| ARRIE BELLE JOHNSON
(Pages 320-332) Johnny J. Johnson, Jr. and Emily Tomlinson's daughter, Arrie Belle, born on October 20, 1889, married Raphord R. Rowe about 1909. Raphord was born on June 24, 1887, in Nassau County, Florida, son of Becca and Joseph Elam Rowe. Joseph was born on July 29, 1860, in Florida, and Becca was born in 1861. The Rowe family was an early
settler of Charlton County, Georgia. The family later developed a large farm in Nassau County, Florida. In addition to their son Raphord, Joseph and Becca were parents to Peter, born in 1878; Etta, born in 1880; Edward, born in 1882: Joseph, born in January 1884; Allen, born in January 1889; Eva, born in January 1891; Mary, born in June 1893; William, born in July 1895; Rachel, born in November 1896; and Stella, born in December 1898. Raphord's mother Becca died about 1899. In 1900 father
Joseph Rowe married Kizzie Carter, born on June 10, 1874, in Georgia. Joseph and Kizzie were parents to Harley, born in 1901; George, born in 1902; Benjamin F., born in 1905; Kizzie, born in 1907; Morgan D., born in 1909; and perhaps others. Father Joseph Rowe died on October 24, 1926, and is buried in the Mill Creek Cemetery in Nassau County. Mother Kizzie Carter died on April 25, 1935, and is interred with Joseph. 
ARRIE BELLE JOHNSON AND RAPHORD R. ROWE
(ca. 1947)
(Page 321)
(Chart Page 322)
Raphord Rowe continued in the footsteps of his father and became a farmer in the Hilliard area of Nassau County. Raphord and Arrie were parents to Jesse James, born
on September 2, 1910; Allie Irene, born on November 27, 1912; Andrew Jackson, born on February 1, 1915; Ruth Myrtle, born on July 18,1917; Ollie Mae, born on January 30, 1920; Virue Edith, born on April 5, 1927; Flora Thelma, born on August 4, 1928; and two sons who died as infants. Raphord R. Rowe died April 28, 1953, and is buried in the Mill Creek Cemetery in western Nassau County, located not far from his farm. The following is a copy of
Raphord's obituary that appeared in the Wednesday, April 29, 1953, edition of TheFloridaTimesUnion, a Jacksonville newspaper. ROWE - Raphord R. Rowe, 65, of Hilliard died yesterday morning in a local hospital after a brief illness. He was a native of Nassau County and had resided there during his lifetime. He was a member of the Buford Grove Baptist Church. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Arrie Rowe; five daughters, Mrs. Allie Wardon,
Mrs. Ollie Lloyd and Mrs. Virue Lightsey, all of Jacksonville, Mrs. Ruth Rewis of Hilliard and Mrs. Flora Higginbotham of Callahan; two sons, Jesse Rowe of Hilliard and Andrew Rowe of Callahan; three sisters, Mrs. Etta Kirkland of Jacksonville, Mrs. Rachel Bess of Augusta, Ga. and Mrs. Stella Hodge of Hilliard; three brothers, William, Allen and Harley Rowe, all of Hilliard, and eighteen grandchildren. The body will rest in the home from 5 p.m. today until 1
p.m. tomorrow at which time the funeral cortege will leave for the Buford Grove Baptist Church where services will be held at 2 p.m. tomorrow with the Rev. Eddie Murrhee officiating. Pallbearers will be: Douglas Hodges, Elwood Johnson, Columbus Rowe, Arthur Rowe, D. B. Higginbotham and Elam Parmenter. Interment will be in the Mill Creek Cemetery with Key-McCabe Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Arrie Johnson Rowe died in Fernandina Beach on Thursday, August 31, 1972 She is interred with Raphord in the Mill Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. The following is a copy of Arrie's obituary that appeared in the Sunday, September 3, 1972, edition of TheFloridaTimesUnion. ROWE - Funeral services for Mrs. Arrie Belle Rowe will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Buford Grove Baptist Church of Hilliard with the Rev. Sam Stewart
and the Rev. R. E. Reid officiating. Burial will be in Mill Creek Cemetery. Mrs. Rowe of Rt. 2, Hilliard, died Thursday in a Fernandina Beach hospital. She was a native and life-long resident of Nassau County. Survivors include four daughters, Mrs. Allie Murray, Garden City, Mrs. Ruth Rewis, Hilliard, Mrs. Virue Lightsey, and Mrs. Flora Higginbotham of Callahan; a son, A. J. Rowe, Callahan; three sisters, Miss Allie Johnson, Miss Lelia Johnson, and Mrs.
Gertrude Peacock; 20 grandchildren and a number of great-grandchildren. The body will lie in state at the home of a daughter and son-in-law, Mr. & Mrs. Vernon Rewis, Rt. 2, Box 350 A., Hilliard, until noon Sunday. Key-McCabe Northside Funeral Home is in charge. Grandsons will serve as pallbearers.
Raphord Rowe and Arrie Johnson's sons, who died as infants, are buried with their father and mother in the Mill Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.
Raphord Rowe and Arrie Johnson's son Andrew Jackson, born on February 1, 1915, married Elizabeth Stokes on July 3, 1936. Elizabeth was born on December 15, 1920, daughter of Rhoda Williams and Louis Sherod Stokes. Elizabeth's siblings included David, Fred, Minnie, Winnie, Katie, Lillie Belle, Dewey, Ernest, Herbert, and John Riley. Andrew and Elizabeth made their home in Callahan where Andrew served as a policeman and later as the chief of police. Andrew and Elizabeth became parents to
four children including Agnes, Gladys, Edith and Glenn. Andrew died on May 14, 1989, and is buried in the Mill Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. The following is a copy of Andrew's obituary that appeared in the Thursday, May 18, 1989, edition of TheNassauCountyRecord, the newspaper of Callahan, Florida. ROWE
Former Police Chief of Callahan, Andrew J. Rowe, 74, died after a long illness
Sunday at Methodist Hospital in Jacksonville. Services were held Wednesday at 11 a.m. from the graveside in Mill Creek Cemetery with the Reverend Jimmy McNeal officiating. He was a life-long native of Nassau County and was employed by the city as a police officer from June 1, 1958 to November 1977. He was police chief during the 1970s according to city records. He was a Baptist and a member of F.O.P.A. #Q2. "I knew the chief well," said Nassau
County Sheriff's Colonel Leonard Gussman. "He was a very good man and he and I shared some good memories." Survivors include his wife Elizabeth Stokes Rowe, Callahan; three daughters; Agnes Campbell and Gladys Jones, Callahan, and Edith Yarbrough, McClenny; one son, Glenn H. Rowe, Sr., Baldwin; four sisters, Allie Murray, Jacksonville, Ruth Rewis, Hilliard, Virue Todd, Starke, and Flora Higginbotham, Callahan; 15
grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren and several step-grandchildren. Honorary pallbearers were members of the Nassau County police agencies. Arrangements were by Callahan Funeral Home.
Raphord Rowe and Arrie Johnson's son Jesse James, born on September 2, 1910, married Lois Batten on August 17, 1934. Lois was born on December 19, 1918, daughter of Daisy Clark and Andrew Batten. Lois' siblings included Allie (Rowe),
Jeffrey, Edward, Myrtle (Stokes, Walker), Beulah (Conner), John "Jack" and four who died, Ruby, Alvin, Earl and an unnamed child. Jesse and Lois made their home in Hilliard and later Callahan. Jesse worked for the Nassau County Road Department. Jesse and Lois were parents to Gaston, George; Wayne; Jesse, Jr.; Wilhemenia (Merritt); and Willene (Jones). Jesse died on June 6, 1970, and is buried in Jones
Cemetery in Callahan. The following is a copy of Jesse's obituary that appeared in the Monday, June 8, 1970, edition of TheFlorida TimesUnion. ROWE — Funeral services for Mr. Jesse J. Rowe, Sr., 60, of Route 2, Hilliard, will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the First Baptist Church of Boulogne with the Rev. Alvin Williamson and the Rev. Sam Stewart officiating. Active pallbearers will be Everett Triggs, Noah Sikes, Walter Sunberg, Raymond Johnson, Willie
Prestige and Steve Johnson. Honorary will be Herbert Rowe, Gordonell Rowe, Dewitt Conner, Roy Taylor, Linsey Nelson, George Adkinson, Jeff McIntosh, Kelley Walker, Junior Buchannon and King Crews. Interment will be in the Jones Cemetery under the direction of Key-McCabe Northside Funeral Home. Mr. Rowe was a native and lifelong resident of Nassau County and was employed by the Nassau County Road Department He was a member and deacon of the First
Baptist Church of Boulogne. He died Saturday afternoon at his home following a sudden illness. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Lois Rowe; his mother, Mrs. Arrie Rowe, Jacksonville; two daughters, Mrs. Wilhemenia Merritt, Jacksonville, and Willene Jones, Baltimore, Maryland; four sons, Jesse J. Rowe, Jr., Jacksonville, Gaston Rowe, Sanford, George and Wayne Rowe, both of Callahan; four sisters, Mrs. Allie Murray, Jacksonville, Mrs. Ruth Rewis, Hilliard,
Mrs. Virue Lightsey and Mrs. Flora Higginbotham, both of Callahan, a brother, Andrew Rowe of Callahan; and nine grandchildren.
Raphord Rowe and Arrie Johnson's daughter Allie Irene, born on November 27, 1912, first married Sylvester Crews, followed by Hubert Warden with whom she had a son, Clyde Anthony. Following her divorce from Hubert, Allie had a short-lived childless marriage to a Mr. Nichols. Lastly, Allie married Earnest E. Murray, born on April 23,
1914. Earnest was a farmer in Nassau County where Allie helped rear stepsons Charles Thomas and Robert David, Earnest's children by a prior marriage. Later, Earnest accepted a position with the State Road Department and the family made their home in Jacksonville. Earnest died on April 14, 1988, and is buried in the Mill Creek Cemetery. The following is a copy of Earnest's obituary that appeared in the Saturday, April 16, 1988, edition of The FloridaTimesUnion.
MURRAY — Funeral Services for Earnest E. Murray, 73, of 3009 Snell Street, will be held Monday at 2 p.m. in the Beverly Hills Baptist Church with interment in Mill Creek Cemetery, Nassau County, Florida. Survivors include his wife, Allie Murray of Jacksonville; his mother, Jennie Murray, Folkston, Georgia; 2 sons, Charles Thomas, St. George, Georgia, and Robert David, Panama City; a stepson, Clyde Warden, Orange Park; 3 sisters; 3 brothers; 5 grandchildren.
Arrangements are by Callahan Funeral Home.
Raphord Rowe and Arrie Johnson's daughter Flora Thelma, born on August 4, 1928, married Solomon "Sol" M. Higginbotham about 1942. Sol was born on October 10, 1906, in Ware County, Georgia. Previously Sol had been married to Alice Geiger, born on December 11, 1907. Sol Higginbotham and Alice Geiger were parents to Willene, David, Gene E. and Leland. Alice died on July 27, 1931, leaving Sol with a young family
to rear. Flora and Sol made their home in Callahan. They were parents to one child, a son who died as an infant and is interred in the Mill Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. Sol worked for the Nassau County Road Department. He died on November 20, 1974, and is buried with his and Flora's infant son in the Mill Creek Cemetery. The following is a copy of Sol's obituary that appeared in the Friday, November 22, 1974, edition of TheFloridaTimesUnion. HIGGINBOTHAM
— Funeral services for Mr. Solomon M. "Sol" Higginbotham will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday in the Buford Grove Baptist Church with the Rev. Sam Stewart and the Rev. Samuel Lee officiating. Burial will be in the Mill Creek Cemetery. Mr. Higginbotham of Route 1, Box 1876, Callahan, Florida, died Wednesday in a Fernandina Beach Hospital. He was born in Ware County, Georgia and had lived in Nassau County area most of his life. He was a member
of the Buford Grove Baptist Church and before his retirement he was with the Nassau County Road Department. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Flora R. Higginbotham; a daughter Willene H. Scussell, Hilliard; 3 sons, David B. Higginbotham, Columbia, South Carolina, Leland G. Higginbotham, Vandenburg, California and Gene E. Higginbotham, Hilliard; 2 sisters, Mrs. Cora Johnson of Hilliard, and Mrs. Nora Rhein of Yulee, Florida; a stepsister, Mrs. Betty Guynn;
a half brother, Charlie Higginbotham of Nahunta, Georgia; 4 stepbrothers, Harry Johnson of Washington, D.C., Joe and George Johnson, Jacksonville, Steve Johnson, Hilliard: 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Active pallbearers will be Tom Haley, Paul Thornton, Wayne Temple, Jack Barker, Flake Hewett and Dick King. The body will rest at the home from 2:00 p.m. Friday until 12 noon Saturday. George H. Hewell & Son, Northside Funeral Home is in charge
of arrangements.
Raphord Rowe and Arrie Johnson's daughter Ollie Mae, born on January 30, 1920, married Robert S. Lloyd, born on March 22, 1913. Robert was the son of Ada, born in 1897 in Georgia, and G. R. Lloyd, born in 1888 in Florida. Robert's siblings included Sobena, born in 1915, Elmer, born in 1917, and Lottie, born in 1920. Ollie and Robert first made their home in Nassau County and later Jacksonville, moving there in 1955.
They were parents to Keith, Winfred and Beatrice. Ollie Mae Rowe Lloyd died on February 12, 1970, and is buried in the Mill Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. Robert died March 31, 1986, and is interred with Ollie. The following is a copy of Ollie's obituary that appeared in the Saturday, February 14, 1970, edition of TheFloridaTimesUnion. LLOYD — Mrs. Ollie Mae Lloyd, 50, of 3908 Brentwood Avenue, died Thursday
night in a local hospital. She was a native of Hilliard and had lived in Jacksonville 15 years. She was a member of the Liberty Street Baptist Church. Survivors include her husband, Robert Lloyd; a daughter, Mrs. Beatrice Burden; two sons, Keith and Winfred Lloyd; four sisters, Mrs. Allie Murray, Mrs. Ruth Rewis, Mrs. Virue Lightsey, and Mrs. Flora Higginbotham; two brothers, Andrew and Jesse Rowe. Funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Monday in the Key-McCabe Northside Chapel.
Raphord Rowe and Arrie Johnson's daughter Ruth Myrtle, born on July 18,1917, married Vernon C. Rewis on March 28, 1937. Vernon was born on December 12, 1915, in Baker County, Florida, son of Charles and Cora Rewis. Vernon's siblings included Louise, Mary, Ruby, Doyle and Lacy. Ruth and Vernon made their home in Hilliard where they were parents to: Johnnie, Rudy, Judy and Faye. Vernon worked in Jacksonville as a shipyard welder.
Vernon C. Rewis died on February 15, 1976, and is buried in the Mill Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. The following is a copy of Vernon's obituary that appeared in the Wednesday, February 18, 1976, edition of TheFloridaTimesUnion. REWIS — Funeral services for Vernon C. Rewis of Hilliard will be at 2 p.m. Thursday in the River Road Baptist Church, with the Rev. Artis Crews officiating.
Burial will be in the Mill Creek Cemetery. Mr. Rewis, a native of Baker County, and a resident of Hilliard for fifty years, died Sunday evening. He was a member of the River Road Baptist Church and was retired. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Ruth R. Rewis; two daughters, Mrs. Faye Johnson and Mrs. Judy York: two sons, Johnnie and Rudy Rewis, all of Hilliard; three sisters, Mrs. Louise Woods and Mrs. Mary Davis of Jacksonville and Mrs. Ruby Stokes of Hilliard;
two brothers, Doyle Rewis of Riverview, Florida and Lacy Rewis of Pahokee, Florida; nine grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be, active, Broward Rewis, Ivy Allen, Keith Lloyd, Anthony Warden, Glen Rowe, Jay D. Stokes; honorary, King Crews, Clyde Conner, Gordonelll Rowe, Alva Rowe, Jerome Arnold, Ellis Conner, Noah Sikes and Douglas Hodges. The remains will lie in state at the family residence. Arrangements are by the Callahan Funeral Home.
Raphord Rowe and Arrie Johnson's daughter Virue Edith, born on April 5, 1927, married J. Hugh Boatright. Later after a childless marriage, Virue and Hugh were divorced. Virue then married Leroy Lightsey, an ordained minister. Leroy was born on June 6, 1926, in Baxley, Georgia, son of Leroy and Lillie Lightsey. Leroy's siblings included James, Otis, Buford, Sylvia and Rosalie. Leroy was a World War II veteran. Virue Rowe and
Leroy Lightsey made their home in Jacksonville where Leroy worked as plant manager for the B. B. McCormick Company. Virue and Leroy became parents to Roy Wayne and Kathy Darlene. Leroy died on January 4, 1970, and is buried in the Mill Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. The following is a copy of Leroy's obituary that appeared in the Tuesday, January 6, 1970, edition of TheFloridaTimesUnion. LIGHTSEY—
Funeral services for Leroy Lightsey, Jr., will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Faith Temple Assembly of God, on Torris Drive with the Rev. J. A. Cain officiating. Burial will be in Mill Creek Cemetery. Mr. Lightsey, of 2049 Ashland St., died Sunday after a brief illness. He was born in Baxley, Georgia, and resided in Jacksonville for 22 years. He was a member of the Assembly of God Church, and was associated with the B. B. McCormick Company as plant
manager. He was a veteran of World War II. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Virue Edith Lightsey; a son, Roy Wayne Lightsey, a daughter, Miss Kathy Darlene Lightsey, all of Jacksonville; his mother, Mrs. Lillie Lightsey of Nashville, Georgia: three brothers, James and Otis Lightsey of Fort Myers, and Buford Lightsey of Orlando; two sisters Mrs. Sylvia Henderson, Nashville, Georgia, and Mrs. Rosalie Edmunds, of Norfolk, Virginia; and a number of
nieces and nephews. Arrangements by Key-McCabe Northside.
After Leroy Lightsey's death, Virue Rowe Lightsey had a childless marriage to Edward Todd. THIS CHAPTER: |
