Zenith E BARNES1,2,9,3,4,10,5,6

also known as Zenith FORRESTER2

May 18241,2,3,4,5,6 - 19078,7

Life History

May 1824	Born in South Carolina.1,2,3,4,5,6
Sep 1846	Birth of daughter Thalia Ann FORRESTER in Georgia.11,12,13,3,14,15,6
16th Sep 1849	Birth of daughter Mary Adelina FORRESTER in Georgia.8,16,3,17,6
1854	Birth of daughter Harriet J FORRESTER in Pickens County, Georgia.18
about 1858	Birth of daughter Nancy M FORRESTER in Georgia.8,3,4,19
1860	Residence1 in Truckwheel, Pickens, Georgia.3
Jan 1860	Death of daughter Harriet J FORRESTER in Grassy Knob, Pickens, Georgia
Jul 1861	Birth of daughter Martha FORRESTER in Jerusalem, Pickens, Georgia.2,8,4,5
about 1865	Birth of daughter Louisa L FORRESTER in Georgia.2,4,20
about 1866	Birth of son Joseph N FORRESTER in Georgia.2,21
1870	Residence2 in Jasper, Pickens, Georgia.4
21st Apr 1873	Death of daughter Mary Adelina FORRESTER in Pickens County, Georgia.8,16,17
1880	Residence3 in Jerusalem, Pickens, Georgia.2
5th Feb 1894	Death of William M FORRESTER in Jerusalem, Pickens, Georgia.2,10
after 1900	Death of daughter Martha FORRESTER in Pickens County, Georgia.8
1907	Died in Jerusalem, Pickens, Georgia.8,7
1907	Buried in Jerusalem Cemetery, Pickens County, Georgia.7

Other facts

Married William M FORRESTER

Notes

I have not discovered Zenith's parents. I have not found anygenealogy that has her parents.

1860 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia, 13 June, TruckwheelDistrict, PO Saunderstown, page 36 (scan 914), Hse #299, Fam #251
William Forester 41 M Farmer born S Carolina [b abt 1819]
Zenith Forester 37 F born S Carolina [b abt 1823] Cannot read or write
Thala A Forester 14 F born Georgia [b abt 1846]
Mary A Forester 11 F born Georgia [b abt 1849]
Nancy M Forester 5 F born Georgia [b abt 1855]

1870 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia, 25 July, PO Jasper, page111 (scan 55), Hse/Fam #863
Forester William 51 M W Farmer $200 Real Estate $200 Personal born SCarolina [b abt 1839]
Forester Zenith 43 F W Keeping House born S Carolina [b abt 1827]Cannot read or write
Forester Nancy 14 F W Assisting in Keeping House born Georgia [b abt1856]
Forester Martha M 8 F W At Home born Georgia [b abt 1862]
Forester Louisa 3 F W born Georgia [b abt 1867]
Mullinax Francis 18 F W House Keeper born Georgia [b abt 1852] Cannotread or write

1880 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia, 12 June, Jerusalem,District 163, page 19B, Hse/Family #165
Forrester, William W M 61 Farmer SC NC SC Forrester
Forrester, Zenith W F 51 Wife Keeping House SC SC SC
Forrester, Martha M W F 17 Dau House Keeping GA SC SC
Forrester, Joseph N W M16 Son Work on Farm GA SC SC
Forrester, Louisa L W F 15 Dau Work on Farm GA SC SC
Forrester, Thomas W M 86 Father Widowed At Home NC NC SC

Zenith's husband William died in 1894. In the 1900 census she is headof a household containing only her daughter Martha and a boarder,whose name appears to be spelled Winnie Findly (Findley or Finley).

1900 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia, 9 June, JerusalemTownship, District 108, page 5B, Hse #86, Fam #89
Forrester, Zenith Head W M May 1824 76 Widow 7 children/4 living SCSC SC Farmer Owns
Forrester, Martha Dau W M July 1861 38 Single GA GA SC
Findly (Findley or Finley), Winnie Boarder W F Dec 1812 87 Widow 14children/12 living SC SC SC

Another daughter named Amanda is reported by some Forrester familysources, and Amanda Forrester Smith's descendants have tried toclarify her parentage. Some have reported her as a daughter ofWilliam and Zenith, but the name Amanda does not appear in theircensus records.

The 1900 census reports that Zenith has borne 7 children, but only 5are accounted for in the census reports of 1860-1880. Only 4 childrenare reported as still living in 1900, which accounts for the 3 in the1880 census and Nancy in the 1870 census. With these accounting forthe 4 reported as living, the others must have died before 1900. (Oneof these was Harriet J Forrester, born in about 1854 and dying inJanuary 1860 at the age of 6.)

This seems to eliminate the possibility of a daughter named Amanda, asreported by some few genealogies. Amanda Forrester married RobertSmith, and they are found in Tennessee in 1900 and in Oklahoma by19120. This Amanda Forrester Smith died in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, in1940. Yet Amanda's death certificate reports that her parents wereBill and Zenis Forrester, seeming to refer to our William and Zenith.

I am working with two descendants of William and Zenith to find thecorrect connections for Amanda Forrester Smith. Amanda's greatgranddaughter Terri Escamillo is one of the people I am working withto clarify details of Zenith and her family. The first record I havefound of Amanda Forrester is the 1900 census where she and her husbandRobert Smith are living in James County, Tennessee, before they movedto Oklahoma, where they were enumerated in 1910. I found no clues infamilies in their section of the census to tie them to the Forresterfamily in Georgia.

On Zenith's widow's pension her name is misspelled as Zane, or perhapsthis is a nickname. She was not literate, and signed the documentwith Her Mark, after the Notary Public had filled in the details forher. (The signature of the Notary matches the writing on the form.)The application states that her husband died on 5 February 1894 and"She is 84 years of age and is very near rundown." One application isdated 15 January 1902. She filed applications in 1901, 1902, 1903,1905 and 1907.

The gravestones of both William and Zenith are broken. They are inthe Jerusalem Cemetery, Pickens County, Georgia. Zenith's stone seemsto have misspelled her name. The legend reads "Zenisth [sic, orperhaps Zenista] Forrester Age 80 years." There is clearly an Sbetween the I and the T, but the last letter is partially damaged.The left arm, however, is straight up like an H, not slanted like theA on the word "Age." Resolution of the photo is not sharp enough toread dates on the standing part.

William's stone is also partly unreadable in the photo. The readableparts of the legend there read:
"Husband of Z E Forrester W M Forrester Died Feb 5, 1894." This seemsto provide Zenith's middle initial, which I have not seen elsewhere.Her daughter Thalia had a daughter name Zenith Elvira Mullins.Perhaps Elvira was Zenith Barnes Forrester's middle name.

Sources

1. Betty Jackson, Email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, August 2007
2. 1880 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia
- 12 June, Jerusalem, District 163, page 19B, Hse/Family #165
3. 1860 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia
- 13 June, Truckwheel District, PO Saunderstown, page 36 (scan 914), Hse
4. 1870 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia
- 25 July, PO Jasper, page 111 (scan 55), Hse/Fam #863
5. 1900 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia
- 9 June, Jerusalem Township, District 108, page 5B, Hse #86, Fam #89
6. 1850 Federal Census, Gilmer County, Georgia
- 5 October, Subdivision 33, page 82, Hse/Fam #560
7. Gravestone of Zenith Barnes Forrester, Jerusalem Cemetery, PickensCounty, Georgia
8. Terri Smith Escamillo, note on genealogy site Our Family Tree, 27February 2011
9. Terri Smith Escamillo, personal message on genealogy site Our FamilyTree, 27 February 2011
10. Gravestone of William Forrester, Jerusalem Cemetery, Pickens County,Georgia
11. 1870 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia
- 8 July, Truckwheel Township, PO Jasper, page 65, Hse/Fam #506
12. Mullins-Mullinax Marriages, Mike Taylor Compilation
- Name: http://pages.sbcglobal.net/mike_in_katy;;
13. Ancestry Trees
- Bill Corbin,
14. 1900 Federal Census, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory
- 23 July, Township 4, District 120, page 53A, Hse/Fam #960
15. 1910 Federal Census, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma
- 19 April, Asher Ward 1, District 194, page 3A, Hse/Fam #44
16. Ancestry Trees
- Forrester,
17. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
- http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Forrester&GSiman
18. Terri Escamillo, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 4 January 2012
19. 1880 Federal Census, Lumpkin County, Georgia
- 8 June, Nimblewill, Georgia Militia District 840, Enumeration District
20. 1900 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia
- 9 June, Jerusalem Township, District 108, page 5B, Hse #89, Fam #93
21. 1870 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia
- 25 July, PO Jasper, page 111 (scan 55), HseFam #864