A Family History Newsletter

Volume 2, Number 3

3rd Quarter 2003

William Moses Tullis (1869-1939) 
and Family

by Helen Tullis (ahr6228@alltel.net), including information supplied by Betty Adkisson (BAdki15626@aol.com)

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of excerpts from Helen Tullis’ book, "Melvin Thomas Tullis: Ancestors and Descendants". William Moses Tullis was a first cousin of Melvin Thomas Tullis, profiled in the last issue of this newsletter. William’s father, John S., and Melvin’s mother, Mahulda, were brother and sister. John S. and Mahulda were both children of Moses Tullis and his wife Nancy.

William Moses Tullis was born June 26, 1869, in Hog Mountain, Gwinnett County, Georgia. He was the oldest of six children born to John S. and Susannah Jane (Swafford) Tullis:

  1. William Moses Tullis (1869-1939)

  2. Mary E. Tullis (1871-1951)

  3. Pearla Tullis (1873-?)

  4. Eliza Tullis (1875-?)

  5. John Tullis (1882-1935)

  6. Thomas H. Tullis (1886-1949)

They resided in and around Hog Mountain probably until his mother, Susannah, passed away around 1886. After that, John must have moved the family to Alabama. His sister, Emily, lived in Marion County, Alabama.

On August 11, 1889, in Asheville, St. Clair County, Alabama, William Moses Tullis married Mary Catherine Galbreath. She was born March 4, 1865. William Moses and Mary Catherine farmed and were of Baptist faith. Just above their farm, in the Noccalula Falls area, he pastored the Fairview Baptist Church. Later, his funeral services would be held there and burial at the Fairview Cemetery. William and Mary Catherine had five children together:

  1. Pluma Kathlene Tullis (1891-1962)

  2. Grover Ozell Tullis (1892-1969)

  3. Pearl Tullis (1896-1982)

  4. Otis Dealey Tullis (1899-1989)

  5. Edgar Ralph Tullis (1902-1974)

Mary Catherine passed away on Sept. 23, 1914, at the age of 49.

William Moses then married Mae Smith Bennett on Feb. 11, 1916, in Gadsden, Alabama. They had five children together:

  1. Frank Lewis Tullis (1914-?)

  2. Willie Mae Tullis (1917-1999)

  3. Elizabeth Ann Tullis (1919-1944)

  4. Hosea Thomas Tullis (1921-bef.1930)

  5. Bennie Lee Tullis (1924-1930)

William Moses died in Gadsden, Etowah County, AL, on March 31, 1939, at the age of 69. His wife Mae passed away shortly after on March 24, 1940, also in Gadsden, at the age of 56.

William’s father, John, was found in Winston County, AL, married to Dovie Suthern on March 3, 1895. She passed away on August 7, 1896, at the age of 32 of pneumonia. They had no known children.

John was next married to Mrs. Margaret Payne on May 23, 1897, in Winston County, AL. They are believed to have had three children together:

  1. Margaret S. Tullis (1898-?)

  2. Savannah Tullis (1903-?)

  3. George W. Tullis (1907-?)

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