JAMES POOL, Blacksmith for the Seneca and Delaware Tribes

© Kathy Duncan, 2014

Fortunately for me, James Pool, the blacksmith, for the Seneca, Delaware, and Shawnee, left a paper trail a mile wide, and it keeps growing. It was through him that I was finally able to document any family connections for Azariah Holcomb - they were brother-in-laws. Knowing that Azariah Holcomb and Phoebe Pool were siblings, made it possible to link them both to their brother Enoch Holcomb.

James Pool was born in Virginia c. 1809 in Virginia. and died sometime after 1867, location unknown.

James Pool married Phebe Holcum on 8 Aug 1824 in St. Genevieve County, Missouri in the home of Benaja C. or Benajah Brown. Brown probably had some sort of family connection to Phebe since her brother was James Brown.

Phoebe Holcomb was the sister of Azariah Holcomb.

The known children of Phoebe (Holcomb) and James Pool:

1. George W. Pool
2. Andrew Jackson Pool
3. Esther Minerva Pool
4. Sarah A. Pool

James Pool lived in the Delaware village from about 1822 to 1830:
"Another Kaskaskian, James Pool, and his white wife, Phoebe, lived in the Delaware village from about 1822 to 1830. Pool, who was the Delaware blacksmith, was an employee of the government at the James Fork Trading Post."
[Source: White River Valley Historical Quarterly; vol. 6, no. 3, Spring 1977
http://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/wrv/V6/N3/Sp77d.htm]

The source above may be the cause for some to speculate that James Pool was a half-breed. Note that no primary sources to date reference him as being an Indian of any tribe. The Kaskaskia were an Illinois tribe, not a Virginia tribe. James Pool's birth in Virginia would seem to negate the possibility that he was a Kaskaskian Indian. Three primary documents generated during his lifetime state that he was born in Virginia.: the 1850 census and two treasury department registers, examined below. The reference that James Pool was a Kaskaskian is probably more accurately a reference to his possible residence on Kaskaskia Island near Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri. It would have a been a likely residence since he was well acquainted with its inhabitants; however, he is just as likely to have been a resident of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri. The statement above, indicating that Phebe was "his white wife," probably stems from Joseph Philibert's deposition given in 1875 in the Missouri Supreme Court case against the William Gillis Estate:

"Int. 89 Were you acquainted with James Pool at James Fork trading post. If yea, state how long said Pool lived there, what was him employment and his wife s name if you recollect it.

Ans. I was acquainted with Pool before we came to this country. He was here when I came. He was the Delaware blacksmith - employed by the government at James Fork trading post. He lived there until 1820 [sic - should be 1830] when he moved to the Kaw river I was acquainted with with Mrs. Pool. I think her name was Phebe. Mrs. Pool left with Mr. Pool for Kaw River in the fall of 1830. She, Mrs. Pool, was a white woman."
[Source: Transcript of Joseph Philibert Deposition in Missouri Supreme Court Case Against the William Gillis Estate. Filed January 15, 1875. Contributed by Wilma Fields]
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~biddle/deposition1.html

 This deposition probably stresses that James Pool's wife was white because many of the fur trappers and government workers had taken Indian wives. The deposition seems to be a partial attempt to account for the women in the area. Without seeing the rest of Gillis's case file, it is impossible to speculate as to why this specific question was asked.

Iron objects and smelting wastes have been excavated by researchers from the Center for Archaelogical Research, Missouri State Universty, from the site where James Pool's blacksmith shop probably stood in DelawareTown on the James Fork of the White River. That site was catalogued as 23CN455 by researchers.
[Source: Delaware Town; Where the Wilson Meets the James]
http://delawaretown.missouristate.edu/delaware.html

The site of his smithy can been seen on a map contributed by Marcie Venner. See map labled as sites in James River Valley, including those with reported actual Delaware occupation.
[Source: The Delaware Along the James, uploaded by Marcie Venner]
http://www.academia.edu/3365045/The_Delaware_Along_the_James

Further research published in 2011 indicates that 23CN455 might have been a farmstead that site 23CN1B might actually be the blacksmith operation run by James Pool.
[Source: Archaeological Investigations of Delaware Occupation In the James River Valley of Southwest Missouri; Research Report No. 1452; Center for Archaeological Research; Missouri State University, 2011, by Marcie L. Venter et al]

In April of 1826, Pierre Menard wrote a letter from Kaskaskia to Indian Agent Richard Graham of the St. Louis Superintendency of Indian Affairs at St. Louis that James Pool reported "from the James Fork of the White River [Arkansas-Missouri] concerning the murder of several Delawares. Sixty or seventy Delawares were reported to be at either Anderson's or Nanundagum's Town and only three old men at Roastinger's Town about 300 yards from Marshall's on Finly...at a distance of about nine miles he can see the house of La-pa-ni-hile [eldest brother of Captain Ketchum] in flames.
[Source: Richard Graham papers, Clark Collection, vol. 10, Missouri Historical Society, CKH, p. 147]

On 10 June 1826, James Pool was one of the witnesses to a voucher for $5,300 from Richard Graham to the chiefs, councilmen, and captains of the Delaware.
[Source: The Delaware Indians: A History by C. A. Weslager]

On 24 September 1829, the government negotiated a new treaty with the Delawares that canceled their right to the lands on the James Fork in Missouri, where they were in residence and allotted land to them along the Kaw River [Kansas River] in present day Kansas. In the fall of 1830 many tribal members began the move under their own volition, arriving there in November of 1830.
[Source: The Delaware Indians: A History by C. A. Weslager]

On December 1831, Pierre Menard, paid James Pool $93 for transporting the Delaware from the White River to the Kansas River.
[Source: Kansas Historical Review, vol. 8, ed. Francis Asbury Sampson]

Leading members of the Church of Latter Day Saints arrived in Independence, Missouri in 1831 with the intent of converting the tribes to Mormonism. They crossed the Kaw [Kansas River] into the Delaware tribal lands. Parley P. Pratt wrote the following:
"There was an interpreter present and through him we commenced to make known our errand, and to tell him of the Book of Mormon. We asked him to call the council his nation together and give us a hearing in full. He promised to consider on it till next day, in the meantime recommending us to a certain Mr. Pool for entertainment; this was their blacksmith, employed by government...We again lodged at Mr. Pool's told him of the Book, had a very pleasant interview with him, and he became a believer and advocate for the Book, and served as interpreter."
[Source: Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, 1807 - 1857]

On 31 December 1833, Perre Menard, paid James Pool $93 for transporting the Delaware from White River to the Kansas River.
[Source: Congressional Serial Set, Government Printing Office, 1835]

8 June 1831, $8 paid to James Pool for two grindstones by R.W. Cummins found in Abstract Y: Abstract of Expenditures and Disbursements by William Clark, Superintendent to Indian Affairs at St. Louis, to carry into effect the supplementary article concluded at Council Camp on James Fork of White River, Missouri, the 24th Sepetember, 1829, to the Treaty with the Delawares of 3d October, 1818
[Source: Indian Removal Records - Senate Document #512, 23 Cong., 1 Sess. Vol. V]

In 1833 James Pool was hired as a carpenter for the Senecas of Sandusky at the Seneca Sub-Agency located in present day Delaware County, Oklahoma.

The following was written by Frank H. Harris:

"Acting on the recommendation of the Governor of Missouri, Commissioner Ellsworth on August 1, 1833 hired James Pool, from Independence, Missouri, to perform the duties of blacksmith for the Senecas of Sandusky. He also hired Azariah Holcomb, Mr. Pool's brother-in-law, as carpenter, to assist in the proposed erection of a grist mill for the Senecas. These two men did good service for the Senecas for several years. Cherokee West Agent, Vashon, complained in 1835, that Commissioner Ellsworth had no authority to hire the two men.

"Lieutenant Van Horne, while acting Seneca Sub-Agent in 1833, allowed Mr. Pool and his family to live at the Agnecy house. Van Horne state, 'As there seemed to me little probability that the Agency House would be required for the residence of a Sub-Agent: and as it was likely to go to ruin if not occupied: I have directed the blacksmith to occupy it at present.' Mr. Holcomb and his family were sick and were also allowed to live there, where they were cared for by the Pool family. Lieut. Van Horne, conscious of Mr. Holcoomb's illness, reported [on Dec. 31, 1833], 'I think it my duty to say that in my opinion, the man is unfit to be employed by the Department, either as a carpenter or miller.'

"The first blacksmith shop for the Senecas was built on the grounds near the Agnecy House, by Mr. Pool and Mr. Holcomb. It was built, 'of hewn logs, a naile on roof and cost together with the coal-house, only $15.80."

James Pool remained as blacksmith for the Seneca until 1841. Azariah Holcomb left earlier.
[Source:  Harris, Frank H. "Seneca Sub-Agency, 1832-1838." The Chronicles of Oklahoma. p. 75 - 95.]

By 1840, James Pool and family were in Newton County, Missouri.

1840 Elk River Twp, Newton County, MO, page 227:
James Pool 0111101-200001

James Pool's 1840 household consists of the following:
one male age 5 - 10 = Andrew J. Pool
one male age 10 - 15 = unidentified male
one male age 15 - 20 = George W. Pool
one male age 20 - 20 = unidentified male
one male age 40 - 50 = James Pool
two females under age 5 = Minerva E. and Sarah A. Pool
one female age 40 - 50 = Phebe (Holcomb) Pool

The unidentified males are either sons who died during the next decade or males employed by James Pool. This is the only census on which Phoebe appears since they were living on the James Fork of the White River  in 1830.

On 25 June 1841 James Pool, a resident of Missouri shot William Shearer, a resident of Newton County, Missouri. The wound was serious, and it was believed that Shearer would die. The offense was committed within the Seneca Nation, so when James Pool was apprehended by Daniel M. Strickdon, a blacksmith employed by the government, he was turned over to John B. Luce, Neosho Sub Agent. Luce sent Pool to Fort Wayne, which was the nearest military post, with the request that he be turned over the Marshall of Arkansas. On July 8, 1841, J. P. Simonton, the authority at Fort Wayne reported that two individuals reported at Fort Wayne, stating that they had been responsible for delivering James Pool, but that he had escaped in route. They turned over Luce's letter. However, on July 5th, James Pool himself had turned up at Fort Wayne and surrendered himself. Simonton complained that he lacked instructions of any kind that would guide him in determining what to do with Pool. Evidently, James Pool was taken to Fort Smith. On July 13, 1841, S. G. Simmons of the Western Division at Fort Smith reported back to Capt. S. P. Simonton at Fort Wayne that James Pool had been set free since it "would be useless to send him before a magistrate without some of the witnesses in the case." He admonished Simonton that "hereafter whenever a prisoner is sent before a magistrate, that sufficient testimony also be sent to commit him, if guilty."
[Source: Fold3]

Shortly after this James Pool and family removed to Independence, Jackson County, Missouri where James Pool operated his own blacksmith shop and assembled wagons for the Santa Fe trade.

The children of Phoebe Holcomb are identified in a lawsuit brought by Samuel Woodson against James Pool et al and settled by the Missouri State Supreme Court in 1853. This suit centers on establishing a clear title for a piece of land that had been purchased from Hall and held in trust by James Brown for Phoebe Pool and her children. One deposition relates the information that Phoebe had instigated the purchase of a piece of land in Independence, Missouri on which she wished to build a small house for herself and her children. The question was whether James Pool had placed the land in trust for Phoebe as a means of evading his creditors. Eventually, the land had been sold because of James Pool's debts. Phoebe had died. A clear title was now in question. James Pool himself had left for Santa Fe before 1850, leaving only some of his children scattered in Missouri. The result is over a 100 pages of depostions that were collected by the Missouri State Supreme Court to settle the matter.

In 1848, James Pool purchased 63 acres of land from Lydia Partridge, widow of Edward Partridge, and which he later sold to John Maxwell. James Pool must have almost immediately sold the property to Maxwell, since Pool was in Santa Fe, New Mexico by 1850. This property became the controversial Temple Lot Case. The Mormons believed that this particular parcel was Zion.

The second lawsuit, Church of Christ v. Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:
"The bill of complaint further averred that after the death of said Edward Partridge, to wit, on May 5, 1848, his widow, Lydia Partridge, and three of his children, conveyed the lots in controversy to James Pool, notwithstanding the face that they had no title thereto by reason of the previous conveyance of the same on March 28, 1839, to the minor children of Oliver Cowdery; that aid James Pool, shortly thereafter, conveyed said property to John Maxwell; and that, by virtue of several other purchases and mesne conveyances, the Pool title to the premises in controversy became vested in one Granville Hedrick in trust for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which said last-named church the bill averred to the same church under a different name, as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The bill furthered averred that Gravnille Hedrick subsequently died, and that in an ex parte proceeding begun in the circuit court of Jackson county, Mo., Richard Hill, one of the defendants, was appointed trustee to hold the property and execute such trusts as may have been reposed in Granville Hedrick...Besides denying some other material allegations of the bill, the defendants pleaded substantially the following facts: That James Pool purchased the property in controversy from Lydia Partridge, the widow of Edward Partridge, and from Eliza M. Partridge, Emily D. Partridge, and Caroline E. Partridge, the children of Edward Partridge, in the year 1848, paying therefor the sum of #$300; that, at the time of making said purchase, said Pool had no notice whatever that any other person or persons claimed to have any interest in the property, and that the deed conveying the same to said James Pool was duly recorded in the proper registry office of Jackson county, Mo., on June 16, 1848; that James Pool shortly afterwards sold and conveyed said property to John Maxwell, who was also an innocent purchaser of the same for value; and that by virtue of numerous other conveyances thereafter made, which were specifically described in the defendants' answer, the title to lots 16, 20, and 21, originally acquired by James Pool from the heirs of Edward Partridge, became vested in John H. Hedrick prior to November 8, 1869; and that the title of said James Pool to lots 15, 17, 18, 19, and 22 became vested in one William Eaton prior to November 5, 1877...The deed for the same property that was executed by the widow and children of Edward Partridge on May 5, 1848, was filed for record and was recorded in Jackson county, Mo., on June 16, 1848. It purported to convey to James Pool, for an expressed consideration of $300, a tract of land described by metes and bounds, containing 63.43 acres. This tract was subsequently subdivided into five additions to the city of Independence, Mo., by persons who claimed title to  the same under the conveyance to James Pool of date May 5, 1848. The first of these additions which embraces the lots in controversy, was made by Woodson & Maxwell, by a plat duly filed and recorded as early as March 31, 1851. Two other additions were carved out of the tract, and plats thereof were filed in the years 1866 and 1868. The residue of the tract became additions to the city by plats which were approved by the city authorities and filed during the years 1886 and 1887, respectively. Since the tract was thus subdivided into additions, and attached to the city of Independence, hundreds of persons have bought lots therein in reliance on the Pool title. Streets and alleys have been opened through the tract, and many buildings and other improvements have been erected, at great expense to numerous occupants of the property. These improvements began, as it seems, long prior to the year 1870, and have continued without interruption to the present date. The record further shows that the lots in controversy became the subject-matter of a suit in partition between the heirs of  John Maxwell, deceased and Samuel H. Woodson, in the year 1859; and that by virtue of the decree in that suit, said lots were subsequently exposed for sale, and some of them were actually sold and conveyed to the respective purchasers. It should be stated in this connection that John Maxwell purchased the Pool title to the 63 acre tract originally owned by Edward Partridge as early as August 3, 1848. He entered into a contract with Samuel H. Woodson in February, 1851, by virtue of which the latter acquired interest in the property; and after the death of Maxwell and after the laying out of Woodson & Maxwell's addition, Woodson bought the aforesaid suit in partition against the heirs of Maxwell, which resulted in the decree of partition last mentioned and in a judicial sale of the premises in controversy.
[Source: The Federal Reporter, vol. 70 Cases Argued and Determined In The Circuit Courts of Appeals and Circuit and District Courts of the United States; November, 1895 - January, 1896]
https://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F1/0070.f1.pdf

In 1850 James Pool was in Santa Fe, NM

Sante Fe., New Mexico Territory, p. 374:

1119/1119
James Pool 41, Blacksmith 40.000 or 10.000  born in VA
Jackson ---- 17 Blacksmith 4.000 born in MO
W? Henry Price 28 blacksmith 20 born in MD

James Pool's daughters, Minerva and Sarah Pool, were living in Missouri with his niece Hannah (Holcomb) Walker, daughter of Azariah Holcomb. No doubt all involved felt that the girls would be better off in Missouri than being exposed to the dangers of the Santa Fe trail.

1850 McDonald Co., MO p. 112:

John Walker 28 Farmer 500 b. TN
Hanah 26 b. MO
Louiz 6 b. MO
Azariah L.  4 b. MO
Julian 3 b. MO
Pleasant 8/12 b. MO
Minerva E. Pool 16 b. MO
Sarah A. Pool 14 b. MO

By June of 1851 James Pool had left Santa Fe, New Mexico. Presumably, his son Andrew Jackson Pool was with him. They probably were in route to Missouri. From there James Pool went to Washington, D.C. to press his claim for reimbursement for his services to the Seneca Indians back in the 1820s and 30s. More than likely he left Andrew J. Pool in Missouri. His daughters probably continued to live with relatives in Missouri.

By 1852 James Pool was in residence in or around the Washington, DC area and had taken a second wife: Eliza Jane Harding of Maryland. It seems reasonable that he may have sent for his daughter, Sarah, to join him and his new wife in Washington, DC. Since no marriage records have been discovered yet in Missouri for her, hopefully one will come to light in the DC area. Daughter Minerva married in Missouri.

In 1852/53 James Pool's brother-in-law Enoch Holcomb died. Enoch Holcomb's estate, case #03827B, was filed in St. Louis County, Missouri in 1852/3. His probate named his siblings: "Isaac Holcomb brother of decd who resides in St. Louis County and Nathaniel Holcomb brother of decd who resides in California and Azariah Holcomb and Hannah wife of James Scagg and the children of Esther Jameson who was a sister of decd who reside in the South western part of the state of Missouri and the children of Phoebe Pool whose residence is unknown to me."

James Pool's claims for his unpaid services for the Shawnee, Seneca, and Delaware tribes began appearing in the Washington, DC newspapers by 1852.

"Mr. Atchison, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, to whom was referred the petition on James Pool, praying compensation for his services as blacksmith and striker for the Shawnees and Delaware tribe of Indians, reported a joint resolution to authorize the settlement of the accounts of James Pool; which was read and passed to a second reading."
[Source: Daily Union; Washington, DC; Sunday 22 August 1852]

"Mr. Atchison. I wish to submit a motion to postpone the prior orders, and that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Senate joint resolution No. 57; and I make an appeal to the Senate to do this as a matter of charity. This joint resolution is for the settlement of the accounts of a poor blacksmith, who has been here during the last eight or nine months of the present session. He has a small claim against the government, and he is in great need of the money, and has made an appeal to me to have the matter ated upon. I hope this joint resolution will not be taken up.

The motion being agreed to, the joint resolution to authorize the settlement of the accounts of James Pool was read the second time, and considered as in committee of the whole. It provides that the proper accounting officers the treasury be directed to adjust and settle, upon principles of equity and justice, the claims of James Pool, arising out of the services of himself and striker in the blacksmith shops of the Delaware, Seneca and Shawnee tribes of Indians; and that the balance, if any, that may be found due, be paid to the said Pool, or his legal representatives, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated; provided that the amount shall not exceed, $3,531.67.

No amendment being made, the joint resolution was reported to the Senate, and ordered to be engrossed for a third reading."
[Source: Daily Union; Washington, D C; Fri. 27 August 1852]

"Mr. D. [Dodge of Iowa] also presented a supplemental petition of James Pool, praying remuneration for services rendered, under contract, to the Seneca nation of Indians; which was referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs."
[Source: Daily Union; Washington, DC; Tues. 14 February 1854]

"Mr. Wade: I am directed by the Committee on Claims, to whom was referred the petition of James Pool, to submit a report, accompanied by a bill for his relief. I ask the Senate to consider the bill now. It is for the benefit of a poor man, who has been waiting here for a long time, and it is proper that it should be disposed of at once.

The bill was read a first time, and ordered to a second reading. It proposes to direct the proper accounting officer of the Treasury to pay to James Pool $2,262 for money advanced by him to purchase corn for the Seneca and Shawnee Indians in the spring of 1834, at the request of Governor Stokes, Indian agent, and interest thereon; and for interst on sundry sums advanced by him for the use of those Indians, between the years 1823 and 1838, which sums were not refunded until 1853, for want of appropriations for that purpose; and this amount is to be in full for all existing claims of Pool against the United States, growing outo f any transactions with those tribes.
The President: The Senator from Ohio asks for immediate consideration of the bill. It requires unanimous consent. Is there objection?
Mr. Stuart: I do not propose to object to the consideration of the bill; but inasmuch as the report is not printed, I should be glad if the Senator from Ohio would, state briefly what are the circumstances of the case.

There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill as in Committee of the Whole.

Mr. Wade: The bill received the unanimous sanction of the Committee on Claims. Contrary to our usual customs, we propose in this bill to allow interest on certain advances made by this individual while he was engaged as a blacksmith among the Indians. It comes within the rule which has been adopted by the committee, and , I believe, sanctioned by the Senate. The sums which he paid out have since been refunded by the Government; the inability of the Government to pay them has thereby been acknowledged. His account was presented many years ago, and payment was refused [barely?] because there was no appropriation to meet it. Under such circumstances, we have always allowed interest, I believe, and in no other case, so far as I know. In this case, coming within the rule, we propose to award interest from the time when the presentation of the claim was made and payment refused. That is the principle on which the bill is founded. The report is a long one, and sets forth all the facts.

The bill was reported to the Senate without amendment, ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, read a third time, and passed.

Mr. Wade: I now move that the report of the committee in this case be printed.
The motion was agreed to."
[Source: Daily Globe, Washington, DC; Thurs. 18 January 1855]

In 1855, James Pool took a part time job as a watchman for the Treasury Department in the District of Columbia:

The 1855 Register of Agents...In the Service of the United States supports the 1850's census report that James Pool was born in Virginia:

In 1856, James Pool appeared in the Congression Serial Set, vol. 851 as being on the payroll for his services as a watchman for the Treasury Department. The entry is titled "Statement showing the names of watchmen employed in the Treasury. The entry reads name - James Pool, time employed - from July 1 to December 31, 1855, annual salary - $600, amount paid - $300, residence - District of Columbia. The most note worthy clue here is that his residence was the District of Columbia.
[Source: Congressional Serial Set, vol. 851]

James Pool remained employed as a watchman at Treasury Department until the summer of 1861:

In 1862, James Pool was still a resident of Washington, DC and still pressing Congress for the funds they owned him. Now, however, they also owed him for his employment as a watchman for the Treasury Department, a job that he took to support himself and his family while living in Washington DC and waiting for Congress's decision in his original claim. Congress, however, was not disposed to act any faster than they had in the previous ten years! The full transcript of the 1862 congressional comments published in The Globe.

Finally, in 1867, Congress issued a proclamation for James Pool to be paid for his services to the tribes. He had been pressing Congress for fifteen years for money he had been owed since the 1830s. Note that this proclamation does not include the money owed him for being a watchman at the Treasurey Department!

"An Act for the relief of James Pool. January 22, 1867: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to pay to James Pool the sum of twelve hundred and eighty-seven dollars and ten cents, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated: Provided, That four hundred and eighty-seven dollars and fifty cents of said amount shall be paid out of any annuities or moneys payable to the Senecas and Shawnee Indians, if there by any, and if none, then the whole sum to be paid out of the treasury of the United States."
[Source: United State Statues At Large: Treaties and Proclamations of the United States, vol 14, 1868]

REV. EUGENE WILLIAM THOMPSON

© Kathy Duncan, 2014

According to family tradition, Solomon Thompson who lived variously in Kershaw, Fairfield, and Lancaster Counties, South Carolina, was married to Arcenia/Arsenia Williams. He had three known children: a son, Elizabeth Ann Rebecca (Thompson) Kelley, and Henrietta Southerland (Thompson) Floyd. I am uncertain at this point as to whether Arcenia is the mother of all of his children since it turns out that the eldest son is about twelve years older than his next youngest sister, Eliza. If you are researching this family, then you may have come across information that the son was named Eli or Elia or Elias or maybe even Ellis. This is an error. In fact, it is an error that I created, and I would like to correct it with this post.

This error was created because Solomon's son is only a namless tick mark on the 1840 census:

1840 - Kershaw Co., SC p. 375:

Sallomon Thompson 0100001 - 00002
1 male 5 - 10: a son
1 male 40 - 50: Solomon Thompson
2 females 20 - 30: wife of Solomon Thompson and another female
       

He is out of Solomon's household by 1850:

30 Sept 1850, Fairfield County SC, p. 258:

853-854
Solomon Thompson 36 M W Planter b. Fairfield Co., SC
Sarah ---- 30 F W b. Fairfield Co., SC
Elizabeth ---- 6 F W b. Fairfield Co., SC

He also is not present in the household in 1860:

31 July 1860, Fairfield, Fairfield District, SC, p. 233:

586 - 586

Solomon Thompson  53 M Overseer $0 - $1,025 b. SC

Esceni 50 F b. SC

Eliza 15 F b. SC

Henriette 7 F b. SC

Additionally, he is not identified through any "routine" genealogical sources that I know of--will or probate of his father or other family member. However, he wrote a letter to his sister, my great-great grandmother Eliza (Thompson) Kelley, which he signed with a swirl. In my defense, it does look like it could be Elia or some other variation on that name. Doesn't it?? That mistake, though, led me astray for years and resulted in my theory that his name was Eli becoming an unfortunate "fact" that has proliferated throughout the internet.

Click on image to enlarge.

Transcript of the letter:

Wadesborough, N.C.
Nov 25th 1867

Dear Sister
I received your letter some time ago, but as usual I have delayed writing until I fear you are out of patience, and have concluded that I do not care about hearing from you. I think I was the poorest hand to write a letter of any one I know except my wife. I write to no one except on business save father and mother, and I do not write to them as often as I should. I have written twice to them of late and can get no reply. I am very anxious to hear from them. I would go by if I had time as I go to Conference. I will leave next week. I suppose we will return to this circuit again though I am certain yet I like the people very well and they say I must come back. How do you like your new home. I hope you are doing well. I hope you made a good crop. This has been another bad crop year with us. I do not know whether father will try to hold on to his land or not. I wish those men who owe him would pay, that he might be able to buy him a home. It is shameful that they are to get his money and labors for nothing. I suppose there is no help for it as there is no way to make a man pay his debts now. Father thinking and hoping that you and Pink would move up to his country. I would be glad as they seem to be so bound up with you all. And you have another boy. Raising soldiers for the next war. I would like to know on which side he will fight though from the metal of his daddy, I might guess. But God save us from another war.

I suspect this little Kelly no. 2 will be a notable fellow if we are to judge from his name. Raise him to be a preacher. I must close. Kind regards to your clever “better half.” Write to me at Wadesborough as before.

Your only brother,
E [frustrating indecipherable swirl] Thompson

"Little Kelly no. 2" would have been Eliza and Pink Kelly's son William Haskell Kelley.

The only other primary document is a note written by Henrietta Southerland (Thompson) Floyd to Eliza (Thompson) Kelley on the occasion of their brother's death. In that note, their brother is only identified as "Buddy." While it is charming to know his nickname, it did not get me far in correctly identifying him. Having his death date, however, turned out to be extremely helpful.

Transcript:  Dear Sister we are all well Ma and Father are well Father will be after you soon. Sister Buddy is dead he died the 5 of April his wife has wrote to them twice since he died James is gone to Camden after the _______. I will go to Fathers to live.
April 30, 1877 H.S. Floyd

Years later, after more experience researching, I went back to the 1867 letter. It was evident from the letter that Eliza's brother was a minister in Wadesborough, North Carolina. The only possibility I turned up in Wadsborough, NC in that time period was Rev. E. W. Thompson, a Methodist minister. Looking again at his signature, it appearsed more to be an E. W. than Eli.

Click image to enlarge.

Rev. E. W. Thompson seemed like a reasonable fit since my grandmother's family had been Methodists. However, I could not get any further without knowing what the "E" stood for. More years ticked by. Then there was an internet explosion of information. I found an abstract for the obituary of Rev. E. W. Thompson and the death date was a close match. I also found an abstract for an obituary for his wife Jennie C. Thompson, widow of Rev. E. W. Thompson. Having her first name enabled me to find them on the 1860 census, where his name appears as Eugene Thompson. Then the flood gates opened. As the years rolled by, I have found more and more, including his place of death and a photgraph.

Allow me to present the life of Rev. Eugene William Thompson, son of Solomon R. Thompson, and brother to Eliza Ann Rebecca (Thompson) Kelley and Henrietta Southerland (Thompson) Floyd~~~

In 1850 Eugene W. Thompson appears to be boarding with the Sutherland family. He is going by what is evidently his middle name, William:

13 Aug 1850, Kershaw Co., SC, p. 88:

260 - 260
J.F. Sutherland 35 M Cabinet Maker b. NY
Henrietta Sutherland 30 F b. NY
Wm. Thompson 17 M Apprentice b. SC
Jesse Nelson 17 M Apprentice b. SC
W.J. Gaston 25 M Lawyer b. SC
Sarah Gaston 18 F b. SC
Hannah Valentine 70 F b. NY
Jack ______
Church Vaughan 24 M b. SC
Robt. Broomfield
Sarah 2 F B

Evidently, Solomon and Arsenia Thompson named their youngest daughter after the Henrietta Sutherland that Eugene William Thompson boarded with during this period. I have discovered no family connection between the Sutherlands and Thompsons.

Rev. E.W. Thompson married Jane C. Lowe, daughter of Sheriff Isaac and Nancy (Kincaid) Lowe, of Lincoln County, North Carolina on 28 December 1858. Her name alternately appears as Jennie.

6 July 1860, Town of Concord West Sect., Cabarrus County, NC

467 - 426
Eugene Thompson 27 M Methodist Minister $0-$600 b. SC
Jane ---- 24 F b. NC
Martha ---- 2/12 F b. NC

The Thompson's first born child only lived a few months:

Burial, Old Luthern Church Graveyard, Corban St., Concord, Cabarrus Co., NC; “Martha Tallula/ dau of /Rev. E.W. and J.C. Thompson/ Born May 8th/ Died Aug. 21th 1860/Suffer little children…unto me and…not for…kingdom of Heaven”

E. W. Thompson was the minister of the Concord Methodist Church, Concord, Cabarrus County, North Carolina in 1860 when the new church was being built.
[Source: "Methodism in Cabarrus" by Bill Furr, Cabarrus County, NCGenWeb]

When the Civil War began, Rev. Eugene W. Thompson joined the Confederate cause:

Eugene W. Thompson of Lincoln Co., NC was commissioned Chaplain of the 43rd Regiment, North Carolina, on 2 October 1862.

On 16 September 1862, Rev. E.W. Thompson paid $30 to become a life member of the Bible Society of the Confederate States of America.
[Source: State Bible Convention of South Carolina, 1862, Columbia, SC]

Over a seventeen day period from February 5 to February 22, 1864, twenty-two men were hanged in Kinston, North Carolina for desertion.  Most of them were from the 8th Battalion North Carolina Partisan Rangers. On February 14, "Rev. Mr. Thompson, Chaplain of the 43rd" along with two other ministers assisted Rev. John Paris, Chaplain of the 54th Reg. N.C.T. in visiting with the thirteen prisoners who were hanged the following day, Monday, February 15. Of these thirteen, eight were baptized. After that day the remaining prisoners only received visits from Rev. Paris with the exception  of "one in the afternoon, at my [Rev. Paris's] request, from Rev. Mr. Thompson."
[Source: Letter written by Rev. John Paris, 22 Feb. 1864, Kinston, NC reprinted in United States Congressional Serial Set, vol. 1263]

On November 7, 1864, E.W. Thompson wrote a letter of condolence to William Wills on the occasion of his son George Wills's death. As chaplain, he would have written many such letters. He noted that George Wills's "amiable and gentle disposition--his zeal in his country's cause--his fidelity in the discharge of his duties as an officer; together with his well ordered life as Church member all united to make me love him, and to impress me with his same excellence as a gentleman, his fidelity as a patriot, his superior qualities as a soldier and more than all his genuine piety as a Christian."
[Source: Redeeming the Southern Family: Evangelical Women and Domestic Devotion in the Antebellum South, 2011, by Scott Stephan]

Just before Christmas of 1864, Chaplain Eugene W. Thompson wrote from the Petersburg Campaign about his fear of what would happen if the Confederates lost:

"I sometimes look at subjugation and I tell you it is appalling. It is to have our fair fields confiscated; it is to have our beloved church desecrated, our innocent women to be the prey to brutal lust, our cherished institutions ruined, our whole country wasted and forever spoiled, and our population to a state of poverty, degradation and vasselage unknown before in the history of the world. Are we ready for such a fate as this. Will we submit to it? If it is Heaven's decree I submit, if not I think I am honest when I say I am ready to risk my life to prevent it."
[Source: The Final Battles of the Petersburg Campaign: Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion by A. Wilson Greene]

Mostly, Rev. E. W. Thompson was remember fondly by the men he ministered to during the war years. A case in point was Leonidas L. Polk:

"Rev. E. W. Thompson, our beloved and indefatigable Chaplain, whose name can never be mentioned by a member of our Regiment except with emotions of the sincerest esteem, if not affection, was untiring in his fidelity to the religious duties of his position. He rarely omitted an opportunity for Divine service, even if presented three times per day. In the camp, of bivouac, on the march, and especially in the hospital, or field infirmary, were his valuable, faithful services appreciated, and we but declare what we believe to have been the universal sentiment of the Regiment, when we say that no more faithful, zealous and efficient Chaplain could have been found in the army of North Virginia."
[Source: The 43rd NC Regiment During the War, "Whiffs from My Old Camp Pipe" by Leonidas L. Polk of the Weekly Ansonian (Polkton, NC) Beginning April 1876]

10 June 1870, Ward 4, Charlotte City, Mecklenburg County, NC:

108 - 108
Thompson, Eugene W. 36 M W Minister $0 - $300 b. SC
----Jennie C. 34 F W Keeping house b. NC
----Julian F. 6 M W b. NC
Sturdevant, Ellen 30 F M Domestic servant b. NC
----John 3 M M b. NC
Washington, Stephen 20 M B Sexton b. NC

-Married: In this city, on the 18^th inst., by Rev. Mr. Thompson, Mr. T. F. Holton and Miss Sallie Moyer.

[Thursday, July 28, 1870, THE SOUTHERN HOME (Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, NC]

On 8 April 1874, Rev. E.W. Thompson, Minister of the Gospel, married Minnie McNabb and Abram Gainey in Cumberland County, North Carolina.

[Source: Marriage Register, Cumberland County, NC, June 16, 1808 to 1952, transcribed by Larry and Juanita McClintock]

By 1877, Rev. E.W. Thompson was in poor health and was living in Morganton, North Carolina

Eugene W. Thompson
We are pleased to learn that Rev. E.W. Thompson, of the North Carolina M. E. Conference, has become a citizen of our town. He has formed a copartnership with our very popular young merchant, Mr. L. A. Brittain, and they will add dry goods, hats, shoes, &c. to their stock of groceries, confections, etc. We predict for this firm a very large share of the patronage of this country. It is to be regretted that the failure of Mr. Thompson's health has forced him for the present to quit active service as a minister, in which field he was so deservedly popular. He is now unable to get out to attend to his new business. Morganton is to be congratulated on securing him as a citizen, and we hope his selection of this healthy region may be the means of restoring his health. - Morganton Blade
[Source: The Charlotte Democrat; Charlotte, NC; 12 Jan 1877]

We regret to learn that Rev. E.W. Thompson is still in very feeble health. We were greatly in hopes we could report an improvement in his condition, but he is yet confined to his house, with no change to cheer his friend. -Morganton Blade.
[Source: The Charlotte Democrat; Charlotte, NC; 16 Mar 1877]

Rev. E. W. Thompson, a Methodist divine, well known to the people of this community, died recently of consumption, so we learn from an exchange.
[Source: The Pee Dee Herald; 21 Mar 1877]

NOT DEAD - It will be seen by the following paragraph copied from the Morganton Blade of the 31st March that Rev. E.W. Thompson (once the pastor of the Methodist Church in this city) is not dead as recently reported:
"Rev. E. W. Thompson's health, we regret to say, has not improved since our last report, but we hope with the pleasant weather we are apt to have in April, he will be sufficiently restored to again cheer his friends with a prospect of his final recovery."
[Source: The Charlotte Democrat; Charlotte, NC; 6 April 1877]

Rev. E.W. Thompson of the N.C. Conference, died at Morganton on the 4th inst. His death has been prematurely announced in some papers. He was a native of South Carolina and a gentleman of profound piety.
[Source: The Charlotte Democrat; Charlotte, NC; 13 April 1877]

Died - In Morganton, on the 4th inst., after long suffering, Rev. E.W. Thompson, of the N. C. Conference. He was a good man.
[Source: The Charlotte Democrat; Charlotte, NM; 13 April 1877]

North Carolina Methodist Conference - Forty-First Annual Session
The hour for special order, the memorial service, having arrived, Rev. W. S. Black, chairman of the committee on memoirs, read, as the report of the committee, a touching and eloquent obituary on Rev. E. W. Thompson, by Dr. Dixon, which they adopted. Had we the space to give it, the reader would be well repaid. The chairman evinced very deep emotion as he read. After the reading very feeling remarks were made by the friend of the deceased (Rev. J.S. Nelson) whose voice husky and eyes tearful as he spoke of the many virtues and manly character of his departed friend "whom he loved as his mother's own son."

Appropriate remarks were also made by L.W. Crawford, H.T. Hudson, L. Shell, S.V. Hoyle and V.A. Sharpe. Rev. J. A. Cunningham also read as appropriate to the occasion the resolution of the Joint Board of Finance.

Rev. A.W. Mangum also bore testimony to the virtues of the deceased, and in the course of his remarks most pathetically asked if our Father had a controversy with us, that He should thus in quick succession take from us our brightest and best in the full bloom of a glorious manhood. Thompson, Munsey, Duncan, and the unsurpassed and beloved Marvin.

The Bishop closed the memorial service with very proper remarks, and giving out, in a voice almost choked with emotion the lines of hymn 716, which were sung with mournful spirit by the standing Conference and congregation; and inviting the white-haired, aged veteran soldier of the Cross, Rev. J.H. Wheeler, to lead in prayer.
[Source: Observer; Raleigh, NC; Fri., 7 Dec 1877]

Biography published in the North Carolina Annual Conference:

“The Committee on Memoirs presented their report, which was read, and after remarks by several of the Conference, touching the life and services of Bro. Thompson, the report was adopted as follows:

Rev. E. W. Thompson

Rev. Eugene W. Thompson, an honored member of the North Carolina Conference, died in the town of Morganton, N.C., a few minutes before 1 o’clock, Thursday morning, April 5th, 1877, in the prime of a beautiful and noble manhood.

He was born in Kershaw county, SC., in the year 1833. His education was received at Camden, Columbia, and Cokesbury, S.C. At the last named place he spent two years under the instruction of the Rev. George . Round, now of Lenior, N.C.

He was converted to God under the ministry of the Rev. H.C. Parsons, of the S.C. Conference, and was licensed to preach, and joined the S.C. Conference in 1854, with F. Milton Kennedy, now Editor of the Southern Christian Advocate, Jesse S. Nelson, Presiding Elder of Fayetteville District, Samuel B. Joes, Landy Wood. M.A. Connelly and others, and was appointed to Wadesboro Circuit as Junior preacher with Rev. Sidi H. Browne; the next year, he was sent to Spartanburg Circuit with Rev. Daniel May; the next two years he was pastor of Shelby Circuit. At the close of his last year on Shelby Circuit, he was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Lowe, daughter of Sheriff Isaac Lowe, of Lincoln county, N.C. She, with one son, survives him. Her bereavement is that of the church. But she suffers, no doubt, the keenest pangs of grief, and our sympathies and prayers are the most enlisted for the greatest sufferer.

The year after his marriage, he was sent to Lincoln circuit; the next two years he served Concord Circuit. In 1862, he was sent to Cheraw Station, S.C. where he remained until the Autumn of that year, when he joined the army of Northern Va., under Gen. Lee, as Chaplain, where he remained until the close of the war.

After the war, he served Wadesboro’ Circuit for four years, and was then sent to Tryon Street Church, Charlotte, where he remained one year. While he was stationed in Charlotte, the territory in Western N.C., belonging to the South Carolina Conference was transferred to the N.C. Conference, and he was transferred with it. At the session of the held at Greensboro, he was made Presiding Elder of Shelby District. He remained two years on the District, but the work was considered too heavy for him, on account of a throat affection, from which he was suffering at the time, and to the regret of the entire Church, in the bounds of the District, he was sent to Fayetteville, where he remained four years. His failing health compelled him to have an assistant during the last year of his stay at Fayetteville, but growing weaker every day, he thought it best, at the close of his last year there to take a superannuated relation to the Conference, and came to Morganton hoping that the dry atmosphere and bracing air of this mountain clime, would restore his health. But alas! That fell destroyer, pulmonary consumption, had already laid its icy hands upon him, and marked him for its own; and the powers of life gradually gave way before it until the Master said: ’Come up higher.’

For twenty-three years, Bro. Thompson was a standard bearer for Christ, and during that period his character, both private and official, was unstained by a single blot. Of commanding presence and deportment, he was, wherever seen, a model specimen of the dignified Christian minister. The purity and consistency of his private life, imparted a momentum to his pulpit ministrations which secured for him a distinguished measure of success in winning souls to Christ. He was a charming preacher. I have heard him when the consolations of the gospel fell from his lips as honey from the rock, and the message of salvation came down and soothed the brow of care like an angel’s wing. The pathos of his sympathy--oh! How touching and tender! Beneath its magic charm sorrow bloomed and tears turned to gladness. “But the harp is broken and its music is gone.” The pleasant voice is hushed. The congregations of earth will listen to him never again; the pulpit will know him no more forever. “Called and chosen, and faithful.” He has been summoned from among us and his name passes from the roll of Conference, but his memory will linger with his brethren as an inspiration and incentive to all that is manly and noble, and heroic in the Christian ministry.  

He was very much attached to his congregation in Fayetteville, and the good people of Fayetteville without regard to religious denomination, loved him dearly. When it was seen that his early pilgrimage was soon to end, Bro. Claywell, of Morganton, asked him if he had any message that he would like to send to any. After thinking a moment, he said, “Yes, I would be glad if you send word to my congregation in Fayetteville, that when the last struggle came I was ready.” And after a moment he said: “I would be glad to go now.” I asked him several days before his death, how he felt in view of the dissolution which he saw and felt was approaching rapidly, he said he would like to live. “I feel sad,” said he, “to think of leaving my wife and only son, and all of my friends. I would be pleased, if it were God’s will, to live and preach the gospel, but it is all right. Please say to my brethren in the Conference that at the master’s call, I was ready.”

Alive, he was a demonstration of Christianity; being dead, he yet speaketh, proclaiming to all that God is faithful. God be praised for such a life and for such a death.

The following was adopted:

The Committee appointed by the Joint Board of Finance to draft resolutions expressive of our appreciation of the kindness of the Church in Fayetteville toward Rev. E. W. Thompson, beg leave to report.

At the close of 1875, Rev. E. W. Thompson Pastor of the M.E. Church, South, in Fayetteville, N.C. was so prostrated that there was little prospect of his ever being able to work again, in any field.

The Fayetteville church requested the Bishop to return Brother Thompson to them and to give him an assistant preacher, promising to support them, whether Bro. Thompson should ever be able to preach or not. The two were sent, and supported, though Bro. Thompson’s health continued to decline.

We believe such acts should be published, remembered, and imitated. Therefore,

Resolved, That the North Carolina Annual Conference be requested to enter the above statement in their Minutes.

2nd. That a copy be sent to the church in Fayetteville.

A. D. BETTS,

L. S. BURKHEAD,

R.A. WILLIS.

[Source: The Journal of the Forty-First Session of the North Carolina Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, held at Salisbury, N.C., November 28th to December 5th, 1877. Edited by Rev. B. Craven, D.D.LL.D., Monroe, NC: Monroe Enquirerer Steam Power Press Print, 1878. p27 - 29]

Note that the death date for E.W. Thompson in the biography above matches the date in Henrietta's letter to Eliza.

Rev. Eugene W. Thompson's widow, returned to Lowesville, Lincoln County, North Carolina, where she had family connections.

1880, Lowesville, Lincoln Co., NC:

Thompson, Jennie W F 42 NC NC NC
---Julian W M 16 son NC NC NC

For many years, she drew a distribution from the church for her support.

Distributions:
Mrs. E. W. Thompson & child....$85.00
[Source: Journal of the North Carolina Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South 1878]

Distributions:
Mrs. E. W. Thompson and 1 child....$101
[Source: Journal of the Forty-Third North Carolina Annual Conference Methodist Episcopal Church, South 1879]

Distributions:
Mrs. E. W. Thompson...$75.00
[Source: Journal of the Session of the North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South 1880]

Distributions:
Mrs. E. W. Thompson...$70
[Source: Journal of the Forthy Fifith Session of the North Carolina Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South 1881]

Distributions:
Mrs. E. W. Thompson...$25.00       Colvin Fund - .63
[Source: Journal of North Carolina Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South 1883]

In 1888, Jennie/Jane C. Thompson also died of consumption.

In Statesville, of consumption, on the 11th inst., Mrs. Jennie C. Thompson, widow of the late Rev. E. W. Thompson who was once pastor of Charlotte Methodist Church. Mrs. Thompson was the sister of Col. D. A. Lowe of Lincoln county.

[Source: The Charlotte Democrat; Charlotte, NC; 24 May 1888]

I have not found a place of burial or tombstone record for Jennie/Jane C. Thompson. This may not be unusual since at the time of her death, Rev. Eugene W. Thompson's grave was also unmarked. When it was discovered by his fellow ministers that he is grave was without a tombstone, a movement was generated by Rev. J. Ed. Thompson to raise the funds to place one there. The following appeared in the Raleigh Christian Advocate in 1891:

Dear Bro. Reid: I have just returned from Morganton, where I found the grave of Rev. E. W. Thompson unmarked. It is nicely sodded with well kept grass, but it has nothing to show whose grave it is. An effort is now being made to put a neat tombstone  to the grave. There are many who would like to be permitted to aid in this work. Mr. I J. Divis, Morganton, N.C., has been appointed to receive funds for this purpose. Let those who admired and loved this devoted servant of God, send a contribution, however small. He died while in charge of the Hay St. Church, Fayetteville. Surely those who knew and loved him, will not let his grave remain unmarked. Fraternally, J. Ed. Thompson.
[Source: Raleigh Christian Advocate; Raleigh, NC; 6 May 1891]

Evidently, through these efforts, a tombstone was purchased and erected for Rev. E.W. Thompson, who is buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery, Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina.

The Dead of the North Carolina Conference
E. W. Thompson born 1833 Kershaw County SC, joined 1854 South Carolina, died 1877 Morganton, NC, buried Morganton, NC
[Journal of the North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South 1902]

ANDREW TURNER'S Chancery Court Notice

© Kathy Duncan, 2014

The following Chancery Court notice which appeared in the Bolivar Bulletin of Hardeman County, Tennessee for several months in 1879. It names the heirs of Andrew Turner, supplementing the list provided in his will by several names, although the relationships are not always clear.

ANDREW TURNER, husband of Lavinia Chisum

Andrew Turner: Case Study, Part I

Andrew Turner: Case Study, Part 2

Keywords: L.C. Moore, John C. Turner, Ralph Byrum, Lucretia Parker, Laban D. Turner, H. M. Parker

JOHN ROBERT BROWN

© Kathy Duncan, 2014

John Robert Brown, son of John and Mary Emma (Barber) Brown, was born 18 Jan 1868 in Alabama and died on 10 Sep 1946 in his home in Bogata, Red River County, Texas.  He married Lela Martha Duffey on 12 Jan 1897. Born on 27 Jan 1881, she was the daughter of Henry Edward and Georgia Ann (Chapman) Duffey. Georgia Ann Chapman was a descendant of Abner and Martha Frances (Meadows) Chapman, making the children of John Robert and Lela Brown my double cousins. Lela Martha (Duffey) Brown died 17 Feb 1956. Both John Robert and Lela Brown are buried in the Bogata Cemetery in Red River County, Texas.

Children of John Robert and Lela (Duffey) Brown:

1. Mrs. Albert Eudy of Clarksville
2. Mrs. W.G. White of Kilgore
3. Clifton Brown of Childress
4. deceased by 1946
5. deceased b 1946

Census Records for John Robert and Lela (Duffey) Brown:

6 & 7 June 1900, Prct #2, Titus Co., TX., p. 200:

65 - 65
Brown, John Head W M b. Jan 1868 32 M-4 AL NC AL
---Lela Wife W  F b. Jan 1890 20 M-4  1-1 TX Unk TX
---Tura Dau W  F b. May 1900 0/12 S TX AL TX

20 Apr 1910, Prct #2, Red River Co., TX, p. 88A:

41 -
Brown, John R. Head M W 42 M-2 14 b. AL fb. AL mb. AL
--- ? Wife F  W 30 M-1 14 4-3 b. TX fb. AL mb. AL
---, Turie E. Dau F W11 S b. TX fb. AL mb. TX
---, Mitte Dau F  W   8 S b. TX fb. AL mb. TX
---, Essie Dau F  W   3 S b. TX fb. AL mb. TX

24 Jan 1920, Prct #2, Red River Co., TX, p. 107B:

FM 143-150
Brown, John R. Head M W 53 M b. AL fb. NC mb. GA
---, Lela M. Wife F  W 59 M f. TX fb. TX mb. TX
---, Turie E. Dau F  W 20 S b. TX fb. AL mb. TX
---, Essie Dau F  W 12 S b. TX fb. AL mb. TX
---Clifton Son M W  5 S b. TX fb. AL mb. TX

Obituary of John Robert Brown, published in the Bogata News, Friday, 13 September 1946:

J.R. Brown, Aged Bogata Resident Buried Thursday - John Robert Brown, 78, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 10, at his home in East Bogata, after an illness of several months.  Funeral services wre held on Thursday afternoon at the Bogata Methodist Church, conducted by the pastor, Rev. R.E. Porter. Burial was in Bogata cemetery. Pallbearers were John Wilson, ______ Swaim, Garland Anderson, L.C. McDonald, G.W. Bartlett and Clyde Roberts. Bogata Funeral Home had charge of arrangements. Mr. Brown was born Jan. 18, 1868 in Alabama and came to Texas at the age of nine months and had lived in Texas most of his life. He was married to Miss Duffey on Jan. 12, 1897 and to this union five children were born. Two have preceded him in death many years ago. Mr. Brown was a member of the Methodist Church at Cuthand. He had lived at and near Bogata many years. Survivors are his wife and three children, Mrs. Lela Brown and Mrs. Albert Eudy of Clarksville R5, Mrs. W.G. White of Kilgore and Clifton Brown of Childress; 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. S.O. Brown of Bogata; one brother, Troy J. [sic] Brown of English; one half sister, Mrs. Turie Stephenson of Houston.
[Source: Obituaries for Red River County, Texas taken from Bogata News 1944 thru 1957 and other Miscellaneous Newspapers beginning in 1846  by Lawrence and Sue Dale]

JOHN ROBERT AND LELA (DUFFEY) BROWN

Keywords: John C. Brown, John Brown, Lela Duffey

JUDGE JOHN WILLIAMS and the Transylvania Company

© Kathy Duncan, 2014

As of 1797, just two years prior to his death, Judge John Williams of Granville County, North Carolina was still conducting business for the surviving members of the Transylvania Company, aka Richard Henderson Company, and their heirs.

Obituary of Judge John Williams

Nineteenth Century Newspaper Article about Judge John Williams

Key words: Judge Williams; Louisa Company; Williamsboro, North Carolina; Williamsborough, North Carolina; Col. Robert Burton; F N W Burton

MARIA JULIANA (SALAZAR) VARGAS RODRIGUEZ POPE BARNETT

© Kathy Duncan, 2014

Oops, I published this before it was finished. This page is still under construction. Check back on it in a few weeks...

According to the "Gurule Family" by Angela Lewis, Maria de los Dolores Juliana Salazar, daughter of Domingo Antonio Salazar and Maria Guadalupe Gurule, was born 16 Nov 1808 in Jemez, NM

18 March 1798. Jose Antonio Vargas, 7 days old, son of Mauricio Vargas and Maria Nicomeda Fernandes, residents of this Jurisdiction.  Sponsors: Juan Antonio Vargas and Maria Navidad Luxan of los Trampas de Picuris.
[Source: Taos County Baptisms, Taos County, New Mexico by Karen Mitchell]

24 June 1827. Juan Antonio Bargas of Rancho, four days old, son of Juan Antonio Vargas, dead, and Maria Juliana Salazar, residents of Arroyo Seco. Paternal grandparents: Maurilo Bargas and Maria Nicomeda Fernandes. Maternal grandparents: Antonio Domingo Salazar and Maria Guadalupe Gurule. Sponsors: Maria Dolores Martin resident of Varrio San Franciso del Rancho.
[Source: Taos County Baptisms by Karen Mitchell]

Marriages of Maria Juliana Salazar:

10 September 1827. Jose Maria Rodriguez of Arroya Seco, son of Francisco Damian Rodriguez and Maria Juana Paula Dias, married Maria Juliana Salazar, widow of Jose Antonio Vargas. Padrinos: Juan Julian Martines and Maria Guadelupe Vigil.

[Source: Taos County Marriages, Karen Mitchell]

29 Nov 1829. Jose Dolores Salazar, 6 days old, son of Maria Juliana Salazar, married, of father unknown. Maternal grandparents: Domingo Salazar, dead, and Maria Guadalupe Gonsales [sic]. Sponsors: Julian Gonsales ? and Juana Maria Lucero.
[Source: Taos County, New Mexico Baptisms by Karen Mitchell]

1 Nov 1831. Maria Manuela de los Santos Salazar, 2 days old, natural daughter of Maria Juliana Salazar, married, in the absence of her husband, and father unknown. Maternal grandparents: Domingo Salazar, deceased, and Maria Guadalupe Gurule. Sponsors: Juan Miguel Mascarenas and Maria Manuela Bueno, all residents of the Varrio od San Francisco del Rancho.
[Source: Taos County, New Mexico; Taos County Baptisms, transcribed by Karen Mitchell. www.kmithc.com/Taos/bapss.html]

8 December 1834. Julian Pope, single son of Juan Pope and Margarita Bers, orginially from Quitoque (Kentucky), naturalized and baptized in this parish of Taos, Republic of Mexico, with Maria Juliana Salazar, widowed of Jose Maria Rodriguez, both residents of San Francisco del Rancho, Sponsors Luis Li (Lee) and Maria de la Lus Tafoya, residents from San Fernando. Witnesses: Juan Trugillo and Manuel Gallegos.

[Source: Taos County Marriages, Karen Mitchell]

"The travails of Julian Pope (William Pope) and Maria Juliana Salazar are quite instructive in this regard. After having lived together for four years and having produced two children, the couple decided to go through the formalities of a marriage  sometime in the early 1830s. Julian had resided in Taos since 1822; he had been among the first foreign born settlers to become a naturalized Mexican, and in 1831 took the added step of becoming baptized. Maria, for her part, was a widow from Taos of known parents, so her only bureaucratic hurdle consisted of obtaining a constancia, or certificate of the death, of her first husband before she could remarry. Thus, although facing onerous matrimonial proceedings, the couple had good reasons to feel optimistic; and indeed the marriage went ahead as planned, but with one minor anomaly. Late in 1833, the family moved to Abiquiu and lived there for almost a year, but having resided much longer in Taos, they still chose the latter parish to conduct their matrimonial proceedings. Father Antonio Jose Martinez, being well acquainted with the couple, proceeded with dispatch not even requiring from Julian a dispensation for vagrancy. Everything seemed to have gone smoothly for Julian and Maria - that is until the couple sought to validate their Taos marriage in its new abode in Abiquiu with Father Jose Francisco  Leyba. Ordained in the waning years of the colonial period, Father Leyba was characteristically distrustful with it came to marring foreign-born males with Mexican women. The curate of Abiquiu found serious flaws in Julian and Maria's matrimonal proceedings, declared the marriage invalid, and promptly secured an order through the vicar of New Mexico compelling the Anglo American to give up his wife. In the winter of 1834, Julian was arrested for refusing to surrender Maria Juliana to the authorities of the Rio Colorado de Abiquiu. He had said  that he would much rather suffer the consequences of ignoring the law than face separation from Maria Juliana. As it turned out, he had to endure both."
[Source: Changing National Identities at the Frontier: Texas and New Mexico 1800 - 1850 by Andres Resendez]

"Julian Pope [William Pope] was a resident of Taos for more than twelve years. Maria Juliana Salazar was a widow. A letter to Father Antonio Jose Martinez from Juan Felipe Ortiz, vicar general of New Mexico, dated 20 December 1834 demanded information regarding the marriage of the couple, including their fitness to marry, whether there was any canonical impediment, and how Father Martinez had proceeded.

Father Martinez replied on 24 December that he had conducted a prenuptial investigation of the couple who had been residing in Abiquiu, and had become his parishoners. Pope was baptized in 1831 and for the last eight years had a letter of naturalization. He had proven to be a man of service and honor. For that reason it was not necessary to a dispensation as a foreigner or person of no fixed residence.

The proceedings were forwarded to Durango on 7 January 1835. On 7 August 1835, Bishop Zubiria granted a dispensation and assigned as penance that the couple would recite the rosary of the five mysteries for twenty daysand attend three masses of the Holy Trinity for the needs of the Church and for the public peace. He ordered the priest in Taos to publish the banns. Assuming no new impediment arose, the couple was to prepare by going to confession, and the priest was to marry them, granting them the nuptial blessings."
[Source: The New Mexico Prenuptial Investigations From the Archives Historicos del Arzobispado de Durango, 1800 - 1893, ed. Rick Hendricks]

"Baptisms had been performed regularly dating from the pre-chapel days. On 4 November 1860, the Agua Mansa pastor baptized Delwina Emiteria Mitchell, the eight month old daughter of Santiago Mitchell and his wife Isabel Pope of San Timoteo. Several members of the Pope family eventually settled along Santa Ana River. Agua Mansa records for 1859 show Juan Limon (John Lemon) and Luciana Pope having their son John Lemon, Jr. baptized; the godparents were Luis and Catalina Robiddoux. The same year Jose Pope was married and later that year had his son, Jose Pope Jr.
[Source: R. Burce Harley. "San Timoteo Canyon and Its Chapel, 1845 to 1945." Journal of the Riverside Historical Society. February 2006]

Barnett, Juliana d. 1 March 1900 born in Taos, NM
[Source: Unknown Cemetery Burials from Mortuary Records of Dona Ana County, New Mexico, compiled by Marcena Thompson]

"Obituary. Mrs. Juliana Barnett, an old resident of this city and mother of Mrs. W. L. Rinerson, died at her home on Thursday morning, March 1, 1900. The funeral was held yesterday from the Rynerson residence to the Catholic church and cemetery in the presence of a concourse of friends.

Mrs. Barnett was born in Taos County, New Mexico, between 91 and 97 years ago. At the age of 17 she was married to an American there by  the name of Pope and they soon moved to California. At that time California was Mexico territory and the governor gave Col. Pope a tract of land that is yet known as Pope Valley. Seven or eight children were born in the Pope family among whom was the present Mrs. W.L. Rynerson. Col. Pope died in the 30's and Mrs. Pope re-married. She bore her second husband four children and after his death moved to Las Cruces in 1878. For the past few years the old lady could hold her descendants and friends in breathless interest while relating scenes, exploits, and vicissitudes of pioneer days."
[Source: Dona Ana County Republican; Las Cruces, NM; Sat., 3 Mar 1900]

The remarkable life Maria Juliana Salazar is recounted in The Napa Valley Chronicles by Lauren Coodley.

ANNETTE (TRAVIS) NEVILL CROTZER's death notice

© Kathy Duncan, 2014

Annette Travis, was the third wife of my ancestor Grandison D. Nevill. After their marriage ended she married Philip Crotzer of Montgomery County, Tennesse.

Her death notice appeared in the Clarksville Evening Tobacco Leaf-Chronicle of Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee on 10 March 1890. Note that she was living in Cheatham County, Tenneessee at the time of her death on 7 March 1890 and that she is referred to as Mrs. Neville instead of Mrs. Crotzer, which was probably an assumption made by the writer.

Keywords: Annette Nevill, Annette Crotzer, Granderson D. Nevill, Granderson Dandridge Nevill, Neville, Nevels