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Kinship chart for

Starling Hammond


Hammond, A E Grandmother
B F (or Dennis Fletcher) Hammond Abt. 1812 Grandfather
Barrett, Pearla 22 May 1909 Niece In Law
Bray, Ronald Willis 02 Apr 1947 Grand Nephew In Law
Bray, Rhonda Elizabeth 13 Jul 1972 Great Grand Niece
Coffey, Marimac 1945 Grand Niece In Law
Elizabeth Grandmother
Hammond, Bessie 1879 Sister
Hammond, John D Apr 1881 Brother
Hammond, Starling M. 06 Aug 1873 Self
Hammond, Vivian Lucille Apr 1883 Sister
Hammond, W R Oct 1848 Father
Hammond, William Rice Jul 1889 Brother
Heinze, Paul Grand Nephew In Law
Hyde, Sarah Vandelia 13 Jan 1917 Niece In Law
Lucas, Katie Elizabeth 29 Oct 2002 2nd Great Grand Niece
Lucas, Tyler Andrew 06 Aug 2000 2nd Great Grand Nephew
Lucas, William David 02 Jan 1971 Great Grand Nephew In Law
Mayo, David W. Grandfather
Mayo, Mary Elizabeth Jan 1854 Mother
Mote, Joan 24 Jan 1954 Grand Niece In Law
Perry, Anthony Grand Nephew In Law
Perry, Jeffrey Great Grand Nephew
Perry, Jody Sue Great Grand Niece
Renfroe, Ruth Abt. 1898 Niece
Renfroe, William H. Brother In Law
Stephens, Allen Edward 17 Jun 1928 Grand Nephew
Stephens, Carolyn Sue 17 Feb 1939 Grand Niece
Stephens, Celia Elizabeth 22 Jun 1948 Grand Niece
Stephens, David W 1913 Nephew
Stephens, Elsie Naomi 1903 Niece
Stephens, James Hyde 13 Feb 1944 Grand Nephew
Stephens, John Allen Jun 1881 Brother In Law
Stephens, John Allen Jr 26 Jul 1905 Nephew
Stephens, Otis Hammond 24 Dec 1907 Nephew
Stephens, Virgil Hughie 30 Apr 1910 Nephew
Tarpley, Ruby E. Abt. 1906 Niece In Law

 

 

 

 


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Who is Starling Hammond? Page 1

One of the more mysterious members of the Stephens family is my grand uncle, Starling M. Hammond. He's a mystery because he died young in a faraway city, and that raises two big questions:

My first recollection of him was when my aunt Elsie Stephens mentioned him. At the time, I was at first struck by the name "Starling." But she also said he was killed by a train in New York. No more than that—but that was enough to make we want to know more about him.

The census is not much help
Starling Melmouth Hammond does not show up on very many census forms—just one, to be exact. He was born on August 6, 1873, maybe in Downsville, LA. He died in Utica, New York on August 22, 1902, at the age of 29. He appears on the 1880 census as a six-year-old boy, misnamed on the form as Samuel, probably a corruption of his initials S and M.

There is no available census for 1890, and so far, I have not found him on the 1900 census. He died in 1902. So the vital records are sparse—just a misspelled name on the 1880 census.

My cousin, Celia, came across a copy of the book The Last of the Mohicans. At the front of the book is this inscription from Starling to his "Brothers and Sisters." The year is 1894, eight years before he died.

Book inscription with Starling Hammond's signature

There's no one still living who knew Starling, but we can learn just a bit from two newspaper articles from his home town, McDonough, Georgia. These transcriptions are exactly as printed:

The Henry County Weekly, August 29, 1902
Starling Hammond Dead
The death of Starling HAMMOND, who spent his boyhood days in McDonough,
occurred under distressing circumstances at Utica, N. Y., last Friday, and the
sad news was received with much regret here. The remains reached McDonough last
Tuesday afternoon and were laid to rest in the family burial grounds near
Bethany.
A special dispatch from Utica to the Atlanta Journal gives the following
particulars of the death:
“Starling M. HAMMOND, a printer, aged 29, son of Mrs. Mary HAMMOND of 4
Love Street, Atlanta, was wounded on the New York Central Railroad tracks here
this morning with one leg cut off and the other nearly severed.
He was taken to the city hospital where he died a few hours later. While
the city physician was working over HAMMOND he was conscious and said: “ I was
to blame and no one else.” Further than that HAMMOND refused to explain the
accident.
The coroner is investigating. He believes the man to have fallen off a
flyer while en route to Albany to work. The local printers have interested
themselves, as he had a paid up union card.”

The Henry County Weekly, August 29, 1902
BETHANY

The remains of Mr. Starling HAMMOND a former Henry County boy, who was
killed by the railroad in New York last week, was brought to this place to be
interred, and was laid to rest Tuesday afternoon after appropriate funeral
services conducted by Rev. T. J. BLEDSOE. His parents formerly resided in this
vicinity, during his boyhood days, and his sad and untimely end is deeply
deplored by his old friends and associates.

 

We know where he is today
We don't know much, but we know where he is buried. See the following page for a picture of his grave.

 

 

Go to page 2 of Who is Starling Hammond?

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Last update: August 12, 2010April 7, 2014