William Joshua Grady and Katie Verda Ford Family Bible
The Bible of William Joshua Grady and Katie Verda Ford
William Joshua Grady born June 22, 1865, Albertson Duplin Co., N. C. The son of John
Grady III and Celia Uzzell.
Katie Virda Ford born November 28 1868, Albertson, Duplin Co., N. C. The daughter of
Byron DeMarl Ford and Sophronia Eleanor Davis.
They were married April 29, 1894 in Prospect Church, Albertson, Duplin Co. N. C.
The Prospect Church was built by her grandfather, Samuel Davis about 1810. Its
location was behind the present day R-Mart Store at Albertson, where the Lester and
Margaret Brett house is now (Their grand son lives in it). Margaret told me that they
had to move the old church to build their house.
WHAT THEREFORE GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER LET NOT MAN PUT ASUNDER
THIS IS TO CERTIFY
That Wm. J Grady
And Katie V. Ford She was 25 years old
WERE UNITED BY ME IN
HOLY MATRIMONY
(1958 90 years old
At Prospect Church on the 29th day of
April 1894 In the year of our Lord 1894
In Presence of Lizzie Outlaw & Thos Howard
Signed Joh B, Outlaw. J. P_
OutlawsBridge, N.C. [ontie us bridge]
THEREFORE SHALL A MAN LEAVE HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER AND
SHALL CLEAVE UNTO HIS WIFE AND THEY SHALL BE ONE FLESH
GEN. 11.
Marriages.
W. J. Grady were married Apr. 29 1894
& Katie V. Ford at Prospect Church
3 pm
Verda Bell Born August 16th 1898.
Byron McRae “ Sept. 5th 1900. Died Aug. 17, 1913.
Charles William “ June 9th 1903.
Mary Ellen “ July 24th, 1905.
Paul Allen “ December 28, 1908.
Clida Susan “ May 19, 1911.
Verda Bell Grady married Daniel Green Simmons
Charles William Grady married Ray Withrow.
Mary Ellen Grady married Hermon Wooten Spence.. Nov. 28, 1928
Paul Allen Grady married Elizabeth Southerland _
Clida Susan married Faison Smith Dec. 19, 1931
Deaths
Byron McRae August 17th, 1913
W. J. Grady Died August 11th, 1949
Katie Verda Ford Grady Died April 28, 1964 (wed)
Verda Bell Grady Simmons Died July 1968
1
GRADY
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HUSBAND: (Jock) William Joshua Grady
bir: 22 Jun 1865 in Albertson, Duplin County
mar. 29 Apr 1894 in Prospect Church,Albertson,Duplin Co., NC
dea. 11 Aug 1949 in Albertson, Duplin County
bur. 13 Aug 1949 in John Grady Cemetery, off Bill Sutton Rd.
Cemetery Albertson, N.C.
Grave site Paul Grady Lane
Father: John Grady [III]
Mother: Celia Uzzell
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WIFE: Kate (Katie) Verda Ford
bir: 28 Nov 1868 in Kenansville,Duplin Co,N. C.
mar: 29 Apr 1894 in Prospect Church,Albertson,Duplin Co., NC
dea: 28 Apr 1964 in Albertson, Duplin County, N. C.
bur. 30 Apr 1964 in John Grady Cemetery, off Bill Sutton Rd.
Cemetery Albertson, Duplin Co., N. C.
Grave site Paul Grady Lane
Father: Byron DeMart Ford
Mother: Sophronia Eleanor Davis
_____________________________________________________________________________________
CHILDREN
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1 Name: Verda Bell Grady
F bir: 16 Aug. 1898 in Albertson, Duplin County
mar: 8 Dec 1913 in Wayne County, N. C.
to: Daniel Green Simmons
dea: 17 Jul 1968 in Kenansville,Duplin Co,N. C.
bur: 19 Jul 1968 in Oak Ridge Memorial Park
Cemetery Pink Hill, N. C.
Grave site Pink Hill,N.C.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2 Name: Byron McRae Grady
M bir: 5 Sep 1900 in Albertson,Duplin County,N. C.
dea: 17 Aug 1913 in Albertson,Duplin County,N. C.
bur: 19 Aug 1913 in John Grdy Cemetery, Pul Grdy L.
Cemetery Albertson, Duplin Co., N. C.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2
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3 Name: Charles William Grady
M bir: 9 Jun 1903 in Albertson,Duplin County,N. C.
mar: 18 Apr 1938 in Shelby, N. C.
to: Wray Eugene Withrow
Site Dover Baptist Church
dea: 14 Aug 1998 in Live Oak, Suwannee Co., Fl
Cause Old age,
Death site Dowling Park,
bur: 17 Aug 1998 In Live Oak, Suwannee Co., Fl
Cemetery Beaulah Baptist Church Cemetery
Grave site Dowling Park, Fl
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4 Name: Mary Ellen Grady
F bir: 24 Jul 1905 in Albertson,Duplin County,N. C.
mar: 28 Nov 1928 in Warsaw, Duplin Co., N. C.
to: Herman Wooten Spence
dea: 17 Apr 1995 in Kinston, Lenoir County, N. C.
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5 Name: Paul Allen Grady
M bir: 28 Dec 1908
mar: 23 Jan 1932 in S. C.
to: Elizabeth Southerland
dea: Jul 1992 in Albertson,Duplin County,N. C.
bur: Jul 1992 in Ok Rdg Mmrl. Prk, Pnk Hill,N C.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
6 Name: (Susie) Katie Susan Grady
F bir: 19 May 1911 in Albertson,Duplin County,N. C.
mar: 19 Dec 1931 in Dillon, S. C.
to: Faison Smith
dea: 4 Jul 1984 in Kinston, Lenoir County, N. C.
bur: 6 Jul 1984 in Oak Ridge Memoiral Park,
Cemetery Pink Hill, N. C.
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Individual Biographical text for (Jock) William Joshua Grady
William Joshua Grady was born on the same farm he lived and raised his family,
as his father, John Grady did before him. He was known as “Jock” to family and friends.
His boyhood friend was Judge Henry Grady. They enjoyed fishing and swimming in the
“Old North East River”, and picnics at Sutton’s Branch school and also dancing at Maxwell’s
Mill. Jock and his cousin, Don Maxwell, owned and operated the Oak Ridge Supply Co. at
Resaca, near Pink Hill until Don’s death in 1932.
Jock served as Postmaster in Albertson Township form 1886 to 1919. The post office was
in his home, (now off Bill Sutton Rd. on Grady Lane).
He served as Justice of the Peace for 12 years, and has married people and heard many
cases in his “little court” at his home. People would come up to be married while sitting
in their horse drawn buggy. He also served two terms on the Board of County
Commissioner of the Court, one term of which he was the Chairman. During his two
terms the present Duplin County Courthouse was erected and a program of causeways
and dam building got under way.
3
In February 1919, he was appointed by Lon Middleton and Pat McGowan as a
member of the Board of Education of the County to fill out the unfinished term of M. F.
Westbrook, after which he filled that position for about 20 years.
He was active in the consolidation and building of several schools, among which
was his “pride and joy,” B. F. Grady High School, completed in 1929. The land for the
school was given by the Benjamin Franklin Grady family, his cousins.
He retired from office in 1938. He was a member of St. John’s Lodge No. 13, A.F.
and A.M., at Kenansville.
Jock and Kate celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary April 29, 1944 in the
home of Susie Grady Smith. After Kate’s death the Golden Wedding china and gifts were
divided up between the children. Susie got the china cabinet.
He was known to always be positive and fair of mind. He had a chuckle in his
laugh. He did not believe children should here about war news and violence. During World
War II, he never spoke about the war in front of us.
When we (Buddy and LouGene) were children and visited them, Granddaddy
would sit on one side of the fire place and Grandmama sat on the other. Grandaddy sat in
a straight back rocking chair, reading his favorite books by Zane Grey. Behind him was his
dresser and next to that was a ceder chest. He would put his glasses on the top of his
head and unlock the ceder chest and give us candy, vanilla ice cream drops covered with
chocolate (they tast like ceder, I would only eat one to be polite) Then he would pull his
glasses from the top of his head and reach behind the dresser and pull out a board with
checker squares on one side, then ask if we were ready to play him a game of “Set-back“
(a card game). He would put one end of the board on his knees and the other on our.
This is the was he taught us how to play Set back and Checkers..
When I was 12, on Sundays mornings after church, I would go get Granddaddy
and Grandmama to come eat dinner with us. Granddaddy would tell people, “She is a
good driver, she does not miss a bump in the road” (the road was not paved). When
asked what he would do if the patrolman stopped us, he would say “I would slip under the
steering wheel”, then he would chuckle. (He had never driven a car, only horse and buggy).
After he had prostate Surgery in June 1949, he stayed at his daughter, Susie G. S
mith’s home. He was very sick and required someone to stay up with him day and, night
until he died August 11, 1949.
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Individual biographical text for Kate (Katie) Verda Ford
Kate’s grandfather, Captain Samuel Davis, built the house in 1813 where all his
children were raised. (located on Highway 111, ½ mile south of Albertson Post office) In
1810 Samuel Davis gave the land for the Prospect Meeting House at Albertson, Duplin
County. N. C. (it was located back of the R-Mart, about 300 yards). This church is where
Katie and Jock Grady dated for several years before they were married, April 29, 1894 by
Joe Ben Outlaw. Dr. J. F. Maxwell and daughter, Vivie took them from the Ford house to
Prospect Church. Malcolm Grady held the hors while Jock and J. F. got her things from
the house to the buggy. When leaving, Katie’s mother, Sophronia threw a horse shoe at
them for good luck.
Katie attended James Sprunt Institute in Kenansville. In 1892 she attended Glenwood
School in Newton Grove, N. C. Her teacher was Katie Eason, a cousin. While she was
in school in Newton Grove, Jock would go by Ford Place and pick blossoms out of her
flower garden, to send in the letters he wrote to her. Jock also wrote her saying “If I
new the way to Newton Grove, I would hitch up my horst and go the see you”. (Aaron
Smith, a grandson, built his house on the spot of her flower garden).
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In a letter from her mother “I would send you some money, but there is not one
penny in this house. Katie, you be a good girl and study hard, and do not worry about us”
She talked about the “Pea-foul” (Peacock) that were plentiful while she was growing
up. She moved into the “John Grady House” with Jock, where his father, John, and his
sister Catherine lived. John would sit in front of the fire place in his mahogany rocking
chair with a roped back and rope seat, while Verda played at his feet, Verda was given
the chair after his death in 1898. The chair is still in the family and in the posession of
his great granddaughter Gloria Taylor. Jock and Katie raised their children here and lived
out their lives there. Katie died there on the eve of their 74th wedding anniversary. Katie
had light brown hair and blue eyes. She had a joyous laugh and her eyes sparkled. She
was an excellent cook, and enjoyed having family and friend eat with them. In the late
summer after noons she and granddaddy would sit on the front porch and sing hymns.
She made quilts (there are some still in the family) and most of their clothes. She loved
to dress up in nice store bought dresses with one of her many fine breast pins and rings
and a gold bracelet. She loved good smelling powder (I think granddaddy like it too, he
always teased her about “taking so long to dress up and smell good”). She loved baby’s
of all kinds, children, chicks, turkeys, pups, kittens, of which she had one of each with
her most of her life. She fed her last chickens in 1957, before she had Pneumonia and
stayed in the hospital for two weeks, followed by a long recovery. Her last dog was name
“Bang-Doodle”. While in the hospital, when a door downstairs would close, she would
say “there is Bang-Doodle I need to go feed him”.
After Jock died, Katie’s health declined; she had what is now known as
Altzheimers, and became blind from glaucoma, which lead to her being bed ridden for
about seven years. Jock had provided for her to be taken care of through the farm income
and she was taken care of at home by family members, mostly Paul and wife, Elizabeth,
and hired help when they could get them.
Source: Personal memories ; Bible records; Land grants and deeds; Written
accounts from Malcolm Grady; Old family letters; Family records; Other family memories;
Duplin Times Newspaper.
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