The 17 Jun 1880 US Census of Graysville, Catoosa Co., GA enumerated the household of 26 Y/O Charles Thomas Farrar, a sawyer in a local saw mill who was born in Evergreen, VA, and his 23 Y/O wife, Rosalind Virginia (Dawn) Farrar, born in TN. Also living in the household as a "boarder" was 45 year old William Baker Farrar, " local lumber dealer". He was Charles' first cousin from Evergreen, VA and the owner of the lumber saw mill where Charles was employed. Also living in the household were their children: 6 Y/O Maye Hardwick Farrar born in Dawnville, Whitfield Co., GA; 2 Y/O Thomas Bennett Farrar (b. 29 Oct 1877 Cleveland, Bradley Co., TN [Reference: Farrar Family Bible] - d. 19 Apr 1888 Woodlawn, Jefferson Co., AL [Reference: Farrar Family Bible]) and 10 months old William Charles Farrar, my grandfather, born in Graysville, Catoosa Co., GA.

Interestingly, the 07 Jun 1880 US Census of Dalton, Whitfield Co., GA also enumerated the household of the permanent home of lumber dealer and sawmill owner, 44 Y/O William Baker Farrar. (Obviously, when William Baker Farrar was working at his sawmill in Graysville which at the time was probably a 25-30 mile trip from Dalton, he boarded with his cousin, Charles Thomas Farrar.) Also living in William Baker Farrar's Dalton 1880 home were his 38 Y/O second wife, Mollie Agnes (Fleshman) Farrar and their children: 14 Y/O William Rosser Farrar (by his first wife, Louisa Rosser (Dawson) Farrar; 12 Y/O Nannie S. Farrar; 11 Y/O Ezekiel Buford Farrar; 8 Y/O James Kirkpatrick Farrar; 6 Y/O Henry Baker Farrar and 2 Y/O Floyd Felton Farrar.

Between 04 Jun 1881, the birth date of their son, Ogden Shelby Farrar, in Dalton, Whitfield Co., GA, and 16 Jan 1884, the birth date of their son, Stephen Baker Farrar, in Cedartown, Polk Co., GA, Charles Thomas Farrar and his family began to migrate further southward with stops in Cedartown, Polk Co., GA where as noted above their son, Stephen Baker Farrar, was born on 16 Jan 1884. Their next stop was Tallapoosa, Haralson Co., GA where sadly their 1 Y/O son, Stephen Baker Farrar, died on 30 Jun 1885 and where their daughter, Jimmie Oden Farrar, was born on 05 Nov 1885. Charles and his family continued their migration and arrived in Woodlawn, Jefferson Co., AL (later to become part of Birmingham) about 1888 as their son, Thomas Bennett Farrar died there on 19 Apr 1888 and their son, Sam Cross Farrar, was born there on 15 May 1888. (NOTE: All birth and death dates confirmed by the Farrar Family Bible). Charles Thomas Farrar's first recorded employment in the Birmingham area was at the Sloss Furnace repair shop in 1888 (The Sloss Furnace is a National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama that operated as a pig iron-producing blast furnace from 1882 to 1971). By 1889, Charles went into the familiar business of lumber dealing and was the foreman of Hughes Lumber Yard in Birmingham but gravitated to the more lucrative job of working for the railroads. In 1890 he was a "locomotive fireman" for the "Georgia Pacific Railroad" By 1896 he was a "locomotive engineer" for the renamed "Southern Railway" and continued to work for the railroads most of his remaining life.

The 1896 Birmingham City Directory records Charles Thomas Farrar, a Southern Railroad engineer, and his family, including Maye Hardwick Farrar, living in Avondale at the address, “2d ave A’dale” (Avondale). Avondale, at the time, was the site of a very large cotton mill and its accompanying company owned community and store. Avondale was located closely to the Sloss Furnace repair shop where Maye's father, Charles Thomas Farrar, worked in 1888.

I have not been able to locate the Charles Thomas Farrar family in 1900 US Census.

The 1900 Birmingham City Directory recorded Maye Hardwick Farrar-No occupation is given but her address was “2d ave A’dale” (Avondale), the same as her father, Charles Thomas Farrar.

The 1900 Birmingham City Directory recorded Chas T. Farrar as an “engineer Southern Railroad” and his residence was listed as “2d ave A’dale” (Avondale). He had remained a “railroad engineer” but “Southern Railroad” was operating “Georgia Pacific Railroad" after 1894.

Maye Gresham was "obsessively deeply" in love with her husband, Dr. Andrew Belton Gresham, whom she married in Birmingham, AL on 08 Nov 1901 in a Methodist Church.

The 1910 US Census of Precinct 50, Jefferson County, AL enumerated the household of 37 Y/O Andrew Belton Gresham, a physician, and his 31 Y/O wife, Maye Hardwick (Farrar) Gresham. They were living in the coal mining camp at Watson, AL (aka Mineral Springs) where her husband was practicing medicine.

During the time, 1912 thru 1914, Dr. Andrew Belton Gresham, an allopathic physician, and his brother, Walter Lee Gresham, Sr., a Birmingham policeman, owned and operated the "Highland Livery Co" as a sideline. Belton's wife, Maye, worked at the livery. They changed the name of their livery to "Gresham Brothers" in 1913. During this time, 1912 thru 1914, Belton and Maye were living in Mineral Springs (aka Watson, AL), a short distance outside Birmingham where Belton was practicing medicine. Maye also assisted her husband in his practice of medicine in Mineral Springs. His untimely death in 1921, 20 years into their marriage, devastated her. She remained a grieving widow for 39 years whom resisted moving from the house she shared with him in Birmingham. She grieved for Belton the rest of her life even during the short interlude in 1926/27, when according to an oral history (family tradition), she married Joe Dorough, b. 1902 Leeds, Jefferson Co., AL. Joe Dorough was 28 years her junior. Her "Cougar" status didn't last long as Joe died 6 months into the marriage following septicemia (blood poisoning), resulting from scratching a pimple on his nose. She did spend a few years in Jasper, Walker, Co., AL living with her sister, Enoree Yvonne Farrar Jackson, but retained her house in Birmingham which she had shared with her first husband, Dr. Andrew Belton Gresham. Judging from the fact that she retained her married name "Gresham" seems to indicate that her second marriage may have been a hasty decision.

She became well known throughout Alabama as a prolific published poet and song writer, many of which related to her love for her deceased first husband, Belton. Her many notes on the backs of photos and her extant letters reveal the grieving and sentimentality that flowed from her heart to her pen.

One such publication of poems titled, "Heart Beats and Bubbles" by Maye Farrar Gresham, published in 1946 by the American Printing Company was dedicated to "Those I Love". It contains 48 poems, many with the undertone of her suffering from the loss of her husband, Belton, a quarter century previously. This book was featured at the "Alabama Writers Conclave" held at Alabama College, Montevallo, Alabama, June 23-26, 1947. Some of her individual poems won local recognition and awards. One such poem is attached.

A second book of her poems was to be published posthumously by Maye's sister, Enoree Yvonne Farrar Jackson, who also married a physician who happened to own his own hospital in Jasper, AL.

Sources indicate that Maye was not a morbid person but a charmer with a great talent who could express her deep feelings in original poems and songs.

Maye's many activities included being the chaplain for the Women's Chamber of Commerce of Birmingham, member of the "Civic Club", member of the Alabama Writer's Conclave and was very busy in teaching classes in the Methodist Church both in Birmingham and Jasper until her final illness of senile dementia intervened.

Maye had no children by either marriage.

The 1942 Birmingham City Directory recorded Dawn Franklin Farrar employed as a salesman and living at 625 Tuscaloosa Ave., the residence of his widowed sister, Maye (Farrar) Gresham.

Maye Hardwick Farrar Gresham was the 4th cousin 2 times removed of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) through her mother, Rosalind Virginia Dawn Farrar. (See Find A Grave Memorials Mark Twain and Mark Twain.

Bio by Gresham Farrar.