John Garner and Josie Leslie Garner lived in the Hazel Green area in a community called “The Barn” located north of Huntsville, Alabama. John and Josie had five children: Willie Garner (Mary), Lane Garner (Luezinka Stewart), Virginia Garner Townsend (Willie B. Townsend), Fannie Garner Parker (Eddie Lee Parker), and John Leslie Garner (Mary Lou Nance Garner).
Fannie Cotton Stewart-Spraggins was born in Madison County, Alabama on December 25, 1884, and died on August 8, 1962. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cotton.
John Stewart and Fannie Cotton Stewart-Spraggins known as (Ma Fannie) were married in Madison County on February 13, 1896. They lived in the Mount Lebanon (Meridianville/Toney) area which is located northwest of Huntsville, Alabama. Later the family moved to the Hazel Green area where their occupation was farming. They raised four children: Langford Stewart (Ollie Tatum), Parlee Stewart Garner (Charlie Garner), Luezinka Stewart (Lane Garner), Exeline Stewart Whitman (John Cleveland Whitman), and one step-son, Willie Spraggins. Fannie Cotton Stewart-Spraggins had four sisters and one brother. The sisters were Harriett Cotton Wallace, Irene Cotton Hicks, Exeline Cotton, and Lavinia Cotton, and one brother, John Cotton (Big John).
Both of the two families’ main occupation was farming. They were sharecroppers on the Lowe Farm located in the Hazel Green, Alabama area.
In the early years, these families received their education in a two-room schoolhouse called St. Ruth, which was located next to Saint Rebecca P.B. Church. The offspring of these families worship there today. The family cemetery is adjacent to the church.
The Garner and Stewart families lived within walking distance of each other. They shared the same gardens and helped each other with their cotton and corn crops. Their families were fed from the gardens and hogs that were produced on the farm. In the early days, transportation was either by wagon and/or walking.
The offspring from both of these families is enormous. These families have contributed greatly to the community, surrounding communities, and the nation.