McCauley, Lanier, Hankins, Hopkins & Taylor Families

Verda Waller "Verdie Jane" HANKINS ^1484,1539

  More Information:

• Namesake: Verda's middle name, Waller, was the maiden name of her great, great, great grandmother, Dorothy Waller and was also the middle name of her paternal grandmother's sister, Mary Waller Goodloe. Verda was said to not like her middle name and adopted Jane as her middle name instead (probably in honor of her paternal grandmother, Isabella Jane Goodloe).

• Residence: 1884 1904, Hopkins County, Kentucky. ¹⁵³⁶ Verda was born and raised in Hopkins County. The family was living in Earlington 4 years before she was born. Sometime between 1880 - 1891, they moved to Dalton. In 1903, they moved from Dalton to Earlington where they were living when Verda and Will got married.

• 1900 United States Federal Census, Lee Hankins household, Hopkins County, Kentucky: Verdie was living with her parents in Dalton. She was listed as Verdie W. Hankins, daughter, age 15, born Dec 1884 in Kentucky. ¹⁴⁸⁴

• Newspaper Clipping: Earlington Bee on 3 March 1904 in Earlington, Hopkins County, Kentucky ¹⁵³⁶ Cabin Hill Items
Miss Verda Hankins was not at prayer meeting last Thursday night on account of sickness in the family.

• Newspaper Clipping: Earlington Bee on 8 September 1904 in Earlington, Hopkins County, Kentucky ¹⁵³⁶ Cabin Hill:
Mrs. Vernon Wyatt, of Dalton, visited Miss Virdie [sic] Hankins one day last week. [Mrs. Wyatt (Dicie Vernon Goodloe) was the cousin of Lee Hankins but was close in age to Verda so they were apparently good friends.]

• 1910 United States Federal Census, J. W. McCauley household, College Street, Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: Verda was living with Will and their 3 daughters. She was listed as Verda McCauley, wife, age 25, mother of 3 children-all living, born in Kentucky. ¹⁵⁴⁰

• 1920 United States Federal Census, John W. McCauley household, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: Verda was living with Will and their 6 children. She was listed as Verdie W. McCauley, wife, age 30, born in Kentucky. ¹⁵³⁰

• 1930 United States Federal Census, J. W. McCauley household, Kennedy Brasher Road, Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: Verda was living with Will and 7 of their children. She was listed as Verda McCauley, wife, age 45, married at age 19, born in Kentucky. ¹⁵³¹

• Memorial: This poem was found in a scrapbook at Pleasant Hill Church and was transcribed by Faye Hopkins McCauley (probably in the 1970's).

View Full Transcript

• Grave Marker: John W. & Verda J. McCauley, Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. ¹⁵²⁵

Verdie Jane married John William "Will" McCAULEY, son of Joseph Smith LANIER and Nancy Jane BENNETT, on 27 September 1904 in Earlington, Hopkins County, Kentucky.¹⁵²¹ (John William "Will" McCAULEY was born on 1 March 1875 in Alabama,¹⁵²⁴ died on 20 July 1959 in Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky ¹⁵²³ and was buried on 21 July 1959 in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky ^1523,1525.)

• Marriage Bond: 26 September 1904, J. W. McCauley and Verdie Hankins, Hopkins County, Kentucky ¹⁵³⁵ Principal: J. W. McCauley, Surety: T. L. Hankins. Both parties were living in Earlington.

View Marriage Bond, License and Certificate

• Wedding Ceremony: 27 September 1904, Earlington, Hopkins County, Kentucky. Will and Verdie were married at the home of her parents, Lee and Samantha Hankins. Witnesses were W. T. Hodges & Samuel Wyatt. [Wyatt was the husband of Lee Hankins' 1st cousin, Dicie Vernon Goodloe. Any relationship to Hodges is unknown.] The ceremony was performed by Elder Jas. H. Dame. ¹⁵²¹

• Wedding Announcement: Earlington Bee, 29 September 1904, Earlington, Hopkins County, Kentucky. ¹⁵³⁶ Married: Mr. William McCauley of Daniel Boone, and Miss Verdia Hankins, of this city, were united in marriage at the residence of the bride's parents Tuesday evening at 7:30 o'clock Rev. James Dame, of Manitou officiating. The groom is an industrious miner and the bride is the daughter of Rev. Lee Hankins, of this city, and an estimable young lady. Their many friends extend congratulations.

• Residence: 1904 - abt 1908, Hopkins County, Kentucky. ¹⁵³⁷ Will & Verda lived in Hopkins County from the time of their marriage until about 1908.

• Residence: 1908, Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. ⁴³⁴ Will & Verda moved to Greenville about 1908 and remained there for the rest of their lives. They lived in a house on the corner of Depot and College Streets in town and then moved to a farm outside of town sometime after 1910. Their first house on the farm burned to the ground in the early 1920's and they lived in an old store building until they could build the house pictured here.

• Photo: Will and Verda, ca. 1941.

• Photo: Will and Verda, ca. 1941.

• Photo: Verda and Will, ca. 1942.

• Children: Will & Verda had 11 children; 4 sons and 7 daughters. Their youngest son died before his 1st birthday but the others lived to adulthood and raised families of their own. ⁴³⁴

  Marriage Notes:

Click here for more photos of Will & Verda and their family.