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Martha Patsy Cantwell November 17th 1800 – around 1870 Martha Cantwell was born on November 17th 1800. She was the daughter of John & Jane (Barnett) Cantwell. She married Lanceford Cantrell, about 1817, Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Fa ther: John Cantwell Mother : Jane Barnett _________________________ Husband: Lanceford Cantrell

Johnnie Deaton Johnnie at her house in Demorest with father John Henry Deaton Johnnie Deaton was born in Homer, Banks County on November 18th 1933. She was the first descendant of John Starlin Deaton to graduate from college. She married Joe Downer in 1954. They had two daughters. Deborah Diane Downer was born in July of 1958 and Hazel Joann Downer born in September of 1963 in Habersham County, GA. Deborah Dianne Downer had two daughters. Hannah Erin Cunningham was born July 21, 1983 and Leah April Cunningham was born April 29, 1986. Hannah Erin Cunningham married Dustan Wilbanks in November of 2001 in Habersham County, GA. Hazel Joann Downer (Named Hazel because the first time her grandfather, John Deaton, saw her he thought she looked just like her Aunt Hazel did when she was born.) married Johnny Loudermilk in September of 1981 in Habersham County. They have a daughter, Melody Anna, born April 4, 1995, and a son, John Mark, born December 23, 1996 in Habersham County, GA. Johnnie passed away from cancer on September 2, 2003. Father: John Henry Deaton Mother : Cora Jane Lawrence Sister : Ruth Deaton, Hazel Deaton Brother : Stark Deaton ________________ _______ Husband : Joseph Tillman Downer Children : Deborah Dianne Downer, Joann Hazel Downer November 18th 1933 - February 2nd 2003 Johnnie and sister Ruth Deaton L to R: Cora, Johnnie, John Henry, Ruth Johnnie and husband Joseph Downer Johnnie (Far Right) with her family L to R: Cora, Ruth, John Henry, Johnnie L to R: Johnnie holding daughter Joann, beside her is daughter Dianne Downer Johnnie at her house in Demorest L to R: Martha Ann Deaton, Ernest Lee Deaton, Johnnie Deaton, Joseph Tillman Downer

Robert Lee Meeler September 13th 1923 – June 19th 2018 Robert Lee Meeler was born September 13, 1923 in Banks County, GA. He was the third child of Etta Davis Meeler and James Meeler. His father passed away when he was five years old so his early years were spent working on the farm. He was drafted into the army in 1943 and remained there until 1975. He married Ina Wiley in 1947. They had two children, Carol and David. He married Teresa Sternes in 1971. Robert Meeler passed away on June 19th, 2018. Father: James Meeler Mother: Etta Davis _ ______________________ Brother: Charlie Meeler Sisters: Odell Meeler , Elsie Meeler Half Brother: John Henry Deaton , Jake Deaton , Harve Deaton ________________ ______ Top Row (L to R): Robert Meeler, Charlie Meeler Bottom Row (L to R): Etta Meeler, Elsie Meeler, Odell Meeler L to R: Harve Deaton, Bertie Mae Ausburn, Odell Meeler, Robert Meeler, Charlie Meeler Robert Meeler a nd Etta Meeler

Charlie Meeler August 21st 1912 – March 13th 1972 Charlie D. Meeler was born August 21, 1912 in Banks County, GA. He was the oldest child of Etta Davis Meeler and James W. Meeler. He farmed for a living. When Charlie was young, he would attend church with his father, James Meeler. His mother and siblings would attend Damascus Church. He was known to participate in bootlegging with his Deaton half-brothers in the 1930s. Father: James Meeler Mother: Etta Davis _ ______________________ Brother: Robert Meeler Sisters: Odell Meeler , Elsie Meeler Half Brother: John Henry Deaton , Jake Deaton , Harve Deaton ________________ ______ Top Row (L to R): Robert Meeler, Charlie Meeler Bottom Row (L to R): Etta Meeler, Elsie Meeler, Odell Meeler H e married Lonie Lillie Kelley on April 21 1946. They were married by B.S. Peyton in Homer, Georgia. Lonie's parents were Mary Blackburn and Thomas Kelley. They had two children, James Thomas Meeler and Elsie Louise Meeler, who were so precious to them. Charlie died March 13, 1972 and Lonie died April 7, 1974. They are buried at Lamar Church Cemetery, Banks County, GA. Lonie Lillie Kelley a nd Etta Meeler L to R: Odell Meeler, James Thomas Meeler, Etta Meeler, Charlie Meeler, Lonie Meeler

David Deaton 25 November 1894 – 30 March 1921 David Deaton was born in November of 1894 in Graham County, NC. He was the second son of Leutica Carver and John Starlin Deaton. After his father died he went with his half-sister, Etta Carver Davis Deaton to Martha and James Wheeler's home in Towns County, GA. In the 1910 Census of Towns County, GA, he is listed as still living in the home with them. We have no knowledge of the year he left there. Harve Wesley Deaton, his half-brother, said he developed Tuberculosis and moved to New Mexico for his health. Photographic enlargement of David Deaton and friend. I have the original picture of this in a frame. Fa ther : John Starlin Deaton Mother : Leutica Carver Brothers: Reuben Deaton , Isaac Deaton , Robert Lee Deaton Half Brothers : John Henry Deaton, Jacob Leander Deaton , Harve Wesley Deaton ____________________ David Deaton is on the far right. It is unknown who the other men are.

Maud Ausburn November 17th 1908 - February 20th 1991 L to R: Maud and niece, Bertie Mae Ausburn L to R: Maud Ausburn, Claude Jackson, Lucille Jackson, Harve Deaton holding Martha Ann Deaton Maud Lee Ausburn was the youngest child of Benjamin and Mary Caudell Ausburn. She was born November 17, 1908 in Banks County, GA. She died February 20, 1991 in Banks County, GA. She never married. She is buried at Damascus Church Cemetery, Banks County, GA. Memories of Maud Ausburn written by Martha Ann Deaton: ​ "As a child I loved Aunt Maud. She kept house for Mallory Scoggins after his wife died and took care of his daughter, Ruby. I would spend the weekend with them. It was a great big white two-story house with a tremendous porch. It was about the nicest house I remember at the time. Aunt Maud would give me a dime to go to the store across the road that Mr. Scoggins owned in Hollingsworth, GA. He would feed me all kinds of junk, then give me candy to take back to the house with me. He would tell me not to tell Maud. He was a great person! He always told me about the girl that had twenty-five names and he could rattle them off so very fast. I almost believed him. Aunt Maud always fried chicken for Sunday morning breakfast. I enjoyed those visits, except for them insisting that I sing the latest song I had learned. My great-aunts were a very special part of my life." L to R: Maud and Martha Ann Deaton Father: Benjamin Ausburn Mother : Mary Louise Caudell Brother : Grant Wilmer Ausburn Sister : Mittie Lou Ausburn , Essie Ausburn ________________ _______ L to R: Martha Ann Deaton, Maud holding Wayne Deaton Mallory Scoggins house where Maud Ausburn worked L to R: Maud Ausburn and Fred Gibson

Deaton Family Tree Click a profile and learn more!

Ausburn Family Tree Click a profile and learn more!

Jack Peyton May 23rd 1916 – December 24th 1989 Jack Peyton 1940s Jack Peyton holding Martha Ann Deaton Jack Peyton was born in May 1916 in the Washington District of Banks County, Georgia to Dover and Nancy Peyton. In his teenager years, he had a falling out with his father Dover and left home. He found work in the same district for a man named Harve Deaton who took him in as a farmhand. Harve Deaton's wife, Bertie Mae Ausburn, knew Jack as they were distant cousins and grew up near one another. On Jack's WW2 registration card, he lists his cousin, Bertie Mae, as someone who would always know his location. In 1941, Jack Peyton and Bertie Mae Ausburn, had a daughter named Martha Ann Deaton. The circumstances of this event are unknown. Father : Dover Peyton Mother : Nancy Segars Brothers : Sisters : ________________ _______ ​ Child with Bertie Mae Ausburn: Martha Ann Deaton ​ Wife: Annie Ruth Tipton ​ Child: Ronald Peyton Jack Peyton's paternity was not discovered by Martha Ann Deaton's family until 82 years later, in August of 2023, when Martha Ann Deaton's daughter took a DNA test that revealed Jack Peyton as her grandfather instead of Harve Deaton. It is likely that Martha Ann Deaton never knew, as she passed away in 2020, three years before the DNA test was taken. It is also unknown if Harve Deaton ever knew of this. After receving the DNA results from ancestry.com, it was readily apparent that there were no "Deaton" surname DNA matches, even while knowing many of Martha Ann's cousins had taken the same DNA test. It did however show many matches with the name "Peyton", which was familiar due to the fact that Bertie Mae kept two photos of a man named Jack Peyton, one in which he was holding one-year old Martha Ann. After researching Jack Peyton, it was found that his only other child, Ronald Peyton, was still alive and lived in Albany, Georgia. Having contacted Ronald, he told us that he always knew he had a half-sister that lived in North Carolina but did not know who she was. He said he was told this by his uncle John after his father had passed away in 1989. Ronald agreed to take a DNA test and results showed that he was Martha Ann Deaton's daughters half-uncle, confirming that Jack was Martha Ann's biological father. DNA Testing Banks County Carl Maney, Hoyt Moss, Unknown, Jack Peyton WW2 and Marriage Jack Peyton served in WW2 and was awarded a purple heart and a bronze star. After the war, he married a woman named Annie Ruth Tipton. They had one child together in 1946, named Ronald Peyton in Greenwood SC.

Grant Wilmer Ausburn September 17th 1889 - September 20th 1968 Grant Ausburn was the son of Benjamin B. and Mary Louise Caudell Ausburn. He was born September 17, 1889 in Banks County, GA and died September 20, 1968 in Jackson County, GA. He married Daisy Pressley August 13, 1908 in Banks County, GA. She was the daughter of Jack and Sally Pressley. She was born March 25, 1891 and died September 29, 1979 in Banks County, GA. They are buried at Damascus Church Cemetery in Banks County, GA. Grant was a farmer. They had six children. They also raised two grandchildren, Rudolph and Ruby Nell Ausburn. Father: Benjamin Ausburn Mother : Mary Louise Caudell Sister : Mittie Lou Ausburn , Essie Ausburn, Maud Ausburn _______________________ Wife : Daisy Pressley Children : Dora Belle Ausburn, Plummer Ausburn, Hubert Everadge Ausburn, Mary Monteen Ausburn, Mary "Marie" Ausburn, Zinebell Ausburn This picture was taken when Ben Ausburn died. The Grant Ausburn family is well represented here. The children on the front row left to right are Ruby and Rudolph Ausburn, Boyd Jackson and Eulean Lewallen. The second row: Bertie Mae Deaton, Belle Ausburn, Vassie Lewallen, Montene Ausburn, Marie Ausburn and Bentley Lewallen. Back row: Hubert Ausburn, Harve Deaton, unknown, Daisy Ausburn, Duck Ausburn, unknown, Grant Ausburn, unknown, Ralph Lewallen and Claude Jackson

Lucinda Duncan 1844 – 21 March 1900 Lucinda Duncan was born in 1833. She married Azor Carver on January 22nd 1861. The minister was Jacob Weaver . "R.B Vance" was their witness. ​ ​ They had three children: Robert Lee Carver, Leutica Candis Carver, John Henry "Jack" Carver. ​ Lucinda's husband, Azor, went off to serve in the civil war. When he came back, he was able to own a fair amount of land. Azor was a farmer. Lucinda's granddaughter, Etta Davis, always said she was raised by her grandparents. This likely would have been around 1890. ​ Lucinda died on March 21st 1900 and her husband, Azor, died a few months after. Picture of Lucinda Duncan Fa ther: John Henry Duncan Mother : Matilda Owens _______________________ Husband: Azor Carver Children : Robert Lee Carver, Leutica Candis Carver , John Henry Carver Lucinda's son, John Henry Carver Headstone of Lucinda Duncan Marriage Registry of Lucinda and Azor All Census Records

Reuben Deaton April 28th 1891 – September 1931 Rueben Deaton was the eldest son of Leutica Carver and John Starlin Deaton. He was born in April of 1892 in Graham County, NC. He married Lillie McDonald on March 25, 1913 in Graham County, NC. With her came Rube's new step-child. They later had a child of their own, Johnnie Starlin Deaton (February 7th 1915 - May 15th 1988). ​ Rueben Deaton later married Calcina "Callie" Swayney, 1/8th Cherokee Indian. They had four children; however, only two survived to adulthood: Woodroe Deaton (February 20th 1928 - February 27th 2010) and Nellie Deaton (February 21st 1926 - July 31st 2020). Their first child was named "Lutitia Deaton", named after Rube's mother. She was born June 8th, 1923 and died December 24th 1923 at 6 months old of pneumonia in Swain County. Rube buried her on Christmas Day. They had another child, Charles Deaton, on May 4th 1925, he passed away May 12th 1925. ​ Father : John Starlin Deaton Mother : Leuticia Carver Brothers: David Deaton , Isaac Deaton , Robert Lee Deaton Half Brothers : John Henry Deaton, Jacob Leander Deaton , Harve Wesley Deaton ____________________ Wife : Lydia McDonald Children: Johnnie Deaton Wife: Callie Swayney Children: Woodroe Deaton, Nellie Deaton Rube and wife Lydia McDonald pregnant with Johnnie, also with her son in 1915 L to R: Isaac Deaton and brother Rube Deaton When Callie Swayney Deaton died about 1924, Rueben took the children to Georgia. He left Nellie and Woodroe in the care of Margie and Bob Deaton, his brother and sister-in-law. They stayed there, with Rube visiting them, while remaining in Cherokee to work. When they were old enough, Woodroe and Nellie went to live at the school on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. In either 1932 or 1933, a large black car drove into the yard of Robert Deaton and several Indians got out. They informed him that Rueben had been killed. They took Robert Deaton back to Cherokee, NC to bury his brother. Brothers Harve and Isaac Deaton always said a member of the Swayney family killed Rueben. Jurlon Deaton quotes his father, Ike Deaton, as telling the following story. Rube was bad to drink and he went to sleep wherever he was at the time. He always slept with his head hanging off the bed. This particular night he was sleeping in another woman's house and someone came in and hit him in the head with a crowbar. In a newspaper article, Rube was accused by step-son for killing Callie Swayney. The body was exhumed and found that Callie had a crack in her skull. Rube's consequences for this are unknown. Callie Swayney's death certificate. Lutitia Deaton's death certificate. Charles Deaton's death certificate. Rube Deaton's WW1 Draft Registration Card Death Reuben died in 1932 after getting hit in the head. It was speculated that the son of Cherokee Indian, Molly Runningwolf, was the one who did it; however, Molly Runningwolf took the blame and served 21 months in prison. ​ In 1947, Harve Deaton came to get answers to find out who really killed his half brother. Molly Runningwolf had thought he had come to kill her. In reality, he just wanted the truth. Molly begged him to believe her that it was not her or her son, but that it was a member of the Swayney family who did it. ​ The meeting ended cordially. Harve brought along his wife Bertie Mae, children Fred, Martha Ann, Wayne, and his wife's half brother Boyd Jackson. ​ In the interview below, there is a audio recording mentioning Molly Runningwolf's time in prison. Click here to listen to Molly Runningwolf interview Census Records