Sunday, August 19, 2018

Collier Heritage Foundation

Check out the Collier Heritage Foundation at CollierHeritage.org.  My husband's maternal grandmother is a descendant of Colliers.  She is a descendant of Elizabeth Collier who married Josiah Smith.  Elizabeth is the daughter of Isaac Collier and Ann Vines.

The Collier Heritage Foundation focuses mainly on the descendants of Vines Collier who was a brother of Elizabeth Collier Smith (my husband's 6th great grandmother).

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Two Bird Farmers

Two Bird Farmers:  not two people who farmed birds, but two men named Bird Farmer.

There is a man named Bird Farmer found in the 1840 Jefferson County TN census.  He is noted as between the ages of 20 and 29.  There is a female in his household, presumably his wife, between the ages of 15 and 19.  There is an 1837 marriage record found in Jefferson Co TN for Bird Farmer and Jane Curnutt.

I find this Bird and Jane Farmer in 1870 and 1880 living in Newton County, Arkansas.  Their children from these records seem to be:  Bird Anderson, James Thomas, Martha J, David N, Margaret A, and Nancy.  Land records in Newton County, Arkansas are also found for Bird Farmer.  The census records indicate he was born about 1813 in Virginia.  I have found no death records for Bird in Arkansas.

There is another Bird Farmer who was born about the same year also in Virginia.  He is found living in Missouri in the 1860, 1870, and 1880 census records.  He married Alice Asa Abbott in 1854 in Lincoln County, MO.  Bird and Alice have one son, William Hubbard.  It is possible he was married to someone before Alice, but I don't know for sure.  It seems he remarried after his wife Alice's death.  There are two marriage records in Lincoln County for Bird Farmer and Elizabeth Horton, one in 1866 and one in 1877.  I am not sure why there are two records.  Elizabeth Farmer is living with her son in 1870 and then with her grandson in 1880 as Elizabeth Horton.  Bird Farmer of MO died about 1883 and mentions his wife Elizabeth in his will, leaving her $1.  He leaves all his other property to his son.

I don't think these two men are the same person but their records are often confused.  I am interested in Bird Farmer of Arkansas.  I believe him to be related to my husband's ancestor Nimrod Farmer who was also in Jefferson Co TN in the early 1800s.




Tuesday, June 19, 2018

DNA matches to the descendants of Mattie Leatherwood who married Alfred Buckner

My husband and his father have several DNA matches to the descendants of Mattie or Martha Leatherwood who married Alfred Buckner in TN.  I'm not certain how this Martha Leatherwood is connected to the Leatherwoods from which my husband's family descends.  But I am wondering if this Martha Leatherwood is the missing heir of John Leatherwood that I discussed in previous postings.

Searching for Martha Leatherwood, the heir of John Leatherwood
Estate Settlement of Daniel Leatherwood 

 It seems that Alfred Buckner married a Martha Humphrey in 1878 in Hardeman County, TN.  Unfortunately,  I cannot find a record of them in the 1880 census.  However in the Social Security applications index found at Ancestry.com for John and Ed Buckner, they list their father Alfred Buckner and their mother's name as Mattie Leatherwood, not Humphrey.  Also, the death record for daughter Dove Buckner Jackson in Lauderdale county, TN,  shows her mother's name as Mattie Leatherwood. This would indicate that Humphrey may have been a name from a previous marriage.

I think Mattie Leatherwood and Alfred Buckner had 4 children:  Susie born 1879, Dove born 1880, John born 1882, and Edward born 1885. 

There is a marriage record in 1887 in Hardeman county, TN for Alfred Buckner and Mary Warf.  There is a marriage record in 1894 in Dyer county, TN for Alfred Buckner and Mattie Thompson.  In 1898 there is a marriage record for Alfred Buckner and Belle Sewall in Dyer county TN. 

The 1900 Lauderdale County TN census lists Alfred and Belle Buckner along with sons John and Edward Buckner, daughter Susie Baggett, her husband John Baggett and their daughter Martha Baggett.  This would indicate Martha Leatherwood Humphrey Buckner possibly died sometime between 1885 and 1887 (if that marriage record is the same Alfred Buckner) or at least before 1898.

The 1900 census indicates Alfred Buckner was born about 1845 in North Carolina.  If this Mattie Leatherwood is the heir of John Leatherwood (1833-1863), she could have been born as early as 1850.

John Leatherwood married Hannah Flinn in 1857 when he was 24 years old.  They had 3 children:  Mary, Columbus and John Jr. that are listed in the 1860 and 1870 census records.  There is no mention of a daughter named Martha or Mattie with Hannah Flinn before John's death in 1863. It is possible she is a daughter from a previous marriage or relationship that we don't have record of.  She is only mentioned in the estate records of  Daniel Leatherwood.

Records for this Mattie Leatherwood who married Alfred Buckner are elusive.  But the DNA match means she is connected somehow.  Many trees show this Mattie Leatherwood as the daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Leatherwood.  However I don't believe this is correct.  Daniel's daughter Martha Leatherwood was born in 1852 and married John S Orr.  She is listed in the estate settlement of Daniel Leatherwood as Martha Orr.  Her family moves to Texas and is easily traceable in the census records.  There is also a Martha Leatherwood age 10 in the household of Daniel Leatherwood in the 1880 census listed as a daughter.  She is not old enough to be the wife and mother of the children of Alfred Buckner.  I believe this Martha is actually Martha Wilson born before 1870, the daughter of Ellen Leatherwood Wilson who has returned to her father's house because her husband is deceased.  This Martha marries a John Payne.



Thursday, June 14, 2018

Alice D Lenoir White and N J Callaway





Alice D Lenoir was born January 30 1859 or 1860 to Robert C Lenoir and Emeline Jones.
(She states in her widow's pension application after the death of N J Callaway that she was born in 1859.  The 1900 census says 1858.   Her tombstone says 1860.)

The 1870 Baker Co., AL census lists Alice D Lenore age 10 in the household of RC Lenore.

She married David Robert White on November 20, 1879 in Chilton County,  Alabama.  This marriage record is available at FamilySearch.org in Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950.

The 1880 Chilton Co., AL census lists Alice White age 19 wife of Robert White.  They later have two daughters, Eva born November 1880 and Annie born February 1882.



David Robert White died in 1885.  You can view his FindaGrave Memorial here: David R White

Alice Lenoir White marries second N J Callaway on  January 5, 1891 in Chilton County, Alabama.
N J Callaway was widowed and Alice becomes the step-mother of his seven children:  Evan, Lucian, Luther, John, Ammie, Bettie, and  Katie.  They have one daughter together, Gussie Callaway.

The 1900 Chilton County, Alabama census lists N J Callaway, Alice, John, Luther, Katie, Gussie and Eva White.


N J Callaway died 1921 in Chilton County, Alabama.  You can view his FindaGrave memorial here: N J Callaway  His first name is listed as Newton in the 1850 and 1860 census records. All other records say N J.

Alice D Lenoir White Callaway died 1931 in Chilton County, Alabama.  You can view her FindAGrave memorial here:  Alice Callaway
 
You can find the transcribed obituaries of Alice and N J Callaway (here spelled Calloway) at http://www.alagenealogy.com/Some-Obituaries-of-Central-Alabama.htm.
These transcriptions say Alice Drucilia and Newton Joseph.  I do not know if those names are in the original obituaries or were added.