Person Page 834

They raised several foster children, but had no natural children. Here is the story of their foster daughter Augusta DeWald's birth family, as found by Tracy Devault's research:

In August of 1899, R. E. Fleming and Nannie Catherine Shifflett obtained a marriage license. We don't know if they were actually married but I suppose they were. We do know that Nannie and her children used the Fleming surname.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE - The Harrisonburg Evening News; Harrisonburg, Virginia; August 8, 1899; Page 1

"Marriage licenses have been issued by the County Clerk as follows: R. E. Fleming and Nannie Catherine Shifflett; . . ."

The Flemings had two daughters and a son. Like most women of the day, Nannie had a side business where she could earn a little pin money. In Nannie's case, she ran the local brothel. This side business was not only illegal but it was also considered a bad environment for her children. Nannie was tried sentenced to six months in the county jail and her children were removed from her custody.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE - The Harrisonburg Rockingham Register; Harrisonburg, Virginia; May 11, 1906, Page 2

"TAKEN TO RICHMOND

Children of Nannie Fleming Given to Virginia Home Society to Escape Vicious Surroundings.

Lena, Alberta and Robert Fleming, aged respectively Six, Four and two years, children of Mrs. Nannie Shifflett Fleming, were committed Monday by Justice Points to the custody of the Children's Home Society of Virginia. They were taken to Richmond Tuesday morning by Rev. Wm. J. Maybee, superintendent of the Society, and placed in the Society's receiving home. Permanent homes will be procured for them later.

The children were found Monday morning in a sink-hole on the farm of George Liskey, in the Greenmount neighborhood, where they had been concealed over night by their mother who is under conviction on the charge of conducting a disreputable house in Harrisonburg. She anticipated an effort would be made to have her children committed to a charitable institution, and had hidden them in the woods.

Armed with a warrant, issued by Magistrate Points, Deputy Sheriffs W. L. Dillard and J. J. Carickhoff left town early Monday morning to search for the children. The officers knew the mother and three little ones had been in Broadway, but they had later advices that they were somewhere in the Greenmount neighborhood and to Greenmount they drove. Arriving there, they learned the objects of their search had procured something to eat at a farmhouse, after spending the night in the woods, and that they had disappeared immediately after being given their breakfast.

The officers separated and began a search of all the woodland of the neighborhood. Finally Officer Dillard came upon the party. Parting the undergrowth and peering into a sink-hole in George Liskey's woods, he saw the three children, their mother, and Mrs. Anna Coon, the latter's sister, all huddled closely together.

When the mother realized that detection had come she scrambled up to where the officer, stood and asked, "Mr. Dillard, are you after me?"

Being told it was not herself, but the children that were wanted the woman became wildly excited and throwing her arms about the officer exclaimed, "Oh, Lord! Mr. Dillard, don't take them away from me. Don't take them. Don't! don't! don't!"

When the officer proved kindly but firmly insistent, the mother declared she could not part with her children and finally appealed to the officer to shoot her, saying, "Mr. Dillard, if you have a pistol, shoot me dead, for I'd rather die than give these babies up."

Officer Carickhoff came up in the mean time and the children were placed in a carriage and brought to Harrisonburg. They were accompanied by Anna Coon, their aunt but the mother remained behind. The latter asked the officers if she might come along and was told she could do so at her own risk. She preferred not to take the risk, knowing that a jail sentence of six months awaited her, which she must serve the first time the police catch her here.

During the afternoon the case was heard before Magistrate Points and the children were committed.

The mother is under sentence of six months in jail and a fine of $50. She was tried last week and convicted in her absence, she having disappeared while out on her own recognizance."

We don't know if Nannie ever served her six month sentence. She eventually remarried and had two more children. We're told by descendants of her second family that Nannie searched for her children but it was all in vain as she never found them. However, one of Nannie's granddaughters, a daughter of the son that was taken away, pieced together part of the story. The son, and one of the daughters, Alberta, were given to a family by the name of Davis. Shortly after the Davises took in the children, Mrs. Davis passed away. Mr. Davis returned Alberta to the court but retained the son. The boy was renamed Lewis Davis. It was Lewis' daughter, Darlene, that gave us this part of the story.

Alberta was taken in by another family. We don't know what happened to the other daughter but it is quite possible that she was taken in by the same family that took in Alberta.

Alberta eventually married Clarence Nathanial Arnold. Clarence and Alberta had three sons. Eventually Alberta divorced Clarence and then later married Charles Brown Bell. Alberta's maiden name was Alberta Frances Fleming. After she married Charles she started going by Elizabeth "Betty" F. Bell. Charles and Elizabeth had a son. Elizabeth died in 1959.

OBITUARY - The Index-Journal; Greenwood, South Carolina; Saturday, August 8, 1959;

"Mrs. Betty Bell Dies Today In Washington

Mrs. Betty Bell, 57, of Route Two, Greenwood, died at 4 a.m. today after a brief illness in Washington, D.C., where she had been visiting her children.

Survivors include her husband, Charles Brown Bell, and a son, Andrew C. Bell of Greenwood, three sons by a former marriage, Johnny, Eddie and Charlie Arnold; several grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, all of Washington; a brother in Philadelphia and a sister in Bristol, Tenn.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete, but services will be held in Washington. The body is at Chambers Funeral Home, 11 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Washington."

As often happens after someone dies, legal notices are posted in the local newspaper.

"LEGAL NOTICE - The Index-Journal; Greenwood, South Carolina; Wednesday, September 23, 1959; Page 9 (Newspapers.com)

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

All creditors of the late Mrs. Elizabeth Alberta DeWald Bell are hereby notified to render an account of their demands duly attested to the undersigned; and all debtors shall likewise make payment to the undersigned.

Andrew C. Bell

c/o Grier, McDonald, Todd, Burns and Bradford, 520 Textile Building, Greenwood, South Carolina"

If you haven't figured it out by now, Alberta is Alberta Frances DeWald. Her foster parents were Franklin Jerome "Frank" DeWald and Ada Lee Snapp. Alberta had two sisters and both of them were foster/adopted children. The older sister was about the right age to be Alberta's biological sister. Her name was Nellie Lee and in the newspaper article, Alberta's older sister is Lena. Alberta's younger sister, Lillian is probably no biological relation.