Household #170: Hiers, John A.

Back to the 1900 Census & Household Index

In the 1900 Barney census, John Hires headed a 7-person household. The table below preserves the exact names, relationships, ages, birthplaces, and occupations recorded for the household.

Household Snapshot

John Hires headed a 7-person household in the 1900 Barney census with 1 spouse or marital partner and 5 children.

John Hires's listed occupation was Farmer.

All listed household members were reported as born in Georgia.

Newspaper and Public-Record Trail

This section flags public-record leads separate from the census table. The detailed discussion stays in the family narrative, research status, and source citations below.

1900 Census Household

Children and Later Trails

This section is reserved for later-life child evidence. No later spouse, death, burial, obituary, probate, separate household, or descendant-line identification has been added here yet from direct records.

Family Narrative

• John A. Hiers/Hires was enumerated as John Hines in Barney in 1900 with wife Francis and five children. The 1900 record gives his birth as October 1855 and says he and Francis had been married 11 years.
• The same family appears in Barney in 1910 as John Hires and Francis Hires, with children Mollie, Vessie/Bessie, Lettie, Lebbie, Robert, Stella, Nina, and Ocalla. The 1910 census is the strongest bridge between the 1900 Hines spelling and the later Hires/Hiers spellings.
• In 1920, John A. Hires and Francis Renore Hires were still in Barney. Children at home were Ocala, Bessie, Bob, Libbie, Leddie, and Ruby.
• John died on 15 November 1921 in Barney, Brooks County, Georgia. The FamilySearch Georgia deaths record names him John A. Hires, age 66, married, with father Phillip Hires, mother Francis Croft, and spouse Frances Hires. The mother's-name field still conflicts with the Hiers/Alderman parentage trail and appears to be an informant or clerk error using the wife's maiden name.
• Francis/Frances R. Hiers appears as a widowed head of household in 1930, 1940, and 1950. The 1940 census places daughter Okella Hiers, age 48, in her household. The Georgia Death Index gives Francis R. Hires, female, age 87, died 22 January 1956 in Colquitt County, Georgia, certificate 10700. A FamilySearch Find a Grave index entry gives Francis Lenore Croft Hires, born 25 October 1868, died 22 January 1956, buried at Berlin Cemetery in Colquitt County.
• John appears as a child in Phillip Hires's household in 1860 and in Phillip Hiers's household in 1870. The 1880 census places John Hiers, age 25, as nephew in William Hiers's household. These records support the Phillip Hiers family connection, though they do not by themselves prove every later compiled parentage claim.
• Francis Lenore/Renore Croft is supported as the wife from the 1900-1940 household trail. Her likely Croft childhood family is supported by the 1870 and 1880 Brooks County census entries for Jacob H. Croft and Jerona/Jerony Croft.
• Okella/Ocalla/Ocala Hires is supported from the 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 census trail. FamilySearch also has a 1941 Colquitt County marriage record for Okella Hiers to W. J. Bryan that names parents John Hiers and Frances Hiers.
• Stella Hires is supported from the 1900 and 1910 census trail. FamilySearch has a 22 August 1915 Brooks County marriage record for Stella Hires and Charlie Johnson, and a Georgia death record for John Turner Johnson naming Charley Johnson and Stella Hires as parents. A FamilySearch Find a Grave index entry reports Stella Hiers Johnson, born 1896 and died 14 November 2000, buried in Cook County.
• Mollie Hines/Hires is supported from the 1900 and 1910 parental households. The best online adult trail is Mollie J. Hires Johnson: a Brooks County marriage record gives Mollie Hires/Hiers marrying N. A. Johnson on 4 March 1912; the later FamilySearch tree attachment places the same person with William Alexander Johnson; the 1920 and 1930 Colquitt County census records place Mollie/Mollie J. Johnson with William A./Will Johnson and children; and a child NUMIDENT record names Arthur Johnson's parents as William A. Johnson and Mollie Hires. The parent-child proof comes through the child NUMIDENT and the FamilySearch tree attachment path. This supports the adult identity, but Mollie's own death and burial remain unclosed.
• Bessie Hines/Hires is supported from the 1900 and 1920 parental households. A FamilySearch NUMIDENT record for Laddie Harris gives his birth as 5 September 1923 at Barney/Brooks, Georgia, death as 19 December 2000, and parents as J. B. Harris and Bessie Hires. A companion NUMIDENT result names Bessie Hires as spouse of J. B. Harris and mother of Laddie Harris. A FamilySearch tree profile for Bessie Hires, attached to the John A. Hiers and Frances Lenore Croft family, gives Joseph Benjamin Harris as spouse, Laddie Harris as child, an SSDI death for Bessie Hiers in September 1980 in Queens, New York, and a GenealogyBank obituary-index source under Bessie Hires Harris. This Harris/death trail is secondary-supported and not cleanly closed because the tree has duplicate/conflicting Bessie profiles and the 1900 household age does not align with the 1903 birth date attached to the Harris profile.

Connections to Other Barney Families

• John A. Hiers appears to be the brother of Jacob Hunter Hiers of HH#144. The shared Phillip Hiers household trail supports the connection; compiled memorial/tree material should not be treated as the only proof.
• Through the Hiers/Alderman parentage claim, this household belongs in the Hiers, Alderman, Strickland, and Croft cluster, but direct records should be preferred over Geneanet, Find a Grave relationship links, or unsourced tree relationships.
• Possible same-surname households HH#130 and HH#195 remain only same-surname leads unless direct records connect them.

Research Notes

• John A. Hiers's direct online death record gives 15 November 1921, while the FamilySearch Find a Grave index gives 15 September 1921 and burial at Berlin Cemetery. Use the direct Georgia deaths record for the death date unless an image-level cemetery or certificate review proves otherwise. The mother's-name conflict remains unresolved.
• Francis Lenore Croft Hiers's 1956 death is supported by the Georgia Death Index. Burial is supported by the FamilySearch Find a Grave index. An obituary, probate file, or original death certificate image would still improve the entry but is no longer required to establish the date.
• Mollie Hines/Hires is supported as the Mollie J. Hires who married William Alexander/N. A. Johnson, but her own death and burial remain open. The 1905 J. B. Moore and 1909 D. C. Baker marriage candidates remain rejected or unproved because they conflict with Mollie's 1910 parental-household appearance and lack parent-linking support.
• Bessie Hines/Hires has a supported adult Harris trail through Laddie Harris's NUMIDENT, but the FamilySearch tree evidence is secondary and internally conflicted. Do not use the September 1980 Queens, New York death as a closed fact unless a direct death, obituary, cemetery, or probate record confirms that the Bessie Hiers in SSDI is the Barney/Brooks County daughter.
• The 1900 son John ?? Hines remains unresolved. FamilySearch tree profile G9JQ-VY9 attaches only the 1900 census and a 1910 Robert Hires census source, which appears to conflate John with brother Robert rather than prove John's survival. Online searches still found no separate parent-linked death, marriage, draft, census, or burial record for John.
• The 1930 Ancestry index has errors: Francis R. Hiers is indexed as male, and Okella/O Cally's age appears inconsistent with the broader census trail. Use the image and household context rather than the index alone.
• A direct marriage record for John A. Hiers and Francis Croft has not been located in this pass; the circa 1889 marriage date is inferred from the 1900 census.

Open Research Questions

• Resolve the open items flagged in Research Notes above with direct records before expanding this household narrative.

Research Status

Source-researched, not source-exhausted. The parent household, John/Francis marriage inference, main census trail, John death date, Francis death date, Okella adult trail, Stella adult trail, Mollie Johnson adult trail, and Bessie Harris adult lead are supported by online records. Mollie's death/burial, the 1900 son John, Bessie's marriage/death/burial, and the John death-date/cemetery conflict remain open.

Sources

• Ancestry, 1900 United States Federal Census, Brooks County, Georgia, Barney district, John Hines household, collection 7602, record 52873555.
• Ancestry, 1910 United States Federal Census, Brooks County, Georgia, John Hires household, collection 7884, record 3199466.
• FamilySearch, 1910 United States Census, John Hires household, record MLVP-YZS.
• FamilySearch, 1910 United States Census, Stella Hires, record MLVP-YZ4.
• FamilySearch, 1910 United States Census, Mollie Hires, record MLVP-YZ7.
• FamilySearch, 1910 United States Census, Ocalla Hires, record MLVP-YZQ.
• Ancestry, 1920 United States Federal Census, Brooks County, Georgia, John A. Hires household, collection 6061, record 7326339.
• FamilySearch, 1920 United States Census, John A. Hires household, record MJ8D-V5B.
• FamilySearch, 1920 United States Census, Bessie Hires, record MJ8D-VR9.
• Ancestry, 1930 United States Federal Census, Brooks County, Georgia, Francis R. Hiers household, collection 6224, record 19964673.
• Ancestry, 1940 United States Federal Census, Brooks County, Georgia, Frances R. Hiers household, collection 2442, record 57391050.
• FamilySearch, 1940 United States Census, Okella Hiers in Frances R. Hiers household, record K72L-FFM.
• FamilySearch, 1950 United States Census, Frances R. Hiers, Brooks County, Georgia, record 6FQ5-MYRQ.
• FamilySearch, Georgia Deaths, 1914-1927, John A. Hires death record, 15 November 1921, Barney, Brooks County, Georgia, record JDXM-M4B.
• FamilySearch, Find a Grave Index, John A. Hires, Berlin Cemetery, Colquitt County, Georgia, record QVKK-M8H8.
• FamilySearch, Georgia Death Index, Francis R. Hires, 22 January 1956, Colquitt County, Georgia, certificate 10700, record V4SR-ZTN.
• FamilySearch, Find a Grave Index, Francis Lenore Croft Hires, Berlin Cemetery, Colquitt County, Georgia, record QVKK-M8HH.
• FamilySearch, Social Security Numerical Identification Files, Bessie Hires as mother of Laddie Harris and spouse of J. B. Harris, record 6KST-95GB.
• FamilySearch, Social Security Numerical Identification Files, Laddie Harris, born 5 September 1923 at Barney/Brooks, Georgia, parents J. B. Harris and Bessie Hires, record 6KST-95G5.
• FamilySearch, Georgia County Marriages, Mollie Hires and N. A. Johnson, 4 March 1912, Brooks County, Georgia, record Q28M-BP3W.
• FamilySearch, Georgia County Marriages, Mollie Hiers and N. A. Johnson, 4 March 1912, Brooks County, Georgia, attached to FamilySearch tree person G9J3-R38.
• FamilySearch, 1920 United States Census, Mollie J. Johnson in William A. Johnson household, Colquitt County, Georgia, record MJ81-L7G.
• FamilySearch, 1930 United States Census, Mollie Johnson in Will Johnson household, Colquitt County, Georgia, record 33P7-HW2.
• FamilySearch, Social Security Numerical Identification Files, Arthur Johnson child record naming parents William A. Johnson and Mollie Hires, record 6KS2-N3R8.
• FamilySearch Family Tree, Mollie J. Hires, person G9J3-R38; secondary tree linkage connecting the 1900/1910 Hires child, 1912 Johnson marriage, 1920/1930 Johnson census trail, and child NUMIDENT.
• FamilySearch Family Tree, Bessie Hires, person G67Z-HZT; secondary tree linkage connecting John A. Hiers and Frances Lenore Croft to Joseph Benjamin Harris, Laddie Harris, SSDI death, and GenealogyBank obituary-index sources. Use as secondary evidence only because duplicate/conflicting Bessie profiles remain.
• FamilySearch, Social Security Death Index, Bessie Hiers, born 28 March 1903, died September 1980, Queens, New York, record JP45-MPN; secondary/identity-conflicted for HH#170 Bessie.
• FamilySearch Family Tree, John Hires, person G9JQ-VY9; negative/conflict note only, because the attached 1910 source is Robert Hires rather than a separate John continuation.
• FamilySearch, Georgia County Marriages, Okella Hiers and W. J. Bryan, 17 August 1941, Moultrie, Colquitt County, Georgia, record Q289-MYF3.
• FamilySearch, Georgia County Marriages, Stella Hires and Charlie Johnson, 22 August 1915, Brooks County, Georgia, record Q28M-BF8V.
• FamilySearch, Georgia County Marriages, Stella Hires and Charlie Johnson, 22 August 1915, Brooks County, Georgia, record Q289-41ZY.
• FamilySearch, Georgia Deaths, John Turner Johnson death record naming parents Charley Johnson and Stella Hires, record JD6H-R9T.
• FamilySearch, Find a Grave Index, Stella Hiers Johnson, record QVGT-F2V5.
• Ancestry, Georgia Deaths, John A. Harris/Hires death certificate, collection 2562, record 45074572.
• Ancestry, 1860 United States Federal Census, Phillip Hires household, collection 7667, record 10751277.
• Ancestry, 1870 United States Federal Census, Phillip Hiers household, collection 7163, record 587995.
• Ancestry, 1870 United States Federal Census, Jacob Croft household, collection 7163, record 588039.
• Ancestry, 1880 United States Federal Census, William Hiers household with John Hiers as nephew, collection 6742, record 7465820.
• Ancestry, 1880 United States Federal Census, Jacob H. Croft household with Frances L. Croft, collection 6742, record 11969071.

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