Family: Perry Green "Green" Byars / Vernia Elvira "Ma" Swindell (F274)

m. 4 Jan 1915


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  • Perry Green "Green" Byars Male
    Perry Green "Green" Byars

    Birth  27 Jun 1894  Keltonburg, DeKalb County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Death  12 Dec 1968  Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Burial  15 Dec 1968  Mount View Cemetery, McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Marriage  4 Jan 1915  [1, 2]  DeKalb County, Tennessee  [1, 2] Find all individuals with events at this location
    Type  CIVIL 
    Father  John Watson "Pa" Byars | F273 Group Sheet 
    Mother  Julia Lee Cantrell | F273 Group Sheet 

    Vernia Elvira "Ma" Swindell Female
    Vernia Elvira "Ma" Swindell

    Birth  1 Jun 1894  Green Briar Bend, White County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Death  1 Apr 1985  McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Burial    Mount View Cemetery, McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Father  James Monroe "Mon" Swindle | F773 Group Sheet 
    Mother  Rebecca "Becky" Goodson | F773 Group Sheet 

    John Claybourne "Pete" Byars Male
    John Claybourne "Pete" Byars

    Birth  4 Jun 1916  Keltonburg, DeKalb County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Death  1 Dec 1987  McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Burial    Mount View Cemetery, McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Helen LNU | F14944 
    Marriage     

    Robert Lucile "Lucile" Byars Female
    Robert Lucile "Lucile" Byars

    Birth  6 Dec 1918  Pa's House, Keltonburg, DeKalb County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Death  23 Mar 2008  McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Burial  25 Mar 2008  Mount View Cemetery, McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Bertha Aldon "Bert" Hennessee | F1 (CIVIL) 
    Marriage  SATURDAY,22 Jul 1939  Smithville, DeKalb County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location

    Fred Swindell Byars Male
    Fred Swindell Byars

    Birth  7 Dec 1920  Moores College, DeKalb County, Tennssee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Death  19 Feb 1950  Sherwood, Franklin County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Burial    Mount View Cemetery, McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Alice Marie "Marie" Prince | F275 
    Marriage    Monteagle, Marion County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location

    Bessie Lee Byars Female
    Bessie Lee Byars

    Birth  8 Feb 1925  Green Hill, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Death  12 Jul 2013  McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Burial  14 Jul 2013  Mount View Cemetery, McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Robert Murlis "Murlis" Wright | F288 
    Marriage  2 Mar 1946  Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan Find all individuals with events at this location

    Eva Pearl "Pearl" Byars Female
    Eva Pearl "Pearl" Byars

    Birth     
    Death     
    Burial     
    Spouse  Robert Ferman Bess | F316 
    Marriage     
    Spouse  Willie Everett Fults | F6760 
    Marriage     

    Margie Sue Byars Female
    Margie Sue Byars

    Birth  21 Mar 1930  Green Hill, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Death  7 Jan 1997  Erie, Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location
    Burial  10 Jan 1997  Mount View Cemetery, McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Walter Francis "Jack" DeCuennick | F311 
    Marriage  3 Jun 1949  Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan Find all individuals with events at this location
    Spouse  Edward Eugene Tarasovich | F5696 
    Marriage     

  • Photos
    Green Byars
    Green Byars
    Photo taken circa 1945 in Detroit, where he worked at "Budd Wheel" during WW II
    Pop with Uncle Fred
    Pop with Uncle Fred
    Taken in Detroit just after WWII ended as Uncle Fred is still in uniform...
    Ma Byars with her first three children.
    Ma Byars with her first three children.

    Circa 1921 at their home in Green Hill, DeKalb Co.,TN

    Left-to-Right:
    Lucile Byars Hennessee (1918-2008)
    Vernia Swindell Byars (1894-1985)
    Fred Swindell Byars (1920-1950)
    John Claybourne Byars (1916-1987)
    Perry Green 'Pop' Byars (1894-1968)
    Perry Green "Pop" Byars (1894-1968)

    Sunday morning, October 20, 2013:

    Spoke to Aunt Pearl this morning about Pop & Uncle Pete in regards to their "troubles with the law"...

    Pop thought that if he could run one load of whiskey to Nashville, that would solve all of his financial problems as...

    This was in the early 1930's and he was living with his young family in Green Hill (DeKalb County) where he was cropping shares and hauled logs part-time. Can you imagine working the fields all day and then hauling logs to McMinnville, 10 miles away, all on foot and by mule? No wonder he thought this was an easier way to make a few dollars.

    Pop got caught. Aunt Pearl tells us that it took everything he had to avoid jail and he never did that again!

    Ma told me that Pop worked as a mechanic (probably during the 1930's). At some point, Pop began selling farm implements for the Sullivan Company of McMinnville and apparently did this through the early 1950's as I remember travelling with out in the country to call on his propests and customers...

    In 1941 Pop went to Detroit. He worked for Budd Wheel through the summer of 1945. On his return he bought the log house on North Warren and the family moved there from their residence on Towles Avenue.

    Then Pop buys a taxi which he ran until late 1949 - early 1950. It is at this juncture that Uncle Pete began a felon. Uncle Pete borrows the taxi from Pop and drives to Manchester and picks-up a lady(ies) for an evening of dancing and driking. Pete is "higher than a Georgia pine", crashes the car and kills a passenger. He is convicted of manslaughter and sent to prison in 1949 when he returns home about three years later...Pop got out of the taxi business.

    It is at this point that he works full-time for Sullivan. It was 1950 and I remember Pop bought a brand-new 1950 Plymouth, "Sea Mist Green" 4-door sedan as this was the car we travelled in when he called on his clients.

    He retired in the mid-1950's and spent his life fishing, whittling and guarding his realm from an old wood chair propped-up against the garage in the backyard...

    Photo taken circa 1960...
    Pop & Ma Byars
    Pop & Ma Byars
    Photo provided by their grand-daughter, Christine Bess Cornett. Appears to be have taken in the late 1940's...
    Pop & Uncle Fred
    Pop & Uncle Fred

    Taken sometime during World War II while Uncle Fred was in the navy...
    Ma Byars' Granddaughters
    Ma Byars' Granddaughters

    Janet Wright Robbins
    Kathy Bess Tugman
    Karen Sue Mitchell

    Photo taken Summer of 2006 on Aunt Pearl's porch in Rock Island, Tennessee
    Deux Grandes Dames
    Deux Grandes Dames

    Two great ladies...

    Aunt Bessie & Aunt Pearl

    Photo taken the Summer of 2013
    Grandmother & Grandson
    Grandmother & Grandson

    Ma Byars (1894-1985)
    Fred Hennessee (1950-1985)

    Photo taken in 1977
    Sisters...
    Sisters...

    Aunt Pearl and Aunt Bessie at the table in Rock Island, Tennessee

    Photo provided by their niece, Karen Mitchell...
    Pop & Sons-in-Law
    Pop & Sons-in-Law

    This photo was probably taken in Detroit after Aunt Margie's wedding to Jack DeCuennick, June 3, 1949. Shown from the left is:

    Murlis Wright (1925-2004)
    Pop Byars (1894-1968)
    Bert Hennessee (1918-1986)
    Jack DeCuennick (1928-2010)

    Photo contributed by cousin Christine Cornett, July 1, 2014.



    Ma & Pop Byars' Family
    Ma & Pop Byars' Family

    This photo was taken in June, 1949, on Continental Avenue, Detroit, when Aunt Margie married Uncle Jack.

    Top Row, Left-to-Right:

    My Mom (1918-2008)
    Aunt Bessie (1925-2013)
    Aunt Margie (1930-1997)
    Uncle Fred (1920-1950)
    Aunt Marie (1922-2012)
    Aunt Pearl (1928
    Pop Byars (1894-1968)

    Middle Row:

    My Dad (1918-1986)
    Uncle Murlis (1925-2004)
    Uncle Jack (1928-2010)
    Uncle Bob (1917-1990)

    Bottom Row:

    Me (1942-
    Ma Byars (1894-1985)
    Cousin Linda Gayle (1945-

    Photo provided by cousin Christine, July 1, 2014...

    Pop & Ma Byars' Family
    Pop & Ma Byars' Family

    Back Row: Aunt Pearl, Aunt Margie, Mother, Uncle Bob, Cousin Linda Gail, Dad, Cousin Kathy, Aunt Bessie, me, Uncle Jack, brother Fred & Uncle Murlis

    Middle Row: cousin Robert on Pop's lap, Ma Byars & cousin Janet

    Bottom Row: cousin Kenny, cousin Debbie, cousin Christine, cousin Dawn & cousin Karen.

    Photo was taken in front of Pop's house on Warren Street, McMinnville, Tennessee circa Summer of 1962...

    Ma & Karen
    Ma & Karen

    Ma and Karen on their birthday, June 1, 1981.

    Ma was 87 and Karen was 27.

    Photo provided by her loving granddaughter, Karen...
    The Three Younger Byars Daughters...
    The Three Younger Byars Daughters...

    From the left:

    Margie Sue (1930-1997)
    Eva Pearl (1928-
    Bessie Lee (1925-2013)

    Photo provided by Christine Bess Cornett, November 8th, 2016
    The Four Byars Girls
    The Four Byars Girls

    Photos supplied by Robert & Angelia Bratcher Bess, late December, 2016
    Daughters & Grandchildren
    Daughters & Grandchildren
    Top Row: Margie Sue, Bessie Lee, Eva Pearl & Robert Lucile

    Bottom: Janet, Gayle holding Karen, Fred, Ma holding Kenny and Kathy

    Photo supplied by Robert & Angelia Bratcher Bess, late December, 2016
    Uncle Fred, Ma & Uncle Pete
    Uncle Fred, Ma & Uncle Pete
    This photo was probably taken in the late forties at the homeplace on Warren Street.

    Photo supplied by Robert & Angelia Bratcher Bess, late December, 2016
    Family...
    Family...
    Pop, Dad, Uncle Bob, Linda Gayle & me.

    Photo supplied by Robert & Angelia Bratcher Bess, late December, 2016
    Brothers-in-Law
    Brothers-in-Law

    Uncle Pete & Dad standing in front of Dad's 1947, maroon, Pontiac...

    Photo supplied by Robert & Angelia Bratcher Bess, late December, 2016
    'The P. G. (Perry Green) Potter Home'
    "The P. G. (Perry Green) Potter Home"
    Built in 1875-1876 in Dibrell, Warren County, Tennessee by Kitt Swingle for Perry Green Potter.

    First, he built a large two story house, then a store, barn and a blacksmith shop.

    Aunt Pearl provided this image and tells us that Ma & Pop lived in this house between 1935 to 1937. They then moved to the "Hennessee House" on Main Street (no longer there).

    Note: Kitt Zwingle was a 2nd cousin to Ma. Pop was a grandnephew of P.G. Potter and both of whom were named after their antecedent, "Perry Green Magness".
    Aunt Margie & Ma
    Aunt Margie & Ma
    Marjorie Lois Griffith Byars (1914-2006) was wife of Pop's first cousin, Perry Green Byars. As a matter of fact, Perry & Margie were so well loved by Ma & Pop, they named their youngest daughter, "Margie Sue Byars".

    Photo taken in August, 1973 at Perry & Margie's place in Warren County, Tennesseee and contributed by Joe Byars, February 5, 2017
    The Sisters in Palm Beach
    The Sisters in Palm Beach
    Bessie, Marie, Lucile, Pearl & David
    Bessie, Marie, Lucile, Pearl & David
    Ma & Pop's House
    Ma & Pop's House
    located on 112 North Warren Street, McMinnville, Tennessee

    (Pop bought this house in 1945)
    Cousins Kenny, David, Robert & Fred
    Cousins Kenny, David, Robert & Fred

  • Notes  Married:
    • Pop courted Ma only two months before they were married by W. H. Cantrell, JP

      When Pop proposed, Ma replied, "Are you sure?" - after all, it was only two months earlier that they met and Ma didn't think she was pretty enough for the most handsome man she'd ever met...

    Residence (Family):
    • District 16,
    • Rural Warren Co., TN

  • Sources 
    1. [S7902] DeKalb Co.,TN Marriage Book:1901-1950, compiled by Jorene Washer Parsley, p. 78 (Reliability: 3).

    2. [S8770] "Hogg DNA Project - A List of Hogg Lines", line VA1657: descendants of John Hogg of New Kent Co. VA, http://hdhdata.org/.