Family’s FriendLAND · LEGACY · LASTING IMPACT

The Foskey family archive

Rooted in people.

Seven generations, grown as a living tree. Choose a name to read the story and its sources.

People & sources
Direct line (rings in the trunk) Spouse Wider family Family account or tentative

Drag to turn the tree. Scroll or pinch to zoom. Shift and drag to pan. Generations climb the trunk from Emory at the base to Benjamin at the crown; heights show generation, not dates.

Preparing the living tree. The complete people and source directory is available below.

The story and the record

A family history with room to learn.

These connections bring together family recollections, contributed genealogy, transcriptions, and institutional records. A source for one event does not prove every relationship. Emory’s parents remain unknown.

New institutional evidence

Addie’s educational legacy

The university’s scholarship register honors Addie Taylor Foskey as well as documenting F. Dewayne Foskey’s philanthropy. It broadens the story of care and education beyond the direct paternal names.

Middle Georgia State · Scholarship register

A dated public record

Children’s Friend in 2011

The organization reported 39 centers serving over 5,000 children in Georgia and North Carolina in June 2011. The same announcement describes Tony Foskey’s early-childhood advisory role. This snapshot does not establish a later peak size or transaction value.

Children’s Friend · 2011 announcement

Marriage evidence

Clement → Armstrong → Foskee

Two Pulaski transcriptions record Elender Clement marrying James Armstrong in 1824, and Elender Armstrong marrying Emery Foskee in 1835. The surname sequence is promising; the original entries and proof that both brides are the same woman remain essential.

Pulaski marriage transcription · 1824 Pulaski marriage transcription · 1835

Dates remain open

The census ages do not all agree

The contributed 1840 household reconstruction assigns Jacob to an age band inconsistent with his reported 1836 birth. Ellender’s reported 1840 and 1850 ages also conflict. The age-band names are interpretations, not names written in an 1840 census.

WeRelate · Emery Foskey WeRelate · Richard Jacob Foskey

Beyond Emory · no proven connection

Keep the North Carolina lead separate

UNC preserves substantial Foscue family papers. A newly examined court endorsement records a Simon Sr.–Simon Jr. transaction proved in November 1803. It provides a dated archival lead, but no link to Emory. The family-record notebook remains a priority retrieval target.

UNC · Jones court endorsement, November 1803 UNC · Foscue Family Papers 04643

The complete directory

Every person. Every source.

Open a name to see the evidence and connected family members. This directory works without 3D or JavaScript.

Emory / Emery Foskeyc. 1800–1810 · birth estimate

Research lead

The earliest named ancestor in Benjamin’s paternal family account. An 1835 Pulaski marriage transcription names Emery Foskee and Elender Armstrong. His parents and reported judgeship remain unverified.

Emery, Emory and Emoree are research variants. The marriage transcription uses Foskee; the contributed profile also reports Faskee and Foskie in the register.

The profile derives a birth range from a male aged 30–40 in an 1840 household. Its assignment of Jacob to a 5–10 age band conflicts with a reported 1836 birth. Named assignments to pre-1850 age bands are interpretations.

The reported death before 1850 is an inference in the contributed tree. Absence from a later household alone does not establish death. Parents, birthplace and judicial office remain unresolved.

Ellender Clement / Armstrongc. 1803 · reported

Transcription + research lead

An important bridge between the Clement, Armstrong and Foskey names. Two published marriage transcriptions suggest a first marriage in 1824 and marriage to Emery in 1835. Identity continuity is still a research question.

The 1840 profile places the adult woman in an age band of 20–30, while a reported age of 47 in 1850 implies a birth around 1803. The original images are needed to resolve this mismatch.

Her parents, birthplace, first husband’s occupation and the end of the first marriage have not been established.

James Armstrong1824 marriage lead

Tentative identity

A Pulaski transcription records his marriage to Elender Clement on 16 September 1824. The proposed identification of that bride with Emery’s later wife remains tentative.

Richard Jacob Foskeyc. 1836–1883/84

Compiled genealogy

Remembered as a farmer and Civil War veteran. Contributed genealogy connects him to Emery and Ellender; the death date and military chronology still need reconciliation.

Richard Jacob and his son Jacob Richard are separate people.

The profile header gives 20 August 1884; its widow-pension discussion reports 1883 and 31 August 1884. This tree preserves the conflict.

NPS independently lists a Jacob Foskey in the reported regiment and company. That roster does not explain an absence from camp or prove that the soldier and this ancestor are the same man.

Mary Jane SmithBirth disputed · d. 1902 reported

Conflicting compiled dates

Named as Richard Jacob’s wife in contributed research. Her reported census ages suggest a birth around 1841–1842, whereas the profile header gives 1837.

Do not choose between the conflicting birth years without the original census and other records. The marriage is reported as 27 April 1857.

William B. FoskeyBorn c. 1840 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Contributed research identifies William as Richard Jacob’s brother and a member of the same Civil War company. He is a different person from William Harrison Foskey in the later generation.

Benjamin Franklin Foskey Sr.1877–1925 · reported

Compiled genealogy

The horseman in Benjamin’s family account. Contributed genealogy names Richard Jacob and Mary Jane Smith as his parents.

Contributed dates: 25 April 1877, Pulaski County, to 31 March 1925, Baltimore. Original birth, death and burial records were not examined.

The recovered profile gives the alias Barry and a marriage to Mary Ann Bryan on 8 January 1912 in Jeff Davis County. His remembered work with horses comes from the family account.

Carrie Foskeyc. 1879–1965 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed in contributed genealogy among the children of Richard Jacob Foskey and Mary Jane Smith. This collateral connection is a research lead pending original records.

Ellen FoskeyBorn c. 1870 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed in contributed genealogy among the children of Richard Jacob Foskey and Mary Jane Smith. This collateral connection is a research lead pending original records.

Jacob Richard Foskey1874–1961 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed in contributed genealogy among the children of Richard Jacob Foskey and Mary Jane Smith. This collateral connection is a research lead pending original records.

Mary Ann “Molly” Bryan1892–1959 · reported

Compiled genealogy

The contributed family tree names Mary Ann as Benjamin Franklin Sr.’s wife and mother of their six listed children. Molly is a recorded name variant in that profile.

Mary Foskey1873–1895 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed in contributed genealogy among the children of Richard Jacob Foskey and Mary Jane Smith. This collateral connection is a research lead pending original records.

Miles Bembry Foskey1868–1935 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed in contributed genealogy among the children of Richard Jacob Foskey and Mary Jane Smith. This collateral connection is a research lead pending original records.

Rebecca FoskeyBorn 1861 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed in contributed genealogy among the children of Richard Jacob Foskey and Mary Jane Smith. This collateral connection is a research lead pending original records.

Warren FoskeyBorn 1866 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed in contributed genealogy among the children of Richard Jacob Foskey and Mary Jane Smith. This collateral connection is a research lead pending original records.

Benjamin Franklin Foskey Jr.1914–1979 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Benjamin’s namesake, remembered for mechanical skill and repairing what was broken. His wife was Addie Taylor.

Contributed dates: 14 March 1914 to 19 May 1979; marriage to Addie Taylor, 25 June 1933.

Betty Jean Foskey Woods’s obituary adds an independently published statement naming Benjamin Franklin and Addie Taylor as her parents. It does not independently prove every link through the recent generations.

Addie Taylor Foskey1918–2007 · reported

Institutional record + genealogy

Her legacy extends beyond a name in the family tree: Middle Georgia State maintains the Addie Taylor Foskey Endowed Scholarship. The university describes its purpose as honoring her service and self-improvement.

The university documents the endowment, while marriage and vital dates come from contributed genealogy. Betty’s obituary explicitly names Addie as her mother.

Howard Ordell Foskey1922–1997 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed with Benjamin Franklin Jr. among the six children of Benjamin Franklin Sr. and Mary Ann Bryan. Names and dates are reported by the contributed family tree.

James Marshal Foskey1912–1987 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed with Benjamin Franklin Jr. among the six children of Benjamin Franklin Sr. and Mary Ann Bryan. Names and dates are reported by the contributed family tree.

Jewell Lee Foskey1923–1993 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed with Benjamin Franklin Jr. among the six children of Benjamin Franklin Sr. and Mary Ann Bryan. Names and dates are reported by the contributed family tree.

Mack Malcomb Foskey1915–1985 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed with Benjamin Franklin Jr. among the six children of Benjamin Franklin Sr. and Mary Ann Bryan. Names and dates are reported by the contributed family tree.

William Harrison Foskey1920–1975 · reported

Compiled genealogy

Listed with Benjamin Franklin Jr. among the six children of Benjamin Franklin Sr. and Mary Ann Bryan. Names and dates are reported by the contributed family tree.

Frankie Dewayne FoskeyChildren’s Friend

Family account

Benjamin’s grandfather, who built Children’s Friend. Middle Georgia State documents F. Dewayne Foskey’s educational philanthropy.

The university’s register identifies F. Dewayne Foskey as president of Children’s Friend Learning Centers and donor of the Billy Lee Kimbrel Memorial Scholarship.

A June 2011 organization-issued release reports 39 centers and over 5,000 children in Georgia and North Carolina. This is a dated snapshot; it does not independently substantiate a later peak size or sale value.

The father–son links shown for the recent generations follow Benjamin’s family account. No birth dates or private personal details are added.

Betty Jean Foskey Woods1940–2025

Published obituary

Her 2025 obituary names Benjamin Franklin Foskey and Addie Taylor Foskey as her parents. The funeral-home memorial confirms her lifespan, 30 June 1940 to 11 April 2025.

This source strengthens the evidence for Benjamin and Addie’s household. The obituary’s “Wayne” has not been silently merged with Frankie Dewayne; that identification needs separate confirmation.

James Allen WoodsDates not established

Published obituary

Named as Betty Jean Foskey Woods’s husband in her 2025 obituary. Additional vital details have not been established in this review.

Michael Andrew FoskeyIT systems & projects

Family account

Benjamin’s father, whose work coordinating IT systems projects forms part of the family’s continuing story of practical capability.

Benjamin Parke FoskeyFamily’s Friend

Family account

The next chapter: carrying a family legacy of care and practical skill into the whole-family mission of Family’s Friend.

The research shelf

What each source supports.

Benjamin Parke Foskey’s family accountFamily recollection

Seven-generation paternal line and remembered occupations; no original vital records supplied for the recent links.

Open source ↗
WeRelate · Emery FoskeyContributed genealogy

1835 marriage lead, 1840 census reconstruction and name variants; original images not inspected here.

Open source ↗
Pulaski marriage transcription · 1835Published transcription

Emery Foskee–Elender Armstrong, 12 November 1835, H. L. Davis, J.P.; original register not inspected.

Open source ↗
Pulaski marriage transcription · 1824Published transcription

James Armstrong–Elender Clement, 16 September 1824, Baker Adams, J.P.; bride continuity remains to be proved.

Open source ↗
WeRelate · Richard Jacob FoskeyContributed genealogy

Parents, spouse, eight children, census citations and conflicting death dates; several claims share family correspondence as their source.

Open source ↗
WeRelate · Mary Jane SmithContributed genealogy

Spouse and children, reported census ages and birth-year inconsistency.

Open source ↗
WeRelate · William B. FoskeyContributed genealogy

Reported sibling and military-service chronology; distinct from William Harrison Foskey.

Open source ↗
WeRelate · Benjamin Franklin Sr.Contributed genealogy

Profile recovered through indexed text: reported dates, Mary Ann Bryan marriage, alias Barry and six children; direct page retrieval blocked.

Open source ↗
WeRelate · Benjamin Franklin Jr.Contributed genealogy

Reported parents, five siblings and Addie Taylor marriage.

Open source ↗
WeRelate · Mary Ann BryanContributed genealogy

Molly name variant; marriage and six children. Family correspondence is the cited source.

Open source ↗
WeRelate · Addie TaylorContributed genealogy

Reported 1918 birth, 1933 marriage and 2007 death; dates need original-record confirmation.

Open source ↗
Middle Georgia State · Scholarship registerInstitutional record

Documents Addie Taylor Foskey’s named endowment and F. Dewayne Foskey’s establishment of the Billy Lee Kimbrel Memorial Scholarship. It does not establish parentage.

Open source ↗
National Park Service · Appomattox parole listOfficial historical roster

Lists Jacob Foskey, Company K, 49th Georgia Infantry, among April 1865 parolees; identification with Richard Jacob still requires the complete service file.

Open source ↗
Douglas Now · Betty Jean Foskey Woods obituaryPublished obituary

14 April 2025 notice names Benjamin Franklin Foskey and Addie Taylor Foskey as Betty’s parents and James Allen Woods as her husband. Informant not identified.

Open source ↗
Sims Funeral Home · Betty Jean Foskey WoodsFuneral-home memorial

Visible memorial confirms 30 June 1940–11 April 2025; full narrative did not render during this review.

Open source ↗
WeRelate · Jacob Richard FoskeyContributed genealogy

Different man from his father Richard Jacob; contributed dates 1874–1961.

Open source ↗
Children’s Friend · 2011 announcementOrganization-issued press release

Reports 39 centers and more than 5,000 children in Georgia and North Carolina in June 2011; describes Tony Foskey’s advisory-council role.

Open source ↗
UNC · Foscue Family Papers 04643Archival finding aid

Previously examined finding aid locates family notebook in Document Case 4, folder 40; no digital link found. Connection to Emory not established.

Open source ↗
UNC · Savannah letter, 23 June 1807Original manuscript, earlier examination

Earlier research inspected folder 3 scans 13–15. Rachel Davis household writes to Simon and Elizabeth Foscue; no Emory connection.

Open source ↗
UNC · Jones court endorsement, November 1803Original manuscript, partial page examined

Folder 4, scan 61. Visible upper endorsement names Simon Foscue Sr., Simon Foscue Jr. and witness Amos Simmons; folder is labeled 1814 despite this earlier record. Adjacent scan 60 was also partially inspected: its opening names Simon Foscue Jr. and Dorcas Foscue bound to Simon Foscue Sr.; it establishes no relationship to Emory.

Open source ↗
Georgia Archives · Pulaski 1816–1818 holdingsOfficial catalog, earlier examination

Drawer 39, box 51. A retrieval location, not an examined taxpayer entry.

Open source ↗

Research edition · 06 October 2026

Keep the questions visible.

Exact dates in contributed family trees are reported claims unless an original record is identified. The names Richard Jacob and Jacob Richard refer to different generations. No North Carolina Foscue parent has been attached to Emory.

Download the research notes · Read the earlier family notes