Memory Monday: A Family Story

There are all kinds of family stories. Some of the stories I remember best were about the crazy shenanigans of my parents and their siblings; it seems there was no scheme too wild, no prank too complicated, for them to dream up and try to pull off.

Then there were the stories that were about family relationships: feuds, disagreements, hurt feelings. You know, psychological stuff. Depending on who was telling the story, it could definitely take on the teller’s biases.

And so it was with a story my mother used to tell about her mother.

My grandparents, Kirby Moore and Eula Floyd Moore, moved from the Lancaster area in Dallas County out to Baylor County in 1917 together with Eula’s brother King David Floyd and his family. Eula and King had each inherited some money after the death of their mother, Angeline Matlock Floyd, and King and Kirby had decided the money should be used to buy cheap land in Baylor County. Serious settlement of Baylor County did not start until the 1880s and it has never been a populous county. The two main towns at that time were Seymour, the county seat, and Bomarton, near which the Floyds and Moores settled; today Bomarton is little more than a ghost town with some surrounding farms.

Baylor County must have seemed quite a desolate place to Grandma Eula, especially when compared with her home back in Lancaster. According to the story as I heard it related by my mother, Grandma would pine after her family, that is, she would talk about how much she missed them, and in darker moods would blame Grandpa Kirby for bringing her out to this forsaken place so far from home.

Now, my mother loved her father and did not care for it much when Grandma criticized him. And she told the following story she had heard about when Grandma had gone home to Lancaster for a visit: “They said that when she got home she didn’t even take any notice of her mother or sisters; she just ran, bawling, straight to her Mammy and hugged her and cried.” (I realized later that one item has to be inaccurate in this story; when Grandma went back, it would have to have been after 1917, and since her mother died in 1916, she wouldn’t have been there.)

My grandmother Eula Amanda Floyd and her sister Dona Floyd; may have been taken around 1900

This story stuck in my mind for two reasons. One was that it indicated that the Floyd family had a bit of money. They did; more at some times (when speculation was going well) than at others (when speculation fell through and my great-grandfather Charles Floyd and his brother Alford were charged with fraud).

The other reason was that it was the first hint that there might have been some history of slave-holding in my grandmother’s family.

Correspondence with a cousin on the Floyd side revealed some of the background to this story:

“Kitty Stevenson, ex-slave of James and Sarah Alcina Harris Taylor (Angie’s [my great-grandmother Angeline Matlock Floyd’s] aunt), was the midwife who delivered just about all kids in this area in the late 1800s. Her daughter Birdie was also a midwife who delivered [name of relative] in this house in 1907. [Cousin’s name] just loved old Birdie and stayed at her house a lot of the time. Birdie was always ready to help if someone was sick and had a home remedy for just about everything. Am sure all the Floyd kids of their generation must have loved Kitty, too, probably did call her Mammy.”

This cleared up a lot, but I was still curious and tried to see whether or not I could find Kitty and Bertie in the census. Based on what I found, I believe it is more likely that Birdie – or, as her name appears in the census, Bertie, was actually Kitty’s granddaughter. Her father was Mack Stevenson/Stephenson, born December 1851 (according to the 1900 census) in Missouri, parents both born in Virginia (which is shown as Kittie’s home state).

1880 US Federal Census, Enumeration District 66, Dallas, Texas, Page 9, 3 June 1880

Line 18 Dwelling 65 Family 66

Stephenson, Kittie Black Female 47 Mother Widowed Keeping house Cannot read or write VA VA VA
----- Sarah J. Black Female 20 Daughter Single Cannot read or write MO VA VA
----- Edward Black Male 17 Single Cannot read or write MO VA VA
----- Horace Black Male 14 Son Single Cannot read or write TX VA VA
----- Willie Black Male 8 Grandson Single TX TX TX
----- Andrew Black Male 7 Grandson Single TX TX TX
-----Lavoney Black Male 5 Grandson Single TX TX TX
----- Ellen Black Female 2 Granddaughter Single TX TX TX

Living next door are J. H. and Sarah A. Taylor, so this is the correct family.

1900 US Federal Census, Precinct No. 5, Dallas, Texas, Enumeration District 138, Page 20, 25 June 1900

Line 22 Dwelling 351 Family 353

Stevenson, Mack Black Male Dec 1851 48 Married 16 MO VA VA Farmer 2 months not employed Cannot read or write Can speak English
----- Mollie Wife Black Female Mar 1855 45 Married 16 7 7 Can read, write, and speak English TX MD Unk.
----- George Son Black Male Apr 1884 16 Single TX MO TX Cannot read or write Can speak English
----- Ellis Son Black Male Apr 1886 14 Single TX MO TX Cannot read or write Can speak English
----- Bertie Black Female Jan 1888 12 Single TX MO TX Cannot read or write Can speak English
----- Carl Son Black Male Dec 1889 10 Single TX MO TX Cannot read or write Can speak English
----- Florance Daughter Black Female Apr 1892 8 Single TX MO TX
----- Eddie Son Black Male Aug 1894 5 Single TX MO TX

This family is living almost next door to Harvey J. and Sarah A. Taylor (and the Floyd family is also nearby). Mack’s mother was born in Virginia, as was Kittie; I am guessing that she was his mother. He was not shown living with her on the 1880 census, but was old enough to have been out on his own by that time.

1910 US Federal Census, Justice Precinct 5, Dallas, Texas, Enumeration District 96, Page 9A, 27 April 1910

Line 17 Dwelling 152 Family 152

Stevenson, Mack Head Male Black 62 M1 27 MO VA VA English Farmer General farm Employer Cannot read or write
----- Mollie Wife Female [Not clear – may be Mulatto] 61 M1 27 7 7 TX MD MD English None Can read and write
----- Bertie Daughter Female Mulatto 22 Single TX MO TX English Farm laborer Home farm Worker Yes 0 Can read and write
----- Carl Son Male Mulatto 20 Single TX MO TX English Farm laborer Home farm Worker Yes 0
----- Eddie Son Male [Not clear – may be Black or Mulatto] 14 S TX MO TX English Farm laborer Home farm Worker Yes 0 Can read and write Attended school

Several Floyd families are living nearby. The Taylors may have passed away by this time.

1920 US Federal Census, Justice Precinct 5, Dallas, Texas, Enumeration District 100, 11-12 February 1920

Line 41 Dwelling 36 Family 37

Stevenson, Mack E. Home owned Farm Male Black 65 Married Cannot read or write MO MO VA Can speak English Farming General farm OA
----- Mollie Wife Female Black 61 Married Cannot read or write TX US MD Yes None
----- Birdie Daughter Female Black 31 Single Can read and write TX MO TX Can speak English Servant Private family Worker
----- Eddie Son Male Black 25 Single Can read and write TX MO TX Can speak English Laborer General farm Worker

The family of Oscar Floyd (grandfather of the cousin who would visit Bertie) is shown next door.

1930 US Federal Census, Justice Precinct 5, Dallas, Texas, Enumeration District 57-127, Page 4A, 22 April 1930

Line 12 Dwelling 68 Family 70

Stevenson, Mack Head Home owned Farm Male Negro 82 Widowed Cannot read or write MO MO MO Can speak English Farmer Farm Own agent Employed Did not serve in WWI
----- Berta Daughter Female Negro 35 Single Did not attend school Can read and write TX MO TX Can speak English None

The Oscar Floyd family lives nearby.

I was not able to find Kitty/Kittie Stevenson/Stephenson on any census after 1880, although there was a Black Kittie Jackson, born ca 1820 in Virginia on the 1900 census for Dallas.

Like many stories concerning the Floyd family, this one definitely has an element of truth, but the details are a bit scrambled. When she was a child, Grandma Eula may have been attached to Kittie, but it is not likely that she had any sort of reunion with her after 1917. If she did have the emotional reunion as described by my mother, it would more likely have been with Bertie, who may have been a childhood friend/playmate, since she was born five years after my grandmother.

Since Kittie is shown living near the James Harvey and Sarah Alcena Harris Taylor family in 1880, it is possible that she had been a slave who was owned by the Taylor family. However, the states and years of birth of her children as shown on the 1880 census indicate that in the year 1863 she was still living in Missouri. I am not sure about the Taylors, but I believe that they moved to Texas from Kentucky in the 1850s.

The part of the story related by the cousin is supported by the proximity of the Mack Stevenson family to the Oscar Floyd family, and from this I gather the Floyds were close to Bertie. Based on some occasionally stormy family dynamics I have heard about in other stories, it may well have been true that what my grandmother missed most about living so far from Lancaster was someone she felt closer to than to her own sisters, and that person could have been Bertie.

Family Newsletter/Follow Friday 6 November 2009 – A Great Genealogy Week!

This is my first attempt to combine two Friday features, Family Newsletter Friday and Follow Friday. Previously I have included a few notes on some items of interest from other blogs, but really wanted to have a regular feature for reviews and occasional “Best of” posts.

And this week the subject of “Follow Friday” has a connection to one of my two pieces of “good genealogy news”:

Dyer (Floyd-Matlock-Clark)

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, The Blind Pig and the Acorn, when a name jumped out at me: Bluford Dyer. Tipper, the author of the blog, had included a story (which I highly recommend reading) entitled “A Mother’s Love Defied the Bonds of Death (A Mountain Story),” by a lady named Ethelene Dyer Jones. In it Ethelene mentions her brother Bluford Dyer. Well, I have a 5xgreat-grandfather by that name. It is a rather unusual name. If it were Buford Dyer, perhaps it might just be a coincidence, but Bluford? I didn’t think so. I wrote an e-mail to Tipper, who put me in touch with Ethelene. We compared notes, and it turns out we are cousins. Moreover, we just may be cousins twice over, because the two Dyer siblings that we descend from married two Clarks (Bolin and Elizabeth) who appear to be siblings. This was not the only interesting information I learned. It turns out that Ethelene writes a wonderful column called Through Mountain Mists: Early Settlers of Union County, Georgia, for The Union Sentinel, a newspaper published in Blairsville, Georgia. The column deals with the stories of these people and their way of life, and the archives of this column can be found on GenWeb. And she is the first cousin of Watson Dyer, who wrote the Dyer Family History. It’s sort of like being related to genealogy royalty!

Readers of my blog will be aware that I am something of a cheerleader for the genea-blogging community, and I think this instance is strong evidence supporting my enthusiasm. Not only does writing the blogs help to put us in touch with other researchers, but reading them does, too! So if you are writing posts for your own blog or reading the blogs of others, don’t feel guilty for not doing “real research.” You never know where you may find a vital clue or the person who has a lot of information on your family.

Moore

I love having a “History Husband.” I finished transcribing and entering the information from the obituaries from The Greenville News dealing with descendants of Samuel Moore of Greenville (d. 1828). The very last obituary to be transcribed was that of Claude Bryant “Skip” Adair, the husband of Jeanette "Steve" Stephens, a second cousin once removed. His obituary noted that he had been a member of the Flying Tigers, aka the American Volunteer Group, a group of American pilots recruited to defend China against the Japanese during the early days of World War II. My husband found this exciting news and asked me what the fellow’s name was. When I told him, he said, “Oh, yeah,” as though the name was familiar and left the room for a few minutes. When he returned, he was carrying three books: Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and his American Volunteers, 1941-1942, by Daniel Ford; Ding Hao: America’s Air War in China, 1937-1945, by Wanda Cornelius and Thayne Short; and Sharks Over China: The 23rd Fighter Group in World War II, by Carl Molesworth. Trust my husband to be able to come up with a set of reference works on just about any military history subject.

I hope to post soon on the information provided in these books on “Skip” Adair; there is also a little bit in one of them on his wife (my relative), Mary Jeanette “Steve” Stephens Adair.

[Last-minute update as I was writing this post: My husband found a couple of wonderful websites with information on and pictures of Skip and Steve: http://www.flyingtigersavg.com/Bio's/bio-adair.htm and http://www.cnac.org/emilscott/adair01.htm. Fascinating!]

Follow Friday: The Blind Pig and the Acorn

I am sure quite a few of the people who read this blog are familiar with Tipper’s The Blind Pig and the Acorn: Bloggin’ About My Appalachian Heritage, but for those who are not, I’ll just say that it is one of the best blogs around. Tipper writes with wit and style about Appalachian history, heritage, and folk ways. It’s difficult to select my favorite subject, but I’d say Appalachian vocabulary and music are way up there. Of course, there are all the stories and descriptions of growing and preparing food, and Appalachian sayings, and… Let’s just say that every post is a gem. And, as a fantastic added bonus, there is a Pickin and Grinnin in the Kitchen (by Paul and Pap) playlist at the top to help create the proper atmosphere. Go give The Blind Pig and the Acorn a try - you’ll only need to read one post, and you’ll become an addict, uh, devotee, just as I am. And who knows, you might just meet your fourth cousin twice removed, just as I did.

Family Fun: The Old-Time Settlers’ Reunion

Research an event your ancestor may have attended. Did your ancestor live within a few blocks of the parade route for the annual Fourth of July parade in the town where they lived? If your family lived in a rural area, perhaps they attended a county or state fair. If they lived in a big city, perhaps they attended a play or movie opening. Was there an amusement park or traveling carnival near the area your family was from, one they might have visited? Were there fireworks displays in the town your family was from? How much do you know about the types of entertainment your ancestors might have enjoyed? This "fun" edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene.

The first family I “discovered” on my own at the beginning of my research back in 2005 was the family of my grandfather Kirby Runion Moore. His parents were Harlston Perrin Moore and Maratha E. Lewis. They came to Dallas County, Texas, from South Carolina in 1877. H. P. Moore was a tenant farmer, and that meant a pretty hardscrabble life, which may not have left a lot of time for entertainment or attending events. However, when the Twenty-Sixth Reunion of the Dallas County Old Settler’s Association was held practically on the Moores’ doorstep – in the nearby town of Hutchins (the Moores are listed on the Hutchins mail delivery route) – this must have been something too good to pass up. “H. P. Moore and wife” are listed among the attendees at the Reunion, as are a number of other people who are among my Dallas ancestors or are associated with them: Emory A. Gracey, the husband of my great-grand aunt Martha Amanda Matlock, and his brother M.D.L. (Marquis de Lafayette) Gracey; Dr. C. M. Rosser, the founder of Baylor Medical School and brother of Virgil O. Rosser, whose children Henry and Julia Lewis helped to raise; and Harvey Taylor “and wife,” aka Sarah Alcina Harris Taylor, my great-great-grand aunt. The Graceys came to Texas in the late 1850s and the Matlocks and Harrises came in 1852; the first of my ancestors to arrive in Dallas were the Floyds, who came here between 1846 and 1848.

An article from the Dallas Daily Times Herald (2 August 1903 issue, p. 16, col. 1-4, transcribed on Jim Wheat’s Dallas County Texas Archives) provides a good description of the area where the Moores lived at the time, as well as a snapshot of the area’s history up to that time:

“It was fitting that he pioneers should meet at Hutchins. It is a pretty spot, with its green fields, beautiful groves, substantial buildings of brick, well-kept lawns and comfortable homes. Not a mile away, are the lakes of the fishing clubs, where the fur, fin and feather enthusiasts of Dallas pass their leisure moments. Hutchins is an old town, and a small town. Thirty-one years ago, the Central built a passenger station there and "in the good old times," two saloons flourished, horse racing was a recognized sport, and now and then, men came to blows. This was long ago. Hutchins is a local option precinct now, and artesian water is the only intoxicant to be found by the thirsty in the village. It's a beautiful country, as fertile as the Mississippi delta and dotted here and there with homes of prosperous tillers of the soil. Four miles away is the thrifty town of Lancaster, "the best town in Dallas county" its admirers say, and this alone, tells the story why Hutchins has never spread out. More than sixty years ago, settlers from Illinois and Tennessee poured into the country where the town of Lancaster now stands.”

“Hutchins had made elaborate arrangements for the reception and entertainment of its guests. Clark's grove is an ideal spot for a picnic or reunion. It is a short distance from town and overlooks a stretch of meadow, and in the distance, is a beautiful lake. At 10 o'clock, a goodly crowd had assembled, Dallas and Lancaster sending the largest delegations. It was, point of number, the largest reunion held in recent years, and in point of hospitality, equal to any reunion held since the birth of the organization.”

The article mentions the four states in which the Peters Colony investors (the Peters Colony was an area in North Texas granted to these investors by the Republic of Texas) did most of their advertising for settlers: Illinois (where my Floyd and Finley families originated), Kentucky (where the Matlocks and Harrises originated), Tennessee, and Missouri.

I remember old-time settlers’ reunions being held in Seymour at the park near our house and how much my mother enjoyed attending these reunions, where she was able to get together with many people she had grown up with. These old-time settlers reunions in Seymour actually grew out of the old settlers’ reunion and rodeo, which originated in the cowboys’ reunion first held in Seymour in 1896. Apparently the second Cowboys’ Reunion, held in 1897, set the standard for the event:

“In August of 1897 the second Cowboy’s Reunion was held at Seymour, and this reunion was a greater affair than the first and still stands out in the minds of the old timers as unequalled in the annuals [sic] of Seymour Rodeos. This time there were in attendance Quanah Parker and his band of Comanche Indians, from 300 to 500 strong. The Indians were one of the principal attractions. One night they staged a regular Indian War Dance under the direction of their chief, Quanah Parker, all in full regalia and lighted by a huge camp fire. People came from great distances to see that spectacular event. Better preparations were made for the 1897 reunion, and more cowboy contestants were here. A circular race track was prepared on the hill east of Seymour one mile long, and the arena for cowboy contests was the ground inside of that race track. Most spectators came in wagons and buggies and lined up around the race track, thus forming an enclosure. Bronc riding, steer roping, horses racing, and steer bulldogging were the principal contests, with tournament riding and baseball games filling in the gaps.” [Baylor County Historical Society: Salt Pork to Sirloin: The History of Baylor County, Texas from 1879 to 1930, Nortex Offset Publications, Inc., 1972, p. 147.]

Genealogists love to play the “If I had a time machine” imagination game; well, if I had a time machine, these reunions were definitely events that I would attend. We could not only meet our ancestors, but the people they knew, and we could hear their stories of the old days. If only….

Wordless Wednesday: Angeline Elizabeth Matlock Floyd

My great-grandmother Angeline Elizabeth Matlock Floyd, 1847-1916

Featured Family: Charles Augustus Floyd and Angeline Elizabeth Matlock

Shown in photo above:
Top row: Oscar Floyd ? ? ? (Two of the women may be daughters of Absalom Floyd)
Middle row: Elva, Lora, and Eula Floyd
Bottom row: Absalom Floyd, Lillie Barley Floyd, Dona Floyd, Myrtie Geisert Floyd, Finley Floyd, Maude Davis Floyd, King David Floyd

Charles Augustus Floyd
b. 28 Jun 1840, Greene Co., Illinois
d. 4 Mar 1894, Dallas County, TX
& Angeline Elizabeth Matlock
b. 18 Nov 1847, Bowling Green, Warren Co., Kentucky
d. 11 Oct 1916, Dallas County, TX
m. 13 Jan 1867, Home of T.H. Taylor, Texas
|--Oscar Matlock Floyd
|----b. 25 Apr 1869, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 27 Aug 1941, Dallas County, TX
|----& Arsana Irene Morris
|----b. 26 Apr 1876, Louisiana
|----d. 26 Mar 1926, Dallas County, TX
|----m. 28 Dec 1903, Waxahachie, Texas
|--Lora Etna Floyd
|----b. 1 Oct 1870, Hutchins, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 9 Aug 1951, Hopkinsville, Christian Co., Kentucky
|----& Joseph Boyd
|----b. Sep 1857, Kentucky
|----- m. 3 Nov 1889
|--Finley E. “Boss” Floyd
|----b. 1 Dec 1872, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 18 Aug 1936, Whitesboro, Grayson County, TX
|----& Myrtie Alice Geisert
|----b. 29 Nov 1874, Illinois
|----d. 17 Mar 1967, Irving, Dallas County, Texas
|----m. 27 Oct 1918
|--Augusta Melvina Floyd
|----b. 20 Sep 1874, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 18 Aug 1917, Denison, Grayson County, TX
|----& William R. Gifford
|----b. 1876, Arkansas
|----m. 3 Aug 1903, Waxahachie, Texas
|--Absalom Bryson Floyd
|----b. 24 Feb 1876, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 22 May 1942, Welsh Community Hospital, Collinsville, Texas
|----& Lillie Mae Barley
|----b. 16 Apr 1876, West Virginia
|----d. 30 May 1964, Collinsville, Grayson, Texas
|----m. 20 Sep 1906
|--Lannie Angelina Floyd
|----b. 13 Jul 1878, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 29 Sep 1901
|----& Henry Burden
|----b. Aug 1874, Sparta, White, Tennessee
|----m. 1900
|--King David Floyd
|----b. 16 Feb 1880, Lancaster, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 16 Mar 1947, Seymour, Baylor County, Texas
|----& Maude Francis Davis
|----b. 3 May 1884, Hill County, Texas
|----d. 27 Feb 1958, Seymour, Baylor County, Texas
|----m. 20 Sep 1903, Dallas, TX
|--Elva Ann Floyd
|----b. 2 Dec 1881, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 11 Mar 1954, Chester Clinic, Dallas, Texas
|----& William H. Cutler
|----b. 4 Aug 1873, St. Louis, Missouri
|----d. 8 Aug 1928
|----m. 29 Dec 1903
|--Eula Amanda Floyd
|----b. 3 Sep 1883, Lancaster, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 9 Jun 1972, Torrance, CA
|----& Kirby Runion Moore
|----b. 29 Apr 1880, Lancaster, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 1 Oct 1950, Baylor County Hospital, Seymour, TX
|----m. 14 Nov 1907, Oak Cliff, Texas
|--Dona Irene “Donie” Floyd
|----b. 26 May 1885, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 16 Jun 1964, Clay County, Texas
|----& Samuel Boon Slayback
|----b. 8 Aug 1880, Dallas County, Texas
|----d. 3 May 1957, Clay County, Texas
|----m. 11 May 1910
|--George Washington Floyd
|----b. 21 Mar 1889, Lancaster, Dallas County, TX
|----d. 30 Nov 1969, Gresham, Oregon
|----& Grace M.
|----b. 28 Jun 1894, Arkansas
|----d. 5 Nov 1979, Los Angeles, California
|----div.
|----& Harriet Josephine Hanawalt
|----b. 6 Nov 1897, Johnstown, Cambria, Pennsylvania
|----d. 20 Dec 1975, Grass Valley, Nevada
|----m. 1925

This is the family of my mother’s maternal grandparents; in the banner for this blog, Charles is shown in the second picture from the right and Angeline is shown in the second picture from the left. Their ninth child, my grandmother Eula Amanda Floyd, is shown in the middle picture with my grandfather Kirby Runion Moore.

Charles Floyd was the son of George Floyd and Nancy Finley. The article on Charles Augustus Floyd in the Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas (Illustrated), Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1892 includes the following information:

“Charles A. Floyd was eight years old when he came to Texas, and on his father’s frontier farm he was reared, receiving his education in the common schools. He remained with his parents until the breaking out of the late war, and in July 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Sixth Texas Cavalry, and served in the western army until the Battle of Corinth. He participated in the battle of Pea Ridge, Iuka and Corinth, and was taken prisoner. He then took the oath of allegiance and returned to his home, after being absent four years. He at once engaged in farming, and that occupation has since claimed his attention.

“January 13, 1867, Mr. Floyd was united in marriage with Miss Angelina E. Metlock, a native of Kentucky and a daughter of Absalom and Nancy Malvina (Harris) Metlock [Matlock], of that State. The Metlock [Matlock] family came to Texas in 1852 and settled near where Mr. Floyd now lives.”

Charles Floyd’s descendants believe that he is one of the two brothers referred to in the Floyd Family legend; he is the only brother known to have fought in the Civil War, although either or both Henry Oscar Floyd and David Harriet Floyd may also have served.

Charles Floyd was counted among the prosperous farmers of Dallas County, but in the 1880s he suffered severe financial troubles and lost a great deal of land in connection with his inability to meet the mortgage payment in one of his land deals. These problems may have contributed to his early death.

Although Charles and Angeline had eleven children, only six of them had children who survived childhood. Descendants of three of the siblings – Oscar Matlock, King David, and Eula Amanda – are in contact and share research with one another. We would be happy to share information with other descendants and Floyd researchers.

The following information is missing:

- A possible first wife for Oscar Matlock Floyd (the census indicates that Arsana was his second wife, and there were rumors that he married a Native American woman when he lived in Oklahoma).
- Dates of death for Joseph Boyd, William Gifford, and Henry Burden.
- The maiden name for George Washington Floyd’s first wife, Grace, and the date of their marriage.

Friday’s Featured Family: George Floyd and Nancy Finley

The Floyd family is the Illinois branch of my family tree and the first set of great-grandparents (George and Nancy's son Charles Augustus Floyd and Angeline Elizabeth Matlock) and great-great-grandparents (George Floyd and Nancy Finley) that I learned about, thanks to my cousin Paul, through whom I became acquainted with the Floyd family research of my second cousin Eunice Sandling and through her with additional research done on this family by Jim and Pat Dodd. I have to admit, it was awfully hard to find new information on this family. I located a couple of new children for George and Nancy's son Caswell Floyd (covered in the articles Alvin Cletus Floyd and Essie Maples, Finding a New Family, and Alice Floyd Ezell Bibb) and some descendants for son David Floyd (Descendants of David Floyd? – Parts 1 and 2) as well a brother for George back in Illinois, Henry Floyd; I believe Henry's presence was known by the other researchers but they had nothing to connect him to George, but later I found a land deed connecting the two as well as a marriage certificate for George and Nancy.

The Floyd family came with several legends; one seems to have been known by all the Floyd descendants and is covered in the next article. Another is recounted in the Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas (Chicago, Illinois: 1892, Lewis Publishing Company), which is the source of a lot of the information we have on the Floyds: "The grandmother of our subject [Charles Augustus Floyd, so this could have been George Floyd's mother or Nancy Finley's mother] was captured by the Indians, was held in captivity for several years, and was rescued, at a great expense, by her father." Publications of this type, while often containing a lot of material that may be of historical and genealogical interest, are usually largely vanity publications in tone and content and are generally not the most reliable sources of information. Another source of information was a family Bible that was apparently in the possession of my grandmother Eula Floyd Moore at one time.

Here are the outlines of what Floyd researchers know about the George and Nancy Floyd family. George Floyd was born in Vermont in 1807 and as a young man went to Illinois in around 1830, most likely after spending a few years in New York in between. The account in the Memorial and Biographical History makes no mention of Henry, but I think it is likely the brothers went together. On 30 November 1834 George married Nancy Finley, said to be the daughter of a John Finley of South Carolina. In 1846 George went to Texas and took a headright in Peters' Colony in the Dallas area and in December 1848 he returned with his family to settle there. They had five sons (to be covered in detail in separate articles): David Harriet (ca 1836 IL – ca 1867-8 TX), Charles Augustus (1840 IL – 1894 TX), Henry Oscar (ca 1843 IL – ca 1862 IL), Caswell Biankin (1845 IL – 1890 TX), and Alfred Byrum (1848 IL – 1913 TX).

Nancy Finley died on 5 February 1864 and George married a second time to Elizabeth Baines (maiden name unknown), a widow with a daughter named Maud. George and Elizabeth had two daughters, Mary Etta and George Harriett (if you are thinking that this family likes to give boys girls' names and girls boys' names, you are right, although I believe Harriet(t) must have been a family name). George Floyd died on 11 March 1880 and is believed to be buried next to Nancy in the Floyd-Taylor Cemetery in Lancaster, Dallas County, Texas.

I would welcome any additional information on this family. In particular there are several members of the family about whose fates I have no knowledge: Henry Oscar Floyd (other than his reputed death in Illinois), Elizabeth Baines Floyd (no date of death, though she was still alive in 1900), George and Elizabeth’s daughter Mary Etta), and Joe and Hattie Floyd Boyer’s sons Willie and Eugene.

George Floyd
b. 29 Sep 1807, Vermont
d. 11 Mar 1880, Lancaster, Dallas County, Texas
& Nancy E. Finley
b. ca 1816, Greene Co., IL
d. 5 Feb 1864, Lancaster, Dallas County, Texas
m. 30 Nov 1834, Greene Co., IL
|---David Harriet Floyd
|......b. 1836, Illinois
|......d. 1867
|---& Zilla Ann Kelly
|...... b. Jun 1839
|......d. 9 Jan 1914, Sipe Springs, Comanche Co., Texas
|......m. 23 Dec 1858, Dallas County, TX
|---Charles Augustus Floyd
|......b. 28 Jun 1840, Greene Co., Illinois
|......d. 4 Mar 1894, Dallas County, TX
|---& Angeline Elizabeth Matlock
|......b. 18 Nov 1847, Bowling Green, Warren Co., Kentucky
|......d. 11 Oct 1916, Dallas County, TX
|......m. 13 Jan 1867, Home of T.H. Taylor, Texas
|---Henry Oscar Floyd
|......b. 1843, Greene Co., IL
|......d. 1862, Scott County, Illinois
|---Caswell Biankin “Cass” Floyd
|......b. 1845, Greene Co., IL
|......d. 26 Oct 1890, Kleburg, Texas
|---& Mary E. Miller
|......b. Jan 1848, Illinois
|......d. 1916, Texas
|---Alfred Byrum Floyd
|......b. 1848, Greene Co., IL
|......d. 8 Jul 1913, Dallas County, TX
|---& Kate Clara Bass
|......b. 9 Jun 1860, Texas
|......d. 5 Jul 1959, Dallas County, TX
|......m. 22 Sep 1876, Dallas County, TX


George Floyd
b. 29 Sep 1807, Vermont
d. 11 Mar 1880, Lancaster, Dallas County, Texas
& Elizabeth J.
b. Aug 1829, Missouri
m. 1867
|---Mary Etta Floyd
|......b. 1867, Texas
|---George Harriett “Hattie” Floyd
|......b. May 1869, Texas
|---& Joe Boyer
|......b. Jun 1861, Tennessee
|---|---Willie F. Boyer
|---|......b. Jun 1894, Texas
|---|---Eugene H. Boyer
|---|......b. Sep 1896, Texas

Matlocks: Thomas A. Matlock and Mary Adeline Stratton

This is the final family from the Absolom C. Matlock and Nancy Malvina Harris family. According to a note in Eunice Sandlings "History of the Floyd Family," this brother of my great-great grandmother Angeline Elizabeth Matlock was "ordained as a ruling Elder of the Presbyterian Church of Lisbon, 1886. Ordained with E. A. Gracey and T. M. Goodnight. News clipping says he was engaged in hardware business in Petrolia." Thomas and Addie are buried in Petrolia Cemetery, Clay Co., Texas, next to Dona and Boon Slayback, daughter and son-in-law of Thomas' sister Angeline Matlock Floyd.

Thomas A. Matlock
b. 20 Oct 1859, Dallas Co., Texas
d. 19 Jun 1925, Petrolia, Clay, Texas
& Mary Adeline “Addie” Stratton
b. 7 Sep 1859, Texas
d. 30 Jan 1936, Houston, Harris County, Texas
|--- Ollie T. Matlock
|----- b. 16 Dec 1888, Texas
|----- d. 19 Mar 1976, Wichita Falls, Wichita, Texas
|--- & Eleanor
|----- b. 14 Jul 1892, Texas
|----- d. 14 Aug 1989, Texas
|------- | Joan Matlock
|--------- | b. 1919, Texas

Based on the name of the informant on Ollie T. Matlock's death certificate, Joan may have married a Wittmire.

Still More Matlocks: The Eliza Jane Matlock and Elisha James Mathis Family

This is another group of Matlock descendants (Eliza Jane was the sister of my great-grandmother Angeline Matlock Floyd) about whom I know very little. If you are descended from or related to this family, I would love to hear from you.

Elisha James Mathis
b. 18 Apr 1845, Tennessee
d. 5 May 1884, Dallas, Dallas County, TX
& Eliza Jane Matlock
b. 15 Mar 1854, Lancaster, Dallas County, Texas
d. 4 Feb 1935, Dallas County, TX
|.. Ella Mathis
| ....b. 15 Sep 1873, Dallas, Texas
| ....d. 3 Dec 1959, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
| ..Nettie Mathis
| ....b. Sep 1875, Dallas Co., Texas
| ....d. Johnson Co., Texas
| ..& Joseph Birch Loper
| ....b. Jun 1874
| ....d. 21 Oct 1920
| | ....Corinne Loper
| | ......b. 10 Jun 1900
| | ......d. 30 Nov 1981
| | ....Roy Loper
| | ......b. 7 Feb 1903, Dallas Co., Texas
| | ......d. 30 Mar 1992, Potter Co., TX
| ..Joe? Mathis
| ....b. 1878, Texas
| ..Lena Mathis
| ....b. Mar 1880, Texas
| ..Sidney Young Mathis
| ....b. 8 Apr 1882, Dallas Co., Texas
| ....d. 4 Aug 1887, Dallas Co., Texas

A Second Look at the Martha Amanda Matlock and Emory A. Gracey Family

After my first post on this family, I started combing through the Texas Death Certificates on the Family Research pilot page and, as reported in a couple of previous posts, found a wealth of additional information on many members of my family lines who died in Texas. The report in this family in particular ended up with a lot of information added. My original intention was to amend the post to reflect the new information, but I have decided instead to simply publish a new post so that the difference can be seen through comparison. Of all the information listed as missing in the original post, everything has been found, and there are little details added here and there -- a middle name instead of an initial or the day on which a person was born in addition to the month and year. Contrast and compare!

Emory Anderson Gracey
b. 13 Mar 1837, Bond Co., Illinois
d. 3 Aug 1915, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
& Martha Amanda Matlock
b. 3 Sep 1849, Warren County, Kentucky
d. 22 May 1927, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
m. 27 Aug 1865
| Malvina Isabella “Bell” Gracey
| b. 10 May 1868, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
| d. 8 Dec 1934, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
| & Luna M. “Luney” Goforth
| b. 12 Aug 1865, Missouri
| d. 29 Jan 1940, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
| m. 1888
| Ann White Gracey
| b. 14 Sep 1869, Texas
| d. 27 Apr 1959, San Angelo, Tom Green, Texas
| & Jerile George Dodge
| b. 19 Apr 1869, Kentucky
| d. 29 Jul 1959, Sweetwater, Nolan Co., Texas
| m. 6 Nov 1895
| Alvie Lee Gracey
| b. 8 Aug 1871, Texas
| d. 29 May 1948, Lancaster, Dallas County, Texas
| & Sarah Elizabeth “Lizzie” Hight
| b. 24 Aug 1875, Dallas County, Texas
| d. 21 Nov 1948, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
| m. 1899
| Effie E. Gracey
| b. 21 Jun 1872, Texas
| d. 16 May 1956, Herefored, Deaf Smith Co., Texas
| & Joseph Lafayette Hight
| b. 19 Jun 1867, Tennessee
| d. 1 Nov 1942, Canyon, Randall, Texas
| Lura Pearl Gracey
| b. 2 Feb 1876, Texas
| d. 9 Aug 1962, Nolan Co., Texas
| & D. D. Potter
| b. 9 Oct 1872, Texas
| d. 29 May 1951, Sweetwater, Nolan Co., Texas
| m. 13 Jul 1898, Dallas County, TX
| Addie May Gracey
| b. 3 May 1878, Dallas Co., Texas
| d. 8 Jan 1958, Memphis, Hall Co., Texas
| & William Henry “Billy” Goodnight
| b. 12 Jun 1878, Hardin County, KY
| d. 9 Oct 1940, Memphis, Hall Co., Texas
| John Emery Gracey
| b. 30 Aug 1882, Texas
| d. 15 Mar 1961, Brownfield, Terry, Texas
| & Dora Pearl Cruse
| b. 21 Sep 1886, Texas
| d. 28 Feb 1983, Texas
| Ida Gracey
| b. 1884, Texas
| d. 1884, Texas
| Walter Gracey
| b. 23 May 1887, Dallas, Texas
| d. 24 Feb 1956, Terry Co., Texas
| & Jennie Lee Allman
| b. 2 Sep 1894, Texas
| d. 27 Jun 1984, Brownfield, Terry, Texas
| Jo Gracey
| b. 20 Aug 1890, Texas
| d. 4 Feb 1916, Lisbon, Dallas County, TX

More Matlocks: Joseph Matlock and Adeline Aiken

Of all my great-grandmother Angeline Matlock Floyd's siblings, this is the family I (and other Floyd/Matlock researchers) know least about. I cannot find Joseph on the 1870 census, and only recently learned his wife's maiden name (from her daughter's death certificate on the Family Search pilot page). Which reminds me, thanks to the Texas death certificates on that website, I now know a lot of the information that was missing for the Martha Amanda Matlock-Emory A. Gracey family (will post an update in the near future).

Joseph R. Matlock
b. Dec 1851, Kentucky
& Adaline “Addie” Aiken
b. Mar 1852, Illinois
d. bef 1920
m. 1878
| Neva Adaline Matlock
| b. 13 Apr 1879, Texas
| d. 5 Apr 1970, Quanah, Hardeman County, Texas
| & Robert Alphaeus Brooks
| b. 24 Oct 1875, Whiteboro, Texas
| d. 3 Oct 1947, Quanah, Hardeman County, Texas
| m. 1908
| Cora B. Matlock
| b. Apr 1885, Texas

Missing information: dates of death for Joseph, Addie, and Cora Matlock.

More Matlocks: Martha Amanda Matlock and Emory A. Gracey

One of my great-grandmother Angeline Matlock Floyd’s younger sisters was Martha Amanda Matlock, who married Emory A. Gracey, a colorful character who is said to have come to Texas when he was 13 years old (apparently following his older brothers Marquis de Lafayette Gracey and Casper Grundy Gracey). He worked as a prospector for the Texas & Pacific Railroad, rode with the Rangers, and served in Company H of the First Texas Cavalry in the Civil War.

Emory A. Gracey
b. 13 Mar 1837, Bond Co., Illinois
d. 3 Aug 1915, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
& Martha Amanda Matlock
b. Sep 1849, Warren County, Kentucky
d. 21 Aug 1927, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
m. 27 Aug 1865
| Malvina Isabella “Bell” Gracey
| b. 10 May 1868, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
| d. 8 Dec 1934, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
| & Luna M. “Luney” Goforth
| b. 12 Aug 1865, Missouri
| d. 29 Jan 1940, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
| m. 1888
| Ann White Gracey
| b. 14 Sep 1869 Texas
| d. 27 Apr 1959, San Angelo, Texas
| & Jerile George Dodge
| b. Apr 1869, Kentucky
| d. 29 Jul 1959, Nolan Co., Texas
| m. 6 Nov 1895
| Alvie Lee Gracey
| b. Aug 1871, Texas
| & Lizzie
| b. Aug 1875, Texas
| m. 1899
| Effie E. Gracey
| b. Jun 1872, Texas
| d. 16 May 1956, Deaf Smith Co., Texas
| & Joseph L. Hight
| b. Jun 1867, Tennessee
| Lura Pearl Gracey
| b. Feb 1876 Texas
| d. 9 Aug 1962, Nolan Co., Texas
| & D. D. Potter
| b. 9 Oct 1872, Texas
| d. 29 May 1951, Nolan Co., Texas
| m. 13 Jul 1898, Dallas County, TX
| Addie May Gracey
| b. 3 May 1878, Texas
| d. 8 Jan 1958, Hall Co., Texas
| & William Henry “Billy” Goodnight
| b. 12 Jun 1878
| d. 9 Oct 1940, Hall Co., Texas
| John Emery Gracey
| b. 30 Aug 1882, Texas
| d. 15 Mar 1961, Texas
| & Dora Pearl
| b. 21 Sep 1886, Texas
| d. 28 Feb 1983, Texas |
| Ida Gracey
| b. 1884, Texas
| d. 1884, Texas
| Walter Gracey
| b. 23 May 1887, Texas
| d. 24 Feb 1956, Terry Co., Texas
| & Jennie Lee
| b. 2 Sep 1894, Texas
| d. 27 Jun 1984, Brownfield, Terry, Texas
| Jo Gracey
| b. Aug 1890, Texas
| d. 4 Feb 1916, Dallas County, TX

Missing information for this family: maiden names for the wives of John Emery, Walter, and Alvie Lee Gracey and dates of death for Joseph Hight and for Alvie Lee Gracey and his wife. Also, five of the fourteen Gracey children died in infancy; are there any records for any of them except for Ida? Was Emory’s middle name Anderson or Augustus? Fun facts: Alvie Lee Gracy served as a registrar who did registration of men for the World War I draft; he signed his nephew William Emory Goforth’s registration card. Addie May Gracey Goodnight’s daughter Pauline Goodnight married a man named Clarence Clifton Knight, so that she became Pauline Goodnight Knight.

The Matlock Family

This is the family of my great-grandmother Angeline Elizabeth Matlock (my mother’s mother’s mother). The Useful Links section to the left includes a link to a great Matlock site. The main source for a lot of information on this family is Eunice Sandling’s “History of the Floyd Family.” Some of that information is based on articles from the Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, 1892, Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago. Jim Dodd has added some information and I have added a little bit. Below is a descendant chart for the family (parents Absalom C. Matlock and Nancy Malvina Harris and their children). Absalom’s parents were Rial Matlock and Camila Clark; Nancy’s parents were Thomas Highsmith Harris and Martha Elizabeth Skiles. Absalom, Nancy, Nancy’s parents and grandmother Nancy Highsmith Harris, and several of Martha Skiles Harris’ siblings and their families moved to Lancaster, Dallas County, Texas from Warren County, Kentucky in 1852.

Absalom C. Matlock
b. 21 Mar 1825, KY
d. 1865
& Nancy Malvina Harris
b. 28 Apr 1827, Warren County, Kentucky
d. 11 Aug 1862, Dallas County, TX
m. 13 Aug 1846, Warren County, Kentucky
| Angeline Elizabeth Matlock
| b. 18 Nov 1847, Bowling Green, Warren Co., Kentucky
| d. 11 Oct 1916, Dallas County, TX
| & Charles Augustus Floyd
| b. 28 Jun 1840, Greene Co., Illinois
| d. 4 Mar 1894, Dallas County, TX
| m. 13 Jan 1867, Home of T.H. Taylor, Texas
| Martha Amanda Matlock
| b. Sep 1849, Warren County, Kentucky
| d. 21 Aug 1927, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
| & Emory Anderson Gracey
| b. 13 Mar 1837, Bond Co., Illinois
| d. 3 Aug 1915, Lisbon, Dallas, Texas
| m. 27 Aug 1865
| Joseph R. Matlock
| b. Dec 1851, Kentucky
| & Adaline “Addie” [last name unknown]
| b. Mar 1852, Illinois
| d. bef 1920
| m. 1878
| Eliza Jane Matlock
| b. 15 Mar 1854, Lancaster, Dallas County, Texas
| d. 4 Feb 1935, Dallas County, TX
| & Elisha James Mathis
| b. 18 Apr 1845, Tennessee
| d. 5 May 1884, Dallas County, TX
| Thomas A. Matlock
| b. 20 Oct 1859, Dallas Co., Texas
| d. 19 Jun 1925, Petrolia, Clay, Texas
| & Mary Adeline “Addie” Stratton
| b. 7 Sep 1859, Texas
| d. 30 Jan 1936, Houston, Harris County, Texas

The families of each of the children will be dealt with in separate posts. Researchers working on this family are still trying to learn the cause, location, and exact date of Absalom Matlock’s death (1865 was given in the article on Charles Augustus Floyd in the Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County.) Did he serve in the Civil War (he does not show up in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System)? There is no record of his burial, but Nancy Harris Matlock is buried in the Floyd-Taylor Cemetery in Lancaster.