JOSEPH CLEVELAND CANADY

The youngest son of William and Susan Bacon Canady, Joseph Cleveland Canady, was born in Bryan County July 16, 1882. He received at least part of his formal education from his brother Lonnie, and thought him to be too strict. Perhaps because he was the eighth of nine children, he developed a quiet, peaceful nature, learning the uselessness of arguments, while developing the ability to stand his ground. He had older siblings to do some of his bidding for him, but he also received his share of teasing. His brothers and sisters did watch over him, especially his brother Paul. Joseph grew to be tall and handsome, but being the youngest of nine children did not keep him from doing the rigorous chores of farming. Jo did his share like his brothers and sisters before him. His early life on the farm prepared him for the struggles he would face in later life.

Joe Canady was working in a butcher shop in Savannah when he met Ada Virginia Crosby, a widow with one child, Charlie Crosby. They soon married and remained in Savannah during which time he worked in the grocery store for his brother Albert. When a job with the City of Savannah became available, Joe left the store and went to work as a cesspool foreman for the city. He worked there for seven or eight years. The first of the couple's five children, Bernice, was born in Savannah in 1911. Joe's brother-in-law, Joe Lynch, got him a job with the railroad as a section foreman from Newington to Sylvania, so he and Ada moved with their two young children, Charlie and Bernice, to Climax, Ga. where they lived for a period of time in a campcar. They later moved to Newington, Ga and lived there during his employment with the railroad. He occasionally took Ada for a ride on the handcar. Four more children were born to Joe and Ada during those years.

Eventually they moved back to Savannah where Joe again went to work for the city on the Park and Tree Commission. Joe continued the laborious outdoor work he had known all of his life since growing up on the farm in Pembroke. He had developed the work ethic of dedicating himself to his task and completing it before starting on another. When he had work to do, he did it without procrastinating. During the last years of his life he continued to work with the Park and Tree Commission, but was stationed mainly in Laurel Grove Cemetery. It was there that he passed out one late September day while working and was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital. He died on September 23, 1926 and is buried in Hopeful Cemetery near the graves of his parents.

Joe was best known for his peaceful, easy-going nature. His brother Paul called him the "peacemaker of the family" while having the courage to stand for what he believed was right. He was a quiet person and devoted to caring for his family.

The children of Joseph C. and Ada Canady are:

1. Bernice Eliza Canady b. 5/24/1911 d. 3/1/1980 m. Preston John Graham
2. Frances Alma Canady b. 10/1917 d. 1/14/1979 m. ________Stevenson
3. Joseph C. Canady, Jr.
4. Thelma Susie Canady m. Edward Walden
5. Philip Canady