Name:  Walter Clifton Hamner and Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner Family

Date:  ca. 1914

Image Number:  EA8875cdEA01

Comments:  The family of Walter Clifton Hamner and Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner is shown in this ca. 1914 photo taken when they lived in Rockfish, Nelson County, Virginia.  The Hamners had moved to the Rockfish area from a James River tobacco farm in the Slate River area of Buckingham County by 1910, and Walter worked in the Alberene Soapstone Company.  Just after the turn of the twentieth century, the Alberene Soapstone Company merged with their rival company, the Virginia Soapstone Company (VSC), giving them control of VSC�s state-of-the-art factory and mill in the Nelson County town of Schuyler.  Alberene Soapstone thrived, and by the 1920s, the company owned approximately 6,000 acres and employed more than 2,000 workers.  By 1920, Walter Clifton Hamner family had moved to Schuyler, where Walter Clifton Hamner passed away on June 2, 1935.  Walter's wife, Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner, lived on in Schuyler and passed away on February 4, 1963; she is buried in Schuyler, VA.

Use the image below as a guide to the names of family members:

(1) Clay Randolph Hamner was born on October 18, 1906, in Buckingham County, Virginia, and his parents were Walter Clifton Hamner and Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner.  Clay died on July 4, 1957, in Schuyler, Virginia.

(2) Mary Elizabeth 'Bessie' Hamner was born on October 3, 1903, in Buckingham County, Virginia, and her parents were Walter Clifton Hamner and Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner.  Bessie passed away on July 22, 1985, in Schuyler, Virginia.

(3) Charlotte 'Lottie' Cleora Hamner was born on September 1, 1910, in Virginia, and her parents were Walter Clifton Hamner and Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner.  Lottie passed away on March 14, 1984, in Richmond, Virginia.

(4) Charles Edward Hamner was born on March 30, 1902, in Virginia, and his parents were Walter Clifton Hamner and Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner.  Charles passed away on August 15, 1962, in Nelson County, Virginia.

(5) Lewis Tyler Hamner, was born on January 24, 1896, in Buckingham, Virginia, and his parents were Walter Clifton Hamner and Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner.  Lewis married Frances Elizabeth Linton on September 6, 1915.  He died in June 1972 at the age of 76 and was buried in Schuyler, Virginia.

(6) Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner was born on March 30, 1870, in Buckingham, Virginia, and her mother was Olivia Spencer (see #12 in this photo).  Susan married Walter Clifton Hamner in 1890, and they had 11 children in 19 years.  Susan Henry Hamner died on February 4, 1963, at the age of 92, and was buried in the Hamner Family Cemetery in Schuyler, Virginia. 

(7) Margaret Gertrude Hamner was born on March 3, 1901, in Buckingham County, Virginia. and her parents were Walter Clifton Hamner and Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner.  Margaret passed away on January 30, 1972, in Richmond, Virginia.

(8) Dillard Hamner, (from the inscription on the back of the photo; no further information).

(9) Lillian 'Lillie' Lee Hamner Norvell was born on March 19, 1891, in Buckingham County, Virginia.  Lillie married John Ernest Norvell on June 2, 1910, in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Lillie passed away on September 25, 1929, in Richmond, Virginia.

(10) Earl Henry Hamner, Sr., was born on May 18, 1899, in Schuyler, Virginia, and his parents were Walter Clifton Hamner and Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner.  Earl married Doris Marion Giannini on December 31, 1921, in Schuyler, and they were the parents of eight children in 12 years.  Earl Henry Hamner, Sr., passed away on May 1, 1969, in Schuyler, Virginia, and he is buried in Schuyler

Earl and Doris (Giannini) Hamner's first child, Earl Henry Hamner, Jr., was born on July 10, 1923, and he was six years older than his next sibling and was looked up to by his younger Hamner siblings.  Earl, Jr., was interested in writing at an early age, and pursued writing in college.  He wrote several books, including The Homecoming, which was published by Random House in 1970, and it became a CBS Christmas television special, and then in 1972, the basis for the long-running television series, The Waltons.

(11) Nora Spencer Hamner was born on January 6, 1895, in Warren, Virginia, and her parents were Walter Clifton Hamner and Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner.  Nora passed away on November 17,1971, in Richmond, Virginia.

(12) Olivia Spencer, was born on February 19, 1837, in Buckingham County, Virginia, and was the daughter of Samuel Patteson and Adecia (Clopton) Patteson.  Olivia was the mother of Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner.  Olivia passed away on July 9, 1915, and is buried in Manteo, Buckingham County, Virginia.

(13) Lawrence Clifton Hamner was born on May 15, 1892, in Virginia, and his parents were Walter Clifton Hamner and Susan Henry (Spencer) Hamner.  Lawrence passed away on December 13, 1959, in Petersburg, Virginia.

(14) Walter Clifton Hamner was born on February 16, 1856, in Nelson County, Virginia.  Walter married Susan Henry Spencer in 1890, and they were the parents of 11 children.  Walter passed away on June 2, 1935, in Schuyler, Virginia.

(15) John Ernest Norvell (1879-1966) married Lillian Lee (Lillie) Hamner on June 2, 1910 in Charlottesville, Virginia.  John Ernest was the son-in-law of Walter Clifton Hamner (1856-1935) and Susan Henry Hamner (1870-1963).  John Ernest Norvell passed away on October 30, 1966, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

(16) Unnamed infant in John Ernest Norvell's arms, possibly Jeannette Hamner Norvell (1914-2017), the first daughter of Lillian Lee (Hamner) Norvell (#9) and John Ernest Norvell (#15).

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Image Located On:  Capturing Our Heritage, CDEA01
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