Larry Anderson - Families and Individuals

Notes

Mary Eliza Viola EDWARDS

Known as Viola Blakely; nicknamed: "Idy"

Joseph Gaither EDWARDS

Gaither Edwards died defending his home and business from a robbery
attempt. He operated a service station in the Green Gables community
of
Lee County, NC. The building stood at its original location at the
intersection of US 1/US 15-501 until the late 1960's or early 1970's.
The
business was located in the front of the building while the rear was
used
as the family residence. [In later years, my uncle, Charles G. Marsh,
and
his family used the house as their residence].

During the robbery attempt, Gaither shot and killed one of the
bandits,
but he himself was mortally wounded. His wife, Johnsie, kept a kitchen
cabinet that had bullet holes from the event as well as a doily that
contained a bloody handprint left by her husband. The robbers were
named
Birdsong and were from eastern Kentucky.

Because their family was so poor, their bodies went unclaimed and were
subsequently donated to the UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill as
cadavers for research. Their mother wrote a touching letter to the
editor
of the local newspaper asking if there was some way the bodies of her
sons
could be returned home for a proper burial.

As a matter of compassion, donations were sought to raise money for
that
purpose. The bodies were "purchased" and eventually returned to their
boyhood home for burial.

See www.familysearch.org