Hunting or enjoying the great outdoors

  Continuing the outdoor adventures for my parents and grandparents, started last week, here we have the Rogers clan going out hunting, or camping or just enjoying the great outdoors..

For Sepia Saturday, a post card from a park is the suggested meme.

My parents went to a park in Texas...Garner State Park, which is near San Antonio TX, where the Rogers were living by 1935. 

The Rogers family at that time consisted of George Sr., wife Ada, and 4 sons, Alex, Chauncey, James and George Jr. George Jr. was to become my father. My mother was with the Rogers on one of their trips before her marriage, and her name was Mataley Munhall.

4.21.35 my Uncle  Chauncey and my father in background with a lot of hair! and a tie? And I can't find where I got that date for this photo either!

My dad taking a slightly elevated nap, Garner State Park, 1937

The Civilian Conservation Corp camp, Garner State Park, Sept. 1937. As far as I know, none of my father's brothers (early 20s and younger) took part in the CCC.

My parents in 1937 in San Antonio TX

Skeezix, the dog, my father and mother apparently had fallen in love by then. Richey's Cabin.

At Richie's cabin, Feb. 27, 1937. My parents with guns, for hunting I imagine.

George (my father) by a river

In 1918 (my cousin Patricia Rogers has documented) my grandparents moved from Galveston TX to   Meadowbrook Drive in Fort Worth, Texas, where he was employed by the Fort Worth Packing Company as office manager. This began a friendship with the company Manager, Norman Dumble that lasted twenty-five years

"George Jr. hit a deer." (Dumble Ranch) (that's the caption that is included with this photo on Ancestry)

I assume he shot the deer. But there he is in a tie again, which fortunately he didn't wear on the camping trip in Feb. 1937 with my mother. I don't know the date of this photo, nor the gentleman standing behind him, nor the young man. Isn't it interesting to see all the bugs on the front of the car?

George Rogers Jr (my father) at Dumble's Ranch, 12/26/36

Today's quote:

The influence of each human being on others in this life is a kind of immortality. 

-John Quincy Adams, 6th president of the US (1767-1848)

Memories of the ocean

Reposted from August 2023 When I Was 69

----------------------------------

A repost from 2015 

Taken on April 21, 1948
Galveston beach, TX
Top photos have Uncle Chauncey on the left, smallest sunbonnet is Mary Beth, and I'm the blond with bangs, then my dad, George Rogers.
You can see the water was barely getting our feet wet.

In the bottom 2 photos I'm on the left, Mary Beth in the middle, and Gummy, my grandmother Ada Rogers is wearing not only a dress as we sit on this driftwood, but hat and gloves!  What a lady!

Mother or Poppy must have been doing the camera work for this visit.

We spent about a month of that summer traveling to St. Louis, MO and Stevens Point, WI, going through the Smoky Mountains for my first view of mountains.  We then moved to St. Louis.  After I grew up my first job was in Miami...

All my adult life I've had to think whether I wanted to live near the beach or the mountains.

When I lived in Knoxville TN, I'd go visit the beach for vacations, but once a month would go hiking in the Smokies.

I would yo-yo between mountains and beach almost yearly.  If I lived in the vicinity of one, I'd go visit the other.

Then I moved back to Florida for about 12 years (in different cities).  I just recently found a post card which actually has the house in which we lived in St. Augustine, FL.  Sorry I didn't scan it, but just took a photo with my phone.

At the top of this photo is Anastasia State Park, which not only has a beach, but a campground.  In the middle you see the fishing pier. There is no entertainment.

Close-up view of Hampton Inn and our apartment

The four story red brick hotel (Hampton Inn) to the lower left was built while I lived there (1996-2000.)  The little street just above it going toward the ocean is 15th Street, and directly across that street is the small 2 story grey house with dark grey roof which was our apartment (ground floor). This photo even shows one of our cars in the parking lot.  We were the 4th house from the Atlantic Ocean.  As you might notice, we didn't exactly have a swimming beach unless it was low tide, as there was a pile of rocks making a sea-wall next to those waves.  I would walk up to the state park and wade in that water between the rocks, or drive to one of the beaches further south where you could drive a car and swim.

And the reverse side of the post card is as follows:

Thanks to John Nyberg for the great photo!

The apartment was empty and for sale when I last drove by the area a few years ago.  I hope the real estate market has improved and others are enjoying by now.

I have some really great memories from my living there.  But now I'm happily retired and living in the mountains of North Carolina.

I might like to visit a beach sometime soon, however. Nothing definite planned yet.

Today's quote: 

Beyond the obvious need for public officials to occasionally be held accountable for breaking the law, the culture of elite impunity for criminal acts that Trump has thrived in needs to end. Trump has shown over and over that he will continually push the envelope and engage in allegedly criminal behavior. Why shouldn’t he? Up to now, no one has forced him to suffer the consequences. Trump may not be that bright, but he’s not necessarily stupid either. If you constantly put your hand against a burning stove and never get burned, what’s the point of stopping? MSNBC Columnist Michael A. Cohen  

In honor of Lt. Spencer Clack's death July 9, 1832

repost from 7/9/2018 When I Was 69 blog

--------------------------------

 I recently saw a post on one of my more famous (there aren't that many!) ancestors, Spencer Clack of Sevierville, TN.  The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) chapter is named after him there.  So Lieutenant Clack must have been pretty important in that area.  Anyway, the new post had a document about a "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files Page 10 - Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant."

 Original marker standing (broken) and Revolutionary soldier honorary marker for Spencer Clack

Carved likeness of Spencer Clack on his grave marker. before it was broken.

Recently added document

But it was completely illegible.  I copied the photo, cropped it, enlarged it, enhanced the contrast and brightness, but it was all gibberish. So I was glad that the original source, Page 10, was cited, and when I went back there, I could read about John Alvey's pension request by his widow, Francis, or maybe her survivors as to whether she could have received pensions for the last days of her life, written in 1857.  Who is he? Who is she?

The Ancestry tree I have doesn't have any John Alvey, or even Francis Alvey on it, especially related to Spencer Clack.  I wonder who they were? And how they are related to Lt. Spencer Clack.  When I asked, the person who's tree it was added to said he/she hadn't been working on that part of her/his tree lately, and didn't know who it referred to either.

Here's the best I was able to do with my limited photo skills.  More will be coming I'm sure.

I located a pretty good summary of Spencer Clack's life, HERE. 
I'm copying it below, in case you want to know more about him.

Spencer Clack (1746-1832) 

by Miss Tommie Clack, Abilene, Texas; and J. A. Sharp, Sevierville, Tenn.

Spencer Clack, Revolutionary soldier, settled in Sevier County, Tennessee, in 1788 or 1789. Little is known of his military service except that he was a lieutenant of a Virginia (Henry County) militia company in 1782-83; Captain Tully Choice was company commander. He was born, March 28,1746. His obituary gave his birthplace as Loudoun County, Virginia, but this could not be accurate for Loudoun County was not partitioned from Fairfax County until 1757, and no Clack records, as early as Spencer's birth, were found in either of these counties. 

Spencer Clack did, however, live in Loudoun County, and witnessed there, in 1770, the will of Thomas Beavers; also, Loudoun County was probably where he married Mary Beavers about 1766. He sold his lands in Loudoun County in 1777 and moved southward to Henry County, Virginia about 1778, when he purchased land in the latter county. In 1786, when Franklin County, Virginia, was formed from parts of Henry and Bedford Counties, he became one of the first justices of the new county, and in 1787 he sold his Franklin County lands, just before his westward trek to Sevier County, Tennessee. 

No conclusive proof of the parentage of Spencer Clack has been offered, although various attempts to do so have been made by descendents and genealogists. It does seem certain, however, that he descended from Rev. James Clack, English-born rector of Ware Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia, from 1679 to 1723. 

The Spencer Clack home in Sevier County was located on the right bank of Little Pigeon River, immediately below the junction of the East Fork and West Fork of that river. Here, in 1808, Spencer obtained an occupant grant from Tennessee for 442 acres; most of this land was on the north bank of East Fork directly opposite to the town of Sevierville, or the Forks-of-Little Pigeon, as this frontier settlement was known. The Chandlers and Walkers, Clack descendents, later owned the same place and the old Clack home was located on the same site as the later Chandler-Walker home. Near his home Spencer operated one of Sevierville's first mills, also a cotton gin and wool-carding machine. 

Spencer Clack was prominent in the affairs of the Forks-of-Little Pigeon (Sevierville) Baptist Church from the time of its formation in 1789 until his death. For many years he served as church clerk. In addition to his church activities he was interested in education and politics. He was an early trustee of Nancy Academy, Sevier County's first school and gave money for its support. He was one of the five Sevier County delegates to the Knoxville convention of 1796, which drafted and adopted Tennessee's first constitution and he was a signer of that document. He also represented Sevier County in the lower house of the first three Tennessee legislatures, 1796-1802, and in 1801 he served on the legislative committee "to prepare a device and motto" for the Great Seal of Tennessee. 

Neither the Spence Clack Bible record nor the Spence Clack will have been found; therefore, the writers will list only those who were unquestionably children of Spencer and Mary Beavers Clack. Perhaps, in this way, the confusion and error of other Clack descendents and genealogists may be avoided. Good proof exists for the following Clack children: Martha, Rawleigh (Rolly) (b. 1772), Rhoda (b. 1776), Catherine (b. 1778), Frances (b. c1783), Mary (b. 1785) and Malvina. 

Martha Clack's marriage to Josiah Rogers occurred in Franklin County, Virginia, in 1786; they apparently came to Sevier County with the Clacks. Rawleigh Clack was married (1) to Mary Randles in 1791, and after her death he was married (2) to Martha Kerr in 1816; this marriage took place in Sevier County. Sixteen children resulted and about 1820 Rawleigh and family moved down the Tennessee River to Rhea County, Tennessee, where he died in 1842. Rhoda Clack married James Randles in 1791; they raised a family of twelve on Boyd's Creek in Sevier County. Randles died in 1816, while on a trip to Virginia for salt, and was buried somewhere in Washington County, Virginia. Catherine Clack was married, in 1794, to Rev. Elijah Rogers, early and well known Baptist minister in East Tennessee; they raised five sons and five daughters at their Sevier County home near the mouth of the Little Pigeon, on the French Broad River. Mary Clack married William Miller; they left Sevier County at an early date and settled in Meigs County, Tennessee, where she died in 1860. Frances Clack was married (1) to Mordecai Gist; after his death she married (2) John Mynatt of Knox County, Tennessee. Malvina Clack married Major Beavers; they left Sevier County for Talladega County, Alabama, soon after the War of 1812. 

There were doubtless other Clack children, but the writers do not believe that Spencer Clack, Jr. John Clack and Nancy Clack were children of Spencer and Mary Beavers Clack, as some published accounts claim. However, there is a well established tradition that there was a son, Micajah Clack, who was "killed by lighting." And there may have been a daughter named Rebecca Clack, but again we must rely only upon tradition for proof. Also, in 1789, one Sarah Clack (b. c1773) married William Henderson in the "Forks of Little Pigeon," as shown by bounty land papers in the National Archives; they migrated to St. Louis County, Missouri, about 1840. We believe that this Sarah Clack, heretofore unknown to present generations of Clack descendents, was another daughter of Spencer and Mary. 

Spencer Clack's death occurred, July 9, 1832 and he was buried in the old Baptist Cemetery at Sevierville; the original flat limestone rock with the unique carving of Spencer's face and the initials, "S.C.", still marks his grave. Mary Beavers Clack died, August 14, 1840, and was buried by the side of her husband. At the time of his death a contemporary described Spencer Clack as a "pious… worthy Christian, kind and affectionate. . .an excellent neighbor, remarkably even and unruffled in temper."

I highlighted Catherine Clack and Rev. Elijah Rogers, my great times 4 grandparents.

If you know who the Alvey's were, please leave a comment below! Thanks.

Family Archives

 This is a repost from last year...just to share again some interesting people on my family tree...

I'm enjoying this adventure into unknown ancestors. Though actually many of the photos are attached to someone or another. But if I should go back up the tree of a man who was married to my great aunt, I think I'll find some interesting photos. So these aren't blood relations...and indeed it can be confusing because my great aunt married a man named Rogers, and then my mother did too. Those men however, didn't have any relation to each other!

Robert Shelton Rogers Sr. was Rowena Eugenia Miller's husband. Rowena was my grandmother's sister.

They had two children, one of whom had five children...in my generation. And there are grandchildren now of course. 

The Miller sisters, 1951. Dorothy, Margaret (behind) Mozelle sitting, and Rowena. The Robert Sheldon and Rowena Miller Rogers family didn't have any photos on Ancestry. 

But to go back in Robert S. Rogers Sr.'s tree...we see he was 4th of 9 children in his family. Their parents were Almoth Dowden Rogers and Lila Stone Rogers.

Almoth went by "A.D." Rogers, here in 1905

He was elected to the Texas Legislature twice, though his obituary says he was a state Senator.

Almoth D. Rogers

Lila Stone Rogers (Mrs. Almoth Rogers)

A great family photo...with matriarch Lila Stone Rogers (Mrs. Almoth) in the center, and some of her children around her. On the left of this photo is Corrine, and behind her is Mary. Bascombe is behind Lila, and her son A. D. is next to her. I think Bascombe is a husband of one of the girls. Ah yes, Mary Rogers married Bascombe Renshaw!

Lila Stone Rogers in her later years.

The Rogers house on Mayflower St, Alamo Heights, San Antonio TX

And now to look at the children Rogers...

And here's the photo to match the prompt "Unknown faces." I have no idea which is which of the children Rogers, on the front steps of their San Antonio home.

Jessie Stone Rogers Matthews

Jessie and Thrace Rogers 1927 in NY

James Hogg Rogers in the army for WW II.

Wedding of Mary Elizabeth Schneider and James Hogg Rogers 1939. I'm so glad this photo was included in Ancestry...what a wedding that must have been!!

The family of James H. Rogers, Mary Elizabeth Rogers, Mary Schneider Rogers, James Hogg Rogers and James Hogg Rogers Jr. Austin TX April 1945.

I enjoyed visiting this other Rogers family. It was neat to see the James H. Rogers had a daughter in the same year I was born, 1942, with the same name as my sister (born in 1946). 

Hoping you have a great weekend!
Sharing with Sepia Saturday 

Today's quote:

This country will not be a permanently good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in.

 -Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President (27 Oct 1858-1919)

Sarah Jones Traylor and Champion Travis Traylor

The fun of genealogy is not only finding out that an ancestor is related to other people, or where they lived, or even what they might have done in their lifetimes...it's finding the materials and figuring out if they are accurate or not.  Of course detective work is always interesting to me, and most genealogists.

I think that I must make mistakes, and am always willing to change things I've shared which are incorrect.  But once things are in print, it is often assumed that the researcher knows whereof he speaks.

Yesterday I shared a description of the move of the families of Sarah Jones and Champion Traylor form Virginia to Georgia.  There's a booklet published by a descendant, which says that trip happened in 1700.  I hope it's just a typo.  She was born in 1780, and he was born in 1770.

Here're the book pages that were shared about them...

 Genealogy (in part) of William Hill Senior and Anne Hill his wife prepared by William Traylor Hill

This is the place that a date was given for the emmigration in the year 1700.  That is not accurate.

Author William Traylor Hill is the oldest of the 11 children listed here.

And with the help of Ancestry which gives Sarah Jone's dates and places (minimal, but helpful) I find that her father Frederick Jones died in 1791 when she was 11, in Brunswick VA.  Her oldest brother, Frederick Augistine Jones died in 1793 in an unknown place.  Her next oldest brother died in 1833 still in Surry VA. So it's not possible that either of these brothers would have traveled to GA by the time Sarah was 17 when she married Champion there. Next in line were 2 sisters before Sarah herself.

I'm looking at the lives of these siblings, with whom might an unmarried teen might have traveled with from Virginia to Georgia.  I know she married at 17 in Georgia.  So how did she get there?  Her mother was still alive, but unlikely to have taken this trip, as she lived until 1810, dying in Dinwiddie, Virginia.

Now I'll look at the families of her married sisters.
Sister Mary Herbert Jones married John Wright Withers in Dinwiddie VA in 1795, and had their first children there...then emigrated to Huntsville AL in 1808.

Sister Elizabeth (Betsy) Jones married (probably) a William or a George Mason.  She doesn't have clear birth dates known, nor place, nor place of a wedding or even a death date or place.  There's even another possible husband, Thomas C. MacLin.  Her marriage to Mr. Mason was probably on Dec. 26 1814. And that's all we know about her.  If she influenced her sister Sarah to move to Georgia, we don't have any documentation of her life.

Sarah's last brother Augustine Claiborne Jones has no birth or death data, but he did marry in Brunswick VA in 1807

In looking at her uncles (and aunts) on her mother's side, all are indicated to have lived their lives in VA.

Now I'm checking all the aunts and uncles on her father's side of the family.  Still doesn't look promising, though Uncle Cadwaller Jones moved to Hillsborough, Orange County, NC.

So now I'm going to see how an older man, Champion Travis Traylor, emmigrated to Georgia (Wilkes County) now Olgethorpe so he could marry Sarah Jones.  Where did he come from?

Sarah Jones, great times 3 grandmother

Happy birthday to Sarah Jones Traylor Feb 1, 1780

mother of Nancy Traylor Jones Powell, who was grandmother of Bettie Bass, who was mother of my grandfather, George Rogers

Blogs about the Jones, Bass, Rogers line are here (Stiths to Jones in 4 generations) 
HERE (Jones to Rogers) 
and Champion-Travis-Traylor-sr-to-Rogers.

So Sarah Jones Traylor was my 4 times great grandmother. She lived until April 4, 1847, dying in Union Parish, Louisiana, where she had been living in her son's household, Samuel Traylor. She was 67.

Sarah was born in Sussex, Sussex County, VA, the second to youngest of 6 children. Her mother's family (the Claiborns) had been active in the governance of Sussex, and some of the men were in the Revolutionary War. I couldn't locate much information about her father, and there were a lot of Frederick Jones. Her father died when she was 11. Her mother lived until 1810, but by then Sarah had married and moved first to Georgia, then Alabama, then finally Louisiana.

She married in Georgia, Champion Travis Traylor, when she was 17 and he was 27. They had 12 children who all lived to adulthood, the third one being my great great great grandmother, Nancy Traylor Jones Powell.

Champion Traylor served in the War of 1812, and thus received land in Perry County, Alabama, which is where they moved before 1817. They lived there until his death in 1832, and it wasn't until 1833 that the land grant was finally signed by Pres. Andrew Jackson.

I also was curious how the young Sarah and Champion went from Virginia to Georgia. One source says their families moved there in 1700. This was a booklet published by descendant, William Traylor of the ancestry of William and Anne Hill.

I'll post about that genealogy tomorrow! (Yes, it might have that date of 1700 wrong!)

Further back for Bowers family

The Ancestry trees say Edmond Bower had parents also.  Robert Bower (1493-1517) who married Agnes Weston Bower (1481-1535) in 1513 in Norfolk, Eng.

His parents were John Bower (1478-1498) and Joan Bridmore (1452-?) from Mere, Witshire, Eng.  I'm going to add a Jr. to his name, because he was the son of another John Bower, to whom I'll add Sr. for clarification while talking about them.  John Bower Sr. (1460-1479) married Dame Edith Eizabeth Gresly (Bower) (1462-1523).

But there were so many John Bowers, and the trees are loaded (literally) with them.  One generation has three born to the same mother.  I looked hard to see how old she would have been.  And then I threw up my hands.

I liked that one of the Westons might have had a daughter (whose name I've now forgotten) who married (or maybe it was a granddaughter) the son of Sir. Richard Rogers. I'm a descendent of his, and looked to see if she appeared on my tree.  No, and that son and grandson were the wrong ages to marry a daughter or granddaughter of the Westons.  It's all tied in with the peerage of England.  And that's why I quit going back up that branch of my tree.

I'll acknowledge some John Bower and wife were my 12th great grandparents.  I'm not going back any further than 1450 for now.  I know, I am probably missing the link to royalty.  It wouldn't make me feel a bit different.

But I won't miss the chance to check on a few other family branches that the wives might offer, besides the Westons.  What about Dame Greesly Bowers, Joan Bridmore Bowers, Joan Moggeridge Bowers, Werner Minster Bowers, and Barbara Smith Bowers?  Something to check for tomorrow.

William Kennon 1713-1759

Col. William Kennon 1713–1759 

Birth 9 OCT 1713 
• Conjurors Neck, Chesterfield, Virginia, United States 
Death 1759 • Chesterfield, Chesterfield, Virginia

My 6 times great grandfather and great-grandfather of Cyntha Cannon Rogers (married to Micajah Clack Rogers).

Col. Wiliam Kennon (Cannon is one spelling as well of the same name) was maybe born in February, I haven't found any records proving or disproving the Oct. 9 date.


He had been born in Conjurers Neck, Chesterfield County, VA to William B. Kennon Sr, (1685-1735) and Anne Eppes Kennon (1691-1766).) They apparently had just 5 sons. William's grandfather had been Col. Richard Kennon Sr, (1650-1696) who built the Conjurers Neck mansion, known as "The Brick House." (I wrote about Col. Richard Kennon Sr. and his home which still stands, earlier in this post.)

The Brick House, Conjurors Neck, VA

William married Elizabeth Lewis in 1744. He enrolled in the militia 3 times in Virginia. He was a member of the House of Burgess of Virginia Colony, 1737-40, beginning at age 24.

William and Elizabeth had 7 children, of whom 4 are known to have fought as Patriots in the Revolutionary War. Elizabeth's father, Col. Charles Lewis actually also served with the 14th Regiment of Virginia, according to a document showing he was "sick in country" in Sept of 1777, at age 80 (he lived to 82.)

Elizabeth lived until 1799, but William didn't live to see the young country's conflict, dying at a young age in 1759. But I question that as his date of death, as Oct. 31, 1759 is the date of his will. A record in Chesterfield County, VA in November, 1767 states that his land in Amelia County was divided Oct. 27, 1767, between his 3 sons (though the will had named 4 sons). (Source: William and Mary Quarterly, 1905, pg. 134.)

His oldest 4 sons did live until the 19th century, but his youngest, Thomas (1756-?) has no known date of death. And he would have only been a child if William died in 1759 or 1767. Incidentally, all but his oldest son were still younger than 21. Elizabeth, his wife, was one of the executors of his will in 1767. I know probate takes a long time, especially if the government is in turmoil. So I don't have anything but questions at this point.

His patriot sons were John (1744-1806), William (1751-1804), Charles Lewis Kennon (1750-1820) and Richard (1752-1804). John changed the spelling of his name to Cannon. (As mentioned earlier, Thomas has no date of death, nor information as to any adult activities)

His daughters were Mary Kennon Harrison (1750-1782), and Elizabeth Howell Kennon Lewis1754-1825.) I don't know if the latter's husband was a cousin of her mother's Lewis family, but it's pretty likely.  


I found many of the Lewis family married their cousins, and that's the way they are described in records of the marriages. But the fun fact did allude me, finding Meriwether Lewis as a cousin...it's definitely there, but I don't know the connection. He not only is known for being part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but he was the Governor of the Louisiana Territory before his untimely death in 1809.

Great grandmother named after her aunt Eliza Bass Barton

Today to look at my grandfather George Rogers' grandfather's interesting Bass family.

Col. Richard Bass had 6 full siblings and a half-sister, and I started with an oder sister who had an interesting photograph (I think) of the couple.  Cloud Thrasher Barton and his wife Elizabeth Bass Barton.  Cloud's real name had been Claude, when he was born in South Carolina on June 3, 1804 in Pickens, Pickens County.

Elizabeth Bass was born on 9 Oct. 1810 in Wayne County, North Carolina. She had 2 older siblings also born in NC, and then her family moved to Perry, Alabama, probably for a land grant. Her parents were John Bass (1775-18220 and Julia Ann Holloman Bass (Green) (1785-1861). The 5 younger siblings of the Bass family were born in Alabama.

When Elizabeth Bass was 10, her father died with a lot of debt, and there are various court records as to how his brother-in-law, wife, and a neighbor, Jetson Green, would take care of the farm, and the children.  Jetson Green married the widow (Julia Ann) three years later, and then was step-father to  the children.  My great great grandfather was the youngest, having been born in 1819.

Elizabeth Bass, or Eliza, as she was known, married Cloud who had been the 4th of 12 children of his parents, the marriage taking place in 1837 in Perry, Alabama.  It was Cloud's second marriage,  having earlier married in Georgia. I have no details of that first marriage.

Within 3 years the Barton family relocated again to Caldwell Parish, Louisiana.  They had 8 children, with another move of the family to Moorehouse Parish, LA.

Eliza died in 1860, but Cloud lived a long life, dying at age 86 in 1890.  His last years were spent living with his adult children, as shown on census reports, in various counties in Texas.

I can't find any records that the Bartons were living near her brother, Col. Richard Bass and his family (my great great grandparents) when they both lived in Louisiana or Texas.  That's a lot of territory, and farmers were busy people.  But perhaps they did gather at the Green homestead where Eliza and Richard's mother, Julia Ann Bass Green lived until her death in 1861.

Richard Bass' first 4 children were born in Morehouse Parish, LA before the death of his sister Eliza in 1860...so perhaps the children knew their aunts and uncles and cousins.  One daughter born to Richard and his wife, Mae (Mary Ann Powell Bass) in February of 1860 was to become my great grandmother, Elizabeth (Bettie) Bass Rogers.  Her aunt Eliza Barton didn't die until Oct. 18 of that year, and I like to think that my great grandmother was named "Elizabeth" after her.

I share this accumulation of data with Sepia Saturday this week.  At the very least this post is based upon a photograph from many years ago (before Elizabeth's death in 1860?)  But she appears pretty young actually.  So now I'm wondering if this isn't a later photo and not even of the Bartons.  Wouldn't that be funny? (Well, not to the descendants who labeled it.)

Sepia Saturday 439

Come over to the link above, post any photos (preferably a few years old to maybe a hundred or so) and give your version of this prompt, or anything else.  We need new people to share in this sometimes hilarious, sometimes serious meme!

More of my family

A happy birthday for my father's older brother,  Chauncey Sweet Rogers, born Sept 21, 1912, died 15 Dec, 1974.  I knew him but a little.

Feb. 1937 hunting expedition in the wilds of Texas.  Sitting in front is my Uncle Jimmy, kneeling behind him is my grandmother Ada Phillips Swasey Rogers (Gummy) and standing from left to right, Mataley Munhall (soon to marry my father who probably took the photo) then George Rogers Sr. (Poppy) and on r. is Chauncey Rogers.

Birth anniversaries compiled to today...

Aug 25.
Ralph Farnum II (1601-1642)
My nine times great grandfather on Ada Swasey Rogers tree.
I NEED TO DO RESEARCH ON HIM, AN IMMIGRANT FROM ENGLAND TO ANDOVER MA)

Aug 24.
Cyntha Cannon Rogers (1800-Nov 24 1855)
My 3 times great grandmother on George Rogers family tree.
(SEE THIS BLOG HERE)

Aug 20.
George Tyler Granger (1804-after 1870)
Lumber merchant and surveyor
My 3 times great grandfather on Ada Swasey Rogers tree.
(SEE BLOG FOR A LETTER HE WROTE HERE.)

Aug 12.
Joseph Swasey (baptized on Aug 12, 1714 - 1801
my 5 times great grandfather on Ada Swasey Rogers tree.
(SEE BLOG HERE)

Aug 11.
Jonathan Bowers, Captain (1673-1750)
my 6 times great grandfather on Ada Swasey Rogers tree.
(SEE BLOG HERE, AND HERE.)

Aug 8.
Josiah Beers 1693-1763)
My 7 times great grandfather on Eugenia Booth tree.
(SEE BLOG HERE)

Aug. 7.
Jacob Granger (1735-4 Feb, 1795)
5 times great grandfather on Swasey tree
(SEE BLOG HERE)

Aug. 1.
Anna Curtiss Booth (1697- 18 May 1733)
My 7 times great grandmother
(SEE BLOG HERE)
In Booth family tree.

See, I did do some research this month on my ancestors.  Then I took a break.  I'll be back soon!

What if Martha Clack married A. Hightower?

Sometimes I find that plugging in information which isn't substantiated by facts/documents, will bring me to something that either a. proves it full of hogwash, or b. proves it to be true, or c. leaves me with egg on my face for even supposing such a thing!

So today I'm going to suppose Martha Kennon Clack could have married Austin Hightower.  And when I look at how many different dates are given for the siblings of Spencer Clack, she has some Ancestry trees giving her date of birth as 1741 to 1745 and as late as 1751.  The only catch to these earlier dates is that her mother, Mary Kennon Clack, was born 1n 1728, and got married in 1743.  That would put Martha's birth until her mother was at least 15 years old.

One set of trees uses Richmond, Wise County VA as her birth place, while another set says Brunswick County, VA.  Since all the other Clacks of her generation were born in Brunswick, that would be my first preference.

There is one record which lists Austin Hightower as marrying Martha (no maiden name) in 1861.  Austin was born in 1698 on this one record that a exists for Martha.

Austin has records of a marriage to Jane Oldham, in 1744. And they had 3 children.

So I'm fortunately visiting the Chatham County seat in Pittsboro NC, and today (the 23rd) will go to the library and talk to a genealogist.  Since Martha Hightower, as well as Auston, has been listed as dying in Chatham County NC, maybe I can find out where their graves would have been located.

And I did find a bit more information about the son of Auston Hightower, named Henry.  He was part of the American Revolution, but on the Tory side, and was hung for having "murdered" a patriot.

I saw the original will of Auston Hightower (and he signed his name spelling it that way.  So I've changed my records to reflect that spelling (though of course nobody else will probably.)

And since my guess is that Martha is a sister of Spencer Clack, then she's only my aunt six times great.

Yes, more of Spencer Clack's siblings

Looking at Spencer Clack's siblings (part 3)... (See this link for the start of this series)

Ann Clack Robinson 1745-1800
Spencer Clack 1746-1832
Martha (Patty) Kennon Clack (between 1748-60) - (around 1793-1818,) unknown if she married Hightower, d. maybe in NC
James Clack (1750 or 56) -1834
John Sterling Clack 1758-1798
Richard Clack 1763-1806
Agnes Bolling Clack 1771-1803


Richard Clack 1763-12 Jan 1806. He was born in what is now Loudon County, VA.

In 1786 in Brunswick County VA, he married Anne Hardaway who had been born in Prince George County VA in 1759 but their marriage, 14, Sept of 1786 was in Brunswick County VA.  She died sometime before 1794.  They had no children (at least recorded through Ancestry.)

Richard married again in 1794 to Amy Maclin or McLain or Mclain. They had at least 4 and maybe 6 children.  The tree gets a bit fuzzy at this point, without birth or death dates, so it's hard to see if the names that are listed really belong to these parents.   Richard died in 1806, and Amy in 1808.  Richard's death was in Brunswick County VA, and we don't know where Amy died.  Richard apparently left a will, naming at least 2 children, and mentioning there were others who weren't named.

The last of the Clack siblings is Agnes Bolling Clack Jones, born in 1771 in Brunswick County, VA.
She married William Jones on 14 Feb. 1792 in Brunswick VA.  But ancestry has listed another William Jones, one who married Elizabeth somebody else and died in Georgia.  I couldn't find out much about Agnes and her family.  The other William Jones came from Prince George County, VA (same birth and death dates) and had parents listed.  One from Mecklenburg County VA didn't have parents listed, but same dates.  And being married in Brunswick County VA may just mean that that is where Agnes lived.  There are 2 listings for their marriage, but none for their children (if any) nor even definite death places or dates.

So today's pursuit of cousins has ended.

James Clack, another sibling of Spencer Clack

Looking at Spencer Clack's siblings, part 2... (See this link for the start of this series)

Ann Clack Robinson 1745-1800
Spencer Clack 1746-1832
Martha (Patty) Kennon Clack (between 1748-60) - (around 1793-1818,) unknown if she married Hightower, d. maybe in NC *
James Clack (1750 or 56) -1837
John Sterling Clack 1758-1798
Richard Clack 1763-1806
Agnes Bolling Clack 1771-1803

James Clack died in 1837, but could have been born in 1750 or 1756, according to those Ancestry trees.

But I just found out there's a memorial marker to him in Dance Cemetery in Lynchburg, Moore County, TN.  And that gives me more firm dates to go on for his life.  Cha-ching, I can now change my questioning dates.   It says 1756-1837.  I'm going with that.  (However, often headstones have incorrect dates, so I'll be open to finding any written documents about his dates of birth and death.)  But it also says he was a Revolutionary Soldier.

"In Memory of James Clack born Jun 1756 - died Oct 1837, "A Revolutionary Soldier"

I looked at the list of people buried in the Dance cemetery, hoping to find some relatives.  You never know.  And of the 41 listed graves, it says 80% have been photographed.  I love when families name their children with old family names, and this research has proved this out.

There's a 1 year old James Clack Smith. Died in 1839.

A Mary Kennon Brown Smith died in 1840 when she was 35 (unknown if she was James' mother.)   Her children listed at "Find a Grave" for this site are: Mary Ann Clack Smith Martin 1826-1909, Martha Elizabeth Fisher Smith Harris 1829-1851, and Agness Bolling Smith Fuller 1832-1898.

Dance Cemetery, Moore County, TN

There are 2 family names I recognize...first daughter has Clack as a middle name, and last daughter is named after Agnes Bolling, a Virginia ancestor.  Not to mention Mary Kennon Brown Smith has the other ancestral name Kennon as well.

Mary Kennon Brown Smith...a.k.a. Mary Kennon Browne Clack Smith.

There be some relations in here, I'm thinking.  And the fact that the markers look so similar is also suggestive that one family had them made for their relatives.

I clicked on Mary Clack Smith's husband's link, and he was buried in Arkansas.  But it also gives this information (which notably isn't an original source, but might be considered first person account of those who knew her.)

"Dr. William Flournoy Smith, husband of Mary Kennon Browne Clack (daughter of James Clack & Sally Dickens), married October 29, 1823, Granville County, NC."

This may not be an original source, but here's the rest of the posting at "Find a Grave" for Dr. Smith.  It would have been nice if it had been included under Mary Kennon Brown Smith's listing (where I've now added it with her name.)

Notes for MARY KENNON BROWNE CLACK: 

"Mary Wilson Brown Dickens Hicks wrote this about her cousin & uncle. Her parents, William & Nancy Dickens reared Mary Clack to womanhood & was looked upon as an elder sister amongst my fathers children. Uncle Clack, Mary's father, was a constant visitor at my fathers house & he was a gentleman of the old school--one of the most refined, pious men I ever remember to have seen. His daughter Mary was the sole object of his deepest affection. I have often, in after years, thought how self sacrificing he was, doting on her as he did; surrounded with wealth and comfort at home; yet he allowed her to reside with my parents, fifteen miles from him, in order that she might have the benefit of my mother's care, in whose ability to raise daughters he had the utmost confidence. My cousin was married in my father's house."

From The Village Messenger, Fayetteville, Tennessee, Vol. 4, No. 27, December 7, 1827 

So James' daughter was Mary Clack who was cared for by her father fostering her with a nearby family, the Dickens.  Unfortunately for us, no Dickens were buried in the Dance cemetery (according to the list). There may be a connection to the Dance family through a Sarah Smith Dance (1793-1863) but that's just a bit too far removed from my Clack search for me to go further with her family ties.  There are no other Clacks that I've found, and the rest of the Smiths don't seem to be connected to Clacks.  I wish the Dickens were somehow part of the information.

There are still some questions to be answered. If she was a Clack, why does her grave leave that name off, just saying Mary Kennon Brown Smith?  And the 1827 article doesn't include any information about her husband, Dr. Smith.  This would have been a rather important marriage name, so is there some explanation?

So I've added a new wife to James Clack, that of Sally Dickens.  Let's see what that turns up.  There was one wife that had no substantiating data, named Jane McClin...so I was never sure if she'd married James, had the daughter, or was a later marriage.  Still looking...

OK, I've found the bond listed in Granville, NC for the marriage of Sally Dickens to James Clack on Nov. 26, 1804.  Original written document!  Whoo-hoo!

Their only child, Mary Kennon Brown Smith Clack lived from 27 Aug 1805 till 20 Dec. 1840.  Since her first daughter has Clack in her name, I checked her "Find a Grave Site" and it lists her parents as Mary Clack Smith and William Smith.

It's beginning to sound like Mary Kennon Brown Smith was the same woman as Mary Kennon Clack Smith.  But if she didn't want to carry the Clack name, she still used it in her children's names!  And she never let go of the Kennon either.  This is pure conjecture, but it sure is beyond coincidence.

Back to Mrs. James (Sally Dickens) Clack.  I want to see if she wasn't a deceased sister of the Dickens family who raised James and Sally's daughter, Mary K.

When I finally found Sally's parents, I found where the Brown in Mary Kennon Brown's name came from, it was her grandmother's maiden name!  Mary's mother, Sally died in 1808, when Mary was just 3.  There were many siblings of her mothers...now to find the ones who lived down the road from James Clack. Unfortunately none of Sally's brothers was named William.  So maybe a cousin?

That will mean going back a generation into Col. Robert Dickens (or Dickins) family.  Do I want to spend the time? Yes, because I want to connect the cousins.

So yes, Col. Robert Dickins did have a son William Dickins, (17732-1845).  And the next step is to see who he married. YES, a Nancy Pullian, who he married in 1810, in Granville Co., NC.

So that ties up the beginning of the life of Uncle James Clack.  I have to quit for tonight, because twice I tried to add all the children of William and Nancy Dickins to my ancestry tree, and they didn't come up.  When Ancestry starts mis-behaving like this, I won't waste my time.

* I've changed my mind and decided to go with the Martha Kennon Clack Hightower approximate facts for now.  So now I will update the information given above on a later date!