Hobby Is In My Blood

For 16 years I worked in the radio control and model railroad hobby industry.  I've dealt with numerous hobby products and hobby shops.  While I'm not a modeler, I've always had another link to hobbies:  my mother's maiden name.  That's right, I'm 50% Hobby.  So I present here my Hobby history.

Descendants of William Hobby

William Hobby was born on December 21, 1821 in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  His father was born in Virginia, and his mother in South Carolina.  We have no further information on his parents, when the first Hobby came to the US, or details of his life in South Carolina.  William was in Mississippi by 1850 where he married Margaret Webb on December 11 in Winston County.  Interestingly, Margaret was also born in South Carolina as well as her parents, so both were part of the movement west in the early to mid-19th century.  William purchased just over 40 acres in Neshoba County on March 15, 1854.  He listed his occupation as farmer on the 1860, 1880, and 1900 census, all in Neshoba County.   His farming was interrupted by the Civil War when he served as a Sergeant in the 6th Mississippi Infantry.  One source cites his CSA records as describing William with blue eyes, red hair, fair complexion, and 5’ 10’’ tall.

Margaret Webb Hobby was born on June 18, 1828 with parents William and Rachel Webb, both born in South Carolina as well.  When the 1850 census was taken on September 4th, the Webb’s (with Margaret still at home) had relocated to Winston County, Mississippi as farmers.  Margaret was the oldest sibling with 3 brothers (Ebenezer, Joshua, and Henry) and 2 sisters (Mary and Frances).
William and Margaret had 9 children, all in Neshoba County:

• John H., b. 1851
• Mary J., b. 1854
• Robert W., b. 1856
• George M., b. 1858
• William F., b. 1860
• Reason F., b. 1863, d. 1930
• Leroya, b. 1864
• James C., b. 1868, d. 1929
• Martha E., b. 1871

They were active members of the Old Pearl Valley Church in Neshoba County.   Margaret died on September 4, 1905, age 77; William died the following April 23, 1906, age 84.  They are buried in Sand Hill Cemetery, Arlington, Neshoba County, Mississippi.

Descendants of Reason F. Hobby

Reason (Rease) F. Hobby was born during the Civil War in 1863 to William and Margaret Hobby in Neshoba County, Mississippi, and was listed as living at home in the 1870 and 1880 census.  In 1880, Reason listed his occupation as laborer but also that he attended school within the calendar year.  Like his father William, Reason was a farmer his entire working life, but the location changed.  In 1900, the family is in the Leake County census, but in 1910 and 1920, they were in the Winston County census. 

It is pretty confusion following the many dependents of Reason Hobby.   On September 22, 1890, Reason married Mary (Martha) Frances Blocker Hutchins.   Mary previously had been married to D. Daniel Hutchins on December 1, 1881, but he died on March 18, 1888 leaving Mary with 3 children: 

• Classie Hutchins(1882-1942)
• Eva Hutchins(1882-1967)
• Jim Hutchins(b. 1886)

All 3 children came to live with Reason and Mary and are still listed as step children to Reason in the 1900 census following Mary’s death in 1899.

Mary was born March 17, 1863 in Leake County, Mississippi to parents Charles Wesley Blocker (1828-1886) and Nancy Lovin Guess (1834-1899).  Both Charles Blocker and Nancy Guess’ ancestors can be traced backed multiple generations within Mississippi and the Southeast.  We’ll save that for another post.

Reason and Mary Frances Hobby had 3 children:  

• Everett Lowery Hobby (1892 – 1947) who moved to Arkansas by 1922, became a grocer, married Jessie Marie Walker, and had two children: Charles Everett (1925 – 1985) and Reba Frances (b. 1932), my mother.
• Meadow Hobby (B. 1894) with no records beyond childhood.
• Hugh C Hobby (1898 – 1951) who moved to Dayton, Ohio by 1930, married Hazel Gortney, and became a supplyman and then an electrician.

Mary died at the age of 35 on February 9, 1899 and is buried in Mars Hill Cemetery, Remus, Leake County, Mississippi with her first husband.

On November 19, 1899, Reason married Millie Allen.  Millie was born in 1870 in Mississippi.  She is listed as the fifth of six children of Druneta Allen in the 1880 Leake County census with brothers William and Elisha and sisters Nancy, Matilda, and Mary.  No father is listed, so he might have died sometime after Elisha’s birth in 1874.  Allen must have been Druneta’s married name.

Reason and Millie had six children:

• Willie (b. 1901) who stayed in Mississippi until his enlistment into the Army during WW II
• Elish H. (b. 1903) whose records mirror Willie’s.
• Bonnie (b. 1905) who married Ira Slaughter and had two daughters, Argille and Nancy in Mississippi.
• Devon (b. 1907) who followed Everett to Arkansas to work as a grocer, married Sybil Jeanette Morgan, and had son Devon Junior.
• Leon G (1909 – 1992) who served in the Army in WW II and stayed in Winston County, Mississippi until his death at age 82.
• Mary J (b. 1912) with no records beyond childhood in Mississippi.

The photo above was found in Jessie Marie Walker Hobby’s photo album and is entitled “Everett’s parents.”  Given the age of the individuals, the photo must be of Reason and Millie, not Reason and Mary.

In summary, Reason Hobby had 3 step-dependents through Mary, 3 children with Mary, and 6 children with Millie:  an even dozen.   Their joint gravestone lists both Reasons and Millie’s death year as 1930.  Millie outlived Reason, though, since she is listed as a widow in the April 29, 1930 census of Winston County.   They are buried in Sand Hill Cemetery, Arlington, Neshoba County, Mississippi.