Ora Collins

F, ID# 24001, b. 5 January 1887, d. between 17 December 1932 and June 1932
  • Last Edited: 4 May 2026

Family: Benjamin Franklin ('Frank') Clayton b. 22 Dec 1883, d. 13 Jul 1917

Citations

  1. [S961] Find A Grave, online at http://www.findagrave.com, memorial for Ora Collins Moore, memorial ID no. 105680276, viewed on 4 May 2026.
  2. [S961] Find A Grave, online, above, memorial for Benjamin Franklin 'Frank' Clayton, memorial ID no. 119303870, viewed on 4 May 2026.

Thomas Harrison Bayless

M, ID# 24004, b. 1883, d. 15 October 1918
  • Last Edited: 5 Sep 2026

Family: Jodie Hester Clopton b. 8 Jan 1893, d. 23 Oct 1911

Citations

  1. [S961] Find A Grave, online at http://www.findagrave.com, memorial for Thomas Harrison Bayless, memorial ID no. 84324723, viewed on 9 Jul 2026.
  2. [S2563] Arkansas, Marriages, 1837-1944, online at https://www.familysearch.org, record for Jodie Hester Clopton and T. H. Bayless.
  3. [S961] Find A Grave, online, above, memorial for Thomas Harrison Bayless, memorial ID no. 84324723, viewed on 9 Jul 2026 (giving the date but not the place).

Benjamin Johnson Fortson Jr.

M, ID# 24005, b. 9 June 1932, d. 19 May 2024

Benjamin Johnson Fortson, Jr., from his online newspaper obituary.
  • Note*: He attended The Choate School in Connecticut, Paschal High School in Fort Worth, and The University of Texas at Austin, then served in the U.S. Army, and graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth with a business degree. Initially he worked as a landman for Champlin Oil in Oklahoma City; he then founded Fortson Oil Company in the early 1960s, which drilled wells all over the U.S. for four decades.3
  • Last Edited: 23 Aug 2026

Family:

Citations

  1. [S2565] Obituary for Benjamin Johnson Fortson, Jr., The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, 24 May 2024, transcription online at dallasnews.com, https://obits.dallasnews.com/us/obituaries/… or https://tinyurl.com/57c7ztva, viewed on 22 Aug 2026 (naming Benjamin Johnson Fortson Sr. as his father).
  2. [S2565] Obituary for Benjamin Johnson Fortson, Jr., online, above (naming Katherine Stripling Luckett as his mother).
  3. [S2565] Obituary for Benjamin Johnson Fortson, Jr., online, above.
  4. [S2565] Obituary for Benjamin Johnson Fortson, Jr., online, above (stating that he died peacefully after a short illness).
  5. [S1207] Corsicana Daily Sun, Corsicana, Tex., online archive at http://corsicana.newspaperarchive.com, 22 Mar 1941, p. 1, col. 8 (obituary of Ben J. Fortson) (naming Ben J. Fortson as his father).
  6. [S2566] Obituary for Benjamin Johnson Fortson, III, Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas, 23 Apr 2015, transcription online at legacy.com, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dfw/name/… or https://tinyurl.com/muy2jak3, viewed on 23 Aug 2026 (naming Benjamin Johnson Fortson as his father).

Sara Fortson Bolton

F, ID# 24016, b. 2 May 1929, d. 23 August 2026

Sara Fortson Bolton Derrick, from her online obituary.
  • Education*: Between 1934 and 1950, She attended grade and high school in Tignall, Georgia, graduating in 1946, and Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina in 1946-50, from which she received an A.B. degree.5
  • Note*: • She attended grade and high school in Tignall, Georgia, graduating in 1946, and Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina in 1946-50, from which she received an A.B. degree.
    • From her obituary: "Tody will be remembered as a loving wife and mother with a quick wit and beautiful sense of style. She was an avid reader and accomplished bridge player who enjoyed daily walks with her dear friends."10,11
  • Last Edited: 29 Aug 2026

Family: Noah David Derrick b. 29 Dec 1928, d. 7 Dec 2011

Citations

  1. [S27] John Wright Boyd, A Family History: Lt. Thomas Fortson (1742-1824) and Some of His Descendants—Early Settler of Elbert County, Georgia (Danielsville, Ga.: Heritage Papers, 1973), p. 118 (naming George Fortson Bolton as her father).
  2. [S2572] Obituary for Sara Bolton Derrick, The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, York County Edition, 26 Aug 2026, online at legacy.com, https://tinyurl.com/4yutnceb, viewed on August 28, 2026 (naming George Fortson Bolton as her father).
  3. [S27] John Wright Boyd, A Family History: Lt. Thomas Fortson, etc., above, p. 118 (naming Laura Latimer as her mother).
  4. [S2572] Obituary for Sara Bolton Derrick, online, above (naming Laura Latimer as her mother).
  5. [S27] John Wright Boyd, A Family History: Lt. Thomas Fortson, etc., above, p. 118.
  6. [S2572] Obituary for Sara Bolton Derrick, online, above.
  7. [S27] John Wright Boyd, A Family History: Lt. Thomas Fortson, etc., above, p. 118 (giving the date).
  8. [S2573] Obituary for Noah David Derrick, Berry Funeral Home & Crematory, Elberton, Georgia, not dated, online at https://tinyurl.com/4m68vett, viewed on 29 Aug 2026.
  9. [S961] Find A Grave, online at http://www.findagrave.com, memorial for (not giving the date).
  10. [S27] John Wright Boyd, A Family History: Lt. Thomas Fortson, etc., above, p. 118 (first bullet).
  11. [S2572] Obituary for Sara Bolton Derrick, online, above (second bullet).

Noah David Derrick

M, ID# 24017, b. 29 December 1928, d. 7 December 2011
  • Education*: Between 1934 and 1948, He attended grade and high school in West Columbia, Lexington County South Carolina, graduating in 1946 and attended Clemson College in South Carolina for two years.2
  • Military*: Circa 1950, Served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict.1
  • Note*: • He attended grade and high school in West Columbia, Lexington County South Carolina, graduating in 1946 and attended Clemson College in South Carolina for two years.
    • He was a member of Independence United Methodist Church of Tignal, Georgia and served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict. He retired from Exxon Corporation as a Senior Marketing Representative after 37 years and served the Wills Memorial Hospital Authority for a number of years.8,9

Additional Resources

• His Find A Grave memorial, which includes a biographical sketch and a picture of his gravestone, is here.
  • Last Edited: 6 Sep 2026

Family: Sara Fortson Bolton b. 2 May 1929, d. 23 Aug 2026

Citations

  1. [S2573] Obituary for Noah David Derrick, Berry Funeral Home & Crematory, Elberton, Georgia, not dated, online at https://tinyurl.com/4m68vett, viewed on 29 Aug 2026.
  2. [S27] John Wright Boyd, A Family History: Lt. Thomas Fortson (1742-1824) and Some of His Descendants—Early Settler of Elbert County, Georgia (Danielsville, Ga.: Heritage Papers, 1973), p. 118.
  3. [S961] Find A Grave, online at http://www.findagrave.com, memorial for Noah David Derrick, memorial ID no. 81758515, viewed on 29 Aug 2026.
  4. [S27] John Wright Boyd, A Family History: Lt. Thomas Fortson, etc., above, p. 118 (giving the date).
  5. [S961] Find A Grave, online, above, memorial for (not giving the date).
  6. [S961] Find A Grave, online, above, memorial for Noah David Derrick, memorial ID no. 81758515, viewed on 29 Aug 2026. The memorial and biographical sketch give 7 Dec 2011 as his death date but differ on the death place: the memorial names Tignall, Wilkes County, Georgia, but the biographical sketch names Athens Regional Medical Center in Athens, Georgia.
  7. [S2573] Obituary for Noah David Derrick, online, above (stating that memorial services would be at 2:00 that afternoon with Rev. Ben Walker and Rev. Kathy Morris officiating).
  8. [S27] John Wright Boyd, A Family History: Lt. Thomas Fortson, etc., above, p. 118 (first bullet).
  9. [S2573] Obituary for Noah David Derrick, online, above (second bullet).

Henry Cooper Ellenberg

M, ID# 24022, b. 11 March 1925, d. 19 November 1986
  • Last Edited: 29 Aug 2026

Citations

  1. [S27] John Wright Boyd, A Family History: Lt. Thomas Fortson (1742-1824) and Some of His Descendants—Early Settler of Elbert County, Georgia (Danielsville, Ga.: Heritage Papers, 1973), p. 118.
  2. [S961] Find A Grave, online at http://www.findagrave.com, memorial for Henry Cooper Ellenberg, memorial ID no. 90574740, viewed on 29 Aug 2026.