John W Leverett and Lucy William

John Leverett

Our family never called John W. Leverett 'grandpa'. And though our parents knew some Leverett family members, they never knew we were related by marriage.

It wasn't until Fae (Musgrove Moore) Mcrary (pictured on left with great aunt Louise) and Mary (Musgrove) Spivey, great uncle Leroy's daughters, were researching their Musgrove lineage they discovered the connection with the Leverett family. They call him Grandpa Leverett now.

Fae (Musgrove) Mcrary (blue)
and Louise (Musgrove) Tillman (red)
at a house where they both lived

But our Great Aunt Louise (pictured with Fae on left)  remembers him and she's always called him Grandpa Leverett. She was a small child and at her grandmother's house when her Grandpa Leverett had a major epileptic seizure. At the time, she remembers mostly being frightened.

John W. Leverett was born on May 17, 1869, in Pierce County, Georgia to Sarah Elizabeth (known as Betty) Leverett.

An unwed mother, Betty suffered from severe epileptic seizures, which were worsened by heavy alcohol consumption.

In her later years she was institutionalized at  Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Ga., then called the "Georgia State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum",  where she died. John Leverette inherited the disorder.

The rumors that John Leverett's father was grandpa John David Musgrove are just that: rumors. My father, Melvin Musgrove, has Y-DNA test results at Family Tree DNA. Should any Leverett male offspring of an all male Leverett line from Betty forward wish a definitive answer they can test against his results. But for now; just rumors.

Lucy Williams

John Leverett married great grandma Lucy Williams (born February 3rd, 1867 in Georgia)  on March 22nd, 1894. One month later Betty (Collins) Musgrove, our great grandfather Ed Musgrove's mother, died.

Pierce County Marriage 
Book-page 173

Grandma Lucy Williams was already a mother to our grandpa Ed Musgrove's future wife, Macie Williams. Together grandma and step-grandpa Leverett had Hattie Idell Leverett, a half-sister of grandma Macie (Williams) Musgrove.

(On a side side note, if the rumors about grandpa John David Musgrove fathering both great grandpa Edward Columbus Musgrove and great grandpa by marriage, John W Leverett, it would make John Leverett related to us, not only by marriage, but by blood as well.

If our great grandmother, Macie Williams, were  born of grandpa Leverett, she would have married her father's half-brother; her half-uncle. Fortunately, no one believes grandma Macie was John Leverett's biological child.)

John Leverett died at the age of 66 on November 14, 1935 in Brantley County, Georgia according to his death certificate.

The doctor who wrote it treated John Leverett for 'paralysis affecting his entire body' a year before his patient died.  Aunt Louise doesn't remember. She wasn't yet five years old.

She doesn't recall John's brother, Samuel Leverett, either, but she remembers his youngest brother,  Charley Leverett, and his four children.

Charley Leverett

She was eleven years old when Charlie's wife, Dolly (Strickland) Leverett, died in childbirth in 1941 at the age of twenty-six. Her Uncle Charley and his kids moved in with his brother's widow, grandma Lucy Leverett.

They lived in Pine Valley, near her daughter, grandma Macie, and son-in law, grandpa Ed Musgrove. Aunt Louise still lived in their home and recalls visiting her grandmother Lucy Leverett's  house. What she remembers most is her grandmother caring for her brother-in-law, Charley Leverett's, new born infant and three other children.

In 1945 when her grandma Leverett became ill, aunt Louise saw her take to the couch in her parent's house in Pine Valley for several days. The sickness was fatal; she died December 3rd, 1945, on that couch. Aunt Louise was fifteen years old.

Lucy William's unaccredited obituary reads:

"Mrs Lucy Willam Leverett, age 78, died at her residence, Waycross, Route 4, Monday night after a short illness. 

She is survived by two daughters, Mrs E C Musgrove, Rt 4 and Mrs Henry Lairsey of Savannah; two brothers, John Williams of Waycross and Bill Williams of Florida; two sisters, Mrs Jane Tildridge of Waycross and Mrs Tilda Worth of Florida; 19 grandchildren and 43 great grandchildren. 

The body will remain at the residence of her granddaughter Mrs J L Hampton, 808 Eads St. until time for the funeral. Services are to be held at 3 o'clock Wednesday afternoon at New Hope church with internmment at New Hope cemetery. 

Mincy Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements."

The notice after the service read,

"Last rites for Mrs Lucy Leverett were held yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock at New Hope church conducted by the Rev J B Robinson. Burial was at New Hope cemetery.

Pallbearers were Arthur (should be Alfred ed.) Leverett, Fred Leverett, R G Anderson, Lewis Lairsey, Russel Brown and Archie Williams.

Mincy Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements."

These pages represent our most current research. Changes will be made as more information comes in. Check back to this page for the most current research.

Note: Relationships are expressed from the perspective of the grandchildren of Willis Edgar and Carrie (known as) Mae (Merritt) Musgrove. 

*Terms of relationship - grandmother, uncle, aunt, cousin, etc.  - are used here generically to include  relatives such as fourth great grandfathers, great grand uncles, second cousins twice removed, etc.