Porch Swings, Fireflies, and Jelly Jars: John Lewis - in Support of Pres. Andrew Jackson, 1834

Sunday, November 20, 2022

John Lewis - in Support of Pres. Andrew Jackson, 1834

I spent a few minutes revisiting my John Lewis line this week. This article was found by searching for John Lewis's son Joel D. Lewis because I was looking for Joel's activity as a guardian for his nephews, who were the sons of his sister Celia (Lewis) Babb, wife of William Babb. Because he might have been mentioned in newspapers in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, I took a gamble and just ran a search of all states and used just his name. What turned up was a newspaper article in The Globe of Washington DC in 1834.

In the preview window, I could see Joel's father John Lewis and his brother-in-law William Babb mentioned in addition to Joel D. Lewis, so I knew I had found something connected to my family. The reference to Jackson County, Alabama confirmed that this was my family. Additionally, James E. Daniel is included. He is likely to be the same James E. Daniel who witnessed John Lewis's will.

This list of men reveals a couple of key pieces of information that I did not know before. First, William Babb's exact death date is unknown. He died intestate in Jackson County, Alabama, sometime in 1834 or 1835. This newspaper notice tells me that he was still alive on 28 June 1834 and was well enough to participate on this committee. It also tells me that my ancestor John Lewis was more politically active than I would have suspected. And, of course, it tells me that he was a diehard Jackson supporter.

I have so many questions about this committee. Were they elected? Appointed? Self-appointed? Did they have other "duties"? On the most basic level, where was Kirkpatrick's Spring? It does not show up on any current maps. This article appeared on a paged filled with similar articles from states around the nation - committees that met and made resolutions in support of President Andrew Jackson and against the Bank of the United States. The Jackson County, Alabama committee made the following resolutions:

A little research revealed that a few days before this article appeared, Jackson's nominee, Roger Taney, for Treasury Secretary had been rejected by the Senate because of the ongoing feud with Jackson over the Bank of the United States.

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About Me:

My favorite memories from childhood include visits to my grandparents in East Texas. At dusk we'd run around my grandparent's yard, catching fireflies and putting them in jelly jars. When darkness descended, we'd return to the porch. It was a special treat to sit in the porch swing. Inevitably, the adults would launch into family stories of Pink Kelley's brush with Sherman's troops, of Great Uncle Hood Brown's tragic death, and of the Kelley family's wagon trip to Texas, among many others. The stars on those nights were magical.

I began my genealogy research in the summer of 1975, less than a month after my high school graduation. When I married in 1983, I started researching my husband's family as well. I was fortunate to start this hobby as a youngster because it gave me an opportunity to correspond with researchers who are long gone; to ask questions of family members -although not enough, never enough; and travel a bit. The result is a lot of information. I've come to the realization that I will probably never be able to afford to publish, so this is my publication.

This blog contains a mixture of information on my husband's family and mine. I've expanded into a second blog called Flimsies and Frippery with the intention of focusing on quilts and dolls, but I have several historical research entries there with more planned, which is why I don't get more quilting done.

Ultimately, genealogy is my passion. This is where I plan to record family stories, research adventures and misadventures, and those serendipitous moments that happen out of the blue. You should be warned that I have a bad habit of going back and adding information and links to individual entries, so it is beneficial to check back often if there is a family of particular interest to you. If you wander in and discover that you are a cousin, please contact me.

Since many younger family members who are new to genealogy are starting to contact me about their ancestors, I've started adding family trees to help them see how everyone is connected. The trees are divided between my family and my husband's. You will find them below under the label's Family Trees - My Husband's Side and Family Trees - My Family's Side.

For better or worse, this blog reflects the research, thinking, and writing of a human.