Ray City History Blog

An old newspaper clipping reported the passing of Creasy Brown Wood, wife of George W. Wood.

Nashville Herald
Friday October 13, 1911

Death of Mrs. G. W. Woods

Mrs. G. W. Woods died at her home near Rays Mill, Tuesday evening, October 10, at 2:30 o’clock, after an illness of about six weeks.
    Mrs. Woods was a well known lady and was loved by all who knew her.  She was about thirty years of age.  She leaves a husband and five children, besides her brothers and sisters, to mourn her death. Her remains were carried to DuPont for burial.
    Mrs. Woods bade her husband and loved ones good-bye before she died.
    Her bereaved husband has the sympathy of many friends.

“May he and she in Heaven meet,
Cast their crowns at Jesus’ feet.”
                         – A Friend

The Herald extends its deep sympathy to Mr. Woods in the loss of his wife.

Creasy Brown Wood was buried at North Cemetery – Dupont, GA  near her parents, grandparents, and many others of her family connections rest.

Grave marker for Creasy Brown Wood, Wife of George W. Wood, North Cemetery, Dupont, Clinch County, GA.

Creasy Brown, born 14 Aug 1877, was the daughter of Sarah M. Hughes (22 Jan 1847 – 19 Jan 1904)  and James Brown (15 Sep 1828  –  15 Aug 1900)  of DuPont, Clinch County, GA.  In the census of 1900, Creasy was enumerated in her parents’ household in the 1280 District of Clinch county, where they were neighbors of Otis Mikell, subject of earlier posts (Ola Crews and Otis Mikell)

The graves of Creasy Brown’s maternal grandparents bear an unusual inscription –  MURDERED.  When Creasy was twelve years old her grandparents were brutally murdered at their home in Dupont, GA.

Atlanta Constitution
November 9, 1889 pg 2

THE BLOODY AX.

A Double Murder in Clinch County, Georgia.

An Old Man and His Wife Found Dead on Their Premises – Excitement of the Affair.

    Valdosta, Ga., November 8. -(Special)- A most horrible and brutal double murder has just come to light from Clinch county.  The victims were an old man 78 years of age, and his aged wife.  The murderers are supposed to be negroes.  It is supposed that the murder was committed late Wednesday evening, but was not discovered till yesterday evening, some twenty-four hours later.  Mr. Hughes and wife lived seven miles south of Dupont by themselves.  They were good citizens and had raised a large family of respectable sons and daughters, who had grown up and left home.  One of the boys rides the mail from Dupont to Dames’ mill, and the route goes by the old man’s house. On Wednesday morning last, young Hughes stopped a few minutes to see the old folks, and the old gentleman told him that three negroes, a mulatto and two blacks, had been dodging about his place in a suspicious manner.  They called, ostensibly, for water, and inquired if anyone lived with him and his wife. They then disappeared, and later when he went in the woods to cut some posts, Mr. Hughes came up on them lying behind some logs.  On the return of young Hughes, later in the day, he stopped again, and found his parents safe and all right. He supposed the negroes were likely after pilfering, and did not give the matter much further thought. On Thursday afternoon two of Mr. Hughes’s grandsons, Thadeus Hughes and Jimmie Rice, young lads, went to spend the night with the old people, and when they entered the yard they found their grandfather laying near the steps dead.
    They immediately fled and carried the news to the nearest neighbors. A crowd soon gathered, and when they returned to the old peoples’ residence they found the old lady also dead in the kitchen. She had evidently been killed first, while the old man was probably in the lot feeding his stock. She was preparing supper, and had some raw meat in a bowl in her hand when the fatal blow was struck with an ax from behind. She fell upon her face and the bowl broke as she fell, and another lick on the back of her head shattered her roach-comb and crushed in the skull.  The old man was met or overtaken in the front yard and dealt two blows which crushed his skull and killed him immediately.  The bloody ax which did the work was found leaning against the plazza not ten steps from where the old man lay.  Mr. Hughes is supposed to have had over two hundred dollars in his trunk, which was found out in the yard, broken open and rifled. The people in the neighborhood are greatly excited about the affair, and every effort will be made to hunt down the red-handed villains, but they got twenty-four or thirty-six hours the start if they left the country as soon as the crime was committed. Sheriff Dickerson has offered a reward for the murderers, and will use every endeavor to catch them.

Her grandparents were buried in North Cemetery – Dupont, GA.

Grave markers of William Hughs, and Ellen S. Hughs, murdered in 1889, buried at North Cemetery, Dupont, Clinch County, GA.

Related Posts:

• More on the late Mr. and Mrs. Hughes
• Two Men Hanged in Clinch County
• The Bloody Story: 1889 Murder of the Hughes Family in Clinch County
• Obituary of Lucretia “Crecy” Rice Hughes
• Creasy Brown Woods buried at Dupont, GA
• John R. Wood Goes to Paris
• Milledge Dewey Wood and the First Cotton Blooms of 1912