Descendants of Jonas J. Segars

Contributed by Jerry L. Segars, lavista@comcast.net, FEB 2006.

Generation No. 1

1. JONAS J.1 SEGARS was born March 1844 in Alabama. He married MARGARET E. MARTIN 03 January 1885 in Coffee County, AL. She was born May 1866 in Alabama, and died 13 Aug 1917 in Coffee County, AL.

Notes for JONAS J. SEGARS:
There was a William Segars, born about 1830 also living in Coffee County, Alabama in 1900. There may be a connection with Jonas.

Jonas Sigers, born in Alabama in March 1844, wife Margaret born in Alabama in May 1866, and children; Willie born March 1887, Louis born January 1888, George born April 1891, Obie R. born April 1895, and Jesse born December 1897 were enumerated on the 1900 US census, Peacock Community, Coffee County, Alabama.

On April 16, 1910, J.J. Sigers age 57, wife Mattie E. age 52, and children; George I. 16, Jesse 12, Alice 8, and William H. 2 still lived at Peacocks Community in Coffee County, Alabama. The couple had been married twenty-six years and Mattie had given birth to eleven children with just five remaining alive in 1910, the four remaining at home in 1910 and Willie who had married and was living nearby. Lewis appeared on the 1920 census as head of household with his brother Allen, age 18, living with him.

John William Segars, son of Jonah (sic) born October 3, 1881, died August 24, 1913 is buried at New Home Cemetery, Coffee County, Alabama. Alabama Death Records 1908 - 1959 contain John W. Segars who died August 25, 1913. On a visit to that cemetery in the 1980's, an older resident of the community told this writer that the grave was that of the son of a Segars man and that the young man had drowned in a nearby creek. The marker is huge, the person went on to remark that it took a team of several horses to pull the monument into place. John William Segars was 32 when he died. The death certificate obtained from the State of Alabama reveals that indeed John W. Segars "while out swimming, gave out, or cramped" and drowned on August 25, 1913. The certificate indicated that John was a married farmer who had lived all his life at the place of death (Coffee County, Alabama.) His father was Jonah (sic Jonas) and his mother Margaret Segars.

Death certificates obtained for Allen, John W., Lewis, and Jesse verify that they were the sons of Jonas and Margaret Martin Segars. Lewis' death certificate indicates that his father, Jonas, was born in Escambia County, Alabama. Allen's certificate indicates that Jonas was born in Coffee County, Alabama.

Notes for MARGARET E. MARTIN:
Alabama Deaths 1908 - 1959, "Mrs. Margarest (sic) Siggers (sic) died August 13, 1917 in Coffee County, Alabama." According to Margaret's death certificate, she died at 4:00 p.m. on August 13, 1917 as a result of being struck by lightning. She was age fifty years, four months.

Marriage Notes for JONAS SEGARS and MARGARET MARTIN:
Coffee County, Alabama marriage records.

More About JONAS SEGARS and MARGARET MARTIN:
Marriage: 03 Jan 1885, Coffee County, AL

Children of JONAS SEGARS and MARGARET MARTIN are:
i. JOHN WILLIAM2 SEGARS, b. 03 Oct 1881, Coffee County, AL; d. 25 Aug 1913, Coffee County, AL1.

More About JOHN WILLIAM SEGARS:
Burial: New Home Cemetery, Coffee County, AL

2. ii. WILLIE SEGARS, b. Mar 1887.
3. iii. LOUIS J. SEGARS, b. 03 Aug 1889, Escambia County, AL; d. 02 Dec 1933, Coffee County, AL.
iv. GEORGE I. SEGARS, b. Apr 1891, Coffee County, AL; d. Oct 1927, Coffee County, AL.

Notes for GEORGE I. SEGARS:
In the home of Jonas J. Segars on the 1900 and 1910 Coffee County, Alabama censuses.

Alabama Deaths 1908 - 1959, "Geo. Segars died October 1927 in Coffee County, Alabama."

A death certificate for a George Segars reveals that George died of Pellagra on October 17, 1927 at age 35, was a widower and an inmate of the (Coffee) County, (Alabama) Almas House. He was buried the following day on October 18, 1927. Pellagra is a disease that occurs when a person does not get enough niacin, one of the B complex vitamins, or tryptophan an amino acid in their diet. It may develop after gastrointestinal diseases or alcoholism.

George's race on the death certificate appeared to be M(ullato). But on closer examination and cross referencing the death age with the 1900 and 1910 censuses, it seems conclusive that this George is the son of Jonas and Margaret.

This writer sent the following inquiry to the Coffee County, Alabama genealogy site coordinator: "I found a person who died in Coffee County, Alabama in October 1927. The death certificate that I obtained had the following handwritten across the face of it. "Inmate of County Almas (sic hard to read) House, Coffee County, Alabama. Because of the nature of death and the "inmate" entry, I wondered if you have heard of any institution in the 1920's in Coffee County with a name similar to this and what the function of the house was?" The following reply was received "County Alms House or the more plain way of saying it "the poor house" in those days . . . seems to have been a place for people who were down and out as a result of alcohol(ism).

v. OBIE R. SEGARS, b. Apr 1895.
4. vi. JESSE CLAUDE SEGARS, b. Dec 1897; d. 29 Sep 1941, Coffee County, AL.
vii. ALICE SEGARS, b. Abt. 1902.
viii. ALLEN SEGARS, b. 28 Nov 1907, Coffee County, AL; d. 15 Mar 1948, Coffee County, AL.

Notes for ALLEN SEGARS:
Allen, age 18, was living with his brother Lewis in 1920.

Allen Sigers (sic) age 23 (sic) lived in Elba, Coffee County, Alabama in 1930. He had two road construction workers living with him.

Allen's death certificate indicates that Allen was the son of Jonas and Margaret Seggers (sic), that he was born November 28, 1907, and died of heart trouble in New Brockton, Coffee County, Alabama on March 15, 1948. The informant on the certificate stated that Allen, a single man, "got up from bed and dropped (dead)." Burial was two days later at Bethany (Baptist Church Cemetery, Coffee County, Alabama). Searcy Funeral Home, Enterprise, Alabama handled the funeral. Because he lived with his brother in 1920, had only boarders in his home in 1930, and was single at the time of his death it is presumed that he never married.

More About ALLEN SEGARS:
Burial: 17 Mar 1948, Bethany Baptist Church, Coffee County, AL

ix. WILLIAM H. SEGARS, b. Abt. 1908.

Generation No. 2

2. WILLIE2 SEGARS (JONAS J.1)2 was born Mar 1887. He married LELA (NEE?) SEGARS2 Abt. 1907 in Coffee County, AL. She was born Abt. 1887.

More About WILLIE SEGARS and LELA SEGARS:
Marriage: Abt. 1907, Coffee County, AL

Child of WILLIE SEGARS and LELA SEGARS is:
i. EDNA MAE3 SEGARS2, b. Abt. 1908, Coffee County, AL.

3. LOUIS J.2 SEGARS (JONAS J.1) was born 03 Aug 1889 in Escambia County, AL, and died 02 Dec 1933 in Coffee County, AL. He married LILLIE MAY (NEE?) SEGARS. She was born Abt. 1903 in Alabama.

Notes for LOUIS J. SEGARS:
Jonas Sigers, born in Alabama in March 1844, wife Margaret born in Alabama in May 1866, and children; George born April 1891, Jesse born December 1897, Louis born January 1888, Obie R. born April 1895, and Willie born March 1887 lived in the Peacock Community, Coffee County, Alabama when the 1900 US census was taken.

Lewis was not on the 1910 census in Coffee County, Alabama.

Lewis Siggers (sic) age 27 (sic) born in Alabama, wife Lillie age 17 born in Alabama, daughter Thelma R. age one year three months, Lewis' brother Allen age 18, and a boarder named Bill Wilson age 67 and a widower, were living at Peacock’s Precinct, Coffee County, Alabama on January 29, 1920 when the census was taken. Lewis's age here and that reported in 1900 is in wide variance.

Luis (sic) J. Siggers (sic), age 39, wife Lillie M. age 24, and children; Thelma R. 12, Maudine 10, Lillie R. 7, Willie R. 6, and Hubert H. one year five months old lived at Peacock's Precinct, Coffee County, Alabama on April 19, 1930 when the census was taken. Lewis' birth year on the census in 1930 closely agrees with the information on the 1920 census, but varies from the 1900 census.

Alabama Deaths 1908 - 1959, "Lewis (sic) Siggers (sic) died December 1933 in Coffee County, Alabama." His death certificate verifies that he was the son of Jonah (sic) Siggers (sic) and Margaret Martin, he was born August 3, 1889, his wife was named May, he died December 2, 1933 of acute indigestion, he was born in Coffee County, Alabama, and his father Jonas was born in Escambia County, Alabama.

More About LOUIS J. SEGARS:
Burial: Bethany Baptist Church, Coffee County, AL

Children of LOUIS SEGARS and LILLIE SEGARS are:
i. THELMA R.3 SEGARS, b. Abt. Nov 1919.
ii. MAUDINE SEGARS, b. Abt. 1920.
iii. LILLIE R. SEGARS, b. Abt. 1923.
iv. WILLIE R. SEGARS, b. Abt. 1924.
v. HUBERT H. SEGARS, b. Abt. Nov 1928.

4. JESSE CLAUDE2 SEGARS (JONAS J.1) was born Dec 1897, and died 29 Sep 1941 in Coffee County, AL. He married CLARA MAE BLAIR Abt. 1919, daughter of JOHN BLAIR and ETHA BLAIR. She was born Abt. 1904 in Alabama, and died Aft. Sep 1941.

Notes for JESSE CLAUDE SEGARS:
The 1900 US census in Coffee County, Alabama indicated that Jesse was born in December 1897, the 1910 census was about 1898, his death certificate indicates that he was born in 1900. The 1930 census recorded Claude as a twenty-nine year old. The death certificates shows that he died September 29, 1941 at Gibson's Hospital, Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama of a cerebral anemia due to a bleeding peptic ucler. He lived on a rural route served by the Coffee Springs, Alabama Post Office at the time of death. Searcy Funeral Home, Enterprise, Alabama handled the funeral.

Claud and Clara were living in the home of Clara's parents, John W. and Etha Blair, on January 15, 1920 when the census for Geneva County, Alabama was taken.

The 1930 census found Claude Siggers (sic) age 29, wife Clara M. 26, and children; George R. 10, Jessie (sic) L. 8, and John E. 5 living at Clintonville, Coffee County, Alabama.

Alabama Deaths 1908 - 1959, "Jessie (sic) C. Siggers (sic) died September 29, 1941 in Coffee County, Alabama." The cemetery marker at Bethany Baptist Church, Coffee County, Alabama reads "Jessie C. Siggers born December 25, 1901, died September 31 1941." Neither the dates from the censuses, Alabama Deaths 1908 - 1950, nor the marker are in complete agreement.

More About JESSE CLAUDE SEGARS:
Burial: 30 Sep 1941, Bethany Baptist Church, Coffee County, AL

Notes for CLARA MAE BLAIR:
On January 15, 1920, Claud 22 and Clara 15 were living in the home of John W. Blair in Geneva County, Alabama. Claud was listed "son-in-law" (to John W. Blair) and Clara was identified as the wife of Claud. Therefore, we get the maiden name Blair for Clara Mae.

Clara was listed as the informant on Jesse's death certificate; therefore she died after September 1941.

More About JESSE SEGARS and CLARA BLAIR:
Marriage: Abt. 1919

Children of JESSE SEGARS and CLARA BLAIR are:
i. GEORGE R.3 SEGARS, b. Abt. 1920.
ii. JESSE L. SEGARS, b. Abt. 1922.
iii. JOHN E. SEGARS, b. Abt. 1925.

Endnotes

1. Alabama Deaths, 1908 - 1959, Death Certificate obtained.
2. 1910 US Census, Coffee County, Alabama.

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