Kelly was the son of John Thomas and Mary Anna Lou Miller White.
Story as told by Big Daddy Sinclair (Isham C. Sinclair) to family members many years ago:
No one in the White family that we knew would tell the story. Anna Lou White Sinclair died thinking no one knew the story. Anna Lou and Ruby (the only two we knew well, would never discuss their family)
We were told that Mary Anna Lou Miller White died in childbirth in 1908 when Ann Lou was born. [not absolutely sure] She was reared mostly by older siblings. Her father, John Thomas White, died in 1922.
In 1960's, I ask Anna Lou a few questions. I told her that all I was interested in was names and dates.
She told me that her dad remarried a lady named Ellen Bryant [Mary Ellen Bryant White] from around Nicholls Georgia. She said that Ellen took the White Family Bible. She named every brother and sister except for the one named Kelly. Kelly appeared in the 1910 Montgomery County census as a 6 year old. Same census shows John Thomas White to be widowed. John Thomas White, with single children, Alexander age 18, Kelly age 16, Ruby age 13 and Anna Lou age 11, relocated to Millwood in Ware County Georgia. Kelly appeared in the 1920 Ware County census as a 16 year old. That same census shows 53 year old John Thomas with a 27 year old spouse named Mary. I have never found Kelly in another census record.
The story according to the 160 page transcript of the murder trial in Ware County Georgia in May 1922. Present and living in the family home were John Thomas White, his second wife, Mary Ellen Bryant White, her brother Clayton Bryant and the four White children; Alex, Kelly, Ruby and Anna Lou.
On Sunday afternoon, Jan 8, 1922 there was a confrontation between John Thomas White and his 4 children. The girls had left home about 1 pm to go to Sunday School [about a 1 1/2 mile walk, with a neighbor. They stayed at her home and visited for longer than the dad thought they should. He was upset with them, whipped and cursed them.
The argument followed the next day through lunch. Alex and Kelly seemed to be afraid of him, as they were told they could leave the family home. The boys stated in the testimony that they could not leave their 2 sisters there, afraid for their safety. Later in the day all of the family members were milking cows, feeding livestock, bringing in wood and other household chores. The family feud still lingered.
Kelly White was 18 years old when he had reached his limit of violence. On Monday January 9, 1922, at about 6 pm, he went into the house, got the shot gun and shot and killed his father, out near the barn. Kelly turned himself in to the Ware County Sheriffs office.
Kelly, age 19, stood trial in Ware County and was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life doing hard labor in the State Penitentiary. He was transferred from Ware County to Wheeler County to serve his time. On December 11, 1923, Kelly escaped from prison and was never heard from again. It was told that the older brothers, living in Wheeler County helped him disappear.
I understand that prisons did not have the funding to feed, cloth and house the prisoners, so they farmed them out to earn their keep. In 1923, probably not many people had vehicles, so prisoners were sent to spend their time near family when possible.
There are more questions than answers...The answers have probably gone to the grave forever...The questions still remain...Did he change his name, did he have a family, etc.
Note 2012: I was told by a descendant of John W. White that Kelly is buried in Wheeler County in a cemetery that is located on the private property of The Walter Clark family, in an unmarked grave. Kelly probably changed his name and identity, because he never showed up in census records after 1920. Would love to know what he changed his name to...
{Newspaper clipping from Macon Telegraph, pictured at right, was found in 2017}
*Please click on parents link for a little more information on each of the 9 children.
Some information from memory of family members and some from census records.
Story as told by Big Daddy Sinclair (Isham C. Sinclair) to family members many years ago:
No one in the White family that we knew would tell the story. Anna Lou White Sinclair died thinking no one knew the story. Anna Lou and Ruby (the only two we knew well, would never discuss their family)
We were told that Mary Anna Lou Miller White died in childbirth in 1908 when Ann Lou was born. [not absolutely sure] She was reared mostly by older siblings. Her father, John Thomas White, died in 1922.
In 1960's, I ask Anna Lou a few questions. I told her that all I was interested in was names and dates.
She told me that her dad remarried a lady named Ellen Bryant [Mary Ellen Bryant White] from around Nicholls Georgia. She said that Ellen took the White Family Bible. She named every brother and sister except for the one named Kelly. Kelly appeared in the 1910 Montgomery County census as a 6 year old. Same census shows John Thomas White to be widowed. John Thomas White, with single children, Alexander age 18, Kelly age 16, Ruby age 13 and Anna Lou age 11, relocated to Millwood in Ware County Georgia. Kelly appeared in the 1920 Ware County census as a 16 year old. That same census shows 53 year old John Thomas with a 27 year old spouse named Mary. I have never found Kelly in another census record.
The story according to the 160 page transcript of the murder trial in Ware County Georgia in May 1922. Present and living in the family home were John Thomas White, his second wife, Mary Ellen Bryant White, her brother Clayton Bryant and the four White children; Alex, Kelly, Ruby and Anna Lou.
On Sunday afternoon, Jan 8, 1922 there was a confrontation between John Thomas White and his 4 children. The girls had left home about 1 pm to go to Sunday School [about a 1 1/2 mile walk, with a neighbor. They stayed at her home and visited for longer than the dad thought they should. He was upset with them, whipped and cursed them.
The argument followed the next day through lunch. Alex and Kelly seemed to be afraid of him, as they were told they could leave the family home. The boys stated in the testimony that they could not leave their 2 sisters there, afraid for their safety. Later in the day all of the family members were milking cows, feeding livestock, bringing in wood and other household chores. The family feud still lingered.
Kelly White was 18 years old when he had reached his limit of violence. On Monday January 9, 1922, at about 6 pm, he went into the house, got the shot gun and shot and killed his father, out near the barn. Kelly turned himself in to the Ware County Sheriffs office.
Kelly, age 19, stood trial in Ware County and was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life doing hard labor in the State Penitentiary. He was transferred from Ware County to Wheeler County to serve his time. On December 11, 1923, Kelly escaped from prison and was never heard from again. It was told that the older brothers, living in Wheeler County helped him disappear.
I understand that prisons did not have the funding to feed, cloth and house the prisoners, so they farmed them out to earn their keep. In 1923, probably not many people had vehicles, so prisoners were sent to spend their time near family when possible.
There are more questions than answers...The answers have probably gone to the grave forever...The questions still remain...Did he change his name, did he have a family, etc.
Note 2012: I was told by a descendant of John W. White that Kelly is buried in Wheeler County in a cemetery that is located on the private property of The Walter Clark family, in an unmarked grave. Kelly probably changed his name and identity, because he never showed up in census records after 1920. Would love to know what he changed his name to...
{Newspaper clipping from Macon Telegraph, pictured at right, was found in 2017}
*Please click on parents link for a little more information on each of the 9 children.
Some information from memory of family members and some from census records.
Kelly was the son of John Thomas and Mary Anna Lou Miller White.
Story as told by Big Daddy Sinclair (Isham C. Sinclair) to family members many years ago:
No one in the White family that we knew would tell the story. Anna Lou White Sinclair died thinking no one knew the story. Anna Lou and Ruby (the only two we knew well, would never discuss their family)
We were told that Mary Anna Lou Miller White died in childbirth in 1908 when Ann Lou was born. [not absolutely sure] She was reared mostly by older siblings. Her father, John Thomas White, died in 1922.
In 1960's, I ask Anna Lou a few questions. I told her that all I was interested in was names and dates.
She told me that her dad remarried a lady named Ellen Bryant [Mary Ellen Bryant White] from around Nicholls Georgia. She said that Ellen took the White Family Bible. She named every brother and sister except for the one named Kelly. Kelly appeared in the 1910 Montgomery County census as a 6 year old. Same census shows John Thomas White to be widowed. John Thomas White, with single children, Alexander age 18, Kelly age 16, Ruby age 13 and Anna Lou age 11, relocated to Millwood in Ware County Georgia. Kelly appeared in the 1920 Ware County census as a 16 year old. That same census shows 53 year old John Thomas with a 27 year old spouse named Mary. I have never found Kelly in another census record.
The story according to the 160 page transcript of the murder trial in Ware County Georgia in May 1922. Present and living in the family home were John Thomas White, his second wife, Mary Ellen Bryant White, her brother Clayton Bryant and the four White children; Alex, Kelly, Ruby and Anna Lou.
On Sunday afternoon, Jan 8, 1922 there was a confrontation between John Thomas White and his 4 children. The girls had left home about 1 pm to go to Sunday School [about a 1 1/2 mile walk, with a neighbor. They stayed at her home and visited for longer than the dad thought they should. He was upset with them, whipped and cursed them.
The argument followed the next day through lunch. Alex and Kelly seemed to be afraid of him, as they were told they could leave the family home. The boys stated in the testimony that they could not leave their 2 sisters there, afraid for their safety. Later in the day all of the family members were milking cows, feeding livestock, bringing in wood and other household chores. The family feud still lingered.
Kelly White was 18 years old when he had reached his limit of violence. On Monday January 9, 1922, at about 6 pm, he went into the house, got the shot gun and shot and killed his father, out near the barn. Kelly turned himself in to the Ware County Sheriffs office.
Kelly, age 19, stood trial in Ware County and was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life doing hard labor in the State Penitentiary. He was transferred from Ware County to Wheeler County to serve his time. On December 11, 1923, Kelly escaped from prison and was never heard from again. It was told that the older brothers, living in Wheeler County helped him disappear.
I understand that prisons did not have the funding to feed, cloth and house the prisoners, so they farmed them out to earn their keep. In 1923, probably not many people had vehicles, so prisoners were sent to spend their time near family when possible.
There are more questions than answers...The answers have probably gone to the grave forever...The questions still remain...Did he change his name, did he have a family, etc.
Note 2012: I was told by a descendant of John W. White that Kelly is buried in Wheeler County in a cemetery that is located on the private property of The Walter Clark family, in an unmarked grave. Kelly probably changed his name and identity, because he never showed up in census records after 1920. Would love to know what he changed his name to...
{Newspaper clipping from Macon Telegraph, pictured at right, was found in 2017}
*Please click on parents link for a little more information on each of the 9 children.
Some information from memory of family members and some from census records.
Story as told by Big Daddy Sinclair (Isham C. Sinclair) to family members many years ago:
No one in the White family that we knew would tell the story. Anna Lou White Sinclair died thinking no one knew the story. Anna Lou and Ruby (the only two we knew well, would never discuss their family)
We were told that Mary Anna Lou Miller White died in childbirth in 1908 when Ann Lou was born. [not absolutely sure] She was reared mostly by older siblings. Her father, John Thomas White, died in 1922.
In 1960's, I ask Anna Lou a few questions. I told her that all I was interested in was names and dates.
She told me that her dad remarried a lady named Ellen Bryant [Mary Ellen Bryant White] from around Nicholls Georgia. She said that Ellen took the White Family Bible. She named every brother and sister except for the one named Kelly. Kelly appeared in the 1910 Montgomery County census as a 6 year old. Same census shows John Thomas White to be widowed. John Thomas White, with single children, Alexander age 18, Kelly age 16, Ruby age 13 and Anna Lou age 11, relocated to Millwood in Ware County Georgia. Kelly appeared in the 1920 Ware County census as a 16 year old. That same census shows 53 year old John Thomas with a 27 year old spouse named Mary. I have never found Kelly in another census record.
The story according to the 160 page transcript of the murder trial in Ware County Georgia in May 1922. Present and living in the family home were John Thomas White, his second wife, Mary Ellen Bryant White, her brother Clayton Bryant and the four White children; Alex, Kelly, Ruby and Anna Lou.
On Sunday afternoon, Jan 8, 1922 there was a confrontation between John Thomas White and his 4 children. The girls had left home about 1 pm to go to Sunday School [about a 1 1/2 mile walk, with a neighbor. They stayed at her home and visited for longer than the dad thought they should. He was upset with them, whipped and cursed them.
The argument followed the next day through lunch. Alex and Kelly seemed to be afraid of him, as they were told they could leave the family home. The boys stated in the testimony that they could not leave their 2 sisters there, afraid for their safety. Later in the day all of the family members were milking cows, feeding livestock, bringing in wood and other household chores. The family feud still lingered.
Kelly White was 18 years old when he had reached his limit of violence. On Monday January 9, 1922, at about 6 pm, he went into the house, got the shot gun and shot and killed his father, out near the barn. Kelly turned himself in to the Ware County Sheriffs office.
Kelly, age 19, stood trial in Ware County and was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life doing hard labor in the State Penitentiary. He was transferred from Ware County to Wheeler County to serve his time. On December 11, 1923, Kelly escaped from prison and was never heard from again. It was told that the older brothers, living in Wheeler County helped him disappear.
I understand that prisons did not have the funding to feed, cloth and house the prisoners, so they farmed them out to earn their keep. In 1923, probably not many people had vehicles, so prisoners were sent to spend their time near family when possible.
There are more questions than answers...The answers have probably gone to the grave forever...The questions still remain...Did he change his name, did he have a family, etc.
Note 2012: I was told by a descendant of John W. White that Kelly is buried in Wheeler County in a cemetery that is located on the private property of The Walter Clark family, in an unmarked grave. Kelly probably changed his name and identity, because he never showed up in census records after 1920. Would love to know what he changed his name to...
{Newspaper clipping from Macon Telegraph, pictured at right, was found in 2017}
*Please click on parents link for a little more information on each of the 9 children.
Some information from memory of family members and some from census records.
Family Members
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