Lafayette A. and Johnnie A. Babb, minors under the age of twenty-one, were represented by "their next friend," Sarah E. Babb in the 1871 lawsuit of Bryant v. Fitzpatrick. That suit involved the children of Green and Elizabeth (Lewis) Babb against their step-mother Mary Jane (Broom) Babb, their half-siblings, and Mary Jane' second husband John Fitzpatrick.
Green and Elizabeth (Lewis) Babb seem to have three sons who died during the Civil War: Kibble T. Babb, William Babb, and John Babb. Sarah E. apparently married one of them and had two surviving children by him. The question was to figure out which one. The following documents indicate that the son was John Babb.
In 1860, eighteen-year-old Sarah E. Babb, born in Alabama, was in the same household as twenty-three-year-old John W Babb, who was born in Mississippi. This John is the same age as the son of Green and Elizabeth (Lewis) Babb's son John. It is interesting to note that they live next door to another John Babb.
Next, S. E. Babb and children Ambrose and Johnie A Babb appear on the 1880 Ellis County, Texas census. Next door is a boarder named James Berry, who later documents revealed to be Sarah's brother.
The next reference is to the tragic death of Ambrose Babb. He was struck by a train near Greenville County, Texas on 1 September 1890. The initial report confused him with J. G. Babb, a long-time resident of Hunt County. J. G. Babb was John Green Babb, who was a first cousin to Ambrose Babb and near to him in age. John Green Babb was the son of Ambrose's uncle Joel Milton Babb, another participant in the Bryant v. Fitzpatrick suit.
In addition to reinterring Ambrose Babb in East Mount Cemetery in Greenville, Texas, his mother purchased a tombstone for him which revealed his name to be Ambrose L. Babb. Therefore his name would have been Ambrose Lafayette Babb.
The following November, Sarah E. Babb decided to file a lawsuit against the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas railway for wrongful death.
In July of 1899, The Dallas Morning News indicated that Sarah E. Babb was among the widows and veterans applying for a pension based on the service of her husband John M. Babb. So far, I have not found that application.
Almost exactly three years later, Sarah E. Babb joined with her mother Emaline (Brookshire) Berry Conn, her sisters, and her many nieces and nephews to seek citizenship in the Mississippi Choctaw based on the notion that her grandfather James Brookshire was part Choctaw. Their applications were denied, but their family connections were revealed.
Sarah E. Babb stated that she was born in Marshall County, Alabama then moved to Tishomingo County, Mississippi, then moved to McNairy County, Tennessee, then back to Mississippi and back to Tennessee again before removing to Texas. She would have crossed paths with Green and Elizabeth (Lewis) Babb's son in either McNairy County, TN or Tishomingo County, MS. Her statements in this application clarified that her husband was John M. Babb and that her one surviving child was daughter Johnie Ann (Babb) Cox of Ferris, Texas. Her parents were Martin H. Berry and Emaline Brookshire.
Sarah E. (Berry) Babb died on 4 July 1923 at the home of her daughter Johnie Ann (Babb) Cox in Ferris, Ellis County, Texas. In her later years, Sarah lived sometimes in Dallas and sometimes in the home of her daughter. She was buried in the Grove Hill Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.
Hello, I just learned thru Y DNA that I am a Babb most likely related to this line. I discovered your page while looking at google hits. I wonder if you have documents or a location of documents on orphans or the 3 heirs listed as deceased? Cleo Fowler osuvaquero@yahoo.com Thank you! I'm a close match to a son of Green B. Babb from McNairy Co. TN.
ReplyDeleteCleo - Are you referring to the three sons of Green and Elizabeth (Lewis) Babb who I believe were deceased by the time of the 1872 lawsuit that was brought by the children of Elizabeth against their step-mother? The only documentation that I have is the 1850 census and their significant absence in the lawsuit. The original documents for the lawsuit are attached to John Lewis in Family Search.
DeleteI don't do DNA research, so I have to rely on others to tell me their results and what they think they mean. I would say that if you are a close match to a son of Green Babb's, if that son is also a son of Elizabeth Lewis, then wouldn't you also be a close match to the children of Green's brother William Babb who married Elizabeth's sister Ceclia Lewis?
There are two research groups that you might want to join on Facebook: 1. Babb Family Association and 2. Susan Daniels & John Lewis Descendants, Allied Family Genealogy Researchers