My Grandmother, Catherine Nell Demby Johnson, never talked to me about her brother Webster; he was her older brother and the firstborn in the family. She loved him very much. After my Aunt Edith Roper Johnson's death in the summer of 2022, I went through many ancient pics my grandmother had kept and passed on to her oldest daughter, Edith. In that collection was this picture, signed by my Grandmother. Webster and Nelllie Donahue Demby, Jefferson, SC. There was no date, just the two names, and the picture's location. My guess is it was in the 1920s sometime. Nellie Donahue was Webster's first wife. She died at 33 on August 27, 1932, in Jefferson. She had been suffering from kidney issues, and kidney disease eventually caused her death. They had no children together. Webster eventually remarried to Bertha Brown from Jefferson, and they had three children together.
Webster Demby was born on September 10, 1898. The same year as my Grandfather Russell Johnson, albeit three months later. Russell would marry Webster's sister, Nell Demby, in the early 1930s. Like his father and Grandfather before him, Webster Demby was a farmer. Farming was the central way of life in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. When perusing census records, one can discover that there weren't many other occupations outside of blacksmith, cooper, merchant, doctor, or preacher. Farming was the main occupation for almost the entire county population.
All of my Grandmother's family members lived long lives, except for Webster and his older sister Thaddie. This has always fascinated me. They had a huge family—ten total kids. Eight kids lived into their 80s and 90s(some almost reached 100), But Thaddie passed away in 1916 at 29. She had a condition known at the time as Heart Dropsy. In other words, edema. A state that causes fluid retention and often results in swollen legs, feet, arms, etc. Over the years, I saw evidence of this condition in my grandmother and her other sisters, but it did not affect their lifespans.
On Thursday morning, June 14, 1945, only one month after the Germans surrendered in World War II, Webster Demby suffered a heart attack. The family drove him 75 miles northwest to Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte in hopes of receiving the best care. Doctors worked on him and valiantly tried to save his life. Webster clung to life on Friday, but on Saturday morning, June 16, 1945, at 11:45 am, Webster Demby succumbed to the after-effects of the heart attack and passed away at 45. This photo linked me to my Grandmother's older sibling and the first-born child of my Great-Grandparents, John Richard Demby and Margaret Rebecca Jowers Demby.
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