“I can hardly stand the separation, but then I think what it is all about and then I realize that when the war is over we will both see that it has all been for the best, even if I have to go across to France.”   These are the words of my grandfather, James T. Mathis, writing home to his new wife in Fitzgerald, Georgia.  The year was 1918, and he was one of thousands of soldiers who trained at Camp Gordon, along Dresden Drive and Clairmont Road in Chamblee. 

For many years, Dunwoody Preservation Trust believed the farm transferred from Lois Bannister to Charles R. Roberts briefly, and that the Roberts family never lived there.  Two pieces of information came to light to clear up this misconception.

This article is the second in a series about the owners of Donaldson-Bannister Farm, as we celebrate one hundred fifty years for the farm.  Last time, I shared history of the Donaldson family.  The next owner is Bannister, Lois Pattillo Bannister.

2020 marks one hundred fifty years for the historic Donaldson-Bannister Farm, located at 4831 Chamblee Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody.  I’ll be sharing the history of the six families who lived on the farm in this blog.  The first family is the one that built the house, raised a family and for whom farming was a way of life.  This was the Donaldson family; however, the story really begins with a family named Adams.