Last weekend was a very busy one for me and I missed out on Randy Seaver’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, “Signs You Have GOCD,” inspired by Michael John Neill’s post “10 Signs You Have Genealogy OCD” at Rootdig.com (also see Randy’s “SNGF ‘Genealogy OCD’ Compendium”). This subject is so up my alley. And I missed it.
But it did get me to thinking about things I really am obsessive about in my genealogy research:
1. The Moore Family. All of them. All of Samuel Moore’s descendants. All of the Moores who show up in Greenville, South Carolina who may in some way connected to these Moores. All the stories. Every scrap of material - besides Greenville and Anderson Counties in South Carolina and Dallas and Baylor Counties in Texas, I have to go to Henry County, Georgia (Bud Mathis Moore and Freeman Manson Moore were there at one point, plus an Andrew Moore who looks kinda promising...), plus DeKalb County, Georgia and Cleburne County, Alabama (Freeman’s son William S. Moore was in those counties, and we know so little about him), plus Izard County, Arkansas (Preston E. Moore was there in 1870, and he is a Topic of Special Obsession (TSO)).... And please, please - Samuel Moore’s wife (wives?) and parents? No piece of information is too insignificant, no courthouse is too remote. I will get the information on these people.
2. My #1 Brick Wall, Susan Elizabeth Smith Bonner Brinlee. Looking for a Smith in Tennessee is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But I Will Do It.
3. “Reverse orphans.” I described this phenomenon when I hosted the “85th Editions of the Carnival of Genealogy: Orphans and Orphans” and was surprised to find out how many other researchers also get involved in researching these people with no direct descendants. And although Preston Moore is apparently not a reverse orphan, he’s still a Moore, so I am still obsessed with him.
4. Visiting and researching in all the states that my ancestors have lived in, which covers all of the South and border states (except for Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi), Vermont, and Illinois as well as a good part of the mid-Atlantic states.
5. Learning everything there is to know about the Elisha Lewis-Rosannah Dalrymple family and the Elisha Berry Lewis-Martha Poole family.
6. Finding all of my husband’s ancestors back to the first immigrants (his ancestors arrived here between the 1850s and 1910s, so I am hoping this is feasible). And, as usual, this includes all of the collateral lines.
7. Using some clues from DNA results to find the parents of brothers Hiram Brinlee Sr. and George Brinlee.
8. Finding George Floyd’s parents: was his father William Floyd (as several of us think) or James Floyd (as written by the grandson of George's younger brother Ransom to my great-grandfather Charles Augustus Floyd)?
9. Finding out how my great-great grandmother Emily Tarrant fits into the Greenville, South Carolina Tarrant families.
10. There is no #10 right now. But I have a feeling that research will lead me to another one - you know, the next brick wall. One that really intrigues me. One whose story I absolutely MUST know.
Showing posts with label Lewis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lewis. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Civil War and My Ancestors
Bill West of the West in New England blog issued a challenge to all genealogy bloggers with Civil War-era ancestors:
“Did you have ancestors in America on 12Apr 1861? If so, where were they
and what were their circumstances? How did the Civil War affect them and
their family? Did the men enlist and did they perish in battle or die of illness?
On which side did they fight, or did you have relatives fighting on BOTH sides?
How did the women left at home cope, or did any of them find ways to help
the war effort? Were your ancestors living as slaves on Southern plantations
and if so when were they freed? Or were they freemen of color who enlisted
to fight?”
All of my ancestral lines were in this country by 1800, so all of them were involved in or affected by the Civil War. The only family for which I know nothing about their experiences in the Civil War would be the family of my brick-wall great-grandmother, Lizzie Smith Brinlee.
That still leaves quite a few families to cover, so I am going to follow Susan Clark’s lead at Nolichucky Roots; she gave an overview of her ancestors‘ involvement in the Civil War and plans to cover each person’s or each family’s involvement in a series of posts under the theme “Civil War Saturday.” In this post I will provide an outline of all of my ancestors who fought in the Civil War and of the nature of involvement of the families, including some mysteries surrounding the deaths of some of the ancestors and what is known about some of these families’ views on slavery, the Union, and so forth. I have found quite a bit of material in the form of service records, pension applications, unit histories, and other items; some of it has been transcribed and analyzed and some has not.
To the extent possible, I will include both direct ancestors and “collateral” ancestors (uncles) in the participants in the war, except for the brothers, half-brothers, and brothers-in-law of my two great-great-grandfathers who fought in the war (I have not yet researched in depth beyond these two great-great grandfathers, although I know who their families were). So in addition to these two great-great grandfathers, there will be three great-grandfathers and those of their brothers and their wives’ brothers who were old enough to fight.
As far as I know, all of my ancestors who fought in the Civil War fought on the Confederate side. However, it appears that not all of them were wholeheartedly anti-Union. There is at least one family who owned slaves. Another family, according to family lore, also owned slaves, but I have so far not been able to find any proof of it. This seemingly small number of slaveholding families may be due more to financial circumstances than conviction, however.
So this post is essentially a research outline summarizing what I already know and setting out what I need to find more information on. I will organize it by family name.
Brinlee
The Brinlees are the known slaveholding family. In her article on Hiram Brinlee (Sr.), Bessie Sims Sheppard writes that the family is “recorded on the Slave census, Collin County, 1860, as having eleven slaves” (“Brinlee, Hiram” by Bessie Sims Sheppard in Collin County, Texas Families, Volume One, edited by Allison Ellis Pitts and Minnie Pitts, Champ, published 1994 by Curtis Media, Hurst, Texas; p. 42), but I can find only five listed. There is no record for this family on the 1850 Slave Schedule, although it is possible that one of the many misspellings of this family name make them hard to find. (See my post “Restore My Name - Slave Records and Genealogy Research”).
According to the family story, all five sons of Hiram Brinlee, Sr. and Betsy Ann McKinney fought in the Civil War, but I am not so sure about the youngest son, William Hiram Brinlee, who was born in 1848 or 1850, depending on the source you read (all agree that sources vary on his age). So far I have found no records of his service, though I do find reference to it in an article by Aurelia Borgan Brinlee in Collin County, Texas, Families (“Brinlee, William Hiram,” p. 48), wherein she writes that he “enlisted in the home guard unit under Capt. Tom Scottby” and that he later “officially enlisted at Mill Creek, Oklahoma in Company K of the 5th Cavalry, Martins Regiment under General Gano.” This appears to be the same group in which his older brothers Richard, David Francis, and Hiram Jr. (second tour) served in. Tracking these records down will be one of my Civil War research tasks.
Richard Mason Brinlee (1836-1911) (great-great uncle): Enlisted on 5 July 1862 at age 25 as a Corporal in Company K, Martins Regiment Texas Cavalry (5th Partisan Rangers) at McKinney, Texas and appears on a muster roll for 1 January to 1 July 1863. According to the Statement of Service Slip in his Oklahoma Pension Board file, there are no further records on him, including prisoner of war records. Another area to be investigated. My first stop will probably be to check pension records in Oklahoma, since his third wife/widow, Nancy Ann Herrell Brinlee, apparently received a pension for his service.
George Robert Brinlee (1838-1927) (great-great uncle): Company D, Sixth Texas Cavalry (Stone’s Regiment, 2nd Cavalry). The cards in his compiled service record indicate that he enlisted 13 March 1862 at Camp Mulberry, Arkansas.
Hiram Carroll Brinlee (1844-1920) (great-grandfather): I have his Confederate Pension Application, his widow’s Confederate Widow’s Pension Application, and his compiled service record for his first tour of service. The story goes that he enlisted near the beginning of the war, was discharged because he was found to be too young for service under the Conscript Act, and re-enlisted later when he was older. I used this hint to figure out a period of time within which his birthday should fall (see my post “Tombstone of Hiram C. Brinlee”). Hiram is also listed in Company D, Sixth Texas Cavalry (Stone’s Regiment, 2nd Cavalry). He joined on 10 September 1861 in Dallas, Texas at the age of 17. He is shown as having been discharged on 13 June 1862 on a Register of Payments to Discharged Soldiers. His pension application indicates that he had also served “under [General] Gano for about 1-1/2 years.” I do not have records of that service; they may have met the same fate as those of his brothers Richard, William Hiram, and David Francis in that group (Fifth Partisan Rangers).
David Francis Brinlee (1846-1893) (great-great uncle): I do not have service records for him, but according to the Confederate Widow’s Pension Application of his widow, Sarah Ann Hendricks Brinlee, he served in “Co. K; Martin’s Regiment, and Gano’s Brigade.” So, ditto the above on finding other records. Witnesses T. J. Cloyd and Dallas Sparin confirmed that he had served with them in D.C. Haynes’ Company in this unit for about a year and a half. I do find a Thomas J. Cloyd and George M. D. Sparlin listed as having served in the Fifth Partisan Rangers.
Moore
This family, which I initially regarded as “just a plain old farming family,” but loved anyway and wanted to research in depth, has turned out to be very interesting. One item of interest is that there appears to have been a big streak of pro-Unionism in this family. I had no inkling, but a genealogist who does a lot of research in Anderson County, South Carolina and nearby areas pointed this out to me; through several clues in names and associations and several articles in the local newspapers she found on my great-great grandfather William Spencer Moore, she indicated that the signs were that the family was pro-Union even before the war, and the fact that Spencer Moore ran for local office as a Republican after the war was not an aberration but a continuation of his beliefs from before the war. Spencer’s wife Emily Tarrant Moore was in all likelihood a member of the Greenville County Tarrants, one of whom was a well-known Emancipating Baptist named Carter Tarrant. When I finally found Preston Moore in Izard County Arkansas on the 1870 census, he had a year-old son named Ulysses. This will definitely be a major research focus for me.
Preston Moore (ca 1843-bef 1878) (great-great uncle): Covered in my posts “Searching for Preston Moore” and “The Two Preston Moores.” I have his compiled service record, a couple of prisoner of war records, and a unit history that includes his name.
Harlston Perrin Moore (1845-1921) (great-grandfather): I have his Confederate Pension Application and his widow’s Confederate Widow’s Pension application. His service is outlined in my post “Featured Family Friday: Harlston Perrin Moore and Martha E. ‘Mattie’ Lewis.”
William Brewster “Bruce” Moore (1851-1924): His obituary in The Greenville News, dated 29 July 1924, describes him as a “Confederate veteran, 73 years of age.” However, unless he was something like a drummer boy near the very end, he probably did not serve, as he was not quite fourteen years old at the end of the war.
Norman
The Normans do not appear to have owned slaves. I don’t know whether they were pro-slavery/pro-Union or anti-slavery/anti-Union.
Joseph Madison Carroll Norman (1833-1901) (great-great grandfather): He is listed with two different units (Company H, 25th Alabama Infantry and Company B, 3rd Alabama) and Company C at the Camp of Instruction, but I do not think he saw much service. I have his compiled service record, his Confederate Pension Application, and his widow’s Confederate Widow’s Pension Application. His service timeline, as far as I can reconstruct it, is as follows:
Company H, 25th Alabama Infantry: March-April 1862. He was admitted to the 1st Mississippi C.S.A. Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi on 19 March 1862 and discharged from service on 16 April 1862. He writes in his Confederate Pension Application: “At Corinth Miss I was taken down with Rheumatism and been a sufferer every since.” A physician, Joel Chitwood, testified that he suffered from “spinal affliction and rheumatism of the left arm and hand” and that he was “able to perform only one-fourth manual labor,” and neighbors Thaddeus Wheatly and Mitchell Blackburn confirmed that he was in “poor circumstances.” His Soldier’s Discharge gives the date 28 March 1862.
Company C, Camp of Instruction, Talladega, Alabama: 1 Sep 1862-6 May 1864
Company B, 3rd Alabama: 18 May 1865 (contained on a list of paroled prisoners of war). Either his unit had been rolled up into the 3rd Alabama or all of the prisoners were lumped together under this unit.
Lewis
Three sons of Elisha Berry Lewis and Martha Poole served in the Civil War; two of them died. Martha died some time right before or during the war, and after the war Elisha Berry married Frances Eleanor Campbell Bailey, the widow of John Marion Bailey. John Marion Bailey fought in the same unit as Elisha Berry's two oldest sons and died in the war. I do not yet know what this family’s beliefs were regarding slavery and the Union. There is some evidence that two youngest sons (too young to serve) may not have been of the same opinion. William Henry Lewis, who served as Sheriff of Dallas County, was known to have prevented a couple of lynchings in Dallas, one of a black man and one of a man suspected of having a black mistress. He corresponded with relatives in Iowa who were known back home in South Carolina to have been abolitionists. On the other hand, the youngest son, John Sloan Lewis, is described in an article from the Dallas Morning News as a “Wade Hampton Man.”
James West Lewis (1835-1904) (great-great uncle): Served as a private in Company B, 4th South Carolina Infantry. I have his compiled service record.
Samuel D. Lewis (1840-1864) (great-great uncle): The details of his service can be found in my post “Transcription Tuesday: The Death of Samuel D. Lewis.” I have his compiled service record and some information from unit histories.
Manning P. Lewis (1843-25 March 1865) (great-great uncle): You can see that Manning Lewis’ death from wounds occurred only a few weeks before the end of the war. He served as a private in Company D of the 1st South Carolina (Orr’s) Rifles. He enlisted on 20 July 1861 at Camp Pickens. I have his compiled service record and some unit history information.
Sisson
I cannot find any evidence that this branch of the Sisson family owned slaves and do not know what their views on slavery and the Union were.
William T. Sisson (ca 1826-1894) (great-great grandfather): He served as a private in Company H, 25th Alabama Infantry. He enlisted on 24 November 1862 in Talladega, Alabama. He was paroled as a POW on 20 May 1865 in Talladega, Alabama. I have his compiled service record, his Application for Relief by Soldiers Maimed or Disabled during the Late War under Act approved February 28, 1889, and his widow’s Confederate Widow’s Pension Application. According to his service record, he did extra duty as a teamster. In his Application for relief he states that he was shot in the leg at Chickamauga in October 1864 [? the Battle of Chickamauga took place in September 1864]. In her Confederate Widow’s Pension Application, William Sisson’s widow, Susan Caroline Tant Sisson, indicates that a previous application (apparently the Application for Relief) was turned down because he owned too much property to qualify.
Floyd
According to family lore, the Floyds owned slaves, but I have not been able to find any records to back this up, yet. Some information on this is provided in my post “Memory Monday: A Family Story.” Another Civil War-era mystery concerns the cause of death of several relatives who died during this time (it was probably from illness, but we do not know for sure): Nancy Finley Floyd, wife of George Floyd, who died in 1862, and Absalom C. Matlock and Nancy Malvina Harris Matlock, parents of Angeline Elizabeth Matlock, who died in 1865 and 1864.
Charles Augustus Floyd (1840-1894) (great-grandfather): He served as a private in Company F, 6th Texas Cavalry. I have his compiled service record. He enlisted on 9 September 1861 in Dallas, Texas. Then there is the “Floyd Family Legend,” according to which one Floyd brother served as a Confederate and another served for the Union; after the war, they farmed side by side but never spoke to one another again. I think this legend is pretty much busted; you can judge for yourself by clicking on the link to the post.
As indicated in the “Floyd Family Legend,” I do not know whether either of the other two Floyd brothers who would have been old enough to serve did serve or not (for either side):
David Harriet Floyd (1836-ca 1867): No record.
Henry Oscar Floyd (1843-1862): See my post on “Henry Oscar Floyd.” He is The Big Question. If one of the Floyd brothers did serve for the Union, he would probably be the one (he reputedly died in Illinois in 1862), but I haven’t found any records for him.
Smith
I suspect the father of Susan Elizabeth “Lizzie” Smith Bonner Brinlee, my great-grandmother, may have served in the Civil War. But I don’t know, because I have not yet found her family.
I would love to have appended a beautifully written list of sources at the end of this post, but it is getting closer and closer to midnight and this is a big honking article with a whole bunch of sources. If you are interested in the sources for any of this information, just contact me and I will provide them.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Genea-Coincidence Alert!
The past couple of days have been great ones for genea-coincidences and genea-connections. First, Barbara Poole of Life from the Roots notified me via Facebook yesterday that she had found a blog with a Greenville connection and saw that I was not listed among the followers. It turned out that this was Southwest Arkie's new genealogy blog, which I had not found (I had really been missing SW Arkie's old blog, which I thought had gone dormant). Barbara is a real Genea-Angel! And now I know of another Genea-Blogger with a Greenville connection.
Today I got a Facebook note from Terri Kallio of The Ties That Bind, who is researching the Curtice family. A search brought her to my blog - Bettie Curtice Rosser was a close friend of Julia Mister Lewis, the wife of my great-great uncle, William Henry Lewis. Bettie Rosser's grandson was the genea-angel who sent me letters and pictures of Henry and Julia Lewis as well as some family pictures of the Curtices and Rossers. Terri and I are now exchanging information on connections and photographs.
This is why I love being a Genea-Blogger; it's some of the best legal fun you can have!
Today I got a Facebook note from Terri Kallio of The Ties That Bind, who is researching the Curtice family. A search brought her to my blog - Bettie Curtice Rosser was a close friend of Julia Mister Lewis, the wife of my great-great uncle, William Henry Lewis. Bettie Rosser's grandson was the genea-angel who sent me letters and pictures of Henry and Julia Lewis as well as some family pictures of the Curtices and Rossers. Terri and I are now exchanging information on connections and photographs.
This is why I love being a Genea-Blogger; it's some of the best legal fun you can have!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Friday Newsletter: 10 October 2010
Ever since we returned from Greenville, it has been difficult to settle down and concentrate on one thing in genealogy. Now it’s time to get very serious about focusing and actually accomplishing something. And with all the different family projects vying for my attention (Brinlee, Smith, Moore, and Floyd), I have to make a list of priorities and stick to it.
On top of all of the information from my trip and new-found cousins, while the sale was on ($55 for a year’s subscription) I subscribed to Genealogy Bank, so I definitely want to take advantage of that resource. Actually, it’s just about the only genealogy that got done this week. Even though I previously subscribed to the Dallas Morning News Archives, I hit the 700-download limit without exhausting their resources as far as research is concerned. Genealogy Bank’s different options for tailoring searches have already yielded some new items for that paper.
1. Floyd
I am going to organize the material sent to me by my newly discovered Floyd cousins and transcribe the letters. This is the easiest task to handle, so it gets done first.
2. Smith
I did not finish the project for mapping Smith families in categories 1 and 2 and entering them into a worksheet before I left for Knoxville, so this needs to be completed.
3. Brinlee
This is the last family for which I need to systematize the information I have at the great-great grandparent level and enter it into my genealogy program. I started before the Greenville trip and want to complete this phase of my genealogy research.
4. Moore
Although the logical thing to do first would be to process all the material and information I gained from the trip to Greenville, there is just so much of it that I am going to leave it for a while until I get the first two items on the list done, then go through it gradually, interspersing it with other research. Printouts from microfilm and handwritten notes have been filed in a separate file box, and the images I made from some books on my wand scanner have been uploaded into iPhoto.
5. Lewis, Tarrant, and other families associated with the Moores
There is also a lot of material on these families in the Greenville stuff; proceed same as for item 4.
On top of all of the information from my trip and new-found cousins, while the sale was on ($55 for a year’s subscription) I subscribed to Genealogy Bank, so I definitely want to take advantage of that resource. Actually, it’s just about the only genealogy that got done this week. Even though I previously subscribed to the Dallas Morning News Archives, I hit the 700-download limit without exhausting their resources as far as research is concerned. Genealogy Bank’s different options for tailoring searches have already yielded some new items for that paper.
1. Floyd
I am going to organize the material sent to me by my newly discovered Floyd cousins and transcribe the letters. This is the easiest task to handle, so it gets done first.
2. Smith
I did not finish the project for mapping Smith families in categories 1 and 2 and entering them into a worksheet before I left for Knoxville, so this needs to be completed.
3. Brinlee
This is the last family for which I need to systematize the information I have at the great-great grandparent level and enter it into my genealogy program. I started before the Greenville trip and want to complete this phase of my genealogy research.
4. Moore
Although the logical thing to do first would be to process all the material and information I gained from the trip to Greenville, there is just so much of it that I am going to leave it for a while until I get the first two items on the list done, then go through it gradually, interspersing it with other research. Printouts from microfilm and handwritten notes have been filed in a separate file box, and the images I made from some books on my wand scanner have been uploaded into iPhoto.
5. Lewis, Tarrant, and other families associated with the Moores
There is also a lot of material on these families in the Greenville stuff; proceed same as for item 4.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Transcription Tuesday: "The Train Robbery"
Here is another Sheriff Henry Lewis adventure. He only makes a minor appearance as one of the parties involved in figuring out the details of a train robbery; the article shows a certain fascination with detective work. It was published in The Dallas Morning News on 26 May 1889.
The Train Robbery
Committed Just Beyond the Fair Grounds
Some Further Particulars
Showing That the Robbers Returned to the City and Burned Express Wrappers and the Grip in the Furnace of a Locomotive
The daring robbery of the express car of the Texas and Pacific passenger train on the outskirts of the city last Friday night, a report of which was given in yesterday’s News, was, as might be expected, the engrossing topic of conversation on the streets yesterday. Everybody believed that the robbers were back in the city, mingling with the miscellaneous crowd of nondescripts who follow in the wake of prosperity to depredate. Further particulars were difficult to learn. Detectives drew around their clews that professional silence which is as mysterious, mystifying and painful as a doctor’s prescriptions to a jaywalker. Even with the sheriff and chief of police mum was the word: but it was apparent that all of them, including the city marshal of East Dallas, was holding tightly to a clew. It appears that at the deep cut a short distance beyond the fair grounds one of the robbers pulled the bell cord, and as the train was slacking up both robbers jumped off. The robbery only became known when the train was brought to a standstill, by which time the road agents were out of sight. Soon after the fact became known a posse of deputy sheriffs started for the scene, but owing to the darkness and the failure of parties telegraphing to properly locate the occurrence nothing could be done. Yesterday morning Sheriff Lewis and posse started out again to investigate the matter, and at the point where the robbers got off the express car they found tracks in the soft ground about twenty feet from the road and leading to the road on which they were traced, the traces showing that the toes of the travelers pointed to the city, where the road agents must have arrived within an hour after the commission of their daring deed. One set of tracks showed a narrow foot or ordinary length and the other set a broader and shorter foot. It is thought that the robbers on returning to the city must have rendezvoused somewhere near the union depot, from the following rather startling discovery: About 4 o’clock in the morning Engineer Jesse McCart, who had just fired up his engine at the union depot, left it for a few minutes while he went to converse with a friend. On returning he found his furnace door opened and saw a dark object burning on the inside. Thinking it was a negro baby, he instantly raked out the partly burned mass, which proved to be an express grip and contained a large number of partly burned money wrappers. The charred debris was turned over to the detectives, who were arming themselves with clews.
Respecting the extent of the robbery nothing definitely could be learned at the express or railroad offices, beyond that Col. Aiken of the Pacific express had learned that some of the money was in paper and that payment had been stopped on it. It was stated that as Friday was an off day it was not likely that a large amount of money was in the car; but, on the other hand, money might have been expressed on Thursday from El Paso or other distant points. The express messenger is expected to return this morning from Marshall with the way bills and then the amount of the loss can be reached.
It has been learned that as the tall robber was stooping over the iron chest his mask fell off enabling the messenger to get a view of him. The messenger describes him as a young man with a long mustache that was slightly drooping.
As reported in yesterday’s News both men were masked, and one of them appeared to be about six feet high, while the other was of medium size and more slightly built.
The prevailing opinion among the police is that the robbers boarded the train at the union depot, and as it stopped to whistle at the Santa Fe crossing that they then got off the passenger car and took possession of the express car. This, however, is not considered likely as they could better have waited at the Santa Fe crossing for the train to arrive there than have run the risk of identification by getting on and off the passenger coach.
One of the police stated yesterday that some parties without settled habitation had been conspicuously absent from the street since the robbery.
United States Marshal Knight was in his office with five of his deputies until 11 o’clock on the night of the robbery, but he knew nothing about the occurrence until he read of it in yesterday’s News. He thinks that if the train had been backed to the city after the robbery and the authorities apprised of it, the golden opportunity for the arrest of the bandits would have been seized.
Express Messenger Ray arrived in the city last night, and his recital of the robbery was in substance the same as was given in The News yesterday.
Mr. L. S. Garrison stated to a News reporter that the amount taken by the robbers would not exceed $3000.
Two parties, a tall man and a small man, were taken in charge on suspicion last evening near the downtown depot, but the messenger failed to identify them and they proved that they were not the men, whereupon they were released.
[Well, I meant to pre-post this to appear on Tuesday, but I forgot to change the posting time before I hit "Publish." I guess it can be considered an "Amanuensis Monday" post.]
The Train Robbery
Committed Just Beyond the Fair Grounds
Some Further Particulars
Showing That the Robbers Returned to the City and Burned Express Wrappers and the Grip in the Furnace of a Locomotive
The daring robbery of the express car of the Texas and Pacific passenger train on the outskirts of the city last Friday night, a report of which was given in yesterday’s News, was, as might be expected, the engrossing topic of conversation on the streets yesterday. Everybody believed that the robbers were back in the city, mingling with the miscellaneous crowd of nondescripts who follow in the wake of prosperity to depredate. Further particulars were difficult to learn. Detectives drew around their clews that professional silence which is as mysterious, mystifying and painful as a doctor’s prescriptions to a jaywalker. Even with the sheriff and chief of police mum was the word: but it was apparent that all of them, including the city marshal of East Dallas, was holding tightly to a clew. It appears that at the deep cut a short distance beyond the fair grounds one of the robbers pulled the bell cord, and as the train was slacking up both robbers jumped off. The robbery only became known when the train was brought to a standstill, by which time the road agents were out of sight. Soon after the fact became known a posse of deputy sheriffs started for the scene, but owing to the darkness and the failure of parties telegraphing to properly locate the occurrence nothing could be done. Yesterday morning Sheriff Lewis and posse started out again to investigate the matter, and at the point where the robbers got off the express car they found tracks in the soft ground about twenty feet from the road and leading to the road on which they were traced, the traces showing that the toes of the travelers pointed to the city, where the road agents must have arrived within an hour after the commission of their daring deed. One set of tracks showed a narrow foot or ordinary length and the other set a broader and shorter foot. It is thought that the robbers on returning to the city must have rendezvoused somewhere near the union depot, from the following rather startling discovery: About 4 o’clock in the morning Engineer Jesse McCart, who had just fired up his engine at the union depot, left it for a few minutes while he went to converse with a friend. On returning he found his furnace door opened and saw a dark object burning on the inside. Thinking it was a negro baby, he instantly raked out the partly burned mass, which proved to be an express grip and contained a large number of partly burned money wrappers. The charred debris was turned over to the detectives, who were arming themselves with clews.
Respecting the extent of the robbery nothing definitely could be learned at the express or railroad offices, beyond that Col. Aiken of the Pacific express had learned that some of the money was in paper and that payment had been stopped on it. It was stated that as Friday was an off day it was not likely that a large amount of money was in the car; but, on the other hand, money might have been expressed on Thursday from El Paso or other distant points. The express messenger is expected to return this morning from Marshall with the way bills and then the amount of the loss can be reached.
It has been learned that as the tall robber was stooping over the iron chest his mask fell off enabling the messenger to get a view of him. The messenger describes him as a young man with a long mustache that was slightly drooping.
As reported in yesterday’s News both men were masked, and one of them appeared to be about six feet high, while the other was of medium size and more slightly built.
The prevailing opinion among the police is that the robbers boarded the train at the union depot, and as it stopped to whistle at the Santa Fe crossing that they then got off the passenger car and took possession of the express car. This, however, is not considered likely as they could better have waited at the Santa Fe crossing for the train to arrive there than have run the risk of identification by getting on and off the passenger coach.
One of the police stated yesterday that some parties without settled habitation had been conspicuously absent from the street since the robbery.
United States Marshal Knight was in his office with five of his deputies until 11 o’clock on the night of the robbery, but he knew nothing about the occurrence until he read of it in yesterday’s News. He thinks that if the train had been backed to the city after the robbery and the authorities apprised of it, the golden opportunity for the arrest of the bandits would have been seized.
Express Messenger Ray arrived in the city last night, and his recital of the robbery was in substance the same as was given in The News yesterday.
Mr. L. S. Garrison stated to a News reporter that the amount taken by the robbers would not exceed $3000.
Two parties, a tall man and a small man, were taken in charge on suspicion last evening near the downtown depot, but the messenger failed to identify them and they proved that they were not the men, whereupon they were released.
[Well, I meant to pre-post this to appear on Tuesday, but I forgot to change the posting time before I hit "Publish." I guess it can be considered an "Amanuensis Monday" post.]
Sunday, April 11, 2010
1880 Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Schedules and a Few Mysteries
A recent Ancestry Weekly Discovery newsletter highlighted these seven schedules:
“While finding any record on our ancestors is a thrill for us, sometimes the contents in those records give us pause. Such is the case with the “1880 Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes.” Seven supplemental schedules were taken with the 1880 U.S. Census that tallied and gave intimate details on the insane, idiots, deaf-mutes, blind persons, homeless children, inhabitants in prison, and paupers and the indigent.”
In the case of my Lewis family, there was an ancestor – a great-great aunt named Sarah Lewis – whom I expected to find there. I already knew that she was deaf from the regular census schedules. And sure enough, a search on the Lewis name in South Carolina turned up Sarah Ann Lewis in Centerville, Anderson County.
Surprisingly, it turned up two other Lewises in Anderson County: Mary Lewis (also listed as Margaret Lewis) in Belton and Martha Lewis in Centerville. The Lewis family was a large one with many branches still living in Anderson at this time, so I cannot be sure whether or not Mary and Martha were the sisters of my great-great grandfather Elisha Berry Lewis (I do know that he had two sisters by these names) or were from other branches of the family.
There are enough “mystery” siblings of Elisha Berry Lewis (son of Elisha Lewis and Rosannah Dalrymple) to make this family one of my main research subjects. To narrow down the identities of Mary and Martha I may have to go back a generation as well to look into the families of at least a couple of Elisha Sr.’s brothers (Major, Jesse, and possibly John; I believe the rest moved to Tennessee around 1810).
Speaking of “mystery siblings,” one is missing here whom I expected to find: J. Newton Lewis. But then again, the only census I have ever seen him on is the regular 1880 census. Here are the Lewis siblings, minus Elisha Berry, listed as living together on that census:
1880 US Federal Census, Centerville Township, Anderson County, South Carolina, Enumeration District 19, page 36, 19 June 1880, dwelling number 326, family number 335
Lewis, Martha W F 60 Single At home SC SC SC
Lewis, Sarah Ann W F 57 Sister Single At home Listed in columns for “Deaf and dumb” and “Maimed, crippled, bedridden, or otherwise disabled” SC SC SC
Lewis, J. Newton W M 53 Brother Single Farmer “Maimed, etc.” SC SC SC
Smith, Mary E. W F 51 Sister Single Divorced SC SC SC
Dalrymple, Rebecca W F 91 Aunt Single “Maimed, etc.” SC SC SC
J. Newton must have suffered from some sort of disability, but perhaps it was from an accident or illness and did not merit his inclusion on the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Schedule. The big mystery remains: Why is this the only mention of him I am able to find? I almost wonder whether he was a “phantom”! To deepen the mystery a little further, one genealogy (on the Dalrymple side) mentions two other brothers whom I have not been able to find: Samuel and Pinkney; a Dalrymple researcher with whom I have corresponded says that this information is included in the diary of a clergyman who was a friend of the family.
Sarah Ann Lewis is listed under “deaf mutes,” a condition which appeared at birth (indicated by a “B” in the age of onset column). It is further indicated that she spent 6 years at an institution for deaf mutes in Cedar Springs, Spartanburg, SC. This would have been the South Carolina Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind, which was founded in 1849 by N. P. Walker and is still in existence today. The schedule also indicates that Sarah was at least partially able to support herself.
The information for Mary on the “insane” schedule may indicate that she was not Elisha Berry’s sister: it indicates that the symptoms appeared at age 19 and have continued for 8 years, so she would have been too young. This Mary Lewis is said to suffer from “melancholia.” On the regular census, Elisha Berry’s sister Mary is listed as Mary Smith, divorced. (There is an intriguing possibility that her ex-husband may have been a member of the Smith family to which the Lewis family had a number of ties.)
Martha Lewis is listed on the “pauper and indigent” schedule; no age is given. She is said to be blind. I do not believe this Martha Lewis is Elisha Berry’s sister, either; on the 1860 census, his sister Martha’s occupation is given as “School teacher.”
So there are a number of mysteries that I can look forward to investigating:
Did J. Newton Lewis exist, and if he did, why doesn’t he show up anywhere else?
Who were the Mary and Martha Lewis who appear on the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Schedule and were they related to my Lewises?
Who was Mary Lewis Smith’s ex-husband?
Did Elisha Lewis and Rosannah Dalrymple have sons named Samuel and Pinkney?
One final point of interest is that none of Elisha Berry Lewis’ siblings seems to have had children. The only sibling who appears to have gotten married was Mary, and since she was shown as single on the 1870 census (when she would have been around 40-41 years old), she probably had no children and none are shown living with her in 1870.
Elisha Berry Lewis is buried in Midway Presbyterian Cemetery, Anderson, SC, as are his sisters Sarah Ann (1828-1897) and Mary Rosanna (1835-1898).
“While finding any record on our ancestors is a thrill for us, sometimes the contents in those records give us pause. Such is the case with the “1880 Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes.” Seven supplemental schedules were taken with the 1880 U.S. Census that tallied and gave intimate details on the insane, idiots, deaf-mutes, blind persons, homeless children, inhabitants in prison, and paupers and the indigent.”
In the case of my Lewis family, there was an ancestor – a great-great aunt named Sarah Lewis – whom I expected to find there. I already knew that she was deaf from the regular census schedules. And sure enough, a search on the Lewis name in South Carolina turned up Sarah Ann Lewis in Centerville, Anderson County.
Surprisingly, it turned up two other Lewises in Anderson County: Mary Lewis (also listed as Margaret Lewis) in Belton and Martha Lewis in Centerville. The Lewis family was a large one with many branches still living in Anderson at this time, so I cannot be sure whether or not Mary and Martha were the sisters of my great-great grandfather Elisha Berry Lewis (I do know that he had two sisters by these names) or were from other branches of the family.
There are enough “mystery” siblings of Elisha Berry Lewis (son of Elisha Lewis and Rosannah Dalrymple) to make this family one of my main research subjects. To narrow down the identities of Mary and Martha I may have to go back a generation as well to look into the families of at least a couple of Elisha Sr.’s brothers (Major, Jesse, and possibly John; I believe the rest moved to Tennessee around 1810).
Speaking of “mystery siblings,” one is missing here whom I expected to find: J. Newton Lewis. But then again, the only census I have ever seen him on is the regular 1880 census. Here are the Lewis siblings, minus Elisha Berry, listed as living together on that census:
1880 US Federal Census, Centerville Township, Anderson County, South Carolina, Enumeration District 19, page 36, 19 June 1880, dwelling number 326, family number 335
Lewis, Martha W F 60 Single At home SC SC SC
Lewis, Sarah Ann W F 57 Sister Single At home Listed in columns for “Deaf and dumb” and “Maimed, crippled, bedridden, or otherwise disabled” SC SC SC
Lewis, J. Newton W M 53 Brother Single Farmer “Maimed, etc.” SC SC SC
Smith, Mary E. W F 51 Sister Single Divorced SC SC SC
Dalrymple, Rebecca W F 91 Aunt Single “Maimed, etc.” SC SC SC
J. Newton must have suffered from some sort of disability, but perhaps it was from an accident or illness and did not merit his inclusion on the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Schedule. The big mystery remains: Why is this the only mention of him I am able to find? I almost wonder whether he was a “phantom”! To deepen the mystery a little further, one genealogy (on the Dalrymple side) mentions two other brothers whom I have not been able to find: Samuel and Pinkney; a Dalrymple researcher with whom I have corresponded says that this information is included in the diary of a clergyman who was a friend of the family.
Sarah Ann Lewis is listed under “deaf mutes,” a condition which appeared at birth (indicated by a “B” in the age of onset column). It is further indicated that she spent 6 years at an institution for deaf mutes in Cedar Springs, Spartanburg, SC. This would have been the South Carolina Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind, which was founded in 1849 by N. P. Walker and is still in existence today. The schedule also indicates that Sarah was at least partially able to support herself.
The information for Mary on the “insane” schedule may indicate that she was not Elisha Berry’s sister: it indicates that the symptoms appeared at age 19 and have continued for 8 years, so she would have been too young. This Mary Lewis is said to suffer from “melancholia.” On the regular census, Elisha Berry’s sister Mary is listed as Mary Smith, divorced. (There is an intriguing possibility that her ex-husband may have been a member of the Smith family to which the Lewis family had a number of ties.)
Martha Lewis is listed on the “pauper and indigent” schedule; no age is given. She is said to be blind. I do not believe this Martha Lewis is Elisha Berry’s sister, either; on the 1860 census, his sister Martha’s occupation is given as “School teacher.”
So there are a number of mysteries that I can look forward to investigating:
Did J. Newton Lewis exist, and if he did, why doesn’t he show up anywhere else?
Who were the Mary and Martha Lewis who appear on the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Schedule and were they related to my Lewises?
Who was Mary Lewis Smith’s ex-husband?
Did Elisha Lewis and Rosannah Dalrymple have sons named Samuel and Pinkney?
One final point of interest is that none of Elisha Berry Lewis’ siblings seems to have had children. The only sibling who appears to have gotten married was Mary, and since she was shown as single on the 1870 census (when she would have been around 40-41 years old), she probably had no children and none are shown living with her in 1870.
Elisha Berry Lewis is buried in Midway Presbyterian Cemetery, Anderson, SC, as are his sisters Sarah Ann (1828-1897) and Mary Rosanna (1835-1898).
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Transcription Tuesday: The Death of Samuel D. Lewis
Preston Moore is not my only “reverse orphan” great-great uncle who died in the Civil War. There are at least two others: Samuel D. Lewis and Manning P. Lewis, the brothers of my great-grandmother Martha E. Lewis Moore (Preston was the older brother of her husband, Harlston Perrin Moore).
Samuel D. Lewis, the third of ten children of Elisha Berry Lewis and Martha Poole, was born in around 1840 in Anderson County, South Carolina. He served in Company C of the Palmetto Sharpshooters, as did his older brother, James West Lewis. He died on August 14, 1864, in the Second Battle of Deep Bottom, with the location reported as Fussell’s Mill in the unit history and New Market Hill/New Market Heights, Virginia in his compiled service record.
The following is a transcription of the pages from his compiled service record reporting his death. Handwritten entries are in italics.
“(Confederate)
L/Palmetto Sharpshooters/S.C.
S. D. Lewis
Pvt., Co. C, Palmetto Regiment Sharpshooters, South Carolina Vols.
Appears on Company Muster Roll
of the organization named above,
for July & August, 1864
Enlisted:
When: Jan. 15, 1864
Where: Morristown
By whom: Capt. Benson
Period: War
Last paid:
By whom: Capt. McLure
To what time: Apr. 30, 186_.
Present or absent:
Remarks: Killed in Action
August 14th 1864 (New Market Hill)”
Such a terse, matter-of-fact report.
The bottom of the page gives the following information on the Palmetto Sharpshooters:
“Most of the members of this company formerly served in Company B, 4th Regiment South Carolina Infantry.
The Palmetto Regiment of Sharp Shooters (also called Jenkins’ Regiment and the 1st Regiment Palmetto Sharp Shooters) was organized April 16, 1862, with twelve companies, which were composed principally of men who had formerly served in the 4th, 5th and 9th Regiments South Carolina Infantry.”
The second page:
“(Confederate)
L/Palmetto S. S./S.C.
Samuel D. Lewis
Pvt. Co. C, Palmetto S. Shooters
Name appears on a
Register
of Officers and Soldiers of the Army of the Confederate States who were killed in battle, or who had died of wounds or disease.
Where born: Anderson Dist.
When deceased: Aug. 14, 1864
Where and from what cause: Killed, New Market Heights
Amount of money left: _____
Effects: _____
In whose charge: _____
When received: March 29, 1865
Number of certificate: 4885
Remarks: Last paid to 30 April 1864
*This register appears to have been compiled in the Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office from returns furnished by Hospitals and by Regimental and Company Officers.
Confed. Arch., Chap. 10, File No. 10, page 152.”
Sources:
Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of South Carolina, NARA Publication Number M267, for Samuel D. Lewis of the First Palmetto Sharp Shooters (Jenkins’ Regiment).
“Palmetto Sharpshooters, Company C, Palmetto Riflemen, Anderson County, South Carolina Volunteers,” webpage hosted by Rootsweb at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~york/PSS/C.htm.
Samuel D. Lewis, the third of ten children of Elisha Berry Lewis and Martha Poole, was born in around 1840 in Anderson County, South Carolina. He served in Company C of the Palmetto Sharpshooters, as did his older brother, James West Lewis. He died on August 14, 1864, in the Second Battle of Deep Bottom, with the location reported as Fussell’s Mill in the unit history and New Market Hill/New Market Heights, Virginia in his compiled service record.
The following is a transcription of the pages from his compiled service record reporting his death. Handwritten entries are in italics.
“(Confederate)
L/Palmetto Sharpshooters/S.C.
S. D. Lewis
Pvt., Co. C, Palmetto Regiment Sharpshooters, South Carolina Vols.
Appears on Company Muster Roll
of the organization named above,
for July & August, 1864
Enlisted:
When: Jan. 15, 1864
Where: Morristown
By whom: Capt. Benson
Period: War
Last paid:
By whom: Capt. McLure
To what time: Apr. 30, 186_.
Present or absent:
Remarks: Killed in Action
August 14th 1864 (New Market Hill)”
Such a terse, matter-of-fact report.
The bottom of the page gives the following information on the Palmetto Sharpshooters:
“Most of the members of this company formerly served in Company B, 4th Regiment South Carolina Infantry.
The Palmetto Regiment of Sharp Shooters (also called Jenkins’ Regiment and the 1st Regiment Palmetto Sharp Shooters) was organized April 16, 1862, with twelve companies, which were composed principally of men who had formerly served in the 4th, 5th and 9th Regiments South Carolina Infantry.”
The second page:
“(Confederate)
L/Palmetto S. S./S.C.
Samuel D. Lewis
Pvt. Co. C, Palmetto S. Shooters
Name appears on a
Register
of Officers and Soldiers of the Army of the Confederate States who were killed in battle, or who had died of wounds or disease.
Where born: Anderson Dist.
When deceased: Aug. 14, 1864
Where and from what cause: Killed, New Market Heights
Amount of money left: _____
Effects: _____
In whose charge: _____
When received: March 29, 1865
Number of certificate: 4885
Remarks: Last paid to 30 April 1864
*This register appears to have been compiled in the Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office from returns furnished by Hospitals and by Regimental and Company Officers.
Confed. Arch., Chap. 10, File No. 10, page 152.”
Sources:
Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of South Carolina, NARA Publication Number M267, for Samuel D. Lewis of the First Palmetto Sharp Shooters (Jenkins’ Regiment).
“Palmetto Sharpshooters, Company C, Palmetto Riflemen, Anderson County, South Carolina Volunteers,” webpage hosted by Rootsweb at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~york/PSS/C.htm.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: I’m on TV!
Here is Randy Seaver’s (Genea-Musings) latest genea-challenge:
1) Pretend that you are one of the subjects on the Who Do You Think You Are? show on NBC TV.
2) Which of your ancestors (maximum of two) would be featured on your hour-long show? What stories would be told, and what places would you visit?
The first ancestor I would feature would be my great-great uncle, William Henry Lewis, who was the sheriff of Dallas County from 1886 to 1892. We would start out at his birthplace, Anderson County, South Carolina. Further research would put us in contact with John Hornady, the gentleman who provided me with so much information and generously passed to me the Lewis family artifacts (letters, documents, pictures) that he had in his possession. This would give us information on Henry’s adventures as sheriff – stopping two lynchings, bringing in various other criminals, and others – as well as his marriage to the love of his life, Julia Mister, and their role in bringing up the children of Julia’s good friend Bettie Curtice Rosser following Bettie’s death. That portion of the show would take part in Dallas County. It would be neat if we could locate and interview descendants of A. C. Thurman, the gentleman who wrote the letter featured in one of the posts below.
The second relative would probably be my great-great grandfather Hiram Brinlee, Sr. We would tell the story of how he and his brother George went from Kentucky to Texas with Collin and Daniel McKinney and how the two brothers married Daniel McKinney’s daughters. The second part of the story would cover their trial(s) for murder and attempted murder during the days of the Republic of Texas. Locations would be Collin County, Texas, specifically the “Four Corners” of Texas where Grayson, Fannin, Hunt, and Collin counties meet, as well as a repository holding records of the Republic of Texas.
[The genea-geek in me actually wants to cover the story of my great-great uncle Preston Moore as related in Searching for Preston Moore, but that’s probably not considered exciting enough for prime-time TV.]
1) Pretend that you are one of the subjects on the Who Do You Think You Are? show on NBC TV.
2) Which of your ancestors (maximum of two) would be featured on your hour-long show? What stories would be told, and what places would you visit?
The first ancestor I would feature would be my great-great uncle, William Henry Lewis, who was the sheriff of Dallas County from 1886 to 1892. We would start out at his birthplace, Anderson County, South Carolina. Further research would put us in contact with John Hornady, the gentleman who provided me with so much information and generously passed to me the Lewis family artifacts (letters, documents, pictures) that he had in his possession. This would give us information on Henry’s adventures as sheriff – stopping two lynchings, bringing in various other criminals, and others – as well as his marriage to the love of his life, Julia Mister, and their role in bringing up the children of Julia’s good friend Bettie Curtice Rosser following Bettie’s death. That portion of the show would take part in Dallas County. It would be neat if we could locate and interview descendants of A. C. Thurman, the gentleman who wrote the letter featured in one of the posts below.
The second relative would probably be my great-great grandfather Hiram Brinlee, Sr. We would tell the story of how he and his brother George went from Kentucky to Texas with Collin and Daniel McKinney and how the two brothers married Daniel McKinney’s daughters. The second part of the story would cover their trial(s) for murder and attempted murder during the days of the Republic of Texas. Locations would be Collin County, Texas, specifically the “Four Corners” of Texas where Grayson, Fannin, Hunt, and Collin counties meet, as well as a repository holding records of the Republic of Texas.
[The genea-geek in me actually wants to cover the story of my great-great uncle Preston Moore as related in Searching for Preston Moore, but that’s probably not considered exciting enough for prime-time TV.]
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Transcription Tuesday: Letter from A. C. Thurman, a Representative of the Black Community of Dallas, to Sheriff William Henry Lewis
Below are the scanned images and transcript of a letter, dated May 26, 1892, from A. C. Thurman, a representative of the Black community of Dallas, to Sheriff William Henry Lewis.
Context of the letter:
The letter was written in response to Sheriff Lewis’ actions in preventing the attempted lynching of an African-American man named Henry Miller. The information I have on this case comes from two main sources. One is my copy of an article written in tribute to Henry Lewis by Jack Hornady, husband of one of the children Henry and his wife Julia helped to raise after the children’s mother, Julia’s good friend Bettie Curtice Rosser, died. The other source consists of several newspaper articles, some transcribed at Jim Wheat’s Dallas County Texas Archives and others downloaded from the archives of the Dallas Morning News.
In 1892 Henry Miller was being held for the murder of Police Officer O. C. Brewer when a large mob, estimated at 2,500, attempted to seize and lynch Miller. According to Jack Hornady’s article, Dallas Times-Herald publisher Edwin J. Keist told the story of “how when he first reached Dallas as a young newspaperman out looking for a career, he got off the train and saw a large crowd surrounding the courthouse and jail. He worked his way through the crowd until he reached the gate to the jail yard. By then he realized that this was a mob bent on taking a prisoner from the jail and lynching him.
“Mr. Keist saw a slender little man sitting on the jail steps with a rifle across his knees. Then he heard this man say to the crowd: “I will shoot the first man who comes through that gate – even if he’s my brother.” And no one dared go through the gate because they knew he meant it. Soon the crowd dispersed.”
This is the event to which Mr. A. C. Thurman was referring in his letter.
Jim Wheat’s Dallas County Texas Archives also contains a reference to A. C. Thurman on a page of transcripts of newspaper articles on African-Americans in Dallas. There are also several other articles on the Henry Miller case that can be located by going to the Dallas Archives page and searching for “Henry Miller.”
United States Post Office,
Dallas
Dallas County
State of Texas
May 26, 1892
Mr. Henry Lewis (Sheriff)
Sir your actions in the preventing the collard man Henry Miller the murderer of Policeman Brewer from being takend from Jail and hanged at the hands of an infuriated mob certainly meets the approval of all colared citizens of Dallas.
Not because the colared people desire for him to escape punishment but mainly because it is claimed, especially by men at the north that colored men here are mobbed without trial and the officers and the leading white citizens all in favor of mob law. Dallas put herself on record Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans all have alike let mobs disgrace their good names.
Allow me again to congratulate you and all the better element of our white citizens for the suppression of the mob.
Dallas should feel proud of so noble such an officer.
I am very Sincere
A.C. Thurman
a colard man
Context of the letter:
The letter was written in response to Sheriff Lewis’ actions in preventing the attempted lynching of an African-American man named Henry Miller. The information I have on this case comes from two main sources. One is my copy of an article written in tribute to Henry Lewis by Jack Hornady, husband of one of the children Henry and his wife Julia helped to raise after the children’s mother, Julia’s good friend Bettie Curtice Rosser, died. The other source consists of several newspaper articles, some transcribed at Jim Wheat’s Dallas County Texas Archives and others downloaded from the archives of the Dallas Morning News.
In 1892 Henry Miller was being held for the murder of Police Officer O. C. Brewer when a large mob, estimated at 2,500, attempted to seize and lynch Miller. According to Jack Hornady’s article, Dallas Times-Herald publisher Edwin J. Keist told the story of “how when he first reached Dallas as a young newspaperman out looking for a career, he got off the train and saw a large crowd surrounding the courthouse and jail. He worked his way through the crowd until he reached the gate to the jail yard. By then he realized that this was a mob bent on taking a prisoner from the jail and lynching him.
“Mr. Keist saw a slender little man sitting on the jail steps with a rifle across his knees. Then he heard this man say to the crowd: “I will shoot the first man who comes through that gate – even if he’s my brother.” And no one dared go through the gate because they knew he meant it. Soon the crowd dispersed.”
This is the event to which Mr. A. C. Thurman was referring in his letter.
Jim Wheat’s Dallas County Texas Archives also contains a reference to A. C. Thurman on a page of transcripts of newspaper articles on African-Americans in Dallas. There are also several other articles on the Henry Miller case that can be located by going to the Dallas Archives page and searching for “Henry Miller.”
United States Post Office,
Dallas
Dallas County
State of Texas
May 26, 1892
Mr. Henry Lewis (Sheriff)
Sir your actions in the preventing the collard man Henry Miller the murderer of Policeman Brewer from being takend from Jail and hanged at the hands of an infuriated mob certainly meets the approval of all colared citizens of Dallas.
Not because the colared people desire for him to escape punishment but mainly because it is claimed, especially by men at the north that colored men here are mobbed without trial and the officers and the leading white citizens all in favor of mob law. Dallas put herself on record Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans all have alike let mobs disgrace their good names.
Allow me again to congratulate you and all the better element of our white citizens for the suppression of the mob.
Dallas should feel proud of so noble such an officer.
I am very Sincere
A.C. Thurman
a colard man
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: My Ah-Ha! Moments
Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings has posed the following challenge:
1) Think of any number of genealogy events or moments that make you have a genealogy happy dance, an ah-ha moment, or a genea-gasm.
2) Tell us about them in a blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a comment on Facebook.
Some of my Happy Dance moments were:
Finding a death certificate on line for my great-grandfather Harlston Perrin Moore that listed both of his parents; until that time I knew only that my maternal grandfather’s name was something like Perrin Moore.
Finding genealogy forum posts on Harlston Perrin Moore’s parents Spencer and Emily Moore that included where they had lived and the names of their other children.
Finding a message in an archived mailing list that mentioned that Bud Mathis Moore of Greenville County, SC had a brother named Spencer who “lived over in Anderson County and had a son named Commie” – that would have been Spencer’s son Commodore Worth Moore – so that I knew I had to search for Spencer’s family in Greenville.
Finding an index entry for the will of a Samuel Moore of Greenville, SC that listed his children Spencer (misspelled “Spencar”), Susannah, and Elizabeth. This listing of my great-great-grandfather Spencer Moores and his two sisters indicated to me that this Samuel Moore was my great-great-great grandfather.
Finding a Lewis family with a daughter Martha of the right age to be my great-grandmother Martha Lewis that met the following requirements: the parents were born in SC but lived in GA around the time that Martha was born (1848 – they were there on the 1850 census) but were back in Anderson Co., SC by the 1860 census so that she could meet and marry Harlston Perrin Moore. In Texas censuses from 1880 on Martha Lewis Moore’s state of birth was given as Georgia and that of her parents was given as South Carolina, therefore ….
An “Ah-Ha!” moment occurred when I finally had a trail for descendants of my great-great uncle David Floyd. My evidence indicated that David’s granddaughter Sada Crum had married a man named Robertson (one of their sons, Clyde, was shown living with her father Mason Crum on the 1920 census), but tracing the history of this family was difficult due to its disintegration and scattering. I found a “Josphes” and “Saddie” Robertson on the 1910 census as the parents of this Clyde Robertson, but in 1920 I could not find them … until I realized that the guy listed as “Seab” Robertson, when I looked at the census, was actually “Seaf” Robertson: Josephus > Seaf. Ah ha!
In a similar case, I realized that an MDL Lee on one census and a Fate Lee on the other census were the same guy: MDL = Marquis de Lafayette > Lafayette > Fayette > Fate. Ah ha!
1) Think of any number of genealogy events or moments that make you have a genealogy happy dance, an ah-ha moment, or a genea-gasm.
2) Tell us about them in a blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a comment on Facebook.
Some of my Happy Dance moments were:
Finding a death certificate on line for my great-grandfather Harlston Perrin Moore that listed both of his parents; until that time I knew only that my maternal grandfather’s name was something like Perrin Moore.
Finding genealogy forum posts on Harlston Perrin Moore’s parents Spencer and Emily Moore that included where they had lived and the names of their other children.
Finding a message in an archived mailing list that mentioned that Bud Mathis Moore of Greenville County, SC had a brother named Spencer who “lived over in Anderson County and had a son named Commie” – that would have been Spencer’s son Commodore Worth Moore – so that I knew I had to search for Spencer’s family in Greenville.
Finding an index entry for the will of a Samuel Moore of Greenville, SC that listed his children Spencer (misspelled “Spencar”), Susannah, and Elizabeth. This listing of my great-great-grandfather Spencer Moores and his two sisters indicated to me that this Samuel Moore was my great-great-great grandfather.
Finding a Lewis family with a daughter Martha of the right age to be my great-grandmother Martha Lewis that met the following requirements: the parents were born in SC but lived in GA around the time that Martha was born (1848 – they were there on the 1850 census) but were back in Anderson Co., SC by the 1860 census so that she could meet and marry Harlston Perrin Moore. In Texas censuses from 1880 on Martha Lewis Moore’s state of birth was given as Georgia and that of her parents was given as South Carolina, therefore ….
An “Ah-Ha!” moment occurred when I finally had a trail for descendants of my great-great uncle David Floyd. My evidence indicated that David’s granddaughter Sada Crum had married a man named Robertson (one of their sons, Clyde, was shown living with her father Mason Crum on the 1920 census), but tracing the history of this family was difficult due to its disintegration and scattering. I found a “Josphes” and “Saddie” Robertson on the 1910 census as the parents of this Clyde Robertson, but in 1920 I could not find them … until I realized that the guy listed as “Seab” Robertson, when I looked at the census, was actually “Seaf” Robertson: Josephus > Seaf. Ah ha!
In a similar case, I realized that an MDL Lee on one census and a Fate Lee on the other census were the same guy: MDL = Marquis de Lafayette > Lafayette > Fayette > Fate. Ah ha!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Transcription Tuesday: The Exciting Streets of Dallas, Texas in the 1890s
The following articles report on a couple of incidents in the streets of Dallas in 1892 and 1893 in which my great-great-uncle William Henry Lewis was involved. One centered around a run-away buggy in which he was riding and the other around the pursuit of a criminal in which he took part. Our modern-day equivalent of the second incident, which also involved an exchange of gunfire, would be the police car chase. It’s fascinating to consider that my not-so-distant ancestors (Henry Lewis did not die until 1946) lived during times when there were still horse chases and shootouts in the streets.
From the Dallas Morning News, 7 March 1893:
“Thrown From a Buggy
While County Treasurer Coe and ex-Sheriff Lewis were buggy-riding yesterday near the new cemetery, south of the city, their team took fright and ran away. Mr. Coe was thrown from the buggy and found in an unconscious state. He soon, however, recovered from the shock and was last night reported to be doing well.”
From the Dallas Morning News, 4 October 1892:
“A VERY EXCITING CHASE.
HOW A SWIFT HORSE TRADER LED A VAN OF PURSUERS.
The Sad Plight of an Ellis County Farmer Who Became a Self-Constituted Deputy.
“Yesterday was horse traders’ day on the public square. The first Monday in every month is the legal day for disposing of strayed animals at public outcry, but by far the largest business is transacted by horse traders, who congregate to exchange, buy and sell. Among those who were trading horses yesterday was Mr. Sid Williams, a gentleman who lives a short distance west of Oak Cliff. He traded with a stranger for a mule and afterward he said that he discovered that the party with whom he traded did not have a clear title to the animal. Mr. Williams laid the case before Sheriff Lewis. Mr. Lewis sent Deputies Henry Tanner and John Bolick after the party who traded with Mr. Williams. The found him, and at the sheriff’s office a short while previous he gave the name of J. J. Jackson to Deputy Carson, who wrote a bill of sale for him. Mr. Jackson told the deputies that he could be easily identified in the city. He started with them to Sanger Bros.’ store about 1:30 in the afternoon, where he said he was known, but before they left Jefferson street, on the public square, he suddenly wheeled his horse and started at race horse speed down Jefferson street toward the jail. The deputies pursued and they were joined by an Ellis county farmer by the name of Harris, who was on a swift horse. Mr. Jackson led the trio down to Market street. He crossed over to Houston, back on Houston to Commerce and out on Commerce and across the Trinity bridge, leaving a cloud of dust behind like the wake of a cavalry company. Crossing the bridge, Mr. Harris’ horse seemed to forge ahead and get in the lead and as the object of the chase reached the west abutment of the bridge he turned and fired five times toward his pursuers. Mr. Tanner replied with five shots from his pistol.
“It was along here that Mr. Harris dropped out of the race. He fell and the conclusion of everybody watching was that he was shot. When Messrs. J. W. and J. T. Tucker picked him up, covered deep in dust and found clotted blood over his left eye and a small hole in his right arm, they felt sure that he was shot and fatally wounded. So the report flashed over the city that a man had been killed. Mr. Harris was carried in an express wagon to a drugstore on Jefferson street where his wounds were dressed. All of the bullets missed him and his injuries were caused by falling on small pebbles. In addition to the places over his eye and on his arm his hip was cut, necessitating one stitch, and after that was done he was out on the streets. He told a News reporter that his name was J. T. Harris and that he was a farmer living nine miles south of Waxahachie, near Forrest’s store. “I don’t remember much about the race,” he said, recounting his experience of a short while back. “I didn’t trade horses with the fellow and I don’t know who he is. I never saw him before and I don’t know anything about him. I saw some deputy sheriffs coming towards me running him, and I hollered to them to deputize me that I could catch him. I started in, and going across the bridge my horse ran away with me. He went the wrong direction. He went towards them bullets as hard as he could go, and it kept me d---d busy dodging them. I could see that pistol belching fire and I thought I was a goner. I tell you, partner, if I had had my old winchester with me I would have mixed it with him, but I didn’t have a thing and my horse was running right into them bullets. He carried me up almost by the side of that pistol and then my horse fell. I went down and that’s all I know about it, but you see me here.”
“Public interest centered on Mr. Harris for the time being, while Sheriff Lewis, John Bolick and Henry Tanner continued after the flying horseman. After the shooting at the bridge he proceeded to reload his pistol. Mr. Lewis followed to the foot hills of West Dallas. The horse he was riding was not fleet and he was compelled to turn back. Messrs. Tanner, Henry Jacoby and Bolick kept up the chase over the pike road toward Fort Worth. Red Stewart was watching from the courthouse tower and he said the time made broke the record. Over the hills and out of sight went the horse trader and his pursuers, who never came nearer than 200 yards of him after he crossed the bridge until near Kidd Springs, when the horse trader threw his pistol back and fired one shot toward Bolick. The latter returned the fire and the horse trader jumped from his now jaded nag and took to the bushes afoot. He disappeared in the underbrush before the officers came up. They captured the horse he was riding, which was the one he had traded from Mr. Williams. Mr. Bolick’s shot evidently hastened the horse trader in taking leave of the saddle. The bullet went through a slicker which was tied behind and entered the saddle. An effort was made to get dogs on this party’s trail, but they could not trail him, and about 5:30 the two deputies returned to the city leading the race horse which carried the fugitive beyond their reach.
“He left behind him a gray mare which he had with the mule when he struck the square for a trade. He was a stranger to the horse traders on the square. None of them seemed to know him. While the chase was in progress, Deputy Sheriff Tom Carson received the following wire message dated Krum, Tex., and signed by G. D. Witt, who was unknown to any of the sheriff’s force: “Arrest a man about 23 years, light complexion, light mustache, riding gray mare about fifteen and one-half hands high, branded LU on left thigh, leading black 3-year-old horse mule, no brand. Advise at Sanger, Tex.”
“Sheriff Lewis and Mr. Carson stated that the description of the mare and mule tallied exactly with that of the animals left behind by the horse trader. His description also was correctly given as far as it went. He was five feet ten or eleven inches high and he wore a black shirt, black soft hat and his pants were stuffed in his boot tops.”
From the Dallas Morning News, 7 March 1893:
“Thrown From a Buggy
While County Treasurer Coe and ex-Sheriff Lewis were buggy-riding yesterday near the new cemetery, south of the city, their team took fright and ran away. Mr. Coe was thrown from the buggy and found in an unconscious state. He soon, however, recovered from the shock and was last night reported to be doing well.”
From the Dallas Morning News, 4 October 1892:
“A VERY EXCITING CHASE.
HOW A SWIFT HORSE TRADER LED A VAN OF PURSUERS.
The Sad Plight of an Ellis County Farmer Who Became a Self-Constituted Deputy.
“Yesterday was horse traders’ day on the public square. The first Monday in every month is the legal day for disposing of strayed animals at public outcry, but by far the largest business is transacted by horse traders, who congregate to exchange, buy and sell. Among those who were trading horses yesterday was Mr. Sid Williams, a gentleman who lives a short distance west of Oak Cliff. He traded with a stranger for a mule and afterward he said that he discovered that the party with whom he traded did not have a clear title to the animal. Mr. Williams laid the case before Sheriff Lewis. Mr. Lewis sent Deputies Henry Tanner and John Bolick after the party who traded with Mr. Williams. The found him, and at the sheriff’s office a short while previous he gave the name of J. J. Jackson to Deputy Carson, who wrote a bill of sale for him. Mr. Jackson told the deputies that he could be easily identified in the city. He started with them to Sanger Bros.’ store about 1:30 in the afternoon, where he said he was known, but before they left Jefferson street, on the public square, he suddenly wheeled his horse and started at race horse speed down Jefferson street toward the jail. The deputies pursued and they were joined by an Ellis county farmer by the name of Harris, who was on a swift horse. Mr. Jackson led the trio down to Market street. He crossed over to Houston, back on Houston to Commerce and out on Commerce and across the Trinity bridge, leaving a cloud of dust behind like the wake of a cavalry company. Crossing the bridge, Mr. Harris’ horse seemed to forge ahead and get in the lead and as the object of the chase reached the west abutment of the bridge he turned and fired five times toward his pursuers. Mr. Tanner replied with five shots from his pistol.
“It was along here that Mr. Harris dropped out of the race. He fell and the conclusion of everybody watching was that he was shot. When Messrs. J. W. and J. T. Tucker picked him up, covered deep in dust and found clotted blood over his left eye and a small hole in his right arm, they felt sure that he was shot and fatally wounded. So the report flashed over the city that a man had been killed. Mr. Harris was carried in an express wagon to a drugstore on Jefferson street where his wounds were dressed. All of the bullets missed him and his injuries were caused by falling on small pebbles. In addition to the places over his eye and on his arm his hip was cut, necessitating one stitch, and after that was done he was out on the streets. He told a News reporter that his name was J. T. Harris and that he was a farmer living nine miles south of Waxahachie, near Forrest’s store. “I don’t remember much about the race,” he said, recounting his experience of a short while back. “I didn’t trade horses with the fellow and I don’t know who he is. I never saw him before and I don’t know anything about him. I saw some deputy sheriffs coming towards me running him, and I hollered to them to deputize me that I could catch him. I started in, and going across the bridge my horse ran away with me. He went the wrong direction. He went towards them bullets as hard as he could go, and it kept me d---d busy dodging them. I could see that pistol belching fire and I thought I was a goner. I tell you, partner, if I had had my old winchester with me I would have mixed it with him, but I didn’t have a thing and my horse was running right into them bullets. He carried me up almost by the side of that pistol and then my horse fell. I went down and that’s all I know about it, but you see me here.”
“Public interest centered on Mr. Harris for the time being, while Sheriff Lewis, John Bolick and Henry Tanner continued after the flying horseman. After the shooting at the bridge he proceeded to reload his pistol. Mr. Lewis followed to the foot hills of West Dallas. The horse he was riding was not fleet and he was compelled to turn back. Messrs. Tanner, Henry Jacoby and Bolick kept up the chase over the pike road toward Fort Worth. Red Stewart was watching from the courthouse tower and he said the time made broke the record. Over the hills and out of sight went the horse trader and his pursuers, who never came nearer than 200 yards of him after he crossed the bridge until near Kidd Springs, when the horse trader threw his pistol back and fired one shot toward Bolick. The latter returned the fire and the horse trader jumped from his now jaded nag and took to the bushes afoot. He disappeared in the underbrush before the officers came up. They captured the horse he was riding, which was the one he had traded from Mr. Williams. Mr. Bolick’s shot evidently hastened the horse trader in taking leave of the saddle. The bullet went through a slicker which was tied behind and entered the saddle. An effort was made to get dogs on this party’s trail, but they could not trail him, and about 5:30 the two deputies returned to the city leading the race horse which carried the fugitive beyond their reach.
“He left behind him a gray mare which he had with the mule when he struck the square for a trade. He was a stranger to the horse traders on the square. None of them seemed to know him. While the chase was in progress, Deputy Sheriff Tom Carson received the following wire message dated Krum, Tex., and signed by G. D. Witt, who was unknown to any of the sheriff’s force: “Arrest a man about 23 years, light complexion, light mustache, riding gray mare about fifteen and one-half hands high, branded LU on left thigh, leading black 3-year-old horse mule, no brand. Advise at Sanger, Tex.”
“Sheriff Lewis and Mr. Carson stated that the description of the mare and mule tallied exactly with that of the animals left behind by the horse trader. His description also was correctly given as far as it went. He was five feet ten or eleven inches high and he wore a black shirt, black soft hat and his pants were stuffed in his boot tops.”
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Transcription Tuesday: “They Want These Things”
In an effort to stick to my resolution to do more transcriptions this year, I will try to feature a transcription a week for “Transcription Tuesday” (when I don’t do an Amanuensis Monday a la John Newmark of TransylvaniaDutch in place of Memory Monday).
The following Dallas Morning News article from Christmas 1891– a satirical wish list for Santa on behalf of various Dallas, Texas luminaries of the 1890s – seemed an appropriate place to start since it reminded me a bit of all the letters to Santa posted by GeneaBloggers recently. The targets include my great-great uncle, Sheriff William Henry Lewis. Apparently Sheriff Lewis’ prospects for re-election to a fourth term as sheriff in were not so promising; he did not get re-elected, although he did end up coming in a fairly close second. Sheriff Lewis was in many respects popular sheriff and much admired man, but his popularity suffered somewhat when he prevented a couple of racially tinged lynchings.
I believe the last person on the list, J.E.G. Bower, was the same Bower who was Henry Lewis’ partner in a real estate company in later years. S. B. “Bev” Scott had held several offices in Dallas County: deputy sheriff in the 1870s, tax assessor, and county clerk. Alderman Briggs was known to be a strong advocate for building a crematory. Connor was the mayor of Dallas in the late 1880s and early 1890s, including during the 1893 depression. He faced accusations of misuse of city funds, had problems keeping the city afloat during these lean times, and himself owed the city a large sum in back taxes.
From the Dallas Morning News, 25 Dec 1891
THEY WANT THESE THINGS.
What Old Santa Should Put in Some Men’s Stockings
Sam Klein – Chairmanship of the water commission and Dennis Mahoney’s scalp.
Bev Scott – Well, two or three thousand would do for me.
Chief Arnold – More policemen.
Henry Lewis – A way to get re-elected sheriff.
Joe Stewart – More fees.
Nat Turney – Nomination for county judge.
Tom Nash – Me, too.
J. H. Webster – More vitality to the mayoralty bee.
Barry Miller – A call to run for county attorney.
Harry Trace – Some new sub-alliances.
Mayor Connor – Peace.
Alderman Briggs – I sing a song of a crematory.
The fair committee – A quorum of stockholders.
Ed Gray – A black eye for Cleveland.
Brock Robertson – Smoother sailing for James Stephen Hogg.
Dick Scurry, Sid Reinhart and John Alderhoff (in chorus) – An assurance of less fire now and hereafter.
J. E. G. Bower – A boom for the judgeship of the new court to be established.
The following Dallas Morning News article from Christmas 1891– a satirical wish list for Santa on behalf of various Dallas, Texas luminaries of the 1890s – seemed an appropriate place to start since it reminded me a bit of all the letters to Santa posted by GeneaBloggers recently. The targets include my great-great uncle, Sheriff William Henry Lewis. Apparently Sheriff Lewis’ prospects for re-election to a fourth term as sheriff in were not so promising; he did not get re-elected, although he did end up coming in a fairly close second. Sheriff Lewis was in many respects popular sheriff and much admired man, but his popularity suffered somewhat when he prevented a couple of racially tinged lynchings.
I believe the last person on the list, J.E.G. Bower, was the same Bower who was Henry Lewis’ partner in a real estate company in later years. S. B. “Bev” Scott had held several offices in Dallas County: deputy sheriff in the 1870s, tax assessor, and county clerk. Alderman Briggs was known to be a strong advocate for building a crematory. Connor was the mayor of Dallas in the late 1880s and early 1890s, including during the 1893 depression. He faced accusations of misuse of city funds, had problems keeping the city afloat during these lean times, and himself owed the city a large sum in back taxes.
From the Dallas Morning News, 25 Dec 1891
THEY WANT THESE THINGS.
What Old Santa Should Put in Some Men’s Stockings
Sam Klein – Chairmanship of the water commission and Dennis Mahoney’s scalp.
Bev Scott – Well, two or three thousand would do for me.
Chief Arnold – More policemen.
Henry Lewis – A way to get re-elected sheriff.
Joe Stewart – More fees.
Nat Turney – Nomination for county judge.
Tom Nash – Me, too.
J. H. Webster – More vitality to the mayoralty bee.
Barry Miller – A call to run for county attorney.
Harry Trace – Some new sub-alliances.
Mayor Connor – Peace.
Alderman Briggs – I sing a song of a crematory.
The fair committee – A quorum of stockholders.
Ed Gray – A black eye for Cleveland.
Brock Robertson – Smoother sailing for James Stephen Hogg.
Dick Scurry, Sid Reinhart and John Alderhoff (in chorus) – An assurance of less fire now and hereafter.
J. E. G. Bower – A boom for the judgeship of the new court to be established.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Orphans and Orphans: Searching for Preston Moore
I just wanted to find my great-grandfather’s oldest brother, Preston E. Moore.
It seemed that this should not be too difficult. I was flush with success at finding my great-grandfather Harlston Perrin Moore on a Texas Death Certificate and then, not long afterwards, finding his family in South Carolina – just where my mother had always said we “had family.”
There were two main possibilities: Preston had stayed back in South Carolina with the rest of the Moore family, or he had come out to Texas with his brother Perrin Moore. The first did not seem likely: my third cousin Jo Ann S., a skilled and tenacious researcher, had not been able to turn him up after the 1860 census as she had the other three children in the William Spencer Moore and Emily Tarrant family – Anna Jeusha Moore, Commodore Worth Moore, and William Brewster Moore.
However, Jo Ann had also lost track of Perrin Moore after the 1860 census because he had gone out to Texas in 1877 and nothing she had found before this indicated that any members of this family had gone to Texas. Ergo, Preston Moore must be in Texas. So the first thing I did was to look in Texas, specifically the Dallas area, for Preston E. Moore.
A glance at the date of birth of Preston Moore – circa 1843 – suggests a strong third possibility: lost in the Civil War.
But I was optimistic. Didn’t families tend to travel in groups when they migrated? As it turned out, Harlston Perrin Moore and Martha Lewis Moore did travel in a family group – with Martha’s Lewis siblings. I could not find Preston E. Moore in Texas.
After I obtained a copy of H. P. Moore’s Confederate Pension Application from the Texas State Archives, I realized that I would have to start searching for records of Preston E. Moore’s Civil War service. H. P. Moore was just old enough to have served, and his service was in one of the “old men and little boys’” units, the 2nd South Carolina Reserves. His older brother Preston, however, would have been old enough to have served in a regular unit.
Preston became my first “reverse orphan,” and I became a little obsessed with learning his fate. I spent much of my first Memorial Day after getting hooked on genealogy searching for Preston Moore in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System. There were no Preston Moores from South Carolina. There were, however, P. Moores and P.E. Moores. However, I could not really match up any of the P. or P.E. Moores listed with South Carolina units with our Preston; I could eliminate some who were identified in unit histories as being other people, but believed that I would have to wait to find more detailed histories of the other units until I could know where to start tracing what happened to Preston. Preston would have to remain “in limbo” for a while.
A few months after this I obtained a copy of the will of William Spencer Moore, the father of Preston and H.P. Moore. I tore open the envelope and read: “…should my said wife ever marry then I will and bequeath that said Estate both personal and real be sold and the one third of the proceeds thereof be given by my hereinafter Administrator to my said Wife and the remainder thereof be equally divided among my beloved Children Share and Share alike Viz Preston E. Moore (should he be living), Harlston Perin Moore Commodore Worth Moore William Brewster Moore & Anna Jerusha Moore.” That brief parenthetical phrase – “should he be living” – made my heart sink.
The will was dated 25 July 1865, more than two months after the end of the war. I had to face the fact that the most likely scenario was that Preston E. Moore had died in the Civil War. But how could I find him among all the P. Moores and P.E. Moores from South Carolina?
Once again, I let Preston languish in limbo for a while; and to be honest, I had just about given up hope of finding him. But I could not forget him. I always dutifully entered his name in the search box of any new database I came across that had any remote chance of turning him up.
This was the first thing I did when I learned that there was a Civil War Prisoners of War database on Ancestry, and two hits came up: the first brought up an image from a list of prisoners of war at Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania, with Preston Moore’s unit given as the 37th Virginia. The second had a Preston E. Moore from Anderson District, SC (this piece of information was what made me dance with joy in the certainty that this was “my” Preston Moore), with his unit listed as the 37th Virginia, followed by two words which were difficult to distinguish. A check on Footnote turned up a number of pages in the Compiled Military Service File pointing to quite a checkered history: illness, AWOL, desertion and capture, taking the Oath of Allegiance to the United States, and enlistment with the U. S. Marine Corps as a condition for release. Preston was even incorrectly identified as killed in battle at the Rappahannock River, only to turn up again on a Receipt Roll for clothing at Guiney’s Station right around the time Stonewall Jackson died there.
There was so much information on Preston Moore!
There was too much information on Preston Moore.
The Two Preston Moores
It seemed that this should not be too difficult. I was flush with success at finding my great-grandfather Harlston Perrin Moore on a Texas Death Certificate and then, not long afterwards, finding his family in South Carolina – just where my mother had always said we “had family.”
There were two main possibilities: Preston had stayed back in South Carolina with the rest of the Moore family, or he had come out to Texas with his brother Perrin Moore. The first did not seem likely: my third cousin Jo Ann S., a skilled and tenacious researcher, had not been able to turn him up after the 1860 census as she had the other three children in the William Spencer Moore and Emily Tarrant family – Anna Jeusha Moore, Commodore Worth Moore, and William Brewster Moore.
However, Jo Ann had also lost track of Perrin Moore after the 1860 census because he had gone out to Texas in 1877 and nothing she had found before this indicated that any members of this family had gone to Texas. Ergo, Preston Moore must be in Texas. So the first thing I did was to look in Texas, specifically the Dallas area, for Preston E. Moore.
A glance at the date of birth of Preston Moore – circa 1843 – suggests a strong third possibility: lost in the Civil War.
But I was optimistic. Didn’t families tend to travel in groups when they migrated? As it turned out, Harlston Perrin Moore and Martha Lewis Moore did travel in a family group – with Martha’s Lewis siblings. I could not find Preston E. Moore in Texas.
After I obtained a copy of H. P. Moore’s Confederate Pension Application from the Texas State Archives, I realized that I would have to start searching for records of Preston E. Moore’s Civil War service. H. P. Moore was just old enough to have served, and his service was in one of the “old men and little boys’” units, the 2nd South Carolina Reserves. His older brother Preston, however, would have been old enough to have served in a regular unit.
Preston became my first “reverse orphan,” and I became a little obsessed with learning his fate. I spent much of my first Memorial Day after getting hooked on genealogy searching for Preston Moore in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System. There were no Preston Moores from South Carolina. There were, however, P. Moores and P.E. Moores. However, I could not really match up any of the P. or P.E. Moores listed with South Carolina units with our Preston; I could eliminate some who were identified in unit histories as being other people, but believed that I would have to wait to find more detailed histories of the other units until I could know where to start tracing what happened to Preston. Preston would have to remain “in limbo” for a while.
A few months after this I obtained a copy of the will of William Spencer Moore, the father of Preston and H.P. Moore. I tore open the envelope and read: “…should my said wife ever marry then I will and bequeath that said Estate both personal and real be sold and the one third of the proceeds thereof be given by my hereinafter Administrator to my said Wife and the remainder thereof be equally divided among my beloved Children Share and Share alike Viz Preston E. Moore (should he be living), Harlston Perin Moore Commodore Worth Moore William Brewster Moore & Anna Jerusha Moore.” That brief parenthetical phrase – “should he be living” – made my heart sink.
The will was dated 25 July 1865, more than two months after the end of the war. I had to face the fact that the most likely scenario was that Preston E. Moore had died in the Civil War. But how could I find him among all the P. Moores and P.E. Moores from South Carolina?
Once again, I let Preston languish in limbo for a while; and to be honest, I had just about given up hope of finding him. But I could not forget him. I always dutifully entered his name in the search box of any new database I came across that had any remote chance of turning him up.
This was the first thing I did when I learned that there was a Civil War Prisoners of War database on Ancestry, and two hits came up: the first brought up an image from a list of prisoners of war at Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania, with Preston Moore’s unit given as the 37th Virginia. The second had a Preston E. Moore from Anderson District, SC (this piece of information was what made me dance with joy in the certainty that this was “my” Preston Moore), with his unit listed as the 37th Virginia, followed by two words which were difficult to distinguish. A check on Footnote turned up a number of pages in the Compiled Military Service File pointing to quite a checkered history: illness, AWOL, desertion and capture, taking the Oath of Allegiance to the United States, and enlistment with the U. S. Marine Corps as a condition for release. Preston was even incorrectly identified as killed in battle at the Rappahannock River, only to turn up again on a Receipt Roll for clothing at Guiney’s Station right around the time Stonewall Jackson died there.
There was so much information on Preston Moore!
There was too much information on Preston Moore.
The Two Preston Moores
Friday, October 16, 2009
Family Newsletter Friday: 16 October 2009
Very little to report this week – over the long weekend we visited our older daughter in Philadelphia, and it took a lot of time to catch up on e-mail and so forth when we got back.
Smith (Brinlee)
I finally got back to working on the Smith candidate families yesterday. For now I’m done with #1 families (just doing some basic research on each family for now) and it’s on to Group 2 families. However, before starting on them, I spent a little time researching a Bonner family that might be the family of a mysterious W. T. Bonner who married a Lizzie Smith in McMinn Co., Tennessee in 1886.
Today the Social Security application of my great-uncle Cecil Odell Brinlee came in the mail. It is dated January 6, 1940 and lists his mother’s maiden name as “Susan Elizabeth Smith.” This is pretty decent evidence that this was her actual name, since she was probably living with Odell and his family at this time.
No reply, yet, from the person who set up the memorial to Lizzie on Findagrave; I’ll have to try contacting the person who maintains the site.
Lewis (Moore)
Chalk one up for GenealogyWise – I heard from a cousin who is descended from John Sloan Lewis on my page there. This is the first Lewis cousin in the Elisha Berry Lewis-Martha Poole line I have heard from, so I am pretty excited. However, I have not yet had a reply to my reply and am dying to hear more about the Dallas Lewises!
Smith (Brinlee)
I finally got back to working on the Smith candidate families yesterday. For now I’m done with #1 families (just doing some basic research on each family for now) and it’s on to Group 2 families. However, before starting on them, I spent a little time researching a Bonner family that might be the family of a mysterious W. T. Bonner who married a Lizzie Smith in McMinn Co., Tennessee in 1886.
Today the Social Security application of my great-uncle Cecil Odell Brinlee came in the mail. It is dated January 6, 1940 and lists his mother’s maiden name as “Susan Elizabeth Smith.” This is pretty decent evidence that this was her actual name, since she was probably living with Odell and his family at this time.
No reply, yet, from the person who set up the memorial to Lizzie on Findagrave; I’ll have to try contacting the person who maintains the site.
Lewis (Moore)
Chalk one up for GenealogyWise – I heard from a cousin who is descended from John Sloan Lewis on my page there. This is the first Lewis cousin in the Elisha Berry Lewis-Martha Poole line I have heard from, so I am pretty excited. However, I have not yet had a reply to my reply and am dying to hear more about the Dallas Lewises!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Featured Family Friday: Christopher Hindman and Lucy Lewis
Christopher C. Hindman
b. 20 May 1877, South Carolina
d. 18 Nov 1947, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
& Lucy Lewis
b. 7 Feb 1868
d. 24 Nov 1967, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--Christopher Hindman Jr.*
|----b. 14 Jan 1902, South Carolina
|----d. 5 Feb 1978, Polk, North Carolina
|---& Grace McDonald
|----b. 8 Nov 1901, Oconee Co., SC
|----d. 10 Jul 1969, Greer, Greenville, South Carolina
|----m. 1925
|--Christopher Hindman Jr.*
|----b. 14 Jan 1902, South Carolina
|----d. 5 Feb 1978, Polk, North Carolina
|---& Elsie P.
|--James Hindman
|----b. 24 Dec 1904, South Carolina
|----d. 1 Nov 1957, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--Henry Lewis Hindman
|----b. 1907, South Carolina
|--& Joyce E. Williams
|--Elinor Dorothy Hindman
|----b. 1909, South Carolina
|---& Davenport
|--Hilda Hindman
|----b. 1912, South Carolina
|---& McCuen
Lucy Lewis, the daughter of Elisha Berry Lewis and his second wife, Frances Eleanor Campbell, was the half-sister of my great-grandmother Martha E. Lewis (Moore). Christopher C. (I believe the “C” stands for Columbus) Hindman was the son of Patrick Hindman and Elizabeth Holliday. My information on the children is rather sketchy; most of it comes from the obituary of Christopher Hindman, Jr. As you can see, Lucy Lewis’ Hindman must have been 99 when she died. The SSDI for her actually gave her year of birth as 1878, but she shows up on the 1870 census as a two-year-old and on the 1880 census as a 12-year-old, so I took 7 February as the date of her birth from the SSDI and corrected the year to 1868. From the 1900 census onward, she becomes progressively younger.
If you are related to or researching this family, you can use the “Contact” button on the left side of this blog to get in touch with me.
b. 20 May 1877, South Carolina
d. 18 Nov 1947, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
& Lucy Lewis
b. 7 Feb 1868
d. 24 Nov 1967, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--Christopher Hindman Jr.*
|----b. 14 Jan 1902, South Carolina
|----d. 5 Feb 1978, Polk, North Carolina
|---& Grace McDonald
|----b. 8 Nov 1901, Oconee Co., SC
|----d. 10 Jul 1969, Greer, Greenville, South Carolina
|----m. 1925
|--Christopher Hindman Jr.*
|----b. 14 Jan 1902, South Carolina
|----d. 5 Feb 1978, Polk, North Carolina
|---& Elsie P.
|--James Hindman
|----b. 24 Dec 1904, South Carolina
|----d. 1 Nov 1957, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--Henry Lewis Hindman
|----b. 1907, South Carolina
|--& Joyce E. Williams
|--Elinor Dorothy Hindman
|----b. 1909, South Carolina
|---& Davenport
|--Hilda Hindman
|----b. 1912, South Carolina
|---& McCuen
Lucy Lewis, the daughter of Elisha Berry Lewis and his second wife, Frances Eleanor Campbell, was the half-sister of my great-grandmother Martha E. Lewis (Moore). Christopher C. (I believe the “C” stands for Columbus) Hindman was the son of Patrick Hindman and Elizabeth Holliday. My information on the children is rather sketchy; most of it comes from the obituary of Christopher Hindman, Jr. As you can see, Lucy Lewis’ Hindman must have been 99 when she died. The SSDI for her actually gave her year of birth as 1878, but she shows up on the 1870 census as a two-year-old and on the 1880 census as a 12-year-old, so I took 7 February as the date of her birth from the SSDI and corrected the year to 1868. From the 1900 census onward, she becomes progressively younger.
If you are related to or researching this family, you can use the “Contact” button on the left side of this blog to get in touch with me.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Featured Family Friday: John Sloan Lewis and Carrie Lanora Orr
John Sloan Lewis
b. 12 May 1856, Anderson Co., South Carolina
d. 7 Jul 1940, Dallas County, TX
& Carrie Lanora Orr
b. 21 Nov 1858, South Carolina
d. 7 Jul 1934, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
m. 1875
|--William B. Lewis
|----b. 31 Aug 1875, South Carolina
|----d. 27 Feb 1928, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
|--Eddie Brennon Lewis Sr.
|----b. 13 Oct 1877, South Carolina
|----d. 2 Apr 1970, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
|---& Blanche Hansford
|----b. 28 Aug 1884, Ohio
|----d. 29 Aug 1967, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
|----m. 1902
|--Roy Henry Lewis
|----b. 21 Dec 1880, Texas
|----d. 10 Jan 1959, Pauls Valley, Garvin Co., OK
|---& Bessie Lee Scrivner
|----b. 1 Oct 1884, Indian Territory, Oklahoma
|----d. 5 Jan 1963, Pauls Valley, Garvin Co., OK
|----m. 8 Jun 1904, Chickasaw Nation, Ardmore, Oklahoma
|--Kemp Lewis
|----b. 21 Feb 1883, Lancaster, Texas
|----d. 11 Sep 1957, Houston, Harris County, Texas
|---& Shirley May Whilden
|----b. 11 Dec 1892, Indianapolis, Indiana
|----d. 9 Feb 1949, Galveston, Galveston, Texas
|----m. 30 Oct 1912, Dallas County, TX
|--Oscar Lee Lewis
|----b. 8 Aug 1885, Texas
|----d. 21 Sep 1972, Grand Prairie, Tarrant, Texas
|---& Sarah Alston
|----b. 13 Jun 1885, Texas
|----d. 31 Jan 1975, Arlington, Tarrant, Texas
|----m. 2 May 1905, Cliff Temple Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas
|--Howard Guy Lewis
|----b. 23 Mar 1888, Lancaster, Texas
|----d. 3 Aug 1969, Temple, Bell, TX
This is the family of the youngest brother of my great-grandmother Martha E. Lewis (Moore). John Sloan Lewis’ parents were Elisha Berry Lewis and Martha Poole. Carrie was the daughter of Captain William and Jane Orr. Below is John Sloan Lewis’ obituary, taken from the Dallas Morning News, 9 July 1940, Section II, p. 9:
Early County Peace Officer, Mule Driver Passes; Funeral Tuesday for J. Sloan Lewis
“A mule driver from the days when freight wagons rumbled between Dallas and Lancaster, deputy sheriff who went after outlaws with saddle and sixgun, will be laid away with the body of J. Sloan Lewis, 84, Tuesday.
Hit by a sudden stroke at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, the man who owned the third telephone ever installed in Oak Cliff managed to drag himself from his apartment at 816 East Ninth Street to the door of a son and ask that a doctor be called. He made his way back to his room before he lost consciousness forever.
Mr. Lewis died Sunday night. He will be buried in Laurel Land Memorial Park following funeral services at the Sparkman-Brand Chapel at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
In County Sixty-Three Years
Dallas County had known the 6-foot 2-inch 235-pound frame of Irishman John Sloan Lewis for sixty-three years. When he first to Oak Cliff, he sometimes shot squirrels with a six-shooter on Ewing, and no more than 3,000 people lived on the bluffs across the river. When he first installed his telephone, it was such a curiosity that the neighbors came for miles to use it.
He first settled in Lancaster in 1877, coming there from his native city, Anderson, S.C. He hired out as a cotton buyer to R. P. Henry, Lancaster private banker. Part of his job was to run the mule train that hauled Lancaster cotton into Dallas and took groceries back to the Lancaster stores. On some trips he carried thousands of dollars of the Henry bank’s money hidden away under his load.
A short time afterward, his brother, W. Henry Lewis, became sheriff of Dallas County, and Mr. Lewis went to work as deputy at Lancaster.
Mr. Lewis moved to Oak Cliff in 1893 and settled down on the lot where he died. Until he retired some ten years ago, he was joint special claims agent for half a dozen railroads under the direction of the Texas & Pacific. Since his retirement, he had devoted his time to managing his rent properties and real estate.
Familiar Oak Cliff Figure
He remained one of the Cliff community’s familiar figures. Still weighing more than 200 pounds, he had lost little of his vigor. At 84, his teeth were still sound. He never used spectacles except when he was reading. Until three years ago, he drove his own automobile.
The Rev. Leo Johnston and the Rev. Bertram Smith will conduct the funeral service. W. R. Carnihan, J. C. Simmons, Charles H. Tosch, Sam J. Smith, I. G. Etheridge and L. A. Stacey will be pallbearers.
The survivors include five sons, E. B. Lewis, Roy H. Lewis, Oscar L. Lewis and Guy Lewis of Dallas and Kemp Lewis of Houston; two sisters, Miss Julia Lewis of Los Angeles, and Mrs. C. C. Hindman of Greenville, S.C., and his brother, W. Henry Lewis of Dallas.”
I would love to share information with anyone related to/researching this family; you can use the “Contact” button on the left side of this blog to get in touch with me.
b. 12 May 1856, Anderson Co., South Carolina
d. 7 Jul 1940, Dallas County, TX
& Carrie Lanora Orr
b. 21 Nov 1858, South Carolina
d. 7 Jul 1934, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
m. 1875
|--William B. Lewis
|----b. 31 Aug 1875, South Carolina
|----d. 27 Feb 1928, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
|--Eddie Brennon Lewis Sr.
|----b. 13 Oct 1877, South Carolina
|----d. 2 Apr 1970, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
|---& Blanche Hansford
|----b. 28 Aug 1884, Ohio
|----d. 29 Aug 1967, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
|----m. 1902
|--Roy Henry Lewis
|----b. 21 Dec 1880, Texas
|----d. 10 Jan 1959, Pauls Valley, Garvin Co., OK
|---& Bessie Lee Scrivner
|----b. 1 Oct 1884, Indian Territory, Oklahoma
|----d. 5 Jan 1963, Pauls Valley, Garvin Co., OK
|----m. 8 Jun 1904, Chickasaw Nation, Ardmore, Oklahoma
|--Kemp Lewis
|----b. 21 Feb 1883, Lancaster, Texas
|----d. 11 Sep 1957, Houston, Harris County, Texas
|---& Shirley May Whilden
|----b. 11 Dec 1892, Indianapolis, Indiana
|----d. 9 Feb 1949, Galveston, Galveston, Texas
|----m. 30 Oct 1912, Dallas County, TX
|--Oscar Lee Lewis
|----b. 8 Aug 1885, Texas
|----d. 21 Sep 1972, Grand Prairie, Tarrant, Texas
|---& Sarah Alston
|----b. 13 Jun 1885, Texas
|----d. 31 Jan 1975, Arlington, Tarrant, Texas
|----m. 2 May 1905, Cliff Temple Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas
|--Howard Guy Lewis
|----b. 23 Mar 1888, Lancaster, Texas
|----d. 3 Aug 1969, Temple, Bell, TX
This is the family of the youngest brother of my great-grandmother Martha E. Lewis (Moore). John Sloan Lewis’ parents were Elisha Berry Lewis and Martha Poole. Carrie was the daughter of Captain William and Jane Orr. Below is John Sloan Lewis’ obituary, taken from the Dallas Morning News, 9 July 1940, Section II, p. 9:
Early County Peace Officer, Mule Driver Passes; Funeral Tuesday for J. Sloan Lewis
“A mule driver from the days when freight wagons rumbled between Dallas and Lancaster, deputy sheriff who went after outlaws with saddle and sixgun, will be laid away with the body of J. Sloan Lewis, 84, Tuesday.
Hit by a sudden stroke at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, the man who owned the third telephone ever installed in Oak Cliff managed to drag himself from his apartment at 816 East Ninth Street to the door of a son and ask that a doctor be called. He made his way back to his room before he lost consciousness forever.
Mr. Lewis died Sunday night. He will be buried in Laurel Land Memorial Park following funeral services at the Sparkman-Brand Chapel at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
In County Sixty-Three Years
Dallas County had known the 6-foot 2-inch 235-pound frame of Irishman John Sloan Lewis for sixty-three years. When he first to Oak Cliff, he sometimes shot squirrels with a six-shooter on Ewing, and no more than 3,000 people lived on the bluffs across the river. When he first installed his telephone, it was such a curiosity that the neighbors came for miles to use it.
He first settled in Lancaster in 1877, coming there from his native city, Anderson, S.C. He hired out as a cotton buyer to R. P. Henry, Lancaster private banker. Part of his job was to run the mule train that hauled Lancaster cotton into Dallas and took groceries back to the Lancaster stores. On some trips he carried thousands of dollars of the Henry bank’s money hidden away under his load.
A short time afterward, his brother, W. Henry Lewis, became sheriff of Dallas County, and Mr. Lewis went to work as deputy at Lancaster.
Mr. Lewis moved to Oak Cliff in 1893 and settled down on the lot where he died. Until he retired some ten years ago, he was joint special claims agent for half a dozen railroads under the direction of the Texas & Pacific. Since his retirement, he had devoted his time to managing his rent properties and real estate.
Familiar Oak Cliff Figure
He remained one of the Cliff community’s familiar figures. Still weighing more than 200 pounds, he had lost little of his vigor. At 84, his teeth were still sound. He never used spectacles except when he was reading. Until three years ago, he drove his own automobile.
The Rev. Leo Johnston and the Rev. Bertram Smith will conduct the funeral service. W. R. Carnihan, J. C. Simmons, Charles H. Tosch, Sam J. Smith, I. G. Etheridge and L. A. Stacey will be pallbearers.
The survivors include five sons, E. B. Lewis, Roy H. Lewis, Oscar L. Lewis and Guy Lewis of Dallas and Kemp Lewis of Houston; two sisters, Miss Julia Lewis of Los Angeles, and Mrs. C. C. Hindman of Greenville, S.C., and his brother, W. Henry Lewis of Dallas.”
I would love to share information with anyone related to/researching this family; you can use the “Contact” button on the left side of this blog to get in touch with me.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Featured Family Friday: William Henry Lewis and Julia Mister
William Henry Lewis
--b. 11 Mar 1851, Franklin Co., Georgia
--d. 21 Feb 1946, Baylor Hospital, Dallas, Dallas Co., Texas
& Julia Mister
--b. 12 Oct 1871, Grenada, Mississippi
--d. 22 Sep 1945, Dallas County, TX
--m. 1893
Julia Mister and William Henry Lewis – aka “Dearest” and “Duse” – are one of my favorite families. They had no children of their own, but they helped to raise the children of Julia’s best friend Bettie Curtice Rosser, who died when the children were still young, and Bettie’s husband Virgil Rosser, who had to travel a great deal on business (you can read more about them in Uncle, Uncle – William Henry Lewis: A Little Man Who Stood Tall.
W. H. Lewis was the son of Elisha Berry Lewis and Martha Poole of Anderson County, South Carolina; his sister, Martha E. “Mattie” Lewis (Moore) was my great-grandmother. Henry and Martha were born in Franklin County, Georgia, where the E. B. Lewis family lived in the late 1840s and early 1850s. Julia Mister was the daughter of Wilbur Fiske Mister and his first wife, Corinne Campbell.
The picture at the top shows Dearest and Duse at their home in Dallas and was probably taken in the early 1940s. The second picture shows a young Julia on the right and one of her friends (or possibly her half-sister or cousin) on the left sitting on mules; it may have been taken near the Grand Canyon.
Below are the obituaries of William Henry and Julia Mister Lewis; they are transcribed from the materials of the William Henry and Julia Mister Lewis Collection of John R. Hornady, III, privately held by Greta K.
Obituary of William Henry Lewis, handwritten date 2-22-46, negative photocopy from the Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb 1946, entitled “Early-Day Officer Dies in Dallas”
William Henry Lewis, 95, colorful early-day peace officer and the first Dallas County sheriff to hold office for three terms, died Thursday afternoon at Baylor Hospital. He lived at 1520 South Boulevard.
One of fourteen children, Lewis was born in Franklin Co., Ga., and spent his early boyhood on a farm in Anderson County, South Carolina. He had a constant ambition to come to Texas and at the close of the Civil War spent his savings of $45 on a railroad ticket.
He split rails at 1 c each to replenish the funds and later did survey work for the railroad along the route. He got to Dallas in 1873 and located on a farm near Lisbon,.
Long Time Deputy Sheriff.
His first public office was as Deputy Tax Assessor of Dallas County under Dod Rollins. Under Sheriff Ben Jones, he became a deputy. He continued in this job under Sheriff W. H. W. Smith.
He then held the office of Constable of Precinct 1, Dallas County, and in the fall of 1886 was elected Sheriff. He was re-elected in 1888 and 1890.
Many stories of Lewis’ remarkable character and quiet courage are told of his days as Sheriff.
One relates how Lewis, while unarmed, induced one of the infamous Starr brothers to follow him meekly to jail after he had shot up a downtown saloon.
Retiring from office he entered the real estate business with the late Col. O. P. Bowser. They formed the firm of Bowser & Lewis and Lewis continued in this business until his death.
Active in Masonry.
He was a member of the Presbyterian Church York Rite and Scottish Rite degrees of Masonry, the Shriners, the Knights of Pythias, the Knights of Honor and the Elks.
At one time he served as a member of the city’s equalization board and was frequently called in to help on various real estate condemnation and valuation committees.
He was interested in navigation of the Trinity River. He was one of the founders of the Oakland Cemetery and helped keep the Texas State Fair operating in the days before the city assumed the debt.
Surviving are two half-sisters, Miss Julia Lewis, San Diego, Calif., and Mrs. C. C. Hindman, Greenville, SC, and two nephews, Roy Lewis and Ed Lewis, both of Dallas.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p. m. Saturday at Sparkman-Brand Funeral Chapel, 2113 Ross.
Obituary of Mrs. William Henry Lewis [nee Julia Mister], clipping from unidentified newspaper, entitled “Lewis Rites Set Monday.”
Lewis Rites Set Monday
Funeral services for Mrs. William Henry Lewis, who died Saturday at her home, 1520 South Boulevard, were to be held at 4 p. m. Monday at the Sparkman-Brand Funeral Chapel,2115 Ross Ave. Rev. Philip Sarles, pastor of the Central Congregational Church, was to officiate.
Mrs. Lewis was born in Granada, Miss., but moved to Plano, Tex. with her parents as a child, in 1883. Her father was the late Prof. Wilbur H. Mister, founder of Plano Institute and later connected with Polytechnical College at Fort Worth. Her mother, the late Corinne Campbell Mister, was born in Charleston, S.C.
In 1893 she became the bride of William H. Lewis of Dallas, where Mr. Lewis was active in real estate and business circles.
Mrs. Lewis had been prominent in Dallas literary and civic activities. She was a member of the Southern Memorial Association, Pierian Club, Browning Club, and in early years she was one of the leading Dallas musicians.
Among friends from out-of-town who attended the services were Mrs. Jack R. Hornady of Tarrytown, N.Y.; Mrs. Rosser Zoll of New York, N.Y.; Dr. and Mrs. Virgil O. Rosser Jr. of Graham, Tex.; Mrs. V.O. Rosser, Sr., of Graham, Tex., and Mrs. Francis M. Black of Kincaid, Kan. Mrs. Wilbur Hawkins was soloist and Mrs. A. A. Cocke paid a tribute at the service.
Pallbearers were Dr. Curtice Rosser, Roscoe P. DeWitt, J.E. Gamble, Gwynne S. Curtis, J.W. Shepard, Jr., and Roy H. Lewis.
[Mrs. Francis M. Black is Edna, Julia’s half-sister.]
Friday, September 4, 2009
Featured Family Friday: James West Lewis and Sophia Adeline Millwee
James West Lewis
b. Nov 1835, South Carolina
d. 20 Mar 1904
& Sophia Adeline Milwee
b. 5 Mar 1839, Anderson District, South Carolina
d. 30 Dec 1926, Vernon, Willbarger, Texas
m. 28 Feb 1867
|--Sophia Caroline Lewis
|----b. 2 Dec 1868, South Carolina
|----d. 1932
|---& James A. Puckett
|----b. Oct 1861, Texas
|----d. bef 1930
|----m. 1888
|--Samuel Millwee Lewis
|----b. 2 Feb 1871, South Carolina
|----d. 19 Apr 1942
|---& Edith Cederia Sparks
|----b. 29 Dec 1880, Alabama
|----d. 21 Feb 1975, Slaton, Lubbock, Texas
|----m. 1908
|--Robert Lewis
|----b. 3 Mar 1873, South Carolina
|----d. bef 1880
|--Blake Henry Lewis*
|----b. 10 Jun 1875, South Carolina
|----d. 20 Jan 1962, Vernon, Wilbarger Co., Texas
|---& Mary Nancy “Mollie” Starr
|----b. Nov 1877, Missouri
|----d. 20 Jul 1917, Vernon, Wilbarger Co., Texas
|----m. 3 Mar 1900, Vernon, Wilbarger Co., Texas
|--Blake Henry Lewis*
|----b. 10 Jun 1875, South Carolina
|----d. 20 Jan 1962, Vernon, Wilbarger Co., Texas
|---& Florence Belzora Osborne
|----b. 29 Feb 1884, Callihan, McMullen Co., Texas
|----m. 22 Aug 1925
|--David J. Lewis
|----b. 22 Apr 1877, Texas
|----d. 7 Jul 1961, Los Angeles, California
|---& Alice A. McKinney
|----b. 26 Feb 1882, Texas
|----d. 11 Dec 1966, Los Angeles, California
|--Manning Hyson Lewis
|----b. 17 Oct 1879, Texas
|----d. 21 Oct 1964, Wichita Falls, Wichita, Texas
|---& Myrtle Mae Kincheloe
|----b. 10 Apr 1886, Hamilton Co., Texas
|----d. 2 Dec 1961, Vernon, Wilbarger Co., Texas
|----m. 15 Aug 1905, Vernon, Wilbarger Co.,
This is the family of my great-grandmother Martha E. Lewis’ oldest brother, James West Lewis. I initially did not know if this James West Lewis was the same as the James W. Lewis I had identified as her brother, but when I saw that one of his sons was named Manning, I knew he was the correct person. This Manning was named for James’ and Martha’s brother Manning, who died in the Civil War. (The latter was named for his grandfather, Manning Poole, whose given name was his mother’s maiden name.) I suspect that son Samuel was named for another Lewis brother who also died in the Civil War and who served in the same unit as James, the 4th Regiment, SC Infantry, Company B.
This Lewis family probably moved from South Carolina to Texas in the same year as the other Lewis siblings who moved (1877, possibly earlier in the year, however), but settled first in Travis County and then in Wilbarger County instead of Dallas County, where the other Lewis siblings settled. Wilbarger County is only one county over from Baylor County, where James’ nephew Kirby Runion Moore, my grandfather, moved in 1917, so I wonder if the cousins were aware that they lived so near to one another.
Sophia Adeline Millwee was a cousin of James West Lewis; if I remember correctly, she was his first cousin once removed.
If you are researching this family, please contact me (using the button at the left of this blog).
b. Nov 1835, South Carolina
d. 20 Mar 1904
& Sophia Adeline Milwee
b. 5 Mar 1839, Anderson District, South Carolina
d. 30 Dec 1926, Vernon, Willbarger, Texas
m. 28 Feb 1867
|--Sophia Caroline Lewis
|----b. 2 Dec 1868, South Carolina
|----d. 1932
|---& James A. Puckett
|----b. Oct 1861, Texas
|----d. bef 1930
|----m. 1888
|--Samuel Millwee Lewis
|----b. 2 Feb 1871, South Carolina
|----d. 19 Apr 1942
|---& Edith Cederia Sparks
|----b. 29 Dec 1880, Alabama
|----d. 21 Feb 1975, Slaton, Lubbock, Texas
|----m. 1908
|--Robert Lewis
|----b. 3 Mar 1873, South Carolina
|----d. bef 1880
|--Blake Henry Lewis*
|----b. 10 Jun 1875, South Carolina
|----d. 20 Jan 1962, Vernon, Wilbarger Co., Texas
|---& Mary Nancy “Mollie” Starr
|----b. Nov 1877, Missouri
|----d. 20 Jul 1917, Vernon, Wilbarger Co., Texas
|----m. 3 Mar 1900, Vernon, Wilbarger Co., Texas
|--Blake Henry Lewis*
|----b. 10 Jun 1875, South Carolina
|----d. 20 Jan 1962, Vernon, Wilbarger Co., Texas
|---& Florence Belzora Osborne
|----b. 29 Feb 1884, Callihan, McMullen Co., Texas
|----m. 22 Aug 1925
|--David J. Lewis
|----b. 22 Apr 1877, Texas
|----d. 7 Jul 1961, Los Angeles, California
|---& Alice A. McKinney
|----b. 26 Feb 1882, Texas
|----d. 11 Dec 1966, Los Angeles, California
|--Manning Hyson Lewis
|----b. 17 Oct 1879, Texas
|----d. 21 Oct 1964, Wichita Falls, Wichita, Texas
|---& Myrtle Mae Kincheloe
|----b. 10 Apr 1886, Hamilton Co., Texas
|----d. 2 Dec 1961, Vernon, Wilbarger Co., Texas
|----m. 15 Aug 1905, Vernon, Wilbarger Co.,
This is the family of my great-grandmother Martha E. Lewis’ oldest brother, James West Lewis. I initially did not know if this James West Lewis was the same as the James W. Lewis I had identified as her brother, but when I saw that one of his sons was named Manning, I knew he was the correct person. This Manning was named for James’ and Martha’s brother Manning, who died in the Civil War. (The latter was named for his grandfather, Manning Poole, whose given name was his mother’s maiden name.) I suspect that son Samuel was named for another Lewis brother who also died in the Civil War and who served in the same unit as James, the 4th Regiment, SC Infantry, Company B.
This Lewis family probably moved from South Carolina to Texas in the same year as the other Lewis siblings who moved (1877, possibly earlier in the year, however), but settled first in Travis County and then in Wilbarger County instead of Dallas County, where the other Lewis siblings settled. Wilbarger County is only one county over from Baylor County, where James’ nephew Kirby Runion Moore, my grandfather, moved in 1917, so I wonder if the cousins were aware that they lived so near to one another.
Sophia Adeline Millwee was a cousin of James West Lewis; if I remember correctly, she was his first cousin once removed.
If you are researching this family, please contact me (using the button at the left of this blog).
Friday, August 28, 2009
Featured Family Friday: Elisha Berry Lewis Family
Elisha Berry Lewis
b. 1813, South Carolina
d. 23 Feb 1889, Anderson Co., South Carolina
& Martha M. Poole
b. 1815, South Carolina
d. bef 1865
m. 3 Feb 1835
|--James West Lewis
|----b. Nov 1835, South Carolina
|----d. 20 Mar 1904
|---& Sophia Adeline Milwee
|----b. 5 Mar 1839, Anderson District, South Carolina
|----d. 30 Dec 1926, Vernon, Willbarger, Texas
|----m. 28 Feb 1867
|--Margaret A. Lewis
|----b. 1839, South Carolina
|--Samuel D. Lewis
|----b. 1840
|----d. 14 Aug 1864, Fussell’s Mill, Virginia
|--Manning P. Lewis
|----b. 1843, Georgia
|----d. 25 Mar 1865
|--Mary R. Lewis
|----b. 1846, Georgia
|----d. 1850, Georgia
|--Martha E. “Mattie” Lewis
|----b. 8 Nov 1848, Franklin Co., Georgia
|----d. 22 Sep 1930, Plano, Collin Co., Texas
|---& Harlston Perrin Moore
|----b. 4 Dec 1845, Anderson Co., South Carolina
|----d. 12 Dec 1921, Lancaster, Dallas Co., TX
|----m. 3 Dec 1865, Anderson Co., South Carolina
|---William Henry Lewis
|-----b. 11 Mar 1851, Franklin Co., Georgia
|----d. 21 Feb 1946, Baylor Hospital, Dallas, Dallas Co., Texas
|---& Julia Mister
|----b. 12 Oct 1871, Grenada, Mississippi
|----d. 22 Sep 1945, Dallas County, TX
|----m. 1893
|--Leonora J. “Nora” Lewis
|----b. ca 1854
|--John Sloan Lewis
|----b. 12 May 1856, Anderson Co., South Carolina
|----d. 7 Jul 1940, Dallas County, TX
|---& Carrie Lanora Orr
|----b. 21 Nov 1858, South Carolina
|----d. 7 Jul 1934, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
|----m. 1875
|--Cora Lewis
|----b. 1859, South Carolina
|-----d. aft 1870
Elisha Berry Lewis
b. 1813, South Carolina
d. 23 Feb 1889, Anderson Co., South Carolina
& Frances Eleanor Campbell
b. May 1835, South Carolina
d. 29 Jul 1918, Anderson Co., South Carolina
|--Julia M. Lewis
|----b. Sep 1866, South Carolina
|----d. 26 May 1947, San Diego, California
|--Lucy Lewis
|----b. 7 Feb 1868
|----d. 24 Nov 1967, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|---& Christopher C. Hindman
|----b. 20 May 1877, South Carolina
|----d. 18 Nov 1947, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--Lillie May Lewis
|----b. 1871, South Carolina
|----d. 1896, South Carolina
|--Alfred P. Lewis
|----b. 1879, South Carolina
This is the family of my great-great grandfather Elisha Berry Lewis, son of Elisha Lewis and Rosannah Dalrymple, who was married first to Martha Poole (my great-great grandmother), daughter of Manning Poole and Mary Milwee, and second to Frances Eleanor Campbell, daughter of Daniel Campbell and Eleanor Sherrill (a family with several connections to the Lewises) who was first married to John Marion Bailey, Sr. (that family is shown at the bottom of this post).
This family and the Moore family are my top research priorities, mainly because they are the families for which I have been able to do the most original research. When a cousin told me that our great-grandfather Harlston Perrin Moore’s wife Martha was reputed to be a Lewis, I started looking for a Lewis family in Anderson County, South Carolina that was in Georgia around the time of the 1850 census, but was in Anderson County before and after that time period; Martha was born in Georgia in 1848 but her parents were born in South Carolina and she had to be back in Anderson County by the 1860s to meet and marry my great-grandfather . And, sure enough, I found the E. B. Lewis family in Anderson in 1840, in Franklin County, Georgia in 1850, and back in Anderson in 1860.
This large family has been a lot of fun to research, but there are obviously still some gaps. The big ones are several of the daughters: Margaret, Leanora “Nora,” and Cora. Nora shows up with brothers John Sloan and William Henry on the 1880 census in Dallas (John Sloan and Carrie Lewis, Harlston Perrin and Martha Lewis Moore, and Nora apparently moved to Dallas County, Texas in 1877, following brother William Henry, who made his way out there in 1873). William Henry served three terms (1886-1892) as sheriff of Dallas County and John Sloan served as a deputy sheriff. Brother James West Lewis also moved out to Texas in the late 1870s but settled in Wilbarger County. Brothers Manning and Samuel died in the Civil War, and two of James’ sons are named for them. I do not have a date of death for Alfred Lewis, but I do know from the obituary of one of his siblings that he lived in Kansas City, Missouri in later years.
If you are researching any of these people or any families related to them in any way, please, please, please contact me (using the button at the left of this blog). I have a lot of information to share.
Family of Frances Eleanor Campbell and John Marion Bailey, Sr.:
John Marion Bailey Sr.
b. ca 1822, Pendleton District, South Carolina
d. 1863
& Frances Eleanor Campbell
b. May 1835, South Carolina
d. 29 Jul 1918, Anderson Co., South Carolina
|--Eliza Eleanor Bailey
|----b. 31 Dec 1856, South Carolina
|----d. 17 Nov 1942, San Diego, California
|---& Walter Quincy “Quince” Hammond
|----b. 8 Dec 1854, Florida
|----d. 7 Mar 1906, South Carolina
|--William Daniel Bailey
|----b. 20 Jan 1860, South Carolina
|----d. 31 Aug 1935, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--John Marion Bailey Jr.
|----b. 13 Dec 1862, South Carolina
|----d. 24 Sep 1959
|---& Catherine Elizabeth “Lizzie” Maddox
|----b. 15 Mar 1867
|----d. 24 Dec 1959
|----m. 1889
An interesting note: John Marion Bailey, Senior, James West Lewis, and Samuel D. Lewis all served in the same unit in the Civil War, the 4th South Carolina (Palmetto Sharpshooters). I have a poster with tiny thumbnail pictures of all three of them.
b. 1813, South Carolina
d. 23 Feb 1889, Anderson Co., South Carolina
& Martha M. Poole
b. 1815, South Carolina
d. bef 1865
m. 3 Feb 1835
|--James West Lewis
|----b. Nov 1835, South Carolina
|----d. 20 Mar 1904
|---& Sophia Adeline Milwee
|----b. 5 Mar 1839, Anderson District, South Carolina
|----d. 30 Dec 1926, Vernon, Willbarger, Texas
|----m. 28 Feb 1867
|--Margaret A. Lewis
|----b. 1839, South Carolina
|--Samuel D. Lewis
|----b. 1840
|----d. 14 Aug 1864, Fussell’s Mill, Virginia
|--Manning P. Lewis
|----b. 1843, Georgia
|----d. 25 Mar 1865
|--Mary R. Lewis
|----b. 1846, Georgia
|----d. 1850, Georgia
|--Martha E. “Mattie” Lewis
|----b. 8 Nov 1848, Franklin Co., Georgia
|----d. 22 Sep 1930, Plano, Collin Co., Texas
|---& Harlston Perrin Moore
|----b. 4 Dec 1845, Anderson Co., South Carolina
|----d. 12 Dec 1921, Lancaster, Dallas Co., TX
|----m. 3 Dec 1865, Anderson Co., South Carolina
|---William Henry Lewis
|-----b. 11 Mar 1851, Franklin Co., Georgia
|----d. 21 Feb 1946, Baylor Hospital, Dallas, Dallas Co., Texas
|---& Julia Mister
|----b. 12 Oct 1871, Grenada, Mississippi
|----d. 22 Sep 1945, Dallas County, TX
|----m. 1893
|--Leonora J. “Nora” Lewis
|----b. ca 1854
|--John Sloan Lewis
|----b. 12 May 1856, Anderson Co., South Carolina
|----d. 7 Jul 1940, Dallas County, TX
|---& Carrie Lanora Orr
|----b. 21 Nov 1858, South Carolina
|----d. 7 Jul 1934, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
|----m. 1875
|--Cora Lewis
|----b. 1859, South Carolina
|-----d. aft 1870
Elisha Berry Lewis
b. 1813, South Carolina
d. 23 Feb 1889, Anderson Co., South Carolina
& Frances Eleanor Campbell
b. May 1835, South Carolina
d. 29 Jul 1918, Anderson Co., South Carolina
|--Julia M. Lewis
|----b. Sep 1866, South Carolina
|----d. 26 May 1947, San Diego, California
|--Lucy Lewis
|----b. 7 Feb 1868
|----d. 24 Nov 1967, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|---& Christopher C. Hindman
|----b. 20 May 1877, South Carolina
|----d. 18 Nov 1947, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--Lillie May Lewis
|----b. 1871, South Carolina
|----d. 1896, South Carolina
|--Alfred P. Lewis
|----b. 1879, South Carolina
This is the family of my great-great grandfather Elisha Berry Lewis, son of Elisha Lewis and Rosannah Dalrymple, who was married first to Martha Poole (my great-great grandmother), daughter of Manning Poole and Mary Milwee, and second to Frances Eleanor Campbell, daughter of Daniel Campbell and Eleanor Sherrill (a family with several connections to the Lewises) who was first married to John Marion Bailey, Sr. (that family is shown at the bottom of this post).
This family and the Moore family are my top research priorities, mainly because they are the families for which I have been able to do the most original research. When a cousin told me that our great-grandfather Harlston Perrin Moore’s wife Martha was reputed to be a Lewis, I started looking for a Lewis family in Anderson County, South Carolina that was in Georgia around the time of the 1850 census, but was in Anderson County before and after that time period; Martha was born in Georgia in 1848 but her parents were born in South Carolina and she had to be back in Anderson County by the 1860s to meet and marry my great-grandfather . And, sure enough, I found the E. B. Lewis family in Anderson in 1840, in Franklin County, Georgia in 1850, and back in Anderson in 1860.
This large family has been a lot of fun to research, but there are obviously still some gaps. The big ones are several of the daughters: Margaret, Leanora “Nora,” and Cora. Nora shows up with brothers John Sloan and William Henry on the 1880 census in Dallas (John Sloan and Carrie Lewis, Harlston Perrin and Martha Lewis Moore, and Nora apparently moved to Dallas County, Texas in 1877, following brother William Henry, who made his way out there in 1873). William Henry served three terms (1886-1892) as sheriff of Dallas County and John Sloan served as a deputy sheriff. Brother James West Lewis also moved out to Texas in the late 1870s but settled in Wilbarger County. Brothers Manning and Samuel died in the Civil War, and two of James’ sons are named for them. I do not have a date of death for Alfred Lewis, but I do know from the obituary of one of his siblings that he lived in Kansas City, Missouri in later years.
If you are researching any of these people or any families related to them in any way, please, please, please contact me (using the button at the left of this blog). I have a lot of information to share.
Family of Frances Eleanor Campbell and John Marion Bailey, Sr.:
John Marion Bailey Sr.
b. ca 1822, Pendleton District, South Carolina
d. 1863
& Frances Eleanor Campbell
b. May 1835, South Carolina
d. 29 Jul 1918, Anderson Co., South Carolina
|--Eliza Eleanor Bailey
|----b. 31 Dec 1856, South Carolina
|----d. 17 Nov 1942, San Diego, California
|---& Walter Quincy “Quince” Hammond
|----b. 8 Dec 1854, Florida
|----d. 7 Mar 1906, South Carolina
|--William Daniel Bailey
|----b. 20 Jan 1860, South Carolina
|----d. 31 Aug 1935, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--John Marion Bailey Jr.
|----b. 13 Dec 1862, South Carolina
|----d. 24 Sep 1959
|---& Catherine Elizabeth “Lizzie” Maddox
|----b. 15 Mar 1867
|----d. 24 Dec 1959
|----m. 1889
An interesting note: John Marion Bailey, Senior, James West Lewis, and Samuel D. Lewis all served in the same unit in the Civil War, the 4th South Carolina (Palmetto Sharpshooters). I have a poster with tiny thumbnail pictures of all three of them.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Memory Monday: Fiddles and My Family
There’s definitely a strong love of music on both sides of my family, but it is my mother’s side, the Moores, who go beyond appreciation to actually playing and making musical instruments. In their case, the musical instrument that seems to be “king” is the fiddle.
In an article in Volume II of Salt Port to Sirloin: The History of Baylor County from 1878 to Present, my Aunt Clarice Moore Howry wrote of her father, my Grandfather Kirby Runion Moore (pictured in the middle picture in the banner with my Grandmother Eula Floyd Moore): “One fond memory we have is when the family gathered on the front porch to rest and relax after our day’s work was done, and Father would play his fiddle. He played the good old tunes, hoe-downs, two-steps and waltzes.” When I started family research and found my great-grandparents Harlston Perrin Moore and Martha E. Lewis, I wondered which side of the family my grandfather learned to play the fiddle from, the Moores or the Lewises.
In my post on Aunt Joy, I wrote about my mother’s oldest brother, my Uncle Howard Lee Moore, a talented amateur violin maker, and how Howard and Joy would take me to old-time fiddling festivals. Uncle Howard always wished that he could play the way his father did, but his own talent was in crafting the violin itself. I remember when I lived with Uncle Howard and Aunt Joy there were always beautiful pieces of different kinds of wood in Uncle Howard’s workshop; the smell of the wood was wonderful. There would always be two or three fiddles hanging in the closet of the spare bedroom to let the varnish dry and age. In the family room there was a big trophy case with numerous trophies won at the national amateur violin-makers competition as well as a few fiddles that were still waiting to be sold. After varnishing, the colors of the violins varied from a deep rich brown to a stunning reddish-brown color to a brilliant “blond” wood color. Customers who came to buy violins included local bluegrass players as well as members of the local symphony orchestra. Howard and Joy even arranged for me to take violin lessons for a few months with one of the violinists in the symphony orchestra.
Later I learned that my mother’s youngest brother Neil Moore and his wife Ina played bluegrass, with Neil on the fiddle and Ina on the guitar; they are shown in the picture below. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of Uncle Howard with one of his fiddles, but the fiddle Uncle Neil is holding was probably made by Uncle Howard.
When I moved out to Texas to live with my mother I was not able to continue violin lessons, but started oboe lessons there because our high school band needed an oboe. I never gained much proficiency on either instrument. However, my iPod is filled with many different types of string music: bluegrass, quintets for strings by Boccherini, Cajun, Cape Breton, and Quebecois fiddle music, various kinds of Celtic fiddle music, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish fiddle music (including Hardanger fiddles and nyckelharpas), and Hungarian and Gypsy fiddle music (and hurdy-gurdies as well). I do not know whether we are born or bred to respond more strongly to certain sounds than to others, but I suspect there is something in the blood that makes us Moores love music made on stringed instruments beyond any other sound.
In an article in Volume II of Salt Port to Sirloin: The History of Baylor County from 1878 to Present, my Aunt Clarice Moore Howry wrote of her father, my Grandfather Kirby Runion Moore (pictured in the middle picture in the banner with my Grandmother Eula Floyd Moore): “One fond memory we have is when the family gathered on the front porch to rest and relax after our day’s work was done, and Father would play his fiddle. He played the good old tunes, hoe-downs, two-steps and waltzes.” When I started family research and found my great-grandparents Harlston Perrin Moore and Martha E. Lewis, I wondered which side of the family my grandfather learned to play the fiddle from, the Moores or the Lewises.
In my post on Aunt Joy, I wrote about my mother’s oldest brother, my Uncle Howard Lee Moore, a talented amateur violin maker, and how Howard and Joy would take me to old-time fiddling festivals. Uncle Howard always wished that he could play the way his father did, but his own talent was in crafting the violin itself. I remember when I lived with Uncle Howard and Aunt Joy there were always beautiful pieces of different kinds of wood in Uncle Howard’s workshop; the smell of the wood was wonderful. There would always be two or three fiddles hanging in the closet of the spare bedroom to let the varnish dry and age. In the family room there was a big trophy case with numerous trophies won at the national amateur violin-makers competition as well as a few fiddles that were still waiting to be sold. After varnishing, the colors of the violins varied from a deep rich brown to a stunning reddish-brown color to a brilliant “blond” wood color. Customers who came to buy violins included local bluegrass players as well as members of the local symphony orchestra. Howard and Joy even arranged for me to take violin lessons for a few months with one of the violinists in the symphony orchestra.
Later I learned that my mother’s youngest brother Neil Moore and his wife Ina played bluegrass, with Neil on the fiddle and Ina on the guitar; they are shown in the picture below. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of Uncle Howard with one of his fiddles, but the fiddle Uncle Neil is holding was probably made by Uncle Howard.
When I moved out to Texas to live with my mother I was not able to continue violin lessons, but started oboe lessons there because our high school band needed an oboe. I never gained much proficiency on either instrument. However, my iPod is filled with many different types of string music: bluegrass, quintets for strings by Boccherini, Cajun, Cape Breton, and Quebecois fiddle music, various kinds of Celtic fiddle music, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish fiddle music (including Hardanger fiddles and nyckelharpas), and Hungarian and Gypsy fiddle music (and hurdy-gurdies as well). I do not know whether we are born or bred to respond more strongly to certain sounds than to others, but I suspect there is something in the blood that makes us Moores love music made on stringed instruments beyond any other sound.
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