Leola Judson (Hawthorne) Vann (1867-1945) Biography

I have been having fun (and that’s what it’s all about), incorporating my timeline facts from my Ancestry tree into ChatGPT to write quick and brief biographies for my family members that I manage on Find a Grave. Yes, I double-check what ChatGPT writes to ensure there aren’t mistakes or hallucinations.

   This morning, I also uploaded an image of her obituary and asked ChatGPT to incorporate it into the bio (I wasn’t sure this was possible). Yes, it did! What I was looking for, besides a few extra facts, was who survived her and where they were living at the time.

   I currently manage 209 memorials, and I can’t wait to start making bios for each of them! I am doing this because, hopefully, Find a Grave will be around for decades to come, and both close and extended family will see this as helpful in their research and understanding of the family dynamics. ~ J. Paul Hawthorne.

Leola Judson (Hawthorne) Vann: A. B. Canada Collection

Leola Judson (Hawthorne) Vann
(12 February 1867 – 24 January 1945)

Leola Judson Hawthorne was born on 12 February 1867 in Greenville, Butler County, Alabama, to Adoniram Judson Hawthorne (1834–1877) and Clara Elizabeth Amelia Ford (1835–1908). She was one of eight children, part of a large family whose lives were deeply intertwined with the history of Greenville.

Her siblings were:

• Ida Alice Hawthorne (1858–1912)
• Alexander Travis Hawthorne (1860–1926)
• Sara Ann Hawthorne (1862–1914)
• Robert Lee Hawthorne Sr (1864-1950)
• Emma Edna Hawthorne (1869–1949)
• Etta Mae Hawthorne (1873–1899)
• Ford Judson Hawthorne (1877–1932)

 

Leola’s early childhood was spent in Greenville, where she grew up alongside these brothers and sisters. She was ten years old when her father died in August 1877, leaving her mother to raise the younger children.

In 1887, at the age of 20, Leola married Asa Hunter Vann (1867–1948) in Greenville. They had four children: Fred Lee Vann (1887–1972), Clarence Eugene Vann (1890–1972), Perry Leslie Vann (1898–1991), and Edith Mae Vann (1900–1993).

A gentle and quiet woman by nature, Leola found her greatest joy in her home and its duties. She was described as a faithful and devoted wife and mother, whose love for Greenville never wavered.

Leola lived to see her children and grandchildren thrive. Surviving her at the time of her death were her husband Asa; three sons—Fred and Perry of Greenville, and Clarence of Chicago; her daughter Edith, known as Mrs. Melvin Weldon, of Montgomery; a sister, Emma Edna Hawthorne Lewis of Attapulgus, Georgia; a brother, R. L. Hawthorne of Camden; one grandson, William H. Weldon of Great Lakes, Illinois; and two granddaughters, Mrs. Emmett Rodgers of Montgomery and Valerie Vann of Greenville.

Leola passed away peacefully on 24 January 1945 in Greenville after a long illness. Funeral services were held from her home, led by Rev. Andrew Turnipseed and Rev. Joseph Avery, with burial in Magnolia Cemetery under the direction of Dunklin-Johnson. Her funeral was attended by many from near and far, a testament to her lasting impact on the community.

She was remembered not only as a devoted wife and mother but also as a woman whose life reflected a steadfast commitment to family, faith, and the town she called home for nearly eight decades.

Written from facts provided by J. Paul Hawthorne (great-grandnephew), her obituary, and help from AI by ChatGPT on 15 August 2025.

Obituary from the Greenville Advocate

Photo by J. Paul Hawthorne

Photo by J. Paul Hawthorne

Obituary source citation:

"Mrs. Hunter Vann Claimed By Death," Greenville [AL] Greenville Advocate, Thursday, 1 February 1945, page 6, column 4, Leola Judson Vann death notice; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 August 2025).