Itawamba Connections

Sloan Family Reunion

2011-09-30T06:05:00.009-05:00

Jack & Melissa Sloan

Sloan Family Reunion

Saturday

October 1st

Peaceful Valley

Itawamba County, Mississippi

Bring a covered dish, we eat at noon.

Music and Fellowship!

Come join us!

William Sloan - Kershaw County

2011-09-29T07:03:00.001-05:00

William Sloan, died 1906 in Itawamba County

It seems pretty certain that my Sloan family of ancestors came from the area of what is now Kershaw County, South Carolina. Kershaw County was formed out of Kershaw District, and in earlier times this area also known as Craven County, St. Mark's Parish or Camden District. During a visit to Columbia, South Carolina last week, I was able to make a quick afternoon run over to the town of Camden, the county seat of Kershaw County.    The Camden Archives is a wonderful facility and has a great collection of books and reference materials for the genealogist. My mother and I were here just a couple of years ago, and I knew it would be worth a trip over from Columbia.

Two years ago, Momma and I were in a grab and run session at the courthouse in Kershaw County. We grabbed the index books, found deed books with the surnames we were looking for - Sloan, Irvin and Lowery, and started copying records. It wasn't until we got to our hotel room, several hours away and later that night, that we settled in and started going through our mountain of copies. Lo and behold, my mother found a deed from Samuel and Mary Sloan where they were conveying land that had been previously deeded to Mary, as daughter of Peter Rush. Voila.... we just learned Mary's maiden name and her father's name! Unfortunately, we were across the state and couldn't go back to research the Rush family.

This time, I didn't have enough time to go to both the archives and the courthouse. At the archives, I revisited some of the same files and information as I did before and also looked at new sources. One of the things I found was an abstracted record dated 1752 in which William Sloan - probably the namesake of the William Sloan pictured above - petitioned the the colonial government of South Carolina for land.   The petition indicated that William "came lately from Virginia" with his "wife and five children."    Wonderful information - now I just need to figure out where in Virginia that William lived before moving to South Carolina. I've got a few leads though.

Back to Mary Rush Sloan's father, Peter. I've discovered that Peter Rush moved from Philadelphia to Charleston, South Carolina shortly after his marriage to Catherine Plains.   Peter was said to have been loyal to the Crown during the Revolutionary War. A 1799 record shows that he bought 150 acres of land on a branch of the Wateree River in Kershaw County. The deed indicated that Peter was a ropemaker. In 1803, Peter received a grant of 200 acres on the same branch, and in 1805 Peter deeded 50 acres of his land to his daughter, Mary Rush.   It was this tract that Mary and her husband, Samuel Sloan, sold in 1819.

Peter was of German ancestry. The Rush surname was likely Anglicized from Rausch, Rusch, Risch or some other variation. So far, there's been no identification of his parents.

Coffee Cousins

2011-09-27T07:03:00.000-05:00

Cousin Don Dulaney shared a book with me recently: Tennessee Cousins, A History of Tennessee People. As I was thumbing through it late one night when I couldn't sleep, the name Coffee caught my eye. Mike's GGGGgrandmother was Allie Coffey; she married John Mills in 1804 in Wilkes County, North Carolina and later moved with their family to the North side of Clinch Mountain in Hawkins County, Tennessee (later Hancock County). Allie and John's grandson, William Orville Mills, came to Itawamba County about 1877.

Allie Coffey's (you'll find the surname spelled Coffee and Coffey) father was Ambrose, son of James Coffee and Elizabeth Cleveland. In the Tennessee Cousins book, on page 560, there is a transcribed letter written by Ambrose Coffee's brother, Rice, to Jefferson Coffee, son of Ambrose. Rice Coffee wrote the letter to his nephew in response to Jefferson's request for information about his ancestral history. In the letter, Rice related that his parents were James Coffee and Elizabeth Cleveland, and that his grandparents were John Coffee and Jane Graves. Rice stated that Jefferson's father, Ambrose, was born in 1762 in Albemarle County, Virginia, and in addition to Rice and Ambrose, there were brothers John, Archelaus, James, Reuben, Eli, Joel and Lewis. Rice also remembered Jefferson's maternal grandfather, Jesse Moore, the grandfather of Allie Coffey Mills, who served in the Revolutionary War.

Curious about the Jefferson Coffee, Alley's brother, who wrote to his Uncle Rice, I did a little research. It seems that Alley had at least four brothers who moved to Hinds County, Mississippi, and the surrounding area, in the beginning years of Mississippi's statehood.

Thomas Jefferson Coffee moved to Mississippi where, in 1831, he served as representative for Rankin County. By 1837, Jefferson had become a senator in the Mississippi legislature. In addition to his political career, Coffee was a lawyer and planter, owning large plantations near Brandon and in the Mississippi Delta in Bolivar County. Supposedly, Thomas Jefferson Coffee ran against Henry S. Foote for the Whig party's nomination for Governor, but lost by one vote. After a duel in which he wounded his opponent, Thomas and his family moved to Texas and died there in 1858.

Another brother of Alley was George Washington Coffee, also a notable fellow. He served in the Mexican War while a resident of Brandon, Miss., apparently earning him the title of Major. Newspaper reports indicate that Major George Coffee was killed "justifiably" by his brother-in-law in 1840. Although George lived at Grenada, in what was then still Yalobusha County, the town of Coffeeville was not named after him.

Hiram Coffee attained a great deal of wealth after his arrival in Mississippi. At his death in 1836, he left his widow a legacy of $20,000 and left his half-brother $15,000. A lawsuit involving the mismanagement of his estate wound up in the Supreme Court, and records indicate that Hiram's estate was possibly defrauded of $65,000. That's quite a sum of money for those days.

The fourth brother of Alley Coffey Mills who moved to Mississippi was James Madison Coffee who supposedly died in 1873 in Mississippi, although I've not been able to find much about him. Another brother, Holland Coffee, was quite well-known as an Indian trader on the Red River in the Texas frontier. Holland served as the first representative from Fannin County to the Congress of the Republic of Texas. He died in a duel/fight with his niece's husband.

Alley died in Hawkins (now Hancock) County, Tennessee between 1852 and 1860.

I wonder if Orville knew about his great-uncles and their connection to Mississippi, the state that Orville adopted along with his new bride's family in the 1870's? Did he know that his own uncles, Hiram and Thomas Jefferson and Holland, were named after his mother's brothers?

Sloan Reunion - 2011

2011-09-26T07:03:00.019-05:00


Jackson Samuel Sloan and Malissa Caroline (Potts) Sloan

Make plans to attend the 2011 Sloan Family Reunion this Saturday, October 1st, in Peaceful Valley, Itawamba County. Descendants of William Sloan will gather on for a day of food and fellowship at the Blake Greenhouses on land formerly owned by William's son, Jackson Samuel Sloan. Bring some covered dishes and your old photographs and lots of family stories, and join us!

Sunday Dinner Guests

2011-09-23T07:03:00.002-05:00


Home of John Gainey Sloan, built 1935, burned 1952

Itawamba County Times

March 21, 1946

New Bethel News

Sunday dinner guests in the J. G. Sloan home were: Mr. and Mrs. Woodford Grace and son, Tomasette of Memphis, Mr. and Mrs. Coy Bean and sons, Joel and Charles and Mrs. Nancy Bean of Cardsville. Others visiting were: Miss Clara Nell Pennington, Mr. and Mrs. Luther Sloan, daughters, Ruth and Maecile, Mr. and Mrs. William Newton and children, Mrs. Boyd Allen and son of Aberdeen, Mrs. Elva Burdine, Miss Audie Neal, Mr. J. E. Newton, Mrs. Lawrence Cox, Miss Jessie Ellen Sloan, Mrs. Shellie Lindsey, Mrs. Ogal Sloan and Mr. Aqulis Sloan.

Jeff Owens - 111 years old

2011-09-22T07:27:00.000-05:00

This is fun! Here's another newspaper article found at the Library of Congress: Chronicling America website.

From the Anderson Intelligencer (Anderson, South Carolina), December 8, 1870

--The Iuka (Miss.) Gazette says there is a man living in Itawamba County by the name of John Owens, who was 111 years old on the 15th day of October last. He was born in North Carolina, and has resided in North Mississippi for the last forty years. Has has been twice married, the last time he was ninety-four years old.

Now! Who is John Owens? I found the following gentleman in the 1860 census:

1860 Census
Tishomingo County, Mississippi
Highland post office
John Owens 98 NC farmer
Sallie Owens 50 TN
John L. Hancock 20 AL farm laborer
Josiah Hancock 17 AL farm laborer

I couldn't find the elderly man in the 1870 census, but some of this year's census for Itawamba County has been lost. There are several of my ancestors living across the northern part of the county that I can't find in the 1870 census.

Gen. Winfield Scott's sister

2011-09-21T07:03:00.000-05:00

Here's another story found on the Library of Congress, Chronicling America website.

As reported in the Anderson Intelligencer (Anderson, South Carolina), February 21, 1861:

Gen. Scott and his Widowed Sister

A sister of Gen. Winfield Scott, now a widow, and in reduced circumstances, is in Itawamba County, Miss., dependent upon a son-in-law for support.  The editor of the Mississippi Baptist says that he conversed with her concerning her illustrious brother, when she informed him that Gen. Scott had long since disowned her by neglect, and that he refused to answer her letters, asking for aid in poverty. 

Does anyone have information about this sister of the famous U. S. General, Winfield Scott, who served in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and as a Union officer in the Civil War.

Family of Boys - Itawamba - 1909

2011-09-19T07:27:00.000-05:00

Recently I came across the wonderful Library of Congress webpage, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. This site has over 4,000,000 pages from several newspapers.... digitized! .... from 1836 to 1922. To test out the efficiency of the search engine, I merely put "Itawamba" in the search field and was instantly rewarded with some pretty cool results.

An interesting find was the news of nine children being born to one Itawamba family in three years. This story was reported in the August 10, 1909 issue of the Hopkinsville Kentuckian newspaper, copied below.

Nine Children 

Born to One Mississippi Family in Three Years

In the past three years the stork has made successive visits to the home of an Itawamba, Miss. family. The first time two boys were left, the second time three, and a few days ago four boys were left, making nine boys for three visits. All the children are living.

Who was this Itawamba family? I had to keep looking, but it didn't take long to find out. In the Paducah (Kentucky) Evening Sun, July 13, 1909, the same story was reported but gave the name of Frank Sallis as the proud father. I couldn't find this family in the 1910 census in either Itawamba or Monroe (The Sallis-Silas family lived in the southeastern corner of Itawamba but also over the line into Monroe County). Has anyone heard this story?

Happy Birthday, Bobby Gene Pennington!

2011-09-16T07:03:00.000-05:00

Bobby Gene won't be eighty for a few more days yet, but we're headed to Georgia for his birthday celebration this weekend and I wanted to get birthday wishes posted before we left. Above, Bobby Gene is pictured with his birthday cake along with his grandparents, Dee and Hugh Pennington, and cousins Gary, Betty Jean and Jo Ann. Looks like there are ten candles on that cake, dating the photo as being made in 1941.

Maggie Adams Robinson, 1921-2011

2011-09-15T21:57:00.000-05:00

Aunt Maggie was my great-uncle Louis Robinson's wife. She died this week at the age of 90, leaving one daughter, Nell, pictured in her arms above. I believe the photograph was made during World War II for Uncle Louis who enlisted in the Army at the age of 35 and fought the Japanese on islands in the Pacific. Wasn't Aunt Maggie a beautiful woman? She was a beautiful person on the inside as well. I learned today that her full name was Maggie Martha Ann Adams, named for both of her grandmothers: Maggie Young Adams and Martha Ann Graham Dulaney. Maggie was the daughter of Oscar Adams and Mary Elizabeth Dulaney.

Elvis Connections and Wesson Women

2011-09-15T07:03:00.000-05:00

I've posted quite a bit in recent weeks about the Bowen family, in large part due to a recent connection made with some fellow Bowen descendants and cousins. Thanks to them, I've been able to fill in gaps in my family database and learn some very interesting information.

Many of you are familiar with the fact that Elvis Presley, although born in Lee County, has several generations of ancestry in Itawamba County. Lots of Itawamba folks claim kin, and are kin, to Elvis. My husband is related to Elvis through two families (four if you count the maternal lines, and you should) - the Hoods and the Warrens. Minnie Mae Hood (Elvis' grandmother) was a second cousin to Pearl Johnson Dulaney, Mike's grandmother. Minnie Mae, who married Jessie "Dee" Presley, and Grandma Pearl shared a common ancestor in Joshua H. Hood, and his wife Margaret Johnson, who came to Itawamba County after 1850 from St. Clair County, Alabama. The other shared connection with Elvis is via the Warren family, through S. John Warren as the common ancestor. Just through the Hoods and Warrens alone, many Itawambians can claim kinship to Elvis.

Some of you are familiar with the fact that Rosella Presley, Elvis' great-grandmother, never married, yet had nine children. (Odd to think about it, but Elvis really has (had?!) no Presley Y-DNA. Many believe his Y-DNA would show that he was a Wallace.) Here is the rest of the story about Rosella, and my connection to her, and thus to Elvis.

Rosella and her sister, Rosalinda, were the daughters of Dunnan (sometimes found Dunnam or Dunning) Presley and his wife, Martha Jane Wesson, whom he married in August 1861 in Itawamba County. Some folks say that Dunnan had another wife and family in Tennessee. When the Civil War broke out, Dunnan enlisted but subsequently deserted both his unit and his family. He apparently never returned to the area, and his family was left to fend for themselves. Martha Jane remarried in 1868, to William Marion Steele, but unfortunately for her small daughters, Martha Jane died before 1870. For a time, Rosella and Rosalinda lived with their step-father, but upon his remarriage, they went to live with their grandmother, Millie Bowen Wesson.

Martha Wesson Presley was the daughter of Edward Wesson and Emily "Millie" Bowen, and I'm related to both of her parents. Emily Bowen was the sister of my GGG grandfather, John Henderson Bowen, while Edward Clanton Wesson was the much younger brother of my GGGGG grandmother, Nancy Wesson. Here is where is gets interesting.

Nancy Wesson, my GGGGG grandmother, who was Martha Wesson Presley's aunt, apparently had three children out of wedlock: Nancy Jr., William, and Rose (possibly the namesake for Rosella). Nancy Jr. married Elias C. Putman, and their daughter Zinny married John Henderson Bowen, my GGG grandfather. The Wessons, Putmans and Bowens were all very connected in North Carolina, and later Itawamba County, along with the Lyles, Roberts and Bookout families. Siblings Edward Clanton Wesson and Nancy Wesson had a sister, Rebecca Pearson Wesson, who was the common law wife of William Bowen, the father of John Henderson Bowen. You may remember reading about Rebecca and Martha in an earlier post to this blog. Rebecca Wesson moved to Itawamba County with William Bowen and their five children around 1848, and William's children with Martha followed shortly thereafter, after Martha died in North Carolina.

Nancy, Edward, and Rebecca were the children of James Wesson and Ann Clary, Virginia natives who died in North Carolina. Other siblings were Henry, Patsy, Clara/Clarymon, Luke and William. We know their names from the 1815 will of their father James, whose will was recorded in 1826 in Rutherford County, North Carolina. From the will, we learn that James Wesson had a nice estate for his time: several tracts of land, and enough cash to leave adult daughters Patsy and Nancy $30 each. Money was directed to be set aside for the education of his younger children, Rebecca, William and Luke. In addition to Rebecca and Nancy, their sisters Patsy (Martha was her real name, Patsy her nickname) and Clara also had children out of wedlock.

What was it about this family? It couldn't have been poverty, as evidenced by the will of James Wesson. It doesn't appear to be lack of education, since his will mentions the continued education of his younger, school-age children. This was a family that obviously valued education. It is a puzzle to me. I suppose that the stigma of having out-of-wedlock children was lessened somewhat when it was a generational family practice! Those Wesson women must have been something else! And now you know the rest of the story about Rosella Presley and her nine, out-of-wedlock children. Many thanks to Marilyn Dickson who provided much information and helped me sort through these families.

Treasures shared by a Cousin

2011-09-13T07:03:00.000-05:00

My mother and I recently visited with Marilyn Dickson, a cousin on the Bowen side of the family. Marilyn was kind enough to welcome into her home a couple of complete strangers that she had met over the internet, and then she proceeded to share information and stories with us. We are most blessed to have such a cousin, and hope to return the favor one day soon.

Marilyn is descended from William Bowen and Rebecca Wesson, while my mother and I descend from William and his first wife, Martha Overby. Marilyn, and her cousin, Mary Spivey, have been very generous in the sharing of their research and collection of old photographs of the Bowen family.

During our visit with Marilyn, she disappeared into another room and brought out this beautiful dough bowl that was handmade by William Bowen for Rebecca, his common-law wife. Pictured left is my mother, holding the bowl crafted by her GGG grandfather. Marilyn said that through the many years of use a hole had been worn in the bottom of the dough bowl, and her father attempted to repair the hole by adding a new piece of wood.

Marilyn's great-grandmother, Mary Bowen Brown, who was the daughter of William and Rebecca, purchased the dough bowl at the 1890 estate sale of Rebecca Wesson Bowen. She paid 30 cents for "1 Bread Tray & Sifter" at the sale held November 1890.

Marilyn also showed us framed pieces from a coverlet and quilt hand made by Mary Bowen Brown. Mary spun the thread and wove the coverlet, and also made the quilt by hand.

Thank you, Marilyn, for your wonderful hospitality. I hope we get to meet again sometime this fall for another visit.

William Bowen Estate

2011-09-12T07:03:00.000-05:00

William Bowen moved to Itawamba County around 1848 or so. He is listed in the 1850 census of Itawamba County with his "second" family, while his wife Martha and children of his "first" family are still living in Cleveland County, North Carolina. You will have to read an earlier post of the Rebecca-Martha story to catch up with this family if you haven't already done so.

Martha Bowen died in 1854, and she was buried in her church cemetery, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, in Cleveland County. After Martha's death, her children, with the exception of daughter Lavinia ("Vaney") who never left North Carolina, moved to Itawamba County. Her children were Emily "Millie" Bowen Wesson, John Henderson Bowen (my GGG grandfather), Lavinia "Vaney" Bowen Wear, William Darden Shelton Bowen, and James Young Bowen.

I've got some more digging to do in the courthouse to come up with the early land deed records for William Bowen, but early census records seem to indicate that he lived northwest of Fulton. The 1860 census shows a post office address of Pleasanton, and neighbors in the 1850 census (Alfred Dulaney and others) support the theory that William initially lived a bit further north than his residence when he died.

William died in 1888 without a will, and his son Richard administered the estate. Probate records show that William owned the Southeast Quarter of Section 12, Township 10, Range 10 East as well as about 60 acres across the northern part of the Northeast Quarter of Section 13, Township 10, Range 10 East. I've drawn off the approximate location of William's land on a topography map of Itawamba County, and as you can see, it was located just east of Nita Lake and encompassed part of today's four-lane Highway 78 where it crosses over Nita Lake Road. Mt. Pisgah Church, where so many of the Bowen families worshiped, is located south of the location of William's land, although this was not the original location of Mt. Pisgah Church. The above map shows Old Mt. Pisgah Cemetery located west of Nita Lake - does anyone know anything about this cemetery?

William's land was sold at public auction, in order to equitably divide his estate among his heirs, and the two tracts of land were sold to John Roberts ($450 for the larger tract) and O. B. Cowden ($100 for the 60 acre tract).

There is no record of where William (or Rebecca) was buried. Could they be buried at the Old Mt. Pisgah Cemetery? Or where they buried in the Bowen Cemetery that was tragically bulldozed over several years ago?

Remembering 9-11-2001: Guest Post by Bettye Stone Woodhull

2011-09-11T18:42:00.001-05:00

I am honored that Cousin Bettye shared the following memories with me, and delighted that she agreed to share them with you. Bettye has a wonderful gift for writing as well as an astounding memory, and I'm blessed that she has shared both with me throughout the past couple or three years. Thank you, Bettye!

A word about the picture. I snapped this photograph of the World Trade Center twin towers during a river cruise on the night of June 9, 2001; however, this wasn't the picture I went looking for to accompany Bettye's story. Somewhere, I have a clear photograph of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, made from the top of the Empire State Building, on the day of June 11, 2001, exactly three months before the terrible events of September 11, 2001.

WHERE WERE YOU ON SEPT. 11, 2001?

The early days of Sept. in years past has held special memories for me, some happy and some sad. My future husband was home on leave while we planned our wedding to be in October 1951. My daddy, Leon Stone born in Bexar, AL and living in Winfield had driven to work the morning of Sept. 9, 1957 when he suffered a fatal heart attack in Guin, AL as he turned the key to open up for the day. We had returned for to our home in South Bend, IN the morning of Sept. 8th after completing the mission that my dad had sent us on – to drive to Norfolk, VA to kiss his third grandson good bye for him – he knew his time here was running out and he couldn’t do it himself. For the next 50 years, early Sept. saw our children growing up, attending schools and colleges and honeymoon’s plus the grandchildren beginning to create the cycle all over again with their parents. We lost our mother-in-law in Sept. 1983 in the midst of weddings and honeymoons, the same year all three sons chose to marry.

Early Sept. 2001 quickly became a week of sadness and disbelief. I believe it was Sept. 8th that our former neighbor boy and our youngest son’s playmate ( a young married father by now) and a co-worker were working on his car late into the night and were murdered as they sat in the office trying to figure out what to do next. During that week, Ron took the garden hose to his beloved Volvo to clean the engine compartment, getting water into the smog pump. He managed to get it to the foreign car repair shop for repair with me following behind that morning, Sept. 11, 2001. That first airplane had just hit the first tower and the employees were watching spellbound as he walked in to drop the vehicle off. I picked him up and we drove down the street to a neighborhood café for breakfast, across the street from the murder location that was still busy with police that morning. The Today show was getting all the attention of customers and employees as we entered to see this frightening happening while everyone was trying to figure out how or why a small airplane had flown into the World Trade Center Tower. The second tower had been hit before we completed our breakfast to return home where we sat glued to the TV sets in disbelief of what, why or how this could have happened.

In your own way, don’t forget to give thanks to those who have kept our country safe these last ten years – a good habit to adhere to is to make sure you offer a “thank you for your service” to every person you see in military uniform – they do appreciate those kind words.

Bettye Stone Woodhull

The Potter's Wheel - Folk Tales of the Bigbee Valley

2011-09-09T13:16:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, a group of committed Itawambians formed The Potter's Wheel, an organization focused on collecting and telling the story of our county's history, culture and folklore. The name was chosen because of Itawamba's heritage of being at one time one of the largest producers of pottery such as churns and jugs. Plans are in the works to interview old-timers and others in our county to gather information and tales about growing up in Itawamba County as well as stories that may have been passed down from earlier generations. Eventually these collected stories will be turned into a drama production that will include songs and dance.

As a fund-raiser, The Potter's Wheel is sponsoring a "variety show" at the Old Fulton Grammar School this Saturday evening at 6 p.m, "The Potter's Wheel Celebrates the Arts." Admission is $7 at the door, $5 for pre-purchased ticket - quite a bargain, in my opinion. Discounted student tickets are available, and preschoolers are admitted free. This show will exhibit artwork from Itawamba-connected artists, including paintings and pottery, as well as musical entertainment. From 6 until 7, there will be a reception whereby attendees may browse the artwork and mingle. Some of the art will be available for sale, with proceeds donated to The Potter's Wheel. At 7 p.m., patrons will move into the auditorium where they will be entertained by several musical acts and even a comedy troupe.

Please come out and support this wonderful project. Donations are tax deductible to the non-profit organization if made through the CREATE Foundation. You can read more about the group and the Saturday show at the Potter's Wheel website.

Richard Henry Bowen family

2011-09-07T07:03:00.003-05:00

Richard Henry "Dick" Bowen was the son of William Bowen and Rebecca Wesson. In some family trees, you may find him as the son of William Bowen and Martha Overby, but this is not true. You can read more about Rebecca and Martha at one of my earlier posts to this blog.

R. H. Bowen has been in my thoughts lately because I've been slugging through the transcription of his father William's (my GGGG grandfather) probate records, provided courtesy of Marilyn Dickson. William died intestate (without a will) in April 1888 at the age of 89, and his youngest son Richard H. Bowen was appointed administrator of the estate. Richard also was appointed as guardian for his mother, Rebecca, who was adjudged to be mentally incapable of handling her financial and personal affairs (she was 85 years old). Rebecca herself died before her husband's estate was settled which wasn't until October 1891. My GG grandmother, Martha Bowen Clayton, received a grand 1/8th share of $14.25; she and her siblings were entitled to a share in their grandfather's estate due to the death of their father in 1881.

Marilyn Dickson and Mary Spivey shared the photograph of Richard H. Bowen and his family, pictured in front of the store that R. H. Bowen operated. The probate proceedings indicated that R. H. Bowen Store extended credit to William Bowen for the purchase of lumber, blacksmith tools and other items prior to William's death. Then, at William's death, R. H. Bowen "sold" to the estate, items to prepare the coffin (velvet, lawn material, tacks, etc) and to prepare the body (cologne, handkerchief, neck tie).

The invoice header indicates Tremont, Miss. as the location for the store, however, I believe that the store was located southwest of Tremont, just east of what is known as the Nita Lake Road. Records show that in 1873, R. H. Bowen was given permission to build a mill on Curtis Creek (now, known as Lick Skillet Creek, a branch of Bull Mountain). Another possibility for the store would be due south of Tremont, along or near Hwy 23; records show that R. H. Bowen and Benjamin Webb started a mercantile business together in the early 1880's in the community of Whitney which was located below Tremont near and/or along James Creek. R. H. Bowen secured a post office for his store in 1887, the post office operating for two years under the name Zoyd. Another post office was established by R. H. Bowen, in 1889, named Bowen, with Mary R. Bowen (Richard's oldest daughter) as the first postmaster and Robert Bowen (Richard's oldest son) serving as a postmaster 1894-1895. If anyone has information on the definite location of this store, please let me know. There may have been more than one location.

Signature of Richard Henry Bowen

Richard Henry Bowen was married to Martha Adeline Webb, daughter of William Jefferson "Billy" Webb and Antoinette Reich. They had eleven children: Mary (married to Harold P. Maxey), Sarah (married first to William Maxey, then to Willie Mattox), Robert H. (married Margaret Celesta Henderson, moved to Florida, died there in 1951), James William (married first to Lorraine J. Miller, then Vona Mattox), Edgar Trannie (married to Narocia Stone), Nora Lee (married to Ira Dalton Henderson, died young), Sumpter Richard (married Ellie D. Moore), Callie E. (married Roy Wax), Leta (never married, died at age 97 in 1995), John Allen (moved to Greenville, MS and probably died there c1950), Neely (moved to Memphis, died there in 1969). All eleven children appear to be pictured in the photograph.

Richard died in 1923, either in Itawamba County or Monroe County. He and Martha were living in Amory, next door to their son James William Bowen, in the 1920 census, and Richard's will is dated 1921 in Amory. He and Martha are buried in Fulton Cemetery however.

For more information about the Richard Henry Bowen-Martha Adeline Webb family, you can visit this website by David Webb.

Fulton Grammar School 1963-1964

2011-09-06T09:31:00.002-05:00

I do believe that there are some familiar faces in this classroom. Although I didn't move back to Fulton until the middle of the 8th grade, some of these "baby" faces look familiar... Leslie Ann Christian, Pam Nanney, Steve Ramey, Jimmie Nell Davis .... how many others can you recognize?

If you think these sweet little schoolchildren have "baby" faces, look at the photograph below of their teacher, Miss Lillian Scott, when she was a baby when in 1919! And no, I don't know which baby is Lillian and which one is her twin sister, Trillian. Both were beloved schoolteachers in Itawamba County. Their mother, Bettie, was a sister to Mike's Great-Grandpa Fisher Johnson.

Barrett Family - Bean Cemetery

2011-09-05T07:03:00.001-05:00

It's been a couple of years since our visit to Bean Cemetery, a remote graveyard that is the final resting place of several early Itawamba families who settled in the remote hills and hollers between the Cardsville and Carolina communities.   Maybe this fall we can schedule another visit to the cemetery, which can only be reached by a long walk or by four-wheelers, on private property.

I came across the photos of the grave markers of Mr. and Mrs. William Barrett recently, and thought to myself that they have to be among the oldest folks buried in Itawamba County. And note when they died - in the 1850's, during the first twenty years of our county's history. It is somewhat uncommon to find such well-preserved tombstones from this time, mostly because not too many families had the funds to erect grave markers for their deceased loved ones.   Itawamba County was largely a frontier territory, still being settled.

Who were the Barretts? I found the following information in the 1986 publication Itawamba County, Mississippi Families (1836-1986), Sesquicentennial Edition, as submitted by Mildred Barrett McMillen.

William Barrett and his two sons were in Itawamba County by 1836 when their names appeared on the Tax List for that year. Census records indicate that the sons were born in South Carolina, and it is believed that perhaps the Barrett family came from South Carolina via wagon train with several of the neighboring families of this area. It should be noted that William Barrett would have been around 70 years of age when he moved to Itawamba County to start a new life with his family.

Milly, wife of William, was actually Amelia; her maiden name is not known. Also buried in the cemetery with William and Milly is their son Joseph W. W. Barrett who died in 1856, and who apparently never married. Another son, Samuel Wiley Barrett, is believed to be buried in Bean Cemetery in an unmarked grave along with his wife, Eliza Caroline Elmore.

Samuel and Eliza married late in life, and had two children, Joseph and Callie who were orphaned in 1871 in the lean, post-Civil War years.    Callie married and moved to Texas while Joseph married a daughter of Herman Frank and Mary Ann (Sheffield) Moore, Rebekah Frances Moore, and had several children whose descendants continue to live in Itawamba County.

Here is the William Barrett family in the 1850 census:

1850 Census
Itawamba County, Mississippi
District 6
William Barrett 84 VA farmer
Samuel W. 47 SC farmer
Joseph W. 39 SC farmer
Eliza E. 36 SC
Neighbors: Hezekiah Thorn, William Beene, Daniel Black

Uncle Poley

2011-08-26T07:03:00.003-05:00

N.A. Johnson and wife Mary

From The Itawamba County Times:

One of Itawamba County's oldest living citizens died May 14, 1955 when N. A. Johnson, better known to his hundreds of friends as Uncle Poley, passed away quietly at his home where he had resided all of his life. He lived in the Pine Grove Community. He was 97. Uncle Poley, as he preferred to be called, was born in Itawamba County on January 29, 1858. He had lived in that community in which he has done so much to promote the welfare and died within a mile of where he was born, before the Civil War. He had been an active farmer until his health began to fail about 20 years ago and he just retired to his home with his son, Duie, and daughter, Betty. He died of a kidney ailment which he had at least ten years. He was a charter member of the Pine Grove Church of Christ. Where the Pine Grove Church of Christ stands today is on land that Uncle Poley gave and it was on this land that he was laid to rest. The deceased is not the only member of his family that has lived to an old age. A brother, Billy, lived to be over 90 and another brother, C. S., who is still living is over 90.

Funeral services were held May 16, 1955 at the Pine Grove Church with burial in the Pine Grove Cemetery. Pallbearers were Olun Dulaney, Marvin Dulaney, Dow Fikes, Grady Spencer, Clastle Dulaney and Dalton Wilson. Uncle Poley was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Elizabeth Johnson. She died in 1940 and was buried 15 years ago this month.

Survivors included a son, Duie, of the Pine Grove Community, eight daughters, Miss Betty Johnson of the Pine Grove Community, Mrs. Noon Reich, Mrs. Mittie Williams, Mrs. Ollie Tucker, Mrs. Arvella Dulaney, all of the Pine Grove Community, Mrs. Ommie Kurkendall of Fulton, Mrs. Evie Wilson of Fulton and Mrs. Costa Wilemon of Fulton. In addition he leaves a brother, C. S. of Pine Grove and a sister, Mrs. Annie Williams of Pine Bluff, Ark. He also leaves 11 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren.

* * *
Napoleon A. Johnson was the son of Stephen Johnson and Harriet Caroline Pierce, natives of North Carolina who moved to Itawamba County around 1855 or so from Wake County. Stephen and Harriet's oldest son, John, did not have the good fortune to be as long-lived as most of his siblings or his parents. He died at the age of 55, in 1907. John's son, Nathan, however, lived to be 81 years old when he died in 1967. Nathan's daughter, Pearl, was my husband's grandmother.

Happy Birthday, Cowboy!

2011-08-25T07:03:00.001-05:00

Today is Mike's birthday, and since Mike became a Grampa Mills himself this year, I thought I'd share this picture of him with his Grampa Mills from 1962. Thankfully, Mike has given up red cowboy hats and holsters, but he does have cattle and a rancher's hat. Below is one of his heifer Highlands during one of this past winter's snows.

David Holcomb, died on the 22nd day of July, 1902

2011-08-22T07:27:00.002-05:00

Who was David? Sometimes you just gotta break it down, starting with generations you know and remember. Laura Bertha Warren married James H. "Jim" Dulaney, and they were my husband's great-grandparents, parents of Lawrence Orr Dulaney. Laura Bertha (that's how I think of her, but she may have been called Berta for all I know) was the daughter of John Ed Warren and Sarah A. "Sallie" Holcomb. Sallie's parents were David Holcomb and Penelope Bottoms, both natives of Marion County, Alabama. David's date of death was unknown to us until today -- all I knew was that he was no longer found in census records after 1900, so I figured he died before 1910. Now I know the rest of the story.

My morning at the Itawamba Courthouse was going to brief. I had specific citations and documents that I was to pull and then leave with them. Of course, that didn't happen, and I got caught up with Chancery Court Minute Books 8, 9 and 10. Without an index, these books (about 500 pages each) had to be paged one by one, but it was well worth the effort.

In Chancery Court Minute Book 9, I found the following (now, you understand my mission was to find my Bowen family estate papers, but you can't just ignore another family when it jumps up and slaps you!)

(page 364)
August 30, 1902
Vacation term

In Re Estate of David Halcomb, Deceased
To the Hon. H. L. Muldrow Chancellor of the 1st Chancery District of Miss: The undersigned petitioner would respectfully state and show unto Your Honor: that David Halcomb died at his home in Itawamba County, Miss. on the 22nd day of July, 1902 and that your petitioner has been duly and legally appointed administrator of the estate of said David Halcomb deceased: That said David Halcomb had at the time of his death a growing crop of corn and cotton and that he left no one on the place to take care of, gather and market said crop and that it is greatly to the interest of said estate for some one to be appointed to gather said crop. Therefore your petitioner asks Your Honor to give him an order authorizing and directing him to take cahrge of said crop and to gather and dispose of said crop or assist of said estate. And as in duty bound will ever ... etc.
(signed) D. W. Baldridge
Sworn to and subscribed before me the 22nd day of August, 1902.
(signed) J. A. MacDougal C Clk
The prayer of this petitioner is granted and the authority requested is given.
August 30, 1902
(signed) J. LO. Muldrow

David Holcomb, at the time of his death, had no sons around to help get in his cotton and corn. It's pretty amazing that David had a crop at all, being that he was seventy years old! David's older son, Seth Thomas Holcomb (husband of Sarah Ann Nanney) died in 1900. Zachariah, the younger son, had moved to Texas before 1900. I guess the son-in-laws had their own crops to get in.

Tammy Wynette, Itawamba Native

2011-08-19T07:27:00.002-05:00

Not only can Itawamba claim birth-rights to Jimmie Lunceford, world-renown jazz musician who was known as the King of Swing, but also to the father of the King of Rock and Roll, Vernon Presley. On Thursday afternoon, homage was paid to another Itawamba native.... the First Lady of Country Music, Tammy Wynette.

A Country Music Trail marker honoring the music legend was unveiled at Tremont Town Park amid a large crowd of friends, kinfolk and other fans. Tammy was born Virginia Wynette Pugh, just down the road from where the marker was erected, and she attended Tremont High School, adjacent to Tremont Town Park. Several of Tammy's (or Wynette, as they knew her by, pronounced win-NET) childhood friends and relatives spoke of their memories growing up in Itawamba County with Tammy, but the special treat (for me) of the event was the appearance of Earl "Peanut" Montgomery, famed songwriter, and his wife Charlene, who toured and sang backup for Tammy. Montgomery has to be one of the top country music songwriters. Perhaps you remember George (Jones, of course) and Tammy's hit, "We're Gonna Hold On"? What about "What's Your Momma's Name, Child" by Tanya Tucker? Earl Montgomery's songs have been recorded by all the greats: Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Hank Williams Jr., and many others. For a complete list, check out this website: http://www.sweetwaterrecords1.com/songs.htm. Earl and Charlene shared stories about Tammy (and George), recalled visits to the Tremont area with Tammy, and entertained the crowd with a couple of songs. Everyone really appreciated their taking time to drive to Tremont for this special event; you could tell how much they loved the First Lady of Country Music.

Emily C. Sims Moxley Sturkey

2011-08-18T06:05:00.004-05:00

When Austin Smith Moxley died in 1855, he left a widow and five children in what was then Fayette County, Alabama but now is part of Lamar County. His widow, Emily C. Sims, apparently was one tough lady, based on tales passed down by her great-grandchildren and others. She is pictured above with two of her sons, Henry T. Moxley and Joseph D. Moxley, and some of her grandchildren. The photograph was a wonderful find in the book by James J. Steward "A Crown Awaits", a biography about Luther A. Moxley, Henry's youngest son and Emily's grandson, who was a well-known leader in the Church of God of Prophecy from the 1920's until his death in 1979.

Based on the estimated ages of the young boys in the photograph, I'd say the photo was made about 1901 or 1902. Henry's wife, Martha Arminta ("Mint" or "Mitz") Sibley, died August 13, 1900 of typhoid, and she is not pictured in the photograph. Luther A. Moxley was born in 1893, and he doesn't appear to be over ten years old here.

The head piece that Emily is wearing is one occasionally found in photographs of really old women. I know nothing about fashion history, but I think these sort of hats or head coverings were popular a long time before this photograph was made! Emily's great-grandchildren remember seeing both this photograph and their great-grandmother wearing the head covering, which they described as sort of a scarf with a bow right up on top.

Emily C. Sims (unknown at this time what the "C" stands for) was born in June 1826 in Alabama. Her parents are not known, but she is connected in some way to Drury W. Sims who was in the area at the same time. Emily's husband Austin had extended credit to Drury W. Sims, as indicated in probate proceedings. Drury was born c 1800 so he would have been of the right age to be Emily's father, or perhaps he was a much older brother. It should be noted that Emily named one of her sons Drury. Emily consistently indicated in censuses that her parents were born in South Carolina, and census records for Drury W. Smith and his wife Elizabeth consistently indicate they were born in South Carolina.

After Emily was widowed in 1855, at the age of 29, she moved her children to Franklin County, Alabama, possibly to be near her family.   Drury W. Sims was enumerated in Franklin County in the 1840 census and in neighboring Marion County in the 1850 census.    Strangely enough, in the 1860 census, Emily "Moxley" was listed in the household of John A. "Stuckey" along with her five children. Emily and John were not married - they did not marry until 1866 in Madison County, Tennessee. John was a couple of years younger than Emily but apparently Emily outlived him by over twenty years.   His date and place of death are not known.   His last name has been found as both Stuckey and Sturkey, but Emily's grandchildren and great-grandchildren called her Grandma Sturkey.

Emily was apparently quite a character.    One of descendants was quoted as saying the "meanness" came from the Sturkeys - meaning her!

A story about Emily has been passed down in the family.   One of her sons (not known which one) was in trouble with the law for killing a man over in Freedom Hills near Russellville in Franklin County, Alabama. When men came to her house looking for her son, they hid out underneath the house to eavesdrop. Emily could hear the men under the floor boards and see them through the cracks in the floor. Casually, she put on a kettle of water to boil as if to make coffee or tea.   When the water came to a boil, she took the kettle and poured it on the floor above where the men were hiding. The men left and never came back.

I've looked long and hard for Emily and her husband in the 1870 census but without result. In 1880, they are living in Cross County, Arkansas with her son Drury Moxley and granddaughter E. C. Haley. By 1890, Emily was apparently widowed. She was shown on the 1890 Itawamba County Tax List, Fulton voting precinct, Mrs. E. C. Sturkey. In the 1900 census, Emily was living with her son, Henry, in the area of Bounds Crossroads; she was 73 years old and widowed. In the 1910 census, Emily continued to be shown living in Henry's household.

Moxley graves at Bounds Cemetery

Emily died between 1914 and 1920. Her great grandchildren have recalled her death, remembering the loud breathing, heard all over the house, and then the silence when she died "in her sleep." One referred to her loud breathing as a "death rattle."

No grave marker has been found for Emily C. Sims Moxley Sturkey, but her great grandchildren, who remember when she died, tell us that she is buried at the cemetery at "Bounds Crossroads" next to their Grandpa Henry. The Moxley graves at Bounds Cemetery are surrounded by a brick border, but there is only one headstone within the plot, that of Henry and Martha Moxley that has the inscription "They were the sunshine of our home." Others known to be buried in the Moxley family plot are Henry and Martha's sons, Granville, Addison and Melvin.

James Luke Robinson, born August 17, 1933

2011-08-17T06:05:00.002-05:00

Remembering my daddy who was born 78 years old today.

W. M. Robertson = Matthew W. Robinson

2011-08-16T06:05:00.013-05:00

Several Robinson families with South Carolina roots settled along the MS-AL state line during the early years of this area's settlement. More likely than not, they were related to each other - cousins, brothers and such. The problem for me, and others who are descended from these Robinsons, is that although we know they are related, we just don't know the specific relationships. Complicating matters is that the surname can be found spelled Robinson, Robertson, Robison, Roberson and other various ways, but this is not an indication of separate, unrelated families. In fact, even with just one person, you will find their Robinson surname spelled all of the ways I've listed. Not any one of the variant spellings is the "correct" one.

How do we know that certain families are related, even though we don't know how? Proximity to each other, property transactions between them, witnessing each others' deeds and wills, use of the same given names over and over through generations, common migratory patterns from area to area, intermarriages with the same neighboring families. These are some of the clues that indicate a common ancestry.

Matthew W. Robinson was one of those men that almost certainly one "my" set of Robinsons. He was born about 1802-1810 in South Carolina, married to Anna G. Liddle (or Liddell, which is a significant name back in Abbeville District, South Carolina). It is possible that he is a brother to my GGG grandfather John E. Robinson, who was born 1808 in South Carolina and died near Tremont in 1896. Matthew and John could be sons of John and Elizabeth Robinson who were in Lawrence County, Alabama in 1825. John died 1825-1826, and Elizabeth moved with the rest of the Robinson families to what was then Marion County but is now the Pine Springs area (across the state line from Smithville) in present-day Lamar County (later, most of this group moved to the Tremont-Shottsville area). Another possibility is that Matthew was the son of Matthew M. and Sarah Robinson, a couple born 1780-1790 in South Carolina and found in extreme southeastern Itawamba County adjacent to the area where Matthew W. Robinson lived for several years. If you are interested in a more indepth discussion, please e-mail me. I have a large amount of information to share. My gut feeling is that Matthew W. Robinson was the son of John and Elizabeth, and the nephew of Matthew M. and Sarah.

On our visit to NW Alabama a couple of weeks ago, we stopped at Newburg Cemetery where my GGG grandparents Isham and Rachel Loyd are buried. Had to say hello, you know? (Does anyone else have this affliction?) While at the small cemetery, I snapped pictures of grave markers with intentions of posting them on the Find-A-Grave website. Surprise! There was a nice marker for W. M. Robertson, the only Rob*son marker in the cemetery. Who was this fellow?

The clue to the identity of the person buried in the grave marked W. M. Robertson is the date of death, March 12, 1891. This is the same date of death found in the probate records for Matthew W. Robison (note the different surname spellins), husband of Anna Liddle. Further, there is a newspaper item in the Hamilton Times issue dated March 19, 1891 which states, "Mr. Mat Robinson, aged 91 years, died at his home on Bull Mountain on last week." (Again, a different spelling)

There are other connections. Matthew W. Robinson's daughter, Elizabeth E. "Betsy" Robinson, wife of Royal Newton Clay, has a granddaughter buried in the same small cemetery. Matthew W. and Anna Robinson sold their property in southern Itawamba County in 1867, and in 1868 purchased land in Marion County on a branch of Bull Mountain Creek north of Shottsville near the Newburg Cemetery.

From this evidence, we can safely conclude that W. M. Robertson and Matthew W. Robinson are the same person.

The date of birth on the grave marker for W. M. Robertson is August 16, 1796. The source document for this date is not known to me. Government census records are inconsistent as to the year of birth for Matthew W. Robinson, showing between 1802 and 1810. Even the newspaper account indicates 1899-1900 as year of birth, based on age at death. Age inconsistencies are not that unusual for this generation which grew up without many written records during a period of great growth and transition for our country. Bibles and other documents with significant dates, if they existed at all, were often lost due to fire or frequent moves.

Nearby grave marked by stone

Matthew W. (We don't know what the "W"stands for, but the initial is used often in the records, probably to avoid confusion with the older Matthew) Robinson has two sons buried near his former home Itawamba County, in Hopewell Cemetery, John Marion Robinson and Matthew Dixon Robinson (surname as spelled on their stones). At the time of his death in 1891, Matthew's wife Anne was still living. Her burial place is not know, but is suspected to be one of the unmarked graves nearby the W. M. Robertson marker. Matthew and Anne's youngest daughters, Elvira Malinda and Linna Arrana, never married, and they are likely buried in unmarked graves nearby as well.

Henry T. Moxley, part two

2011-08-11T06:03:00.004-05:00

Henry T. Moxley married Martha Arminta Sibley about 1868 in probably Franklin County, Alabama.

Martha, or "Mint" as she was sometimes called, was the daughter of Thomas Tanner Sibley and Martha Anne McCollum. She was born in April 1852 in Franklin County, Alabama.

Henry and Martha used family names in the naming of their children, and this pattern is also seen in some of their grandchildren. For instance, Milus (or Milas, Milus) appears to be a frequently used family name.   Martha Sibley Moxley had a brother named Milas McCollum Sibley, and I'm sure that Martha's grandson, Henry Milus Moxley, was named for his uncle. (Note: Sometimes Henry Milus is found as Minus instead, but this appears to be incorrect although possibly the name was changed inadvertently.)

Henry and Martha's son, Thomas Austin Moxley, was most likely named for each of his grandfathers: Thomas Sibley and Austin Smith Moxley.

Emily C. Moxley Holley was named for her grandmother, Emily C. Sims Moxley, but I don't know what the middle initial "C" stands for with either female.   Martha Sibley had a sister named Caroline.

Joseph McCollum Moxley, another son of Henry and Martha's, was named for Henry's brother Joseph plus Martha's mother's maiden name of McCollum.     James Richard Moxley was named for Henry's brother, Richard, with Richard being a well-used given name in the Moxley family.

Perhaps the most intriguing names are those of Addison, Richard, Joseph and Henry Thomas because not only do these names show up in Henry T. Moxley's family as either sons or brothers, but these men were supposedly all brothers of Austin Moxley, and sons of Christopher Moxley and Jane Smith in King George County, Virginia.   The consistent use of these names through several generations, and the link to Virginia, appears to connect our Austin Smith Moxley to this family.   A further tie-in is that Jane Smith Moxley had a brother named Austin Smith, as evidenced by the 1799 will of Thomas Smith in King George County, Virginia.   The only "red flag" that I see is that Jane Smith Moxley, and her husband Christopher, were born about 1775, while our Austin Smith Moxley was born in 1825, meaning they would have become parents around the age of 50. Possible, but not too common. Maybe our Austin was their grandson, but there are too many solid points of evidence to ignore the link to this Virginia family as ancestors of Henry Thomas Moxley.

Ervin Moxley, Henry's grandson, shared some family history with Cousin Don Dulaney a couple of years ago. In this history, Henry's son Luther said that his father told him many times that the Moxleys were descendants of Captain John Smith of Virginia, coming to America from a town in England called Moxley.   Indeed, there is a Moxley town in West Midlands, United Kingdom, but the town does not appear to be older than the early 1800's.

Henry T. Moxley, part one

2011-08-10T06:03:00.010-05:00

Henry T. Moxley was born July 12, 1844, and died May 13, 1928. According to his death certificate, there was no doctor attending Henry when he died although "it was said he had Rheumatism." Interviews with several of Henry's grandchildren in 2009 provided additional information about his death. It seems that Henry was an excellent squirrel and rabbit hunter. Even in his later years, Henry was a good shot. After the death of Henry's second wife and after he got on up in years (he was nearly 84 when he died), Henry took turns living with some of his children. Lucky for us, because his grandchildren have wonderful memories from those days of their grandfather that they have passed along to us. Because of his advanced age, Henry couldn't work in the fields with the rest of the family, but he could still hunt and put game on the table, particularly rabbit and squirrel. Henry had been rabbit hunting during a cold spell, became ill, and died a few days later. Place of death on his death certificate: Bounds Crossroads in Itawamba County.

Henry's death certificate confirms that he was the son of Austin Moxley of Virginia, and that his mother's maiden name was Sims, of Alabama. The certificate doesn't tell us what the middle initial "T" stands for, and I've not found any other supporting document, but it is generally believed that his full name was Henry Thomas Moxley.

Austin Moxley was a schoolteacher by profession. His great-grandchildren have recounted how Austin's son Henry gave the land for Moxley Schoolhouse in northeastern Itawamba County. Henry's son, Luther, was a schoolteacher at various schools throughout the county before joining the ministry. Henry's son-in-law, Professor John F. Williams (husband of Florence), was a well-respected educator. Another son-in-law, Joseph "Joe" Holley (husband of Emily), came from the well-known Holley family of teachers in Itawamba County. Whether Henry was a schoolteacher himself is not clear. It is thought that Henry once taught at Moxley School; his death certificate lists "farmer" as occupation. Henry was said by his grandchildren to have been "smart."

In addition to being smart, Henry apparently was a good story-teller and had a sense of humor as well.   Grandchildren would gather at his knee to listen to his stories. Henry told them that they were part Indian and entertained them with tales of his adventures with boats and sails "when he was in Virginia."

Henry also supposedly served during the Civil War. Could he have been in the Navy? Some independent records indicate that he was a Unionist, enlisting in the 1st Alabama Cavalry of the Union Army. I've found no source documents to support this assertion. There was a Henry Moxley who was an assistant engineer in Union Admiral Farragut's attack on Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island in Mobile Bay. Could this be our Henry, serving in the Union Navy? Seems a bit unlikely.

There also is a record of a Henry Moxley who enlisted at Memphis with the 2nd Tennessee Regiment CSA. We know that Henry's mother remarried in Madison County, Tennessee (just east of Shelby County and Memphis) in 1866, and that Henry's brother Joseph was married there in 1868.    Henry was living in Madison County in 1866 when he served as a bondsman for his mother's remarriage. Maybe the Moxleys left the volatile Northwest Alabama area where tensions ran high between Unionists and Confederate supporters.

One other possible record for Civil War service has been found. An "H" Moxley enlisted as a private in Moreland's Regiment Cavalry, Company F. From what I've learned about Moreland's Regiment, it was led by Col. Micajah Moreland of Tishomingo County, and many Alabama men enlisted just over the state line in Mississippi. The geographical location of this Moxley enlistee seems to be more appropriate for our Henry.

There is also the possibility that our Henry could have been "persuaded" to join the Confederate cause, then later changed over to the Union army or navy. This happened quite often. More research is needed to determine if Henry T. Moxley served in the Civil War, and in which company/regiment, and for which side.   Henry would have been 17 years old at the start of the war, and it certainly seems likely that he would have seen service, especially a bit later on in the war.   In the South, the conscriptive draft made it difficult, if not impossible, for young men to avoid service, and the local Home Guard units were often charged with making sure every able-bodied male enlisted.

Wouldn't it be fun though, to discover that Henry served in the Union Navy? What a story!

Austin S. Moxley - what happened?

2011-08-08T06:05:00.000-05:00

The Moxley name is not a common one in our area. It is fair to say that if you live in NE Mississippi or NW Alabama, and have a Moxley ancestor, you probably are a descendant of Austin Smith Moxley. Austin appears to have been the only Moxley who settled in this part of the country. What brought him so far from his native Virginia? We will probably never know for sure. Like so many of his contemporaries, Austin was probably drawn by the lure of newly settled lands where opportunities and fresh starts availed.

We know Austin was an educated man. The 1850 census for Fayette County indicated "schoolteacher" as Austin's occupation. He left generations of descendants who were educators as well. Moxley School in eastern Itawamba County received its name from sons and grandchildren who taught school.

Austin apparently was well-liked and well-respected. Surviving records show that he was elected Justice of the Peace at least twice.

Unfortunately, Austin's time on earth was not long; he died at the age of 30 of unknown circumstances, leaving a widow, four sons and a daughter. Did he die of natural causes? An illness? Probate records include bills to the estate for medical services that indicate Austin was under a doctor's care for most of 1855, with daily medical visits from October 14 through October 21, when a visit to the "death bed" was referenced. It appears that Austin died on October 21, 1855 from a chronic disease or illness rather than a sudden death.

A few records survived the disastrous 1866 fire at the Fayette County courthouse as well as other fires that destroyed most of the county's early public records. In addition to the 1846 and 1847 officers bonds that I posted earlier on this blog, one 1848 deed record and several pages of probate records were found for Austin S. Moxley.

On December 15, 1848, Austin S. Moxley and his wife, Emily C. (Sims) Moxley, for five dollars, conveyed one square acre of land lying in the Southwest corner of the East half of Section 16, Township 15, Range 16 to Arthur Young.   The conveyance deed was witnessed by Isaac Green, Justice of the Peace, and recorded on January 9, 1849 in Record Book E.O. Vol. 6, pages 136 and 137 by John C. Moore, Clerk.

No will has been found for Austin. Probate records exist at the Fayette County courthouse although they appear to be incomplete.     I doubt a will was prepared even though records seem to show that Austin would had have time to get his finances in order. The reason I suspect there was no will is that an Administrator of the Estate of Austin S. Moxley was not appointed until September 1856 at which time an inventory of the previously "unadministered" estate revealed notes and accounts due to Moxley totaling $327.34. Unfortunately, there were claims against the estate of $507.33 filed during the January 1857 term of court, and the administrator of Moxley's estate, Thomas P. McConnell, asked the court to declare the estate insolvent.

The Letters of Administration appointing Thomas P. McConnell as administrator, and the subsequently filed inventory, schedules and the final settlement are recorded in Probate Court Record Book 1-A, pages 123-126.   The same record book, on pages 445-454, includes details of the receipts and claims of the estate, dated from 1856 through February 1857.

From here, the records appear confusing, and this is why I believe there are missing probate records. In March 1857, a Final Settlement appears to have been filed by Thomas P. McConnell, administrator, on behalf of the A. S. Moxley Estate. Yet, in 1861 there is yet another filing for the estate, found in Probate Record Book 11, pages 18-19, of a partial settlement. In addition, at the same time, R. Allen Smith is appointed Guardian ad Litem to protect the interest of the minors at a hearing to be held August 1861.    This is the last probate record found for the Estate of Austin S. Moxley.    No minors were named in the record, and no record or minutes were found for the subsequent August hearing.

In the 1860 census, Austin's widow and children were living in the household of John A. "Stuckey" in Franklin County, Alabama. Apparently, the Moxley family had left Fayette County and moved northward to Franklin.   Mrs. Emily C. Moxley, Austin's widow, and John A. "Sturkie" were married April 10, 1866 in Madison County, Tennessee. Emily's oldest son Henry T. Moxley, age 22, served as bondsman on the marriage license.

Emily Moxley Sturkey moved to Arkansas by 1880 where she, her husband John, son Drury and granddaughter "E. C." were listed on the Cross County census in the Brushy Lake township.    By 1890, Emily is once again widowed. Her name shows up in the 1890 Tax List for Itawamba County: Mrs. E. C. Sturkey.   She last appears in the records in the 1910 census, living with her son Henry. She was 83. No death record has been found for her.

My Dog Skip

2011-08-06T20:53:00.000-05:00

By Cousin Don Dulaney

    Skip was the last dog I remember Papaw Dulaney owning. His attention from the family was the result of his affection for corncobs. Papaw had trained him to retrieve or find one, and it provided much entertainment at the Dulaney family gatherings. However, what I remember was the gleam in Papaw's eyes when he focused on the little fiest dog. Seems like Papaw was happiest when he was working with animals, and I believe that his love for them came from his dad James (Jim) Henry Dulaney. Jim was a country veterinarian, and Lawrence picked up the trade and was the last of a breed in Itawamba County. All of Lawrence’s grandchildren at one time or another accompanied Lawrence on a visit to doctor an animal. My best memory would probably have to be the first time I saw him insert his arm, up to his shoulder, into a heifer to turn a breached calf about to be born. This was quite a sight for a nine year old little boy.
    I have often wondered why every old farmer had a dog. After I started thinking about Skip and Lawrence together, it started to come into focus. Lawrence wowed all of us with his squirrel hunting skills and his ability to not only see talent in his choice of dogs, but how to train that dog to perform the given task. Even today, during whatever brief encounters I have with my Dulaney cousins, those squirrel hunting trips with Lawrence and his squirrel dogs are always a topic. You never shoot a nest. If the tree is hollow, you can always smoke the squirrel out. The art of having someone “turn the squirrel” by walking around the tree, and the act of shaking vines - these are just a few of the things Lawrence left in my generation’s memories. I was much older, and Lawrence had passed on, before I realized the true values Lawrence found in these little creatures.
    A dog was just as important as the Jersey milk cow or the hog raised for slaughter. To understand Skip's true value, you have to picture the family farm that provided the character our dear Ole Itawamba has today. For example, the trip to the barn was an every morning and every afternoon event, to milk the cow and gather hen eggs. Like many farms, the path to the barn was littered with old iron plows, or maybe stacks of old wood, or maybe empty canning jars that Johnson grass had overtaken. Skip, our fearless hero, spent much of his time putting himself in harm's way, sniffing out dangers such as snakes or controlling the rat population. The farms were dark at night with scarce lighting. However, the family dog provided not only an alarm to the sleeping farmer, he also kept danger at bay until the farmer could assess the situation. If it was helping put meat on the table, such as deep fried squirrel head, or going head-to-head with a rattlesnake, a dog truly was farmer’s best friend.
    Lawrence did as his father and grandfather did; he became a master in finding the full potential in his dogs. The value Lawrence found in Skip involved all these things, however the gleam in his eye came from unquestioned loyalty and from the nonjudgmental ear little Skip provided, not to mention the one quality Lawrence probably valued above all others -- that was the fact that Ole Skip never talked back.

Country Roads Take Me Home

2011-08-05T23:33:00.000-05:00

On a drive through the back roads of Itawamba County, Mississippi and Marion County, Alabama this past Wednesday afternoon, Mike and I were exposed to some mighty pretty scenery. We were delighted to find this wonderfully preserved dog trot, a perfect example of a typical Southern home a hundred years ago. The house and grounds, even the out-buildings (every Southern farm had several...in addition to the barn you'd likely find chicken house, smoke house, outhouse, corn crib, pig pen etc) are being meticulously kept up. No one appears to be living in the house, but I can just imagine someone in the family lovingly taking care of the property. It was a beautiful old homeplace in northern Marion County.

Mike and I like to meander on country roads, and until the advent of smart-phone technology and the use of GPS on our cell phones, we'd usually get lost. We still do when the signal from the nearest tower disappears, and I no longer have use of my cell phone and its useful GPS mapping application (as happened on Thursday during our drive through the Sipsey Wilderness and Bankhead National Forest, but that's another story). We weren't lost however when I snapped the photograph below. The land along the MS-AL state line between Itawamba-Marion and Itawamba-Lamar and Monroe-Lamar counties is amazingly beautiful. This area is very remote with very few (good) "back" roads connecting the counties, but if you have the time to meander you will be rewarded with great scenery. I snapped the photograph below not long after we crossed Hurricane Creek into Marion County. There are many beautiful coves and pastures and bottom lands if you just get out and wander around. You could probably say I was in between families at the time the photo was made - George Emerson Robinson on one side of the state line on Cotton Gin Road, and Isham James Loyd in Bull Mountain bottom on the other side in Alabama, and Jesse B. Davis smack dab in the middle around the corner from Providence Church. Go a little further south, and there's William T. Bishop along the state line in Bexar. I like to think that maybe they were watching and smiling.

Austin S. Moxley

2011-07-28T07:27:00.004-05:00

The "find of the day" as Cousin Don Dulaney would say, were the records for Austin Smith Moxley, that were just waiting to be discovered in the Fayette County courthouse. Fayette County was organized in 1824, one of the earlier counties in the state of Alabama which itself wasn't created until 1819. A disastrous courthouse fire in 1866 destroyed most of the early records for the county, and later fires also resulted in a loss of records.   So it is a small wonder that we found the records we did for A. S. Moxley.

All of the Moxleys in Itawamba and surrounding counties are descended from Austin Smith Moxley, and his wife Emily C. Sims, through their son Henry Thomas Moxley. Another son, Drury, lived in Itawamba County but had no children.   Son Joseph also lived in Itawamba County, but it appears that he also had no surviving children from his two marriages [UPDATE: Joseph did have several children from his first marriage, but these lived in Shelby County, Tennessee.] Son Richard moved to Arkansas, and no information is known about him.   Austin and Emily had one daughter, Mary, who apparently died before 1880.

Back to Austin Smith Moxley.... he was a Virginia native, probably the son or grandson of Christopher Moxley and Jane Smith of King George County.   Austin appears to be in Marion County, Alabama in the 1840 census, listed as A. S. Moxley, with an older female (mother? sister? and several small children).    He married Emily C. Sims about 1843, and their first child Henry Thomas Moxley was born July 12, 1844.

One of the earliest, if not THE earliest, surviving record book at the Fayette County courthouse is Records of County Officers Bonds.    On page 85, an officer's bond was recorded which indicated Austin S. Moxley was elected April 25, 1846 as Justice of the Peace.    On the bond with Austin were Joseph P. Henry, James A. Givens and John R. Kirkland. On page 132, another bond was recorded March 30, 1847 for Austin S. Moxley as Justice of the Peace.

In the 1850 census, we find Austin and his family enumerated in Fayette County.

1850 Census
Fayette County, Alabama
Beat 2 Division 16
(living next to Jesse Pennington and other Pennington families!)
A. S. Moxley 25 VA 'schoolteacher'
Emily C. 24 AL
Henry T. 6 AL
Jasper (this is Joseph) D. 4 AL

Also in 1850, the Slave Schedule for that year showed a nine year old black male owned by A. S. Moxley.

Land Patent records on file with the Bureau of Land Management show an 1852 patent issued to Austin S. "Mosley" for a tract of land located in present-day Lamar County, then part of Fayette County.   Based on the land's description, it was situated in the Bedford community north of the town of Vernon.

So just who was this guy? Austin S. Moxley was my husband's GGGG grandfather. Austin's granddaughter, Alice C. Moxley, married Thomas A. "Bunt" Dulaney, and their granddaughter is Shirley Dulaney Mills.

More to come on another post.

A Trip to Fayette

2011-07-27T15:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day, hot yes, but a nice day nonetheless. Momma and I were up early to drive over from Fulton to Fayette, the county seat of Fayette County, Alabama. We both were surprised at the neat little town of Fayette. The leaders and citizens have done much to improve and update their downtown area... very impressive. After a morning in the records room at the courthouse, below, we had very good lunch at Ricky G's Diner before heading to the county's genealogical resources on the second floor of the library. We didn't mean to stumble upon the headquarters for Golden Eagle Syrup company, but lookee here we did! Long-time readers of this blog will remember my post nearly three years ago about this famous southern biscuit syrup. Momma wants to go back later for a tour of the facilities! The old brick building is about a block away from the old railroad depot.

Fessie's Birthday

2011-07-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

Fessie Manuel Pennington was born 99 years ago today, July 22nd. I couldn't let the day get by without a remembrance of him. Above is a picture of Fessie with his first grandchild.... me! I am a July baby too! Below is the earliest photo we have of Fessie, taken about 1914. He sure was a cute baby.

Tornado picture found - Alice V. Moxley

2011-06-29T06:03:00.003-05:00

The tornadoes that struck Mississippi and Alabama and Tennessee on April 27 unleashed and released hundreds, if not thousands, of family photos and mementos. A page was set up on Facebook as a clearinghouse for these lost articles, and several photographs have been reunited with their owner. This particular photograph, while identified, has not been discovered by its original owner. Here's a link to the Facebook page that contains the found photographs and related information.

Mrs. Alice V. Moxley, wife of Luther A. Moxley, was born Alice Victoria Stanphill, daughter of John William Stanphill and Araminta Williamson. Along with her husband Luther, Alice served as a minister in the Church of God of Prophecy. In the 1930 census, both Luther and Alice were listed as ministers.

1930 Census
Warren County, Tennessee
Third Civil District
L. A. Moxley 36 MS AL AL minister, Prostestant church, married at age 21, war veteran
Alice V. 27 MS AL MS, minister, church
Elmer A. 5 MS son

This family is actually enumerated twice in this census. The handwriting is different for each one, and both indicate that Alice Moxley was a minister. The second enumeration for Alice reads "minister and pastor."

Luther's sister was also named Alice. She was my husband's GG grandmother, married to Thomas "Bunt" Dulaney.

William Gray Woodard family

2011-06-27T06:03:00.000-05:00

This photograph of the William Gray Woodard family was shared with me by Fay Wood, William's great-granddaughter, following a post about Susan Woodard Senter. Susan and William were siblings, children of Jesse Woodard and Sarah Partin. Both Jesse and Sarah were born in North Carolina, Jesse about 1808 and Sarah about 1817. Sarah may have been sister to Gray Partin Sr. ..... note that she named one of her sons William Gray Woodard.

William Gray Woodard was born June 8, 1851 in Itawamba County and died October 14 1920 in Yell County, Arkansas. He married Sarah Francis Guyton on September 26, 1872 in Itawamba County. Pictured with William and Sarah in the above photograph are their three youngest children, from left: Grady Miles, Myrtle, Audie Bell. Fay's grandfather, John Henry Lee Woodard, is not pictured here.

Fay is trying to determine the parents of Jesse Woodard. If anyone has any information, please get in touch with me and I'll send it along to Fay. I also have an interest in this family: Jesse's daughter, Isabella Jeanette Woodard, married Joseph Potts, brother of my GGG grandfather, Jesse H. Potts. The Woodards and Pottses appear to be in different corners of the county, with Jesse Woodard up around Mud Creek and Jesse Potts down around Carolina. All help appreciated.

Take me back to the Southland.....

2011-06-24T06:03:00.002-05:00

Ever have a song just stuck in your head? I've had that recently.   Several years ago, Mike and I heard a song on public radio... actually two songs played back to back.   A renewed interest in bluegrass brought the song(s) to mind.    Both are very touching, very sad songs that will send chills down your spine or put goosebumps on your arms, especially when played together.

I'm reminded of George Washington Warren, son of S. John Warren and his second wife, Sarah Robinson, who was Mike's GGG grandfather (his great-grandmother Laura Bertha Warren Dulaney's grandfather). G. W. Warren served in Company F, 24th Miss. Infantry, otherwise known as Cummings Grays after M. C. Cummings, who organized the company out of Itawamba County volunteers. Company F was commanded by a fellow Itawambian, Captain B. F. Toomer.
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After serving in battles at Corinth, MS; Cave Hill, KY; Murfreesboro, TN; and Chickamauga, GA, George W. Warren's luck ran out. On November 24, 1863, he was captured at the Battle of Lookout Mountain, subsequently sent to a Union prison at Louisville, Kentucky and later transferred to the newly-opened Rock Island POW Camp in Illinois where he died on December 20, 1864. POW records indicate he died of phtheris pulmonaris, a fancy term for consumption, also known as tuberculosis of the lungs. Most likely, it was pneumonia that killed George Washington Warren.

For additional information about a Confederate's soldier's experience at Rock Island Prison Camp, you can read this first-hand account written by Charles Wright.    Hunger, meager clothing, and poor living conditions contributed to many unnecessary deaths. Disease was rampant; a smallpox epidemic killed over 600 prisoners in just three months.   George died leaving a wife, the former Margaret Digby, and two small children, Nancy and John Ed Warren.

The first song is Legend of the Rebel Soldier, written by Charlie Moore and popularized by the bluegrass band The Country Gentlemen in 1971.   Below are the words, but you can hear the song on You Tube here at this link.

In a dreary Yankee prison

Where a rebel soldier lay

By his side there stood a preacher

Ere his soul should pass away

And he faintly whispered: Parson

As he clutched him by the hand

Oh, parson, tell me quickly

Will my soul pass through the Southland?

Will my soul pass through the Southland

Through the old Virginia grants

Will I see the hills of Georgia

And the green fields of Alabam?

Will I see the little church house

Where I pledged my heart and hand

Oh, parson, tell me quickly

Will my soul pass through the Southland?

Was for loving dear old Dixie

In this dreary cell I lie

Was for loving dear old Dixie

In this northern state I die

Will you see my little daughter

Will you make her understand

Oh, parson, tell me quickly

Will my soul pass through the Southland?

Then the rebel soldier died

We had a difficult time finding the second song, probably hindered by the fact that we didn't know the title, which eventually was discovered to be Rebel's Last Request. This song was written by Mississippi native and Grammy winner Carl Jackson who was born in Louisville, appeared on the Grand Ole Opry as a teenager, and later played the banjo with Glen Campbell's band. Itawamba fiddle player Carl Grissom told us that he had played with Carl Jackson, and that he recalled that Jackson had kinfolks from over around Kirkville and Marietta.

Rebel's Last Request was recorded in 1984 by The Bluegrass Cardinals, and unfortunately it is not in a format for downloading. Mike did find the LP album on E-bay, and you can listen to the song on You Tube here.

Eighteen sixty-three was an awful place to be
I never thought I'd make it out alive
But a dying man's request
Helped me pass the rugged test
And see the end to eighteen sixty-five

He called me to his side
and just before he died
This Rebel soldier made it clear to me
That his one last desire
Before his soul it did retire
Was to return home and there forever be

Take me back to the southland
Mississippi is my home
Let me rest with those green fields above me
Never more shall I roam

So I dug a shallow grave
marked the spot where he was layed
By a nearby lonesome weeping willow tree
And in case I lost my knife
Or another took my life
I carved those final words he said to me

Take me back to the southland
Mississippi is my home
Let me rest with those green fields above me
Never more shall I roam

Eighteen Sixty-Five and I made it out alive
So I returned to fill his final plea
But I found no body there Just a feeling in the air
And a change of words upon the willow tree

He's gone back to the Southland
Mississippi is his home
He now rests with those green fields above him
Never more shall he roam

G. W. Warren died, for loving dear old Dixie, in one of those dreary Yankee prisons. He never made it back to the Southland, and along with nearly 2,000 of his fellow Confederate soldiers, he rests instead under the green fields of Illinois.

Statistics from the Civil War

2011-06-24T06:02:00.005-05:00

Interesting statistics from the Civil War, startling even, at least to me. Stephen Ambrose, in his book To America, Personal Reflections of a Historian, provides the following statistics: "...for the Confederacy 94,000 battle deaths, 164,000 killed by disease, and 194,000 wounded; for the Union, 110,000 battle deaths, another 225,000 deaths by disease, and 275,000 wounded." I had just assumed that the South bore the brunt of casualties from the war. Just in my family of ancestors, there was a great-great grandfather who died during the war, Jesse Potts (disease, Richmond VA), another was wounded at the Battle of Corinth (George Emerson Robinson), and W. T. Bishop, my great-great-great grandfather, spent two years as a prisoner of war in various Union prison camps as one of the Immortal 600. I figure that most everyone in the South can claim ancestors who were Confederate casualties of the War Between the States; it just never really occurred to me that likewise, my Northern counterparts could claim a similar number of ancestors with casualties from the War, if not more. In the South, we've probably overdone the memorializing of the war dead while in the North, there has been too little recognition of the soldiers who fought to keep our country united.

I'm enjoying Ambrose's book, which was published the same year he died, 2002. You may remember that he wrote Band of Brothers, and is largely responsible for the D-Day Museum (now World War II Museum) being located in New Orleans.

William Jasper Robinson- MS to ARK

2011-06-22T06:03:00.001-05:00

Born in 1840-1841 in Itawamba County, near Tremont, William Jasper Robinson moved to Prairie County, Arkansas around 1855-1860. His parents were William and Jane Robinson, both South Carolina natives who moved to Marion County, Alabama and Itawamba County, Mississippi. This photo of William Jasper Robinson appeared in the Itawamba Settlers magazine several years ago, submitted by his grandson Ken Robinson, now deceased. Although I never met or corresponded with Ken - he died before I got hooked on genealogy - I have found his trail of queries across South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. It was gratifying to learn that Ken and I were on the same page, so to speak, as to our Robinson heritage. Ken and I both believe that our Robinson families connect back to Matthew Robinson who fought in the Revolutionary War from Abbeville District, South Carolina and who later moved to Lawrence County and Marion County, Alabama.

There is scant information about Jasper's parents, pretty much all we know comes from census records which indicate William was born around 1815 in South Carolina, and his wife Jane also was born in South Carolina, around 1824. Another clue found in the 1850 census record is William's neighbor of Thomas E. Robinson, believed to be his brother. By 1860, William and Jane appear to have died because their obviously orphaned children were living with Thomas E. Robinson in Prairie County, Arkansas. The families also lived in Itawamba County some time in the 1840's, based on the birth places of the children given in the later censuses.

In 1850, William, his supposed brother Thomas, and their respective families were living in Marion County, Alabama. Based on the names of their neighbors, it appears that they lived in the Pine Springs area (near Detroit) of present-day Lamar County. A biographical sketch of Thomas's son in the 1889 history of Lonoke County, Arkansas (formerly part of Prairie County) indicates that Thomas was "of Tennessee" and moved to Alabama with his parents at an early age, moved to Mississippi in 1855, then to Arkansas. The Tennessee reference is interesting, and supports the theory I have that our Robinsons migrated from South Carolina to Franklin County, Tennessee where several families lived for a few short years (probably 1818-1822 or so) before moving on to Alabama. Thomas E. Robinson's middle name was Ellis, as evidenced by the 1880 census which shows him as Ellis. There was at least one other Thomas Ellis Robinson, born 1844 in Itawamba County, the son of Matthew W. and Anna Liddle Robinson. And there were at least three other Thomas E. Robinsons of Itawamba County who were part of our extended Robinson family and whose middle name may have been Ellis.

Back to Jasper. He married first, Sarah Ewell, with whom he had a son named William Ellis Robinson. Jasper next married Mary Elizabeth Lee, daughter of John Lee and Adeline McVey, and they had six children together. Jasper served in the Civil War, and according to his grandson Jasper died September 1, 1903. He is buried in Whitley Cemetery in Lonoke County, Arkansas. Whitley Cemetery is one of the most peaceful cemeteries I've found. Mike and I found this cemetery, and Jasper's grave, on a trip home from Arkansas in 2006. The CSA marker for Jasper indicates that he died in 1892, but this is incorrect. The 1900 census shows he and his wife living in Lonoke township of Lonoke County, Arkansas.

I'd love to hear from anyone who can provide information about brothers William and Thomas, their wives, or any of their children. Here are census records for them.

1850 Census
Marion County, Alabama
Same page as Thomas E. Roberson:
W.B. Roberson 33 SC Farmer (born 1817)
Jane S.S. 26 SC
William J., 10 MS,
John H, 8 MS
Narcissa C. 6 MS
Francis J. 5 AL
Sarah E. 2 AL
Jonathan G. H. Motly?, 2, M, AL

1850 Census
Marion County, Alabama
Beat 3
Thomas E. Roberson 35 SC    (born 1815)
Prissilea 38 SC
William H. 10 AL
John J. 8 AL
Sarah E. 6 MS
Thomas E. 3 AL

1860 Census
Prairie County, Arkansas Caroline township
T. E. Robinson 51 SC farmer 1800/600
Persilla 45 SC
William H. 19 AL
John J. 17 AL (this is another Jasper - John Jasper)
Sarah E. 13 MS

Directly underneath the above household, in a separately enumerated dwelling, in this order:
Thomas 8 AL
Peter F. 5 MS
William J. 19 AL (this is William Jasper)
John H. 17 MS
Francis J. 12 MS (female)
Sallie M. 10 AL
David M. 8 AL
Martha 5 MS
L. B. Mitchell 32 KY doctor 100/1000

The 1860 is a real puzzler for this family. In the second dwelling, the older children appear to be the children of William B/R Robinson, Thomas's brother. Where are their parents? Why do Peter and Thomas, supposed children of Thomas Ellis Robinson, appear to be living in the second dwelling? Who is the Dr. Mitchell of the household? It appears he owns the property ($100 value of real property). The second dwelling is shown under the name of Thomas, age 8. He is the first person listed under the dwelling number. Neighbors are not familiar and do not indicate Mississippi or Alabama as place of birth.

By 1870, the part of Prairie County in which the family was living in 1860 had become part of Pulaski County. Little Rock is located in Pulaski County.

1870 Census
Pulaski County, Arkansas   Caroline township
T. E. Robinson 60 SC farmer 1600/550   (born 1810)
"Leo" Robinson 60 SC female "k. house"
Peter F. 13 MS

Lonoke County was created in 1873 from parts of Pulaski and Prairie Counties, and this is where we find the family in the 1880 census.   What became northern Lonoke County was part of Prairie County in the 1860 census, became part of Pulaski Couny in the 1870 census, and finally Lonoke County by the 1880 census.

1880 Census
Lonoke County, Arkansas   Lonoke township
Ellis Robinson 68 SC SC SC farmer   (born 1812)
Prisilla 73 SC SC SC

Mary Bowen Brown

2011-06-21T06:03:00.000-05:00

Mary M. Bowen was the youngest child of William Bowen and Rebecca Wesson.    She was born on January 5, 1847 in Tennessee while her parents were enroute from Cleveland County, North Carolina to Itawamba County, Mississippi. In January 1866, Mary married Thomas Jefferson Brown, son of J. William and Sarah Brown. The 1880 census finds the couple living next to her parents, but by the turn of the century the couple had moved to Arkansas.

1880 Census
Itawamba County, Mississippi
5th Supervisors District
Living next to her parents, William and Rebecca Bowen
Thomas Brown 38 AL AL AL farmer
Mary Brown 33 TN VA AL
William Brown 13 MS
Sarah Brown 10 MS
George Brown 7 MS
James Brown 4 MS
Mary F. Brown 1 MS

1900 Census
St. Francis County, Arkansas
Telico township
Thomas J Brown 56 AL AL AL farmer,born Dec 1843, married 35 yrs
Mary M Brown 53 TN VA NC, born Jan 1847, 7 children, 6 living
James D Brown 24 MS AL TN, born May 1876, farm laborer
Mary F Brown 20 20 MS AL TN, born June 1879
Lillie B Brown 16 16 MS AL TN, born Feb 1884
Clifford O Brown 13 MS AL TN, born Oct 1886
Summer M Blalock 48 GA GA GA, boarder with family, born Nov 1851, schoolteacher

A great-granddaughter of Thomas and Mary Brown shared this photograph of Mary Bowen Brown with me, and she indicated that her great-grandparents left Itawamba County in 1891, via a covered wagon train, for Caldwell, a small railroad town north of Forrest City in St. Francis County, Arkansas.

Records for Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Itawamba County show that Thomas Brown joined the church by letter in July 1870; he was an active member, serving as a delegate many times to association meetings (early records indicate that this church was originally Primitive Baptist).   In 1883, T. J. Brown was appointed to talk to Bro. Mabe Roberts about some fighting, and was also appointed to serve as a delegate along with W. H. Bowen and J. Y. Bowen to a union meeting. Early records indicate that Mt. Pisgah was originally a Primitive Baptist church but adopted the beliefs of Missionary Baptists around the turn of the 20th century.   Bowens, Bookouts, Webbs and Chamblees appear to be among the dominant families of the early Mt. Pisgah church.

When the family moved to Arkansas, Thomas and Mary Brown helped organize Caldwell Baptist Church of Christ ('Baptist Church of Christ' was a designation that usually meant Primitive Baptist or Hardshell Baptist beliefs). Their names are included on the church's first membership roll dated September 1900.

A huge thanks goes out to Mary Brown Spivey who shared this information about her ancestors and Itawamba County roots.    Mary's great-grandmother, her namesake Mary, was my great-grandmother's (Queenie Victoria Clayton Davis) half-great aunt.

Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church and Cemetery

2011-06-20T06:03:00.000-05:00

Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church is located on Mt. Pisgah Road, just off Nita Lake Road and close to Clay-Tilden Road in eastern Itawamba County. You can't see the cemetery from the road, but it is located behind the church. It is a small cemetery; a few graves are marked with only stones, and the other graves belong primarily to Bowen, Bookout and Lyle families. I took the above photographs about eighteen months ago.

Be aware that there are two Mt. Pisgah churches in Itawamba County. The other church is located north of Mantachie in western Itawamba County.

Bus Routes - 1943

2011-06-16T00:06:00.002-05:00

Fulton News Beacon

February 25, 1943

You could hop on a bus at Dulaney's Store (This might have been T.A. 'Bunt' Dulaney's Store -- he died in 1941? ) and an hour later, arrive at Banner. There must have been quite a bit of commerce between Fulton and Red Bay, to warrant a bus route. Pretty interesting to see the bus stops, wonder if there was similar service to other parts of the county by other bus lines?

Dollie's children

2011-06-15T06:03:00.008-05:00

Hunter Stone, son of Ruby Costa Cofield and her husband Hugh Cowden Stone, shared this photograph of the children of John and Dollie Loyd Cofield. My grandmother is the little girl in the middle. The typewritten caption included with the picture was added by Hunter to identify the children. Pauline, the youngest child of John and Dollie, was not yet born when the photograph was made so this dates it to late 1908 or early 1909.

I wish the quality of the image was better. Unfortunately it is a scan of a photocopy, but nonetheless I'm happy to have the picture. Before my daddy died in 2005, he told me to be sure to contact his first cousin, Hunter Stone, to get information about the Cofield family - Hunter was known as the family historian. It wasn't until the following year that I called up Hunter one evening at his home in Florence, Alabama. We exchanged e-mail addresses and soon I had an 80 year old e-mail buddy. Hunter eagerly shared all of his Cofield research and family information, and in return I shared what I had learned about the Loyd family. Hunter died in 2009. I will always be grateful that Daddy urged me to give Hunter a call. He was a sweet person.

Children of John & Dollie Loyd Cofield - minus Pauline who was not yet born

Ella Pearl Cofield, age 2-3

Dollie Loyd Cofield

2011-06-13T06:03:00.009-05:00

Dollie's real name was Mary Marenda Loyd, the youngest child of Isham and Rachel Young Loyd. She was born January 11, 1877 north of Shottsville on the Loyd family farm near Bull Mountain Creek in Marion County, Alabama. My great-grandmother died when she was only 35 years old, leaving behind five orphaned children, the oldest being not yet twelve years old.   Pearl, my grandmother, was only five.

Dollie married John Richard Cofield on September 10, 1899. The following April, John received his dental degree from Birmingham Dental College, and when the census taker (Dollie's brother-in-law, John L. Shotts) came 'round that summer he found the young married couple living with Dollie's parents. Their first child, James Clyde, was born that July. Within a couple of years, John and Dollie had moved to Hackleburg in northeastern Marion County where John opened a dental practice, and by 1904, the family was in Haleyville where John died in 1910.

Dollie Loyd Cofield died March 29, 1912. Her grandson, Hunter Stone, told me that his mother always said that her mother (Dollie) died of a broken heart following the death of her husband.   Officially, Dollie's death certificate indicates that she died of pellagra which is a rather odd diagnosis for Dollie.

Dollie died in 1912 when much about pellagra was misunderstood.   First reported in 1902, pellagra is a disease manifested by skin lesions, diarrhea, depression and sometimes dementia. Patients are said to "waste away." Many cases were misdiagnosed as I suspect Dollie's was - she certainly would have been wasting away, and depressed, if she was mourning over the death of her husband less than two years earlier. She may also have been suffering from an undiagnosed cancer or other illness.

In the rural South in the very early 1900's, pellagra reached epidemic proportions with high rates of morbidity. Doctors blamed the disease on an unknown toxin or germ, believing it to be an infectious disease. Not until 1915 was the link made between pellagra and diet, although several more years would pass before the lack of niacin was found to be the causative factor.

Pellagra is a nutritional disease caused by a deficiency of Vitamin B, or niacin. Although pellagra can be caused by a metabolic disorder, the disease is usually related to a diet highly dependent upon corn.   Overwhelmingly, pellagra was found among the rural poor in the early 1900's.   Reliance upon corn and corn products (cornbread! grits!) combined with a diet lacking in fresh fruit and vegetables as well as meat, especially in winter months, made most Southerners at risk for pellagra. The availability of milled flour after the Civil War also played a role since most of the vitamins were removed during the wheat milling process. After the Great Depression, commercially packaged white flour was enriched with niacin. Pellagra was essentially eradicated by 1960.

After her death, Dollie was buried next to her beloved John in the Cofield-Cockrell Cemetery near John's family home north of Shottsville. She was survived by five children: Clyde, Ruby, Louis, Pearl and Pauline, along with both her parents, a brother Luther, and two sisters, Millie Frances Shotts and Louella Clemontine Davis. Dollie's young daughters went to live with Dollie's sister-in-law, Vannah Cofield Harbor, in Tremont while her sons moved in with their grandfather, Sam Cofield.

Remembering John Richard Cofield

2011-06-10T06:03:00.021-05:00

John Richard Cofield died 101 years ago today.

Husband of Mary Marenda Loyd ("Dollie")

Father of Clyde, Ruby, Louis, Pearl and Pauline

Brother of Vannah Harbor and Mary Emeline Goggans

Son of Sam Cofield and Zilpha Cockrell Cofield

My great-grandfather

Davis-Loyd Family of Bull Mountain

2011-06-09T06:03:00.011-05:00

Newly found "old" pictures are like Christmas presents, and lucky for me, I get to enjoy Christmas year around!   Cousin Jim Shotts shared this photograph with me earlier this year, along with some others that I will post later. The photo is especially neat because it connects both my maternal Davis and paternal Loyd lines -- the only known connection between my mother's and my father's families.

Jesse Abner Davis, seated to the left, was the son of Samuel McGee Davis and Emily Jane Lacey, named for Samuel's father, Jesse, although he went by the name of Abner . Abner and my maternal great-grandfather, James Kelly Davis, were first cousins. Samuel McGee Davis lived along the Mississippi-Alabama state line, earlier in Itawamba County and later over in Marion County, Alabama which is where Abner was born. By contrast, Samuel's brother, James William Anderson Davis, my great-great grandfather, moved to Fulton, raised a family, and is buried in Fulton Cemetery.

Abner was a U.S. Deputy Marshall, serving northwestern Alabama.

Louella Clemontine Loyd, known as Ella to family and friends (her nickname was Love), was the daughter of Isham James Loyd and Rachel Caroline Young. My paternal grandmother, Ella Pearl Cofield Robinson, was named for her Aunt Ella.   Ella and Abner married in 1893, and they had one child, a daughter Myrtle, pictured above in her father's lap. Myrtle married Oscar Lochridge, and the 1920 and 1930 censuses find them living in Itawamba County - in 1920 in Wiginton Precinct, and in 1930 on the road to Vina, Alabama.

Standing behind Abner and Ella are two women: Mary Marenda "Dollie" Loyd (left) and Ora Avery (right).     Dollie was my great-grandmother, the youngest child of Isham and Rachel Loyd who was nearly six years younger than her sister Ella. I don't know who Ora Avery is, and neither does Jim who owns the original photograph. Is Avery a last name, or a middle name, for Ora? There are some Avery families that lived in the Bull Mountain vicinity so perhaps Ora belongs to one of them... would love to hear from somebody who recognizes the name.

Dollie married John Richard Cofield, and they had five children before their untimely deaths in 1910 (Richard) and 1912 (Dollie). Dollie was said by her daughter, Ruby, to have died of a broken heart.

Below are some newspaper items about Abner and Ella.

Hamilton News Press

November 29, 1893

Married - At the residence of the bride's father, at Bull Mountain, on the 22nd instant, MR. J. A. Davis and Miss Ella Loyd. The Free Press wishes the young couple a long life of uninterrupted bliss.

Hamilton News Press
December 13, 1893
Mr. J. A. Davis who recently married the estimable daughter of our esteemed friend, Mr. I. J. Loyd, of Marion County, located to Russellville on the 30th ult. Mr. Davis is an energetic young man of good business qualifications. His good lady is one of Marion’s fairest daughters. We wish them a pleasant and profitable journey through life. - Hustler

Hamilton News Press

April 18, 1895

Miss Dollie Loyd, a charming young lady of Bull Mountain, is visiting her sister, Mrs. J. A. Davis, at this place.

Hamilton News Press
June 6, 1895
Mr. and Mrs. I. J. Loyd, of Bull Mountain, are visiting their daughter, Mrs. Ella Davis, who is sick at this place.

Hamilton News Press
January 24, 1896

Deputy Marshal J. A. Davis, of Bull Mountain was here this week.

A BIG HAUL

Deputy Collector. W. L. Cole and Deputy Marshals Jas A. O’Rear and J. A. Davis made a raid five miles west of Hamilton on last Wednesday, capturing two hundred and fifty gallons of illicit whisky. The whisky was found concealed in a ditch about forty yards from the residence of H. W. Palmer. The officers hired a wagon and team from Mrs. Palmer, and brought the whisky to Hamilton, where it was stored in the office of Commissioner D. N. Cooper. A thorough search on the premises was made to find the still but no copper was found. Palmer says the whisky was made from chemicals and not from a distillery. He was given a trial yesterday before Commissioner Cooper and held to bail in the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars, which he promptly gave.

Itawamba County News
March 5, 1908
Rara Avis news
Mr. Abner Davis of Haleyville, Ala., is moving into our dear old county of Itawamba.

Itawamba County News

May 24, 1910
Rara Avis news

Mrs. Ella Davis and daughter Miss Myrtle of Bexar were among friends Saturday and Sunday. Miss Myrtle spending a week with her grandmother.

Many old newspaper abstracts from Marion County newspapers, painstakingly transcribed by Veneta McKinney, can be found at this link: http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/index.php?action=displaycat&catid=411. Old newspapers can provide wonderful Christmas presents too!

John Henderson Bowen photo

2011-06-07T06:03:00.001-05:00

John H. Bowen photograph -

presumed to be John Henderson Bowen 1822-1881,

son of William and Martha Bowen.

This digital image was shared with me by Mary Spivey, a descendant of William Bowen and Rebecca Wesson. Since John died in 1881, the original photograph was likely a tintype. Note the pink tinted cheeks... something often found on these old photos.

John Henderson Bowen 1822-1881

2011-06-06T06:09:00.000-05:00

John Henderson Bowen was the oldest son of William and Martha Bowen, born May 5, 1822 in Virginia; he died November 25, 1881 in Itawamba County, Mississippi.

The Bible record of John's brother, W.D.S. Bowen, indicates that John married M.Z.E. Putman on August 29, 1847, while a Bible belonging to John's son shows that John married Zinnie E., daughter of Elias C. Putnam and Nancy, on the same date, in Shelby, North Carolina.

John and Zinnie were enumerated in the 1850 census in Cleveland County, North Carolina, but by 1860 the couple were in Itawamba County. Zinnie died on November 30, 1866, and John remarried, to Mary Susan Tarver on February 21, 1868.

The graves of John and Zinnie are lost to us although we know the approximate location; they were buried on family property located west of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church.   Unfortunately, the family cemetery was bulldozed - apparently by accident - after the property was sold. John Henderson Bowen's broken tombstone was later found where it had been pushed down a hill.   I was able to photograph John's grave marker which is in the possession of a Bowen descendant who still lives in Itawamba County.   Maybe one day other markers will turn up.

John and Zinnie had the following children:

William H. M. Bowen, married Mary Jane Tucker, died Itawamba County
Elias Alexander Bowen, married Rachel J. Hurst, moved to Arkansas and later Oklahoma
Emily J. Bowen, married Ephraim Johnson
John M. L. Bowen, died as infant in Cleveland County, North Carolina
Martha A. Bowen (my GG grandmother), married Nathaniel M. Clayton
Henderson** Roberts Bowen, married first Susan "Sallie" Lawson, second Mary Susan Elizabeth Fikes, died Itawamba County
Nancy Victoria Dulaney, married Alfred Elias Dulaney, died Sevier County, Arkansas
James Y. Bowen, married Sallie W. Rogers, died Itawamba County
Sarah E. Bowen, married Robert Franklin Smith
C. E. Bowen, gender unknown, died as small child

Apparently, John and his second wife did not have any children, or if so, they are not known to me.

Some descendants indicate that John was a minister, and that appears to be true. Records show that John H. Bowen registered as a member of the clergy, Missionary Baptist faith, on January 23, 1866.    John may have served as minister for Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, or its predecessor church. The minute books for Mt. Pisgah are full of Bowen names, including those of John's children and brother W.D.S. Bowen during the late 1800s and early 1900s. On my to-do list is to find 1987 copies of Itawamba Settlers magazines that contain transcriptions of the earliest minutes of Mt. Pisgah (back to the 1870s) to see what references there may be to my GGG grandfather.

I also need to determine whether or not John H. Bowen served in the Civil War.   Records show a J. H. Bowen serving in the Company H, 2nd Regiment, Miss. but I don't know if this is the same as my John Henderson Bowen. John would have been close to 40 years old when the war started.   His brother, W.D.S.Bowen, was an officer in the Miss. Cavalry.

** The name of Henderson Roberts Bowen is intriguing. In the 1850 census, a Henderson Roberts is enumerated a few households away from John Henderson Bowen and his family. What is the connection?

Jimmie Lunceford - Marker Dedication

2011-06-05T06:03:00.033-05:00

It was a very hot and humid Saturday in Fulton for the Jimmie Lunceford marker dedication in front of City Hall, but by all accounts everyone was pleased with the event. There is some serious discussion about the possibility of a local music festival in Lunceford's honor, and hopefully this will come to fruition. The Itawamba County Development Council and the Lunceford Committee did a great job in planning the event and was commended by Alex Thomas, program manager for the Mississippi Blues Trail Commission who was in town for the ceremony. Following a warm welcome by Shawn Green, and an original poem written and read by poet Patricia Neely-Dorsey, my husband Mike gave a delightful and entertaining speech about our county's musical heritage and Alderman Hayward Wilson spoke regarding the Jimmie Lunceford legacy. Although the Itawamba County-born Lunceford lived only 45 years, his innovative style of music has made a huge impact throughout the world. He was widely successful during his time, and big band leaders such as Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman credited Lunceford as being one of the best in the business.

Census Information - Jimmie Lunceford and family

2011-06-03T06:09:00.003-05:00

1900 Census
Itawamba County, Mississippi
Pleasanton precinct
Riley Lunceford 30 MS NC NC, farmer, can read and write, owns farm, born April 1870
Idella Lunceford 17 MS MS MS, can read and write, born Jan 1883, married 3 months

[Neighbors in the 1900 census were several black Tucker and Warren families. Pleasanton was a voting precinct/community located northeast of Fulton.]

1910 Census
Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
Choctaw township
James Lunceford 41 MS MS MS farmer, owns home, married 10 years, second marriage
Della 28 MS MS MS, wife, married 10 years, first marriage, 2 children born, 2 children living
Nelson 8 MS MS MS son [this is James Melvin]
Cornelius 5 OK MS MS son

1920 Census
Denver County, Colorado
City of Denver
James Lunceford 41 MS SC SC janitor for private family, rents
Ida 35 MS MS MS wife
Melvin 17 MS MS MS son
Cornelius 15 OK MS MS son

1930 Census
Trumbull County, Ohio
City of Warren
James Lunceford 27 MS MS MS crate maker for drinking fountain, owns home worth $3000
Ida 44 MS MS MS wife
Junior 8 CO MS MS son

1930 Census
Shelby County, Tennessee
City of Memphis
Jimmy Lunsford 27 MS MS MS teacher in county school, boarder in home of James Moody

Honoring Jimmie Lunceford: Itawamba-born

2011-06-03T06:03:00.005-05:00

The Itawamba County Board of Supervisors has declared Saturday, June 4th, as Jimmie Lunceford Day to honor the Itawamba-born Jazz great. James Melvin Lunceford was born June 6, 1902, the son of Itawamba natives James Riley Lunceford and Idella Shumpert.

A Mississippi Blues Trail marker will be unveiled at the Fulton City Hall at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow with live Jazz music presented both before and after the unveiling. My husband, Mike, will deliver a short keynote address. Scott Barretta, research coordinator for the Mississippi Blues Trail, will be on hand for the ceremony also. Scott was instrumental in getting the marker for Itawamba County after conversations with Mike about Lunceford's connection to Itawamba. If Scott's name sounds familiar to you, it is because he is the host of Highway 61 Blues program Saturday evenings on Mississippi Public Radio. Scott, who recently published a book, Mississippi: State of Blues, was for several years the editor of Living Blues magazine and is widely considered an expert on Blues music and culture.

And now, for your reading pleasure, here is an article that Mike wrote for the Red Bay News about Jimmie Lunceford and some of his fellow Itawambians.

JAZZNOCRACY by Mike Mills

The line between Alabama and  Mississippi, not to mention the line between Itawamba, Franklin and Marion  Counties, is often blurred, if not down right confusing.  Some of the early settlers in Red Bay thought  they were in Mississippi and some of the Tremont folk thought they had settled  in Alabama.  And no doubt some folk  around Bexar thought they had found Texas. The citizens of these neighboring  communities share much in common.  Black-eyed peas and cornbread are a staple in our diet.  We all know a home grown tomato properly  sliced and peppered and put on white bread smeared generously with mayonnaise is  the best thing either side of the Tombigbee. We all cook with Sunflower Self-Rising Corn Mill and sop our biscuits in Golden Eagle Syrup. And we share a regional proprietary claim to the First Lady  of Country Music, Tammy Wynette,   formerly known as Tammy Pugh, and of course born near Tremont in Itawamba  County,  Mississippi.  

Much has been written about Tammy Wynette’s share-cropper beginnings near Tremont.  Another prominent former share-cropper in  Itawamba County was Miss Rosella Presley,  from out East of Fulton.  According to local sources, Rosella  sometimes frequented an Itawamba business establishment  known as The Linger Longer where she may have made acquaintance with the father  of one or more  of her 10 illegitimate  children.  She never married. Her  grandson, Vernon Presley, was born in Fulton,   but later moved to the Shakerag community in East Tupelo. He was the father of the King.  As in Rock-N-Roll.  An art form.  (See the internet web-site The Kin of Rock and Roll.)

Tammy and Elvis made it to the  top of their chosen art forms with little education, much determination, and a  lot of talent.  I love both of them as  entertainers.  And respect each for the  gifts they gave the world.  

One would suppose Itawamba County ought to be satisfied with being the  seminal ground for the King of Rock and the First Lady of Country Music.  But no.

A  young fellow named James Melvin "Jimmie" Lunceford was born  in the Evergreen community in Itawamba County in 1902. According to noted  Itawamba historian Bob Franks, Lunceford’s people were initially well to do landowners in the African American community of Palmetto East of Fulton where his grandfather owned 150 acres off the  old Warren plantation. The young Jimmie may have played in the red  dirt hills drained by Bull Mountain Creek and Dulaney Branch. Little Jimmie went  on to lead one of the greatest jazz  bands of his day. He would be known as the King of Syncopation.  

Jimmie’s people found a way for him to attain  a higher education at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. (While there he  dated the daughter of W.E.B. Dubois, a prominent black  philosopher and founder of the NAACP.)  He majored in music and mastered many instruments.

After graduating from college,  Jimmie began teaching music at Manassas High School in Memphis where he  organized a group of his students into a band called  The Chickasaw Syncopators.  This group later evolved into Jimmie  Lunceford’s Orchestra which scored big in 1934 at the Cotton Club in Harlem.   The band became known for a two-beat  swing and polished showmanship and gained a national reputation. For ten years  they were the top attraction at the Apollo Theatre where the band was known as  The Harlem Express. His songs have been described as  sophisticated, cheerful and boisterous. Major hits include White Heat, Jazznocracy, Rhythm  is Our Business, In Dat Mornin’ and Swingin’ Uptown.

In his day, Jimmie Lunceford  from outside Fulton, Mississippi was bigger than his contemporaries, Cab  Calloway and Duke Ellington. Glenn  Miller, who borrowed from the Lunceford style, said,  “Duke Ellington is great, [Count} Basie is  remarkable, but Lunceford tops them both.”   (Quote from Determeyer's excellent Lunceford biography, Rhythm Is Our Business, 2006.)  Unfortunately Jimmy has not  enjoyed the lasting fame of many of his contemporaries. His full potential may not have been reached since he died an early death in 1947 when he  collapsed  while signing autographs in  Seaside, Oregon. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in  Memphis.  

A tip of the hat for this piece  must go to Rubye Del Hardin who wrote about Jimmie in the 1960’s;  to Fulton musician and author Bob Gilliland  who more recently published a piece about him in Itawamba Settlers;  and to Oxonian Scott Baretta who prevailed  upon the powers that be to finally establish a Jimmie Lunceford marker on the  Fulton Courthouse grounds.

And to bring it on home as they say in the music business, what do we make  of a few sections of hilly land East of Fulton which  not only grow lush Kudzu  and stout Mimosa trees but which also produced some of the finest  entertainers in America?  Well I think if  you or your daddy ever ran barefooted in  the sandy red ditch banks of an Itawamba gravel road, or if you got baptized or went  skinny dipping in Dulaney branch or if you ever tasted the ice cold waters of Bull  Mountain Creek (either straight or improved with local corn products), then you  have the makin’s of mastering an art form yourself.

Coleen Cummings Robinson, 1914-2011

2011-06-02T06:03:00.003-05:00

While this blog was on hiatus this spring, we lost a special member of the Robinson-Cummings family. Aunt Coleen Robinson died March 20, 2011 at the age of 97. She was born Coleen Tamsie Cummings on January 21, 1914 in the Ratliff community of Itawamba County to Walter C. and Tamsie Mitchell Cummings. As a young girl, she moved with her family to Clay County where her father owned and operated a saw mill near Old Waverly on the Tombigbee River. The Great Depression caused the saw mill to shut down, and the Cummings family moved back to Itawamba County to the house that Walter Cummings had originally built for his family in 1924.

When Uncle Buddy and Aunt Coleen moved back to Fulton around 1990, they undertook a renovation of the old Cummings home, modernizing it yet retaining its original look and feel. Located on Sandlin Road in Fulton, the house is still standing today, still owned and occupied by Cummings descendants.

One of Aunt Coleen's lillies

After her family and church (she was the oldest member of Trinity Baptist Church), Aunt Coleen most loved her flowers, especially lillies of all kinds although she loved pretty much any type of flower or plant. She gardened up until 2009 when her failing health, at age 95, prevented her from getting around. It was with much reluctance and regret that Aunt Coleen gave up her hoe and gardening gloves. Today, the daylilies that Aunt Collen so lovingly planted and tended are in full bloom and are deserving of a drive-by in remembrance of her the next time I am in Fulton.

Aunt Coleen was very proud of her heritage, and I am so appreciative and thankful that this special woman shared her love of family with me.

2009: Some of Aunt Coleen's lillies next to her house

2009: Aunt Coleen, center, with her nieces Lucy & Sue Robinson

Martha Overby - Rebecca Wesson: Setting the record straight

2011-06-01T06:03:00.001-05:00

William Bowen moved to Itawamba County between 1847 and 1850 where he and his family are found enumerated in the 1850 census in District 7 (name transcribed as William Boron).   Based upon the surrounding "neighbors" of this census (Alfred and Rachael Dulaney, and others) it appears that William lived northeast of Fulton. Indeed, in the 1860 census, William is indicated to be living near the Pleasanton post office which was located in northeastern Itawamba County. NOTE: William Bowen is not to be confused with William Elisha Bowen, my husband's ancestor, who moved from Pontotoc County to the Mud Creek community - a different family of Bowens altogether... as far as I know! ;)

William's oldest son, John Henderson Bowen, is my great-great-great grandfather who was born in Virginia on May 5, 1822. In 1850, John and his family were still living in Cleveland County, North Carolina. Cleveland was a relatively new county, established in 1841 from parts of Rutherford and Lincoln counties, named for Col. Benjamin Cleveland who was a Revolutionary War hero at Kings Mountain. Cleveland County sits just above the South Carolina state line.

In a family Bible, belonging to William Darden Shelton Bowen, middle son of William, it is written that his mother, Martha, died June 1854 in North Carolina. W.D.S. Bowen's father, William, is indicated in the Bible to have died April 28, 1888 in Fulton, Miss. Who, then, was the 46 year old Rebecca who was William's spouse in the 1850 census - the same Rebecca who was also listed as William's spouse in the 1860, 1870 and 1880 censuses? Martha did not die until 1854, in North Carolina, as evidenced by both the Bible record and her headstone in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery outside the town of Shelby in Cleveland County, North Carolina, near the border with South Carolina.   Rebecca was still living in 1888 when William Bowen's estate was probated in Itawamba County. They obviously are not the same person.

Information recently provided to me has solved the mystery of Martha and Rebecca.   A descendant of Rebecca and William Bowen graciously shared her research with me, research that shows Rebecca to be the common law wife of William. William's first wife was Martha Overby who was at least ten years older than her husband; the couple were married December 1817 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.

William and Rebecca undoubtedly met through William and Martha's oldest child, Emily or "Millie", who was married to Edward Wesson, Rebecca's brother.    Or perhaps, it was the other way around, and Emily and Edward met through Rebecca. Which ever way the introductions happened, Rebecca (who already had one child out of wedlock) and William eventually hooked up, with their first child being born around 1835.    Eventually, four more children were born to Rebecca and William. The births of Julia, Catherine, Minerva, and Richard Henry were recorded in North Carolina Bastardy Books and list William Bowen as the children's father. William was bound by law and obligated to provide for the children.   By 1847, William and Rebecca had left North Carolina together, and their fourth child, Mary, was born in Tennessee enroute to Itawamba County.

Looking back at the 1840 census, there is a William Bowin enumerated in Rutherford County, North Carolina. The sex and ages of the household members match up with those of William, Martha and their children.   Listed as living next door: Edward Wesson!   You may be interested to learn that Edward and Millie Wesson were the GGG grandparents of Elvis Presley, while William and Martha Bowen were GGGG grandparents of Elvis.

Martha died in June 1854 as did a couple of her grandsons, both buried near Martha in the North Carolina cemetery.   Following Martha's death, her children - with the exception of daughter Lavinia "Vaney" - left North Carolina and joined their father in Mississippi.    Mary Spivey, a descendant of William Bowen and his common law wife, Rebecca, took the following photographs of the grave of Martha Bowen. When she found Martha's grave, the headstone had been broken and was embedded in the ground. Mary and her husband took time out of their busy schedule to dig up and repair the headstones of not just Martha, but also her grandsons! They purchased Quikrete to reattach the stones, then went back for flowers to decorate the graves!   What an amazing act of kindness from someone not even related to Martha.   Here are the before and after pictures:

If anyone has any information about the burial location of William and Rebecca's graves in Itawamba County, I would appreciate an e-mail. Interesting that we know where Martha is buried and have pictures, but nothing is known about the final resting place of William and Rebecca. William's estate was probated in Itawamba County with a final settlement being made in 1891 to his heirs; Rebecca was still living at the time.

Jack & Margaret Kennedy Evans - Itasca Cemetery

2011-05-30T06:03:00.002-05:00

Earlier I posted about John Thomas Emerson, grandson of Irvin Lafayette Kennedy, who is buried in Itasca Cemetery, Hill County, Texas. John Thomas Emerson's aunt, Margaret Drucilla Kennedy, moved to Hill County, Texas with her husband, John Jasper "Jack" Evans. Jack Evans was the son of Thomas Evans and Henrietta Clayton, Georgia natives who moved to Itawamba County around 1841, settling on land just south of Tremont. William Evans, brother of Thomas, was my GGG grandfather.

The graves of John J. and Margaret Kennedy Evans are marked with a single stone, pictured above, that appears of more recent origin. "Jack" died in 1939, at the age of 90. His death certificate indicates that he was born at Bexar, Alabama but all of his census records show Mississippi as his state of birth. This inconsistency is not too unusual for residents of this area, and land records indicate that Jack's parents owned land in both Itawamba and Marion counties. Margaret, as posted earlier, was the daughter of Irvin Lafayette Kennedy and Martha Selena Meshow.

Jack's father Thomas Evans moved to Hill County, Texas between 1878 and 1800, and died there around 1889. It is not known where he is buried, whether on private land or perhaps in the Itasca Cemetery in an unmarked grave.

Jack and Margaret had several children: Elmer Ward Evans, Martha Lou (married S. W. Cansler), Irvin Lafayette Evans (gravemarker pictured below), Leonard Lewis Evans, (buried also at Itasca), B. N. Evans, Zula Evans (married Floyd Grant, buried Itasca Cemetery), and Johnnie Evans.

Full Circle - Sol J. Wiginton to John T. Robinson to Z. B. Palmer to M. B. Lawhon

2011-05-25T06:03:00.007-05:00

First, there was the tombstone of Solomon J. Wiginton that I came across in the Itasca Cemetery in Hill County, Texas. Then, less than ten days later, I received the Civil War pension records of John T. Robinson which contained an affidavit of Solomon as to John's service in the 10th Alabama Cavalry. The pension file also had an affidavit from another member of the 10th Alabama, Z. B. Palmer.

When researching Z. B. Palmer, I found this website http://www.goldwingbums.org/genealogy/e291.htm which included a transcription of a probate record for M. B. Lawhon in Marion County, Alabama dated 1900. Lordy, at the names!

S. L. Cofield, along with J. M. Shotts, were executors of the will of Merrell Brooks Lawhon, who was born March 1823 and died on October 12, 1900. S. L. Cofield was my great-great grandfather, Samuel Lewis Cofield. J. M. Shotts was John McCarty Shotts, brother-in-law of John T. Robinson.

The Lawhon will references a lawsuit filed against Z. B. Palmer in 1899, the proceeds of which were to be divided among his heirs. Since M. B. Lawhon never married and had no children, his heirs were his living siblings and the children of his deceased siblings. A petition filed with the court named, among others, the following next-of-kin which I found of interest: Z. B. Palmer (apparently the plaintiff was also a nephew), Mrs. Arvilla Young (she was the sister-in-law of my great-great grandmother, Rachel Young Loyd), Gertrude Robison (minor, in the care of her father L(ucian) G(aines) Robison) - via her deceased mother, Ophelia Lawhon Robison), N. L. Lawhon (presumed to be Noah Lucian Lawhon, married to Luna Robinson, niece of John T. Robinson).

Two years ago, on a cemetery tour along the Alabama-Mississippi state line, I took some photographs of the Lawhon Cemetery, a small family cemetery located not far from the Cofield-Cockrell Cemetery. The first photo, below, is of the grave marker for M. B. Lawhon, 1823-1900. The last photo is of John Lawhon, Sr., born 1792, died 1873. Unusual to find a marker of someone born before 1800 in our neck of the woods - not impossible, but not a common find.

John T. Robinson - 10th Alabama Cavalry - Moreland's Regiment

2011-05-23T06:03:00.000-05:00

Following up on the previous post about John Taylor Robinson's service in the Civil War....

John applied for a Civil War pension from the State of Alabama which was initially denied due to the fact that his name was not found on the muster rolls of his regiment, 10th Alabama Cavalry. Upon receipt of affidavits from other war veterans who served in the same regiment - Solomon J. Wiginton, Zebulon Brooks Palmer, and W. J. Donham - the pension board reversed their decision and awarded a pension to John.

Why the lack of official records of John T. Robinson's Civil War service? I suspect that part of the problem lies with the late enlistment. By 1864, when John enlisted at Smithville, the war had been dragging on for four years. At the war's beginning, record-keeping was much better. Morale was high, and everything was 'by the book,' but as time went on, there was a break down in official processes.

Repeated defeats at Vicksburg, Gettsyburg, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga in the last half of 1863 had decimated the Confederate Army, and the remaining troops were constantly being re-organized and re-shuffled under different names which can be confusing when trying to research an ancestor who served in the war.

The 10th Alabama Cavalry Regiment was commanded by Colonels Pickett and Powell but John T. Robinson's pension record indicates that he served under a different Colonel - Colonel Moreland, apparently Colonel Micajah D. Moreland, of Tishomingo County, Mississippi.   From what I have read, many Alabama regiments were not numbered but went by their commander's name. Moreland's Cavalry seems to have been a separate unit from the 10th Alabama Cavalry.    Someone with more knowledge of Alabama regiments of the Civil War may be better equipped to sort out these units, but it seems that Moreland's Cavalry was a regiment that was attached to Col. Phillip Dale Roddey's 4th Alabama Cavalry, as was the 10th Alabama Cavalry. Moreland's troops participated in battles at Brice's Crossroads and Tupelo, and surrendered at Citronelle, Alabama.

Apparently many of Col. Moreland's companies were organized in Northeast Mississippi, which is consistent with the fact that Private John T. Robinson enlisted with an Alabama regiment in Smithville, Mississippi. In his pension application, John named his captain as "Captain J. F. Chaffin" who probably was Jackson Florida Chaffin, an Itawambian who left for Arkansas after the war and later moved to Waldrip, McCulloch County, Texas where he died in 1929.

Members of Moreland's Regiment were discharged at Iuka, Mississippi in May, 1865. John T. Robinson's affidavit states that he was "sick and unable to go to Iuka to get a parole, and this is why I have no parole."

John Taylor Robinson was the oldest son, and fourth child, of John E. Robinson and Rachael Reed Emerson Robinson.    He was born May 8, 1842 in Marion County, Alabama, and his younger brother, my great-great grandfather, was born two years later.    After John's death in 1929, his widow, Mahala, applied for his war pension, and her application states that she and John were married at Shottsville on October 2, 1870. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to Itawamba County where they lived from 1870 to 1882 (again, as stated in the application) before moving back across the state line in Marion County, Alabama.

John and Mahala had eight children: Louella, Austin Lanier, Carlton McKindry, John Garvin, Chester Ardell, Bunyan Lavert, Bulah Guy, and William Clenton.   Interesting, up until just last year, John and Mahala's grandson, Ross Robison, was still living.

Solomon J. Wiginton - witness on behalf of John T. Robinson

2011-05-20T06:03:00.003-05:00

Recently I came across information that indicated John Taylor Robinson, brother of my great-great grandfather George Emerson Robinson, had fought in the Civil War. Not too surprising, you say, since John was born 1842, the perfect age for service in the war. But the family story that has been handed down, at least through George's family as recounted by his grandsons, is that older brother John was sickly and therefore was unable to serve in the war. The story is that George, who enlisted at the age of 18, was supposedly sent by his father in place of his older brother.

John T. Robinson, and later his widow Mahala Jane (Shotts, daughter of Lovid McKindry Shotts), drew a Civil War pension from the State of Alabama. When I discovered information about this pension, I sent off to the Alabama Archives for detailed records. Turns out, there was some truth to the family story. An affidavit dated 1914 and signed by J. T. Robinson states that he "first joined the Confederate army in 1862, joining the infantry, but I was sickly then and the captain of the company allowed me to go back home, as I was unable to do service." Unfortunately, the name of this early regimental unit and company is not given in the pension record. John further states in his affidavit that he re-enlisted two years later at Smithville, Miss. in February, 1864, joining Company E, 10th Alabama Regiment.

So yes, John was sickly, but he did serve in the war. Or did he?

The pension record contains a notice dated 1913 that John T. Robinson was ineligible for a pension due to his name not being found on the rolls of any company of the 10th Alabama Regiment.    It was up to John to prove his service ... which he did by providing witnesses who could vouch for his war service. Among others, Solomon J. Wiginton, of Itasca, Hill County, Texas! The very same Solomon whose gravestone I recently photographed in the Itasca Cemetery! How coincidental is that!

Before the Notary Public of Hill County, Texas, in October 1914, Solomon J. "Saul" Wiginton stated that he was 69 years of age, residing at Itasca. Saul said that he formerly lived in Marion Co., Alabama, and that he knew J. T. Robinson "who now lives in Marion County, Alabama, and knew him during the war. Said J. T. Robinson and I were both in Company E of the 10th Alabama Cavalry, C.S.A., and I knew him in said company.    Said J. T. Robinson joined said Company E at Smithville, Mississippi, sometime in the early part of the year 1864."

Another witness was W. J. Donham, a resident of Covington in Hill County, Texas, who stated on oath that he served with J. T. Robinson in Company E, 10th Alabama Cavalry. William Jefferson Donham was a former resident of Marion County.   Zebulon Brooks Palmer also provided testimony that he served with J. T. Robinson in the 10th Alabama Cavalry. Palmer said in his affidavit that he had known Robinson all of his life, "we were reared together" in Marion County, and that he remembered "very well" when John joined Company E, sometime "about the month of February, 1864, at Smithville, Mississippi, while we were encamped there, and he remained in the service in the said company until the close of war."

The proof provided by the affidavits of these three Civil War veterans was enough for the Board of Pension Examiners to grant John Taylor Robinson his pension, which he received until his death in 1920 at the age of 77 years, and which his widow received until her death in 1933.

More about John T. Robinson in another post.

Oh, and there is no proof that John's brother, George Emerson Robinson, was sent in his brother's place to fight in the war. George was 18 years old in 1862 when he enlisted, certainly of age to volunteer on his own. It wasn't until later in the war that a conscription draft was instituted, and pressure was put on non-enlisted, able-bodied men to enlist in the Confederate army.

You can read more about George Emerson Robinson at these previous posts:
George Emerson Robinson
Charlotte A. Purnell, 1846-1873 (first wife of George E. Robinson)
George E. Robinson - his second family
George Emerson Robinson - old homeplace

Young family - Itasca Cemetery

2011-05-19T06:03:00.000-05:00

Dr. John Haynes Young, along with his second wife Luvenia Harriet Davis Young, are buried in Itasca Cemetery, Itasca, Hill County, Texas. During a recent visit to Texas, which included a detour to Itasca for lunch and cemetery browsing, their graves were photographed. Just last month, in Fulton, I was honored to meet a descendant of John and Harriet who was in the area for research.

Dr. Young was the brother of my great-great grandmother, Rachel Caroline Young Loyd. You can read more about him in earlier post. John and Rachel were children of William A. Young and Elizabeth C. "Bettie" Evans, who lived near Smithville in Monroe County. I am not sure exactly where the Young family lived, but it had to have been close to the state line and very close to Pine Springs and Detroit in present-day Lamar County. When William Young died, he was buried in Lee Cemetery over in Lamar County. My great-great grandmother, Rachael Young, met and married Isham Loyd who lived near Pine Springs in Alabama.

In addition to Dr. John H. Young, his brothers Reuben and William Dixon Young also moved to Hill County, Texas although William later moved to Oklahoma.

John married first to Helen Davis, daughter of Micajah Davis and Lavenia Ray of Lamar County, Alabama. (These Davises are not part of my Itawamba County Davis family.) When Helen died just months after their marriage, John married her younger sister Harriet Luvenia Davis. Harriet and John had nine children before Harriet died following the birth of their last child in 1894. For his third wife, John married Mary Etta Nichols who was about 25 years younger and apparently outlived him, but I can't find a death or burial record for her. She was living with the Young family in the 1900 census, listed as a 26 year old unmarried "boarder" in the household and probably serving as a nanny for the widowed physician.

Isaac Porter Wiginton & Eula Jane Emerson - Itasca Cemetery

2011-05-17T06:03:00.004-05:00

Isaac Porter Wiginton was the nephew of Solomon Jones Wiginton who was featured in yesterday's post and who also is buried in Itasca Cemetery. Isaac's parents were Isaac Riley Wiginton and Easter Ann Robinson who moved to Hill County, Texas after 1892 but returned to Itawamba County where they are buried at Mt. Pleasant Methodist Cemetery. Recently, Shaun Rogers provided me with copies of some of the earliest records of Mt.Olive Methodist Church in eastern Itawamba County (on Cotton Gin Road) which included a baptism record for Porter Wiginton, son of I.W. and E.A. Wiginton, who was baptized Nov. 5, 1892 by Rev. J. W. Raper.

Eula Jane was the daughter of John T. Emerson and Alice Louella Mead, who are also buried in Itasca Cemetery and were featured in an earlier blog post.

Interestingly, both Isaac Porter and Eula Jane were cousins. Porter's grandfather, John E. Robinson (my GGG grandfather) and Eula's great-grandmother, Easter Robinson Emerson, were siblings. In fact, Isaac Porter Wiginton's mother was Easter Ann Robinson who was named for her Aunt Easter Emerson.

Solomon Jones Wiginton - Itasca Cemetery

2011-05-16T06:03:00.032-05:00

Solomon Jones Wiginton was born December 23, 1845, and census records indicate either Mississippi (Itawamba) or Alabama (Marion) as his place of birth. His parents were James Wiginton and Ursula Ballard who are both buried at Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church Cemetery near Tremont. Thus, here is yet another Itawamba-Itasca connection.

Wiginton is also found spelled as Wigginton.

Solomon's first wife was Elizabeth Jane Robinson, daughter of David Matthew Robinson and Annise Kennedy. David was probably the brother of my GGG grandfather John E. Robinson. Annise was the daughter of Josiah Kennedy and Eugenia Trippet (maybe Triplett?). After Elizabeth's death in 1889, Solomon moved with his children to Hill County, Texas where he later remarried and where he died in 1921. Pictured above are the grave markers for Solomon and his second wife, Mary Taylor.

Elizabeth Jane Robinson Wiginton is buried at Shottsville Methodist Church Cemetery, and her tombstone can be viewed at Find-a-Grave.

Another Robinson-Wiginton marriage was between Solomon's brother, Isaac Riley Wiginton, and Easter Ann Robinson, daughter of John E. Robinson and Rachael Reed Emerson, my GGG grandparents. Isaac and Easter moved from Itawamba County to Hill County, Texas where they are found in the 1900 and 1910 censuses. Easter, a Scots-Irish pronunciation of Esther, became ill and wanted to "come home" one last time. Supposedly, she died on the train coming back to Itawamba County. You can read more about Isaac and Easter at this Itawamba Connections post from 2009.

Aunt Jo - Biscuit Queen

2011-05-13T06:03:00.000-05:00

One of the most exciting events that happened while this blog was on hiatus was Aunt Jo's participation in McDonald's annual biscuit making competition. Customers have long raved about Aunt Jo's biscuits at the local McDonald's in Fulton, and in March her biscuits competed against those of other biscuit-makers at the regional bake-off in Birmingham. Aunt Jo's biscuits were among the best of those presented that day, and she became a local celebrity when news of the competition hit the newspapers in both Fulton and Tupelo.

Congratulations, Aunt Jo! We know you make wonderful biscuits, and now everyone else does too. And if you've ever had a piece of her caramel cake, well, you've tasted a bite of heaven!

John Thomas Emerson - Itasca Cemetery, Hill County,Texas

2011-05-11T06:09:00.004-05:00

The grave marker for John Thomas Emerson was photographed last week in Itasca Cemetery in Itasca, Hill County, Texas. John Thomas Emerson moved from the Shottsville area of Marion County, just across the state line from Tremont, to Hill County sometime before or around 1890.

John Thomas Emerson was the son of John R. (some believe the 'R' stands for Robinson) Emerson and Nancy Jane Kennedy. Several Emerson, Robinson and Kennedy families moved to Hill County, Texas after the Civil War. These families lived in and around the Shottsville-Bexar-Tremont area along the Mississippi-Alabama state line.

John R. Emerson was the son of George Emerson and Easter/Esther Robinson. I believe that George Emerson was a brother to the John Emerson who lived in the Carolina community of Itawamba County, both men likely were sons of Thomas Emerson/Emmerson who migrated from Goochland County, Virginia to Abbeville District, South Carolina. Just before 1810, there was another migration from South Carolina to Franklin County, Tennessee, and that is where it is thought that George Emerson met and married Easter Robinson, probable daughter of John and Elizabeth Robinson. Later, George and Easter moved to Lawrence County, Alabama and then finally to Marion County. They are said to be buried at Shottsville Methodist Church Cemetery, in unmarked graves.

Nancy Jane Kennedy, mother of John Thomas Emerson, was the daughter of Irvin Lafayette Kennedy and Martha Salina Meshow (click here to see a previous post about Martha Salina Meshow). The Kennedy were also a migrating family from Abbeville District, and there are several descendants of this South Carolina family who still live around along the state line in Itawamba and Marion counties. Some of the Kennedy family moved to Hill County, Texas also. A biography of Nancy Jane Kennedy Emerson's niece's husband, Lucius Quincy Stone, indicates that his wife Lydia was the granddaughter of Joseph Kennedy and Eugenia Trippet. I believe Joseph was the same person as Josiah Kennedy who served as bondsman along with Matthew Robinson for George Emerson who was the administrator of the 1826 estate of John Robinson in Lawrence County, Alabama. Many descendants of Irvin Lafayette Kennedy and his sister, Annise Kennedy Robinson, were named Josiah.

Nancy Jane Kennedy Emerson's brother, Josiah K. Emerson, moved to Hill County, Texas where he died in 1915. He is buried in Covington Cemetery in Hill County.

Itasca-Itawamba

2011-05-09T06:03:00.003-05:00

above: downtown Itasca, Texas

below: Itasca Cemetery

Itasca is a small railroad town in Hill County, Texas that was settled in the 1880's. Its growth was fueled by the surrounding fertile soil which was perfect for growing cotton, and cotton was the main attraction for the many families of Itawamba County who left Mississippi for Texas and the promise of new prosperity.   It is really amazing the number of my ancestral families who were part of that migration to Hill County, and neighboring Johnson County - Robinson, Evans, Young, Bishop, Emerson and others.

When the cotton mill closed in 1962 after sixty years of operation, the town of Itasca began its decline, and today has a population of around 1,500 people.

Itasca Cemetery, located across the railroad tracks, has over 4,000 graves, and its markers contain names of former citizens of Itawamba County, as well as Marion and Lamar counties of Alabama. Many thanks and much appreciation to my husband for his patience while I explored this cemetery searching for familiar names.

Cindy Lou's Homecookin' Cafe is well worth the ten mile drive from Interstate 35, and while in Itasca you can drop by to say howdy and lay some flowers on the graves of some Itawamba connections in the cemetery.   Be sure to take a lot of flowers though!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T06:03:00.001-05:00

Betty Jean Pennington Robinson

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful mother - We love you!

Bexar, Jacinto, Houston and Saltillo

2011-05-06T15:42:00.000-05:00

Bexar County Courthouse
San Antonio, Texas

It was an unusually cool May evening last week in downtown San Antonio when I snapped this photo of the Bexar County courthouse with my phone's camera. Unfortunately, I didn't capture the most beautiful element of the building which is its distinctive beehive-shaped tower. The courthouse is the largest and oldest continuously operated historic courthouse in Texas.

Bexar County was created in December 1836 in the new Republic of Texas. Texas had won its independence earlier that year in the Battle of San Jacinto, a decisive battle in which General Sam Houston led his troops to victory over the Mexican army under the command of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Just a few months before, Texans and allied American soliders were crushed at the Alamo, a Catholic mission that was surrendered at the end of 1835 during the Siege of Bexar. Everyone knows the battle cry, Remember the Alamo!

A second war with Mexico took place in 1846 and 1847, following the 1845 annexation of the Republic of Texas as a state of the United States. Many southerners had family members who served in one or both conflicts.

Itawamba was herself a newly created county in a newly opened part of Mississippi in 1836, and its communities were in the process of being settled. As many soldiers returned to their homes, and later relocated their families to this new territory, the names of their settlements were often taken from their recent experiences during the war for Texas independence.

Saltillo, now in Lee County but then in Itawamba, was one of those early communities, and was likely named after the Mexican city by the same name, located just below the border with Texas. Jacinto (pronounced locally as Jay-Senter), the former county seat of Old Tishomingo, was named for the victorious Battle of San Jacinto. Bexar (pronounced locally as Bex-Er, which is different from the anglicized version 'Bear' found in Texas today - the 'x' is silent! - or the Spanish version pronounced as BAY-har) is a small community on the Itawamba-Marion county line; it was named for the former Spanish settlement. Houston, over in Chickasaw County, was named for General Sam Houston who led the victory over Mexican troops at San Jacinto.

Can anyone name more connections?

Another branch on the Family Tree - Welcome, Luke!

2011-02-21T19:54:00.000-06:00

Michael Luke Mills was born February 18, 2011, at 6:31 p.m. Precious baby Luke weighed 7 lbs 12 ounces, and we are thrilled to finally get to meet and welcome him into the fold. Luke has an outstanding Itawamba pedigree, and I can't wait to tell him all about his family tree.

Parents:
Michael Paul Mills, Jr.
Jada Carol Jamerson

Grandparents:
Mona Robinson
Michael Paul Mills, Sr.
Cindy Thomas
James Wilburn Jamerson

Great-grandparents:
Betty Jean Pennington
James Luke Robinson
Shirley Joyce Dulaney
Paul H. Mills
Patsy Johnson
J. B. Thomas
Jessie Bane Senter
Harlon Wilburn Jamerson

Great-great grandparents:
Fessie Manuel Pennington
Rebecca Davis
Luke Lee Robinson
Ella Pearl Cofield
Pearl Faye Johnson
Lawrence Orr Dulaney
William Henry Mills
Glader Mae Johnson
Hershell Johnson
Eula Mae Miller (still living!)
Lou Vonnie Thomas
Belvie Thornton
Jesse Alvin Senter
Nervia May Dulaney
Edgar Ellis Jamerson
Martha McDowell

Great-great-great grandparents:
Ethel Dee Sloan
William Hugh Pennington
James Kelly Davis
Queenie Victoria Clayton
Gideon Casibay Robinson
Arthusa Parneshia Evans
John Richard Cofield
Marinda "Dollie" Loyd
James Nathan Johnson
Alma Etta Hood
James Henry Dulaney, Sr.
Laura Bertha Warren
Jesse Thomas Mills
Onady Randolph
Fisher Demarcus Johnson
Nora Thornton
William Jack Johnson
Sarah Ann Wooldridge
William Houston Miller
Ethel Tubb
Benjamin Frank Thomas
Missouri Cromeans
John T. Thornton
Nancy Elizabeth "Betty" Griffin
Reuben Wiygul Jamerson
Sarah Jane McKee
Thomas Alfred Senter
Susan Rebecca "Becky" Woodard
Alfred "Babe" Dulaney
Lucinda Alabama "Bama" Chilcoat

Dee and Minnie Spearman, with daughter Lola

2011-02-16T06:03:00.003-06:00

Here is another photograph supplied by Sue, great-granddaughter of James Lavert Spearman and Martha Lou Taylor.

Pictured above are Dee Spearman and his wife, Minnie Brown Spearman, and their daughter Lola Ann Spearman who was born in 1911. Dee was the son of Jim and Martha Spearman while Minnie was the daughter of John Wills Brown and Josephine Hardwick Brown. Dee and Minnie moved to Florida before 1920, and they both died there in the 1960's.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T06:03:00.003-06:00

J. K. and Queenie Clayton Davis

Itawamba sweethearts

Martha Lou Taylor Spearman

2011-02-12T06:02:00.003-06:00

Martha Lou Taylor, daughter of Wade Columbus Taylor and Delila Duvall, married James Lavert "Jim" Spearman on July 25, 1883 in Itawamba County. She and Jim had eight children together before her untimely death in 1905 at age of 40. Martha was buried at Providence Cemetery, north of Tremont in Itawamba County.

Martha and Jim's children were Dee, Lee Alvin, Effie, Troy, Audye, Archie, Bonnie and Johnnie Celesta. Troy died in France during World War I while Bonnie and Johnnie, twins, died young. Lee Alvin Spearman's granddaughter, Sue, shared this photograph of her great-grandmother with me. Sue has accumulated quite a collection of memories, documents and photographs of her ancestors in Itawamba County.

James Lavert and Mary Almeda Spearman

2011-02-11T06:03:00.002-06:00

Pictured above are James Lavert "Jim" Spearman and his second wife, Mary Almeda Baldwin. Jim was the son of William Harvard Spearman and Elizabeth Isabella Lochridge. He was born in 1860 in Franklin County, Alabama and died in 1934 in Itawamba County.

Behind Jim and "Meadie" is their store located in the Patton Flat community near Gum in Itawamba County.

Jim's great-granddaughter, Sue, shared this photograph with me. Sue's grandparents were Lee Alvin Spearman and Lee Etta Todd. A few years ago Sue found the original receipts in his grandfather L. A. Spearman's billfold when he and his wife had purchased land from Thomas J. and Laura Jamerson Johnson in 1913 in Itawamba County. The receipts had the original signatures of Thomas and Laura Johnson.

Thank you, Sue, for sharing!

Sarah Maxcy 1777-1853

2011-02-09T06:02:00.005-06:00

Sarah Maxey's grave is the earliest marked grave in the Gilmore-Evans Cemetery (Old Asbury Methodist Church Cemetery) south of Tremont. As her headstone indicates, Sarah was born April 8, 1777 and died May 18, 1853. She was the wife of Walter Maxey. There are no other marked Maxey graves.

Quick research indicates that Sarah was the daughter of Rhodam Allen and Mary Emily Ransom Allen, and that she was born in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. Her husband was Walter Grenada Maxey, son of Jesse and Elizabeth Maxey. Walter was born in 1775 in Tennessee, died in 1839 in Itawamba County, and descendants indicate that Walter was buried on the Maxey Family farm.

In this 2008 blog post by Bob Franks on the Itawamba Historical Society Web-blog, the Walter Maxey family is discussed as being one of four families found living in what was still Indian territory in 1833 (Itawamba County wasn't formed until 1836). Surveyors of the land obtained through treaty with the Chickasaw Indians in 1832 were in the area shortly after the treaty to survey and draw off sections of land for eventual purchase by white settlers. The field notes of these surveyors show that Walter and Sarah Maxey were living just west of the old wagon road that came out of Monroe County (Monroe County was formed in 1821 from lands earlier ceded by the Chickasaws) into the Chickasaw Nation.

Can you imagine moving with your husband and eleven children to the wilderness of pre-Itawamba County, only to lose your husband in 1839?

Old Asbury Cemetery

2011-02-07T06:03:00.006-06:00

It dawned on me just the other day that as we approach the warm days of spring (hard to believe with the current weather we've been having, I know), the time for exploring old, out-of-the-way cemeteries is winding down. There are a couple of such cemeteries that I wanted to get to during the dead of winter in order to avoid snakes and other scary creatures.

The Gilmore-Evans Cemetery south of Tremont is a cemetery that one needs to visit during colder months, and in fact Cousin Don and I were there two years ago today on a fairly pleasant, sunny day (unlike today). This cemetery is also known as Old Asbury, not to be confused the current Asbury Cemetery located nearby. When the adjoining Asbury Methodist Church burned sometime in the early 1900's (unsure exactly when, would love to know more if anyone has information), the church rebuilt their building which is now located on Highway 23, not too far away. A new cemetery was established near the new church, and the old cemetery was essentially abandoned and is now on private property. The first time I visited the old cemetery, now known as Gilmore-Evans to distinguish it from the newer Asbury Cemetery, I could barely see the headstones and trees were growing up throughout the cemetery. I couldn't explore like I wanted because it wasn't yet winter time. It was a couple of years before I got back to the cemetery, and in the meantime someone had gone in and done some serious clean-up. Yea!!

My Evans ancestors are buried here, and pictured in the top photo are a row of Evans graves. The second photograph is of the headstone of my great-great grandparents, John Thomas Evans and Elizabeth Ann Bishop Evans. Also buried here are William M. Evans and Sarah Pearce Evans, John's parents, as well as some of John's siblings.

The Gilmore-Evans Cemetery was still being used as a burial ground at least as late as 1936 when Elizabeth A. Evans was buried there next to her husband who died in 1929., but the burials at the cemetery seem to really slow down during the 1910's. I suspect that John and Elizabeth were buried there simply because this was the Evans family burial place; the old church probably had burned before they died. The earliest grave appears to be dated 1853: Sarah, wife of Walter Maxey. Sarah was born 1777.

Bexar tornado in 1924

2011-01-30T06:03:00.004-06:00

Newspapers are a wonderful source of information and often an underused research tool by genealogists. I found the following death information about my great-great grandfather, Samuel Lewis Cofield's, first cousin James Lewis Cofield. The Cofield cousins, Sam and Lewis, were grandsons of Thomas Nathan Cofield and among the very few Cofields who left Randolph County, Alabama in the late 1800's for western Alabama.

The newspaper article, dated May 29, 1924 was abstracted by Bob Franks and published in the Spring 2010 issue of Itawamba Settlers magazine. For my purpose, I have only included the portion referencing the Cofield family. On Monday evening, May 27, 1924, a tornado struck the community of Evergreen in western Itawamba County, killing one and destroying many homes and businesses. Damage was also done at Van Buren and James Creek before the tornado moved on across the state line at Bexar, Alabama.

"At Bexar, Ala., Mrs. Lewis Cofield was killed and Mr. Cofield and his son and grandson were hurt. Mr. Cofield is mail carrier on Bexar Route 2 which comes into this county and supplies mail to quite a number of people. John Akers and some of his people are said to have been severely wounded. Several bridges between there and Hamilton are said to be gone, and one bridge between Bexar and Tremont is gone, so that communication is almost cut off from Bexar. Several residences are said to have been blown away in the Bexar community."

James Lewis Cofield was the son of Cosby Vina Cofield and Nancy Ann Harden, Georgia natives who moved to Randolph County, Alabama. Lewis may have been the only sibling to move across the state to Marion County. His wife who was killed in the tornado was Ellen Cato Cofield, a second wife, and I show that they had children named Bessie, Cicero, Walter and Prince.

Daniel James Clayton chair - 100 years later

2011-01-29T06:09:00.001-06:00

Last month, Sharon Clayton Hood, granddaughter of Albert Anderson Clayton and Martha Welch, came to Itawamba County to meet and visit with some cousins and to see the lands of her ancestors. Don Clayton, grandson of Albert's brother John Allen Clayton, was kind enough to open his home and serve as host for Sharon along with her husband, my mother (granddaughter of Albert's sister, Queenie Victoria Clayton Davis) and myself. Above, Don is showing my mother a chair crafted by Daniel James Clayton, who was an uncle to Albert, John Allen, and Queenie and their siblings.

Daniel Clayton died suddenly in 1913, and his obituary in the Itawamba County News reported that "Mr. Clayton was a good citizen ... and he has made hundreds of chairs, quite a number of which will be good for years yet to come." That prophecy was clearly true as nearly 100 years later, Daniel's chairs are still around. Don indicated that he had four or five of these chairs made by his great-great uncle.

Itawamba County News
May 4, 1911
Mr. D. J. Clayton, who makes a good white oak chair, and his son, who live near Tilden, were here Monday.

Mavis Maxine Pennington Roberts

2011-01-25T22:25:00.001-06:00

In loving memory....
Mavis Maxine Pennington Roberts
daughter of William Hugh Pennington
& Ethel Dee Sloan

born November 17, 1923

married to James Phillip Roberts

died January 24, 2011

Aunt Maxine sneaked out on us last night when she passed away peacefully at the age of 87. She had been in poor health for several years but it seemed that each time we thought her time had come, she rallied and lived on. Last night however she sneaked out on us even after the doctors indicated she was improving enough to be discharged home. She did it her way, as always.

Before leaving, she enjoyed a Saturday evening in her hospital room with little sister Tootsie. It was a game of wits, and the big sister won this last time. Tootsie tried her best to convince Mac to swallow her pills, to leave her IV alone, leave her gown alone, allow the respiratory therapists to do their job, get her to eat etc. The nurses thought Maxine was sweet, very cooperative, but as soon as they left the room, Maxine would cut her eyes at Tootsie as if to say 'you won't get off this easy.' And the game was on. Finally, around 2 o'clock Maxine closed her eyes as if asleep. Tootsie relaxed and fell asleep but jerked awake quickly just a few minutes later when the nurse walked in and found Maxine with her IV out, gown up, blood everywhere, but with a sly, satisfied smile on her face. It was the battle of the sisters one last time. Maxine won. Tootsie lost.

Visitation is Wednesday night at Senter Funeral Home in Fulton, and funeral services will be held Thursday at 11 o'clock. Burial will be in the Hillcrest Masonic Cemetery.

Four Generations of Moxleys

2011-01-20T06:03:00.002-06:00

Renee Hillis recently shared this photograph of four generations of Moxleys. The two younger boys in the middle are brothers Owen William Moxley, Jr.(left) and Henry Austin Moxley (right). Their father is Owen William Moxley, Sr., left, and the man holding Henry Austin Moxley in his lap is their grandfather, Henry Minus Moxley. The older gentleman seated far right is Thomas Austin Moxley, the father of Henry Minus Moxley and the son of Henry T. Moxley and Martha Arminta Sibley.

Thomas Austin Moxley was born March 23, 1872 in Franklin County, Alabama, and married Martha Jane Dulaney, daughter of John T. Dulaney and Mary Guess. Although T.A. and Martha Jane lived in Itawamba County most of their lives, their son Henry Minus Moxley moved to Louisiana where several Moxley descendants live today.

Many thanks to Renee for sharing the photograph. Her grandparents were Henry Minus Moxley and Georgia Lauderdale.

Becky Senter

2011-01-19T06:09:00.014-06:00


Susan Rebecca Woodard Senter

Itawamba County News
April 11, 1911
Social Gleanings
We regret very much to note that Mrs. T. A. Senter has pneumonia fever, this being her second siege during her life.

Itawamba County News
February 6, 1913
Mrs. T. A. Senter and daughter, Miss Alice, have been spending several days with her sick daughter, Mrs. Ab Dulaney, and Mrs. Senter has also been sick during her absence. But both she and her daughter are now improved.

Itawamba County News

February 4, 1915
Local Column
Mrs. T. A. Senter and her daughter, Alice, it is said intend to soon move to their old place with Mr. Ab Dulaney. Mrs. Charlie Senter has returned to live with her father, Mr. T. A. Dulaney. They have the sympathy of a number of friends here in their bereavement.

* * *

Rebecca Woodard Senter was the daughter of William Jesse and Sarah Woodard. She married Thomas Alfred Senter on January 12, 1873, and they had eight children, including the following who have been featured in previous posts: Jesse Alvin Senter, Oma and Tommy Senter, and James Robert Senter.

Thomas Alfred Senter, Rebecca's husband, died while serving as Itawamba County's Chancery Clerk in early 1915. T.A. and Rebecca's son, Charlie, died a few days after his father. Charlie's death from pneumonia left a young widow, Vona D. "Vonnie" Dulaney, daughter of Thomas Aron Dulaney and Alice Moxley. Charlie and Vonnie had only been married a short six months.

Becky Senter died in 1934 at the age of 77. She is buried at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church Cemetery.

Clayton marriages: father and son

2011-01-18T06:09:00.011-06:00

Here are a couple of Clayton marriages from Itawamba newspapers. My friend and cousin, Don Clayton, enjoys old newspapers as much as I do, and these are clippings of his parents and grandparents' wedding announcements. The first news clipping comes from the Itawamba County News and announces the marriage of Shellie Lee Webb to John Allen Clayton, youngest son of Nathaniel M. Clayton and Martha A. Bowen. The next image is from the Fulton News Beacon and announces the marriage of the oldest son of Allen and Shellie Lee, Howard Hayes Clayton to Pauline Smith, daughter of Locke Smith and Mable Perry.

April 11, 1912

Clay News
About 3 o'clock Sunday P.M. the home of Mr. and Mrs. Dave Webb was graced with the marriage of their daughter Miss Shellie Lee to Mr. Allen Clayton. We wish for them both a happy life.

May 21, 1942 issue

West Sisters, Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church

2011-01-17T06:03:00.003-06:00

Ella Lee West Tucker

Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church

Minutes 1907-1916

As abstracted by Virble Booth

August 1910

On the 5th Sunday in July and the week following, a series of meetings were conducted by Eld. J. T. Robinson, Wylie Jarrel and G. A. Senter, J. F. Benson and G. W. Guntharp. On Thursday, an opportunity was offered for membership. Sisters Bettie Brown, Nancy Chilcoat and Bro. Hollis Brown. On Wednesday at 11, Will Jarrel was received and at night J. G. Brown and Alva Chaney were received. Thursday at 11 o'clock Mrs. Ellie Tucker and Mittie West were received. All except Miss Ellie Tucker were baptized Friday at 10 o'clock.

J. T. Robinson, Mod.

S. T. Graham, Clerk

Mittie Dell West

Mystery: Michaux - Meshow - Machow

2011-01-15T06:02:00.003-06:00

There is an intriguing mystery involving the wife of Irvin Lafayette Kennedy. Various researchers show her to be Salina (sometimes Selina, Selena). No disagreements there, however her last name is shown variously as Machow or Meshow which actually could be an Americanized version of Michaux, a French surname. This is not a name that shows up in Itawamba or surrounding counties... rather unusual, in fact.

My interest in this Kennedy family is due to their close connection to my Robinson ancestors. Since I am at a brick wall with my great-great-great grandfather John E. Robinson, born 1808 in South Carolina, died 1896 and buried at Mt. Pleasant Methodist Cemetery near Tremont, any and all clues are important.   In the 1850 census, there is a 77 year old Josiah Kenida, born in South Carolina, living in the household of my John E. Robinson. What was his connection to the Robinson family? Several Kennedy families moved from Abbeville District, South Carolina to Marion County, Alabama (and later to Itawamba County, Mississippi) just like the Robinsons.   In 1825, Josiah Kennedy along with Matthew Robinson served as bondsmen for the executors of the estate of John E. Robinson's probable father, who was also named John.   John E. Robinson's probable mother, Elizabeth, may have been a Kennedy. It is also interesting to note that John E. Robinson named a daughter Martha Selena - could she have been named after Martha Selena (Meshow) Kennedy?

Josiah Kennedy received an 1834 grant for land in Marion County, now located in Lamar County near the Detroit-Pine Springs area. Several Robinson men as well as other Kennedys also received land in this area.   It appears that Josiah Kennedy, Matthew Robinson and others moved from Lawrence County, Alabama in the late 1820s to what was then southern Marion County. Later, in 1832 when the Chickasaw Indians ceded their lands in north Mississippi and extreme northwestern Alabama, including land that became Itawamba County as well as a sliver of land that eventually became western Marion County, many families - again, including the Robinsons and Kennedys and other affiliated families - moved into the newly opened land when the Indians were removed in what has become known as the Trail of Tears.

An interesting side note is that there is also a record of Josiah Kennedy receiving a land plat for 76 acres on the Little River and Penny's Creek in Abbeville County, South Carolina.   Matthew Robinson also owned land on the Little River and Penny's Creek.   John Ervin was noted to be a neighbor of Josiah Kennedy on this land plat, and one must wonder if the surname Ervin could be associated with the use of the name Irvin in later generations of Kennedys.

Back to Salina Meshow/Machow/Michaux. She married Irvin Lafayette Kennedy in Hardeman County, Tennessee in June 1834, based on a marriage record that exists in that county. I believe that Irvin Lafayette Kennedy's father was the Josiah Kennedy who was living with my John E. Robinson, but this is only conjecture on my part. Irvin Lafayette Kennedy did name a son Josiah Kennedy. Irvin's daughter, Nancy, also named a son Josiah K. and Josiah is a name found frequently in this family.

Salina and Irvin lived most of their married life in western Marion County, Alabama. I lost track of them following the 1870 census until I came across a biography of Lucius Quincy Stone, Tremont native and son of John Henry Stone. L. Q. Stone's biographical sketch in the 1917 Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi indicates that he was married to Lydia T. Kennedy of Rara Avis, daughter of Irvin Lafayette Kennedy and Elmina L. Lockridge of Shottsville, Ala. The bio goes on to say that Lydia was the granddaughter of Irvin Kennedy and Martha S. Machow of Charleston, S.C. and that both Irvin and his wife moved to Peoria (Hill County), Texas where Irvin died.

A search of the 1880 census does indeed turn up a widowed M. S. Kennedy living in Hill County, Texas with her daughter, Margaret Drucilla Evans, and her son-in-law John Jasper "Jack" Evans. The 1925 death certificate of Meg Kennedy Evans gives her mother's name as Celena (no maiden name, unfortunately!) and place of birth as Charleston, S.C.

Meshow and Machow definitely could be a version of the French Michaux, and that is where it gets interesting! A well-known French botanist, Andre Michaux, spent ten years in Charleston, 1786-1796, and is credited with importing the camellia, crape myrtle and mimosa trees to North America. Andre Michaux died in 1802, before Salina's birth, but perhaps there is some connection. Andre's son, Francois-Andrew Michaux, remained in America and followed in his father's footsteps as a botanist, traveling in the Carolinas and Tennessee. The name is certainly an intriguing clue.

I'd love to hear from descendants of the Kennedy-Meshow family.

Martha Selena Robinson Lindsey

2011-01-14T06:13:00.001-06:00

July 13, 1911

Tremont News
Mr. Tom Lindsey of Shottsville, Ala., visited Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Lindsey last week.

* * *

A couple of days ago I posted a newspaper tidbit about Caroline Green, daughter of John E. and Rachael [Emerson] Robinson. Above is a news item published in 1911 in the Itawamba County News newspaper about her sister, Martha Selena Robinson, who was married to Largus A. Lindsey in February 1885. Largus and Martha, who was a twin to Moran Parthenia Robinson, the youngest children of John and Rachel Robinson, did not have any children. When Martha died in 1923, Largus, who was several years younger than his wife, remarried to Clemmie Gullick, and next to Ellis Clayton Ridings. Here is Largus and Martha in the 1910 census.

1910 Census

Itawamba County, Mississippi

Tremont
Largus Lindsey (transcribed Sindray) 43 AL AL AL farmer married 23 years
Martha 56 AL TN SC married 23 years, 0 children, 0 living

I suspect that Martha Selena Robinson was probably named after Martha Selena (Meshow/Machow/Michaux) Kennedy and will post more later.

Enon Primitive Baptist Church

2011-01-13T06:37:00.000-06:00

Early 1960s dinner on the ground

Enon Primitive Baptist Church

Kodachrome slide by James L. Robinson

Itawamba County News

July 13, 1911

Cardsville News

There will be an all-day singing at Enon 5th Sunday in July in both old and new books. Everybody invited to come. Dinner on the ground.

[Note: I think I probably have sung out of both the old and new books!]

Tragic Death by Cow

2011-01-11T06:03:00.004-06:00

July 6, 1911
Mr. W. S. Bolen went through here Monday afternoon to be at the burial of his aunt Mrs. Bob McKay, who lived near Greenwood, and was hooked and killed by a cow Monday morning. The hands had goen to work and on returning to dinner and missing her, found her as described above, and it is thought that the serious calamitiy occurred early that morning.

* * *
Mrs. Bob McKay was Fronie Bell Oswalt, married to Robert Franklin McKay, the son of Hugh Jackson McKay and Matilda Josephine Reece. Bell Oswalt McKay was the daughter of John Oswalt and Sarah C. Sherrill. In 1910, Bob and Bell McKay were living in District 4 of Itawamba County as evidenced by the census record below. W. S. Bolen was the son of Nancy McKay and Daniel Jack Bolen-Bolin.

1910 Census
Itawamba County, Mississippi
District 4
Bob McKay 39 MS MS U.S. farmer, married once, married 19 years
Bell S. McKay 35 MS MS MS, 7 children, 6 living
Carry 17 MS daughter
Effie 16 MS daughter
Alphouse 11 MS son
Harmon 8 MS son
Elsie 7 MS daughter (should be son)
Valena 1 MS daughter

Caroline Robinson Green

2011-01-10T05:03:00.004-06:00

Elizabeth Caroline [Robinson] Green was the daughter of John E. Robinson and Rachael Reed Emerson, born February 9, 1840 in Alabama. She married Jacob D. Green about 1863, probably in Alabama, and they had six children: Sarah Jane Sallis/Silas, Texanna May, Rachael (never married), Archileas Moorman Green (merchant in Amory), Mary Maud Dickinson, and John Denton Green (doctor in Smithville and Noxubee County).

In 1911, a widowed Caroline was likely living with her son in Smithville, where he is shown as living in the 1910 census. In 1920, Caroline was living with her daughter, Texanna, in Amory, where Texanna's husband, John May, was a merchant.

Caroline died in 1925 and was buried in Mt. Pleasant Methodist Cemetery near Tremont, where her gravestone is shown above. Her younger brother, my great-great grandfather George Emerson Robinson, is also buried there, having died in 1907.

Itawamba County News
June 29, 1911
Tremont News
Mrs. Caroline Green of Smithville visited relatives here last week.

Happy Birthday Momma!

2011-01-07T10:06:00.000-06:00

Betty Jean (Pennington) Robinson
Born on this day, delivered by her grandmother
Queenie Clayton Davis
when the doctor didn't arrive in time.