Allie Rankin

Allie Anna Rankin (1872-1950)
and J. B. F. Harrell of Calhoun, Georgia

Allie, ca. 1906

Allie Anna was born 3 February 1872 in Calhoun, Georgia, the second surviving child and eldest surviving daughter of W. R. Rankin and Margaret (Ramsay). As such, one would expect more recorded events of her life. Perhaps she was one of the more shy members in a family of gregarious individuals. Or it may be the early newspaper editors were less interested in reporting the Calhoun social events than later ones. Another possibility is, Allie was more involved with the daily management of the Rankin House than is known. When she married, her sister Mamie was encouraged to move into the large boarding house, ostensibly to take care of their aging mother. At the same time, Mamie may also have taken over Allie’s duties in managing the Rankin House. Please understand, the last sentence is just a thought, not a statement of fact. Due to the lack of known specifics about Allie, we are reduced to such logical guesswork about her life.

The census taker in 1880 listed the occupation of the eight-year-old Allie Rankin as “at school.” Except as a guest at an 1894 Valentine party, Allie’s name is not found in the community history written by Jewell Reeve. November 1900 Allie was the piano soloist at the wedding of Pauline Rankin and Harry Starr. She also did fine needlework. These treasured crocheted items hung in the guestroom of the Dallas home of her niece, Helen (Starr) Wade.

Margaret (Ramsay), Mamie, Allie and Pauline Estelle Starr c1906

Allie was forty-six years old when she married J. B. F. Harrell 23 September 1918. Within five years they had settled into an older, but remodeled house in Calhoun which “Mr. Harrell” as Allie referred to him, called Rockylo. This is the only photo found of Mr. Harrell, although he appears several times in Lulie Pitts history of Gordon County. He was a local real estate developer and served on the Calhoun board of Municipal Officers. [Bell 285] In the 1890s a fellow board member was Allie’s father, W. R. Rankin. In 1895 Harrell and J. C. Brownlee exchanged properties, each valued at $3,500. [Reeve p. 110] J. B. F. gave five town lots with houses on them for a 220 acres farm near Plainville. In 1898 Harrell agreed to donate the land if a cotton mill would locate in Calhoun. By 1905 he got into banking along with W. R. Rankin Sr. and others. The group incorporated the People’s Bank of Calhoun. [Bell p. 281]

Allie was good about remembering at least one of her nieces at the holidays. Presumably she sent such cards to all, but Alice Starr was better about keeping them over the years.

In 1947 Allie and her sister Mamie (Rankin) King journeyed to Oklahoma to visit Pauline and Harry Starr in Smithville.

Three Rankin sisters in 1947: Mamie, Pauline and Allie

In an undated Christmas letter, presumably to Pauline and Harry, Allie wrote: “We are having some very cold weather and rains so much. Mamie has had flu since I wrote you last, but is up and about now. Buster has been home about a month, he looks fine. Glad you sent Fauna’s letter. Mary leaves Thursday for New York to be gone a week.” Buster and Mary were Mamie’s children and Fauna was widow of their brother, George R. Rankin.

In the summer of 1950 a group of Oklahoma relatives visited their counterparts in Georgia. Fortunately, Calhoun was the first of many stops they made for they saw Allie one last time before her death 27 August. According to the obituary: “Mrs. Harrell, a life-long resident of Calhoun, died at her home on South Wall Street Sunday morning at 10 o’clock. She was preceded in death by her husband, J. B. F. Harrell, many years ago. Funeral services for Mrs. Allie Harrell, 78, were held at the Calhoun Presbyterian Church Monday afternoon at 4 o’clock with the pastor, the Rev. James Terrell, officiating, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Kirckhoff. Burial was in the Chandler Cemetery.”

Allie was survived by her three sisters – Mamie Norton of Calhoun, Maggie McDaniel of Atlanta and Pauline Starr of Oklahoma -- and several nieces and nephews. Those attending the funeral from out of town were: “Mr. and Mrs. Harry Starr, of Smithville, Okla., Mr. and Mrs. Milam Wade, Miss Gladys Bynum and Miss Ann Starr, of Kansas City, Mo., Mrs. Fred McDaniel, Harry McDaniel, Mr. and Mrs. Roy McDaniel, Mr. and Mrs, W. P. Stovall, the Rev. and Mrs. J. G. Kirckhoff, of Atlanta.”

SOURCES

Bell, Burton J., compiler and editor. 1976 Bicentennial History of Gordon County Georgia. Gordon Co. Historical Society, Calhoun, 1976. Includes the complete history of Gordon County written by Lulie Pitts. My original notes were taken from Pitts, but I cite page numbers from the Bell work. Neither work is indexed.

Jones, Dr. E. Ann. Rankin family researcher and granddaughter of Mamie (Rankin) Norton.

Reeve, Jewell B. compiler. Climb the Hills of Gordon. 1962. Southern Historical Press, Easley, SC reprint 1979.

Wade, Helen Starr. After the death of Harry, Pauline (Rankin) Starr lived a number years with her daughters Helen and Alice. During these years Helen and Pauline identified several of the photos in Pauline’s collection. All newspaper clippings come from Pauline’s scrapbook she made of items sent by relatives. Thus, the name of the paper, as well as page, column and date, cannot be cited herein.

Woodworth, Robert Bell, editor. The Descendants of Robert and John Poage (Pioneer Settlers in Augusta County, Va.): A Genealogy Based on the Manuscript Collections of Prof. Andrew Woods Williamson, Henry Martyn Williamson and John Guy Bishop. Volume One (Descendants of Robert Poage of Augusta County). Privately printed by The McClure Printing Company, Staunton, Va. 1954