Ancestors & Descendants of
George C. STEPP  
1842 - 1926
Lumpkin Co., GA --> Fannin Co., GA

George C. STEPP was born May 12, 1842¹, the son of Nelson Colby STEPP b. 1816 and Temperance "Tempy" MINCEY 1811-1897 of Patterson Dist., Lumpkin Co., GA.   Nelson died according to other researchers 1841-1849.  Tempy re-married on 12/27/1849 in Murray Co., GA to William Hill McCAY 1822-1864 CSA.  Tempy died Jul 1, 1897¹ and is buried at Epworth Meth Ch Cem., Epworth, Fannin Co., GA.  Tempy's children were:

• Nathan Nelson STEPP b. 1837

• Aaron Newton STEPP b. 1838

• George C. STEPP b. 1842

• James Turner McCAY b. 1853

• Roda Martha Ann McCay b. 1856

Nelson Colby STEPP was son of William STEPP, Sr.  b. 1771-1780 NC who died in 1852 in Lumpkin Co., GA.  Research has shown that William Sr. was married to Charity or "Charry" b. 1790 TN per 1850 census.    Some folks have transcribed Charry as Chaney but Charry is a nickname for Charity.  Charry died after 1850 in St. Clair Co., AL while living in the household of her son, William STEPP, Jr. and his wife, Millie F. STEGALL.  William STEPP, Jr. and Millie later removed to Itawamba Co., MS and Tippah Co., MS respectively before 1860 and 1870 census.  It's possible that Charity went with them and is buried 1850-1860 in MS rather than AL.   We have yet to do the AL and MS cemetery search for Charry's grave location. 

On Sep 16, 1860⁴ in Fannin Co., GA George married Margaret Judah "Judy" McCAY who was born on Dec 13, 1845¹  Living their entire married lives in Fannin Co., GA, they had 12 children:

#1 - James B. STEPP  was born Jun 21, 1861¹ in Fannin Co., GA .  He married  on 4/24/1881⁴ in Fannin Co., GA Mary Emmeline GODFREY 9/12/1858-9/12/1953.  She was a dtr/o Bartlett GODFREY and Hannah WATKINS of Sugar Creek Dist, Fannin Co., GA.  They lived all their lives in Fannin Co., GA and are buried at Epworth Meth Ch Cem., Epworth, Fannin Co., GA¹.  They had 11 children.  See their separate web page.

In 1862 George C. STEPP enlisted as a Private into Co. I, 10th TN Calvary, USA along with his brother Aaron Newton 'Newt' Stepp who died 1927 in McMinn Co., TN.  This unit was rasied in McMinn Co., TN.  Co. "I" was on detached service on the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad during April and May, 1864, and then rejoined the regiment.

#2 - Mary Caroline STEPP 1864 - aft 1900 m. Joseph H. LINGERFELT 8/16/1889⁴ in Fannin Co., GA.  It appears she died bef 1943 as she is omitted from her brother's obit.

#3 - John N. STEPP Dec 1865 - 8/23/1929⁵ in Fannin Co., GA.  He married Mary Theodocia 'Docia' BARNES on 8/30/1885⁴ in Fannin Co., GA.   She was born on 1/23/1868 and died  9/10/1935 in Fannin Co., GA and was buried at Sugar Creek Bapt Ch, Blue Ridge, Fannin Co., GA¹.  They had the following children: Luther A., Arthur G.,  Leslie A., Noran, Pearlie, William M.,  Nelson and Earnest.

#4 -  Daniel STEPP was born 1869-1870.  He died bef 1880 in Flint Hill Dist., Fannin Co., GA.  For both 1900 and 1910 census, the children in this family were numerated as 12 were born and 12 were living.  Daniel does not appear on any other census and seems to make the children in this family increase to 13 instead of 12. 

#5 - Andrew J. "Ad" STEPP was born 1869-1871.  Per census records, he was married to Lavada or Vadia 1871-1933.  They are buried at Millsaps Ch Cem., Fannin Co., GA¹ and had the following children in Colwell Dist., Fannin Co., GA:  Julia, William Lincolnton Alberton, Laura, Mary Ann, Hayden C., Everett G., Lillie and Bessie. 

#6 - Jane S. "Josie" STEPP was born May 1873.  She married Thomas CANTRELL on 11/10/1895⁴ in Fannin Co., GA.  Jane died some time after 11/1943.  Before her death she married a Loudermilk according to her sibling's obituaries.

#7 - William M. STEPP was born 9/18/1875 in Flint Hill Dist., Fannin Co., GA.  On 8/26/1897⁴ in Fannin Co., GA, he married Missouri PATTERSON.  She was born Jan 15, 1882 a dtr/o Lewis PATTERSON and Sarah M. SOSEBEE.  William and Missouri has the following children in Sugar Creek Dist., of Fannin Co., GA:  Charles M., Claude, Ida and Ethel.  William was medium height,  medium build, had blue eyes and brown hair².  Wm. and Missouri are buried at Sugar Creek Bapt Ch Cem., Blue Ridge, Fannin Co., GA¹.

#8 - Joseph Oston STEPP was born 7/12/1848 in Flint Hill Dist., Fannin Co., GA.  On Aug 10, 1899⁴ he married Nora CURTIS b. May 1879.  She was a dtr/o William R. "Billie" CURTIS and Sarah Elizabeth "Lizzie" HANCOCK of Fannin Co., GA.  Joseph and Nora has the following children in Fannin Co., GA;  William L. "Willie" ,  Effie, Homer, Carl, Floyd and Harley J.    Note: Joseph signed his WWI Draft Card²  as Austin STEPP; the GA Death Index 1919-1998⁵, ancestry.com has him as J. Oston STEPP, d. 11/11/1943; while his tombstone¹  is Austin STEPP with no dates.  Joseph was medium height; medium build and had brown eyes and brown hair².  Nora died on 7/6/1922 from bowel cancer³ and she was buried at Sugar Creek Bapt Ch Cem., Blue RIdge, Fannin Co., GA.  Joseph re-married Mattie McJUNCKINS and had at least 3 more children:  Joseph O. Jr., Franklin and Roy.  He died Nov 11, 1943 and was also buried at Sugar Creek Bapt Ch Cem¹.   

"Obits and Tidbits by Doyle Harper Abstracts taken from available 1925-1930 copies of the Blue Ridge Summit-Post and from 1932 and 1937-1943 Fannin County Times 11/18/1943 -Nov 18- J. O. Stepp, 65, dies. Surv. by wife, sons: Willie, Harvey, Floyd, Franklin, & Roy, dau: Mrs John Puckett, bros: Riley, Louis & William, and sisters: Mrs Josie Loudermilk & Mrs Julie Plemmons."  [source]

#9 - Julia STEPP was born Aug 10, 1880 in Colwell Dist., of Fannin Co., GA.  On July 15, 1899⁴ in Fannin Co., GA she married Albert J. "A.J." PATTERSON, s/o Lewis PATTERSON and Sarah M. SOSEBEE.  They had 12 children:  Nora E., Clifton, Ollie, Claud, Luther, Carl, Arthur, Sarah, Willie, John Robert,  Georgia M. and Minnie Lee.

A.J. died of TB on Dec 8, 1927³and was buried at Lebanon Bapt Ch Cem., Fannin Co., GA^{1, 3}.   Julie re-married to I believe W.R. PLEMMONS and died Feb 28, 1957.   Julie and W.R. are buried at Mt. Moriah Bapt Ch, Fannin Co., GA.  Her tombstone reads:  "Julia Patterson Plemmons"¹. 

#10 - Martha J. STEPP was born 10/9/1883 in Colwell Dist. of Fannin Co., GA.  On May 25, 1900⁴ in Fannin Co., GA she married John R. PATTERSON.  He was b. 1887 a s/o Lewis PATTERSON and Sarah M. SOSEBEE.  By 1910 they had the following children:  Virgil, Lusta, Myrtle, Verne and Ethel.  Martha died 9/8/1975 and is buried at Epworth Meth Ch Cem., Epworth, Fannin Co., GA¹. 

#11 - Lewis E. STEPP was born Aug 1885 in Colwell Dist., Fannin Co., GA and died after Nov 1943. According to the Fannin Co. Cemetery Book of 2003, Lewis is not buried in Fannin Co., GA.

#12 - Walter Harrison STEPP was b. Dec 19, 1887² in Colwell Dist., Fannin Co., GA. and married Annie in 1907.  They had 2 children:  Walter C. and Richard L..  Walter was short in height, slender in build, had brown hair and brown eyes and was sickly. ² According to the Fannin Co. Cemetery Book of 2003, Walter and Annie are not buried in Fannin Co., GA.

#13 -  Riley C. STEPP was b. Nov 1890 in Colwell Dist., Fannin Co., GA.  He married Lillie some time before 1914.  They had:  Seaborn, George C. and Lela E. by 1920.  According to the Fannin Co. Cemetery Book of 2003, Riley and Lille are not buried in Fannin Co., GA.

Juda died Jun 29, 1910.  About 1911-1919 he re-married to Martha HARPER b. 1855.  George C. STEPP died Sep 29, 1926³ of acute enteritis and both are buried at Epworth Meth Ch Cem., Epworth, Fannin Co., GA. ^1,3  Martha died in 1940 and is buried at Sugar Creek Bapt Ch Cem., Fannin Co., GA¹.

Census Abstracts: taken from original images at Ancestry.com

1840 Patterson, Lumpkin Co., GA
William STEP, Sen. 010200001--0010001
Wm. 1771-1780
female 17911800
2 males 1821-1825
2 females 1826-1830
males 1831-1835

[Nelson] Coleby STEP 20001--00001
Coleby 1811-1820
wife 1811-1820
2 sons 1836-1840

1850 Gilmer Co., GA - enumerated Sept 1850
William H. McCAY  28  farmer  300  NC
Temperance  38  SC         cannot read or write
Nelson  13   GA   indexed as McCAY instead of STEPP due to census taker error
Newton  10   GA   indexed as McCAY instead of STEPP due to census taker error
George  8  GA   indexed as McCAY instead of STEPP due to census taker error
John 3  GA

1860  ????

1870 Morganton, Fannin Co., GA - enumerated July 1870
George STEPP  27  farmer  150  GA   cannot read or write
Judy  24  keeping house  GA     cannot write
John 8  GA
Caroline  6  GA
James 4  GA
Daniel  4/12  GA  [Mar]
[Note:  it appears that John and James were switched on this census]

1880 Flint Hill Dist, Fannin Co., GA - enumerated Jun 1880
George C. STEP  38  married laborer  unemployed for 4 months in census year  illiterate  GA  GA  SC
Margaret J.  34  wife  married keeping house  cannot write  GA GA GA
James B.  18  son  laborer on farm GA GA GA
Mary C.  15  dtr  works on farm  GA GA GA
John N.  14  son  laborer   GA GA GA
Andrew J.  10  son  works on farm  GA GA  GA
Jane S.  7  dtr  GA  GA GA
William  5  son  GA  GA  GA
Joseph A.  2  son  GA  GA  GA

1900 Sugar Creek, Fannin Co., GA - enumerated June 1900
George W. STEPP  May 1842   58 md 40 yrs  GA GA SC  farmer
Judie M.  Dec 1845  54 md 40 yrs  12/12 kids  GA  GA  GA
Martha Y.  dtr  Jan 1883  GA GA GA
Lewis E.  son  Aug 1885  GA  GA  GA
Walter H.  son  Dec 1887  GA  GA  GA
Riley  son  Nov 1890  GA  GA  GA

1910 Caldwell [actually Colwell], Fannin Co., GA - enumerated April 1910
George STEPP  67  M1  49 years  GA GA GA  farmer
Julia    63  M1 49 yrs  Kids: 12-12  GA  GA  GA
Lewis  son  24  single  GA  GA  GA
Riley  son  19  single  GA  GA  GA

1920 Caldwell Dist., Fannin Co., GA - enumerated January 1920
George C. STEPP  77  GA GA SC  general farmer
Martha  65  GA NC NC

Sources:

¹ Dale Dyer and Ethelene Dyer Jones, Fannin County, Georgia Cemeteries, 2003 Fannin County Heritage Foundation, Blue Ridge, GA {C.A.T.'s private library}.
² WWI Draft Card, on-line at Ancestry.com
³ Death Certificate Images, on-line at Georgia Virtual Vault.
⁴ Fannin Co. GA Marriages by Jenne Vee Pitts, on-line at Appalachian American Genealogy and/or images of original Marriage Books on-line at Georgia Virtual Vault.
⁵GA Death Index 1919-1998 Ancestry.com . Georgia Deaths, 1919-98 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001. Original data: State of Georgia. Indexes of Vital Records for Georgia: Deaths, 1919-1998. Georgia, USA: Georgia Health Department, Office of Vital Records, 1998.

Books of Interest:

10th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment

Dyer, Frederick H. “10th Regiment Cavalry.” In A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, 1636-1647. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.,1908. Reprint, Dayton, OH: The Press of Morningside Bookshop, 1978.

Goodspeed Publishing Co., “Federal Military History” In History of Tennessee, Vol. 1, 477-512. Nashville, TN: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1887. Reprint, Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press, 1879.

Tennessee Adjutant General. “Tenth Regiment Cavalry.” In Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Tennessee, of the Military Forces of the State, from 1861 to 1866, 554-575. Nashville, TN: S. C. Mercer, 1866.

Others Researching this Family:

• Debbie Spencer
• Sandy Stepp-Ramsey