Uncle Henry

I came across this photo in the Manatee County Florida Historical Records Library collection. It caught my attention because it listed Henry Foreman as the man on right. 

The caption on the photo says "An unidentified Guthrie, Mrs. James Guthrie, an unidentified person, Macey Guthrie, James E. Guthrie, Henry Foreman and Beulah Guthrie at the Guthrie home." I have other photos of James Guthrie and know the man on the left is him. James Guthrie's first wife was Charlotte Foreman, Henry's niece.

Henry Foreman was the brother of my great great grandmother, Hope Jane Foreman Adams Garner. Henry was born in 1846 in Harlowe Township of Carteret County, North Carolina and died January 14, 1935 in the County hospital in Bradenton, Florida. The photo was taken in Cortez, Florida around 1915-20.

This is the only photo I have of the Foreman family in that generation.


James E. Guthrie House

"Uncle Henry" as he was called in Cortez was one of the first settlers and lived on Perico Island before moving to Cortez. His sister Hope, her husband Elijah Meadows Garner, his brother William J. Foreman and wife Hettie Bell all moved to Perico Island in the early 1880s.

As far as I can tell Henry never married. He was always listed as single on the census and lived with various family members. He lived with his niece, my great grandmother Sallie Adams Fulford late in life but when he got sick had to be moved to the county hospital, which doubled as a nursing home. His death certificate says that is where he died at age 89. I assume he was buried in the Palma Sola Cemetery but there is no marker there for him.

Henry Foreman

The book "Fogs Comin In" by Doris Green has this story about him:

"He and his wheelbarrow were a familiar sight, hauling cow manure for 5 cents a load or bringing firewood. He slept in Capt. Jim Guthrie's barn for some time and carried the mail to Bradentown. First by horseback and later he had a two-wheeled road cart that seated two and was pulled by a horse. There was a deep round container under the high seat used to hold the mail and shopping items that he purchased in town before heading home. There was no need for a list of desired items as he remembered exactly what and how much each person wanted."

Herman Sidney Guthrie, (the son of James Guthrie in the photo) said this about him in a 1974 interview:

"He had a wonderful memory. Before he died, the last year, he would tell you the date right to the day that every child here was born."