Mary Elizabeth Griffin Thornton

Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Griffin Thornton

surrounded by some great-grandchildren

Betty Thornton is pictured here in front of a school bus operated at Ryans Well by Lawrence Taylor, her granddaughter's husband. This photograph was taken in the early 1940s, and I'm going to attempt to identify the children pictured in it. If I have mis-labeled anybody, please let me know. That's Kenneth Taylor in Grandma Thornton's lap. He is the son of Lawrence and Dorothy Johnson Taylor. His brother, Alvie Gene Tayor, is standing in the front row, far right.

The little girls on the front row are Margie Mills, Vera Mae Mills, and Judy Mills.

Standing in the rear are Ruby Mills, Charles Mills, Etoye Johnson, Eldred Mills, Paul Mills and Buster whose last name I do not know.

Etoye Johnson actually is a granddaughter, not a great-grandaughter, being the youngest child of Nora Thornton and Fisher D. Johnson. Margie, Judy, Ruby, Charles and Eldred are children of Millard Mills and Syble Johnson while Vera Mae and Paul belong to Henry Mills and Glader Johnson. Millard and Henry Mills were brothers who married sisters Syble and Glader.

Grandma Thornton was born July 30, 1857 to James C. Griffin and Sarah E. "Sallie" Evans. She married John T. Thornton, son of Green B. and Mary Thornton, on December 23, 1874. Betty died May 2, 1952 and is buried at Sandy Springs Cemetery.