Image is from emmausroadfc.org.
It took a while, but I was able to obtain a copy of Mary’s certificate of death from the Georgia Department of Public Health. My grandfather, Lish Askew, is indeed documented as the spouse of Mary, who’s maiden name is likely Hayes, and he was also the informant for her death. His signature is recorded on the document.
Through a combination of census records and city directories, I’ve pieced together a rather troubled relationship between my grandfather, Lish Askew, and his first wife, Mary.
Using information from the 1930 census, I estimated that Lish and Mary were married in about 1926. Whether or not it was a legal marriage, I cannot say. From past conversations with older family members, common law marriage in the Black community during the Jim Crow Era was not uncommon. This meant the woman could use the man’s last name without having a legally binding document or ceremony. If the relationship went sour, they could pack up and go their separate ways without the need for messy divorce proceedings. Most of us back then didn’t have a whole lot of possessions to fight over in the first place. It’s possible that this could have been the arrangement or understanding between the two of them.
Continue reading
English (northern): habitational name from a place in North Yorkshire named Aiskew from Old Norse eik ‘oak’ + skógr ‘wood’ or possibly from another minor place in northern England likewise named with the same elements such as Aiskew in Marrick (North Yorkshire) or the lost Aykescof in Preese (Lancashire).
English (northern): habitational name from a place in North Yorkshire named Aiskew from Old Norse eik ‘oak’ + skógr ‘wood’ or possibly from another minor place in northern England likewise named with the same elements such as Aiskew in Marrick (North Yorkshire) or the lost Aykescof in Preese (Lancashire).
Throughout my research I have seen my grandfather’s name in three variations. Every family member that has spoken about him has referred to him as Uncle Lish, or just Lish. However, on documents such as census records, and city directories he is recorded as either Elijah, Elisha, or Lish. I’d assumed that this was simply another documentation error on behalf of the enumerators, but then I’d learned something. Neighborhoods in the city directories were actually canvassed, meaning someone went door-to-door to obtain information about each residence on their assigned route. That means someone in the residence, acting as the primary informant, reported his name as such. So which is it?
Skinfolk and Kinfolk 