"On Sunday, July 16, I had the pleasure of attending the third annual Waldrop Family Reunion. This event took place at the Meadow Branch Church near Kennedy.  It was attended by many of the descendants of Miles Calvin Waldrop and his wife Elizabeth Trull.

"The Waldrops are an early Fayette County family.  They settled near the Wesley Chapel community out from Covin about 1844.  This area was settled by many families in the 1840s and most of were from Spartanburg and Union counties in South Carolina.

"Family story states that William Wilburn Waldrop, his brother Robert and wife and several Rainwaters came to Fayette county together.  Many of, their kinfolks also settled here but perhaps they didn't all move here together in the same wagon train.

Below: Oscar Rainwater (circa 1900), nephew of Jane Amanda Rainwater Waldrop and son of her brother Silas Rainwater of Lamar County, Alabama.

Below: Alma Waldrop (circa 1900), daughter of William Waldrop’s brother Robert Waldrop and Robert’s second wife Millie M. of Lamar County, Alabama.

"William Wilburn Waldrop was born December 15, 1822, in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  It is not known whom his parents were.  William’s wife was Jane Amanda Rainwater, who was also born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on July 14, 1826. William and Jane were married shortly after settling in the dense wilderness of early Fayette County [NOTE: Actually they were married in Spartanburg, SC, before moving to Alabama].  This marriage took place on March 20, 1845, and produced at least nine children.

"Very little is known about several of their children.  There was a daughter Mary Jane who died in 1930.  She married first to a Windham and second to Billy Thomas.  A daughter, Sarah, died while very young.  There was a daughter Elizabeth which we do not know anything about.  One of the younger children was Nancy Catherine who died in 1957.  She married a Smith [NOTE: John Thomas Smith] from Lamar County.

"Lucretia Mariah is a daughter whom is well remembered and was called "Aunt Lou" by everyone.  She was a dwarf and she never married.  She died in 1934.  William Samuel, their son died in 1893. 

"The other three sons are all well remembered and I've found many details on each.  They, like their father, were farmers.  Their father owned land near the present Wesley Chapel Church.  In 1864, according to the tax records, he owned 90 acres and had other assets of $500.  His land was taken over by his sons after his death in 1905.

"Silas Murphy Waldrop, was perhaps the oldest or next-to-oldest child.  He was born in 1843 [NOTE: 1848] and died in 1927.  He was a preacher as well as a farmer.  His first wife, Nancy Yarbrough, died at the age of 39 and Silas then married Mary Stillman.  Silas and Nancy had five children.  They were Dela, Coleman, Milton Miles, Sara Bertha and Samuel Murphy.   Coleman married twice to Virginia Ray and Ethel Collins.  He lived near Bluff as did his sister Sara Bertha and her husband William B. Holliman.  Milton Miles married Alice Laster.  Samuel Murphy married Mattie Collins.  Both of these ladies were from the Wesley Chapel area and, therefore, these two couples remained near Covin.  [NOTE: Silas and his second wife Mary had at least one daughter, Elora.]

"Miles Calvin Waldrop was born in 1854 and died in 1929.  His wife was Elizabeth McKenneth Trull [NOTE:  daughter of Griffin H. Trull and Sarah Shepherd].  They lived near Kennedy and raised a family of five. Miles and Elizabeth's children were Irene, Henry Griffin, Charlie A., Kittie Lou and Sally.  Irene married Walter Holliman [NOTE: Holloman] and moved to Mississippi and raised six [NOTE: actually seven] children. Henry Griffin also moved to Mississippi.  He and his wife Isabelle Agnew had three children.  Charlie married Mattie McDaniel and remained in this area.  They raised seven children. Charlie died several months ago around the age of 88 or 89 [NOTE: he died in 1976].  Kittie married James Wafford "Judge" Richards.  They made Kennedy their home and there they raised their three sons and five daughters.  Sally married Floyd Miller from Millport.  They moved to Oklahoma and had only two children.

"The youngest of William and Jane's sons was Starling Van Buren Waldrop.  He was born in 1860.  In 1886, he married Roxanne Godfrey.  Starling lived near the old Waldrop settlement for many years but finally moved to Sulligent in order to send his large family to a good school.  Starling’s children were: Willlam Carey, Virgie Lou, Thomas Madison, Madorah Elizabeth, Delia Jane, Sam Ray, Noah Miles, Herman Brian, Lucy Irene, Chester Starling, Annie Grace, Arvel Gray, Len and Barney Lorene.  These fourteen children would make a separate story which I hope to write later on.  Perhaps the best known of Starling's children was Delia Jane.  She married Robert L. Mosley and taught school for many years at Fayette.  She died recently.  Lucy, who married Gaston Golsan, presently lives in Fayette.  Madorah "Dora" is also alive.  She is in a nursing home and is the widow of Zeb Rowland."