The house shown was located in northwest Coleman County, Texas. My gg-grandfather (R. F. Mitchell) moved here from Louisiana in the early 1880's. His descendants continued living here until December 1959. The picture was painted by one of my father's sisters, Grace (Ray) Killingsworth.
52 Ancestors: #06 Richard Floyd Mitchell (1826-1915): The Marrying Preacher
This is the 6th installment of my
response to Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestor Challenge. For information
about the challenge, click the button.
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Richard Floyd Mitchell was born to Wright and Celia (Stephens) Mitchell. His death certificate indicates that he was born in Covington, Mississippi., but Wright Mitchell was in Lawrence County, Mississippi for the 1830 and 1840 censuses. Richard married Sarah Ann Hargrove in Lawrence County on December 22, 1847. By the time the census was taken in 1850, the Mitchells had moved to Caldwell Parish, Louisiana.
Richard Floyd and Sarah had several children:
Richard served in the Confederate army during the Civil War. He was in Company I of the 3rd Louisiana Infantry and was paroled at Monroe, Louisiana, on June 13, 1865. He was a Baptist preacher. A grand-aunt told me that he spent his time in the army making shoes.
During the early 1880s, Richard Floyd and most of his children made the move to Coleman County, Texas. I received conflicting information about whether Sarah Ann made the move to Texas -- some sources said that she died before the move, while some sources indicate that she died about 1885 and was buried at Atoka in Coleman County,
After moving to Coleman County, Richard Floyd became pastor of the Atoka Baptist Church. People came to his house to be married, and he often stood on his porch to marry couples while they stayed in their carriage (or wagon.) He was known locally as "the Marrying Preacher."
Richard Floyd and Sarah had several children:
- Mary Jane, m. James M. Rogers
- Martha, m. Jonas Webb
- Theodore Columbus, m. Alice Virginia Thomas
- John Wesley, m. Naomi Hartin
- William Felix, m. Amanda Jane Craddock
- Sarah Ann, m. William J. Abbott
- Josephine, who died in 1869, age 8
- Marquis Lafayette, who married Annie Gillison Little
- James Floyd, who married Gillie N. Dickerson
- Simion, who died in 1875, about age 5
Richard served in the Confederate army during the Civil War. He was in Company I of the 3rd Louisiana Infantry and was paroled at Monroe, Louisiana, on June 13, 1865. He was a Baptist preacher. A grand-aunt told me that he spent his time in the army making shoes.
During the early 1880s, Richard Floyd and most of his children made the move to Coleman County, Texas. I received conflicting information about whether Sarah Ann made the move to Texas -- some sources said that she died before the move, while some sources indicate that she died about 1885 and was buried at Atoka in Coleman County,
After moving to Coleman County, Richard Floyd became pastor of the Atoka Baptist Church. People came to his house to be married, and he often stood on his porch to marry couples while they stayed in their carriage (or wagon.) He was known locally as "the Marrying Preacher."
In July 1886 Richard Floyd married Margaret Elizabeth (Hines) Baldridge, a widow with several children. During the summer of 1981, I made several trips to the county courthouses in Coleman and in neighboring Runnels County surveying their records for information about my kin. Notable by its absence was a marriage record for Richard Floyd and Bettye. Puzzling, to say the least. My siblings and I explored scenarios which featured their living together "without benefit of matrimony." One afternoon in July 1986, I happened to get to Ballinger about fifteen minutes before time for the county clerk's office to close. I parked my vehicle in the shade of some oak trees; while my mother waited, I went inside to make one last attempt to find the missing marriage record. I checked the marriage index, and there, written in blue ink on the typewritten ledger, was an entry for their marriage. I immediately told the person in charge that I wanted to get a copy of the marriage record, and she astounded me by asking if I would like to have the original certificate. Would I ever! I signed a card showing that I was taking the certificate and did the "genealogy happy dance" on the way to my pick-up.
Newspaper clipping from Coleman Chronicle and Democrat Voice, October 15, 1987.
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Ancestors: #05 James Little (1826-1863): The Ancestor Who Wasn’t
This is the 5th installment of my response to Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestor Challenge. For information about the challenge, click the button.
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For many years, I believed that James Little was my gg-grandfather! Why not? That is what I had been told for as long as I could remember. In Atoka Cemetery, only a mile or so from where my father was raised, Anne (Gillison) Little’s tombstone declares that she was the wife of James Little. Information which my grand-aunt submitted to the Coleman County (Texas) history book (in 1981 or 1982) states that James Little was the father of Annie Gillison (Little) Mitchell and that he died soon after Annie was born (early 1870s).
About June 1984, one of my cousins gave me a folder of information which she had found during her research trip to Scotland. I started reading through her information and noticed a definite discrepancy on the dates. She gave James Little’s death date as December 17, 1863, and my research indicated that Annie was born March 9, 1871. The birth information was in agreement with her death certificate, her tombstone, and census records. I wrote my cousin to ask if she had perhaps made an error in typing the information to include in the folders; she replied that she hadn’t. The date agreed with the information on James Little’s tombstone, of which she had taken pictures.
She included more information about James: born to Michael and Agnes (Bell) Little on December 20, 1826 in Moffat, Dumfries, Scotland; married Anne Gillison on June 16, 1857; was a master blacksmith; died of phthisis and pulmonalis (old term for tuberculosis?)
As I considered her information, I remembered a few discrepancies I had found in the IGI: most notably, Annie’s birth record did not identify the father, while the entries for Anne’s other children listed their father as James Little. I was forced to conclude that James Little was not Annie’s father. I verified this a few years ago by downloading Annie’s birth record from Scotland’sPeople.
About June 1984, one of my cousins gave me a folder of information which she had found during her research trip to Scotland. I started reading through her information and noticed a definite discrepancy on the dates. She gave James Little’s death date as December 17, 1863, and my research indicated that Annie was born March 9, 1871. The birth information was in agreement with her death certificate, her tombstone, and census records. I wrote my cousin to ask if she had perhaps made an error in typing the information to include in the folders; she replied that she hadn’t. The date agreed with the information on James Little’s tombstone, of which she had taken pictures.
She included more information about James: born to Michael and Agnes (Bell) Little on December 20, 1826 in Moffat, Dumfries, Scotland; married Anne Gillison on June 16, 1857; was a master blacksmith; died of phthisis and pulmonalis (old term for tuberculosis?)
As I considered her information, I remembered a few discrepancies I had found in the IGI: most notably, Annie’s birth record did not identify the father, while the entries for Anne’s other children listed their father as James Little. I was forced to conclude that James Little was not Annie’s father. I verified this a few years ago by downloading Annie’s birth record from Scotland’sPeople.
52 Ancestors: #04 Anne Gillison Little (1837-1921)
This is the 4th installment of my response to Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestor Challenge. For information about the challenge, click the button.
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Anne Gillison hailed from Dumfries-shire, Scotland, the youngest daughter of Andrew and Susan (Smith} Gillison. She was born May 31, 1837, and was christened June 11, 1837. The next record that I have found for her is the 1841 census, where she was listed with her parents and three older siblings. In 1851, the 14-year-old Anne was a servant in the household of John and Agnes Hunter in Kirkpatrick Juxta, Dumfries-shire.
Anne married James Little at Durrisdeer, Dumfries-shire, on June 18, 1857, and they lived at Moffat, where James was a master blacksmith. They had 3 children: Agnes Bell, Michael, and Andrew. James died of phthihis pulmonalis in December 1863, leaving Anne with three young children to raise. Anne supported her family by running a boarding house for apprentices.
On March 9, 1871, Anne gave birth to another daughter, Annie Gillison Little (my great-grandmother). It seems unlikely that I will ever discover the identity of Annie's father: he is not listed on her birth certificate. In 1885, Anne and Annie sailed for America on the Circassia, arriving in New York in July 1885. They stayed in Chicago long enough to earn enough money to continue to Coleman County, Texas. Anne's brother lived there and had invited Anne to join him.
Anne married James Little at Durrisdeer, Dumfries-shire, on June 18, 1857, and they lived at Moffat, where James was a master blacksmith. They had 3 children: Agnes Bell, Michael, and Andrew. James died of phthihis pulmonalis in December 1863, leaving Anne with three young children to raise. Anne supported her family by running a boarding house for apprentices.
On March 9, 1871, Anne gave birth to another daughter, Annie Gillison Little (my great-grandmother). It seems unlikely that I will ever discover the identity of Annie's father: he is not listed on her birth certificate. In 1885, Anne and Annie sailed for America on the Circassia, arriving in New York in July 1885. They stayed in Chicago long enough to earn enough money to continue to Coleman County, Texas. Anne's brother lived there and had invited Anne to join him.
After John Gillison's death, the place was sold to J. T. Matthews in December 1899, and Anne made her home with her daughter's family. the M. L. Mitchells. In 1908 Anne returned to Scotland and stayed for about a year before returning to Coleman County to live with Annie. She died March 11, 1921 and is buried in the Atoka Cemetery in northwest Coleman County.
52 Ancestors: #03 Cecil Earl Ray (1914-2010)
This is the 3rd installment of my response to Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestor Challenge. For information about the challenge, click the button.
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Cecil was my father's oldest brother, born at Silver Valley, Coleman County, Texas, in February 1914. He has assured me that he hated the hat that he is holding in the picture. Just looking at it, I can imagine that he spent a lot of his time chasing it. The girl standing beside him is his older sister. Vivian Pearl. |
Cecil grew up in the farming communities of northwest Coleman County. The main source of recreation during those years was for the family members play music. My grandfather played the fiddle, Vivian played the piano, while Cecil and several of his brothers switched out on fiddle, guitar, and mandolin.
He was a teenager during the Depression, and spent some time in the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). After leaving the CCC, he moved to Lubbock, Texas, to work at Baldridge Bakery. |
Cecil and Maude Alice Tyson were married at Novice, Coleman, Texas on April 7, 1940. During World War II, he was in the Army Air Corps, stationed at Lubbock, Texas, and in Wisconsin. After his discharge, he returned to Lubbock and worked for years at Baldridge Bakery.
For many years, I only saw Cecil once or twice a year; after Maude died in October 1977, he started visiting my father more frequently, and sometimes I would also be there when he came.
In 1982, my younger sister and I were both teaching near the town where my parents lived, and we resumed the "living room musicals." Cecil timed his visits so that he was there to participate in many of them. |
As he aged, Cecil became very hard-of-hearing and almost blind. He finally had to give up his car, and only came to the Coleman area to visit when someone could drive for him. He passed away in August 2010 at Lubbock,Texas.
52 Ancestors: #02 John and/or Leo Byron Sansom (January 1923)
This is the 2nd installment of my response to Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestor Challenge. For information about the challenge, click the button.
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One of the mysteries of my ancestry involves my mother's youngest brother(s). I have heard since I was a child that my mother had a younger brother who lived only a few days.
When I became interested in genealogy, I made a trip to Brady, Texas, the county seat for McCulloch County, where some of my family had lived for about a hundred years. One of the first things I looked for was a death certificate for my grandmother, Mary Ellen Cowan Wall Sansom. I found the volume that contained death records for 1923 and started looking. I expected to find records for Mary Ellen and her son Leo Byron Sansom: both had died in January 1923. I found those certificates, but I also found a death record for John Sansom, who had lived only four days -- and whose parents were John and Mary (Wall) Sansom, my grandparents!
When I became interested in genealogy, I made a trip to Brady, Texas, the county seat for McCulloch County, where some of my family had lived for about a hundred years. One of the first things I looked for was a death certificate for my grandmother, Mary Ellen Cowan Wall Sansom. I found the volume that contained death records for 1923 and started looking. I expected to find records for Mary Ellen and her son Leo Byron Sansom: both had died in January 1923. I found those certificates, but I also found a death record for John Sansom, who had lived only four days -- and whose parents were John and Mary (Wall) Sansom, my grandparents!
Next step, birth records for January 1923 -- no birth record for John Sansom, and Leo Byron's birth record did not indicate a multiple birth. Dr. Matlock attended the birth of Leo Byron. An article published in the Brady newspaper mentioned the death of Mary Ellen and her unnamed infant son.
Next step, compare information on the death certificates: Mary Ellen, Leo Byron, and John. The certificates for Mary Ellen and Leo Byron were filed by Dr. Matlock (from Rochelle); the certificate for John was filed by Dr. Shelby Roaten (from Mercury). My grandfather was the informant for the first two, and Dr. Roaten provided the family information on the last.
Considering cause of death, Mary Ellen died of pneumonia, influenza, and puerperalism (a complication of childbirth). The certificates indicated that Leo Byron died from convulsions, while John died of cerebral spinal meningitis, with secondary cause being forceps delivery.
Next point for comparison: disposition of the bodies! Mary Ellen and Leo Byron were buried at Placid (and have grave markers), while John was supposedly buried at Mercury (with no grave marker).
Next step, compare information on the death certificates: Mary Ellen, Leo Byron, and John. The certificates for Mary Ellen and Leo Byron were filed by Dr. Matlock (from Rochelle); the certificate for John was filed by Dr. Shelby Roaten (from Mercury). My grandfather was the informant for the first two, and Dr. Roaten provided the family information on the last.
Considering cause of death, Mary Ellen died of pneumonia, influenza, and puerperalism (a complication of childbirth). The certificates indicated that Leo Byron died from convulsions, while John died of cerebral spinal meningitis, with secondary cause being forceps delivery.
Next point for comparison: disposition of the bodies! Mary Ellen and Leo Byron were buried at Placid (and have grave markers), while John was supposedly buried at Mercury (with no grave marker).
After asking my aunts about the extra death certificate and getting no information about what had happened, I tried to figure it out without their help. I considered the probability of two different babies born in the same community one day apart, living four days, then dying one day apart to be infinitesimally small. I developed a scenario that accounted for the known information.
Dr. Matlock was my grandparent’s family doctor, who went to their house when Leo Byron was born. Because Mary Ellen was weak from her influenza, he had to use forceps to deliver the baby. When Leo Byron died, either Dr. Matlock was not available or Dr. Roaten was in the neighborhood and attended at Leo’s death. Dr. Roaten reported the baby’s death, as he was required to do. When Dr. Matlock went to the house to check on Mary Ellen and the baby, he asked about the baby. The family told him that the baby started having convulsions and died. After learning this, Dr. Matlock filed the information about the baby’s death. Another inconsistency that led me to discount the idea of two separate babies was the burial information. I don’t believe that my grandfather would bury a son at Placid on the 12th, bury another son at Mercury on the 13th, and bury his wife at Placid on the 19th. |
My brother insists that the doctors were professionals and would not make the types of errors that I had tried to account for. The scenario that he and my sister devised was that our oldest aunt was John’s mother. The basis for his reasoning was that instead of going to Abilene to attend Draughon’s Business College, she had gone to live with relatives during her pregnancy. These relatives identified my grandparents as the baby’s parents when the doctor attended at the baby’s death. Another piece of information that bolstered his theory was the consideration that our aunt was functionally illiterate and could not have attended Draughon’s. He used the out-of-wedlock birth as our aunts’ justification for refusing to tell us about our grandmother.
My siblings and I have spent many hours discussing which of the scenarios is the more accurate. We have not come to an agreement on the topic.
So, the question remains:
one baby or two?
My siblings and I have spent many hours discussing which of the scenarios is the more accurate. We have not come to an agreement on the topic.
So, the question remains:
one baby or two?
52 Ancestors: #01 Mary Ellen Cowan Wall Sansom (1880-1923)
This is the 1st installment of my response to Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestor Challenge. For information about the challenge, click the button.
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I have not discovered a great deal about my maternal grandmother, Mary Ellen Cowan Wall Sansom. She died when my mother was four years old; Mom’s older sisters (who were 14 and 17 when their mother died) would not tell me anything about their mother. Mom and her twin sister said they were unable to get answers to their questions about their mother.
Having very little information, I started looking for records. I found her in the 1880 census for San Saba County, Texas when she was only a few months old. She was also living in San Saba County in 1900; this census showed that she was a widow and a music teacher. Her first husband (J. C. Wall) and son (Joshua Elvance Wall) were buried in Cowboy Cemetery in northeast McCulloch County, Texas. Their grave marker says only “J. C. Wall & Babe.”
A search of the records at the San Saba courthouse yielded her 1901 marriage record to my grandfather, John Wesley Sansom. She was listed as Mrs. Mary Wall on that document. She and John had four boys and four girls who survived childhood:
- James Aubrey,
born in McCulloch County in 1902;
- Edna Sally
Artelia, born in Kimble County in 1905;
- Violet Ellen,
born in San Saba County in 1908;
- Johnnie Harold,
born in San Saba County in 1911;
- Otis Arthur,
born in McCulloch County in 1914;
- William Taylor,
born in McCulloch County in 1916;
- Mattie Oleta,
born in Collin County, Texas in 1918; and
- Addie Oneta,
born in Collin County, Texas in 1918.
One of Mom’s cousins shared the information that Mary Ellen’s parents came from Pottsboro, Texas, although census records indicated they were born in Missouri. I was unable to make a trip to Grayson County, and the libraries in my area didn’t have any local information for that portion of Texas. Letters to the library and the courthouse there did not yield any useful information.
The 1910 census has eluded my attempts to find John Wesley and Mary Ellen Sansom. I speculate that they were living in San Saba County because they had children born there in 1908 and 1911. In 1920 they were living in McCulloch County; they were still living in McCulloch County in January 1923, when Mary Ellen died from influenza, pneumonia, and complications of childbirth. She was buried beside her infant son (Leo Byron) at Placid, McCulloch County, Texas.
For years I was unable to find a marriage record for Mary Ellen and J. C. Wall; the marriage was not recorded in San Saba or surrounding counties. Several years ago, when an index for Grayson County marriages became available online, I learned that J. C. Wall and Mary Cowen were issued a marriage license in 1895 in Grayson County. The information caused several questions. Since she was living in San Saba County in 1880 and 1900, why was she getting married in Grayson County, several hundred miles away? Did the family move to Grayson County, then return to San Saba County? Was she visiting in Grayson County? If so, whom? I wonder if I will ever know the answers to these questions.
I accept Amy Johnson Crow's
52 Ancestor Challenge!
52 Ancestor Challenge!