An undated photograph of 9Julia and her husband 8Bryant.1

9Julia Thigpen

Above: An undated photograph of 9Julia and her husband 8Bryant.1

An undated photograph of 9Julia and her husband 8Bryant.1

9Julia Thigpen, daughter of 18Willie Thigpen and 19Sallie Williams,2,3 was born 2 April 1907 in Laurens County, Georgia.3 The 1910 census shows her with her family in militia district 1338 (map), Laurens County.4

1910: 9Julia's family in militia district 1338 (map), Laurens County, Georgia. Full page.4

During a 2014 interview, her son Billy described what he knew of his mother's education:5

Yeah, she could read real good. She could read and write and do 'rithmetic, whatever she wanted to do. [...] I believe she [illegible] the sixth grade or seventh grade, uh. You know they had to walk to school. She had to walk about two miles every day to school and two miles back. [...] she [...] went to school over there at Rockledge. It was a little old school up there on the railroad track, beside the railroad track. That's where she went to school at.

By 1920 her family had moved a few miles east to the area around Orland, Treutlen County, Georgia. Although 9Julia hadn't attended school recently, she could read and write.6

1920: 9Julia's family in Orland, Treutlen County, Georgia. Full page.6

9Julia married 8Bryant Knight on 26 September 1921. For more information about their marriage, their lives together, etc., see 8Bryant's profile since that information won't be repeated here.

After her husband died in 1961, 9Julia signed an application for him to receive a government-provided footstone (as explained in his profile). Her signature appears at the bottom of the application:7

9Julia outlived her husband by a little over two years. She died at home on 23 May 1965 from cancer. She's buried by her husband in Thigpen cemetery, Laurens County, Georgia near the back of the cemetery at coordinates N32.45208 W82.70409. Her death certificate,3 her obituary,2 and a photo of her grave8 are below.

Sources Cited:

1: Photograph of Bryant Knight and Julia Thigpen. Provided by their son Billy Knight on 27 December 2014.

2: “Services Set For Mrs. Knight,” The Macon Telegraph (Macon, Georgia), Monday 24 May 1965, page 11

3: Bibb County, Georgia death certificate 013802 for Julia Knight

4: 1910 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Oconee, Militia District 1338, Laurens County, Georgia. Enumeration district 110, sheet 2B, dwelling 37, family 37, Wm Thigpen Jr household. NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 199. Internet Archive, <http://archive.org/stream/13thcensus1910po199unit#page/n337/mode/1up>, accessed 18 May 2013.

5: Interview with Billy Knight (son of 9Julia), 27 December 2014. A partial transcription of the interview is available.

6: 1920 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Orland District, Treutlen County, Georgia. Enumeration district 126, sheet 9A, family 105, Willie M. Thigpen household. NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 280. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/details/14thcensusofpopu280unit/page/n1121/mode/1up>, accessed 9 October 2021.

7: Headstone Applications for U.S. Military Veterans. 1961, Bryant Knight, service number 4569168. Ancestry.com ("U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970" / 1960-1961 / Kendrick, Fred-Krause, Willis I E / images 2698 and 2699 of 4088), accessed 8 October 2021.

8: Tombstone of Jullie T. Knight, Thigpen Cemetery, Laurens County, Georgia at approximate coordinates N32.45208 W82.70409. Photograph taken by 1Bryant Knight, 12 May 2009.