My dear friend Rebecca Hunter found a Sears Modern Home #119 in Iowa (in 2003) and she got a nice photo. Other than that ONE house she found in Iowa, I’ve never laid eyes on a #119, which is pretty remarkable. But we know that there was one built in Martinez, Georgia, by R. T. Lyle sometime before 1915. That was 95 years ago!
Below is an actual snapshot from the 1916 Sears Modern Homes catalog.
If this house is still standing, I’d love to get a photo. Anyone near Martinez? 🙂
Sears Modern Home #119 in Martinez, Georgia.
"It is a roomy and substantial structure..."
It *is* a roomy structure! Image is from the 1916 catalog.
Pre-WW1, bedrooms were called "chambers" - not sure why.
#119 as seen from the Rebecca's motorcycle. Note the porch's unusual roofline, and the gable peak atop the house. Photo is courtesy of Rebecca Hunter.
And all for under $1,800.
And it can also be found in these cities!
To learn more about Sears Homes in Georgia, click here.
To buy Rose’s book, click here.
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Hi,
I saw your posting on city-data.com and genealogy is my hobby, so I thought I would look for info on the R.T. Lyle that owned this house and perhaps that might help you find the address.
On ancestry.com, there is a WWI draft registration for a Robert Taylor Lyle that lived in Martinez, GA, but it doesn’t give an address. It does however mention that his wife is Mary E. Lyle. It states his occupation is farmer and his date of birth is 4 Nov 1873.
The 1910 Census shows a family headed by Robert T. Lyle (a farmer born in Kentucky) in the “Militia District 125, Columbia, Georgia” with the following members:
Robert T Lyle, age 36, Head
Mary E Lyle, age 32, Wife
Mary P Sharron, age 64, mother-in-law
Reed J Lyle Jr. (probably mistranscribed, really Robert T. Jr?), age 5, son
Frank G Lyle, age 3, son
Mary E Lyle, age 1, daughter
Joseph G Lyle, age 6/12, son
That census also lists his neighbors as farmers, so I am guessing he built the house in what would have been a rural area of Martinez at that time.
The 1920 and 1930 census indicate that he had moved back to Kentucky by then. I found where he and a lot of his family are buried, the Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. See the info at findagrave at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Lyle&GSiman=1&GScid=1605234&GRid=50114104&
His tombstone does list him as “R. Taylor Lyle”, so maybe he actually went by Taylor and not Robert. So, maybe you could find more info under the name Taylor Lyle.
As was mentioned on the citydata site, I also found the links to the 1916, 1917, and 1918 Georgia Dept of Education annuals listing a “R.T. Lyle of Martinez”. He is listed as a member of the school board for the Columbia County Schools.
So, I am guessing that you are going to have to track were this house is located based on property records, which you will probably have to get someone local to access for you. Or, the local library may have city directories back that far and maybe you could sweet talk someone at the library to look it up for you.
Good Luck!
Just found this… a link to a map showing where in Columbia County the 125th Militia District was located: http://www.jrl2.com/GA%20Maps/Images/GMD%20Map/gmd20.jpg
OK, not an address, but this 1910 map of Columbia County, shows a location for the residence of R.T. Lyle. See the top right corner of the map. It looks like his house was west of Martinez:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gacolum2/map3.jpg
May be easier to see and locate on a current map using this image: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gacolum2/map2.jpg
@Stacey
Stacey – thank you SOOO much! That plat was amazing!! Hopefully now, we can find Mr. Lyle’s house in Martinez!
Has anyone pin-pointed the location of the Sears home near Martinez, Georgia?
Ever find the house? Just started reading your blog and almost flipped when I saw Martinez, GA.
I have a friend who lived there for about 15 years, I sent him the picture, but he doesn’t recognize it. Ugh…