Surname Saturday: Family of Robert Brown Sims and Margaret Leek Brinlee

Robert Brown Sims
----b. 18 Nov 1825, Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi
----d. 5 Jul 1889, Stony Point, Collin County, Texas
& Margaret Leek Brinlee
----b. 12 Feb 1834, Red River County, Texas
----d. 4 Dec 1910, Vineyard, Jack County, Texas
----m. 15 Sep 1856, Collin County, Texas
|--Houston Sims
|----b. 25 Feb 1858, Stony Point, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 7 Oct 1859, Stony Point, Collin County, Texas
|--John Sims
|----b. 12 Nov 1859, Collin County Texas
|----d. 11 Feb 1937, Thalia, Foard County, Texas
|---& Samuel Rebecca Hendricks
|----b. 14 Nov 1861, Stony Point, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 13 Jun 1944, Thalia, Foard County, Texas
|----m. 18 Nov 1880, Merkle, Taylor County, Texas
|--Robert Brown Sims Jr.
|----b. 6 Apr 1862, Texas
|----d. 1 Jan 1948, Cooke County, Texas
|---& Lenora Ella Howser
|----b. 6 Mar 1870, Missouri
|----d. 18 Jan 1971, Golden Acres Nursing Home, Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas
|----m. 15 Nov 1894
|--Mary Ann Sims
|----b. 19 Aug 1863, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 24 Mar 1900, Pauls Valley, Garvin County, Oklahoma
|---& James Edward Brinlee
|----b. 3 Apr 1864, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 11 Feb 1908, Pauls Valley, OK
|----m. 21 Oct 1884, McKinney, Collin County, Texas
|--Laura Jane Sims
|----b. 28 Jul 1865, Stony Point, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 5 Jun 1944, Anna, Collin County, Texas
|---& Thomas Holmes “Tommy Homer” Stephens
|----b. Jan 1867, Texas
|----d. Oct 1906, Indianola, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma
|----m. 22 Aug 1888
|--George Sims
|----b. 27 Jan 1867, Stony Point, Collin County, Texas
|--Benjamin Sims
|----b. 1 Jul 1874, Stony Point, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 28 Jan 1944, Vineyard, Jack County, Texas
|---& Mary Jane Thetford
|----b. 7 Aug 1880, Texas
|----d. 21 Jan 1949, Jack County, Texas
|----m. 11 Feb 1906

This is the family of Robert Brown Sims, son of Robert Sims and Nancy Nichols, and Margaret Leek Brinlee, daughter of Hiram Carroll Brinlee Sr. and Elizabeth Ann McKinney.

Daughter Mary Ann married her first cousin James Edward Brinlee, who was the son of my great-grandfather Hiram Carroll Brinlee Jr. and his first wife, Diza Caroline Boone.

Son George is a bit of a mystery. The story goes that when he was about 18 to 20 years old, he left on horseback with a couple of other men. The other men returned after a few days with his horse and saddle but without him. They claimed that they had bought the horse and saddle from him but did not know where he went. He was never seen by his family again.

Featured Family Friday: Jessie Daniel Sisson and Jennie Reece Denison

Jessie Daniel Sisson
b. 10 Sep 1869, Alabama
d. 12 Aug 1952, Wichita Falls, Wichita, Texas
& Jennie Reece Denison
b. 1 Sep 1881, Tennessee
d. 28 Jan 1921, Floydada, Floyd Co., Texas
m. 15 Apr 1896, Leonard, Fannin Co., Texas
|--Oral Tompson “Bill” Sisson
|----b. 19 Aug 1899, Texas
|----d. 4 Dec 1973, Floydada, Floyd, Texas
|---& Virginia Lucille Barbee
|----b. 18 Aug 1912, Henderson Co., TX
|----d. 5 Sep 2001, Falls Church City, Virginia
|----m. 8 Jun 1930, Clovis, New Mexico
|--George Roy Sisson
|----b. 22 Nov 1902, Fannin Co., Texas
|----d. 3 Mar 1935, Floydada, Floyd Co., Texas
|---& Bessie Shockley
|--Lois Hassie Sisson
|----b. 17 Mar 1904, Fannin Co., Texas
|----d. 29 Nov 1980, Denver, CO
|---& Clyde Lester Falls
|----b. 25 Aug 1902, Stevenville, Texas
|----d. 13 Nov 1983, Denver, CO
|----m. 22 Sep 1923, Floydada, Floyd, Texas
|--Cleavie Ella Sisson
|----b. 17 Sep 1906, Texas
|----d. 14 May 1981, Wilbarger, Texas
|---& Edmond Farrington Handley
|----b. 25 Sep 1908, Childress, Texas
|----d. 16 Mar 1991, Vernon, Wilbarger Co., Texas
|----m. 2 Apr 1928, Floydada, Floyd, Texas
|--Valley P. Sisson
|----b. 19 Jun 1908, Texas
|----d. 20 Jan 1999, Portales, Roosevelt, New Mexico
|---& Bonnie Houston Shultz
|----b. 23 Mar 1906, Myra, Cook, Texas
|----d. 10 May 1980, Floydada, Floyd, Texas
|----m. 4 Dec 1926, Floydada, Floyd, Texas
|--Laudie Olean Sisson
|----b. 29 Jul 1910, Texas
|----d. 17 Jan 1984, Potter Co., TX
|---& James Charles King
|----b. 31 Mar 1909, Gasoline, Briscoe Co., Texas
|----d. 1 Jan 1994, Amarillo, Potter, Texas
|----m. 19 Aug 1928, Floydada, Floyd, Texas
|--Jessie L. Sisson
|----b. 15 Apr 1912, Texas
|----d. 24 Jan 1942
|--Goldie V. Sisson*
|----b. 15 Jan 1915, Texas
|----d. 30 Oct 1970, Plainview, Hale, Texas
|---& William Hatley Jackson
|----b. 19 Apr 1912, Temple, Oklahoma
|----d. 1 Feb 1962, Lubbock Co., Texas
|----m. 2 Feb 1936, Floydada, Floyd, Texas
|--Goldie V. Sisson*
|----b. 15 Jan 1915, Texas
|----d. 30 Oct 1970, Plainview, Hale, Texas
|---& Jessie Hayward Pace
|----b. 16 Feb 1968, Glasscock, Texas
|--Bob Hasty Sisson
|----b. 1916, Texas
|--Jennie Mae Sisson
|----b. 25 Feb 1918, Floyd Co., Texas
|----d. 2 Jan 1993, Bakersfield, Kern, California
|---& Roy William Dorety
|----b. Dec 1918
|----d. 6 Dec 1976, Bakersfield, Kern, California
|----m. 12 Jan 1942, Yuma, Arizona


This is the family of my great-grandmother Sarah Jane Sisson’s half-brother, Jessie Daniel Sisson, and Jennie Reece Dennison. Jennie’s parents were Archie William Denison and Comfort L. Kelley. Her sister was Nolie King Denison, who married Thomas Franklin Norman, Sarah Jane Sisson’s and William Henry “Jack” Norman’s son (that is, sisters married an uncle and nephew). Jessie and Jennie Sisson, like Sarah and Jack Norman, moved from Alabama to Texas, whereas most of the other Sisson siblings remained in Alabama.

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.

Featured Family Friday: Thomas Timothy Sisson and Elza Jane McLaughlin

Thomas Timothy Sisson
b. 2 Nov 1865, Alabama
d. 15 Aug 1930
& Elza Jane McLaughlin
b. 21 Mar 1873, Alabama
d. 24 Nov 1973
m. 19 Dec 1889, St. Clair Co., Alabama
|--Lillian May Sisson
|----b. 10 Mar 1892
|----d. Jan 1980, Leeds, Jefferson, Alabama
|---& Milton C. Stewart
|----b. 1894, Alabama
|--John Charles Sisson
|----b. 4 Jul 1894, Odenville, Alabama
|---& Nell
|----b. 1897, Alabama
|--Elon Guy Sisson
|----b. 25 Oct 1896
|----d. 29 Jul 1960
|---& Lucy Mae Slate
|----b. 17 Dec 1904
|----d. 6 Feb 1976
|--Samuel T. Sisson
|----b. May 1899, Alabama
|---& Ruby F.
|----b. 1903, Alabama
|--Annie E. Sisson
|----b. 1903, Alabama
|--Effie C. Sisson
|----b. 1904, Alabama
|---& Forney Allen Simpson
|----b. 13 Dec 1900, St. Clair Co., Alabama
|----d. 1 Oct 1937, St. Clair Co., Alabama
|----m. 1 Sep 1923, St. Clair Co., Alabama
|--Bessie J. Sisson
|----b. 1907, Alabama
|--L. Marjorie Sisson
|----b. 1909, Alabama
|--Bill Sisson
|----b. 1913, Alabama
|--Fannie Sisson
|----b. 1917, Alabama

This is the family of my great grandmother Sarah Jane Sisson’s half-brother, Thomas Timothy Sisson (parents William T. Sisson and Margaret Jane Lambert) and his wife Elza Jane McLaughlin (parents John Columbus McLaughlin and Martha A. Vann).

This is not one of the Sisson siblings who moved to Texas from Alabama, so I do not know much about them. I would like to know: the maiden names of John Charles’ wife Nell and Samuel T.’s wife Ruby and the death dates for quite a few of these siblings.

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.

Featured Family Friday: William T. Sisson and Susan Caroline Tant

William T. Sisson
b. ca 1826, Georgia
d. 12 Feb 1894, Talladega, Alabama
& Susan Caroline Tant
b. 12 Nov 1838, Alabama
d. bef 1920
m. 17 Oct 1875, Talladega, Alabama
|--Martha Edna Sisson
|----b. Jul 1876
|---& Reuben/Robert John Mulky
|----b. Jan 1872, Georgia
|----m. 6 May 1891, Calhoun Co., Alabama
|--Wiley Turner Sisson
|----b. 10 Aug 1876, Alabama
|----d. 22 Jan 1957
|---& Lula E. Macon
|----b. 8 Jul 1879, Alabama
|----d. 28 May 1950
|----m. ca 1899

This is the family of my great-great-grandfather William T. Sisson and his third (and final) wife, Susan Caroline Tant, who I believe was the daughter of John T. Tant, Jr. and Adeline Ogletree. William and Susan Caroline were married in Talladega, Alabama on 17 October 1875. I believe William was Susan Caroline Tant’s first and only husband; she would have been about 37 years old when they married. Her Confederate Widow’s Pension Application is the source of a good bit of the information I have on this family. She appears on the 1900 and 1910 censuses with her daughter Martha Edna Sisson and son-in-law Reuben Mulky. I cannot find her on the 1920 census, so I have given that as a possible latest date of death, but then again I cannot find Martha and Reuben Mulky on that census, either. There are a lot of dates of death missing for this family: Susan Caroline Tant, daughter Martha Edna Sisson Mulky, and son-in-law Reuben John Mulky.

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.

Featured Family Friday: William T. Sisson and Margaret Jane Lambert

William T. Sisson
b. ca 1826, Georgia
d. 12 Feb 1894, Talladega, Alabama
& Margaret Jane Lambert
b. 1839, Alabama
d. bef 1875
m. 30 Nov 1858
|--Samuel N. Sisson
|----b. 1862, Alabama
|--William A. Sisson
|----b. 1864, Alabama
|--Thomas Timothy Sisson
|-----b. 2 Nov 1865, Alabama
|----d. 15 Aug 1930
|---& Elza Jane McLaughlin
|----b. 21 Mar 1873, Alabama
|----d. 24 Nov 1973
|----m. 19 Dec 1889, St. Clair Co., Alabama
|--Jessie Daniel Sisson
|----b. 10 Sep 1869, Alabama
|----d. 12 Aug 1952, Wichita Falls, Wichita, Texas
|--& Jennie Reece Denison
|----b. 1 Sep 1881, Tennessee
|----d. 28 Jan 1921, Floydada, Floyd Co., Texas
|----m. 15 Apr 1896, Leonard, Fannin Co., Texas
|--John H. Sisson
|----b. 1873, Alabama
|--Amanda Ella Sisson
|----b. Feb 1874, Alabama
|----d. 1966, Talladega, Alabama
|--& Robert L. Nabors
|----b. 14 Dec 1872, Alabama
|----d. 21 Nov 1927, Alabama
|----m. 20 Jan 1894, St. Clair Co., Alabama
|--Mary Emma Sisson
|----b. Feb 1874, Alabama
|----d. 1950, Alabama
|--& Green L. McCurry
|----b. Jan 1872, Alabama
|----d. 1936, Talladega, Alabama
|----m. 25 Dec 1901, Talladega, Alabama

This is the family of my great-great-grandfather, William T. Sisson, and his second wife, Margaret Jane Lambert. Margaret Jane must have died some time between February 1874, when her youngest children Amanda Ella and Mary Emma were born, and October 1875, which is when William Sisson married his third wife, Susan Caroline Tant. It may be that she died shortly after the twins' birth.

I would like to know the fates of sons Samuel, William and John. William (“Billy”) is shown on the 1880 census with the Joseph M. Norman family; William’s half-sister Sarah Jane would marry Joseph Norman’s son William Henry. I have found a couple of candidates who might be John Sisson but cannot confirm that they are the right man.

Jessie Daniel Sisson moved to Texas some time in the 1890s, as did William Henry and Sarah Jane Sisson Norman. The other members of this Sisson family seem to have remained in Alabama.

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.

Featured Family Friday: Obediah Victor Sisson and Sarah Jane Carpenter

Obediah Victor Sisson
b. 18 Sep 1852, Alabama
d. 25 Feb 1913
& Sarah Jane Carpenter
b. 30 Jun 1844
d. 31 Dec 1927, Talladega, Alabama
m. 17 Sep 1874, Talladega, Alabama
|--Henry Turner Sisson
|----b. 6 Jan 1879, Alabama
|----d. 26 Dec 1945, Alabama
|--Annie Belle Sisson
|----b. May 1880, Alabama
|----d. bef 1930
|---& Wesley Edgar Clifton
|----b. 28 Oct 1879, Alabama
|----m. 25 Jun 1904, Eden, St. Clair Co., Alabama
|--James P. Sisson
|----b. 1 Feb 1882, Alabama
|----d. 13 May 1912, Talladega, Alabama
|--Lena Sisson*
|----b. Feb 1884, Alabama
|---& William S. Gilbert
|----b. Mar 1876, Georgia
|----d. bef 1910
|----m. 26 Aug 1897, St. Clair Co., Alabama
|--Lena Sisson*
|----b. Feb 1884, Alabama
|---& William Isaac Burgess
|----b. 17 May 1884, Alabama

This is the family of my great-grandmother Sarah Jane Sisson’s brother, Obediah Victor Sisson. I was happy when I found the man I knew as Obediah V. Sisson listed on the 1910 census as Victor O. Sisson. This provides some evidence in favor of the hypothesis that the father of Obediah’s mother, Jerusha Elizabeth Neely, was Victor Neely. Obediah’s father was William T. Sisson. Obediah’s sister Margaret married a man named John E. Carpenter, who was most likely a relative of Obediah’s wife Sarah Jane Carpenter.

I would like to find out the fates of Lena Sisson and her two husbands, William S. Gilbert (they divorced), and William Isaac Burgess.

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.

Featured Family Friday: William T. Sisson and Jerusha Elizabeth Neeley

William T. Sisson
b. ca 1826, Georgia
d. 12 Feb 1894, Talladega, Alabama
& Jerusha Elizabeth Neeley
d. bef 1858
m. 13 Jun 1851, Talladega, Alabama
|--Obediah Victor Sisson
|----b. 18 Sep 1852, Alabama
|----d. 25 Feb 1913
|---& Sarah Jane Carpenter
|----b. 30 Jun 1844
|----d. 31 Dec 1927, Talladega, Alabama
|----m. 17 Sep 1874, Talladega, Alabama
|--Sarah Jane Sisson
|----b. 14 Feb 1855, Alabama
|----d. 25 Apr 1937, Fannin County, Texas
|---& William Henry “Jack” Norman
|----b. 15 Mar 1858, Alabama
|----d. 19 Dec 1939, Leonard, Fannin County, Texas
|----m. 1879
|--Margaret L. Sisson
|----b. 1856, Alabama
|---& John E. Carpenter
|----b. 28 May 1859, Talladega, Alabama
|----d. 18 Jan 1884, Talladega, Alabama
|----m. 8 Jun 1880, Talladega, Alabama

William T. Sisson and Jerusha Elizabeth Neeley were the parents of my great-grandmother Sarah Jane Sisson. William was the son of Obadiah and Margaret Sisson; Elizabeth’s parents are unknown, but I suspect that she was the daughter of a man named Victor Neeley. Jerusha was the first of William Sisson’s three wives; I will cover the families of his second and third wives in later posts.

There are still quite a few gaps in my information on this family: Jerusha Neeley Sisson’s date of death, Margaret Sisson Carpenter’s date of death, and whether Margaret and John Carpenter had any children before he died in 1884 (since they married in 1880, none appear with them on the 1880 census). John and Sarah Jane Carpenter were most likely related; I would guess that Sara was John’s aunt.

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.

Featured Family Friday: William Henry Norman and Sarah Jane Sisson

William Henry “Jack” Norman
b. 15 Mar 1858, Alabama
d. 19 Dec 1939, Leonard, Fannin County, Texas
& Sarah Jane Sisson
b. 14 Feb 1855, Alabama
d. 25 Apr 1937, Fannin County, Texas
m. 1879
|--William Norman Jr.
|----b. 1880, Talladega, Alabama
|----d. 1881, Talladega, Alabama
|--Thomas Franklin Norman
|----b. 6 Mar 1882, Alabama
|----d. 16 Aug 1958, Fannin County, Texas
|---& Nolie King Denison
|----b. 6 Apr 1887, Tennessee
|----d. 30 Mar 1967, Leonard, Fannin Co., Texas
|----m. 19 May 1905
|--Annie Norman
|----b. 1883, Talladega, Alabama
|----d. 1886, Talladega, Alabama
|--Jessie Fredrick Norman
|----b. 1884, Talladega, Alabama
|----d. 1895
|--Mary Jane “Mollie” Norman
|----b. 14 Feb 1890, Alabama
|----d. 21 Jan 1984, Leonard, Fannin Co., TX
|---& George Hampton Watson
|----b. 12 Aug 1876, Tennessee
|----d. 13 May 1941, Fannin County, Texas
|----m. 5 Sep 1910
|--Sallie Frances Norman
|----b. 5 Sep 1892, Talladega Co., AL
|----d. 8 Dec 1984, Ivanhoe, Fannin County, Texas
|---& Lawrence Carroll Brinlee
|----b. 29 Jan 1893, String Town, Atoka, OK
|----d. 9 Apr 1953, Bonham, Fannin, TX
|----m. 6 May 1911, Greenville, Hunt Co., TX
|--Obadiah “Oby” Norman*
|----b. 31 Mar 1895, Texas
|----d. Jun 1979
|---& Edith Beulah Watson
|----b. 2 Jul 1899
|----d. 12 Mar 1956, San Bernardino, CA
|----m. 3 May 1919, Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
|--Obadiah “Oby” Norman*
|----b. 31 Mar 1895, Texas
|----d. Jun 1979
|---& Rhuea Mae Brown
|----b. 28 Oct 1889, Licking, Texas Co., Missouri
|----d. 6 Apr 1974, Napa, California
|----m. 23 Aug 1956, Bonham, Fannin Co., TX

This is the family of my great-grandparents William Henry “Jack” Norman (son of James Madison Carroll Norman and Rebecca Monk) and Sarah Jane Sisson (daughter of William T. Sisson and Jerusha Elizabeth Neeley). They were my paternal grandmother’s parents. (Coincidence: Jack and Sarah were both the second children of the first wives of men who each had three wives.)

Originally I had heard nothing about the three children who died young – William Henry, Jr., Annie, and Jessie Frederick. I first saw them listed as children of Jack and Sarah Norman on a Sisson family website (included in the links on the left side of this blog). This information may have come from a Norman family history compiled by Inez E. Cline and passed to me by some generous cousins (thanks, Pat and Chuck!). This family history also attributes a third wife (Mary Roberts) to my great-uncle Oby Norman, but I have yet to check that one out, so I have not included her, yet.

Jack and Sarah Norman were the last set of great-grandparents I found after starting on the genealogical journey. I first saw their names on a listing for the Brown Shed Cemetery in Fannin, Texas. They appeared to be the right ages to have been Grandma Brinlee’s parents, so I put them down as my candidates. Then right after I subscribed to Ancestry I found them with their surviving children, including Grandma Sallie and Great-Uncle Oby, on the 1900 census. I cannot find Jack on either the 1910 or 1920 census, and Sarah appears on the 1920 census with son Thomas Frank and family and is listed as a widow. I suppose this could have been a mistake, but it kind of makes me wonder.

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.

Featured Family Thursday: Hiram Brinlee and Susan Elizabeth Smith

Hiram Carroll “Dink” Brinlee Jr.
b. Sep 1844, Red River County, Texas
d. 20 Jan 1920, Collin County, Texas
& Susan Elizabeth “Lizzie” Smith
b. 4 Apr 1868, Tennessee
d. 29 Jul 1958, Plano, Collin Co., Texas
m. 3 Dec 1891, White Bead Hill, Chickasaw Nation, OK
|--Lawrence Carroll Brinlee
|----b. 29 Jan 1893, String Town, Atoka, OK
|----d. 9 Apr 1953, Bonham, Fannin, TX
|--& Sallie Frances Norman
|----b. 5 Sep 1892, Talladega Co., AL
|----d. 8 Dec 1984, Ivanhoe, Fannin County, Texas
|----m. 6 May 1911, Greenville, Hunt Co., TX
|--Cordelia Lee “Cordie” Brinlee
|----b. 8 Jun 1895, Oklahoma
|----d. 23 May 1961, McKinney, Collin Co., Texas
|---& Kingsley Levington Clinton
|----b. 18 Feb 1894, Putnam Co., Tennessee
|----d. 2 Nov 1955, Anna, Collin, Texas
|----m. 1911
|--Austin Franklin Brinlee
|----b. 6 Apr 1904, Farmersville, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 17 Nov 1976, Allen, Collin County, Texas
|---& Mary Katherine Clinton
|----b. 3 Aug 1912, Fannin County, Texas
|----d. 25 Aug 1993, Allen, Collin County, Texas
|----m. 24 Jul 1928, Fannin County, Texas
|--Cecil Odell Brinlee
|----b. 23 Sep 1908, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 30 Oct 1994, Quitman, Wood, Texas
|---& Amy Lorene Kent
|----b. 12 Dec 1913, Arkansas
|----d. 11 Apr 2000, McKinney, Collin Co., Texas

This is the family of my great-grandfather Hiram Carroll Brinlee, Jr., and his second wife, my great-grandmother (and great brick wall) Susan Elizabeth “Lizzie” Smith. Lizzie was also married previously, apparently to a man named Bonner. It is said that Lizzie and Mr. Bonner did not have any children, but Lizzie apparently had given birth to 7 children as of the 1910 census, of whom 4 were living. There is a space of 9 years between the births of Cordelia and Austin Brinlee, which would leave room for the three children who died, but it would also have been possible for Lizzie and Mr. Bonner to have had a child or two before he died.

Austin Franklin Brinlee’s wife Mary Catherine Clinton was the niece of Cordelia Brinlee’s husband, Kingsley Levington Clinton.

Here is the obituary of Lizzie Smith Brinlee, taken from the Plano Star Courier, July 31, 1958:

“Mrs. H. C. Brinlee Dies at Plano Home Tuesday

Mrs. Susan E. Brinlee, aged 98, died at the family home in Plano Tuesday afternoon after a month’s illness.

One of Plano’s esteemed pioneer citizens, she was born April 4, 1860, in Tennessee, but had spent most of her life in Collin Co. She was a member of the Methodist Church.

Prior to her death, there were five generations of her family living. Her husband, H.C. Brinlee, and one son preceded her in passing.

Surviving her is a daughter, Mrs. K. L. Clinton of Anna; two sons, C.O. Brinlee of Plano and A.F. Brinlee, Lubbock; 26 grandchildren and several great grandchildren.

Funeral services were to be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the First Baptist Church in Plano, conducted by the pastor, Rev. A.J. Fineout, burial following in Restland with the Turrentine-Jackson Funeral Home of McKinney in charge of arrangements.

To all those upon bereavement has fallen we extend our heartfelt sympathy in their great loss.”

I believe the year of birth given here is about eight years early.

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.

Featured Family Friday: Hiram Brinlee and Diza Carolina Boone

Hiram Carroll “Dink” Brinlee Jr.
b. Sep 1844, Red River County, Texas
d. 20 Jan 1920, Collin County, Texas
& Eliza Caroline “Diza/Disey” “Linie” Boone
b. 2 Jan 1845, Kansas Twp., Jackson Co., MO
d. 19 Dec 1885, Anna, Collin, Texas
m. 16 Apr 1863
|--James Edward Brinlee*
|----b. 3 Apr 1864, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 11 Feb 1908, Pauls Valley, OK
|---& Mary Ann Sims
|----b. 19 Aug 1863
|----d. aft 11 Mar 1900
|----m. 21 Oct 1884, McKinney, Collin County, Texas
|--James Edward Brinlee*
|----b. 3 Apr 1864, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 11 Feb 1908, Pauls Valley, OK
|---& Ida Rosalee Brock
|----b. 2 Jul 1871, Georgia
|----d. 27 Dec 1940, Aubrey, Denton, Texas
|----m. 26 Aug 1901
|--Elizabeth Anne “Doll” Brinlee*
|----b. 9 Jul 1866, Bates County, Missouri
|----d. 20 Sep 1950, Dallas, Dallas County, TX
|---& Leander Scott
|--Elizabeth Anne “Doll” Brinlee*
|----b. 9 Jul 1866, Bates County, Missouri
|----d. 20 Sep 1950, Dallas, Dallas County, TX
|---& Harvey “Harve” Mulder
|----b. Feb 1852, Alabama
|----d. 19 Nov 1934
|----m. 25 Dec 1887
|--Laura Lee Brinlee
|----b. 17 Jan 1871, Missouri
|----d. 10 Dec 1937, Anna, Collin County, Texas
|---& James Larkin “Jim” Arrington
|----b. 27 Feb 1866, Collin Co., Texas
|----d. 17 Sep 1962, Collin County, Texas
|----m. 1890
|--William Leon “Hoss” Brinlee
|----b. 27 Oct 1873, Blue Ridge, Collin Co., Texas
|----d. 5 Jan 1952, Collin County, Texas
|---& Myrtie Short Wison
|----b. 23 Sep 1879, Texas
|----d. 27 Apr 1961, Wolfe City, Hunt, Texas
|----m. 10 Jun 1897
|--John Ewing Brinlee
|----b. 18 Dec 1875
|---& Dovie Edna McDonald
|----b. 27 Feb 1881
|----d. 15 Sep 1970, Temple, Cotton, Oklahoma
|----m. 24 Sep 1905
|--Ambert Hatler Brinlee*
|----b. 17 Apr 1878, Bowie Co., Texas
|----d. 19 May 1964, Anna, Collin County, Texas
|---& Susie Howard
|----m. 1898
|--Ambert Hatler Brinlee*
|----b. 17 Apr 1878, Bowie Co., Texas
|----d. 19 May 1964, Anna, Collin County, Texas
|---& Rosa Ella Roper
|----b. 22 Aug 1878, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 25 Mar 1946, Anna, Collin County, Texas
|----m. 4 Jan 1906
|--Ambert Hatler Brinlee*
|----b. 17 Apr 1878, Bowie Co., Texas
|----d. 19 May 1964, Anna, Collin County, Texas
|---& Lydia Ellen Stroud
|----b. 1895
|----d. 27 Jan 1989, Grayson Co., TX
|----m. 4 Aug 1954
|--Louis Boone Brinlee
|----b. 13 Oct 1882, Collin County, Texas
|----d. 27 Jul 1957, Madera, California
|---& Mary Jane “Mollie” Bennett
|----b. 26 Jun 1884, Odessa, Texas
|----d. 8 Apr 1952, Madera, California
|----m. 17 Apr 1906
|--Geneva Helen “Sis” Brinlee
|----b. 19 Jan 1884, Van Alstyne, Grayson Co., TX
|----d. 20 Oct 1957, Fannin County, Texas
|---& James Thomas Wicker
|----b. 9 Aug 1877, Tennessee
|----d. 15 Mar 1962, Terrell, Kaufman, Texas
|----m. 27 Oct 1906, Collin Co., Texas

This is the family of my great-grandfather (my father’s father’s father), Hiram Carroll Brinlee, Jr., and his first wife, Diza Carolina Boone. Hiram was the son of Hiram Carroll Brinlee, Sr., and Elizabeth Ann “Betsey” McKinney, a niece of Collin McKinney. Diza was the daughter of Alonzo Havington Boone, the granddaughter of Daniel Morgan Boone, and the great-granddaughter of Daniel Boone. On the 1870 census Hiram and Diza are shown in Bates County, Missouri, and on the 1880 census they are back in Collin County, Texas.

Missing information: I would like to find more information on “Doll” Brinlee’s first husband, Leander Scott, and Ambert Brinlee’s first wife, Susie Howard.

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.

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.

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.

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.]

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).

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.

Featured Family Friday: William Spencer Moore and Frances Emmaline Henderson

William Spencer Moore
b. 5 Jun 1834
d. 16 Mar 1919
& Frances Emmaline “Emma” Henderson
b. 1 Dec 1841, Simpsonville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
d. 15 Feb 1925
m. 1 Dec 1865
|--Lillie Talulah “Lula” Moore
|----b. 30 Sep 1864, South Carolina
|----d. 15 Oct 1926
|--& Franklin Lafayette “Fate” Huff
|----b. 11 May 1856, South Carolina
|----d. 15 Mar 1914
|----m. 1 Feb 1882
|--Mary Frances “Fannie” Moore
|----b. 4 May 1869, Greenville County, South Carolina
|----d. 16 Oct 1935, Greenville County, South Carolina
|--& Seaborn Varius Parks
|----b. 1868
|----d. 28 May 1951, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|----m. 19 Nov 1891
|--Charles Alexander Moore
|----b. 25 Sep 1870, South Carolina
|----d. 19 Nov 1947, Fountain Inn, Greenville, South Carolina
|--& Flora Lee Parks
|----b. 1 Jun 1874, South Carolina
|----d. 9 Nov 1957, Spartanburg, South Carolina
|----m. 3 Jan 1895
|--Henry Mathis Moore
|----b. 12 Jul 1872
|----d. 7 Aug 1945, Simpsonville, Austin Twp., Greenville, SC
|--& Frances Lillie Jones
|----b. 26 May 1875
|----d. 7 Oct 1962, Reedy Fork, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|----m. 14 Nov 1893
|--William Breaker Moore
|----b. 25 Apr 1874
|----d. 4 Sep 1940, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--& Olivia Alice “Leavy” Austin
|----b. 10 Nov 1872
|----d. 24 May 1959
|----m. 1895
|--Percy Williams Moore
|----b. 31 Jan 1876, Standing Springs, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|----d. 19 Apr 1943, Greeneville, Tennessee
|--& Vannie Hunt
|----b. Nov 1884, Towaliga, Georgia
|----d. Maryville, Tennessee
|----m. 24 Oct 1906, Milner, Church, GA
|--James Furman Moore
|----b. 17 Jan 1878
|----d. 1 Jul 1942, Greenville City, Greenville, SC
|--& Eunice Elvira Peeler
|----b. 1 Nov 1878, Cherokee County, South Carolina
|----d. 27 Jun 1970
|--Milton Donaldson Moore
|----b. 17 Sep 1879, Simpsonville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|----d. 10 Mar 1943
|--& Margaret VanVleck
|----b. 27 Jul 1883, Washington, D.C.
|----d. 7 Aug 1957, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
|----m. 27 Mar 1903, Simpsonville, Austin Twp., Greenville, SC
|--Minnie Virginia Moore
|----b. 13 Jul 1882
|----d. 10 Nov 1959
|--Martha Brown Moore
|----b. 21 May 1888, Greenville County, South Carolina
|----d. 4 Oct 1977, Simpsonville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--& Robert Lee “Bob” Chiles
|----b. 28 Aug 1889, Greenville County, South Carolina
|----d. 4 Apr 1944, Austin, Greenville, South Carolina
|----m. 17 Dec 1913

This is the large family of William Spencer Moore, son of Bud Mathis Moore and Martha Brown Coulter, and Frances Emmaline Henderson, daughter of the Rev. Henry Langford Henderson and Rebecca Adeline Cox. This William Spencer Moore was the nephew of my great-great grandfather William Spencer Moore and was named for him, and there are at least a couple of later William Spencers in the family who were named for him.

So far all of the “research cousins” I correspond with from the Bud Mathis Moore branch of the Samuel Moore family are descended from this family. It was Mary (descended from Charles Alexander Moore), one of these cousins, who kindly provided me with the Furman Moore history of the Bud Mathis Moore family that is the starting place for research on this branch; Furman was the son of this William Spencer Moore. Some of the descendants of this branch still live in the Greenville, South Carolina area.

This branch has fewer gaps in information than other branches of the Bud Mathis Moore family, but I would still love to exchange information with any descendants of this branch who may stumble on this article. You never know when we might put together some critical information that would help us to find Samuel Moore’s wife or parents.

Featured Family Friday: Franklin Blakely and Susan Amanda Moore Family

Franklin Blakely
d. bef 1860
& Susan Amanda Moore
b. 14 Feb 1832, Georgia
d. 9 Apr 1923
m. 2 Oct 1851
|--James Moore Blakely
|----b. 31 May 1855, Alabama
|----d. 19 Apr 1943, Piedmont, Grove, Greenville, South Carolina
|--& Sarah Richardson
|----b. 6 Oct 1853, South Carolina
|----d. 17 Sep 1937, Grove, Greenville, South Carolina
|----m. 1876
|--Mariah Blakely
|----b. 1857, Alabama

Susan Amanda Moore was the fourth child of Bud Mathis Moore and Martha Brown Coulter. The “mystery” family members here are her husband, Franklin Blakely, and her daughter, Mariah Blakely. Franklin is mentioned in the Furman Moore history of the Bud Mathis Moore family, but no other information is provided for him, probably because he died so early. On the 1860 census Susan is shown living with her widowed mother, Martha Brown Coulter Moore, her sister Sarah Ann, brother William Spencer, and her two children (the right ages, but the names don’t match). So far I have not found Mariah on the 1880 census but will try again and also try to find her in the marriage records for Greenville County. Franklin and Susan must have lived in Alabama for a while in the 1850s since both children were born there, so there may be some additional records there.

Featured Family Friday: Samuel Alexander Moore and Mary Ann Elizabeth Baldwin

Samuel “Sammie” Alexander Moore
b. 21 Sep 1828
d. 18 May 1861
& Mary Ann Elizabeth “Betsy Ann” Baldwin
b. 7 Mar 1830
d. 9 Feb 1922
|--Samuel Toliver Moore
|----b. 28 Jul 1852, Greenville, South Carolina
|----d. 10 Feb 1920, Simpsonville, Austin Twp., Greenville, SC
|---& Margaret Ida White
|----b. 16 May 1859, Simpsonville, Austin Township, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|----d. 3 Dec 1945, Simpsonville, Austin Township, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--Sarah Amanda E. “Sallie” Moore
|----b. 1 Dec 1854, South Carolina
|----d. 26 Jun 1892
|---& Leland Newport Thackston
|----b. 26 Aug 1851
|----d. 6 Dec 1899
|----m. 23 Nov 1871
|--Bud M. Moore
|----b. 20 Aug 1858, Simpsonville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|----d. 2 Jul 1941, Austin, Simpsonville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--& Susannah “Minnie” Roe
|----b. 7 Jun 1860, Near Travelers Rest, Greenville, SC
|----d. 13 Feb 1931, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|--m. 25 Feb 1886

Samuel Alexander Moore was the oldest son of Bud Mathis Moore and Martha Brown Coulter. He died at the tragically young age of 32 but did leave three children. According to the Furman Moore history of the Bud Mathis Moore family: “Born Sept. 21, 1828. Di8ed May 18, 1861 (nine days after being kicked by his horse). Rests at Standing Spring Church yard. He had organized a company of cavalry for the Southern Army and was soon to lead it to the front.”

I have “met” several descendants of Bud Mathis Moore’s younger son, William Spencer Moore, online, but have not yet gotten in touch with any descendants of Samuel Alexander Moore. Bits and pieces of both lines appear in several online genealogies, and I have also been in contact with a researcher who has some extensive information on some of the children of these two sons of Bud Mathis Moore. The family names Bud Mathis (or at least “B.M.”) and Samuel appear to be passed mainly through the Samuel Alexander line.

I would like to know who Mary Ann Elizabeth Baldwin Moore’s parents were; Samuel Alexander’s youngest sister, Jeanetta M. T. “Nettie” Moore married a William Warren Baldwin, who may be related.

Featured Family Friday: Isaac Cox and Mary E. T. Moore

Mary E. T. Moore was the third child of Bud Mathis Moore and Martha Brown Coulter. Isaac Cox was the son of Thomas B. Cox and Mary Olive Henderson (both the Cox and Henderson families have other members who married Moore family members).

Isaac Cox
b. 12 Oct 1828, South Carolina
d. 26 Aug 1906, Greenville County, South Carolina
& Mary E. T. Moore
b. 19 Oct 1829, South Carolina
d. 3 Feb 1877
|--Susan Ellen Cox
|----b. ca 1855, South Carolina
|--Thomas Bud M. Cox
|----b. 12 Sep 1857
|----d. 19 Mar 1874, Greenville County, South Carolina
|--Walter William Cox
|----b. ca 1859, South Carolina
|--Lethia Elizabeth Cox
|----b. 28 Jan 1862, Fairview Township, Greenville, South Carolina
|----d. 19 May 1897, Greenville County, South Carolina
|---& William J. Ellis
|----b. 19 Dec 1852, Greenwood Co., South Carolina
|----d. bef 1910
|--Lafayette Cox
|----b. Jan 1863, South Carolina
|--Samuel Cox
|----b. 1864, South Carolina
|--Robert Thurston Cox
|----b. 22 Feb 1870, South Carolina
|----d. 21 May 1947, Greenville, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|---& Leila Cox
|----b. 4 May 1874
|----d. 13 Aug 1948, Simpsonville, Austin Twp., Greenville, SC
|--Lillie Cox
|----b. 12 Apr 1874, Fairview Township, Greenville, South Carolina
|----d. 28 Jun 1929, Austin Township, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|---& Dock M. Garrett
|----b. 15 Jun 1875
|----d. 19 Sep 1929, Austin Township, Greenville Co., South Carolina
|----m. 1894

I have only been able to find Susan Moore in the 1860 and 1870 censuses and do not know what happened to her after that. As far as I know she is not buried in any of the cemeteries where other Moores are (Standing Springs, Simpsonville, Reedy Fork, Cedar Shoals, and a few others). I also need more information on Walter William Cox (not sure if that is his name – he is listed as Walter H. on the 1860 census and William on the 1870 census; there are a couple of candidates who fit the general timeframe), Lafayette Cox (last seen in the 1900 census as a boarder living with the family of John H. Austin in Greenville City), and Samuel Cox (last seen on the 1880 census).

Robert Thurston Cox’ wife Leila’s maiden name was Cox. She was the daughter of Lewis Cox and Susan Hyde. I am sure they are related to the other Coxes somehow.

After Mary’s early death, Isaac Cox married a second time:

Isaac Cox
b. 12 Oct 1828, South Carolina
d. 26 Aug 1906, Greenville County, South Carolina
& Margaret Bryson
b. 6 Jan 1844, South Carolina
d. 5 Jan 1923, Simpsonville, Greenville County, South Carolina
|--Nancy Mamie Cox
|----b. 3 Nov 1879, Greenville County, South Carolina
|----d. 10 Jul 1902, Greenville County, South Carolina

After Isaac Cox died, Margaret Bryson Cox married Lewis Brashier (another family with many ties to the Moores, as well as the Hendersons and Coxes).

I am very interested in exchanging information with others who are researching these families.

Featured Family Saturday: James Moon and Sarah Ann Moore – A Little Mystery?

Well, I was not able to get this in by Friday, even though this family, as far as I know, consists only of these two people. Actually, the document that is my starting point for the various member of the Bud Mathis Moore Family – the family history written by Furman Moore – gives only the following information: Sarah Ann Moore [oldest daughter of Bud Mathis Moore and Martha Brown Coulter], b. 8/17/1827 d. 4/11/1914, m. James Moon. And that’s it. When I did the censuses for the family, it was initially confusing, because they showed Sarah Ann living with her parents in 1850 and with her mother on the 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses for Greenville County, South Carolina. So where was her husband? Of course, I was making the assumption that Sarah Ann Moore married and was widowed at a young age. My confusion was compounded by the fact that Moore was often spelled Moor in early documents and on the censuses, and that spelling was often confused with Moon, because written “r” and “n” are can be difficult to distinguish. And on top of that, there were a lot of Moores and Moons in Greenville County.

Upon careful examination, however, the 1900 and 1910 censuses, show Sarah Ann as Sarah Ann Moon, widowed, and she is living with the family of her nephew Samuel Toliver Moore, son of her deceased brother Samuel Alexander Moore. The answer, of course, is that she married late in life and was widowed before the 1900 census. Now all I had to do was find which James Moon she was married to.

I have a candidate. Since Sarah Ann apparently married late in life – when she was more than 50 years old – I would guess that her husband was not too far from the same age, and the chances are pretty good that he may have been married before and widowed.

Doing a little scouting on the censuses and Findagrave, I found the following guy:

James A. Moon, born 25 Feb 1827, died 11 Jan 1897

Mary J. Ashmore Moon, born 3 Jun 1826, died 16 Jul 1880.

They are buried in the Ashmore Family Cemetery, Piedmont, Greenville, SC, at the 2500 block of Fork Shoals Road. Sarah Ann Moon is buried with the Samuel Toliver Moore family in Simpsonville Cemetery.

James Moon and Mary Ashmore were married on 24 Dec 1846 by Rev. J. M. Roberts. Mary was the daughter of John Ashmore.

Here is the census information for this James and Mary Ashmore family:

James and Mary Moon in the Census

1850 US Federal Census, Greenville, SC, 8 Nov 1850

Line 39 1583 1580

James Moon 22 M Farmer $350 SC
Mary 24 F SC
Sarah 3 F SC

1860 US Federal Census, Fork Shoals Division, Greenville, SC p. 245, 4 Oct 1860

1856 1756

J. A. Moon 32 M Farmer $1000 $1087 SC
Mary J. 34 F House keeper SC
Sarah A. 12 F SC
John 9 M SC
Elizabeth E. 1 F SC

1870 US Federal Census, Grove Twp., Greenville, SC, p. 14, 17 Aug 1870

Line 17 96 95

Moon, James 44 M W Farmer $377 $225 SC
Mary J. 44 F W Keeping house SC
John P. 19 M W No occupation SC
Elizabeth 14 F W At home SC

1880 US Federal Census, Grove, Greenville, SC, p. 21, 14 Jun 1880

201 201

Moon, James A. W M 52 Married Farmer SC SC SC
Mary J. W F 53 Wife Married Keeping house SC SC SC

Another reason I think this James Moon is a good candidate is that his first wife was an Ashmore. From the beginning I believe the Moores lived near the Ashmore family (who may have actually been in Greenville first), so they are in the right neighborhood.

Mary Ashmore Moon died about a month after the census was taken, so James would have married Sarah some time after that, and James died in 1897, with the result that this James would only have appeared on the 1890 census with Sarah.

So, one of my research tasks is to find marriage records or some other evidence of the marriage of James Moon and Sarah Ann Moore.