The following essay was taken from Col. R. J. Whatley's booklet, "Whatley History", Aug. 5, 1969, pp.23-25: (The reader is alerted that this essay very likely contains errors of fact and of dates. However, it is interesting from the point of view as written by a great-grandson, and indeed much of it may be true.)
"{Mary B. Lasseter's father} Matthew David Lasseter was born between 1770 and 1780. It is believed that he came to Georgia from North Carolina and settled in part of the original county of Monroe, and was buried on one of his farms. He was a progressive, wealthy farmer of his time, with much land and a large number of slaves.
"It is believed that he was married in 1794 to a Cherokee Indian who lived near Indian Springs, GA. She must have been very beautiful, having wonderful facial lines and a beautiful slim body. These characteristics were inherited by our grandmother, Mary B. Lasseter Whatley Phillips, who was a beautiful woman. I remember her so very well, she having made her home with us for years {on the farm of her son A. B. Whatley, who was the author's father}. To this union the following children were born:
Mary B. Lasseter and Henrietta Lasseter
"The two daughters married Whatley brothers, sons of Robert Alton (sic) Whatley; Mary B. Lasseter marrying Vachel Davis Whatley, and Henrietta Lasseter marrying Robert Alton Whatley, Jr. Their children would be double first cousins.
"When Matthew died, our grandmother Mary B. Phillips went to his funeral. She was given her share of the estate in gold coins, a considerable amount. Matthew's estate was sold at public auction. He never made a will."
-----------------
Quoted from "I Found No Skeletons - A Brief History of My Forebears", a biographical paper by Mary Emma Whatley Clarke, 1950:
". . .One day in October 1947 when visiting in my home, 3605 Bellaire Drive, South Fort Worth, my father, Cephas Vachal Whatley, reminisced about his family as follows: 'My grandfather, Vachal Davis Whatley, died many years before his wife Mary. She remarried a man by the name of Enoch (sic) Phillips. She outlived him and during her widowhood, made her home with my father {Aaron Brooks Whatley}. I remember well her snapping black eyes, and how she spanked me many a time!
"'I remember too when my great-grandfather Matthew David Lasater (sic) died. Grandmother Phillips went to the funeral and brought back her part of the estate in gold which amounted to $1000, a considerable amount of cash in that day. She also brought back an old rifle and gave it to my father, but it was burned up when the old farm was destroyed by fire. My Grandmother Phillips lived to be 96 years of age and is buried at Flat Rock Primitive Baptist Church, five miles north of Greenville, Ga.'"
-----------------------------------------------------------
"The Gospel Messenger", Volume 21, No. 9 - September 1899:
Mrs. Mary B. Phillips.
My precious mother, Mrs. Mary B. Phillips, after a long and eventful life of about eighty-four years, fell sweetly asleep in Jesus May 31, 1899. Mother was born in Monroe County, Ga., August 19, 1815. Her maiden name was Lassetter, daughter of the late Matthew Lassetter, of Barber County, Ala. She was married to my father, Elder V. D. Whatley, in 1833, with whom she lived happily until his decease, which occurred January 31, 1866. Her second marriage was to Deacon A. J. Philips, of Meriwether County, Ga., who departed this life about eighteen years ago.
She united with the (Primitive Baptist) church at County Line, Pike County, Ga., about fifty nine years ago, and lived and died without a blot on her moral or Christian character. I can in truth say that a more correct, honest Christian lady never lived. She was indeed and in truth a mother in Israel. She lived and died in the precious faith of the adorable Son of God. She leaves three sons to mourn her loss – myself, brother R. W. Whatley, of LaGrange, Ga., and Elder S. H. Whatley, Atlanta, Ga., and many grand and great grandchildren. Oh, that I could live such a beautiful life as did my precious mother!
For the benefit of her many brethren and friends, I enclose her experience of grace, which I hope Elder Hassell will publish with this notice.
– A. B. Whatley, Greenville, Ga., June 18, 1899
"{Mary B. Lasseter's father} Matthew David Lasseter was born between 1770 and 1780. It is believed that he came to Georgia from North Carolina and settled in part of the original county of Monroe, and was buried on one of his farms. He was a progressive, wealthy farmer of his time, with much land and a large number of slaves.
"It is believed that he was married in 1794 to a Cherokee Indian who lived near Indian Springs, GA. She must have been very beautiful, having wonderful facial lines and a beautiful slim body. These characteristics were inherited by our grandmother, Mary B. Lasseter Whatley Phillips, who was a beautiful woman. I remember her so very well, she having made her home with us for years {on the farm of her son A. B. Whatley, who was the author's father}. To this union the following children were born:
Mary B. Lasseter and Henrietta Lasseter
"The two daughters married Whatley brothers, sons of Robert Alton (sic) Whatley; Mary B. Lasseter marrying Vachel Davis Whatley, and Henrietta Lasseter marrying Robert Alton Whatley, Jr. Their children would be double first cousins.
"When Matthew died, our grandmother Mary B. Phillips went to his funeral. She was given her share of the estate in gold coins, a considerable amount. Matthew's estate was sold at public auction. He never made a will."
-----------------
Quoted from "I Found No Skeletons - A Brief History of My Forebears", a biographical paper by Mary Emma Whatley Clarke, 1950:
". . .One day in October 1947 when visiting in my home, 3605 Bellaire Drive, South Fort Worth, my father, Cephas Vachal Whatley, reminisced about his family as follows: 'My grandfather, Vachal Davis Whatley, died many years before his wife Mary. She remarried a man by the name of Enoch (sic) Phillips. She outlived him and during her widowhood, made her home with my father {Aaron Brooks Whatley}. I remember well her snapping black eyes, and how she spanked me many a time!
"'I remember too when my great-grandfather Matthew David Lasater (sic) died. Grandmother Phillips went to the funeral and brought back her part of the estate in gold which amounted to $1000, a considerable amount of cash in that day. She also brought back an old rifle and gave it to my father, but it was burned up when the old farm was destroyed by fire. My Grandmother Phillips lived to be 96 years of age and is buried at Flat Rock Primitive Baptist Church, five miles north of Greenville, Ga.'"
-----------------------------------------------------------
"The Gospel Messenger", Volume 21, No. 9 - September 1899:
Mrs. Mary B. Phillips.
My precious mother, Mrs. Mary B. Phillips, after a long and eventful life of about eighty-four years, fell sweetly asleep in Jesus May 31, 1899. Mother was born in Monroe County, Ga., August 19, 1815. Her maiden name was Lassetter, daughter of the late Matthew Lassetter, of Barber County, Ala. She was married to my father, Elder V. D. Whatley, in 1833, with whom she lived happily until his decease, which occurred January 31, 1866. Her second marriage was to Deacon A. J. Philips, of Meriwether County, Ga., who departed this life about eighteen years ago.
She united with the (Primitive Baptist) church at County Line, Pike County, Ga., about fifty nine years ago, and lived and died without a blot on her moral or Christian character. I can in truth say that a more correct, honest Christian lady never lived. She was indeed and in truth a mother in Israel. She lived and died in the precious faith of the adorable Son of God. She leaves three sons to mourn her loss – myself, brother R. W. Whatley, of LaGrange, Ga., and Elder S. H. Whatley, Atlanta, Ga., and many grand and great grandchildren. Oh, that I could live such a beautiful life as did my precious mother!
For the benefit of her many brethren and friends, I enclose her experience of grace, which I hope Elder Hassell will publish with this notice.
– A. B. Whatley, Greenville, Ga., June 18, 1899
The following essay was taken from Col. R. J. Whatley's booklet, "Whatley History", Aug. 5, 1969, pp.23-25: (The reader is alerted that this essay very likely contains errors of fact and of dates. However, it is interesting from the point of view as written by a great-grandson, and indeed much of it may be true.)
"{Mary B. Lasseter's father} Matthew David Lasseter was born between 1770 and 1780. It is believed that he came to Georgia from North Carolina and settled in part of the original county of Monroe, and was buried on one of his farms. He was a progressive, wealthy farmer of his time, with much land and a large number of slaves.
"It is believed that he was married in 1794 to a Cherokee Indian who lived near Indian Springs, GA. She must have been very beautiful, having wonderful facial lines and a beautiful slim body. These characteristics were inherited by our grandmother, Mary B. Lasseter Whatley Phillips, who was a beautiful woman. I remember her so very well, she having made her home with us for years {on the farm of her son A. B. Whatley, who was the author's father}. To this union the following children were born:
Mary B. Lasseter and Henrietta Lasseter
"The two daughters married Whatley brothers, sons of Robert Alton (sic) Whatley; Mary B. Lasseter marrying Vachel Davis Whatley, and Henrietta Lasseter marrying Robert Alton Whatley, Jr. Their children would be double first cousins.
"When Matthew died, our grandmother Mary B. Phillips went to his funeral. She was given her share of the estate in gold coins, a considerable amount. Matthew's estate was sold at public auction. He never made a will."
-----------------
Quoted from "I Found No Skeletons - A Brief History of My Forebears", a biographical paper by Mary Emma Whatley Clarke, 1950:
". . .One day in October 1947 when visiting in my home, 3605 Bellaire Drive, South Fort Worth, my father, Cephas Vachal Whatley, reminisced about his family as follows: 'My grandfather, Vachal Davis Whatley, died many years before his wife Mary. She remarried a man by the name of Enoch (sic) Phillips. She outlived him and during her widowhood, made her home with my father {Aaron Brooks Whatley}. I remember well her snapping black eyes, and how she spanked me many a time!
"'I remember too when my great-grandfather Matthew David Lasater (sic) died. Grandmother Phillips went to the funeral and brought back her part of the estate in gold which amounted to $1000, a considerable amount of cash in that day. She also brought back an old rifle and gave it to my father, but it was burned up when the old farm was destroyed by fire. My Grandmother Phillips lived to be 96 years of age and is buried at Flat Rock Primitive Baptist Church, five miles north of Greenville, Ga.'"
-----------------------------------------------------------
"The Gospel Messenger", Volume 21, No. 9 - September 1899:
Mrs. Mary B. Phillips.
My precious mother, Mrs. Mary B. Phillips, after a long and eventful life of about eighty-four years, fell sweetly asleep in Jesus May 31, 1899. Mother was born in Monroe County, Ga., August 19, 1815. Her maiden name was Lassetter, daughter of the late Matthew Lassetter, of Barber County, Ala. She was married to my father, Elder V. D. Whatley, in 1833, with whom she lived happily until his decease, which occurred January 31, 1866. Her second marriage was to Deacon A. J. Philips, of Meriwether County, Ga., who departed this life about eighteen years ago.
She united with the (Primitive Baptist) church at County Line, Pike County, Ga., about fifty nine years ago, and lived and died without a blot on her moral or Christian character. I can in truth say that a more correct, honest Christian lady never lived. She was indeed and in truth a mother in Israel. She lived and died in the precious faith of the adorable Son of God. She leaves three sons to mourn her loss – myself, brother R. W. Whatley, of LaGrange, Ga., and Elder S. H. Whatley, Atlanta, Ga., and many grand and great grandchildren. Oh, that I could live such a beautiful life as did my precious mother!
For the benefit of her many brethren and friends, I enclose her experience of grace, which I hope Elder Hassell will publish with this notice.
– A. B. Whatley, Greenville, Ga., June 18, 1899
"{Mary B. Lasseter's father} Matthew David Lasseter was born between 1770 and 1780. It is believed that he came to Georgia from North Carolina and settled in part of the original county of Monroe, and was buried on one of his farms. He was a progressive, wealthy farmer of his time, with much land and a large number of slaves.
"It is believed that he was married in 1794 to a Cherokee Indian who lived near Indian Springs, GA. She must have been very beautiful, having wonderful facial lines and a beautiful slim body. These characteristics were inherited by our grandmother, Mary B. Lasseter Whatley Phillips, who was a beautiful woman. I remember her so very well, she having made her home with us for years {on the farm of her son A. B. Whatley, who was the author's father}. To this union the following children were born:
Mary B. Lasseter and Henrietta Lasseter
"The two daughters married Whatley brothers, sons of Robert Alton (sic) Whatley; Mary B. Lasseter marrying Vachel Davis Whatley, and Henrietta Lasseter marrying Robert Alton Whatley, Jr. Their children would be double first cousins.
"When Matthew died, our grandmother Mary B. Phillips went to his funeral. She was given her share of the estate in gold coins, a considerable amount. Matthew's estate was sold at public auction. He never made a will."
-----------------
Quoted from "I Found No Skeletons - A Brief History of My Forebears", a biographical paper by Mary Emma Whatley Clarke, 1950:
". . .One day in October 1947 when visiting in my home, 3605 Bellaire Drive, South Fort Worth, my father, Cephas Vachal Whatley, reminisced about his family as follows: 'My grandfather, Vachal Davis Whatley, died many years before his wife Mary. She remarried a man by the name of Enoch (sic) Phillips. She outlived him and during her widowhood, made her home with my father {Aaron Brooks Whatley}. I remember well her snapping black eyes, and how she spanked me many a time!
"'I remember too when my great-grandfather Matthew David Lasater (sic) died. Grandmother Phillips went to the funeral and brought back her part of the estate in gold which amounted to $1000, a considerable amount of cash in that day. She also brought back an old rifle and gave it to my father, but it was burned up when the old farm was destroyed by fire. My Grandmother Phillips lived to be 96 years of age and is buried at Flat Rock Primitive Baptist Church, five miles north of Greenville, Ga.'"
-----------------------------------------------------------
"The Gospel Messenger", Volume 21, No. 9 - September 1899:
Mrs. Mary B. Phillips.
My precious mother, Mrs. Mary B. Phillips, after a long and eventful life of about eighty-four years, fell sweetly asleep in Jesus May 31, 1899. Mother was born in Monroe County, Ga., August 19, 1815. Her maiden name was Lassetter, daughter of the late Matthew Lassetter, of Barber County, Ala. She was married to my father, Elder V. D. Whatley, in 1833, with whom she lived happily until his decease, which occurred January 31, 1866. Her second marriage was to Deacon A. J. Philips, of Meriwether County, Ga., who departed this life about eighteen years ago.
She united with the (Primitive Baptist) church at County Line, Pike County, Ga., about fifty nine years ago, and lived and died without a blot on her moral or Christian character. I can in truth say that a more correct, honest Christian lady never lived. She was indeed and in truth a mother in Israel. She lived and died in the precious faith of the adorable Son of God. She leaves three sons to mourn her loss – myself, brother R. W. Whatley, of LaGrange, Ga., and Elder S. H. Whatley, Atlanta, Ga., and many grand and great grandchildren. Oh, that I could live such a beautiful life as did my precious mother!
For the benefit of her many brethren and friends, I enclose her experience of grace, which I hope Elder Hassell will publish with this notice.
– A. B. Whatley, Greenville, Ga., June 18, 1899
Inscription
Mary's tomb reads: "In Memory of our mother Mary B. Philips nee Lasseter
Born August 19, 1815, died May 31, 1899.
Her first marriage was to
Elder V. D. Whatley.
Her second marriage, Deacon W.A.J. Philips.
She fought a good fight, kept the faith,
now sleeps in Jesus and will
awaken in his likeness."
Family Members
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See more Whatley Phillips or Lassetter memorials in:
- Flat Rock Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery Whatley Phillips or Lassetter
- Rocky Mount Whatley Phillips or Lassetter
- Meriwether County Whatley Phillips or Lassetter
- Georgia Whatley Phillips or Lassetter
- USA Whatley Phillips or Lassetter
- Find a Grave Whatley Phillips or Lassetter
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