Week 44 #52Ancestors: Trick or Treat

There is always a bit of trickery in the pursuit of ancestors. Just when you are hot on the trail of proving another generation, it seems to lead to more questions. In John Ogan’s story, a discovery was made as I uncovered a new document connecting the Ogans and McDaniels.   He was a character witness for Margaret McDaniel's application for a widow's pension for John McDaniel (aka McDonough and McDonald). My hope was this testimony would lead to another generation of Ogan's and perhaps shed some further light on the McDaniel line.  The paper trail seems to end thus far.   However, some interesting clues are worth pursuing:

U.S. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application (Source Ancestry.com)

Margaret McDonough's excerpt, "I was married to my husband John McDonough the spring after peace was made 1783 in Frederick County in the State of Virginia in which county he was living when he first went in to the service of the United States. I was then living within three miles of him and I think I was about ten years old.  I recollect of his joining the army of the United States at Winchester in Frederick County State of Virginia but I don't now recollect whether he In listed or not. I always understood from him in his lifetime he served during the war. I never knew him return to the neighborhood in Frederick County ____ and during the war.  My husband always was called McDaniel but I think his right name was McDonough.  I am unlearned and so was my husband that I cannot tell how his name was speld.  I have heard my husband in his lifetime relate a great many ____ circumstances that took place in time of his service. I do not now recollect the names of any officers he told me about except Morgan and Washington.  I also heard him state a great many battles he was in but I do not now recollect any but Brandywine and gates' defeat at Camden he was shot through the leg in time of his service but at what place I do not know.  I always understood from him he was a regular soldier during the war but if he did not inlist at Winchester in Frederick County State of Virginia he did inlist somewhere in the state of Virginia.  He returned home after the war was over in the same County and we were married and moved to the state of Tennessee Hawkins County where he died on the 14th April 1833.  I also certify that owing to great bodily infirmity I am unable to go before a court of record to make the following declaration I certify with my name or husbands is not on the roll of the agency of any state.  Sworn the day above mentioned.

Margaret [her X mark] McDonough

Another character witnesses was Malissa Sutton's stepfather, Peter Wolfe and in another part of this application it is mentioned that Margaret McDaniel had left her husband's paperwork with her son-in-law but the name of the son-in-law was not mentioned.  Can I say "groan?!"  Here is Peter's testimony in support of the pension:

I Peter Wolf resident of Hawkins County do certify that I was well acquainted with the late John McDonough for twenty years. I always heard him say he was a revolutionary war soldier and I further certify that I believe him to have been a soldier of the revolution given under my hand this 25th March 1834.

Peter [his X mark] Wolf

Following Peter's testimony is John Ogan's statement of support:

On this 29th day of March 1834 personally appeared John Ogan resident in the County of Grainger and state of Tennessee and after being duly sworn saying he was well acquainted with the late John McDonough fifty years he was acquainted with him in the state of Virginia.  He always understood he was a revolutionary war soldier five years or during the war.  I recollect his telling me he was intitled to land for his service in the war and since he came to this county he told me he sold his claim he was intitled to for his service.  I believe him to have been in the service of the United States.  I had an uncle told me he served five years in the service with McDonough.  He inlisted as well as I now recollect in the state of Virginia.  I recollect of my uncle saying he, John McDonough, was a very brave soldier sworn to and subscribed the day and year before mentioned before me.

John Ogan

Okay so now I turn to Ogan's who served from Virginia and discover Thomas Ogan.  I don't have his pension paperwork but he served under Col. Dan Morgan for the 7th and 11th Regiments and a McDonough/McDonald/McDaniel isn't mentioned in the rosters I have found thus far.  Thomas Ogan was awarded 100 acres of land in any of the districts appropriated for satisfying the bounties of land due to the late Army of the United States.  He moved to Rockingham County, Virginia where he died about 1813.  His Wikitree page states he moved his family to Frederick County, Virginia sometime around the Revolutionary War.  If this is John Ogan's uncle then another Ogan line living in the area was Peter Ogan who married Phame Bevin.  The Hopewell Monthly Meeting notes record the dismissal of Phame Ogin (former Bevin) in 1769 for "marriage out of unity." In 1793, Peter Ogan obtained two Virginia land grants.  The first was for 233 acres in Hampshire and Frederick Counties on the Great Road from Winchester to forks of the Cacapeon, County line. The second was for 97 acres in Hampshire County on Cacapeon. There is also a road petition in 1794 signed by Peter Ogin and John Ogin in Frederick County, Virginia.  These are the documents I have found to date connecting these Ogans.

Let's add another twist to this by documenting John Ogan's first appearance in Hawkins County, Tennessee is Captain Allen's Company 1811 early tax records.  As I read the list, I discover a John Bray.  Who is this individual?  There is a John Bray who enlisted in the Revolutionary War in Hampshire County, Virginia in 1777 and served in the 12th Regiment of Virginia under Captain William Voss and discharged at Yorktown in Pennsylvania by Colonel Morgan.  A look at a roster for the 12th Regiment in 1777-1778 shows John Bray and there is also a John McDonald!

Roster of the 12th Virginia Regiment in 1777-1778. Source: Ancestry.com

All I can say is the more I write about the Ogans, McDonough/McDonald/McDaniels (whatever the name is) and Brays then the more bunnies there are to chase!!

Source: clipart.email

Week 43 #52Weeks: Transportation

A fixation with the past often has me thinking about how ancestors travelled. While researching my 4th great-grandfather John Ogan’s ties to Richard Bull and Fanny Bray, I found trees that link this couple to John Bull. Could Richard possibly be the son of John Bull who was a pioneer of Hawkins County?  He became well known in the area as one of the first settlers who obtained a North Carolina land grant for 55 acres on Bays Mountain. This was near an east-west passageway over the mountain that became known as Bull’s Gap (Source: npgallery.nps.gov).  According to Lyn Morrison of Slow Travels, this road was an important artery of transportation that followed an ancient Indian trail from Abingdon, Virginia to White’s Fort (Knoxville), Tennessee.

Rogersville Junction aka Bulls Gap by Rand McNally & Co. 1882 on commons.wikimedia.org

In 1857, the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad began construction of a line to run between Bristol and Knoxville. This line then connected to Atlanta, Georgia with connections to Washington, D.C., Knoxville, Memphis, Augusta, and Charleston.

Certificate vignette from the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Company issued in 1853. Source: scripophily.net 

In 1866, the railroad consolidated to become the East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia Railroad. Bull’s Gap became a strategic location during the Civil War. Many battles were fought here to gain control of the railroad and town and this resulted in damage that would be repaired and rebuilt.  Trains were a popular mode of travel and Bulls Gap became a popular stop along this route.

Source: 12 Dec 1863, page 2, The Evansville Daily Journal at Newspapers.com 

Unfortunately, rail travel lost its popularity when Americans fell in love with the automobile and U.S. Highway 11E and State Road 66 drew businesses and residential development away from the rail system and the growth of Bulls Gap dwindled. The old train depot was eventually torn down but several buildings that were built much later remained.

The historic district of Bulls Gap was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.  Many of the buildings on the inventory list were built in the early 1900’s but one building, the Old Guima Hotel, was built about 1856. That is still much later than John Bull’s arrival in the gap. I wonder what new form of transportation will come to Bulls Gap?

Old Guima Hotel in Bulls Gap. Source: www.oldhousedreams.com

Week 42 #52Ancestors: Adventure

It seems each trip back to Tennessee gives me little clues or encouragement to continue to revisit those brick walls.  After visiting the Wolfe-Bray Cemetery, it has become clear to me that the Bray’s were in Tennessee soon after statehood but only the line with a great military paper trail has been embraced by most researchers of the Tennessee line.  Who is this ancestor?  My fourth great-uncle named Stogner Bray.  He was a man full of adventure and on the move throughout his life.

Stogner makes his first appearance in Tennessee on an 1810 Grainger County tax list and marries Sally Waters on August 12, 1814 using Henry Bray as his bondsman.  

Marriage bond source: Ancestry.com

About one month later, Stogner enlists in the 3^rd Regiment East Tennessee Militia under Colonel William Johnson and serves under Captains Christopher Cook and Joseph Kirk.  In answer to his description at the time of enlistment in the military, Stogner states he was about 33 years, occupation is farming, born in North Carolina, height about 5’ 5 ½” tall with dark hair, eyes and complexion.  A brief history of this regiment is provided on the State of Tennessee’s website:

“Part of General Nathaniel Taylor's brigade, this unit of drafted militia (about 900 men) was mustered in at Knoxville and marched to the vicinity of Mobile via Camp Ross (present-day Chattanooga), Fort Jackson, Fort Claiborne, and Fort Montgomery. Along the way the men were used as road builders and wagon guards. Many of them were stationed at Camp Mandeville (near Mobile) in February 1814, where there was much disease. For example, the company of Captain Joseph Scott had thirty-one listed sick out of an aggregate of 104 at the final muster.”

In 1817 he cleared the land for Benjamin Bray of Claiborne County and is listed on the 1830 Claiborne County census alongside Abijah Bray and Benjamin Bray, Sr..  

Tennessee Early Land Registers Source: Ancestry.com

1840 appears to be the decade of changes as Benjamin Sr. no longer appears on a census and Stogner is on the move.  He relocates to Whitley County, Kentucky (about 64 miles northwest) where he applies for his military pension 11 years later -- 1851.  In a summary of his residences given in 1875, we learn that since his discharge from the military in 1815, Stogner lived in Claiborne County, Tennessee then removed to Whitley County, Kentucky where he lived 7 or 8 years before moving to Lincoln County, Kentucky  (about 78 miles northwest) then returned to Whitley County before moving onto Vigo County, Indiana (about 359 miles northwest) and finally landed in Sullivan County, Missouri (about 381 mostly west).   Just think that Stogner began moving out of Tennessee around 50 years old and continued moving until he was about 75.  He appears to be widowed by 1860 but has adult children living with him.  Moving was no small feat as I’ve read that wagons being pulled by oxens would travel about five hours each day for about 10 miles per day.  Since most of his travel took place before the Civil War then I am not sure if train travel was an option.  The map below  shows some of the main routes of travel around 1850.

Source: Southernindianaconnections.com

The Chariton Courier (Keytesville, Missouri) published the following article on July 13, 1878:

“Uncle” Stogner Bray of Sullivan County, was 100 years old in March last.  On the 18^th inst. he was in Milan, and on starting home mounted his horse with two bushels of corn meal in the saddle, and taking a sack of flour in his lap, “started off as gay as a boy of eighteen.” –New Century.

The last time our adventurer appears in the news is on Friday, March 4, 1881 in the Weekly Graphic, Kirksville, Missouri:

Stogner Bray living four miles southwest of this city, died on last Monday at the age of one hundred and four years.  Even at this advanced age he retained his physical and mental vigor.  He was the oldest man in the county.

Stogner is buried in the Henry Cemetery in Reger, Sullivan County, Missouri.  I don’t feel that I’ve given this adventurous spirit the story he deserves but all I can say is what a life!

Source: Find A Grave, photo provided by Thomas Corey

Week 41 #52Ancestors: Context

An impassioned researcher goes beyond the list of names with births and death dates to learn more about their ancestors.  Let’s dig for some details using the life story feature on Ancestry.com on my fourth great-grandfather, John Ogan.  I am sharing the short biography that is auto-generated from information I have inputted on his profile using censuses, land documents, court testimony, and wills:

John Ogan was born in 1770 in Frederick County, Virginia.  He married Hannah in 1798. They had three children during their marriage.  He died on May 12, 1834 in Grainger, Tennessee, at the age of 64.

An interesting fact from Virginia history via Ancestry’s life story feature shares a historical event that occurred during John's childhood -- Lord Dunmore’s War.  This was a 70-year dispute between the colonists and the Native Americans that resulted in a declaration of war in 1774 in the Virginia Colony.  The dispute was over hunting and property rights along the Ohio River.  The guns and muskets of the militia forced the Native Americans to surrender to John Murray, Lord Dunmore on October 10, 1774.

Credit: US Map Collection, 1513-1990/Ancestry.com

This makes one realize that young John lived in a tumultuous time as our country's inhabitants struggled to survive. There was also talk of establishing its independence from the Great Britain and another suggestion on his life story was Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.  This gives me insight into how his writing inspired the colonists to embrace that independent spirit and make a break from the King's rule, “…the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants still….”

Source: Ancestry.com

Just think that at the age of about six years, young John would overhear adults talk of the Declaration of Independence!  It’s amazing to think how this news was dispersed to the colonies.  Perhaps they gathered in the town square to be given this information. What an amazing time to grow up in this country!

By 1799, John was married to Hannah (unknown maiden name) and their first son was born in Tennessee.  His was named Peter and he married Hannah Wolfe.  The couple would also have a daughter named Phanny or Phama (it seems to vary in documents) who was born about 1803 who married John Epperson and they are my third great-grandparents.  Another son named John Jr. was born about 1805 and married Catherine Wolfe who is said to be a sister to his brother’s wife.  After John Jr.’s death, Catherine married Benjamin Bray, Jr..  These are the only proven children I have documented.

While researching this topic, another discovery was made in that John Ogan was the bondsman in the marriage of Richard Bull and Fanny Bray in Grainger County on May 11, 1805 so I will need to research this couple to see how they connect to the Bray line.  Moving further into time, John becomes a landowner in Grainger County on December 26, 1815 for 260 acres and acquires 200 additional acres on November 7, 1816.  His son, John Jr. dies in 1826.  In 1830, John and his wife are enumerated on the Grainger County census.

Another life story states he may have witnessed one of the most spectacular meteor showers in history on “the night the stars fell.” The event took place on November 12, 1833 where 150,000 meteors blazed through the sky. Some Southern religious groups believed this was a sign of the End of Days due to the biblical verse – “and the stars of heaven shall fall.”  Given that his son, Peter, was a Methodist minister then I wonder how they perceived this event.  

Source: National Banner and Daily Advertiser (Nashville, TN) 25 Nov 1883, p. 3

Now the most amazing thing happened during the course of my research, John Ogan appeared in a search in Fold3 in conjunction with John McDonald aka McDaniel aka McDonough.  This was a separate application for John McDaniel's Revolutionary War pension made by his wife, Margaret McDaniel.  In it she states they were from Frederick County, Virginia.  John Ogan and Peter Wolfe were character witnesses on a document dated March 25, 1834.  John's testimony reveals he has known my fourth great-grandfather, John McDaniel for 50 years or so.  John Ogan stated his uncle served in the Revolutionary War with John McDaniel and considered him a very brave man.  I believe the uncle he referred to was named Thomas Ogan whose Revolutionary War service is very well documented.  More research awaits me!

On May 12, 1834, John departed this life intestate and the following is the transcribed probate paperwork:

County Court May session 1835: To the Worshipful Court of Pleas vc. for said County now sitting. The petition of Polly Mariah Ogan by her guardian Benjamin Bray and John Epperson & his wife Famey, formerly Famey Ogan, respectfully represents to your worship that about the 12th day of May, 1834, John Ogan sen. departed this life in Grainger County without having made any last will and testament leaving your petitioners, Polly Mariah, who represents her deceased father, John Ogan Jr., the said Famy, formerly Famey Ogan, and Peter Ogan, his heirs at law.  That he died seized and possessed of the following described tract of land lying in the County of Grainger aforesaid to wit: no. 4044, dated the 7th day of Nov. 1818, forteen acres, lying in sais County on the waters of Clinch River on the South side of the River Ridge, beginning at a black oak and white oak the beginning corner of said Ogan's former entry of no. 1052 thence with said line south twenty siz east ninety nine poles to a large white oak hickory south sixty-two west seventeen poles to a white oak ____ tree north twenty-seven west ninety-nine poles to a poplar and dogwood north sixty-two east sixteen poles to the beginning -- also one other tract conveyed by Thomas Johnson by his attorney in fact Asabel Johnson, by deed bearing date the 15th day of Nov. 1818, to the said John Ogan, containing forty-eight acres, situate in the County aforesaid, lying on the waters of Clinch River and bounded by lines beginning on the north side of the War Ridge, near the said John Ogan's fence on the big survey line, granted to James King, running then on with the said big survey Line -- thence north forty degrees west one hundred & thirty-eight poles to a sugar tree, ___ & Spanish oak on the bank of Clinch River, corner to the said big survey thence south  seventy-eight degrees east and one hundred twenty poles to two beech trees -- thence south thirty-seven degrees east twenty six poles to woc & sugar tree -- thence north seventy-six degrees east, thirty poles to a stake -- thence south thirty degrees east thirty-six poles to a stake -- thence direct to the beginning.   Also one other tract granted by the State of Tennessee by grant no. 3723-- bearing date the 26th day of December 1815, lying on said county, and containing sixty acres, on the waters of Clinch River on the south side of the River Ridge beginning at a black oak and white oal John Web Roaches corner -- then with his line south twenty six east eighty poles to a white walnut & ash on the side of the War Ridge -- then north sixty eight East eighty poles to an elm in a sinkhole and a beech -- then north eighty five east sixteen poles to a buckeye and beech then north fifty west ninety five poles to a beech on the River Bluff then north fifty west along the Bluff ninety four poles to a white oak then south twenty two west sixteen poles to a stake then south twenty six east sixty five poles to the beginning.  Also one other tract containing about three hundred acres lying partly in Hawkins & partly in Grainger apart of which was conveyed to said John Ogan by Thomas Johnson by Asabel Johnson his attorney in fact for the boundaries whereof reference is had to said deed of conveyance, the balance by grant from the State of Tennessee -- that the said John Epperson has bought of the widow of said John Ogan her right to dower to all of said lands and holds her deed for the same and the said John Epperson has also purchased of the said Peter Ogan his entire interest in the three first described tracts of land & holds his conveyance for the same.  Your petitioners pray your worship to appoint five commissioners to partition & lay off said lands among the claimants pursuant to this petition & the laws of the land and to lay off the dower aforesaid to Jno. Epperson and as in duty bound we will ever pray -- Benjamin Bray, John Epperson & his wife Famy Epperson.

Thus ends another ancestor's story but one in which rewarded me with new twists and turns.

"When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us.  We feel part of something greater than ourselves. Our inborn yearnings for family connections are fulfilled when we link to our ancestors..."  Russell M. Nelson

Week 40 #52Weeks: Harvest

Given the number of farmers in my family tree would lend one to believe that some great stories or traditions handed down about harvest but that isn’t the case.  What I have learned is some of the largest crops in East Tennessee were Indian corn and tobacco.  However, there is a plant that may have been another ancestral harvest as it has crept into some of the articles of our Appalachian culture—wild American ginseng.

Wild American Ginseng Photo © Eric Burkhart

My last trip to Tennessee introduced me to the popularity of American ginseng as my cousin, Pam Epperson, mentioned it.  As I researched some material for this topic, I discovered it was mentioned in one of the moonshiner articles I shared.

Source: The Sneedville News, 27 May 1921

The ginseng gathers are known as "sang hunters" so why do they want this plant?  A look back at the history reveals its wild popularity in Asia where it has been used as a medicinal herb for over 5,000 years.  According to the Appalachian Ginseng Foundation (AGF) manual, it is a valuable root that can turn into a productive crop generating a good profit for its growers.  The manual also discusses the connections to the past as it has been gathered and dried for centuries in Appalachia and may have been one of the first plants to be traded by early pioneers.  

There are two different species of the plant, one that grows mostly in China and Korea, called Panax Ginseng, and the North American counterpart called Panax Quinquefolium.  The plants resemble each other but the chemical composition is slightly different, giving American ginseng a slightly more soothing effect.  Both species contain adaptogens that are believed to help our bodies combat disease and stress.  They are both found in deep forests and are difficult to locate and that could be the reason why young Wiley Seal and Tom Johns discovered it near a moonshine still.

According to the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), American ginseng has been protected since 1975 under an international treaty known as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  In Tennessee no license is required to dig wild ginseng on private land but you must obtain the landowner’s permission.  Ginseng may not leave the state of Tennessee without an export certificate.  Harvest season in Tennessee is September 1 to December 31 and, going back to the newspaper article, the young men were sang hunting in late May of 1921.  This is long before the plant became more protected was under state regulation. 

According to the AHPA, researchers estimate that each harvested wild ginseng plant needs to produce over 30 seeds to replace a harvested plant so never harvest a seedling or juvenile plant or plants less than 5 years old and to dig up plants that have red fruit.  The Association asks that diggers always leave some mature plants in the patch where you dig.  It is said that a ginseng hunter is born and not made and so I'd like to share a little something from, The Pennsylvania-German, Vol. 11 by Phillip Columbus Cross, Henry Addison Schuler, Howard Wiegner Kriebel, January-December, 1910. 

It seems to me I’d like to go

Where the bells don’t ring, nor whistle blow, 

Nor clocks don’t strike, nor gongs don’t sound,

And I’d have stillness all around

  

Week 39 #52Ancestors: Map It Out

Where did James and Malissa Sutton live?  I have pondered this many times but began to try and locate their property once again after my return from this year’s Tennessee trip.  I was very intrigued after visiting the Wolfe-Bray Cemetery as it would seem they lived nearby.  Looking through some of my genealogy books was helpful as I discovered a hand drawn map of Thorn Hill in Ramblings from the North Side of Clinch Mountain, Pictorial History of Some Early Families of Thorn Hill by Betty White Martin.  Pam Epperson and I drove along Indian Creek Road a few times to get to our family cemeteries.  This area lies in District 1 of Hancock County as depicted in another photo of Hancock County.  

Indian Creek Road in Hancock County, Tennessee

According to the 1870 and 1880 census, the Sutton property was located in District 7, Hancock County, Tennessee and Peter Wolfe’s property was in District 1. I discovered an old map in the book, Hancock County Tennessee and its people, Volume II, 1994 that provides the location of its districts.  Going back to the lawsuit that occurred over James’ property, the description of the 50 acres in dispute says its location was near the top north side of the Caney Ridge and continued to the south side where the property line joined Isham Sutton’s land (his brother).  Unfortunately, I don’t see a Caney Ridge but I do see Caney Valley and believe to have a general idea of where the land was located.

Edited Hancock County map showing Districts 1 & 7

As I look at the terrain then I realize the Clinch River separates these areas.  How were the bodies transported to the Wolfe-Bray Cemetery?  Being curious about some burial practices, I discovered a thesis by an East Tennessee State University graduate:  Stansberry, Donna W., "Burial Practices in Southern Appalachia." (2004). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 965. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/965.  I learned that McNeil’s Funeral Home was the first to be established in Sneedville and that wasn’t until 1936. Up until then, most families took care of their dead at home. Few people were embalmed so the body was bathed and dressed then laid out with a sheet draped over it until the coffin was completed.   Deaths involved the community and that included digging the grave.  Problems could occur due to the mountainous, rocky terrain and dynamite was sometimes used to break through the rock. Can you imagine? The body was loaded into a wagon where it was pulled by a steer or mules to the cemetery and family and friends walked behind the wagon.  Once they arrived at the grave some hellfire preaching would begin.  How did they cross the Clinch?  Perhaps by ford or ferry as the map below reveals some historical crossing information. 

Source: The Role of Ferry Crossings in the Development of the Transportation Network in East Tennessee, 1790 – 1974 by Tyril Gilce Moore Jr., University of Tennessee – Knoxville

Now I need to revisit Sutton Hollow and find out if James and Malissa's home was nearby.  Another day, another time.

Sutton Hollow Road near Sneedville, Tennessee

Week 38 #52Ancestors: Cousins

This year I dedicated to writing about my paternal ancestors and, thanks to many cousins that I’ve gathered along the way, discoveries have been made in East Tennessee.  Pam Epperson drove from Ohio to meet me once again in East Tennessee to do some research and meet more of the extended family tree.  Time was dedicated to the cemetery hunt for ancestors and this year I was determined to find the Wolfe Cemetery and cousin Pam was up for the hunt!

Find A Grave Site for the Wolfe Cemetery

Find A Grave is a website many use to find their ancestors' graves and I discovered several relatives buried in this cemetery.  A review of the information provided made me think it wouldn’t be hard to find.  Ha!  Actually I had been forewarned by Cousin Elsie Stewart that I would need a four wheeler to get to it. The website location information:  behind the Providence Church in Hancock County, Tennessee.  Well, there is more than one Providence Church so this isn’t helpful.  Luckily, Pam found one of the churches located off Indian Creek Road which was near the Clement Cemetery she planned to visit so I was hopeful that both of us would end the day with visits to ancestors' graves.  The Clement Cemetery was easy to find and we made photo stops along the way of the beautiful countryside.  As I strolled through the cemetery I noticed headstones for John McDaniel and Ruth McDaniel Postle so I photographed them for research when I returned to OKC.  As I suspected, John is the great-grandson of my 4^th great-grandfather, John McDaniel, and that makes him my second cousin three times removed.  Ruth is the daughter of John so she is my third cousin two times removed.  

Clement Cemetery

The Providence Missionary Baptist Church would be much further down Indian Creek Road but there was plenty of time in the day to make it there.  As we drove along this road, Pam noticed that the barn that once belonged to her Shockley grandparents was still standing and that called for a photo stop.

Shockley Barn Photo taken by Pam Epperson

Finally we arrived at Providence Road and turned.  I was very excited but as I pulled into the graveled parking lot my heart sank as no cemetery was in sight.  We decided to park and look around.  Pam had a great idea -- see if the church was open.  Indeed it was!  We looked inside to see if there was paperwork that might mention the cemetery but there was nothing.  However, there were copies of the Mulberry Gap Missional Baptist Association pamphlets so, as copies were plentiful, we took a couple to further investigate.  As we pulled away, we drove up Pawpaw Road to see if a cemetery was further up the way.  Not finding one, we headed back to Indian Creek Road and stopped to talk to a man working near the road. He gave us directions to a Wolfe Cemetery down Antrican Road so we turned around to hunt it down.  He was the sweetest man as he must have went over the directions seven times to make sure we would find our way.

Roads located near Providence Missionary Baptist Church

This cemetery would turn out to be a bust as it only had about four graves but they were Wolfe’s.  Sigh!  There was even another Wolfe Cemetery that we passed on Highway 131 as we drove back and forth to the farm.  Finally as we sat in the Clinch Mountain Lookout Restaurant waiting to be served, I followed Pam’s recommendation and contacted the Hancock County Historical Society.  The lady tried to be helpful but could only tell me that the cemetery was located on Kermit Winstead’s property.  She recommended that I contact the McNeil Funeral Home to see if they could direct me to its location.  Unfortunately, when the director said it might be in the Pawpaw district then my heart sank once again as I explained that I visited one near that area that wasn’t it.  He did not offer up more information so our conversation ended.

In the meantime, Pam contacted an East Tennessee Cemetery researcher who stated the Wolfe-Bray Cemetery was on Pawpaw Rd. about a quarter mile up the road on the right.  This was near the Providence Missionary Baptist Church but not behind it.  Off we went again down Indian Creek Rd. turning onto Providence Rd. and onto Pawpaw Rd. looking to our right.  Once again we could not locate it so Pam suggested we look to see if someone along the road was home that could give us directions.  Luckily as we drove back toward the church, a man was standing on his porch probably watching us drive up and down so we drove down his driveway to chat.  He was friendly but looked a bit weathered and had layers of medical tape across his nose.  Pam opened her window and asked him if he knew of the Wolfe Cemetery located on Kermit Winstead’s property.  He walked over to the car and said he of knew of a cemetery on the property but never heard it called that before.  I asked him what name he knew it by and he said, “nothin’.”  I laughed but he pointed the way and said to park near the gravel that was poured on the road for Kermit’s burial.  He said not to drive up to the cemetery as we could get stuck as the area had a lot of rain.  So I found the patch of gravel and told Pam she could stay in the car if she wasn’t up for the hike but she opened her door and said she wanted to see it.  Up the hill I sprinted but I had reservations as it wasn’t in sight then as I topped the hill there were headstones nestled amongst the trees. Finally!!

Wolfe-Bray Cemetery on Kermit Winstead's property

As I walked through the cemetery looking for relatives, I was so excited to come face to face with Malissa Wolfe Sutton’s headstone.  I must admit that I walked up and said, "There you are!" I scoured the area hoping to find James Sutton’s headstone. They are my 2x’s great-grandparents.  As I walked behind Malissa’s headstone, a gust of wind blew through the trees and I found myself being pulled backward.  Turns out a limb had caught me but I laughed and asked Malissa if she wanted me to stay a while longer.  The cemetery is in need of some tender loving care and tree trimming and I wonder if many people visit it.  I have to say that these Suttons, Brays, and Wolfes are well hidden. Another Tennessee genealogy adventure done and this was on my bucket list.  Now I need to research Kermit’s ancestral line to see if his farm was previously owned by one of my ancestors.  Thank you Pam for sticking with me on this search.  I truly appreciate it!

Pam Epperson resting up at the Dalton Farmhouse in Thorn Hill, Tennessee

Week 37 #52Ancestors: Mistake

Do I have to admit I made a mistake?  Well, I have made several but I correct them and move on hoping that others notice my updates.  Anyway, while researching my 2x’s great-uncle, James Marshall Sutton, I looked for sources that would reveal his wife’s maiden name. I couldn’t find a tree or marriage record that provided the information at the time and Oklahoma isn't the most genealogy friendly state (for certain records).  I stumbled on a California death index on a son thinking I finally had his wife’s maiden name.  It turned out to be a poor source as the informant gave the maiden name of the son’s spouse!  For a few years, I thought James was married to a Rosser so as time went on and more records became available then I discovered he married Louiasy Martela Purkey on February 17, 1884 in Tennessee.  In fact, his brother Peter also married a Purkey who was a first cousin to Louiasy.

Louiasy Martela Purkey and James Marshall Sutton with a granddaughter.  Photo may have been taken in Park Hill, OK.

Six children were born to James and Louiasy.  A grandson, Johnie Lee Sutton, began researching the family tree and posted some inquiries on Ancestry’s message boards that I discovered in 2014.  Unfortunately, he had passed away in 2013 but his cousin, Shirley, was able to provide me with several photos of James’ family and descendants.

Hubert Bartley Sutton and Ada Rosser.  Johnie Lee Sutton's parents. Photo provided by Shirley Stanford.

It was the California death certificate of Hubert Sutton (Johnie’s father) that led me astray.  It turned out his wife was Ada Rosser and she was 1/4^th Cherokee according to her Native American enrollment card.  I mention this because another mistake was introduced to our heritage when my father was told that he needed to meet his Cherokee cousins.  Dad had not researched the line and, between all the family stories, he mistakenly thought the Native American line descended through an earlier Sutton line.  

Ada was born in Indian Territory in 1901 and appears on the Cherokee Nation roll along with her parents and a brother named Kipling.  Her father had been enumerated in the Illinois district while her mother was enumerated in the Flint district.  

Ada married Hubert Bartley Sutton on December 16, 1919 in Washington County, Arkansas.  He had been born and raised in this area.  The couple moved to Verdigris, Rogers County, Oklahoma by 1920.  There were nine children born to this union: Vica Marie, Bonnie Mae, Reba Emily, Lowhman Bartley, Warren Felix, Ladahlia Dora, James Charles, Louise Jane, and Johnie Lee Sutton.

Back row left to right: Reba, Louise, Bonnie, Ladahlia, and Vica.  Front row left to right: James, Lohman, Ada Rosser Sutton, and Felix.  Photo provide by Shirley Stanford.

Ada Rosser Sutton and son, Johnie Lee Sutton.  Photo provided by Shirley Stanford.

Johnie was the youngest of Hubert and Ada's children. It is too bad we didn’t meet and do some research together:

Funeral service for Johnie Lee Sutton will be 10 a.m., Fri., May 31, at the Musgrove-Merriott-Smith Chapel with Rev. Doodle Woodson officiating. Burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the funeral home Thurs. 1-8 p.m.

Johnie passed away Mon., May 27, 2013, at Claremore Nursing Home at the age of 74.

The son of Hubert Bartley and Ada Emily (Rosser) Sutton was born June 16, 1938, in Claremore. Johnie graduated from Claremore High School in 1957, and on July 1 of that year entered the U.S. Navy. He served during the Vietnam War and retired in 1982. He then went to work as a machine operator for Allegheny Ludlum. Johnie could be found at Starbuck's or Sonic on Friday mornings. He enjoyed his morning and evening drives, fishing, skeet shooting, wildlife, and photography.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers: James C., Lowhman, and Felix Sutton; sisters: Bonnie Sutton, Reba Evans, Vica Smith, Louise Decker, and LaDahlia Cunningham; and nephews: Ronnie Decker and Sonny Sutton.

Johnie is survived by his step-daughter, Annette Renee Sherman of Dallas, TX; nieces and nephews: Loranna Minor and husband, Bill of Claremore, Melissa Walker and husband, Andy of Tulsa, Robin Kindle of Claremore, Reva Hayes of Claremore, Rodney Decker and wife, Karen of Spring Valley, CA, Shirley Stanford, Sharon Clark, and James H. Sutton and wife, Holly of Claremore; and sisters-in-law: Margaret Sutton and Geraldine Brown both of Claremore (source: mmsfuneralhomes.com).

Thank you for your service, Johnie!

Johnie Lee Sutton

Week 36 #52Ancestors: School Daze

Reading, writing, and arithmetic isn’t something easily found for my East Tennessee ancestors.  Since many were involved in farming then I would think there was an emphasis on having enough education to get by as it applied to the business of farming.  All family members had responsibilities for the work to be done on the farm.  Some of my ancestors were educated as they also served as postmasters, lawyers, or church clerks but these occupations weren't reflected on the census.  Perusing old newspapers, I found many articles regarding education in Hawkins County.  This article was published in 1890 showing a breakdown of children eligible for free schools.

Article published in The Herald (Rogersville, Tennessee), 03 Sep 1890. Source: Newspapers.com

By the early 1900’s families were leaving the hollers of Tennessee to seek gainful employment.  Many children of these families were attending school longer as families no longer farmed for a living.  My great-grandparents had moved away from Tennessee before 1900 but farming continued to be their main source of income in Fannin County, Texas and none of their children appeared to have attended beyond the 7th grade of school.  For the times they are a-changin' (oops that's a Bob Dylan song) my grandfather, Lewis Sutton, broke with tradition and began his career in the oil industry in Seminole County, Oklahoma.  Dad said they lived in a small community known as Snowmac; a town created by the oil boom and named after the developers, Snowden and McSwenney, who drilled a discovery well.  According to the American Oil and Gas History Society, Seminole grew from a town of 894 people to a boomtown of 25,000 to 30,000 residents around 1927 and became the world’s largest supplier of oil.  In fact articles refer to this area as "crude and lawless" and it became the "mecca of the fortune hunter and job seeker" (source: Bowlegs High School Yearbook, 1939).  I can’t fathom how the communities dealt with the radical growth and how it impacted every aspect of life from transportation, housing, food, and education.   A history published in the Bowlegs’ yearbook mentioned that there were hundreds and hundreds of children to be educated and my father was one of them.

Traffic jam in Seminole, Oklahoma.  Source: AOGHS.org

Wolf was another small town the family moved as my father said his brother and sister attended school there.  A school census verified that his oldest siblings, Doyle and Nina, attended Wolf School.  I had hoped to find some school photos of them but only discovered a group photograph at the Oklahoma Historical Society.  My aunt Dottie said Lyle Boren was one of Nina's teachers at Wolf. This teacher went onto to become a democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Oklahoma.  His son, David, would go onto to become an Oklahoma governor.  

 

Wolf Public School photo.  Source:  Oklahoma History Center

In 1940 the Sutton family was living in the town of Bowlegs, Oklahoma which is about 5 miles south of Seminole.  This was five years after my grandfather's death.  My grandmother had become a beauty operator (a short lived career for a reason, in my opinion, as she cut my hair once) and Doyle was a roustabout for Carter Oil. There are very few photos of the family during this time period because many were lost in a house fire.  To my amazement, I discovered photos in 2014 of my father and two of his younger siblings, Myrt and Dottie, published in The 1939 Yahnseh yearbook (unbeknownst to them).  This yearbook included a history of the Bowlegs school district’s development that I found interesting.  Just nine years earlier "Bowlegs had become the largest Union Graded school in existence with an assessed valuation of nearly five million dollars.  Enrollment had passed the 2,000 mark.  A teaching staff of 38 instructors offered work including a full four-year high school course with 26 units accredited by the State Department of Education.  Four school buses transported the students above the sixth grade to the central plant.”

Bowlegs School District's grade schools.  My father and sisters attended Taylor Elementary. Source: Ancestry.com

Dad disliked school and dropped out sometime after the sixth grade.  The school photo I discovered in this yearbook is most likely his last.  He had obviously fallen behind in school by 1939.  Dad mentioned that kids made fun of him there because he didn't have a father and whatever else would get his goat.  It was a blessing that his father had taught him how to shoot at a young age because his mother wasn’t a good money manager.  He found himself providing meat for the family by shooting squirrels and the occasional rabbit.  There was also mention of an occasional neighbor’s chicken that would go missing.  One of his first jobs as a teenager was making deliveries on a bicycle for the local drug store.

Paul Jones "PJ" Sutton

Myrtle Alice "Myrt" Sutton

Dorothy Jean "Dottie" Sutton

Despite dropping out of school, Dad found his way in life as a truck driver for various companies and settled with Safeway Supermarkets earning a steady income and retirement.  I believe three siblings completed high school – Nina, Myrt, and Don.  His youngest sister Dottie completed her high school equivalency by passing the GED exam.  I don't know about Doyle but I know he liked to write articles and had a few published in The Oklahoman newspaper.  My uncle Don would go one step further and become a college graduate.  

As I think about the various educational paths taken by Dad and his siblings, this John Dewey quote rings true, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."

Week 35 #52Ancestors: At Work

Many of my ancestors worked as farmers so discovering someone who chose a different path was surprising.  This would be James Franklin Epperson who was the eighth child of James Nelson Epperson and Martha Barnard.  It was amazing to see this man and his wife, Minerva Lovin Epperson, in photos taken at the Sutton farm in Fannin County, Texas as they lived in Wise County, Virginia.  

L to R: Minerva and James Epperson, Allie and Noah Sutton, Charley Epperson and girl could be Nina Sutton circa 1935.

As Susie Kelley Clarke and I began to research the individuals in her family photo collection then I couldn’t help but try to learn more about them.  Jim's first wife was Mary Lawson and they had two sons named Willie H. and Louis Clay.  She must have died as he married Minerva in 1897.  This marriage would be blessed with five children: Mary Elizabeth, Virginia Myrtle, Ella C., Paul F., and Dana Herman.  Jim followed in the path of farming until 1900 or so and then, by 1910, he was a retail merchant of dry goods in Hancock County.  Turning to newspaper articles, I learned that the family was planning a move to South Dakota in 1915 but they were back in Hamblen County, Tennessee by 1920 and Jim was a merchant of a general store. The family moved again in 1930 to Gladeville, Wise, Virginia and he was still working as a merchant but now in a retail grocery store.  His daughter, Ella, would later reveal in a newspaper article (that's another story) the family had a medicinal recipe so I believe it was compounded and sold in his store. Ella later marketed it as “Epperson’s Compound”.

Ad in Kingsport Times,  20 Apr 1965, p. 5 (Source: Newspapers.com)

In 1940, Jim is 73 years old and must have stopped working as no occupation is listed and he passes away in 1943.  He was buried in the Creech Chapel Cemetery in Whitesburg, Tennessee.  In fact, his wife and several children are buried there as well.

Published in The Bristol Herald Courier, 31 Jan 1943, p. 2 (Source: Newspapers.com)

Is that the end of this story?  No!  His wife, Minerva, passed away 10 days later and her obituary provided much more information about their time together.

Published in The Bristol Herald Courier,  11 Feb 1943, p. 2 (Source: Newspapers.com)

My research on the orange grove in Boloco, Florida has been disappointing as there isn’t a town with that name. However, J. F. Epperson was also a magistrate in Wise County so I found an interesting article.

Squire J. F. Epperson takes confession published 24 Feb 1929 in The Bristol Herald Courier (Source: Newspapers.com)

This ends my story on Squire J. F. Epperson and it would seem that he was a man who wore many hats.

Photo of James and Minerva Epperson provided by Steve Laster on Ancestry.com