near where John A. worked at the shipyards. They moved to Swift Street the next year.

When the War was over, John A. took a job as a butcher at Setzer's Supermarket. A car accident in 1949 left him with a disability that would not allow him to continue hard labor in the shipyards, where the work was dwindling in the post-war years. The family moved onto Cleveland Road during the summer of 1952. About this time, John A. became the nightwatchman at the General Motors "Electro Motive" plant.

Farming was John A.'s first love and living on the Cleveland Road property allowed him to pursue his passion with vigor. He raised cows, hogs and a large vegetable garden. He plowed the garden with an ill-tempered mule named "Jayabird", who seemed to harbor particular rancor towards Elzie. Once, when John A. sent Elzie to retrieve the mule, it ran at him, and chased him out into the field, nipping at his britches the entire route, all to John A.'s considerable delight.

John A. was always helping people - especially his relatives. After his children married, he could be found every Saturday at one of their houses, planting palm trees or doing some other yard work. He was a farmer at heart. He loved to fish and would often go with his son-in-law, John Townsend, and catch a mess of fish, or go with his son Elzie and not catch any fish.

When Elzie built his log house, John A. was there every week, helping with the hard work, lifting, holding, painting, bringing Uncle Charlie to help and giving moral support when things got overwhelming. He would bring something for Sandi to cook and he would show her how he wanted it cooked. He taught her how to fry squash and okra, how to cook cabbage and prepare many other home-grown delectibles. Once when they were working on the house, an errant neighbor walked up and inquired about what they were doing. Once he was informed of the obvious, John A. whispered "reckon he knows Lincoln is dead?" Everyone had a good laugh.

John A. Sanders died Sept. 28, 1970. His funeral service was in Jacksonville and he was buried among his people at Fellowship Baptist Church near Cecil, Ga.
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The Valdosta Daily Times, x June 1, 1988:

OMEGA -- Mallie Osborne "Bill" Lindsey, 69, of Omega died Tuesday, May 31, in Tallahassee, FL, Memorial Hospital. The family will receive friends Thursday night at Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals in Tifton where services will be at 11 a.m. Friday. The Revs. Edwin O'Neal and Fritz Willey will officiate and burial will be in Oakridge Cemetery.

Nephews will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be T.E. Decker, Sheriff Edd Walker, Walker Patten, John Crosby, Bill Forehand, Mack McCrary, Paul Crum, Ellis Nolan, W.T. Patrick Jr., Gibbs Patrick Sr., Brown Cannington, Earl Smith, Willie Scarbor, Ray Hunt Sr., Harvey Powell, R.L. Barfield and Ronald Barfield.

Born Aug. 24, 1910, in Cook County, he was the son of the late Jackson T. and Loucretia Sanders Lindsey. He was retired as a law officer and was a former police chief in Tifton, Lenox and Omega. An Omega resident since 1963, he was a member of Omega United Methodist Church.

Survivors include his wife, Gwinelle Culpepper Lindsey; a son, Tommy Lindsey of Omega; a sister, Mae Lott of Miami, FL; and a grandchild.

Note: Loucretia Sanders Lindsey was the daughter of Samuel Greenberry Sanders Sr. and Nancy Smith of Berrien County.
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