CHARLES FRANKLIN YANCY (1876-1948) and
VIRGIE BLEDSOE YANCY (1880-1972)

Photos & Biography submitted by Mary Jo & Earl Yancy joearl@reachme.net

Charles Franklin (Charley or C.F.) Yancy was born January 17, 1876 in Cedartown, Polk County, Georgia. He was the son of Stephen Archibald and Lucinda (Bowen) Yancy. On the 1880 census, he was living with his parents and siblings in Cedartown. The family may have gone to Texas in 1882, as Steve L. Yancy has said that his grandmother, Lucinda Yancy, once gave him an Indian head penny with a date of 1882, and told him that was the year they went to Texas. (See biography of Lucinda Bowen Yancy written by Jerry Preas, another grandson.) The births of Steve and Lucinda's children would support that fact as son, Eldridge Asbury (Az) was born in Georgia in 1881, and the next son, Stephen Andrew was born in Bell County, Texas in 1884.

Family story says that one day while Charley was working in the fields, probably in either Bell County or Williamson County, Texas, he spied a young lady also working in the fields picking cotton. He remarked to those with him that one day he was going to marry that girl. The young lady was Virgie Ellen Bledsoe, born August 8, 1880 in Crockett County, Tennessee, the daughter of John Talley and Amanda Elizabeth (Stevenson) Bledsoe. Their marriage license was issued in Williamson County, Texas, and they were married July 11, 1897. During the next year Charley and Virgie must have moved to Alvin, Brazoria County, Texas, because their first son, A.J. was born there on September 2, 1898, followed by a daughter, Lela. There were living in Alvin at the time of the Great Galveston Flood in September of 1900. (See A.J. Yancy biography for more.)

The daughter, Lela, died on January 18, 1902, and was buried in the Old Dallas Cemetery in Holland, Bell County, Texas, where they were living at the time. Two more children: Oba Clark and Berta were born in that area also. By the time of the 1910 census Charley and Virgie were settled in Coleman County, Texas, in the Santa Anna area, where they spent the rest of their lives. The census for 1910 shows children: A. J., Oba, Berta, Nettie and Lillie Pearl. They later had two more sons, Dee born in 1912, and Tom born in 1923.

Deeds show that Charley bought land in Coleman County in 1906, 1908, and 1910. He farmed cotton, maize, oats, and cane. He also went into partnership with a man who had ranch land in the Rio Grande Valley below McAllen, but evidently did not keep that land very long. Oil was found on one of his farms in Coleman County (probably in the 1940's) and he drew royalties off that land for several years until pumping was ceased.

Charley died on November 15, 1948 near Santa Anna, and was buried in the Santa Anna Cemetery. His wife, Virgie, died June 18, 1972, and she is buried by his side.