Rufus Blackwell McWhorter (1868 - 1918)

Born 15 Nov 1868 in Arkadelphia, Clark, Arkansas, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Anza Clara (Morrow) McWhorter — married 10 Jul 1895 in Jeffersonville, Clark, Indiana

Descendants

Died 14 Oct 1918 at age 49 in Millersburg, Bourbon, Kentucky, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Kitty Allen [send private message]

Biography

He was born in Arkadelphia, Clark County, Arkansas, where the family had fled during the Civil War. He was given the middle name Blackwell [showing on his gravestone] or Blackburn [showing on Juanita Fay McWhorter's DAR application for John Reed] in honor of the doctor who delivered him. Note that when he is a child in his father's census entry, it shows his birthplace as Kentucky. Once there are entries under his own name, his birthplace shows as Arkansas, including on his death certificate.

1870 census [image is very poor, am combining the transcriptions from FamilySearch and Ancestry for better completeness, the surname has been transcribed both as McWhorton and Mc Whonton]: Raccoon, Laurel County, Kentucky; Post Office: Mershons Cross Roads. J. W. McWhorton age 57 b. Kentucky, Farmer; Mary I McWhorton age 59 b. Kentucky; Geo O. McWhorton age 19 b. Kentucky; Otter A. [Arthur] McWhorton age 18 b. Kentucky; Margare A. McWhorton age 16 b. Kentucky; Missouri McWhorton age 13 b. Kentucky; Allabanna McWhorton age 10 b. Kentucky; Nancy McWhorton age 8 b. Kentucky Robert McWhorton age 6 b. Kentucky; J. Walker McWhorton age 4 b. Kentucky; Rufus McWhorton age 1 b. Kentucky

1880 census: Clintonville, Bourbon County, Kentucky. John McWhater age 61 b. Kentucky, widower; Francie McWhater [daughter] age 21 b. Kentucky; Alabama McWhater age 19 b. Kentucky; Nancy McWhater age 17 b. Kentucky; Robert McWhater age 16 b. Kentucky; John W. McWhater age 14 b. Kentucky; Rufus McWhater age 12 b. Kentucky; William McWhater age 9 b. Kentucky.

He and Anza Clara Morrow were married in July 1895, in Indiana. He's been described as being handsome, with black hair, gray eyes and fair skin standing at 6'2".

So far, unable to locate a 1900 census entry.

1904 January 16 Rufus and Anza are listed as the parents of Imogene in the Richmond, Madison County, Kentucky Birth register.

1908 City Directory for Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky: Millersburg, Ky., McWhorter, Rufus, (Anza), blacksmith, h. Fourth.

1910 census: Trigg Street, Millersburg, Bourbon County, Kentucky. Rufus Mcwhorter age 40 b. Arkansas, Blacksmith/Carriage Shop industry, wage earner, rents home, able to read and write; Anza Mcwhorter age 32 b. Kentucky, married 17 years, able to read and write; Fay M. Mcwhorter age 14 b. Kentucky; Lillian L. Mcwhorter age 12 b. Kentucky; Nellie [Nancye] Mcwhorter age 10 b. Kentucky; Imogene Mcwhorter age 7 b. Kentucky; George Mcwhorter age 5 b. Kentucky; Dorothy Mcwhorter age 2 b. Kentucky. [Emmett Mastine shows in a nearby household as age 16. {Ancestry has transcribed the last name as Martin}. This is the same Emmet Mastine who married daughter Lillian Louise and where the remaining McWhorter family moved after the death of Rufus in 1918.]

1913 July: Mrs. Frank Buchman and daughter, of Centerville, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. R. Reccious, of Louisville, were guests of Mr. and Mrs. Rufus McWhorters, Sunday.

1914 06 March: ...Notwithstanding the severe cold weather for early March the roads are full of movers, and before one wagon is out of sight another heavily laden with household goods passes... The following changes will be made during the week: ...R. B. McWhorters and family to the property of Dr. W. M. Miller, vacated by Jas Howard and family , from that of Mrs. Amanda Mastin;

1914 September 18, The Bourbon News (Paris, Kentucky). Mr. R. B. McWhorters while trying to adjust a belt on the grind stone at the blacksmith shop of Taylor & Rowling, accidently smashed several fingers, which has disabled him from work.

1918 April 30. Mr. and Mrs. Rufus McWhorter and children, and Mr. and Mrs. Shirley Collins have returned to their homes in Lexington, after a visit to Mr. George W. Morrow, near Clintonville.

1918, October 11, The Bourbon News (Paris, Kentucky). MILLERSBURG. Mr. R. B. McWhorter, of Lexington, is quite ill at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Emmett Mastin.

1918 14 October, Lexington Herald (Millersburg, Ky). Death Notice: Oct 14 - Rufus B. McWhorter, 50 years old, died Monday afternoon at 1 o'clock of a complication of diseases. He is survived by his wife, formerly Miss Mary [?] Morrow, of Clintonville, and seven [6] children. Funeral services will be held Tuesday at the grave in Clintonville [Bourbon County, Kentucky] cemetery, the Rev. Newton Shropshire officiating.

1918 October 18 The Bourbon News (Paris, Kentucky) Mr. R. B. McWhorters died Monday at one o'clock a.m. at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Emmitt Mastin, after a brief illness of a complication of diseases. Mr. McWhorter formerly resided in Millersburg, and for several years was connected with Mr. E. B. Taylor, operating a blacksmith, wood and buggy shop. After Mr. Taylor moved to Paris, Mr. McWhorter continued the business for a time, later moving with his family to Lexington, where he continued in the business. In the early part of the past summer his health began failing which compelled him to give up his position several weeks ago. For three weeks he was under treatment in Good Samaritan Hospital, Lexington, where he seemed to get better. On leaving the hospital he came to the home of his daughter, Mrs. Mastin, his health again declined and he continued to grow worse until the end. He was a man who was well liked by all who knew him, a true friend, considerate of his family, and industrious. He is survived by this wife, one son and six daughters. A short funeral service was held Tuesday afternoon at the home of his daughter Mrs. Mastin, after which the remains were taken to Centerville [?], where they were interred.

Sources

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 14 December 2018, 11:28), entry for Rufus Blackwell McWhorter(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LQ84-8FW); contributed by various users.

• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXWN-L4X : 29 May 2021), J W McWhorton, 1870. p. 11

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCC9-2YW : 19 February 2021), Rufus Mc Whater in household of John Mc Whater, Clintonville, Bourbon, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district ED 22, sheet 131C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,403.

• "Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFX9-VXS : 13 January 2020), Rufus McWhorter, 1895.

• Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.Original data - Kentucky. Kentucky Birth, Marriage and Death Records – Microfilm (1852-1910). Microfilm rolls #994027-994058. Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, [Kentucky. Birth listing for Imogene McWhorter.]

• Paris, Bourbon County City Directory, 1908. Published by Inter-State Directory Co. p. 190. Accessed online through MyHeritage database 23 Nov 2021.

• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M28Z-HZ5 : accessed 30 October 2021), Rufus Mcwhorter, Millersburg, Bourbon, Kentucky, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 5, sheet 6A, family 109, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 465; FHL microfilm 1,374,478.

• The Bourbon News newspaper (Paris, Kentucky), 29 July 1913, p. 5. Newspapers.com, accessed online 16 November 2016.

• The Bourbon News newspaper (Paris, Kentucky), 06 March 1914, p. 8. Accessed online, Chronicling America, 08 March 2022.

• The Bourbon News newspaper (Paris, Kentucky), 18 September 1914, p. 8. Accessed online Chronicling America, 08 March 2022.

• The Bourbon News newspaper (Paris, Kentucky), 30 April 1918, p. 3. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers 1791-1963. Accessed online through MyHeritage database 25 Nov 2021.

• The Bourbon News newspaper (Paris, Kentucky), 11 October 1918, p. 8. Accessed online Chronicling America, 08 March 2022.

• The Lexington Herald newspaper, 15 October 1918, Lexington, Kentucky, issue 288, page 12. Accessed online through HeritageHub (infoweb.newsbank.com) 10 January 2022.

• The Bourbon News newspaper, 18 October 1918, p. 6. Accessed online Chronicling America, 08 March 2022.

• 1918, Rufus McWhorter "Kentucky Death Records 1911-1965. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9LW-8RP "Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1965," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9LW-8RP : 2 March 2021), Rufus McWhorter, 1918; citing Death, Bourbon, Kentucky, United States, certificate , Office of Vital Statistics, Frankfort; FHL microfilm 1,942,868.

• Find a Grave, Rufus Blackwell McWhorter https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/179578639:60525?ssrc=pt&tid=45783807&pid=6421311363