Maize R. Foster - Connecting The Dots

While waiting for another 52 Ancestors prompt I've made a possible breakthrough on my Maize R. Foster line.


I believe his parents could be James Coulter Foster and Sarah "Sally" McCray.

James Coulter Foster was born around  13 FEB 1775 in Rockbridge, VA he married Sarah McCray who was born 10 MAY 1777 , on 2 Aug 1804 in Rockbridge, VA.



Children born to this union are:

Jane C. b. 1805
Maize R b. 1807 (possibly)
David C. b. 1808
James W. b 1811
Isaac Newton b. 1813
Sarah Melvina b. 1815 m. Charles Wysong
Joseph H. b. 1818
Nancy M. b. 1820
Rachel Belle b. 1826

Most all of these individuals can be found in MO then later passing away in Collin County, TX.

1) Jane C. Foster never marries as far as I can tell. In 1850 she is living in Collin County with her mother Sarah, and her siblings, Isaac, Joseph, Nancy and Rachel as well as with her widowed brother-in-law Charles Wysong and his two children Helen and James and a Josiah L. Kelly.

In 1860, Collin County, TX, she is living with siblings Joseph and Nancy, again Charles Wysong, Helen (first name is listed as Theresa) James, and Charles' father Jacob Wysong.

In 1870, still in Collin County, she is still with Joseph, Nancy and Helen Wysong.

And in 1880 these three siblings are still together. Joseph, Nancy and Jane, in Collin County, TX.

Jane passes away 6 Sep 1881 and is buried in Throckmorton Cemetery, Melissa, Collin County, Texas, along with her mother, and siblings Joseph, Nancy, Sarah Wysong, and an unknown NC Foster. I believe James Coulter is buried back in VA. He died Apr. 6, 1838.


2) Maize R. Foster as mentioned in my last post, was born around 1807 in NC (but that's not carved in stone as it came from the one and only census record he is listed on and we all know census records are sometimes inaccurate for exact birth dates and places.) Maize is in Benton County, MO around 1835 where he serves on the Grand Jury along side a James Foster. Was this his brother that I will mention in a bit, or a different James all-together.

By 1845 Maize is listed in the Fannin County Tax Rolls. Fannin later becomes Collin County in 1846.

In 1850 Maize is Collin County with his wife and children. and by 1856 he passes away. I have no idea where he is buried. I suspect it may be in the Throckmorton Cemetery. Maybe his marker is no longer there or worn so badly his name is illegible.

3). David C. Foster was born about 1808 in Virginia. In 1840 he can be found in Pettis County, MO In the family is a  (1) Male - 30 thru 39, (1) Male - Under 5, a son Joseph H b. 1838 (1) Female - 30 thru 39, his wife Susan LNU b. 1805 in KY, and (1) Female - Under 5, a daughter Sarah b. 1836.

In 1850 this family is found in Collin County, TX with the addition of another son James H. b. 1840 in MO and a daughter S A b. 1843 in MO

In 1860 David is not listed with his wife Susan and children Joseph, James and Susan as well as two young men John and George White. They are living in Grayson County, TX

 

I cannot find any record of his death other than an index to the Mortality Schedule that says he died Sept 1860 in Grayson County of Typhoid Fever.

4) James W. Foster was born about 1811 in VA. He married Sarah W. Shaw 3 Oct 1833 in Rockbridge County, VA. In 1840 James and Sarah with 4 little ones are found in Lexington, Rockbridge, VA, in 1850 they are in Salt Springs, Randolph, MO with son Theodore (15), daughter Sarah M (14), son James (13), daughter Susan (10) and sons John (4) and newborn Zachary. In 1860 they are in Collin County, TX. in 1870, Mantua, Collin County with son John and a new addition who is now 20, son, Robert. In 1880, Mom and Dad are living with son Robert Taylor and his young family in Granbury, Hood, Texas. No death record found.

5) Isaac Newton Foster b. about 1813 in VA. 1850 he is living in Collin County with his mother Sarah, and his siblings, Jane, Joseph, Nancy and Rachel as well as with his widowed brother-in-law Charles Wysong and his two children Helen and James and a Josiah L. Kelly. In 1854 he marries Mahala Perrin in Collin County, TX. In 1860 he is still in Collin County. He is listed as a wagon maker. He and Mahala have 3 boys Austier (actually Oscar) Arthur and James and have a young teacher, Mr. Cary(?) Gates living with them. Still in Collin County by 1870 with 4 more children; John, Price, William and Wilby. In 1880 with two more children, Gracie and Clyde they are still found in Collin County; Oscar has moved out. Jan. 16, 1895 Isaac passed away and is buried in Highland Cemetery, Melissa, Collin County.

6) Sarah Melvina Foster as born 1815 in VA and is first found by name in Cooper County MO where she marries Charles Hopkins Wyson 1 June 1847. She and Charles have 3 children together, a daughter Helen Teresa born March 23, 1849 in Missouri and twin boys born in Melissa, Collin County TX. One son James Hopkins survives the other twin dies at birth and Sarah dies two days later.

7) Joseph H. Foster was born about 1817 in VA and is first found by name in Collin County, TX in 1850 living with his mother Sarah, and his siblings, Jane, Isaac, Nancy and Rachel as well as with his widowed brother-in-law Charles Wysong and his two children Helen and James and a Josiah L. Kelly. I don't believe he ever marries as in 1860, 1870 and in 1880 is always found living with his sisters Jane and Nancy, who also never marry. I know Nancy is not his wife as it always lists her a single and as Joseph's sister in 1880.

8) Nancy has been covered in all the entries above.

9)Rachel Belle Foster was born about 1826 in VA and is first found by name living with her family in 1850 in Collin County, TX. In 1851 she marries a Benjamin Franklin McMahan. In 1860 she and Benjamin are living in Collin County with 5 children; Cornelious, Sarah, Ellen, Mary and James. In 1870 they have moved to Saline, MO by 1880 they are living in Cooper County with 3 more children born to their union where she is found in 1900 and 1910. by 1900 Benjamin had passed away. She died  30 MAR 1916 and is buried in the James McMahan Family Cemetery in Cooper County, MO.
I've made a map of Missouri to show the dates that each of these "siblings" were there and what county they were in. Note that Rachel is first found in Collin County but later settles in MO.





It seems very likely that if Maize is not a sibling to these people he must be closely related.

Until Next Week,
Becky

When So Much Loss Leaves You Restless

This week the prompt from No Story Too Small is 'Halfway'. This left me stumped. I reached out to my SIL, who writes over at Days of Our Lives and she gave me a ton of ideas. I took a couple of them and decided to write about my 3rd great grandfather, Jesse Josiah McClung, who at the midway point in his life between the ages of 31-44  would lose his mother, wife, a son and a daughter. Two of his children would be buried at the halfway point between Georgia, where he was born, and Oklahoma where he died.

But let's start at the beginning.

Jesse Josiah McClung was they youngest son born to Solomon Reece McClung and Winey Lawson Newman. (I believe this is who my grandmother, Winnie Sue Jones was named after.) He was born 21 March 1853, in Haralson County, Georgia.

When Jesse was only 5 years old he lost his father on May 11, 1858. His mother never remarried.  At the age of 10 Jesse lost one of his older his brothers, William Jasper McClung. William served in Co. K. 40th Regt. Georgia Volunteers Infantry and was killed in Action July 25, 1863, at Vicksburg, Miss. He would later name a son after him.

On the 14th of August 1873, Jesse Josiah McClung married Martha Jane Linville. She was the daughter of Worley Daniel Lineville and Margaret Catherine Newell. Jesse and Martha were joined in matrimony by his maternal uncle, and namesake, Jesse G. Newman.




On  May 18, 1875 Martha gave birth to their first child, a daughter, named after both their mothers, Winney Lawson Margaret McClung. And within the next year they would welcome their first son and name him after Jesse's brother. William J. McClung.

By the 1880 census this little family is living in DeKalb County, AL and have two more little children added to their number. Two little girls, Matilda Ann and my ancestor Ora Frances. (Ora doesn't appear in the census because Martha is pregnant with her at the time of the enumeration.) Two years later they welcomed another little girl, my great grandmother's namesake, Lurie Evelyn McClung born 12 Sept 1882.

Then on April 9, 1884 Jesse would suffer the first of many consecutive blows. His mother passes away. This blow is softened a bit by the birth of two more sons, Robert Reece and Jessie Josiah Jr. who went by Joseph or 'Joe'.

Then another blow. Jesse's wife of 14 years,  Martha Jane, died 26 Feb 1888.

There was another child born to this union. One who like my ancestor Ora Frances, never made it into a census record with her parents. The only proof I have that either of these women were the children of Jesse and Martha comes from the interview of their brother Joe by Belle Newman Allen, who wrote Family Gleanings (1965).  This little girl's name was Tilly Ann. I wonder if Martha died giving birth to her?

According to "Joe", his father became very restless after Martha died. By 1893 he loaded up all of his children, except his oldest who was now married to Vinson Ford Studdard, and headed west to Texas. The family lived in Navarro County for three years before his father felt the urge to move again. In the Fall of 1897 they headed to Arkansas where two of the hardest blows to Jesse would be dealt. In Dec of that year while searching for a place that felt like home Jesse's son William became ill and died. Then one month later in the cold of January he would bury his baby *Tilly Ann. After these two devastating loses, Jesse and the remainder of his children headed back to Texas where they rented a little place near Mt. Pleasant in Titus County, Texas. This is where my 2nd great grandmother Ora Frances would meet and marry James Walter Rutherford on Christmas Day 1898. They would file their license January 2 1999. Oct 2 of that year my great grandmother Lurie Myrtle Rutherford was born and just 5 days later, her namesake Lurie Evelyn McClung would marry M G Davis. With just his two youngest boys left at home, Jesse moves again to Indian Territory. In 1910 he is living in Carmel, Jackson County, OK with his youngest son "Joe" and poor Lurie who is listed as a widow with her 3 little ones, Orris, Norman, and Annie. In 1920 Jesse is living  in Wall, Stephens County, OK with Lurie, now remarried to a Benjamin Prater. I wonder if they had a special bond in knowing the pain of losing a spouse. Jesse lived with Lurie the remainder of his life, until he passed away 12 March 1935.


*When I was growing up and spending my weekends with my grandmother, Winnie Sue, she would tell the story of a little girl who was buried near Mena on the wagon trail
on the way to TX. Being about 8 or so I don't remember many details and I'm not sure I even asked many questions. I just remember thinking how sad for that little girl to be buried on the side of the road somewhere. I believe Tilly Ann is who my grandmother was talking about. I always thought she said it was my Grandmother Jones' sister but after researching this family, and finding the Belle Newman Allen resource, I'm certain she said it was her grandmother's sister.

Until next week,
Becky

Alabama Pioneer

School is finally out for the summer and I'm finding it difficult to get time for my blog on a consistent basis. I may get this one done just in the nick of time.

The prompt this week is "The Old Homestead" and I've chosen to write about my 4th great grandfather Henry Athey.

This week I ran across a new to me resource - The General Land Records Bureau of Land Management database where you can look up land records. If you're lucky you can download a copy of the actual record and you can even view that land on a map. After plugging several of my ancestors into their little search box I finally came across one who seemed to have purchased quite a bit of land in the early days of Alabama history - and according to some of these records he fought during the Indian Wars (Creek War of 1836 and the Second Seminole War also called Florida War) Henry Athey.

According to census records, Henry Athey was born in South Carolina in the year 1809. His parents are said to be Henry Athey Sr. and Carrie Hartman.

I think I will try to lay out the information I have on him in a timeline.

• Aug 20, 1834 at the age of 25, Henry purchased 79.81 acres in Montgomery County, AL
• Aug 02, 1837 Henry, now 28,  purchased 40.05 acres also in Montgomery County (there is a duplicate for this land record and the one following recorded for the date July 28, 1838)
• Aug 12, 1837 He purchased 40.11 acres in Montgomery County
• Aug 15, 1838 Henry married Sarah L. Brunson
  
• 1839 Sarah gave birth to a son, William Athey
• 1840 Sarah gave birth to a son, Barnett Athey
• 1842 Sarah gave birth to a son, Wilson Athey
• 1843 Sarah gave birth to a son, John Athey
• 1845 Sarah gave birth to a son, James Athey
• 1847 Sarah gave birth to my ancestor, Benjamin Franklin Athey
• 1849 Sarah gave birth to Thomas Athey
• 1850 the family is found in Pike County, AL those listed are Henry (41), Sarah (37), William (11), Barnett (10), Wilson (8), John (7), James (5), Benjamin (3), Thomas (1) and Joseph H. Robb (22)
• 1852 Sarah gave birth to their youngest, George Athey
• Nov 02, 1854 Henry was awarded 40 acres of Bounty Land for his service as a Private in Captain McDougall's Company, Alabama Militia during the Florida War in Walton & Washington County, FL

• Feb 14, 1857 Henry sold a slave, *Matilda, who was pregnant to a Mr. Littleton Olive. The events that followed this transaction would end up in the Supreme Court as Athey v Olive, 34 Alabama 711 (1859). You can download a free EBook with most all of the information about this case.
• May 03, 1860 Henry was awarded 119.85 acres Bounty Land in Crenshaw County, AL for his service in the Creek War under Captain McDougald, Alabama Militia. Crenshaw County at that time would've been Pike County, AL (Here's a link to an Alabama Formation Map)
  
  
  On that same day in the records lists this same parcel of land being sold to Henry by the Widow of  James F. Johnston, Sarah Johnston.
  
  Henry Athey's Bounty Land Record:

Sarah Johnston - War of 1812 Bounty Land Record Assigned to Henry Athey:

•  Jun 08, 1860 Henry's family is once again in the Pike County, AL census minus his wife, Sarah and son William. Those listed are Henry (51) Josiah B (19) Wilson W. (17), John W. (15) James B (14) Benjamin (12) Thomas (10) and baby George (7).  William is still living though I can't find him listed in the 1860 census. He is later named as the Administrator of his father's Estate in 1862. From papers found in Henry's Estate File I have deduced that Henry must've died between months of April and Dec 1862. Below is a note that includes his signature in bottom right corner..
   
  Below is an image from his Estate File that proves he is no longer alive by Dec 1862
   
  Below is an image I put together of the parcels of land recorded by the BLM for Henry Athey
   
  
  
  Where his homestead was exactly is a mystery. But according to one Brunson decendant I believe it would be somewhere close to where he registered land on Nov 01, 1858
  
  That square with the star in it looks like this upclose. Notice the Patsaliga Creek.
  
  A letter in the Crenshaw County News, written by one of David Brunson’s grandsons talks about several of the family members, and early residents of Pike/Crenshaw County. Source: “Obits and Abstracts 1910-1919, compiled by Joyce English 

   "My grandfather was first stuck on lands in Clark County on the Tom Bigbee River near Salt Springs, and after a while, he sold out to the Benbows & moved to Clark County. After my father was grown he came back to the Valley & married Elizabeth Jinkins and moved to Montgomery county four miles north of Pine Level. In 1852 he came back to the Valley and settled on the ridge that forms the Patsaliga Bluff that was, when I was five years old Precincts 8 and 9. This county was then an uninhabited territory . At that time Henry Athey and Walter Compton lived in between Mt. Ida and the Patsaliga, and a little lower down lived Daniel Plancy & his sons Job & Daniel then down at the Bluff, lived my uncles Ben and David Brunson, and out from the river were Umphrey Capps and Mr. Holiday, and down in the bend where H.W.Carnes now lives. Uncle V.A.T. Underwood lived."

  **The Benbow's and Compton's are mentioned in Henry's Estate File.
  
  Until next week,
  Becky Drake
  
  Please check out my SIL's blog over at Days of Our Lives

Heirlooms, Keepsakes and Memories

This week the prompt given by No Story Too

Small in the 52 Ancestors Challenge is 'Heirloom'....

I'm super excited about this post. I started by requesting on Facebook that any of my family that had any heirlooms please contact me. The response was wonderful! While some of the items may not have necessarily been passed down generation to generation, they definitely hold a great deal of sentiment for those who now own these treasures belonging to their ancestors.

I'll start with my mother's cousin (that's easier than saying my first cousin 1x removed) Tarona who sent me a picture of a very unusual item that belonged to her grandmother, my great grandmother, Zula Jane Acord Stepp. It is a four eyed bottle opener. A little research shows it was made in the 1940's by Wilton Co. Tarona shared that her mother, Jayne, remembered that Grandma Zula got it after she was married in 1946.

Tarona says:

"When I was really little it kinda scared me and then as I got older I couldn't wait to get a coke so I could use it! It was on the door jam in Grandma Zulie's kitchen......I wouldn't take a million dollars for it."

Another cousin of my mother, Debra,  has Grandma Zula's old Singer sewing machine from 1912

 

My grandmother, Reba, has and old cast iron tea kettle made by Bridgeford & Co, Louisville, KY, 1868.  It belonged to Grandma Zula's maternal grandmother Jane Conner Evans.



My Aunt Diane has the Bynum Family Bible printed in 1884. It was given to my 3rd great grandmother, Lou Emmer Reynolds, who married John Thomas Bynum, from her "Papa" 17 May 1885 when she was only 11 years old. She kept it and wrote in it her birthdate as well as the birthdate of her children. Diane also has my great grandmother Bondell Bynum Melson's thimble.

Another cousin of mine, Mike, has his grandmother, my great-grandmother, Myrtle Rutherford Jones' old WWII ration book:

I have a few treasures of my own and a few people to thank for them. I'll start with my Dad and Dawna who gifted me this past Christmas with my great grandmother Wille Belle Foster Nall's old canning funnel. Then my dad's cousin Angie who so graciously thought of me at the passing of my great grandmother and gathered up a box full of stuff that belonged to her and then made sure I got it. In it was this old standing mixer from Montgomery Ward dated 1963 complete with beaters and two mixing bowls, a serving bowl that still had Grandma's address label she used so that her dish would be returned to her when she brought food to the church potlucks and a decorative plate. The one with a solid round edge is hers. The plate that matches it belonged to my husband's grandmother - it has more pointy edges. I love that I have these two "matching" items from opposite sides of my daughter's family. I also have one of my most treasured items; one of the last Christmas gifts I ever received from Grandma Nall - a handwritten recipe for her chocolate gravy.









From my grandmother Winnie Sue Jones Nall (We called her Mammy), I have a cook book from our church - where she wrote me a sweet note on the worn out cover. It was a gift to me Christmas 2008.




And then there's my Uncle Mike and family who were kind enough to give me the family's old wood cook stove. I remember my Mammy and Grandma Nall cooking on it during a camp out we had in the field below Mammy's house one year. My grandpa, Charles Nall, brought in the big hay trucks for us to sleep on and in the morning we had biscuits, bacon, sausage, chocolate gravy, eggs and hot chocolate for breakfast. It was quite a treat! When I posted pictures of it on Facebook, my great Aunt Dena told me that the stove had originally belonged to her Dad, Rufus Nall, and that he bought it from Chicken Hollar in Farmington because he didn't like the way propane made his biscuits taste. He kept it on the back porch to cook his 'catheads'.

  

  

My Dad has his dad's old Bible. It has my grandfather's marriage date and the names of the witnesses and who married them. They were married by Charles' father Benjamin Rufus Nall and the witnesses were my grandmother Winnie Sue's brother, Edwin Jones and Charles' sister, Mildred (Dena). The handwriting belongs to my grandmother, Winnie Sue.  

  

  

My Great Aunt Peggy shared an heirloom she and my Uncle Dwight have. Dwight's dad, my great grandfather, Newell Stepp Sr. was a machinist in the Army in WW1. He made 5 ballpeen hammers while he was in the Army. He gave one to his commanding officers and brought the others home. A few years ago Dwight was visiting his cousin, Edna McDonald and she had one of the hammers that Newell made and gave to her Mother. She said she wanted Dwight to have the hammer, which he is very proud of. We don't know where the other 3 hammers are. They have Newell's serial number stamped on them, unfortunately its too faded to make out.

  

Another heirloom from my great grandmother, Willie Belle Foster Nall, now belongs to my dad's cousin Tracie. It is her old butter churn.

What family treasures do you and your family members have?

Until next week,
Becky 

Son, Husband, Father, Soldier, Teacher, Freemason and Justice of The Peace

The prompt set for this week by No Story Too Small is 'wedding'. The first story that came to mind was that of my great grandparents Rufus and Wille Belle Nall and how they were married in a car garage and then as soon as they said their "I dos" they went to slaughter hogs. But I've already written about them here.

I couldn't recall any other wedding stories so I put out a Facebook request to anyone who might suggest an ancestor for me to write about. My Aunt Diane suggested my 3rd great grandfather Francis Marion Melson. And I think he will fit the bill perfectly.

According to his Civil War service records, Francis Marion Melson was born in DeKalb County, AL on 31 July 1838, to Absalom Patton and Ferbia Melitia (Upton) Melson. Absalom Patton Melson was a member of the House of Representatives for the State of Arkansas.


Francis Marion was the oldest child, followed by a sister, Mahala Kathleen, then a brother James W, sister Jemima, brother Andrew Jackson, sister Sarah and the baby of the family, named after his father, Absalom Patton Jr.

According to a family history, compiled by Andrew Melson, the family made their way from near Rome, GA to Mobile, AL in 1852.  They were said to have traveled in a homemade covered wagon and a team of oxen. At Mobile, Absalom sold most all of his possessions and got on a boat to travel to the mouth of the Mississippi River then to the Arkansas River to Morrison Bluff Landing near Clarksville where they unloaded and traveled up into the mountains about 12 miles NW of Clarksville and settled on a tract of land about six miles west of Ozone, AR or one and half miles SW of what is now known as Log Gap Springs.

In their Civil War Service Records, Francis gave his place of birth as DeKalb, AL and his brother James W gave his place of birth as Floyd Co. GA. Looking at Formation maps of the two states during the time of their birth we can see that these counties are VERY close one another. Absalom gives his place of birth as Burke Co, NC.

On 27 Dec 1860, two days after Christmas, Francis Marion Melson married Mary Emmaline Kinnerly. She was the daughter of John P. and Lucinda (Harbour) Kinnerly.

On 20 February 1862, Mary gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Amanda Catherine. Nearly one year later, on 6 February 1863, Francis enlisted on the side of the Union into Co A, 2nd Regm't of the Arkansas Infantry along with his father, Absalom and brother James W, at Warren, Arkansas. They mustered in on December 7th at Ft. Smith. Absalom was discharged due to disability caused by old age 25 Oct 1864. From the Adjutant General's office there is a record dated 1867 where the charge of desertion is removed from Francis' file and replaced with 'absent without leave' from 25 September 1864 - 1 Dec 1864 . He "deserted" from Lewisburg, AR.  I wonder why he left or where he went? One record shows that he "joined from desertion" Dec 1/1864 Johnson Co. On March 3, 1864 it shows he was "reduced from sergeant to the ranks" no further information is given.

I suspect the answer to Francis' "desertion" and reduction in rank comes from the previously mentioned book, compiled by Andrew Melson. On page 38 it gives the sad story of Francis and Mary's second child, Lucinda Anglin born 6 Jan 1864.

James W. Melson could be called the undertaker. While his brother, Francis Marion Melson was away in the Civil War, he scouted during the night taking care of his family and his brother's family - Mary and two small children. One morning, just before daylight, he went about one mile down on Bear Branch to where Francis had settled before the war when he married. Jim found that his brother's baby, Lucinda, had died during the night. He split out boards and made a box for the baby. He put it on his shoulder, with a pick and a shovel, his rifle in the other arm, and walked about four miles up the head of Bear Branch Canyon and buried the baby the next night himself, out on the mountain in what is now known as Sherman Cemetery.

Lucinda died 6 Feb 1864. I wonder if the right brother was given credit for this story as James W. was enlisted and serving with his father and brother. In his records it actually shows him as "present" for Jan & Feb '64.  I suspect it to have actually been younger brother Andrew Jackson "Jack" Melson that did the scouting and buried the baby, as I have found a few **errors in this book. Jack would've been only 16 at the time of baby Lucinda's death. Between the death of his baby and the lawlessness that plagued Johnson County, I suspect Francis left Lewisburg and went back home to check on his family.

The best information I have been able to find about the roll of the 2nd Regm't Arkansas Infantry is as follows:

 

Organized at Springfield, Mo., and Fort Smith, Ark., October, 1863, to March, 1864. Organization completed at Fort Smith March 13, 1864. Attached to District of the Frontier, Dept. of Missouri, to January, 1864. District of the Frontier, 7th Army Corp., Dept. of Arkansas, January, 1864. 2nd Brigade, District of the Frontier, 7th Army Corps, to March, 1864. 1st Brigade, District of the Frontier, 7th Corps, to May, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 7th Corps, to December, 1864. 1st Brigade, District of the Frontier, 7th corps, to February, 1865. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 7th Corps, to August, 1865.

SERVICE.--Skirmish at Clarksville December 15, 1863. Affair at Jacksonport, Ark., November 21, 1863. At Fort Smith until March, 1864. Steele's Expedition to Camden March 23-May 3. Prairie D'Ann April 9-12. Moscow April 13. Limestone Valley April 17 (Detachment). Jenkins' Ferry, Saline River, April 30. Duty at Little Rock until July and at Lewisburg until September. Ordered to Little Rock September 10, and duty there until October 18. Escort train to Fort Smith October- November. Moved to Clarksville December 31, and duty there and at Fort Smith until August. Mustered out August 8, 1865.

 

 

Francis' family lived in a notorious place for lawlessness during the Civil War. According to the 'Melson Book',  while Francis and most of the men were gone, Mary helped dig the first two graves in the Oark Cemetery and buried two men who had been found shot by bushwhackers in the road above Oark near a spring in 1863.

After returning home from the war, Francis is said to have taught the first term of school that was taught in Low Gap Township, Johnson County. The school house was a little log cabin about 200 yards north of Low Gap Springs.

Children born to Francis M. and Mary E. Melson after the war were:

Sarah Isabell b. 15 Sept 1865
William Robert b. 21 Dec 1867
Clerica Armindo b. 10 Dec 1869
Mary Elizabeth b. 20 July 1871
John Wesley b. 17 Jan 1874 and died 28 Sept 1875
Alabama b. 27 March 1876
Ida Lee b. 2 March 1878
Francis Elmer b. 9 Jan 1880 and died 10 May 1881
Columbus C. "Bud" b. 18 March 1882
Tennessee Easter b. 13 April 1884
Absalom b. 14 Oct 1886 d. 6 August 1887
Benjamin Harrison (my ancestor) b. 10 Sept 1889



 Back row: Columbus Melson, Benjamin Harrison Melson, Easter Tennessee 'Tennie' Melson. Sitting: Francis Marion Melson, Mary Melson holding grandson George Washington Campbell, whose mother, Amanda Catherine had died during childbirth.

Francis Marion also served as the Justice of the Peace in 1870, where he performed the marriage of his younger brother Andrew "Jack" Melson to Jane Heinsley on 22 Jan 1870. In going through the old marriage records I also found where he married Zecharia Cowen and Polina Wagers on 6 March 1870, as well as J T Sykes and Martha Ann Summers on 11 Sept 1870.

Francis Marion Melson was also a Freemason - as you can see from his headstone.

Francis can be found in the Abstracts from Masonic Records from the Grand Lodge of Arkansas, for the years 1873-1879, 1880-1883 & 1884-1886.

There is one more piece of lore I would like to add to the life story of Francis Marion Melson. My grandfather, Leroy Harrison Melson, has always told of a story involving treasure. Family lore says that during the war Francis discovered or somehow came into some gold and by the end of the war he had enough money to buy all of his children their own homestead. I haven't been able to find much else about this story... but in the mean time here's another Civil War hidden treasure story from not far off in Madison County.

**I want to address that I mean no disrespect in pointing out that the "Melson-Book; 1813-1973" has errors. In fact I have the utmost respect and appreciation for those who put these books together. Most were done before all the easily accessible information we have today. A lot of information that was given was done so by word of mouth and were taken from the memory of those most acquainted with the individuals documented. Mistakes happen. Memories fail. Even today with all the information that can be gathered, mistakes happen. So to Andrew Melson, I am extremely grateful.

Let's Begin - Again.

The prompt this week from No Story Too Small is 'commencement'. I've chosen to write about possibly THE biggest brick wall in my tree. My 4th great grandfather, Maize R. Foster. I have spent hours, along with many other cousins trying to find out more about the beginning of Maize's life. His last 15 years are pretty accountable, but it's his first 35 that are impossible to document it would seem.

The only evidence I have to the date and location of his birth, comes from the 1850 Collin County, TX census. Family #264 lists M R Foster, a farmer, (43) born in NC, wife Sarah (39) born in NC, daughter L J (20) born in IL, daughter N P (17) born in MO, son Wm H. (13) born in MO, daughter Mary (11) born in MO, son Jno T (9) born in MO, son M (3) born in TX, and son Jas (4/12) born in TX.  All children of age are attending school.



Don't you love the census records that didn't use names - only initials.

So from here, shall we work backwards or forwards?

Maybe I should start with his estate records, to prove this family is who I claim them to be.

The first page of his estate is from the Nov Term 1856, Collin County, where it states that Maize R. Foster, a citizen of said county died on or about the 10th day of January A.D. 1856 without leaving a legal will. John M. Salmons petitions the court to be the administrator of said estate.

On page 11 of the Estate, Maize's eldest son William is appointed guardian to the three youngest surviving children: Malcolm, James and Mary. Malcolm is my ancestor.



In January of 1857, the property of Maize Foster is appraised and several items are claimed by W H Foster and N P Foster (Wm and his sister - who you will soon find to be named Nancy).



Now as I dig further into the estate records one piece of paper tucked away inside the file has always left me curious. It's a written "receipt" for 3 coffins purchased in Feb 1856. If Maize died "on or around 10th of January" who are the other two coffins for? I suspect them to be for his wife and son, John T Foster. What kind of illness did they die from? Was it yellow fever? Influenza? Or as I later begin to wonder, maybe Maize is already buried and it could be for his oldest daughter as well?

 As I dig a little further I find a receipt dated 1856 to David Ford, Dr. Listed are dates and amounts for "pres med & cupping". According to Wikipedia cupping was used to treat respiratory diseases such as the common cold, pneumonia and bronchitis. He treated Mary on the 25th of January, Nancy on the 31st. On the 5th of February at night "visit to wife pres med & cupping". On the 5th "for self wife Mary and Nancy"

Enclosed in the estate file is also a receipt ledger for Dr. Henry Dye from Plano, TX. I have trouble making out a lot of what it says. But the date given is for the year 1857 and there is mention of cupping and treating blisters. Also for buying 8 loads of wood and 4 poles. From researching cupping therapy, I find that blisters are usually a terrible side-effect of the treatment. Were the 8 loads of wood for the heating process used in "cupping"? What are the 4 poles for?



Keep digging through the estate files and there's yet another receipt from a George H. Peguez, who was elected Justice of the Peace of Collin Co in 1857, where planks for a coffin for son are purchased in 1856 followed by planks for a coffin for self. What a surreal thing to know you and your loved ones are dying. I believe the son to be John T.



Nothing that provides any insight into what caused the death of Maize, his wife and his son, but it is interesting to note, was a receipt from Charles DeMorse for what appears to be newspapers subscriptions to The Standard. Specifically Vol. 10 #13 through Vol 13 #17.

I won't post the actual document, you'll just have to take my word for it, but by the Nov term of 1859 land is divided and distributed among the remaining heirs of Maize as follows - 33 acres to James Foster, 33 acres to Malcolm Foster, to Sanford Hosacks 33 acres, to Mary F. Dasson (Dawson) 33 acres, to Wm H. Foster 36 and 50/160 acres, to Nancy Stigal 31 and 125/160 acres



This leaves me asking, who was Sanford Hosack? Was he the widower of Maize's daughter L J born 1830 in ILL? There is no mention of her or John T or Maize's wife Sarah. After researching Sanford Hosack, I come up empty. I found a William Sanford Hosack, born in TX in 1856 who ends up in Merced CA in 1884 but that's as close as I get. *Follow-up* After going back to research this further, I find in the probate records of Collin County where William Sanford Hosack was the minor heir of Hosack and is entitled to an interest in the Estate of Maize R. Foster. Click here for the file. In this file it calls him the heir of L J Hosack... confirming my theory that Sanford Hosack was the widow of Maize's daughter.

So, here we are with a beginning to Maize's life-- 1807 in NC, and an end, 1856 in Collin County, TX. Now to fill in the gaps.

We know that Maize was in Collin County, TX because of the 1850 census and his estate files. In 1842 there is an M R Foster with 640 acres. In 1843 he is listed as Maise Foster. In 1844 Maze R Foster. In 1845 there is a "Mays Foster" all listed in the Fannin County Tax Rolls. Fannin and Collin are neighboring counties and according to a formation map of the state, Collin County was formed from Fannin County in 1846.

Maize R. Foster is still the name on the original abstracts in Collin County as abstract #332. In the online transcription of his land records it is listed in Fannin district as a 3rd class headright. 3rd class headrights were issued to those who arrived in Texas between October 1, 1837 and January 1, 1840. Heads of families received 640 acres, while single men received 320 acres.

I'm currently trying to verify if Maize was a member of the Peters Colony. There is an 1852 survey map that allegedly shows the EAST boundary of the Peters Colony. You can find that map here. The red line is extremely faded and runs through James Maxwell's plot, directly to the east of the plot surveyed for Maize. I haven't been able to find on the map where it is labeled as the East boundary - only in the description of the map. If you look at the above picture where Maize's land was divided between his heirs you can see Rowlett's Creek. This is a Peters Colony Grant Map circa 1842-44 where Rowlett's Creek is clearly marked. After contacting the Texas Land Grant office - I was told Maize was NOT a member of Peter's colony.

After looking at his birth year and his location during the time of the Mexican-American war I decided to search Fold3 for "Maize", hoping to find a service record. I came up empty. But after seeing his name listed as "Mays" in the tax records I decided to do a search spelling it that way and got a hit for a "May Foster" who was enlisted on 1 Nov 1847 and assigned to Belle's Reg't Texas Mounted Vols. Is this him? It's doubtful as his age is given as 21 in 1864.

About 10 years ago, when I first learned of Maize, thanks to my great aunt Dena, I began searching online and came across Terry Foster who was researching his ancestor, James Foster, in Benton County, MO.  On his page he me mentions Goodspeed's “History of Cole, Moniteau, Morgan, Benton, Miller, Maries and Osage Counties, Missouri.” where Maize R. Foster is mentioned as serving on a grand jury in Warsaw, Benton Co., MO in 1835 along side Terry's ancestor James. Are the two connected? We know from the 1850 census that 3 of Maize's children were born in MO between the years 1837-1841 (approx.) This must be him, yet there is no Maize or Maize R or M R Foster to be found in all the state of MO for the census year 1840. Today while going through the images on FamilySearch for the Court Minutes of Benton County, 1838-1846, Vol A; page 13, I found Maize R. Foster. The previous page (12) gives us the date of February 1835 when he was appointed as a commissioner along with Hugh M. Donaghe and Hugh C. Donaghe to "view and mark out" a road going from Rives County to Fristoe's Ferry on the Osage River. Hugh M and Hugh C. were first cousins.

**I recently (2016) discovered a little book on The Portal to Texas History called "Between The Creeks" that mentions "Maise" was a chainman under Daniel Rowlett and Daniel Montague and helped survey the lands of Fannin County, Texas. I wonder if surveying was a skill/trade of his?** To see the entire land record (bottom of page 6) where Maize is shown as a surveyor click here

Terry does make an interesting connection with Maize's son-in-law, George G. Dawson, in Rives, MO that same year, and a Malcolm Foster living next door. (Remember Maize's son and my ancestor was also named Malcolm - not him, but is it a namesake?)
We also know from the 1850 census that Maize's oldest child was born around 1830 in IL. Terry's ancestor James Foster, also hails from IL and in the 1830 STATE census there were 8 Foster families living in Morgan County. Again - No Maize is listed in the entire state of IL. The heads of families listed in the Morgan County census are: John Foster, Elizabeth Foster, James Foster, Mary Foster, Wm Foster, Wm F. Foster, James Foster (different from first) and John Foster (different from first). Is the Wm F. Foster listed the same Wm F Foster who shows up in the Fannin/Collin County Tax records the same year as Maize?

There is no luck searching the 1830 FEDERAL census either. More than likely because according to this website: "The 1820, 1855, and 1865 schedules have survived reasonably intact, but most returns for 1825, 1830, 1835, and 1845 are missing, and almost half of the 1840 state census has been lost."

Before 1830 Maize would be lumped in with his father's family in any census records, so this is where my trail runs cold.

To wrap things up, I don't know Maize's wife Sarah's maiden name or where they were even married. I know it would be sometime prior to 1830 if she were indeed the mother of his eldest child. Possibly in Illinois but I can't be certain.

The following children belonging to Maize I can document:

William H. Foster born about 1837 in MO, marries on 5 April 1866 Lucy Jane Stigall, the daughter of Peter Stigall and Mary "Polly" Edwards.

Nancy P. Foster born 5 Sept 1841 in MO (I'm not certain her birth date is correct - she was older than Mary and wasn't in need of a guardian appointed at the time of her father's death). She was the second wife of Peter Stigall, who again was the father of Lucy Jane Stigall. Nancy and Peter were married 27 Jan 1859 in Collin County.

Mary Foster born about 1839 in MO married first to George G. Dawson, Dec 1858. George died during the civil war. Mary then becomes the wife of David Smith 19 July 1865  she then marries again to James Nicholas Stigall, the son of Peter Stigall and Mary "Polly" Edwards on 2 Apr 1879.

My ancestor, Malcolm "Mack" Foster born in July of 1847 in Collin County, TX. He married Mary Knox 5 April 1866, the same day as his brother, William H. married his wife Lucy.

Then James Foster who was born in 1850, Collin County, TX. I don't have a spouse listed for him and I only know he and his brother Malcolm are buried side by side in Sims, TX, with two headstones splitting the word BRO-THERS.



In closing, if you're reading this and can make a connection this family, please reach out. I would love to connect with you. Also, I would love to find descendants of Malcom's siblings. Myself, and a few cousins of mine (descended from Malcolm) have tested with 23andMe and have uploaded our raw data to GEDMatch. We have compared our genomes with that of Terry Foster (descendant of James Foster) and there are no matches. I'm not sure that definitely means we're not related, possibly just that we didn't inherit the same genome as Terry may have. But then again, I really don't understand DNA well enough to make assumptions.

I hope you have enjoyed this wild goose chase. I hope we can eventually fill in all the missing pieces.

Until Next Week,
Becky



A cousin responded on FB and had this to say about Malcolm and his brother James: "My mother, Evie Foster Alexander, always referred to them as grandpa and uncle Jim. She told me that they were both widowers and lived together when she was little."

Captured At Vicksburg

This week the prompt from No Story Too Small is 'Military', and I have chosen to write about my 4th great grandfather Asa Franklin Moore.

According to census records, Asa was born about 1830 in South Carolina. I am not certain of his parentage, but I believe it to be Hutson and Susanna Moore. In the 1850 Laurens County South Carolina census, dwelling #1941, is Hutson  (53), Susanna (44), Oliver (22), Alsey F. (21), Luraney (19), William (18), Stephan B. (16), Parthena (14), Perncey (12), Malissa (10), John B. (8), Lei M. (6) and Munro (4).

I believe "Alsey F." to be my Asa. I have looked up the will of Hutson Moore, who died in 1874 and he makes no mention of any of his children -- only his wife, Susanna. But "Perncey" aka "Perneecy" from this household ends up marrying William Marion Riddle and settling not far from my Asa Franklin Moore in the same county (Johnson) in Arkansas. Also - my ancestor Franklin Redford Moore, son of Asa, named his first child, a daughter, Alsey. Maybe Alsey was his nickname?

Also in Laurens County, SC 1850 census is family # 1717 - the household of Solomon and Barbary "Golasby" (Gillespie) with several children, including 19 year old daughter Amanda. Sometime between 1850 and 1852 Amanda and Asa Franklin Moore marry.  In 1852 Amanda gives birth to their first child Mary J. Moore. I find Asa that same year in the Franklin County Georgia Tax books. I also find him in the tax lists for the years 1854, 1858 & 1867. In 1854 Amanda's father Solomon is also in Franklin County, GA, where he remarries a MUCH younger Elizabeth Pierce. His former wife, Barbara is still alive and in Laurens, South Carolina, living with a Vaughan and Bolt family.

In 1855 Amanda gave birth to their second child, Martha, then George Washington in 1859, and Amanda Silvenus in 1863 (I'm sure Asa was gone fighting, possibly at the siege of Chattanooga, at the time of her birth.).

On May 12 1862 Asa F. Moore, along with his brother-in-law *Simeon Thomas, volunteered on the side of the Confederacy in Franklin County GA with Captain Russell A. Jones Company, Johnson's Regiment Georgia Infantry which later became Company G, 34th Regiment Georgia Infantry.

"This unit was sent to Tennessee, then Mississippi where it was assigned to T.H. Taylor's Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. It participated in the battle at Champion's Hill and was captured at Vicksburg on July 4, 1863. Exchanged and reorganized it was placed in General Cummings' Brigade, Army of Tennessee. The 34th was active in many engagements from Chattanooga to Nashville, and ended the war in North Carolina. It reported 34 casualties at Chattanooga, contained 369 men and 266 arms in December, 1863, and had 219 fit for duty in Janaury, 1865. Very few surrendered in April. The field commanders were Colonel J.A.W. Johnson, Lieutenant Colonel J.W. Bradley, and Majors Thomas T. Dorough and John M. Jackson" ~ Taken from The National Park Service.

Below is the roster in which Asa F. Moore is listed as prisoner #351, captured at Vicksburg.

Known skirmished that Asa's unit fought in are:

Vicksburg Campaign (May-July 1863)
Chattanooga seige (Sept.-Nov. 1863)
Battle of Cahttanooga (Nov. 23-25, 1863)
New Hope Church (May 25 - June 4, 1864)
Atlanta (July 22, 1864)
Jonesboro (Aug 31-Sept 1,1864)
Nashville (Dec. 15-16, 1864)
Bentonville, NC (March 19-21, 1865)
they were at Joe Johnston's surrender on April 26, 1865.

 

Asa with his youngest son William.
(Notice the way he holds his right hand)

After Asa returned home from war Amanda gave birth to my ancestor, Franklin Redford "Red", in 1866, the following year they had Rosanna E.

In 1870, the same year Amanda gave birth to Solomon Jasper, the family can be found living in St. Clair County, AL where they are also found 10 years later in 1880. By then Amanda had given birth to their last child William T. who had been born in 1873. I wonder what prompted them to move.

By 1889 Asa and his family had moved again to Johnson County, AR where on Christmas Eve of that year Amanda passed away at the age of 58. She is buried in Stillwell Cemetery, in Johnson County.

In  July 1897 Asa filed his application for his pension. According to his application on July 25th 1864, at the Battle of Atlanta, he was shot in the forearm of his right hand. Dr. John W. Mitchell said in his report that the wound was "of right forearm midway between wrist and elbow" When asked  how this wound was cause for disability pension the doctor's response was "Feeble heath incapacity due not only to old age, but the wound lacerated muscle of arm causing wasting or atrophy and inability to grasp anything and at times becoming almost useless."


Fellow members of the 34th Regiment who came forth as witnesses for Asa's pension were Benjamin F. Ellis, Andrew J. Burgess and of course, *Simeon Thomas.

In March of 1901 Asa's pension was approved and he was allowed $60.00 to be drawn from.

On 25 Mar 1909, Asa Franklin Moore passed away. He was buried in Stillwell Cemetery, Johnson County, AR with his wife.


*Simeon Thomas married Amanda Gillespie's sister, Elizabeth Jane Gillespie.

Until Next Week,
Becky