"Aunt Ada:"
Ada Adair Coon Davis
1879 -- 1968
This article contains my recollections and the results of my research into a lady whom I know as "Aunt Ada." She is Ada Adair Coon, born 28 February 1879, died 15 July 1968; married John Davis (1877-1952) on 6 November 1907.
I know her as "Aunt Ada" because she was my Grandfather Richardson's aunt -- his mother's sister. He called her Aunt Ada and, as a result, the rest of the family knew her the same way. My grandfather's mother was Martha "Mattie" Coon (b. 28 Jan 1861, d. 21 Jan 1901). Ada was her youngest sister; they were two of eight children born to Charles August Coon, Jr., and Martha Lanehart.
Photo of Aunt Ada
Here's a photo of Aunt Ada and several of her nieces and nephews.
L-R: Reverdy Hunter Richardson, Jr. (my grandfather's older brother, Uncle Hunter); Ada Adair Coon Davis (Aunt Ada); Everett E. Richardson (my grandfather's brother); Mabel Richardson (my grandfather's sister); Clarence J. Richardson (my grandfather); Gordon Richardson (son of R. H. Richardson and Ethel DuBose; half-brother of Hunter, Everett, Mable, and Clarence). Photo probably taken in the lawn of Aunt Ada's home in Woodville, MS.
A word of explanation is due here. Names in bold letters are people in the photo above.
- Ada's sister, Martha (Mattie) Coon, married Reverdy Hunter Richardson (1 Sep 1864 - 12 Apr 1916). They had seven children: Putnam (d. 1902); Hunter (d. 1974); Mamie (d. 1961); Mable (d. 1977); Clarence (d. 1972); Everett (d. 1973); and Richard (d. 1900, 4 mos old).
- Mattie Coon died in January 1901. Her husband, my great-grandfather, Reverdy Hunter Richardson, married Nettie Ethel Dubose 10 Jan 1906. They had five children: James Gordon Richardson (d. 1981, in the photo); Mattie (d. 1912, age 4 yrs); Alice (d. 1995); Arthur (d. 1989); and Francis Dubose (Frank) (d. 1993).
- Strictly speaking, Aunt Ada was not the aunt of the five children born to Reverdy H. Richardson and Ethel Dubose. However, Southern families being what we are, she was Aunt Ada to everyone. You have to be a Southerner to understand.
John Davis
Ada Adair Coon and John Davis were married on 6 November 1907 in Wilkinson County, MS, probably in Woodville. I have only two pieces of information about John Davis.
- Born 1877, died 1952, buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Woodville, Wilkinson County, MS.
- Family legend says he was a gambler on a riverboat on the Mississippi River.
My mother was our family historian and, upon her death in 2007, I inherited boxes of "stuff," which I have spent the past few years sorting and preserving. Among this "stuff" I found (1) the original marriage license for Aunt Ada and John Davis, and, (2) several of Aunt Ada's grade cards from a school she attended in Woodville. Here's a photo of the marriage license. I will add photos of the grade cards later (dated Feb 2013).
Here are photos of their headstones from Evergreen Cemetery.
Aunt Ada's Home, Woodville, MS
In October 2010, we traveled to Mississippi where I took this photo of Aunt Ada's home in Woodville, MS, across the street from the Methodist Church.
On the right side of the photo is a brick addition to the house. That was added after Aunt Ada's death by a successive owner. While I know this is Aunt Ada's home, I don't know if she and John Davis lived in it together. However, because he died in 1952, I suspect this was their home for some time.
If you want another view of the house, go to Google Earth and zoom in on
coordinates:
31 deg 06 min 15.70 sec N
91 deg 18 min 13.77 sec W
Aunt Ada and "Little Willie"
Here's another intriguing family story that may pertain to Aunt Ada.