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One of the findings during the recent research trip to St. Clair County, Alabama was the marriage record of William L. Findley and Susana Z. Davis. When I spotted the names in the marriage index book, it crossed my mind that "Susana" could be my Susan Zilphia Davis, daughter of Jesse and Elvira Davis, and sister of my great-great grandfather James William Anderson Davis. She was listed as eight-year old "Ziffy" in the 1850 census household of her parents and as eighteen-year old "Susan" in their 1860 household. Beyond 1860, I had no idea what happened to her. Now I do.
The marriage record for Susanna Zilphia Davis, who was named for her grandmother Zilpha Harris Davis, was recorded in the St. Clair County Marriage Book directly under that for her sister, Amanda Elvira Davis who married Richard Alverson. Apparently, the sisters obtained their marriage license on the same day, November 6, 1865, and were married on the same day, November 9, 1865, by the same person, Matthew Lee, Justice of the Peace. (Cite: State of Alabama, St. Clair County, Marriage Records 1865-1866, Page 92)
After finding the marriage record, I then found the couple living in Itawamba County in the 1870 census under "Finley" and in Marion County under "Findley", next to her brother Samuel M. Davis, in the 1880 census. After the 1880 census, I do not know what happened to William and Susanna Zilphia. They census records do not show that they had any children. The couple likely died before the 1900 census, or perhaps joined a migration to Texas. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a possible burial record in Marion County. Meanwhile, I'm glad to have the information about Zilphia.
5 comments:
Great work on the Davis family. Thanks. James Alverson
James Alverson, are you related to Robbie Alverson White from Fulton? I believe she was adopted by the Grays.
Way to go, Ole Miss!! bettye
Ma Jean, the short answer is "Yes". I gave Mona some details by email.
James
Mona, I did not find ANY Findley's buried and listed in the Vol II of Marion County Cemetery Inscriptions. This includes a large part of western Marion County. I do not own Vol I (eastern Marion County) nor Vol. III which is the Stalcup's "clean up" book. By that I mean they have written into their once "for sale" ad in the Marion County Historical Society's quarterly that the Vol III came about when people came forward and told them about these small and mostly unknown little family cemeteries that were begun "behind the barn", surrounded by a corn patch or cotton field - even in the edges of woods behind old homesteads. I'm not sure if Vol. III includes the whole Marion County or what! bettye
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