In 1878, Sarah E (Berry) Babb took the precaution of having herself named as the guardian of her own children. She took this measure because they were the heirs of their deceased father's estate, and she wanted to take control of their legal interests. Normally, we don't think of parents being named guardians of their own children, but this practice was not uncommon. This frequently happens when the deceased parent is the heir of another estate. In this case, Ambrose L. Babb and Johnie Ann Babb were the heirs of their grandmother Elizabeth (Lewis) Babb, the daughter of John D. Lewis of McNairy County, Tennessee. In 1872, thirty years after the death of John D. Lewis, the children of Elizabeth (Lewis) Babb were suing their step-mother and her children over land bought on Elizabeth's behalf with the money she inherited from her father. That land happened to be land owned by her father John Lewis. Bryant v. Fitzpatrick names the children, grandchildren, and siblings of Elizabeth (Lewis) Babb. Among those named are Lafayette A. Babb and Johnie A. Babb and "their next friend S.E. Babb." Evidently, in 1878, Sarah E. Babb is still expecting her children to collect their father's share.
The guardianship was filed in Waxahachie, Ellis County, Texas under Ambrose L. Babb's name rather his guardian's name.
One of the key documents of the guardianship names S.E. Babb as the mother of Johnann Babb and Ambrose Lafayette Babb. It further states that they were entitled to a small estate in Tennessee. Unfortunately, it does not name their father, their grandmother, their great-grandfather, or the location of the estate in Tennessee. However, it does tie together these three individuals to an inheritance in Tennessee and suggests that S.E. Babb's husband was deceased before 1878.
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