His parents: Isaac Darnell Gore and Sarah Margaret Wall
Her parents: Lee and Lou Oakley
The family bible has no entry about Ran's birth, and there appears to be no record from his early years. While the birth date often quoted for him, November 1867, is probably correct, he may have been born 1868. The 1870 census says 2, and the 1880 census says 11, both fairly consistent with 1867 as the year. The 1870 date from the TN death index is almost certainly incorrect.(1)
Although his name was Ewing Randolph in early years, he appears to have dropped the first name and to have used D (perhaps for Dolphus since he made that the middle name for two sons) as his middle initial, the name usually being written as Ran D. My family knew and spoke of the Gore family often, but I don't believe they knew Ran since I never heard him mentioned. I remember much later, after I was an adult, going to a home in Paris with my uncle, Benford D. Alexander, to meet one of the Gores with whom he had served in the military in World War II, and I believe the man he met was Oliver Gore, who I have discovered was a son of Ran.
Ran married Mattie Oakley, and they had several children, Thomas G., Lizzie Mae, Oliver Lee, Paul D., Joseph D., James Isaac, Mary Novella, and Emma Rebecca. There were also a couple of children who died as babies.
Thomas Gore's obituary appeared in the Paducah Sun. The heading stated, "Thomas Gore Sr, Paducah, Dies." An excerpt from the obituary gave a brief summary of people in his life: ". . . . He is survived by his wife, Mrs Gladys Gore, Paducah; a son, Thomas Gore Jr, of Paducah; two daughters, Mrs Carol Sue Turner of California and Mrs Marilyn Joyce of Lone Oak; two brothers, Oliver Gore of Paris, Tenn., and Joe Gore of Nashville, Tenn.; three sisters, Mrs Lizzie Mae Roberts, and Mrs Emma Miller, both of Paducah, and Ms Novella Gore of Tennessee; eight grandchildren and one greatgrandchild. . . ." I have not followed the son or daughters.
Lizzie Mae married Coy Biggs Roberts, and their union produced several children, none of whose histories I have followed. She and he are buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Paducah, Kentucky. The stone has their names and dates of birth and death, 27 October 1911 and 14 August 1979 for her, and 31 March 1908 and 27 November 1980 for him.
Oliver Lee married Myrtle Hurt, and they lived their lives mostly in Henry County. There were children from the marriage. Their grave stone is in Memorial Cemetery in Paris. I hope to get additional information from a relative.
Information is sparse on Paul Dolphus. His gravestone in Maplewood Cemetery in Paris gives vital dates, born 27 October 1917 and died 22 January 1967. Missouri Marriage License #11507, filed 25 March 1943 as marriage record 28 on page 530, states that Paul D. Gore and Callie V. Perkins obtained a license to marry on 14 February 1943. [Missouri Marriage Records, Cape Girardeau County, 1942-1943, Missouri State Archives; Jefferson City, MO] Mrs Callie V. Gore was made bond as administrator of Paul's estate in 1967 after his death.
Joseph Dolphus's gravestone in Maplewood Cemetery has only his date of birth, 31 December 1919, but someone had posted on-line his obituary dated 22 January, 2005, in the Tennessean of Nashville. "Services were held at Humphreys County Funeral Home in Waverly, TN on Friday, January 7, 2005 for Joseph D. Gore, age 85 of Nashville, TN. He was formerly of Paris, TN. Joseph went home to be with the Lord January 3, 2005, Monday at 6:14 p.m. He was an U.S. Air Force veteran who retired from the L & N Railroad Co. . . . He was preceded in death by his parents Randolph and Mattie Gore of Tennessee; his brothers, Issac, Tom, Paul, and Oliver Gore and two sisters, Elizabeth Roberts and Novella Gore. . . ."
For Isaac, I can provide little more than the information on his gravestone in Maplewood Cemetery in Paris: "James Isaac Gore, June 4, 1921 - June 15, 1951." I looked up his death record, but it's supposed data is less informative than that of the stone.
Mary Novella's gravestone in Maplewood Cemetery, Paris, has her name and the dates of her birth and death, 31 October 1923 and 16 October 1977.
Emma Rebecca's obituary provides some details. "Emma Rebecca Gore Miller, 88, of Goreville, IL, went home to be with her Heavenly Father on Friday, March 7, 2014 . . . . Emma Rebecca was born June 18, 1925 in Paris, TN to Ewing Randolph Gore and Mattie Thomas Oakley Gore. She married Robert Chaffin Miller on April 16, 1944. Together they shared fifty nine years of marriage until his passing on March 4, 2004. . . ." The obituary also mentioned a living daughter, but didn't include that section since it gave the names of her and her family.
Federal Censuses
1870HenryTNp387B,388A (stamped) 134,135 (penned): I. D. Gore 52, Margt 33, B. F. 23, J. T. 20, I. N. 18, Isabel 16, Mary E. 15, Francis 12, A. J. 9, Wm 7, Samantha 5, Emma 3, Randolph 2
1880HenryTNp176B (stamped) 6 (penned): Sarah A. M. Gore (wid) 43, Jefferson D. 19, Wm Lee 17, Cora A. S. 14, Emma V. 13, Ewing R. 11, Horrace 5, Francis M. 21
1900HenryTNp 12B (stamped) 12B (penned): Lee Oakley Feb 1850 marr 14y, Lou C. E. Oct 1871 marr 14y 6 ch/5 liv, Mattie T., Romy L.(male) May 1889, Leander M. Dec 1881 age 8 (should be 1891), John Z. Sept 1893, Curzy L. Sept 1898
1910HenryTNp163B (stamped)7B (penned): Ran D. Gore 38 Marr1 0y, Mattie 23 Marr2 0y 2 ch/1 living, Tommie 3, Romie Oakley 20 marr1 0y, Gertie Oakley marr1 0y (1)
1920HenryTNp73A (stamped) 23A (penned): Randolph D Gore 39, Mattie 33, Tom 12, Lizzie May 9, Oliver Lee 6, Paul 3y 10mo, Unnamed 2 days, Nan Winsett 55 wid (servant)
1930HenryTNp84A (stamped) 13A (penned): Ran D. 57, Mattie 41, Lizzie M. 19, Oliver 16, Paul 12, Isaac 8, Novella 7, Rebecca 4y 10mo (Note: apparently a second daughter was named Novella after the death of the first Novella in 1915. Isaac's name seems to be written as Izic.)
1940HenryTNp105A (stamped) 14A (penned): Mattie Gore 53, Paul 22, Joe 20, Isaac 18, Novella 16, Emma 14
State of Tennessee, Record of Marriage Licenses, Henry County, 1910, page 286, Application #44, 21 February 1910, R. D. Gore to M. T. Oakley; performed 24 February 1910 by R. L. Hartsfield JP
Henry County Archive and Genealogy Library, Paris, Tennessee
p>State of Tennessee, Record of Marriage Licenses, Weakley County, March 1930-March 1937, page 202, 10 July 1931, Lizzie Mae Gore to Coy Biggs Roberts, performed by W. S. Buckley JP, 10 July 1931
Tennessee Marriage Records, 1780-2002, Henry County, 1933-1935 (loose records): Marriage License #76, issued 1 July 1933, Mr. Oliver Gore to Miss Myrtle Hurt, performed by E. H. Greenwell MG, 2 July 1933, returned to clerk 24 July 1933 and recorded in Marriage Book 16, page 315
Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, TN; Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002
Death Records
State of Tennessee Certificate of Death, Henry County, 1915 #208: Death 7 October 1915, Novella Gore, 4 months, born Henry County (no date), parents Ran Gore and Mattie Oakley, informant Mrs Novella McSwain; attending physician J. A. McSwain. buried near Puryear 8 October 1915
Tennessee Deaths and Burials Index, 1874-1955: Randolph Gore, born 27 November 1870, Tennessee, age 64, died 31 December 1934, Henry County, buried 1 January 1935, Lebanon, Tennessee, married, spouse Mattie Gore, day laborer, father Isaac Gore, mother Walls
State of Tennessee Certificate of Death, Henry County, 1949, #49-05259: Death 26 March 1949, Mattie Gore, born 10 August 1888, Tennessee, father Lee Okley, mother unknown, wid, informant Joseph Gore; buried 28 March 1949, Lebanon Cemetery, Henry County
Kentucky Death Certificate, Calloway County, 1936, #
(Note 1): Except for possibly reversing the marriage status (first for Ran and second for Matttie), all of the information is apparently correct or nearly correct. This would mean that Thomas couldn't be the child of both Ran and Mattie, yet Thomas Gore's Tennessee Certificate of Delayed Birth has the affidavit of the attending physician, A A Oliver, that Mattie Oakley was his mother.