Bailes Family History

Compiled by Samuel Eldridge Bailes, 1963.

“I dedicate this history to my children.” — S. E. Bailes, Foreword

Begin with the foreword Explore the family

23: numbered pages
1886–1963: author’s life recorded
7: children profiled

Scanned front cover of the Bailes Family History booklet — Original cover Family copy · scanned 2025

About this edition

The booklet stays at the center.

Read a searchable, proofread transcription beside the original scanned sheets. Unclear handwriting is labeled rather than guessed. The family map joins the booklet’s family register to the later Kenyon generations supplied by Matt.

A life across changing times

Samuel’s account, in sequence

Choose a year to follow the events he recorded about his father, his family, and his own life.

1 of 18

Family foundations

1837

James Parkerson Bailes is born

Samuel’s father was born near the present home of Dall Pettus in Lancaster County, South Carolina.

Lives, places, and turning points

The family story in historical context

See which lives, places, wars, and periods overlapped. Select any bar for its connection to the booklet.

Family lives Homes and moves Work and public life Wider history

100%

A family across generations

The family around S. E. Bailes

Start with a focused family group. Search any name, or open the full archive map when you want to explore every recorded branch.

Start with a readable family branch. The full archive map remains available for exploring every recorded relative.

The complete booklet

Read the family history

Search names, places, or years

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Download the original PDF

Proofread from the scan. Unclear handwritten wording is labeled in brackets instead of being guessed.

Preparing the page…

Original scanned sheet containing the foreword — The foreword appears on the right leaf of this scanned sheet.

The world around the account

Two period views

These archival photographs show the settings and work described in the booklet. They are not photographs of Bailes family members.

African American workers picking cotton in a South Carolina field around 1902 — South Carolina · c. 1902“Picking cotton scene”

The booklet describes the rise and collapse of Samuel’s cotton farming years. Period context only; not a family photograph.
Library of Congress

Colorized view of an orange grove and pineries in Florida around 1904 — Orlando, Florida · c. 1904Orange grove and pineries

After moving to Florida, Samuel worked in fertilizer sales; his son Harry later worked in citrus packing and planted a grove.
Library of Congress

Detail of the booklet foreword and Samuel Eldridge Bailes's signature

Thinking that the members of my family are not well acquainted with each other and their family history, I am attempting to compile some facts and statistics. Samuel Eldridge Bailes