The Civil War and My Ancestors

Bill West of the West in New England blog issued a challenge to all genealogy bloggers with Civil War-era ancestors:

“Did you have ancestors in America on 12Apr 1861? If so, where were they
and what were their circumstances? How did the Civil War affect them and
their family? Did the men enlist and did they perish in battle or die of illness?
On which side did they fight, or did you have relatives fighting on BOTH sides?
How did the women left at home cope, or did any of them find ways to help
the war effort? Were your ancestors living as slaves on Southern plantations
and if so when were they freed?  Or were they freemen of color who enlisted
to fight?”

All of my ancestral lines were in this country by 1800, so all of them were involved in or affected by the Civil War. The only family for which I know nothing about their experiences in the Civil War would be the family of my brick-wall great-grandmother, Lizzie Smith Brinlee.

That still leaves quite a few families to cover, so I am going to follow Susan Clark’s lead at Nolichucky Roots; she gave an overview of her ancestors‘ involvement in the Civil War and plans to cover each person’s or each family’s involvement in a series of posts under the theme “Civil War Saturday.” In this post I will provide an outline of all of my ancestors who fought in the Civil War and of the nature of involvement of the families, including some mysteries surrounding the deaths of some of the ancestors and what is known about some of these families’ views on slavery, the Union, and so forth. I have found quite a bit of material in the form of service records, pension applications, unit histories, and other items; some of it has been transcribed and analyzed and some has not.

To the extent possible, I will include both direct ancestors and “collateral” ancestors (uncles) in the participants in the war, except for the brothers, half-brothers, and brothers-in-law of my two great-great-grandfathers who fought in the war (I have not yet researched in depth beyond these two great-great grandfathers, although I know who their families were). So in addition to these two great-great grandfathers, there will be three great-grandfathers and those of their brothers and their wives’ brothers who were old enough to fight.

As far as I know, all of my ancestors who fought in the Civil War fought on the Confederate side. However, it appears that not all of them were wholeheartedly anti-Union. There is at least one family who owned slaves. Another family, according to family lore, also owned slaves, but I have so far not been able to find any proof of it. This seemingly small number of slaveholding families may be due more to financial circumstances than conviction, however.

So this post is essentially a research outline summarizing what I already know and setting out what I need to find more information on. I will organize it by family name.


Brinlee

The Brinlees are the known slaveholding family. In her article on Hiram Brinlee (Sr.), Bessie Sims Sheppard writes that the family is “recorded on the Slave census, Collin County, 1860, as having eleven slaves” (“Brinlee, Hiram” by Bessie Sims Sheppard in Collin County, Texas Families, Volume One, edited by Allison Ellis Pitts and Minnie Pitts, Champ, published 1994 by Curtis Media, Hurst, Texas; p. 42), but I can find only five listed. There is no record for this family on the 1850 Slave Schedule, although it is possible that one of the many misspellings of this family name make them hard to find. (See my post “Restore My Name - Slave Records and Genealogy Research”).

According to the family story, all five sons of Hiram Brinlee, Sr. and Betsy Ann McKinney fought in the Civil War, but I am not so sure about the youngest son, William Hiram Brinlee, who was born in 1848 or 1850, depending on the source you read (all agree that sources vary on his age). So far I have found no records of his service, though I do find reference to it in an article by Aurelia Borgan Brinlee in Collin County, Texas, Families (“Brinlee, William Hiram,” p. 48), wherein she writes that he “enlisted in the home guard unit under Capt. Tom Scottby” and that he later “officially enlisted at Mill Creek, Oklahoma in Company K of the 5th Cavalry, Martins Regiment under General Gano.” This appears to be the same group in which his older brothers Richard, David Francis, and Hiram Jr. (second tour) served in. Tracking these records down will be one of my Civil War research tasks.

Richard Mason Brinlee (1836-1911) (great-great uncle): Enlisted on 5 July 1862 at age 25 as a Corporal in Company K, Martins Regiment Texas Cavalry (5th Partisan Rangers) at McKinney, Texas and appears on a muster roll for 1 January to 1 July 1863. According to the Statement of Service Slip in his Oklahoma Pension Board file, there are no further records on him, including prisoner of war records. Another area to be investigated. My first stop will probably be to check pension records in Oklahoma, since his third wife/widow, Nancy Ann Herrell Brinlee, apparently received a pension for his service.

George Robert Brinlee (1838-1927) (great-great uncle): Company D, Sixth Texas Cavalry (Stone’s Regiment, 2nd Cavalry). The cards in his compiled service record indicate that he enlisted 13 March 1862 at Camp Mulberry, Arkansas.

Hiram Carroll Brinlee (1844-1920) (great-grandfather): I have his Confederate Pension Application, his widow’s Confederate Widow’s Pension Application, and his compiled service record for his first tour of service. The story goes that he enlisted near the beginning of the war, was discharged because he was found to be too young for service under the Conscript Act, and re-enlisted later when he was older. I used this hint to figure out a period of time within which his birthday should fall (see my post “Tombstone of Hiram C. Brinlee”). Hiram is also listed in Company D, Sixth Texas Cavalry (Stone’s Regiment, 2nd Cavalry). He joined on 10 September 1861 in Dallas, Texas at the age of 17. He is shown as having been discharged on 13 June 1862 on a Register of Payments to Discharged Soldiers. His pension application indicates that he had also served “under [General] Gano for about 1-1/2 years.” I do not have records of that service; they may have met the same fate as those of his brothers Richard, William Hiram, and David Francis in that group (Fifth Partisan Rangers).

David Francis Brinlee (1846-1893) (great-great uncle): I do not have service records for him, but according to the Confederate Widow’s Pension Application of his widow, Sarah Ann Hendricks Brinlee, he served in “Co. K; Martin’s Regiment, and Gano’s Brigade.” So, ditto the above on finding other records. Witnesses T. J. Cloyd and Dallas Sparin confirmed that he had served with them in D.C. Haynes’ Company in this unit for about a year and a half. I do find a Thomas J. Cloyd and George M. D. Sparlin listed as having served in the Fifth Partisan Rangers.


Moore

This family, which I initially regarded as “just a plain old farming family,” but loved anyway and wanted to research in depth, has turned out to be very interesting. One item of interest is that there appears to have been a big streak of pro-Unionism in this family. I had no inkling, but a genealogist who does a lot of research in Anderson County, South Carolina and nearby areas pointed this out to me; through several clues in names and associations and several articles in the local newspapers she found on my great-great grandfather William Spencer Moore, she indicated that the signs were that the family was pro-Union even before the war, and the fact that Spencer Moore ran for local office as a Republican after the war was not an aberration but a continuation of his beliefs from before the war. Spencer’s wife Emily Tarrant Moore was in all likelihood a member of the Greenville County Tarrants, one of whom was a well-known Emancipating Baptist named Carter Tarrant. When I finally found Preston Moore in Izard County Arkansas on the 1870 census, he had a year-old son named Ulysses. This will definitely be a major research focus for me.

Preston Moore (ca 1843-bef 1878) (great-great uncle): Covered in my posts “Searching for Preston Moore” and “The Two Preston Moores.” I have his compiled service record, a couple of prisoner of war records, and a unit history that includes his name.

Harlston Perrin Moore (1845-1921) (great-grandfather): I have his Confederate Pension Application and his widow’s Confederate Widow’s Pension application. His service is outlined in my post “Featured Family Friday: Harlston Perrin Moore and Martha E. ‘Mattie’ Lewis.”

William Brewster “Bruce” Moore (1851-1924): His obituary in The Greenville News, dated 29 July 1924, describes him as a “Confederate veteran, 73 years of age.” However, unless he was something like a drummer boy near the very end, he probably did not serve, as he was not quite fourteen years old at the end of the war.


Norman

The Normans do not appear to have owned slaves. I don’t know whether they were pro-slavery/pro-Union or anti-slavery/anti-Union.

Joseph Madison Carroll Norman (1833-1901) (great-great grandfather): He is listed with two different units (Company H, 25th Alabama Infantry and Company B, 3rd Alabama) and Company C at the Camp of Instruction, but I do not think he saw much service. I have his compiled service record, his Confederate Pension Application, and his widow’s Confederate Widow’s Pension Application. His service timeline, as far as I can reconstruct it, is as follows:

Company H, 25th Alabama Infantry: March-April 1862. He was admitted to the 1st Mississippi C.S.A. Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi on 19 March 1862 and discharged from service on 16 April 1862. He writes in his Confederate Pension Application: “At Corinth Miss I was taken down with Rheumatism and been a sufferer every since.” A physician, Joel Chitwood, testified that he suffered from “spinal affliction and rheumatism of the left arm and hand” and that he was “able to perform only one-fourth manual labor,” and neighbors Thaddeus Wheatly and Mitchell Blackburn confirmed that he was in “poor circumstances.” His Soldier’s Discharge gives the date 28 March 1862.

Company C, Camp of Instruction, Talladega, Alabama: 1 Sep 1862-6 May 1864

Company B, 3rd Alabama: 18 May 1865 (contained on a list of paroled prisoners of war). Either his unit had been rolled up into the 3rd Alabama or all of the prisoners were lumped together under this unit.


Lewis

Three sons of Elisha Berry Lewis and Martha Poole served in the Civil War; two of them died. Martha died some time right before or during the war, and after the war Elisha Berry married Frances Eleanor Campbell Bailey, the widow of John Marion Bailey.  John Marion Bailey fought in the same unit as Elisha Berry's two oldest sons and died in the war.  I do not yet know what this family’s beliefs were regarding slavery and the Union. There is some evidence that two youngest sons (too young to serve) may not have been of the same opinion. William Henry Lewis, who served as Sheriff of Dallas County, was known to have prevented a couple of lynchings in Dallas, one of a black man and one of a man suspected of having a black mistress. He corresponded with relatives in Iowa who were known back home in South Carolina to have been abolitionists. On the other hand, the youngest son, John Sloan Lewis, is described in an article from the Dallas Morning News as a “Wade Hampton Man.”

James West Lewis (1835-1904) (great-great uncle): Served as a private in Company B, 4th South Carolina Infantry. I have his compiled service record.

Samuel D. Lewis (1840-1864) (great-great uncle): The details of his service can be found in my post “Transcription Tuesday: The Death of Samuel D. Lewis.” I have his compiled service record and some information from unit histories.

Manning P. Lewis (1843-25 March 1865) (great-great uncle): You can see that Manning Lewis’ death from wounds occurred only a few weeks before the end of the war. He served as a private in Company D of the 1st South Carolina (Orr’s) Rifles. He enlisted on 20 July 1861 at Camp Pickens. I have his compiled service record and some unit history information.


Sisson

I cannot find any evidence that this branch of the Sisson family owned slaves and do not know what their views on slavery and the Union were.

William T. Sisson (ca 1826-1894) (great-great grandfather): He served as a private in Company H, 25th Alabama Infantry. He enlisted on 24 November 1862 in Talladega, Alabama. He was paroled as a POW on 20 May 1865 in Talladega, Alabama. I have his compiled service record, his Application for Relief by Soldiers Maimed or Disabled during the Late War under Act approved February 28, 1889, and his widow’s Confederate Widow’s Pension Application. According to his service record, he did extra duty as a teamster. In his Application for relief he states that he was shot in the leg at Chickamauga in October 1864 [? the Battle of Chickamauga took place in September 1864]. In her Confederate Widow’s Pension Application, William Sisson’s widow, Susan Caroline Tant Sisson, indicates that a previous application (apparently the Application for Relief) was turned down because he owned too much property to qualify.


Floyd

According to family lore, the Floyds owned slaves, but I have not been able to find any records to back this up, yet. Some information on this is provided in my post “Memory Monday: A Family Story.” Another Civil War-era mystery concerns the cause of death of several relatives who died during this time (it was probably from illness, but we do not know for sure): Nancy Finley Floyd, wife of George Floyd, who died in 1862, and Absalom C. Matlock and Nancy Malvina Harris Matlock, parents of Angeline Elizabeth Matlock, who died in 1865 and 1864.

Charles Augustus Floyd (1840-1894) (great-grandfather): He served as a private in Company F, 6th Texas Cavalry. I have his compiled service record. He enlisted on 9 September 1861 in Dallas, Texas. Then there is the “Floyd Family Legend,” according to which one Floyd brother served as a Confederate and another served for the Union; after the war, they farmed side by side but never spoke to one another again. I think this legend is pretty much busted; you can judge for yourself by clicking on the link to the post.

As indicated in the “Floyd Family Legend,” I do not know whether either of the other two Floyd brothers who would have been old enough to serve did serve or not (for either side):

David Harriet Floyd (1836-ca 1867): No record.

Henry Oscar Floyd (1843-1862): See my post on “Henry Oscar Floyd.” He is The Big Question. If one of the Floyd brothers did serve for the Union, he would probably be the one (he reputedly died in Illinois in 1862), but I haven’t found any records for him.


Smith

I suspect the father of Susan Elizabeth “Lizzie” Smith Bonner Brinlee, my great-grandmother, may have served in the Civil War. But I don’t know, because I have not yet found her family.


I would love to have appended a beautifully written list of sources at the end of this post, but it is getting closer and closer to midnight and this is a big honking article with a whole bunch of sources. If you are interested in the sources for any of this information, just contact me and I will provide them.

Surname Saturday Family of Wiley Turner Sisson and Lula E. Macon

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
|--Clyde G. Sisson
|----b. 29 Mar 1900, Alabama
|----d. 4 Oct 1955, Elmore Co., Alabama
|--Myrtle O. Sisson
|----b. 1902, Alabama
|--Mary E. Sisson
|----b. 1903, Alabama
|--Lillian M. Sisson
|----b. 24 Aug 1904, Alabama
|----d. Dec 1990, Alexander City, Tallapoosa, Alabama
|---& Orion Eldridge Hornsby
|----b. 30 Jun 1900, Tallassee, Elmore, Alabama
|----d. 24 Dec 1956, Tallassee, Elmore, Alabama
|----m. 1 Aug 1920
|--Weston E. Sisson
|----b. 1907, Alabama
|--Hellen Florence Sisson
|----b. 1909, Alabama

Wiley Turner Sisson was the half-brother of my great-grandmother Sarah Jane Sisson. Their father was William T. Sisson; Wiley Turner was the son of William’s third wife, Susan Caroline Tant.

I would love to share information with anyone related to/researching this family; you can contact me at my e-mail address, which can be found by going to my profile page (there is a link to that page in the About Me section to the left).

Surname Saturday: Family of Reuben John Mulky and Martha Edna Sisson

Reuben/Robert John Mulky
b. Jan 1872, Georgia
& Martha Edna Sisson
b. Jul 1876
m. 6 May 1891, Calhoun Co., Alabama
|--John Mulky
|----b. Aug 1895, Alabama
|--Anne Girtie Mulky
|----b. Mar 1896, Alabama
|--Felix R. Mulky
|----b. Dec 1898, Alabama
|----d. 14 Feb 1965, Butts Co., GA
|--May Mulky
|----b. 1901, Alabama
|--Lulu Mulky
|----b. 1903, Alabama
|--Jodie Mulky
|----b. 1915, Georgia

Martha Edna Sisson was the half-sister of my great-grandmother Sarah Jane Sisson. Their father was William T. Sisson; Martha Edna was the daughter of William’s third wife, Susan Caroline Tant. I believe the parents of Reuben John Mulky (who shows up on the 1910 census as Robt. J. Mulky) were John E. and Eugenia Mulky.

I know very little about this family; I do not know who any of the children married nor the dates of death for most of them. I would love to share information with anyone related to/researching this family; you can contact me at my e-mail address, which can be found by going to my profile page (there is a link to that page in the About Me section to the left).

Surname Saturday: Green L. McCurry and Mary Emma Sisson Family

Green L. McCurry
b. Jan 1872, Alabama
d. 1936, Talladega, Alabama
& Mary Emma Sisson
b. Feb 1874, Alabama
d. 1950, Alabama
m. 25 Dec 1901, Talladega, Alabama
|--Arthur Grey McCurry
|----b. 1903, Alabama
|----d. 1922
|--Katie Ivy McCurry
|----b. 1908, Alabama
|--Carlton McCurry
|----b. 1911, Alabama
----d. 28 Jul 1955, Birmingham, Jefferson, Alabama

This family is part of my Sisson family through my great-grandmother Sarah Jane Sisson. Mary Emma would have been her half-sister. Their father was William T. Sisson; Sarah Jane’s mother was Jerusha Elizabeth Neeley and Mary Emma’s mother was Margaret Jane Lambert.

For the most part I know very little about what happened to the children, particularly who they married or when they died. I would love to share information with anyone related to/researching this family; you can contact me at my e-mail address, which can be found by going to my profile page (there is a link to that page in the About Me section to the left).

Surname Saturday: The Robert L. Nabors and Amanda Ella Sisson Family

Robert L. Nabors
b. 14 Dec 1872, Alabama
d. 21 Nov 1927, Alabama
& Amanda Ella Sisson
b. Feb 1874, Alabama
d. 1966, Talladega, Alabama
m. 20 Jan 1894, St. Clair Co., Alabama
|--Emma Nabors
|---- b. Feb 1895, Alabama
|--Maggie D. Nabors
|----b. Jan 1897, Alabama
|--Minnie V. Nabors
|----b. Dec 1898, Alabama
|--Dixie Ellen Nabors
|----b. 28 Jan 1904, Alabama
|----d. 17 Dec 1921
|--Roy L. Nabors
|----b. 28 Jan 1906, Alabama
|----d. 25 May 1974, Talladega, Talladega, Alabama
|---& Susan Holt Herring
|----b. 22 Jan 1911, Alabama
|----d. 23 Apr 2005, Talladega, Talladega, Alabama
|--Howard Nabors
|----b. 1908, Alabama
|--Cecil D. Nabors
|----b. 30 Sep 1910, Alabama
|----d. 11 Sep 1955
|--Cason E. Nabors
|----b. 22 Jul 1913, Alabama
|----d. 27 Sep 1931, Talladega, Alabama
|--Robert Edward Nabors
|----b. 22 Nov 1917, Alabama
|----d. 5 Oct 1992, Talladega, Talladega, Alabama

Amanda Ella Sisson, the daughter of William T. Sisson and Margaret Jane Lambert, was the half-sister of my great-grandmother Sarah Jane Sisson.

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 more about the children of this family: what happened to them, whom did they marry, etc.

I would love to share information with anyone related to/researching this family; you can contact me at my e-mail address, which can be found by going to my profile page (there is a link to that page in the About Me section to the left).

Transcription Tuesday: Continuation of Susan Caroline Sisson’s Pension Application

Below is the transcription of the rest of Susan Carolina Sisson’s Confederate Widow’s Application for a Pension. It has very little additional information, though it does indicate that she possesses no property (she may have passed it on to her children). It also indicates that she moved to Coffee County, Alabama in November 1922; perhaps that was the time that daughter Edna moved to Georgia with husband Reuben Mulkey. Susan also indicates that husband William T. Sisson’s initial application for a pension was rejected because he owned too much property at the time to qualify.

[Fourth page]

Post offices Elba, Alabama, R#4.

Years Came here to Coffee County in November, 1922.

Also state when you moved to Alabama Have been here all time.

When and where did your husband enlist in the service of the Confederate States or State of Alabama? Don’t know….Records in Pension office show this.

To what branch of the service did he belong? Pension records show this.

What was his rank? Pvt.

Give number of his Regiment Don’t remember. Letter of his Company ____

Name of his Colonel Don’t remember. Records in Pension office will show.

Name of his Captain …Don’t know this.

Was he wounded? _____ If so, in what battles? Records there show.

State whether he was ever captured no. Where None When___
Or imprisoned No Where None When

And when discharged from prison none.

Where and when did he quit the service of the Confederate States and under what circumstances? Honorably discharged at end of war.

Was he paroled? none. Have you his parole? none.

Was he ever on the pension roll of this State? Yes.

If so, give county in which he drew pension Talladega County, Alabama.

Did he ever draw a pension from any other State? none. If so, give name of State _____ and County _____ and years _____.

Was any application for pension in this State ever made by him and refused? was drooped [sic] on account of having too much property one time. If so, in what county was he then living and what year did this occur Talladega County.

County Don’t know. Year, reason He had too much property at that time.

Give below the schedule of your property:

Real Estate Value

None Acres in None County $ ____
Description of improvements None at all.

[Fifth page]

Household Furniture None.
Hogs None.
Horses and Mules None.
Cattle None.
Sheep None.
Goats None.
Watches and Clocks None.
Jewelry None.
Paintings None.
Libraries None.
Pianos and Organs None.
Shares of Bank Stock None
Shares of Stock in Companies or Corporations None.
Investments in Bonds None.
Mortgages None.
Money in Bank None.
Money elsewhere None.
Merchandise None.
Other property or Investments None.

Income

What is your yearly income from rents, interest or other investments? None.

The above statements are true and correct.

Signed this 9th day of April, 1923.

(Signed) Susan Caroline Sisson + her mark

State of Alabama,
Coffee County.

Personally appeared before me ___ a ____ in and for said County Coffee, whose name is signed to the foregoing statement and who is known to me, who being by me first duly sworn, deposes and says that the answers made to the foregoing questions are true and correct to the best of her knowledge and belief.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 9th day of April, 1923.

J. M. Stokes
J. of P.

[Sixth page]

Tax Assessor’s Certificate

D. C. Marley, Tax Assessor for Coffee County, hereby certify that the assessed value of property real and personal, as shown by assessment book of year 1923 assessed to Susan Caroline Sisson amounts to None.

Witness my hand this 9th day of April, 1923.

D. C. Marley
Tax Assessor Coffee County

[File card]

Order Number _____

Widows Blank for Reclassification under Section 11, as amended by acts of legislature approved October 5th, 1920

Application of
Susan Caroline Sisson

Widow of
Wm. T. Sisson

State of Alabama,
Coffee County

Filed in the office of the Probate, Judge this 11th day of April 1923.

Filed in office of Commission this ___ day of ____ 192_.
J. A. Carcely
Judge of Probate

Transcription Tuesday: Materials from the Alabama Department of Archives and History

I am a big fan of state archives, and the Alabama Department of Archives and History is a shining illustration of the reasons why. About a year ago I sent in a request for materials on my great-great grandfather, William T. Sisson. On the request form you can select four types of documents for them to search for the fee ($15?). They found three of the four types (and the fourth, his Civil War service record, I obtained from Footnote) and sent photocopies of the records, a research report, and a copy of a page from the unit rosters for Alabama Confederate soldiers.

Below is the beginning of my transcription of these documents. I will begin with the Confederate Widow’s Pension application of William T. Sisson’s widow, Susan C. [Caroline] Tant Sisson.

As I started to transcribe these documents, it became clear to me that I should have done this much earlier. Although I scanned them for information when I received them, they contain so much more, and compelled me to change, add, and update information in my genealogy program.

[First page – parts of three papers]

[Paper at left, typewritten]

Sisson, William T.
Co. C, 30th Ala. Inf. Reg.
Private.
April 1862, Talladega, Ala.

[Middle paper, typewritten]

Alabama Pension No. 31780
Elmore County
Name of Pensioner Susan C. Sisson
Widow of W. T. Sisson
Rank pvt Co. H 25 Regt.

Ala Infantry/ Cavalry/Artillery/Navy

Enlisted _____ at
County of _____
State of _____
Name of Com’n’d’r _____
Discharged _____ at
_____
Wounded _____ at
______
Witnesses R. H. McKinney
Jno. J. Sparks
Remarks /initials/

[Paper at right, handwritten]

[Private] age 29 [or 79]
Mar. 5th 1862 – Talladega, Ala,
3 years ---
Muster in Roll dated Camp Curry, March 26th 1862 –

[Second page – appears to be photocopy of a record card, handwritten entries]

MILITARY RECORDS DIVISION

VETERAN’S NAME Sisson, William T.
PENSIONER “
Sisson, Susan Caroline
COUNTY Coffee & Calhoun & Elmore
MILITARY RECORD Pvt., Co. H, 25th Regt.

[Third page – beginning of application. Entries are typewritten.]

WIDOWS BLANK FOR RECLASSIFICATION UNDER SECTION 11, AS AMENDED BY ACTS OF LEGISLATURE APPROVED OCTOBER 5th, 1920

State of Alabama
Coffee County

Give your full name Susan Caroline Sisson
Your present, permanent, complete post office address Elba, Alabama, R # 4.
What is your number on pension roll? (Elmore Co.)
With whom are you now living? W. T. Sisson, her son, Elba, Alabama, R # 4.
Where were you born? Place Talladega County County Alabama State ____
When were you born? Month October Day 12th Year 1835.
Sate name of your father John J. Tant
If living, his present address Not living.
If dead, when and where he died Has been dead 25 years or more, Talladega Co.
What was the name of your husband? William T. Sisson
When and where did you marry him? 1874 in Talladega County, Alabama.
When and where did he die? 1892 in Talladega County, Alabama.
Were you living with him one year prior to his death? Yes.
Were you ever divorced from him No. If so, when and where? None.
Have you been married more than once? No. If so, give name of husband and date and place of marriage None.
Have you been on the pension roll of any other county in this State at any time? Yes. If so, state in what counties and the years of your residence there, County Elmore County year 1897, County Elmore, year, County ___ year ____. Have you ever drawn a pension in another state? No. If so, give the State None, County ___, and years ____.
Are you now receiving a pension from any other state? No. If so, give the name of State ___. Did you ever apply for a pension in this State and had your application rejected? No. If so, give year ___ and reason for rejection ___.
Has your name ever been dropped from the pension roll? No. If so, state in what county you were then drawing and the reason given None.
Have you ever lived in any other states? No. If so, give name of states____ Counties___.

Items of interest and information

1. Confirms his unit number (Company H, 25th Regiment). Cryptic references on the left-hand piece of paper on the first photocopy page to the 30th Regiment. The only reference in the body of Susan C. Sisson’s application is to the 25th Regt. The dates on the handwritten scrap of paper on the right side of the page do not seem to have dates that add up either for William or Susan, so these may have been from adjacent files. There may have been a William M. Sisson in the Talladega area (perhaps a relative). Searches in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System do not really provide a lot of additional information. I’ll have to do some more nosing around in Footnote. Also need to get unit histories.

2. Confirms that Susan C. Sisson’s full name is Susan Caroline Sisson and that her maiden name was Tant. This was a big deal when I first received the photocopies, because I was not sure the Susan C. Sisson shown living with daughter Martha Edna Mulkey on the 1900 census for Talladega County, Alabama was the Caroline Tant Sisson listed on the Sisson Family Genealogy pages.

3. A year of 1874 is given as the date of marriage of Susan C. Tant and William T. Sisson (which does not match the 17 October 1875 date listed in the marriage records for Talladega County).

4. An approximate time frame for the death of John Tant is given (would be around 1898 or earlier). (Note to self: This is a family I want to do more research on. There was also a daughter named Martha, and she would have been the right age to be the same Martha Tant who married Lafayette Lee, the half-brother of my great-great grandfather J.M.C. Norman.)

5. My previous entry for the death date for Susan C. Sisson in my genealogy program – before 1920 (may have been based on the fact that I did not find her in the 1920 census) – was incorrect and had to be changed to "after 11 April 1923," based on the date of the application.

6. Route #4, Elba (Coffee County) is given as Susan’s place of residence on the date of the application. The other counties listed may also indicate other places of residence of Susan’s daughter Martha Edna Sisson Mulkey and her husband Ruben Mulkey. Although Susan is listed as living with her son W. T. [Wiley Turner] Sisson in 1923, on the 1900 and 1910 censuses she is living with her daughter (and I can't find her on the 1920 census, either). Edna and Ruben may have moved to Georgia in around 1920-23; they are living in Georgia in 1930.

7. 1892 is given as the year of William T. Sisson’s death, which does not agree with the date of 12 February 1894 indicated on the Sisson Family Genealogy pages.

8. Based on the replies in the form, Susan C. Tant had no husbands prior to William Sisson; she was his third wife and was somewhere between 35 and 40 when she married him.

So, after only a few pages, a lot of information has been provided and several discrepancies and unverified pieces of information appear that need to be followed up.

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.