Charles Duncan of Culpeper County, Virginia

©  Kathy Duncan, 2019

The biggest problem facing us as genealogists is erroneous secondary sources. They take on a life of their own and are hard to combat. They become even more problematic when they are used to create new records that many of us think of as primary sources, such as FindaGrave memorials.

Charles Duncan of Culpeper County, Virginia is a case in point. Many online sources, including his FindaGrave memorial and FamilySearch contributors, have cited his place of death as Muddy Creek, Madison County, Kentucky, despite the fact that tax records and his probate in Culpeper County, Virginia point to his place of death as Culpeper County. In addition, as a collective, they suggest that he probably never set foot in Madison County, Kentucky.

Here, those records will be examined in date order.

First up, is the 1788 Culpeper Tax List. Charles Duncan's entry was recorded on 8 May. You can see William Jr. and William Sr. further down this list.

1788 Tax List. Culpeper Co., VA

By the following year, 1789, Charles Duncan's estate is listed on the Culpeper County, Virginia tax list, indicating that he is deceased. Note that William Duncan Sr. is still on this list.

1789 Tax List. Culpeper Co., VA

It would be possible for a man to relocate and die, leaving land in his previous place of residence that would generate a listing in the tax records of his previous county. However, the tax list above does not reference land. The four columns next to Charles Duncan's name indicate the poll taxes and personal property taxes to be paid. Column one indicates three whites over 16 years of age; column two indicates one black over 16 years; column three indicates one black or white between the age of 12 and 16; column four indicates four horses.

The inventory of Charles Duncan's household that was filed in October 1789 paints a portrait of a residence:

Culpeper Co. VA; Bk C, p. 353

We get a picture of a farm with hogs, sheep, cattle, farm implements, a table and chairs, pewter plates, cups and saucers, a looking glass, forks, knives, a pepper box, a loom, an old chest. It's a picture of a home where people still live. If the Duncans had removed to Kentucky before this point, they would have either taken these items with them or sold them. They would not have abandoned them.

The 1791 Culpeper County, Virginia tax list is very telling.

1791 Tax List. Culpeper Co., VA.

In 1791, we see Charles Duncan's widow Sarah Duncan listed as head of household. Along with Susan are "N. S. & C." Those initials stand for the Duncan sons who were of age: Nimrod, Shadrack, and Charles Duncan. Notice that the entry below Susan belongs to "William Duncan (son to Charles)." Charles Duncan is not on this list because he is deceased. Two years after Charles's death in 1789, his widow and children were still living in Culpeper County, Virginia.

They were still in Culpeper County, Virginia in 1792:

1792 Tax List. Culpeper Co., VA

And still there in 1793:

1793 Tax List. Culpeper Co., VA

However, something else was afoot in 1793. That was the year that Sarah Duncan sought to sell out the land and petitioned the court to allow her to sell by requesting a partition of the land.

An abstract of the petition reads as follows:

Archives, Richmond, VA: Petition of Sarah Duncan, October 28, 1793; The petition of Sarah Duncan, widow of Charles Duncan, dec'd, Mary, Nimrod, William, Charles, Shadrack Duncan, children of the said Charles Duncan and Sarah Duncan, in behalf of themselves and Isaac, John, Milly, Henry, Zachery and Elizabeth Duncan, children of the aforesaid Charles and Sarah Duncan, but now under age, humbly showeth that in March 1789, the aforesaid Charles Duncan died intestate leaving aforesaid heirs to a certain tract of land in Culpeper Co., 355 acres which according to the laws of the State must be equally divided among the said children, but such is the situation, it will by no means admit of a division and your petitioners humbly pray that an act may pass vesting the said lands in the hands of John Thornton, John Slaughter Jr., Charles Browning, Isaac Browning, Gent., or any three of them to dispose of on the most advantageous terms for the benefit of the said widow and children aforesaid. Signed Sarah Duncan. Witnesses: Mary Covington, Nimrod Duncan, William Duncan, Charles Duncan and Shadrack Duncan.

In 1794, Sarah Duncan and children were still in Culpeper Co., Virginia:

1794 Tax List. Culpeper Co.,VA

It was not until January 1795, almost six years after the death of Charles, that Sarah Duncan and household finally turned up in Madison County, Kentucky:

1795 Tax List. Madison Co., KY.

Sarah Duncan's entry on this tax list indicates she has 150 acres on Tate's Creek waterway, one white male over 21, one white male over 16 and under 21, one black over 16 (probably a male), five blacks total, four horses, and two cows.

Revised 27 August 2019.

Ma and Pa Brown

©  Kathy Duncan, 2019

Within the family, my maternal grandparents were known as Ma and Pa Brown. When I was a child, the whole community referred to my great-grandmother as "Ma Brown." Their real names were Henrietta Elizabeth (Kelley) and Toy M. Brown. My great-grandmother went by the name "Bessie." They married in Titus County, Texas on August 1899 and were still living there in 1900. They knew my grandfather's mother, Maggie (Cawthon) Chapman in Titus County.  By 1910, the Browns were living in McCurtain County, Oklahoma and had lived in Oklahoma for at least a year before the census was taken. By 1920, they were living in Red River County, Texas. Once in Red River County, they lived consistently in English and Avery areas.

These pictures come from my cousin Jim Hughes, who recently found the negatives among his mother Nina (Brown) Hughes Flynn's things, and he had them developed. My mother insists that some of the pictures were taken by my aunt Louise (Chapman) Lennon. That did not make much sense to me until mother explained that when poor people wanted to share pictures with each other, they mailed the negatives to distant family, and let their relatives make copies of pictures they wanted. My guess is that they did not feel much need to have the negatives returned because they already had their prints. That means that negatives could change hands many times and get further away from their origin. It also increases the odds that distant cousins have pictures of my family. Also, when I think about it, I don't recall seeing any negatives at my grandparent's house.

My mother told me that her mother mailed her some negatives once, and my father, who was quick to dispose of the trash burned the letter and negatives before my mother had a chance to have her prints made. That was back when people had burn barrels. Sigh.

The following picture of Henrietta (Kelley) Brown was made at the home of her daughter Nina (Brown) Flynn in Fort Worth, Texas. My best guess is that this was in 1945.

Henrietta "Bessie" (Kelley) Brown. Ft. Worth, Texas.

The following picture is of Henrietta (Kelley) Brown. My mother believes that it was taken at the Brown home in English and that car in the background belonged to Dick Hughes, Nina's husband.

Henrietta (Kelley) Brown. English, Texas.

The following picture is of Henrietta (Kelley) Brown and Toy M. Brown at the Latimer home in English, Texas. My mother said she believed that this picture was taken by Louise (Chapman) Lennon. She recalled being there that day.

Henrietta (Kelley) and Toy M. Brown. English, Texas.

The following two pictures are of Toy M. Brown, obviously taken on the same day.

Toy M. Brown

Toy M. Brown

Byrum Sibling Obituaries

©  Kathy Duncan, 2019

This is an obituary study of the children of Ralph Henderson Byrum and Nancy Evelyn Turner, daughter of Andrew and Levina (Chisum) Turner on 9 February 1860 in Hardeman County, Tennessee.

Their known children were

1. Margaret "Maggie" Enola Byrum
2. Ida Byrum
3. Norvie E. Byrum
4. Eddie Dean Byrum
5. John Bryum
6. Nannie Irene Byrum

After the death of Nancy, Ralph married Nora (Miller) Armstrong, and had three more children:

7. Velma Ophelia Byrum
8. Lula Byrum
9. Iva Lee Byrum

Locating obituaries for these siblings has been an ongoing challenge. Their obituaries follow in the order of their deaths:

John Byrum, born circa 1872 in Tennessee. Death date and location unknown.

Ida Byrum, born 20 October 1868 in Tennessee, married George W. Strong and died 6 June 1898 in Terrell, Texas. Obituary not found yet.

Lula Byrum, born circa 1888 and died 12 April 1900. No death notice found yet.

Norvie E. Byrum, born 2 February 1866, married George Harvey Strong, and died 9 November 1925 in Collingsworth County, Texas. Obituary not found yet.

Margaret "Maggie" Enola Byrum, 22 December 1860 in Hardeman County, Tennessee, married Thomas Jefferson Graham, and died on 15 March 1930 in Floydada, Floyd County, Texas:

Obituary published for Margaret Enola (Byram) Graham in The Floyd County Hesperian:

Funeral Held Saturday for Mrs. T.J. Graham - Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon at 4 o’clock for Mrs. T.J. Graham, a resident of Floyd County for the past two years, and a number of years prior to 1917. The funeral services were held at the Carr’s Chapel cemetery, where interment was made.

   Mr. and Mrs. Graham lived in Floyd County a number of years prior to 1917, when they moved to Norman, Oklahoma. In 1927 they moved to Mangum, Oklahoma, where they made their home until 1928. For the past few months they have been making their home in the Sand Hill community, where Mrs. Graham’s death occurred. She had been in poor health for some time. Death came at about 4 o’clock Saturday morning.

   Surviving the deceased are her husband, seven sons, Milliard and H.H. Graham, who reside in the Sand Hill community, Carl, of Mangum, Okla., Edward of Amarillo, Horace of Oklahoma City, Walter, who resides in New Mexico, and Ralph, of Vernon, Texas; one daughter, Mrs. Annie Duck, of Cameron, New Mexico, and two sisters, Mrs. Bert Hale, of Clarendon and Mrs. Eddie Howe, of Colorado. All were present for the funeral services Saturday except Walter, Ralph, and Mrs. Howe.

[Source: The Floyd County Hesperian, Mar., 20, 1930.]

Note that this obituary mentions sisters Nannie Irene (Byrum) Haile and Eddie Dean (Byrum) Howe, but makes no reference to their two younger half-sisters who are both still living - Iva Lee (Byrum) Buttrill and Velma Ophelia (Byrum) Jackson.

Iva Lee Byrum, born 27 November 1890, married Asa B. Buttrill, and died on 31 January 1931 in Waco, McLennan County, Texas. No obituary found yet.

Eddie Dean Byrum, born 4 January 1869 in Hardeman County, Tennessee; married John Finis Howe, and died on 4 March 1947 in Fritch, Hutchinson County, Texas:

Mrs. Eddie Dean Howe, 78, Died Today at Ranch Home of Daughter - Mrs. Eddie D. Howe, 78, died at the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. L.A. Whiteside, Sanford Ranch, headquarters, following a lingering illness.

   Mrs. Howe was visiting from Trinidad, Colorado.

   Other survivors, in addition to her daughter, are four sons, Will Howe of Springfield, Colo., J.B. Howe of Panhandle, Arthur Howe of Herford, and Ray Howe of Wagon Wheel, New Mexico; a sister, Mrs. W.B. Haile of Amarillo.

   Funeral services will be held in Kim, Colo., Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. under the direction of Minton Funeral home of Borger.

[Source: Borger News-Advocate, Borger, TX, 4 Tues., 4 Mar 1947] 

Note that this obituary mentions only one sister, Nannie Irene (Graham) Haile, although there is one, younger half-sister still living. 

Nannie Irene Byrum, born in August 1881 in Tennessee. She married 1. George Fry and 2. William Burder Haile. She died on 15 September 1957 in Potter County, Texas.

Obituary of Nannie Irene (Byrum) Fry Haile; published in The Amarillo Daily News, Amarillo, TX, Fri., 20 Sept 1957, p. 28]:

Mrs. Nannie Haile -  Rites in tribute to the memory of Mrs. Nannie Irene Haile, 76, of 2115 Parker, will be conducted at 3 p.m. today in the First Baptist Church. Clarendon by the Rev J.D. Hill, pastor of Haile Baptist Church in Hutchinson County, and the Rev. W.F. Vanderburg of Clarendon.

   Pallbearers will be Murl McCaalin, M.L. McElvany, Paul Kemp, R.L. Harlan, E.L. Byars and C.E. Terry.

   Burial will be in Citizens Cemetery, Clarendon under direction of Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home.

   Mrs. Haile, widow of W.B. Haile, and a resident of the Panhandle area since 1891, died Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. in Underwood Clinic. She had lived in Amarillo since 1946, shortly before the death of her husband, a former Hutchinson County rancher.

   Mrs. Haile was born Aug. 28, 1881 in Tennessee, and came to Collingsworth County with her parents when she was 10 years old.

   Surviving are three sons, B.H. (Bob) Haile, Amarillo; J.B. Haile, Hereford, and W.C. Haile, Corona, Calif.,; four daughters, Mrs. J.M. Herrington, Rogers, Ark.,; Mrs. Buel Gray, Skellytown; Mrs. Paul Russ, Panhandle, and Mrs. Clyde Martin, Clarendon; a sister, Mrs. Velma Jackson, Silsbee, Tex; 21 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

[Source--The Amarillo Daily News - Amarillo, TX., Fri, 20 Sept 1957, p. 28.]

Note that this obituary mentions younger half-sister Velma Ophelia (Byrum) Jackson and is the only one to do so. Until I read this one, I had no idea that the younger half-siblings existed.

Obituary for Mrs. Nannie Haile published in The Amarillo Globe, 19 Sept. 1957:

Mrs. Nannie Haile Taken by Death - Death last night claimed Mrs. Nannie Irene Haile, 76, pioneer resident of the Panhandle and benefactor of church and youth organizations.

            Mrs. Haile, widow of W.B. Haile, died at 11:30 p.m. in the Underwood Clinic.

            She had lived in the Panhandle area since 1891 and had been a resident of Amarillo since 1946, shortly before the death of her husband, a former Hutchinson County rancher.

            Mrs. Haile was a member of the Haile Baptist Church in Hutchinson County, which she had endowed, and had been a staunch supporter of the Boys Ranch and Kids, Inc. The church was named for the Haile family.

            She was born Aug. 28, 1881, in Tennessee, and came to Collingsworth County, Tex., with her parents when she was ten years old.

            Funeral rites for Mrs. Haile will be conducted Friday at 3 p.m. in the First Baptist Church in Claredon by the Rev. J.D. Hill, pastor of the Haile Baptist Church and the Rev. Vandenburg of Clarendon.

            Named as pallbearers are Murl McCaslin, H.L. McElvaney, Paul Kemp, R.L. Harlan, E.L. Byars and C.E. Terry.

            Burial will be in the Citizens Cemetery at Clarendon under direction of Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home.

            Mrs. Haile is survived by three sons, B.H. (Bob) Haile, Amarillo; J.B. Haile, Hereford, and W.C. Haile, Corona, Calif.; four daughters, Mrs. J.H. Herrington, Rogers, Ark., Mrs. Buel Gray, Skellytown; Mrs. Paul Russ, Panhandle, and Mrs. Clyde Martin, Clarendon; a sister, Mrs. Velma Jackson, Silsbee, Tex: 21 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

[Source: The Amarillo Globe, 19 Sep 1957, Panhandle Plains Historical Museum]

Again, this obituary mentions half-sister Velma O. (Byrum) Jackson.

Velma Ophelia Byrum, born 14 September 1887 in Texas. She married Richard E. Jackson, the "Father of the Big Thicket," and died on 29 June 1973 in Silsbee, Hardin County, Texas.

Nancy Evelyn (Turner) Byrum

©  Kathy Duncan, 2019

This evening I was thinking that it was odd that the Bolivar, Tennessee newspapers did not note the passing of Nancy Evelyn (Turner) Byrum if she did, in fact, die in Hardeman County. I've searched for it several times and found nothing.

I decided to give it another go, but to search for it manually rather than using a search engine. Through Chronicling America, I was able to isolate the Bolivar Bulletin to the front page of each issue. Since Nancy supposedly died on 3 February 1882, I selected the 9 February 1882 issue and started reading. On page three, I found the following death notice from Clover Port:

The search function could not locate this notice because the name Byrum is on two lines and divided with a hyphen. Now I have my answer. Nancy Evelyn (Turner) Byrum, wife of Ralph Byrum did die in Hardeman County, Tennessee in February of 1882. Additionally, I have the added information that she died of typhoid fever.

I stumbled over this notice while looking for the marriage records of Margaret Enola Byrum, daughter of Ralph and Nancy, to Thomas Jefferson Graham. I was a year off in my search because some had entered their marriage date in FamilySearch as 21 December 1881 instead of 1880. That error led to this additional bit of information. By 22 December 1881, the Byrum household was already besieged by typhoid fever with most the member will.

Notice that this article has the search engine issue as the previous notice. The name Byrum is on two lines and divided with a hyphen.

This still leaves me with questions about where Nancy was buried? My best guess is that she is buried near her parents, Andrew and Levina (Chisum) Turner. What happened to her tombstone? It has never turned up any search for a tombstone record for her in Hardeman County.

Maggie Smith, Daughter of Abner and Martha Frances Chapman

©  Kathy Duncan, 2019

Margaret L. "Mattie" Chapman, daughter of Abner and Martha Frances (Meadows) Chapman, of Titus County, Texas was a loose end in my research for many years. Recently, she was revealed in newspaper searches which began tying her to her Chapman siblings.

The first of these newspaper clippings was a death notice for Vince A. Chapman who died in Mt. Pleasant, Titus County, Texas in 1942. This clipping turned up in a Red River County newspaper because that's where sister Maggie Smith lived. Maggie or one of her children placed this news item as a way of letting her community know that her brother had died. Not only does this clipping tell me that Maggie had married a Smith, but she was also still living in 1942 and was in Johnstown, Texas. That information helps me sort her out of all the possible Maggie Smiths living at the time.

Vince A. Chapman's full obituary appeared in a Mt. Pleasant, Texas newspaper in 1942. Exact date unknown:

Pioneer of County Dies Early Friday of Lengthy Illness - V.A. Chapman Passes Away at Age of 87 at Damascus Home - V.A. Chapman, pioneer resident of Titus County, passed away at his home in the Damascus community at 3:00 o’clock Friday morning at the age of 87 years. He had been in poor health for some time, and his death was not unexpected, because of his advanced age. Mr. Chapman moved to this county when two years of age, and spend [sic] 85 years of his life on the farm where he died. He was highly respected, and his death will [be] mourned by a large circle of friends.

            Besides his widow, Mr. Chapman is survived by two sons and a daughter--J.R. Chapman and Mrs. Lee Sinclair of this county and Abner Chapman of Grand Prairie. He also leaves a brother and sister, Ike Chapman of Texarkana and Mrs. Maggie Smith of Johntown. Eighteen grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren are also survivors.

            Funeral services were held at the Damascus [sic] Baptist Church, of which he had been a faithful member for many years, at 4:30 o’clock Friday afternoon, under the direction of Rev. T.P. Lee and Rev. Don Rogers. Grandchildren acted as pallbearers and interment took place at the nearby cemetery. 

The next clipping appeared five years later. In this one, Ike Chapman, who was brother Isaac R. Chapman, was visiting his sister Maggie Smith in Johntown. At that time, he was residing in Texarkana. Now I have two clippings that link Maggie Smith to two known Chapman brothers.

The next newspaper clipping mentions Dezzie Bardwell of Oklahoma, visiting her aunt Maggie Smith. I know from my research that Dezzie Bardwell was the daughter of Georgia Ann (Chapman) Duffee, who was the sister of Maggie Chapman - now identified as Maggie Smith. Additionally, I know from my research that Mrs. John Brown was Lela Martha Duffee, a sister to Dezzie Bardwell and another daughter of Georgia Ann (Chapman) Duffee. As a bonus, Lela Martha Duffee had married the brother of my great-grandfather Toy M. Brown.

Now that I am comfortable in my identification of Maggie Smith of Johntown, Red River County, Texas as my grandfather's aunt Margaret L. Chapman, I can dig into researching her further.

Next, I located Maggie Smith's obituary. Maggie died a few months after Ike's visit. In her obituary, he is the unnamed brother living in Texarkana. From her obituary, I am able to gather the names of her surviving children. They present the usual challenge of women whose identities are masked by their husband's names.

Her obituary does confirm that Maggie (Chapman) Smith's formal name was Margaret L. Smith and that she was born in Titus County, Texas on 1 May 1873, which fits with what is known about the daughter of Abner and Martha Frances (Meadows) Chapman.

Abner Chapman and Martha Frances Meadows - Titus County, Texas

©  Kathy Duncan, 2019

My great-great-grandparents were Abner and Martha Frances (Meadows) Chapman of Titus County, Texas. After my great-grandmother Maggie (Cawthon) Chapman was widowed, she and her children lived off-and-on with her mother-in-law Martha Chapman. My grandfather recalled fishing with his grandmother Chapman. He grew up surrounded by his aunts and uncles.

Here's a short rundown of the Chapman household:

Abner Chapman, son of Ambrose Chapman of Marion County, Georgia, was born 30 November 1833 in Georgia. Ambrose Chapman's wife was Elizabeth Griggs, but I cannot document that she was Abner's mother. Abner married Martha Frances Meadows, daughter of Vincent T. Meadows and Martha E. King. She was born 24 June 1834 in Georgia.

Martha Frances Chapman

My grandfather always said that the Meadows were from Troup County, Georgia, but I'm not sure that Martha Frances was born in that county. I have never found a marriage record for them, but they must have married by 1851 or 1852. The Chapmans were in Texas, probably Titus County, by early 1859 when daughter Georgia Ann (Chapman) Duffee was born.

A list of their known children:

1. John Thomas "Tom" Chapman b. c. 1853 in Georgia
2. Vincent A. "Vince" Chapman b. 20 November 1854 in Georgia
3. James Martin Chapman b. 15 May 1857 in Georgia
4. Georgia Ann Chapman b. 10 February 1859 in Texas
5. Susan A Chapman b. between 1859 and 1860 in Texas
6. William Sargent Chapman b. 23 February 1868 in Texas
7. Martha L. "Mattie" Chapman b. 20 February 1869 in Texas
8. Margaret L "Maggie" Chapman b. 1 May 1873 in Texas
9. Isaac R. "Ike" Chapman b. 29 February 1876 in Texas

Of these children, Martha, or Mattie as the family called her, died young when her dress caught on fire because she ventured too close to the fireplace. She died as a result of her burns on 30 June 1881 and is buried in Damascus Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant, Titus County, Texas.

Damascus Cemetery at Mt. Pleasant, Titus County, Texas

One of the aunts who I don't remember my grandfather speaking much about was Margaret L. Chapman. She was a loose end in my records for many years. However, recently I have been able to figure out what happened to her. It is startlingly to have found her in such close proximity to my grandparents. All of them were living in Red River County, Texas. More on Maggie Chapman in a future post.